What to do, short version Analyze a specific theme that you find when you compare the literacy histories written by this class. Long version The literacy histories written by the class (e.g., the answers to the Questionnaires that everyone completed) are what your writing must discuss and be about. You can access these answers here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1shHGNkv2qIrLym6PS2up6h1ZzjVBTIJt4xAyvJ5alMo/edit?usp=sharing (I AM PERSON NUMBER 5, THOSE ARE MY ANSWERS) Compare the Literacy Histories Questionnaire answers in order to find patterns and trends as well as differences and outliers among a substantial number of answers. (Fewer than 25% would be too few.) Find a Specific Theme among these patterns, trends, differences, and outliers to write aboutsomething that interests you, that matters in some way, and that you can connect to Brandt’s discussion of reading, writing, and literacy (. Such themes include the ones we discussed in class [will add later], but you might come up with a different one instead. Analyze your evidence (the Questionnaire answers) to support this theme and to show readers where it came from. Brandt (I attached this in my order) will serve as a good model for analyzing this evidence: She listened carefully to what her interview subjects said, just as you should read the Questionnaire answers carefully She noticed similarities and differences among the interviews and used them to develop categories to discuss the interviews in aggregate (summarizing them in big groupings) From these categories, she came up with her claims about reading, writing, and literacy She supported her claims in more detail by introducing us to several individual subjects and quoting and paraphrasing part of what they said to her Sometimes she used quantitative (numerical) methods to discuss the data, counting up who said what; often she used more qualitative methods to speculate on what the data might mean. Analyzing is a crucial skill in college. You can find out more about written analysis at https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-can-i-create-stronger-analysis-.html How to structure your LHA Come up with a title specific to your theme (e.g., not “Literacy Histories Analysis”). Mostly in the first couple of paragraphs but perhaps a bit later as well and drawing on Swales (I attached this in my order) research: Establish a Territory; use a quotation, paraphrase, and summary of Brandts article to help you show that the context for your researchliteracyis a topic that matters. (A short example of a summary: This article highlights the contrast and relationship between reading and writing based on 40 interviews gathered from people of all walks of life. Reading was a considered a family activity done for enjoyment and encouraged by parents. Writing on the other hand was more personal and often dreaded activity that was only advocated in school. Brandt views literacy as the collection of past experiences.) Establish a Niche, a space that needs to be filled through additional research (Swales 13) by indicating a gap, raising a question, and/or continuing a tradition. (You dont know enough about the research on literacy to challenge Brandts findings, but you could raise a question about them based on the literacy histories from the class.) Occupy a Niche: outline your purpose (e.g., what theme did you find and why does it matter?), announce the present research (e.g., describe the “subjects” of this study [the class] and the Questionnaires they filled out), announce your principle findings (e.g., how do the Questionnaire answers serve as evidence for the theme you found?), and indicate the structure of your article. NOTE: this suggestion might seem counter-intuitive, but it will be much easier if you write some of this AFTER you’ve written the middle/body paragraphs and know more specifically what your analysis will focus onand therefore the gap it is filling. In the middle/body paragraphs, get down to business and analyze the theme you chose from the literacy histories, using the following moves: Support your theme by providing a mix of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries of these Questionnaire answers. Say HOW this quoted, paraphrased, and summarized evidence supports your theme, because readers won’t necessarily be able to make the connection on their own. More specifically, discuss the Questionnaire answers in aggregate (large groupings), categorized by patterns or trends. You might use quantitative/numerical methods to analyze the data (e.g., count up different kinds of answers and/or how many people answered one way and not another). And if you like, you can represent this quantitative analysis visually, with a pie chart, bar graph, or Word Cloud. You should use qualitative methods to speculate on what these data mean or suggest about literacy, perhaps in the specific community you write about. Offer a detailed analysis of one answer or several related answers that are evidence for your theme. You might write up a “case example” of one or more of the subjects whose literacy history illustrates your theme (including, perhaps, yourself). And/or you might compare two case examples in a way that supports your theme. You must maintain your subjects anonymity, so dont use their names. Instead, refer to them by number (e.g., “Student 7”). At the end: Find a way to conclude: for instance, Brandt calls on other writing researchers to broaden their scope. Who is your audience and what do you want to say to them? Include a Works Cited list with an entry for Brandt. Other requirements The only sources you may use are Brandt (which you must cite) and the Literacy History Questionnaire answers (which you don’t need to cite because they aren’t published). Don’t use anything else. 3-5 pages, double spaced, using a 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. This Analysis will count as 25% of your term grade.
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