10B Ecology Revision Assignment

Warren 10B: Ecology
Rachel D. Shaw’s Sections

Revision of Writing Assignment
(8-10 pages)
Due

During the course of the quarter you have written four arguments dealing with various aspects of ecology. It is expected that, over the duration of the quarter, that you have gained new insight on familiar issues, or learned about new ideas, issues, and perspectives. This final revision is intended to provide an arena for the further exploration and development of ideas raised in one of those earlier arguments.

PURPOSE: To explore and develop ideas raised in one of the first four papers. To reassess your argument and correct weaknesses/confusion in claims, grounds, and warrants. To introduce new material, ideas, and approaches as necessary. To reapproach old arguments with new knowledge and expertise gained over the course of the quarter.

Some caveats, or warnings:

First, note that this assignment is of greater length (8-10 pages) than the preceding four papers. It is expected that you are now capable of deepening your analyses and making more complex and interesting arguments than was possible at the beginning of the quarter. If you do this, you should have no trouble making the page limit. If you start to feel as if you have run out of things to say before that, here are some questions to help deepen your analyses:

What are the larger stakes involved? Have I considered, explained, and analyzed the significance of my claims? Do any of the course materials talk about the issues I am raising? Is it possible to use them in my argument? Have I explained my position clearly throughout the paper? Do any of my grounds need warranting (do I need to explain to the reader why I included them in the paper)? Do I need to provide more detail? If there seems to be too much irrelevant detail from one source, is it possible to look elsewhere for the information I need? (Also, don’t forget the comments made by me and your peers!)

Second, as should by now be clear, more is involved than simply polishing grammar and smoothing organization. You will need to rethink your original argument. That is, you will need to critically assess the grounds you used, the claims you made (and whether they need to be qualified or strengthened), and the warrants linking them. Do they still seem effective? Do you still agree with your earlier position? Are there issues that you left unexplored that you would now like to examine in greater detail?

The following analogy may be useful. Imagine that, when you first entered high school, you wore a certain outfit that you liked, and imagine also that, if you wished, you could wear that outfit for the rest of your life. My question: might you not want, at some point, to try on something new? The kind of revision done in high school is similar to the act of repairing that outfit -- sewing up the seams, patching the tears, and so on. The basic outfit is unchanged. The kind of revision I am asking for here is more involved -- as if you decided to turn your pants into cutoffs, add a new shirt, toss out an old pair of shoes, or dye your socks (or all at once!).

Finally, this should be fun and challenging. It will also be hard work, but I want this to be a chance for you to explore your ideas and to play with them as well as working on improving your argumentation skills.