Critical Synthesis Project
For this project, you will be asked to complete one short assignments, a rough draft of a 6-8 page
essay, and a revised final draft of that essay based upon feedback from your peers and instructor.
Short Assignment #5 – Critically Respond Using Two (2) of the
Previous Readings
Now that you have completed the second major unit of the course, it is important for you to be
able to transfer what you have learned into other contexts. For your final major essay, you will be
asked to apply some of the ideas and theories that we have discussed in class. So, for this short
paper, write at least 500 words that make an argument/claim about the role(s) social media
and/or technology plays within our society. This essay requires you to use one (1) target text
from our class readings and two (2) lens texts from our class readings.
Requirements:
At least 500 words
MLA Format
Submitted to Blackboard (Doc or PDF file format only)
Critical Synthesis Essay
*This should be a 6-8 page Essay
Prompt: Write a critical essay about one of the texts that we have studied together this
semester, using at least two secondary sources (as lens texts) to comment on it. One of your
secondary sources should be an article that we’ve read together as a class; the other should be a
high-quality critical, theoretical, or social/historical text of your choice; this means that you are
required to use at least one peer-reviewed, scholarly source (journal article, scholarly book,
etc.) as a secondary source.
Rosenwasser and Stephen remind us that in academic contexts, criticism (what they call
“critique”) does not have a negative connotation. “An effective critique usually does not sit in
judgment,” they write. “You are not being asked on the model of talk-show, big-opinion culture,
to go in and demolish the piece. Critique does not mean to attack. Instead, you are trying to put
the piece into some kind of perspective, often more than one possible perspective, for your
readers” (42). Criticism is a genre of writing about cultural artifacts, a genre that we have been
reading every week, and that you’re now asked to write in.
This essay is called “synthesis” because it’s asking you to put all the pieces together that we’ve
been studying this semester. You need to (1) come up with an interesting, debatable thesis about
your primary text; (2) closely describe and analyze that text; and (3) show how your
interpretation draws on, responds to, or applies ideas from other critics. You’re encouraged to
revisit texts and concepts from your previous two essays, but you have to show how your
thinking has changed or deepened with the addition of a new source’s perspective. All of our
readings from They Say, I Say should help you to better understand how to complete this
assignment successfully.
Here are some of the things I’ll be looking for in this essay:
• Introduction – does it introduce the text being analyzed? Does it get right to the point,
without any overly general waffling around? (No “Throughout history,” “In today’s
society,” or “According to Dictionary.com”!)
• Thesis statement – do you have an original, clearly stated, debatable or non-obvious
interpretation of the text?
• Secondary texts – do you clearly summarize the relevant parts of your secondary texts? Do
you explain how your interpretation responds to, builds on, or uses ideas from your
secondary texts?
• Paragraphing – is your essay logically structured on the paragraph level, with each
paragraph having its own main idea that builds off the previous one? Does it avoid the
boring five-paragraph structure and “three reasons” list structure? This becomes more
difficult, and more important, with a longer essay!
• Conclusion – does it come full circle, pursue implications, or identify questions for further
research? Does it avoid merely restating what came before?
• Quotations and paraphrases – are they properly integrated and attributed to the source?
Note that this becomes more difficult and more important with multiple sources!
• Analysis—do you explicate the meaning of the text(s)? Do you look for deeper meaning
and synthesize multiple sources to create a conversation?
• Formatting – is the essay properly formatted according to MLA guidelines?
• Works Cited – is there a proper Works Cited page with a correctly formatted entry for the
text you’re analyzing?
• Proofreading, editing, clarity – is the essay clearly written? Does it avoid errors?
Rubric:
Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Below Expectations
MLA Formatting
(heading, page
numbers, spacing,
works cited page, etc.)
Zero formatting errors One minor formatting
error
Two or more
formatting errors
Clarity (grammar,
spelling, punctuation,
etc.)
0-1 errors per page 2-3 minor errors per
page
4+ errors per page, or
major errors that
interfere with meaning
Style Clear, graceful,
concrete writing that
avoid clichés,
generalizations, or
overly abstract
language
Clear writing; may
occasionally lapse into
clichés or abstractions
but is mostly concrete
Unclear, rambly, or
repetitive writing
Analysis Offers a clear,
descriptive, and
surprising or original
analysis of particular
aspects of the text;
shows how these
aspects support the
larger argument; and
synthesizes multiple
sources throughout the
essay
Offers a clear,
descriptive analysis of
particular aspects of the
text; shows how these
aspects support the
larger interpretation;
and synthesizes some
sources throughout the
essay
Sticks to mere
summary or vague,
general statements;
fails to connect analysis
to a larger argument or
other text
Quotations,
paraphrases,
summary
Quotes are well-chosen
and integrated correctly
into the essay;
paraphrases are
accurate and avoid
plagiarism; and both
are skillfully analyzed
and connected to the
student’s larger claims
Quotes are integrated
grammatically into the
essay; paraphrases are
accurate and avoid
plagiarism
Quotes seem randomly
chosen, are dropped
into the essay without
integration, or are
missing; or paraphrases
are inaccurate or
plagiarized. In serious
plagiarism cases, the
entire essay will earn a
0.
Introduction Introduction “hooks”
readers, accurately and
concisely introduces
text and interpretive
context, offers a clear
Introduction accurately
introduces text and
interpretive context,
offers a clear thesis,
previews the rest of the
Introduction is clichéd,
overly general,
disorganized, or
inaccurate; or thesis is
missing or unclear
and surprising or
debatable thesis
statement, and
previews the rest of the
essay
essay, and avoids
clichés or
generalizations
Development &
organization
Essay has a
sophisticated
organizational arc from
introduction to
conclusion; paragraphs
build upon each other;
conclusion looks
forward rather than
backward
Essay has a clear
organizational scheme,
but not as sophisticated
as the A paper;
paragraphs may seem
to reflect addition
rather than
development (“Another
example is….”)
Essay’s organization is
confusing; it may be
overly repetitive, or
paragraphs may seem
to follow a stream of
consciousness rather
than a planned structure
Conclusion Conclusion briefly
sums up essay’s main
points, looks forward to
new paths of inquiry,
and ends with a “bang,”
in a memorable or
stylish way
Conclusion briefly
sums up essay’s main
points and looks
forward toward new
paths of inquiry
Conclusion is missing
or merely restates what
came before