Synthesis #2 Assignment Sheet

Paper relative on text: Bordo, Susan. “The Globalization of Eating Disorders.”

Overview

The last major assignment of the semester is also the longest and requires the most work with argument and revision. This Synthesis #2 essay must cover a topic under the broad umbrella of “Health and Medicine”and include at least 10 secondary sources. Once of these 10 sources must be an essay from the “Health and Medicine”chapter. You may/should certainly use items found in your Bibliography assignment, too.

In fact, you have more freedom with this essay in choosing your own topic, finding your own sources, and crafting a style and thesis to fit your needs and intentions. This will be a standard academic exercise that introduces (or reacquaints) you with the research process in the context of formal “scholarly” writing.

The Assignment

Compose a 10-page/10-source Argumentative Synthesis in the topic area of “Health and Medicine.” Being a thesis-driven paper, you should plan to identify and outline your claims early in the essay and then use evidence that is accurate, representative, relevant, and adequate to support your position(s). No matter your choice of topic, you must present an arguable thesis and guard against counter-arguments. Remember: This is not (merely) an informative paper wherein you simply report on a topic like “World War II” or “Why I like Cats” (both real papers that students have submitted to me in the past). Instead, you must take a position and persuade your reader using a variety of methods.

Composing Advice
Do not simply support one of your sources as the only way to see something; instead, decide your approach and use the sources to help you build points. You may certainly string together points from several articles and combine them into a persuasive statement of your own. This is one way to see how a synthesis builds.