1.1 Directions

When you start writing your 1.1, it would be helpful to think about it as three sections:
1. In Martin Alexander's essay (in your textbook), how is the argument structured? By this, I want you to consider how Alexander structures his argument. Also think back to our last several assignments. Think about the theoretical frameworks (or warrants) of the article. Think about the types of evidence that Alexander uses. Why does he include the articles he includes? These are the sorts of issues you should tackle here. Also, look at the first link on the handout. There is a checklist there of things that a literature review should have. Does your review have all of these parts? What is missing and why?
2. In the literature review article of your choosing (look down a few posts for some suggestions), look for the same types of things that you did for the Alexander article. The only difference here is that you should compare the things you find in the article of your choosing to the things you find in the Alexander article. Why do you think the articles are structured differently? Why are they similar?
3. Create a guide for yourself on how to write a literature review. The handout and links I gave out in class will be particularly helpful. Write this in academic prose--do not be informal. Even though this will serve as a sort of "how-to" for your 1.2, you should be writing every assignment for this class in academic prose (meaning, you should avoid all slang and first person).


I don't want you to focus on content for this week--STRUCTURE is what is important here.

A less scary way to think about this assignment is to break it down: each section should be approximately 500 words.

Be sure to include the Works Cited information for the articles you choose. The lit reviews I've suggested to you below are not yet in correct MLA format, although all of the necessary information is there. You will need to put the Alexander article into the same format if you cite from it. The "Citation Help" link on the side of this page will take you to the OWL at Purdue website, which has entries on how to cite almost anything. Use this resource!!

Don't hesitate to see me in my office or email me. I'm MORE than happy to help with this assignment--I know it is difficult!