| Instructor: Dr Julia Gardner |
Writing the One-Page Response Paper
As part of USLA02, you will regularly write short response papers. These should be double-spaced, about 350 words. Because these papers are so short, your style in composing them will differ from longer, graded essays. Begin with a one or two sentence statement of your thesis or main idea. The thesis should engage with the given topic, but also put forth your own argument or interpretation about that topic. Think of the thesis as the specific proposition you intend to illustrate about the discussion question to which you respond.
Once you've established your thesis, devote the rest of the page to defending this idea. As a general rule of writing, try to quote only those sentences most needed, and/or use the most relevant example you can find. Such brevity is especially important in the response paper, as you do not have enough room to indulge in analysis of a large block quote. So be selective, and quote only the most persuasive textual evidence to support your thesis. Also tell your reader how the quoted material proves your point or allows us to better understand the issue at hand.
As you probably have already experienced in writing other essays, the main argument may have shifted or changed by the time you reach your initial conclusion. The same thing happens in short writing exercises as well. If your response paper seems to end in a different place than you began, not to worry - simply go back and rewrite your thesis. Allow yourself enough time to revise whole paragraphs if necessary to bring your ideas in line with your adjusted thesis.
While I don't expect the short responses to be as finished or as sustained as your graded essays, I do expect to see evidence of intellectual engagement with the text under study. Use these short writings as opportunities to begin exploring facets of the text you found particularly interesting or puzzling. But think small - the response paper should read as a single, coherent argument. Often writers find the shortest assignments most challenging because they force you to be very selective and concise in style. You may add a question or two for discussion at the end of your paper for the week your writing is the focus, if you come up with other ideas that can't fit into your actual response.
You must turn in all assigned response papers to receive full credit for this aspect of the course. Once in the semester your paper will serve as the focus of class discussion (sign ups will be available after the first week), and for this response paper, and your leading of discussion, you will receive a letter grade.
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