Revising the 1 Report Assignment

After reading Dr. Achibald's comments on my first draft, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Some comments were friendly reminders about steps that I overlooked, and one was actually a compliment on my opening paragraph. Nonetheless, my final draft has to show some marvelous improvement in order for me to feel satisfied about my overall report.

The opening paragraph can stay where it is and basically worded how it is, but I should really tweak the ending sentences in order to tie into my new format. This time around, I will definitely expand and draw examples from my document, "Dr. Lyte's Address to the Graduating Class." This includes painting a picture of who E. O. Lyte was, whether by sources on his accomplishments or on testimonies of his character. 

This is not enough, however, and I must take that background information and turn it into a helpful catalyst for my thesis statement. My thesis statement was that, “Not much has changed at our university even though the years have slipped away. Besides the obvious changes in politics, the economy, social conditions and technology the goals for teaching and learning have not been compromised. A prime example of the timelessness felt here at Millersville University is in the core value that has been passed down from generation to generation: Loyalty.” There must be evidence that my thesis is correct, and that will come from an additional about our current president, Dr. Francine McNairy. By making a connection between how presidents behaved in the past and how they do in the present age, I will cement the foundation of my point of view.

And of course I will follow every step this time. There will be an accurate word count on the bottom of the report, the spacing will be doubled, my works cited list will be complete, and my paper in its entirety will have closure to it by its concluding paragraph.

They Say / I Say -- Response 1

In the Introduction to "They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates designed to improve writing techniques of scholarly reports. Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing templates they offer are but a starting point for the work to be done, and creativity can complete the rest of the report. As the authors themselves put it, "The belief that pre-established forms undermine creativity... rests on a very limited vision of what creativity is. In our view, the [templates] in this book will actually help your writing become more original and creative, not less." Although some people believe that writing in templates takes away from originality and makes their papers all sound the same, Graff and Birkenstein insist that the templates represent the tricks of the trade in sophisticated thinking and writing. In sum, then, their view is that their techniques will significantly improve the writing habits of college students, if the readers of this text carefully follow their instruction and practice the authors' logistics.

I agree to this bold statement about the advantages of using "They Say / I Say." In my view, the types of templates that the authors recommend are very practical for repetitive usage. For instance, if a writer gets tired of using a particular template, he or she can easily switch to another legitimate template. In addition, depending on the direction of the paper, different templates may be employed to suit the needs of the subject matter. Some might object, of course, on the grounds that writing using templates restricts the overall content of the work. Yet I would argue that the wording of the templates isn't important either; or you can reword one of Graff's and Birkenstein's templates to match your style. Overall, then, I believe this text is essential to the beginner -an important point to make given arguments a standing chance.

The History of Lancaster County

After several failed attempts to add my library research findings to the course mind map, I gave up and began this course blog post instead. I honestly tried to edit the course mind map, but the "add idea" button wouldn't light up by dragging my cursor over it. Luckily I already browsed the items available for the MU & Local History branch of the map to stay up-to-date on my topic.

My library search unearthed an extensive volume of archives concerning the history of Lancaster County.  I will narrow my search to the time period we are after, which is of course anywhere from 1820 to 1920. This could prove to be tricky considering the twenty-some chapters that I have to sift through during my research. But as with all great masterpieces, or any work for that matter, it requires time and patience to complete to the fullest of your ability. And mark you I am prepared to take on this task.

In the very beginning when we had to preference our topic choices, I knew I wanted to cover the history of this area. I come from Lebanon County, which is next door to Lancaster, but still outside of its unique legacy. I am curious to what life was like in Lancaster during the 19th century, and taking this viewpoint I will compare it to my perception of what I originally believed 19th century life was like in general. 

How this history will tie into the rest of MU & Local History I am not sure. Hopefully Christiana and the Christiana Riot will be mentioned to connect it to the findings found on the course mind map. I am confident that Millersville will be covered in the archives, and thus Dr. Lyte’s Address can be woven into the tapestry of Lancaster’s traditions. And finally the whole picture can be painted from the standpoint of Sally E. Bolton, in order to bridge the final gap.