Discussion Boards 4A and 4B

Discussion Board 4A

Our next writing assignment will be a six-source essay, or an expanded synthesis. This essay will lead you to your final essay, a multiple-source synthesis essay, also known as a literature review.

Watch the two video tutorials from UMGC Library, “How to Write a Literature Review” and “How to Write a Synthesis Essay,”and complete the following task. (You can find those links in Week 4/Content/Learning Resources.)

Imagine that you are working for a department within a large company. The manager of your department is considering allowing workers in your department to telework, in other words, to work from home.

However, your manager is not sure what to expect from this possible change.

She is not sure what the advantages, pitfalls, unexpected issues, etc. are of allowing teleworking. For example, she is not sure whether workers become less productive because they will be working from home and not supervised. She also considers the possibility that workers will become more productive because they won’t have to worry about traffic and parking. They won’t have to take large amounts of time off to get children to a doctor’s appointment, to see a doctor themselves, to take care of errands, etc. It is possible that working from home will improve productivity.

Other questions abound in her mind. For example, how many days a week should the workers be allowed to telework? Should they be limited to one day? Two days? Or should they be unlimited to telework as many days as they would like per week?

In addition, she is not sure if everyone should be allowed to telework or if perhaps only people in certain positions should be allowed to telework. For example, she knows that the janitor cannot telework. His job could not be done at a distance. But some individuals could telework, as their jobs involve meetings and other functions that could be accomplished at a distance.

Overall, your manager is somewhat at a loss on this issue.

Your manager has asked you to review the literature on teleworking. She has asked that you submit a literature review to her next month on the topic of teleworking.

From what you have gleaned in this class about what a literature review is, what is your manager asking you to do?

Does she want a proposal that supports a new teleworking arrangement?
Does she want a persuasive paper that takes a stand against teleworking?
Or does she want something entirely different from those two options?

Please give your answer in a short paragraph of 75 to 100 words.

DISCUSSION BOARD 4B

As you prepare to write the Six-Source Essay (WA #3), you might return to your Annotated Bibliography (WA #1) for material and inspiration. Looking over the sample annotated bibliography and sample six-source essay can be instructive. As noted, these essays aren’t perfect. The writer is still working to synthesize the sources. However, the Six-Source Essay adds some new material and other improvements.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Review the two sample student papers here:
WA#1-Sample Language Annotated Bibliography
WA#2-Sample Language Six Source Essay
Compare the two documents.
Review the webpage, Transitions from Purdue OWL

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/transitions_and_transitional_devices/index.html

Answer the following prompts and post your responses.

After reading the two articles and the information on transitions, answer the following questions:

(1) How has the writer altered, or changed, the material from the Annotated Bibliography to the Six-Source Essay? (Answer in 1-3 sentences.) (E.g., “The writer has developed a thesis…; The writer has synthesized sources…..; The writer has clarified connections…”)

(2) What sources has she added to the Six Source Essay? What effect do the new source(s) have on the essay? (1-3 sentences) (E.g., “The new sources serve to emphasize the writer’s point that…; The new sources illustrate specific ideas in the other articles…..”)

(3) Pick a paragraph section of the Six-Source Essay where synthesis needs to be improved, and add an appropriate transitional phrase/sentence.

As you think about synthesis in the Six Source Essay, consider the use of transitions. Transitions are like signs for your readers. They give direction and they help to link things together. Good transitions move the reader from one point to the next, and they also focus the attention of the reader on the main idea of the essay. You can use words or phrases as transitions, but you must be careful to choose words that indicate the right relationship between ideas. Here are a few examples of relationships you can indicate with transitions:

to show addition: and, also, in addition, furthermore.
to give examples: for example, for instance, specifically
to compare: also, likewise, similarly
to contrast: however, on the other hand, yet, although
to summarize or conclude: therefore, in other words
to show time: after, before, during, next, finally, meanwhile, immediately
to show place or direction: above, below, nearby, close, far, left, right
to indicate logical relationships: therefore, consequently, as a result, thus, since, because.

Answer preview for Discussion Boards 4A and 4B

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