The document provides guidance for writing a short two-paragraph paper comparing how old and new media respond to each other. Students are instructed to pick two texts and write an introduction with a thesis statement followed by two body paragraphs without citations. The body paragraphs should each be 8-11 sentences with the final sentence tying the paragraphs together. Sample topics on old and new media are provided along with strategies for writing strong introduction and body paragraphs.

1. Short Paper #1 Presentation

2. Overview
In this short paper, you are asked to deal with the
way old and new media respond, react, or engage
each other.
Pick at least two texts and write a solid two
paragraph paper (framed by a brief introduction)
that addresses this topic.
Do NOT use parenthetical citations or include a
works cited (you will lose a letter grade if you do)

3. Overview
• Brief introduction paragraph (2-5 sentences)
• Two body paragraphs (8-11 sentences)
– Final sentence tying it all together.
• NO Conclusion paragraph

4. Old Media
• The Written can be seen as
old media when contrasted
with something newer, like
the visual qualities of the
internet or the computer
screen.
• The Manuscript, for
instance, is replaced by the
printing press.
• Or you could think of kinds
of writing – for instance,
Stephen King’s encounter
with the new technology
of the word processor.
New Media
• The Written can be seen as
new media when
contrasted with what it
replaces: Orality.
• Through the myth of
Theuth and Thamos, Plato
argues that this has a
negative effect.
• Walter Ong further
discusses what this effect
is.

5. Sample Introduction Paragraph
• Brief introduction thoughts (1-3 sentences).
• Explicit Thesis statement
The Reading at Risk report presents a bleak picture
of the state of reading and literacy in the
contemporary world. Similarly, Nicholas Carr
argues that “Google is making us stupid” by
challenging and shaping our consciousness
negatively. In this paper, I look at both Carr’s
article and the report to show the means by
which new media

6. Avoid
Broad, Sweeping Statements
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Technology is “. . . .”
Ever since the world began . . .
In the past hundred years . . .
Listing authors names. This is boring for your reader.
STICK TO THE TEXTS. I don’t want your abstract theorizing. I want
claims that can be backed up by evidence.
For this paper, your introduction should be brief and to the
point.

7. A weak introduction
In the Reading at Risk report, Dana Gioia, the chairman for
NEA argues that “While oral culture has a rich immediacy
that is not to be dismissed, and electronic media offer the
considerable advantages of diversity and access, print culture
affords irreplaceable forms of focused attention and
contemplation that make complex communications and
insights possible. To lose such intellectual capability – and the
many sorts of human continuity it allows – would constitute a
vast cultural impoverishment.” In other words, while talking
allows for immediate exchange of ideas, and technology gives
access to multiple resources of information, they cannot
replace print as forms of communication because it allows us
to focus and think deeply while we read which makes us
understand more complex ideas and communicate at a
higher level with more detail. Gioia says that if we lose the
ability to think deeply as a result of not reading literature or
print, we would be intellectually diminished as a culture. This
means that he is attributing our advancement as a culture to
reading print. Gioia’s view is shared by many prominent
academics and readers alike, while many in the popular
media, who use the former modes of communication that
Gioia mentions, have taken an opposite stance to his
arguments.
This doesn’t
introduce: it
summarizes one
article. We need
something more
that will lead us
into the topics
that paper will
explore.

8. A weak introduction
Media has changed throughout history. The way
media is displayed and produced is one of the
bigger changes. Is new media completely different
from old media? Media has transformed to fit the
needs of the public today. New technology is
produced daily that interacts and transforms the
way old media was produced and experience. The
creation of the computer, which leads to how the
Internet plays a huge role in the way society today
looks at books.
Too broad: it’s
unclear what the
paper is going to
be about, and it
just list really
broad facts.

9. A Good Introduction
Walter Ong argues that “Writing is passive, out
of it, in an unreal, unnatural world. So are
computers.” In other words, writing does not
allow us to participate in the world, but
further withdraws us from it. Stephen King
seems to support this view with his vision of a
magical word processor that creates alternate
realities. However, John Keats shows the way
that the written word allows us even greater
experiences.

10. Another Good Introduction
In this paper, I will examine the way new media
does attempts to remedy the problems of old
media. In Stephen King’s horror story The Word
Processor, we see the way technology seems to
offer this possibility. However, though King’s
story is intriguing, Plato shows the way new
media does not solve the problems, but only
enhances them.

11. Strategies
• Pick a quote or significant point from one of
the texts that you can interrogate.
(Summarizing and explaining this quote will be
your introduction)
• Use the other texts to challenge or affirm this
quote (two 11 sentence paragraphs)

12. Strategies
• Have a more typical thesis (In ______ we see
this, but in _______ we see this) in an
introduction paragraph.
• Write two 8 sentence paragraphs explaining
each point and the significance, then a final 8
sentence paragraph synthesizing and
contrasting them.

13. Strategies
In your introduction, explain that you are going
to show two attitudes inherent to old and new
media
• Write two solid 11 sentence paragraphs, one
on old media and another on new. The second
paragraph should build on the first, explaining
how one attitude challenges another.

14. Your body paragraphs should be organized. They
should not be:
- Overwhelmed with information
- A summary of one text
- A bunch of ideas that are incoherent.
Body Paragraphs

15. Body Paragraphs should have:

16. Body Paragraphs
• Body Paragraphs must have a structure.
– They must begin with a claim, then be followed by
evidence and analysis.
– Paragraphs should be unified, coherent, and individual
arguments that work as a part of the whole paper.
– Paragraphs should not merely be summaries, but
arguments.
– Introductory claim should be argumentative,
exploratory, and focused. Not explanatory.
– Claims should reveal the logic and order of the
paragraph.

17. Introduction/Claim
• Claims should be argumentative
– Weak claim: “Technology is an important issue.” (Way too big;
doesn’t tell me what the paragraph is going to about.)
– Weak claim: “Nicholas Carr wrote an article called Is Google
Making Us Stupid.“ (Not a claim at all)
– Weak claim: “Nicholas Carr and Douglas Rushkoff have different
ideas about technology” (Too broad, anticipate what is different
about them)
– Weak claim: Nicholas Carr writes, “Now I zip along the surface
like a guy on a Jet Ski.” (This should follow an introduction
sentence, and should not be the beginning of a paragraph.
Quotes should not introduce a paragraph.)
– Better claim: Since technology is approaching a limit, the steps
to achieve perfection will become infinitesimally small, and true
perfection will never be reached, as both technology and our
definition of perfection are ever-changing. (This sets up an
argument that the texts can use to develop.)

18. Bad Claims
• Nicholas Carr is among those who share the point of view
of Gioia, especially with respect to online media which is
considered new media while print is considered old media
– This isn’t a claim – it’s a statement. Look over the claims,
evidence analysis material. Claims should be argumentative.
• It is difficult not to glean what the author says about
technology.
– Too broad. This needs to be a more specific argument.. The
introduction should lay that out clearer.
• The author presents us with many philosophical questions
that add to the underlying meaning of this article.
– Again, too broad. Vague terms “Philosophical Questions” . ..
“Underlying Meaning”

19. Bad Claims
• Michael Seifert wrote “An Act of Faith in
America,” which is about how a run-down town
in Texas that does not have basic services like
paved roads
– Don’t just introduce texts in the opening sentence.
• From the aspect of rhetorical appeals, Carey and
Seifert take different approaches in building their
points.
– Too Broad; be as specific as possible.

20. Bad Claim to a good claim
• William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 138 is a poem that
describes the love found within a couple’s
relationship.
– Too broad; it explains, it doesn’t explore.
• In Sonnet 138, William Shakespeare describes the
way relationships have to be unconventional in
order to work.
– Now it’s an argument, a specific reading, and will say
something about both WHAT Shakespeare does and
HOW he does it.

21. • The speaker then compares the woman’s
“dun” breasts to the whiteness of snow.
– Too broad
• When the speaker compares his lovers “dun”
breasts to the whiteness of snow, he shows
the way his vision of the lover is unaffected by
the way she actually looks. He moves on to
show how content he is even with her obvious
flaws.
Bad Claim to a good claim

22. Good Claims
• In Donne's Holy Sonnets, forgiveness is also entirely
within God's power, and there is no direct reference to
penance.
• Yet what the speaker recognizes in the second part of
the sonnet through the use of logic and provocative
language is the fact that while time may dictate what is
new and old with its eternal view of life, it is really man
who “makes them born to our desire”
• Both poems use darkness to represent sin, however
Donne presents that darkness as much more
“consuming.”

23. Evidence
• Use concrete, vivid, and specific evidence to
illustrate and develop your claim.
• Use quotes and examples. Paraphrase when
necessary. If you quote, make sure you explain
the significance of the quote.
• Do not OVERQUOTE. If a quote is there, it needs
to be there for a reason.
• It’s important that you give specific examples that
build on your claim. Use the language to make
your case.

24. Analysis
• You need to show the reader why the
evidence you presented is relevant and
important.
• Analysis may be peppered throughout the
paragraph, or it may come all at the end.
• A good strategy is to present a claim, follow it
up by giving evidence, and then show how
that evidence is significant to your overall
argument.

25. A Weak Paragraph (with comments)

26. A strong paragraph
While new, electronic media offer the reader
advantages such as accessibility and diversity, they
should be considered a reading supplement to old
print media rather than a replacement. As Rushkoff
says in his article, “A new medium only replaces an
old one if it does everything better.” He also explains
one aspect of physical books that electronic media
cannot replace when he says, “Books offer a different
experience than digital media…A book has totemic
value. Like a photograph or a piece of jewelry, the
impression of ink on paper creates a physical
connection with its author.” Reading requires one to
actively participate, as the book will not move
forward on its own, while electronic media often
offers the opposite of this. As the NEA asserts, “By
contrast, most electronic media such as television,
recordings, and radio make fewer demands on their
audiences, and indeed often require no more than
passive participation.” It is entirely possible to watch
a film passively and form no opinion or analysis of its
content. However, reading a book causes one to
slowly absorb the material and, at least on a
subconscious level, think about the subject matter at
hand. Reading a book will usually create an
enveloping and thought-stimulating experience,
while electronic media can easily lull one into
becoming a passive participant.
The opening claim is an argument that can the
entire paragraph can fulfill
The Rushkoff quote is effective, persuasive
language.
Additional quote adds to the significance and
builds on the claim. However, this long
quote could you use some more analysis,
or be shortened. Too many terms go
unexplained.
The NEA quote could probably be paraphrased
– it’s too lengthy. The only key terms here
is “passive participation.”
The analysis is strong, because it builds on the
significance of the claim and the quotes
used.

27. Sample Format
Your Name (Bold)
Date: 02/03/11 (Bold)
EN295 – Black
TITLE (CENTERED AND BOLDED)
This is how your paper should look . . .

28. GENERAL STUFF
PAY attention to the following issues! If I see papers
overloaded with the following “avoids,” you’ll
receive a lower grade!
• Avoid superlatives
• Avoid vague terms
• You must introduce quotes.
• Refer to authors by last name
• You should not refer to yourself too much

29. Avoid superlatives
Interesting
Brilliant
Excellent
Wonderful
Fascinating
These words tell rather than show. By saying
something is interesting, you don’t elucidate why
it is interesting.

30. Avoid vague terms
Good
Bad
People
Things
What kind of people? What is good? Why is it
good?

31. You must introduce quotes.
On the other hand, I think increasing the amount of
soldiers in the Middle East would be beneficial to the
United States. “U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice has warned that Afghanistan will become a failed
state without full NATO support” (Lancaster 4).
– The second sentence must be introduced; someone has to
say it.
• On the other hand, I think increasing the amount of
soldiers in the Middle East would be beneficial to the
United States. For instance, John Lancaster points out
that “U.S. Secretary . . .”

32. Referring to authors
• Refer to authors by last name
– Not “Walter,” not “Mr. Ong.” He is just “Ong”
– The first time, refer to them by their whole name.
Then refer to them by the last name.
– You might refer to a character by the first name if
they are a character in a novel. (Huck Finn would
probably be “Huck.”)
– But Authors need to be dealt with formally.

33. First Person
Though these are formal papers, you can use
first person.
However, you should not refer to yourself too
much. Avoid “I think,” “I feel,” “In my opinion,”
etc. You are making an argument.

34. A few other things
• Don’t use Contractions (like don’t on won’t; do not or will
not instead)
• Quote correctly –see the sample format sheet and the
earlier slide.
• Use transitions.
• Avoid conversational language –see the “Do Not Use”
section of the Writing Instruction Sheets
• Avoid passive voice as much as possible (“This is seen;” “His
feelings are shown when . . .”)
• Don’t use semi-colons or parentheses (except for
parenthetical citations). In my experience, 90% of student
writing that uses semi-colons uses them incorrectly.

35. See also
The paper materials on Canvas – some of the
information here is repeated on these, but these
are really helpful in explaining the kinds of
things I grade for and the expectations I have for
writing.