Synthesis: Entering the Conversation
In your first short essay, you will consider the many perspectives we’ve read thus far on Kansas City and community. We’ve been exploring We are Superman and Tanner Colby, as well as Kevin Fox Gotham to create a conversation of how race and class affect our communities.
You will synthesize their arguments, teaching readers what you find most significant, and responding to the central arguments in each text. This will require you to consider how the writers would respond to each other in a conversation of sorts. Where do the ideas find common ground? Where do they diverge? Remember that a synthesis requires more than summarizing other scholars’ work; instead, you will use their work as a basis for your own argumentative thesis. In other words, you will “put in your oar” as Burke calls it.
In this essay, you will construct your own argument that makes a contribution to the larger conversation about systemic inequality in KC. Although you will support your argument with material from the assigned readings and documentary, the central argument of your essay—the thesis—must be your own. Your audience is educated peers who have read and watched the texts closely. This means that you will not need to summarize the content of each essay; rather, you will draw from the texts to support your own assertions. You’ll want to consider at all points how to persuade your readers.
Guidelines for Essay
Length: approximately 800-1,000 words
Style/Format: This, as all essays in Discourse, will be formatted according to MLA (Modern
Language Association) guidelines for scholarship in the humanities:
• 12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced.
• 1-inch margins top, bottom, and sides.
• Although no cover page is needed, you should include your name, my name, the course number/title, and date at the upper left-hand corner of the manuscript.
References: will include formal references to the assigned readings, enough references to support your thesis. Such references will utilize quotation or paraphrasing, and they will include in-text citations (the author’s last name and page number in parentheses; however, use only the page number if the author’s last name is mentioned in the text leading up to the quote or if the previous in-text citation included the name of the same author).
Works Cited: Your essay will include a Works Cited page in MLA format.
Titles: The title is the first thing a reader encounters—make it descriptive, reveal the thesis and capture the audience’s attention. Do not format your title with quotation marks, boldface, underlining or italics. Quotation marks or underlining are only appropriate if the title borrows words from another source.
Also please read the following articles in the attachments and use resources from there and only from those three articles