Synthesis

So I've amended the calendar (link to the right) with the information below, but it seems helpful to clarify some of what I'm asking you to do in class today as well as over the break:

Today (Monday, 11/19) Kim's class will be joining us with the intention of having them mentor you through a process of writing analysis. Using a paper from one of Kim's prior classes (and I'll be providing you with a copy of this) as a model, they have been working to develop methods for offering feedback and creating a reflexive writing practice. My hope is that they will be sharing this process with you, allowing you to synthesize their practice with your own.

To support this work, I'm asking you to do a couple of things for Monday, 11/26:

First, read through the paper from Kim's class (entitled "Synthesis Paper, or How the Theory of Derive, Conversations with Imaginary Friends and Shouting in the Park Got Me a New Old Pair of Shoes") and make notes on it (literally, mark it up-- use it, amend it, question it, edit it). We'll begin next class by going through this together and seeing what trends emerge. How does the writer lead you to a topic? How are different sources integrated into the text?

Second, extending from the assistance you receive today (11/19), develop a NEW draft of your experience with Volunteer Park. This new draft should *do* two things: First, it should attempt to bring in/discuss/analyze some of the feedback you got from Kim's class, and second, it should attempt to synthesize some (or most) of the readings we've done on parks (from the Course Reader and in-class).

As I wrote on the calendar post:

The suggestions from Kim's class will be utilized in the next version, due Monday 11/26. For this version (keeping in mind that we will continue to work with this paper), please also consider the writings from the Course Reader II, and look for ways to synthesize your views with the views of Pierce Lewis, J.B. Jackson, Nicholson Baker, Alain de Botton and Francis Ponge (On Water was a hand-out in class). For example, how does your view of the urban park differ from Jackson's? How do you describe water distinct from Ponge, and what are those distinctions?

If you have any questions on the writing process we're adopting here (and it's a progression from the descriptions/experiences you've written thus far), please, please write them as comments on this post, and I'll respond to them as quickly as I can. The act of synthesizing new works into a text (drawing on different viewpoints, arguments, and topics)-- into your text-- is a crucial element in your work as a writer, and my hope is that we will be discussing the opportunities and difficulties frequently and deeply.

Go team.