1. Pop Culture Topics: Images of Food in America How to Cite Images in MLA, Research Thesis Workshop, Topic Sentences

2. Thesis Workshop Now that you’ve done your reading and completed your annotated bibliography, I want to know what your ROUGH thesis is. This is the ANSWER to the question that you asked in your research proposal.

3. Thesis Workshop Now that you’ve done your reading and completed your annotated bibliography, I want to know what your ROUGH thesis is. This is the ANSWER to the question that you asked in your research proposal. Thesis statement should be: A claim (research-supported opinion) about your topic. An assertion that something is true. (Not a question.) Clear and specific. Setting up a complex response. (Your entire paper is a complex response to the question you asked in your proposal…) See p. 27-29 of Rules for Writers for advice on Thesis Statements.

4. Checking for Topic Sentences Every single body paragraph of your research paper needs to have an effective topic sentence. A topic sentence is a sentence at the beginning of a paragraph that clearly states the point that the rest of the paragraph will be about. For a persuasive research paper, a topic sentence should do one of two things: clearly state the reason your thesis is correct that the paragraph will discuss clearly state how the ideas/stories/explanations in the paragraph relate to the thesis

5. Checking for Topic Sentences Example Thesis: Colleges and professors should have policies and programs in place that keep textbook costs down because high textbook prices can keep students from succeeding academically. Some Example Topic Sentences that relate to this thesis: Students who cannot afford to buy books for classes will be at a disadvantage for several reasons. (The rest of this paragraph should discuss all of the reasons that the student will be at a disadvantage. This sentence connects that paragraph to the thesis because it make a claim about how textbook costs affect academic success.)

6. Checking for Topic Sentences More Example Topic Sentences: One way many colleges address the problem of textbook costs is by opening textbook lending libraries that rely on student and community donations. (The rest of this paragraph should explain how a lending library works and talk about whether it’s an effective way to solve the problem. This topic sentence relates to the thesis because it is about a program that colleges have to help with textbook costs.) Professors can and should contribute to solving this problem by putting one copy of each textbook they use on reserve in the library and using older editions whenever possible. (The rest of this paragraph should explain why these strategies are useful ways to solve the problem. This sentence relates to the thesis because it is a policy that professors can follow to help students with textbooks.)

7. Checking for Topic Sentences More Example Topic Sentences: The stories of students like Joe Smith and Maria Gonzalez are good examples of why keeping textbook costs low is important. (The rest of this paragraph should tell the stories of these two students and connect their experiences to the claim – the colleges and professors need to think of ways to keep costs down.) Another way colleges can help lower costs is by making students aware of low-cost options such as textbook rental and digital copies. (The rest of this paragraph should explain how textbook rental and digital copies work, why these strategies are useful ways to solve the problem, and whether there are any drawbacks. This sentence relates to the thesis because it is a policy that colleges can follow to help students with textbooks.)

8. As you write your draft, double check for topic sentences. Does each topic sentence clearly and succinctly state the main point of the paragraph? Does each topic sentence connect the paragraph back to the thesis? If the answer to either of these questions is “no,” you need to revise your topic sentence(s). If you realize that a paragraph covers too many topics to be covered by one topic sentence, you need to break up that one paragraph into several, each with its own topic sentence.

9. Write at least three rough topic sentences for your research paper. This requires you to know what main reasons you will present in support of your claim. Each paragraph should be devoted to discussing a reason, or a specific aspect of a reason. Remember… Topic sentences are not questions. Topic sentences must be in your own words. Do not start a paragraph with a quote from a source. Topic sentences are umbrella statements that let your reader know what the entire paragraph will be about and how that paragraph relates to the thesis.

10. Preparing to Discuss the Readings Each of the essays we read for today talks about a trend related to American ideas about food. (“An Expert’s Theory of Food Television’s Appeal” discusses the current popularity of Food TV, and “Heat, Tray, Love” discusses the significance of TV dinners in the author’s childhood.) 1.Do you watch “food television”? If so, what are your reasons for watching? Do you agree with the author’s theory about why we watch food TV? 2.OR, do you eat “instant meals”? Can you relate to the author’s experiences/memories? Did your family eat them when you were growing up? Why or why not?

11. Discussion of Readings What were some of the theories about the popularity of Food TV that the author of “An Expert’s Theory of Food Television’s Appeal” (p. 110) put forward? Does any one of these theories make more sense to you than the others? What was the author’s attitude toward TV dinners in “Heat, Tray, Love” (p. 114)? What ideas about “instant food” is this author responding to?

12. Questions for Discussion What are some images of food that you see in popular culture? What are some images of cooking that you see in popular culture? What are the various messages that these images of food send? (In other words, what do these images of food/cooking encourage us to think about food?)

13. “Freedom from Want” by Norman Rockwell This painting was published in the magazine The Saturday Evening Post on March 6, 1943. What do you notice about this image? About the food? About the people? What assumptions is this painting making about American families? What values does it represent? How might a Thanksgiving today be similar? Different?

14. Discussion of Painting Do you think that people who haven’t had experience like these (with family traditions related to food) are missing something? Is there something that can be done to reverse this trend that has led to a generation of people who, for the most part, do not cook? Should there be? What do you think the authors of the essays we read for this class would say to that question?

15. More Images of Food/Eating in Pop Culture The next three slides contain three different advertisements. For each ad, ask yourself what the message of the ad is. What does the ad want you (the audience) to think about food/eating? What are the assumptions and attitudes about food that are present in each ad?

19. MLA Rules to Remember for Citing Images Give credit for the image to the person who created it, if you know who that was. Let your audience know where to find the image if they want to see it for themselves in context. Unlike other essays where I have allowed you to insert images without referring to them, you MUST mention each image you use in the text of your paper.

20. Tips for Choosing Images for Use in Your Research Paper (via the OWL) Choose images that are directly relevant to the argument you are making. Look for illustrations that enhance your audience’s understanding of your topic or illustrate a point you are trying to make in a powerful way. Use quality versions of the images. If your images are low quality or distorted, this distracts your reader from your argument.

21. How Do I Cite an Image? Each image will be assigned a number, in the order in which it is mentioned in the essay. In MLA format, photographs, charts, graphs, and other images are all called “figures.” This is abbreviated in the text of your paper to “fig.” When you mention the image, direct your audience to that image at the end of the sentence that mentions it by writing (see fig. #) at the end. (Note: replace # sign by the number assigned to the image.)

22. How Do I Cite an Image? Each image must have a caption below it that does three things: Tells the image’s figure number. Briefly describes the image and why it is relevant to your argument. Gives credit to the source of the image, either with an in-text citation (author’s name in parentheses) if the source is on your works cited page, or by simply telling the audience all information about the source of the image in the caption.

23. Example Image Use When You Know the Photographer/Creator The following example uses an image of a well- known painting to make a point. Here is how you might mention the image in the body of your essay. Norman Rockwell’s painting “Freedom From Want” shows a typically middle class family from the 1940s eating together. Looking at the painting closely, one can see how closely concepts of food and family values were connected to what it meant to be American in the time that Rockwell painted it (fig. 1).

24. Insert the image at the end of the paragraph where you mention it. Try to center the image. Fig. 1: In Norman Rockwell’s painting “Freedom From Want,” a middle class American family typical of the 1940s enjoys a meal together. Image from the Norman Rockwell Museum website.

25. Example Use of Images in Textbook See example in Rules for Writers on p. 471. The author says (see fig. 1) at the bottom of the 1 st paragraph, and Fig. 1 is located at the top with a brief description below it, including this in-text citation  (Adams 106). This sends the audience to the works cited page to see the source of the image. See p. 455 for how to cite an advertisement.

26. General Guidelines: Give your audience enough information in the caption to find the image for themselves. If you can’t find the name of a photographer or creator, leave it out, but give your audience some other information to help them find the image. Use google image search to see if you can find a copy of the image accompanied by more information. (images.google.com) Simply drag and drop the image you want more information about into the search bar, and it will find similar images and give you any information google can find about it.

27. Do I HAVE TO have an image in my research paper? No, but images are incredibly powerful rhetorical tools. You will want to consider whether your argument would be strengthened by including at least an image or two that were relevant to your main points. I will not take away points if you do not have images, but excellent use of images can help you to earn more points in categories where I am grading you on use of rhetorical tools.