ENG1301 Coastal Bend College Quoting and Paraphrasing Assignment
see attached for parts 1&2
Here is a sample of Exercise III “Quoting and Paraphrasing” that I wrote to try to show you how in-text citation should work. Remember, you use evidence to support YOUR claim/opinion. So at least 50% of a paragraph (and 50% of your essay) should be YOU. It should be YOUR voice and YOUR thoughts and YOUR beliefs/experiences etc…you get the idea. I have color coded and broken down the paragraph I wrote so that you can see what is done in each part of the paragraph. Ironically, I do NOT think that sexting is harmless lol but I tried to convince my audience that it is not problematic. Notice also that the evidence streams naturally with my own thoughts….the JOB of the evidence is to support YOUR point. I have also included a paragraph breakdown so that you may see what is being done in each part of the paragraph. Keep in mind that this is just a sample; do not simply summarize what I wrote. I want you to challenge yourself to write your OWN thoughts and support them with the evidence from the Sunday Times article in this assignment
Exercise III
Sexting is not a problem for young adults. As a young adult myself, I have dated in a world surrounded by social media and technology. I have learned, with absolute certainty, that traditional flirting is outdated. For other young adults in my generation, sexting is the modern way of flirting. This is not how my mother views sexting, however. For years, my mother has viewed sexting as a horrific act committed by promiscuous people who have no respect for themselves. As such, she views sexting as harmful, especially for females. Interestingly, a study released in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found absolutely no connection between sexting and promiscuous or harmful behaviors (Sunday Times).Clearly, for my mother, and other parents like her, this information is shocking because sexting as harmless and natural is difficult to believe. Consider, however, if flirting was never seen as problematic years ago, why should sexting be seen as problematic now? Furthermore, if sexting is not linked with harmful or promiscuous behaviors, then what damage does sexting cause? There are also no notable emotional consequences that result from sexting. According to the same study, sexting results in “no greater levels of depression, anxiety or low self-esteem among those [young adults] who engaged in sexting” (Sunday Times). Based on these facts, one would think that there would be no opposition to sexting at all, yet there is. Why, then, is there such a negative stigma surrounding sexting when there seems to be no evidence to support dangers in sexting? The simple reason for this conundrum is linked to the negative stigma of sexting presented by media. Many older adults, such as my mother who I mentioned earlier, are unaware of what sexting actually entails. As such, all they have to equate with sexting, and form their opinions upon, is what they hear or see in the news. Jose Bauermeister, an assistant professor from the University of Michigan,claims that the negative ways in which the media portrays sexting is actually “unfair for young adults” (Sunday Times). Again, because of these inaccurate portrayals of sexting, it makes sense that so many in society view sexting as a modern day dilemma. As Bauermeister mentions, however, this is unfair to young adults who participate in sexting because they are judged, and at times criticized, as a result of these misrepresentations. In fact, when we were nineteen, a good friend of mine was caught sexting with her boyfriend on Snap Chat (a popular picture messaging application available on smart phone devices). My friend’s mother was so devastated that she wanted my friend to go to counseling! In my friend’s mother’s mind, her daughter (my friend) was “sexting” and endangering her future career and engaging in multiple sexual encounters with men. She believed this to be the case because of a news report depicting a teacher who lost her job after sending multiple nudes to men at her school. This misunderstanding is an excellent example of how media influences society’s views of sexting. Clearly, however, the problem here is not sexting itself; the problem is the misinterpretation and inaccurate portrayal of what sexting entails. Sexting itself is a harmless, non-problematic, and flirtatious action that young adults should be able to be involved in without condemnation.
Breakdown of the Paragraph: Remember When Using Evidence, Always I.Q.C
Claim/Topic Sentence: (this is what I will try to convince the reader of when I write): Sexting is not a problem for young adults.
Further explanation of author’s point: (to be more convincing, I am addressing why I am qualified to speak about this claim) As a young adult myself, I have dated in a world surrounded by social media and technology. I have learned, with absolute certainty, that traditional flirting is outdated. For other young adults in my generation, sexting is the modern way of flirting.
Introduction of opposing view: (I feel that to be convincing in my claim, I have to present the opposing view; this allows me to use the opposing view as a catalyst for showing how MY claim is accurate) This is not how my mother views sexting, however. For years, my mother has viewed sexting as a horrific act committed by promiscuous people who have no respect for themselves. As such, she views sexting as harmful, especially for females.
Introduce first piece of evidence: Interestingly, a study released in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found
Paraphrase: absolutely no connection between sexting and promiscuous or harmful behaviors (Sunday Times).
Comment/Explain: Clearly, for my mother, and other parents like her, this information is shocking. Sexting as harmless and natural is difficult for many in the general public to believe because sexting has such a negative stigma. Consider, however, if flirting was never seen as problematic years ago, why should sexting be seen as problematic now? Furthermore, if sexting is not linked with harmful or promiscuous behaviors, then what damage does sexting cause?
Introduce 2nd piece of evidence: According to the same study, sexting results in
Quote: “no greater levels of depression, anxiety or low self-esteem among those [young adults] who engaged in sexting” (Sunday Times).
Comment/Explain: Based on these facts, one would think that there would be no opposition to sexting, yet there is. The reason for this conundrum is linked to the negative stigma of sexting presented by media. Many older adults, such as my mother who I mentioned earlier, are unaware of what sexting actually entails. As such, all they have to equate with sexting, and form their opinions upon, is what they hear or see in the news.
Introduce 3rd piece of evidence: Jose Bauermeister, an assistant professor from the University of Michigan,claims that
Paraphrase/Quote: the negative ways in which the media portrays sexting is actually “unfair for young adults” (Sunday Times).
Comment/Explain: Again, because of these inaccurate portrayals of sexting, it makes sense that so many in society view sexting as a modern day dilemma. As Bauermeister mentions, however, this is unfair to young adults who participate in sexting because they are judged, and at times criticized, as a result of these misrepresentations. Clearly, the problem is not sexting itself; the problem is the misinterpretation and inaccurate portrayal of what sexting is.
Conclusion sentence: (I like to use a conclusion or transition sentence to re-iterate my claim) Sexting itself is a harmless and non-problematic, flirtatious action that young adults should be able to be involved in without condemnation.
