Introduction to Asian American Studies ETHN 14: Introduction to Asian American Studies Department of Ethnic Studies & Asian American Studies Program California State University, Sacramento Week 13 Session 2 Analytical Writing for Course Papers and Exams

Last Time Provide key concepts related to the politics of API and Education Meritocracy Structure and Agency Contemporary schooling Model minority myth Panethnicity Discuss midterm exams: grades vs. learning

Today Demystify exams by identifying important dimensions of well crafted essays, discussing common errors, and presenting strategies for successful preparation and execution. Each of you has a powerful mind and can be successful in classes like this one and in college in general. But many of you need practice on how to put these ideas to good use during an exam or for an analytical/persuasive paper. How students do on assessments of their learning such as exams, papers, and projects reflects a number of influences: commitment, time management, motivation, levels of academic preparedness, etc.

Engagement If you’re not actively reading the assigned materials, attending class, and engaging in the course topics (asking questions, following lectures, participating in discussions, taking notes, visiting office hours, etc.), you’re already at a disadvantage. And if you’re only approaching these activities solely for the sake of your grade—as opposed to learning—you’re not doing yourself any favors. In general, college doesn’t work that way. (And when it does, it probably shouldn’t).

Preparation Preparation for exams is more than simply reviewing notes. Ask yourself: How much time did you put in? How did you study? With whom did you study? How clear were you on what would likely be required of you on the exam? Did you talk to your professor or TA about the format of the exam and get their opinion on how you intend to prepare for it? Did you simulate an exam?

Part I: Essay Your work was evaluated in three areas: Ideas – How well you responded to the topic, how well you interpreted the prompt into an effective thesis. Organization & Coherence – How well you structure and build your argument, how well you use logic, how well you guide your reader through your reasoning. Support – How well you convince, how well you select, describe, and analyze evidence to support your argument.

Ideas When you are provided with a prompt that requires you to develop a thesis and make an argument, your thesis should include all of the ideas in the prompt. Incorporating similar vocabulary into your thesis is a good strategy. Recall that you were encouraged to interpret the prompt in your own language. Some did a solid job restated the prompt as a thesis. Others stated their own thesis in ways that cut out important ideas or oversimplified the topic. This set them up for a rather shallow discussion of the topic, usually one that led to lots of summary and little analysis. Pay attention to the verbs and verb phrases in prompts. They give important clues to important relationships between significant ideas and therefore the type of argument you are expected to make.

Evaluating Theses What ideas are represented in the prompt? (1) The term API is linked to U.S. national expansion, colonization, and marketplace dominance. (2) Individual API groups experienced similar conditions as they immigrated to and settled in the U.S. (3) These conditions are related to or reflect U.S. national interest, labor conditions, and immigration policy. Look at the thesis statements for each of the essays. How well are the ideas in the prompt reflected in the thesis? Do they explicitly or implicitly incorporate all of these ideas? Which ones are present? Which are missing?

Organization & Coherence Analytical essays require several paragraphs. Some students provided essays that were one paragraph long. Some were two. By organizing your ideas into paragraphs, you are guiding your reader through your thinking. You are showing that you are being deliberate about organizing your thoughts. The structure of your argument tells your professor that you are prepared. You know the material in such a way that you can manipulate course ideas into arguments, critiques, opinions, statements, observations, and so on. Well crafted topic sentences are key. Typically, your professor can tell the level of preparation for and sophistication of thinking in your essay by reading just the topic sentences. If you know the essay topics beforehand, it helps to memorize these before heading into your exam.

Support How well first-year students usher in evidence to make an argument reflects their level of college preparedness. Most students in our class need help in this area. In general, most students could select ideas from class that are relevant to the essay topic. Some struggled to do this well. That’s a red flag to your professors that your engagement in the course is weak and/or your preparation for the exam was rushed or ineffective. Most students provided more summary than analysis. Many students went on and on about a key term or series of key terms but never explained how they serve as evidence. Instead, the author assumes that the reader makes the connection between the evidence and the thesis on their own. Why does the idea matter in the argument? What is your reasoning? How does it relate to the reasoning you offer in other places where you’re analyzing evidence? Don’t just regurgitate ideas. Extend them! Show what you think!

Provide analysis after each main topic Provide analysis after each main topic. Some students provided analysis entirely in their concluding paragraph. As best you can, you want to explain significance of the topics and evidence in your essay throughout your essay, not just at the end.

Additional Notes Avoid jargon. Complicated language is more distracting than helpful. Writing simple and clear sentences takes more skill than using flowery language. ETHN14 or Ethnic Studies 14 not “Ethnics” Fabionar not Fabinar Philippines not Phillipines, Filipinos not Fillipinos or Philippinos Avoid hyperbole or language that overstates, overreaches, or exaggerates: “Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos experienced the same thing” versus “Similarities among Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino American immigrants included…” These nuances are important, and professors notice them.

Be mindful of labels: Several students used “Americans” and “United States” as synonymous with Whites or European Americans. Asian Americans are American too (be careful that you’re not reinforcing the perpetual foreigner stereotype with your language!). Also, do not write “Asian” when you mean Asian American or Asian and Pacific Islander American. Same with Chinese versus Chinese Americans, Filipinos instead of Filipino Americans, etc.

Final Exam and Improvement Points Your final exam will consist of one analytical essay. You will have your choice of different topics and will get to choose beforehand. I will be looking for improvement in the three areas discussed today. You will turn in your midterm rubric with your final exam. I will look to see if there is improvement in the three areas. If you show that you have improved, you will be rewarded improvement points and these will be added to your midterm exam score. I am currently working out how to score this so that it is purposeful and fair.

To Prepare for Next Session Readings for Monday will be posted no later than Friday. You will have guest lecturers next week. Professor Soriano will fill in for me on Monday and Professor Vang will fill in for me on Wednesday. I will return on Monday, 12/7.