Analytical Writing

So far on the Main Journey, you have been learning to write an argumentative paper. During Side Trip 1, you veered off into the land of informative writing when you were asked to write an informative report on your Research Paper Question. Now you are invited to take another little jaunt to explore another common type of college writing--analytical writing. "To analyze" is to break down an object ("x") into its component parts in order to better understand the nature of "x." In college, you will be asked to analyze many things--everything from Newton's law of gravity to a frog's belly. What needs to be analyzed in this course? The sources for your research paper! At this point, you have collected several books, articles, Web sites, etc. You have considered the relevance of these sources (whether they are related to your topic), but you have probably not yet taken the time to consider their credibility. In judging the "credibility" of a source, you are asked to conclude whether the ideas and information contained in the source are valuable or accurate. You are asked to determine whether the information is "worthy" of being incorporated into your research paper. How do you determine that? Through analysis. Side Trip 2, then, is your opportunity to analyze one of your sources in detail to determine its credibility. You'll do this by selecting a Web site, then writing a 2 - 3 page essay that summarizes the main ideas of the Web site and closely examines various components of the site that may affect its credibility. That's what we call analysis!

Any questions or comments for Kenn?

Where do I go next? Go to "Side Trip Assignment 2A."