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For Those About to Freak

A note to those of you who are freaking out:

First of all, your reaction to the assignment is a natural, normal, common response. And everyone who has said this somehow manages to pull it together.... That said, STOP FREAKING OUT.

The first thing you need to think of is your first paper. What points did you make in support of your thesis? Those points of support will all be expanded in this second version. As you are reading your sources (that is what you're doing, right?), look for information/ideas/points that support YOUR ideas. As you come to something in a source, highlight it, making a note about where it fits into your argument -- just like you did for paper #1.

As for integrating those points, that's what we discussed on Monday -- using bits and pieces from your sources, and explaining the connection (between your ideas and theirs) for the reader. If the author agrees with you, then you say something like, "Smith agrees" or "According to Smith..." when introducing the information. Then you explain it and cite it. Again, the handout I gave you suggests several different ways to do this.

As for beginning, you start with the file you saved for paper #1. Pull it up on the computer, with your *marked* sources around you, and start integrating them into your original paper. Once you have my comments on paper #1 you'll have more to go on. Right now, you should be reading the sources you have.

Don't freak out. Rough draft is due Friday, final draft Monday.

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