Literary Detection

A winner of the James F. Slevin Assignment Sequence Prize, this sequence originates from English 147, The Mystery in the Story. The sequence presents the semester's six assignments, with preparatory writing and activities such as study questions and peer review. The essays build from two essays that are not full literary analyses; to two literary analyses with directive prompts; to a revision and expansion; to several brief response papers; and finally to a seven-page literary analysis for which students develop their own arguments, possibly from one of the response papers. Materials include handouts on topics such as "What an 'A' Essay Does," "Close Reading," and "Developing a Thesis Statement." The sequence aims at four goals: (1) students become proficient readers; (2) they can construct clear paragraphs; (3) they can process secondary sources; and (4) they can integrate these three skills to write essays with complex claims and argumentative tension. 28 page pd