In-class feedback activity
- Default due date: 2025-10-31 17:00:00
- Points: 100
- Weight: 10%
- Length (in words): 500
Instructions
Making an argument in writing is a circular process in at least two senses:
When you are developing an argument in a written form, the editing phase is more important than the initial phase of drafting. Crafting an argument is writing, and rewriting, and rewriting. Usually what happens in the early phases is that you hit upon what you are really claiming in your paper as you write your last draft paragraph. Then you have to loop back and rewrite the paper to incorporate your new formulation of your claim.
When you are developing an argument in writing, you only really know if you argument works, makes sense, and persuades an audience when you receive your audience’s reaction. If a reader can read your draft and paraphrase your main ideas and your reasons for them in a summary, then you know you got your ideas across to them.
We are building the recursive loops of the writing process into the class itself. You will all work together to give each other feedback, like the homeostats that W. Ross Ashby linked together to demonstrate that a cybernetic system can be a model of a human brain (Pickering 2010, 101–4).
By Week 12, you should have a complete, rough draft of your 1500-word essay for your final project. Otherwise, you won’t be able to complete this assignment.
For class in Week 12, you should bring a printed copy of your draft (on paper). You will exchange drafts with an assigned partner and then read each other’s draft. Then you will each take turns giving each other “mirroring feedback.” Each partner will also fill out a worksheet to capture their feedback. Then each student will fill out a separate worksheet to reflect on the experience of receiving feedback.
Further details about this assignment’s procedures and its grading criteria will come later. This is intended to be a formative assignment, so the grading of each student’s work will be based on their preparation and effort, rather than by measuring the quality of their feedback against an absolute standard.
Because this assignment is connected to an activity in class, it is not eligible for an automatic five-day extension. For that reason, you do have to get a jump start on your writing process for your final project. However, your draft does not have to be very finished. It should aim to be as complete as possible, having a beginning, middle, and an end. But it may not have every component of the overall argument completely worked out. It should be readable but it might have “[Need to expand this section…]” or “[Transition needed…]” or “[Need to link this point to my main claim…]” in the text as placeholders.
This assignment is eligible for special consideration, but that might take different forms depending on the circumstances and so will be handled on a case-by-case basis.