ICSM 10800-04 / Fall 2020 S.A. Delaney
Unit 2: What Do We Mean When We Talk About Anxiety? upd. 10/6
According to a national survey published in February 2019 by the Pew Research Center, anxiety and depression rank as one of the top concerns for US teenagers. Numerous reportsincluding this one from Pewassert that anxiety was on the rise among college students prior to the pandemic, and we know that our current situation has only exacerbated this state. But what do we mean by anxiety? What feelings and experiences are encompassed by this term? What does it mean to identify as a person with anxiety? Well draw on ideas from disability studies and intersectionality in our conversations. The Unit will conclude with a formal analytical argument of 1200-1500 words worth 20 percent of the overall course grade.
What Do You Mean By A Formal Analytical Argument?
We often use the word argument to mean the exchange of strong opinions, and when writing for school, it generally refers to a persuasive essayone that has a clear thesis statement and relevant supporting evidence. In Unit 1, I pushed you to step away from that thesis-support (e.g., five-paragraph essay) style of writing in order to more fully explore and explain your thinking. The analytical argument Im asking you to write for Unit 2 will combine these modes to create a richer, more complex essay.
What Do You Mean By Analysis?
In their textbook Writing Analytically David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen offer this four-part definition of analysis, which is worth quoting at length:
1. Analysis seeks to discover what something means. An analytical argument makes claims for how something might be best understood and in what context.
2. Analysis deliberately delays evaluation and judgment.
3. Analysis begins in and values uncertainty rather than starting from settled convictions.
4. Analytical arguments are usually pluralistic; they tend to try on more than one way of thinking about
how something might be best understood. (Rosenwasser and Stephen 6-7)
Analysis, then, starts with inquiry: questions followed by careful observation. To delay evaluation and judgment requires that we acknowledge and bracket our gut reactionswe must stay with the problem longer, seeing it from every possible perspective, considering what may seem counterintuitive. Only then can we arrive at a reasoned, thoughtful conclusion.
Whos Our Audience For This Essay?
Beyond the obvious answerme, your professoryour imagined audience for this essay is the journal Inquiries, which describes itself as an open-access academic journal that highlights the work of students at the undergraduate level and above. Consider this assignment an opportunity to prepare a scholarly essay for possible submission to this journal. As part of our activities, well look more closely at the journals website and its expectations.
What Kind Of Research Will We Have To Do?
Your analysis will focus on one specific conversation about anxiety. That conversation may have taken place in a more traditional magazine or newspaper, on social media, on a cable news show, or elsewhere. It needs to be a conversation that you can capture and study in detail. As with your first essay, you may find it necessary to narrow your focus to make your analysis more manageable.
How Should I Cite My Sources?
Youll need to use formal MLA citation style for this essay. That means that in addition to including all sources on the Works Cited, you need to fully and formally introduce all of your sources, as weve been practicing. Any and all ideas and details should be directly attributed to the appropriate source (According to political reporter Joe Blow of the New York Times…). In addition, youll want to provide parenthetical in-text citations (or PITCs) as needed.
ICSM 10800-04 / Fall 2020
S.A. Delaney
Works Cited
Horowitz, Juliana Menasce, and Nikki Graf. Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers. Pew Research Center, 2019.
Rosenwasser, David, and Jill Stephen. Writing Analytically 6th Ed. Wadsworth/Cengage, 2012.
EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR FINAL ESSAY (200 points)
1) Does the writer respond to the assignment, composing a thoughtful Analytical Essay of 1200-1500 words?
a) Does the writer select and describe a specific representative example of the term anxiety in use in
relation to higher education?
b) Does the writer analyze the use of this term, identifying assumptions and implications?
2) Does the writer use all sources (print, web, or other) ethically and effectively?
a) b) c)
3) Is a) b) c)
4) Is a)
b) c)
Does the writer formally introduce sources, clearly attributing ideas and quotations? Is there an MLA style Works Cited page?
Are parenthetical in-text citations used correctly when needed?
the essay well developed and effectively organized?
Does the writer include a clear and effectively placed thesis statement?
Is the essay organized in a logical, cohesive manner, with helpful transitions? Does the writer employ an effective introduction and conclusion?
the essay well prepared?
Does the writer follow submission guidelines, such as double-spacing, 12-point font, MLA heading, and title?
Is language clear and specific, employing a voice that is natural and appropriate for essay?
Are there minimal grammar and punctuation errors?
