Synthesis Writing Assignment

I'm asking you to take the final step in writing a synthesis of the three articles about privacy: write a paragraph (no more than 200 words) that gives a succinct overview of the arguments of the three articles. This kind of synthesis writing will be important to you whenever you write a research paper and you want to present information from a range of sources that comment on the same issue.

Step one: read and understand the main points of the three articles. Use the checklist on the handouts.

Step two: decide what issue the articles have in common: what is the general conversation of which the articles form a part? Start by explaining the issue.

Step three: you can now explain how each article relates to the main issue of concern, and how they relate to each other. Be sure to state who wrote each article, and use active verbs like "claim", "argue," or "suggest" to represent the position taken.

Hints: Think carefully about how you will organize the paragraph. Which article or articles will you mention first? Can you group them together somehow, or is each one coming from a completely different angle? Is there more than one issue, or are there issues that are addressed by only one or two of the articles? You may have to address agreements and disagreements over different issues separately (for example: A, B, and C all agree on X. However, on the subject of Y, A holds the opposite opinion of B, while C has no opinion.)

Email me your paragraph, and bring a copy with you when you come to class Monday.