Week 07-W

MLA Style - (Re?)Introduction

Some Resources:

Concerning Easybib, et al.

Concerning Easybib, et al.

  • It may look right.
  • It may be right.
  • It may be, like, super wrong.
  • The only way you'll know is if you know how to do it yourself.

The MLA 8 Practice Template

Let's Practice](https://www.youtube.com/embed/2bVAoVlFYf0)

Working with Sources

A lot of people were surprised by the verdict in the OJ trial. Most of America believed that OJ was guilty. Defense attorneys in LA did, too. Almost the entire defense bar believed that OJ was guilty, but they also felt that there was very little chance the jury would convict. The police and prosecutors made a bunch of mistakes, and the jury already didn't trust the cops. But people wanted to blame someone other than the police or the prosecutors, so misguided criticism fell on Judge Lance Ito.

Take a couple of minutes and look at the sample paragraph. What issues do you notice? What questions do you have?

Starting Point Why do we use sources in our writing? Why does it matter?

Readers Need…

  • citation. Where are these ideas coming from?
  • background. What's this source all about?
  • clarity. What ideas are coming from the source? What words are coming from the source?
  • guidance. What do you want us to see in these stories or examples?

Introducing Sources

Before you talk about a source, tell your reader a little bit about it:

  • Who wrote it?
  • What's the title?
  • Is there anything else you think they need to know about the text or author?

In your groups, take a few minutes and add a sentence or two introducing the source to the beginning of this paragraph.

Providing Background

Before getting into detail, give your reader some context.

  • What's the book, article, or chapter all about? What is the writer trying to say?
  • Is there background information that we need to know in order to understand the details you want to talk about?

In your groups, add some background information to the paragraph (wherever you think best.)

Quoting and Citing

It's super important that we're clear about which ideas, and especially which words, are coming from the book--and where in the book they're coming from!

  • Every time we use specific facts from a source, we need to add an in-text citation--that is, parentheses at the end of the sentence including the author's last name and the page number where the idea can be found. So, something like this (Goffman 33).
  • Every time we're using the exact words found in the text, we need to put quotation marks before and after to be clear that these are the writer's words, and not our own.
  • Seriously, every time. Even if that means we have nine citations in one paragraph. (Although we can skip the author's name after the first one.)

In your groups, go through the book and find the specific places where this writer is using Goffman's exact language, or referring to specific details in the book. Add citations and quotation marks where appropriate.

Giving Guidance

A lot of times, different people will look at the same information in different ways. Part of our job when we use sources is to make sure that our readers understand what we want them to see in our sources.

  • After you've included some information from your source, make sure to explain what you want your readers to think about it.
  • Tell us what it means to you, and why you think it's important.
  • Partly, this means thinking about what you're trying to say in the paper overall, and how this information supports that goal.

In your groups, write a sentence or two interpreting the stories in this paragraph. What might this writer want to say about these stories?

In Mistrial, by Mark Geragos and Pat Harris, the authors explain how the OJ Simpson trial changed the way people thought about the justice system. A lot of people were surprised by the verdict in the OJ trial. Most of America believed that OJ was guilty. Defense attorneys in LA like Geragos and Harris did, too. They write, "almost the entire defense bar believed that OJ was guilty, but they also felt that there was very little chance the jury would convict (Geragos and Harris 26). From their point of view, the police and prosecutors made a bunch of mistakes, and the jury already didn't trust the cops. However, "people wanted to blame someone other than the police or the prosecutors, so misguided criticism fell on Judge Lance Ito" (26). These examples show how the media in the OJ Simpson trial went against the purpose of deterrence, because someone who clearly committed a crime was allowed to get away with it.

Sharing Back

Make sure everybody's name is on your paragraph, and then pass them forward. We'll look through them all together.

Remember, readers need…

  • citation. Make sure to introduce your sources, including title and author, and to provide in-text citations each time you refer to the source.
  • background. Make sure that you're giving the reader the context they need to understand the details you're including from the source.
  • clarity. Make sure that it's clear when you're referring to the source, and especially make sure to mark your quotations so that your readers know which language is coming from the source.
  • guidance. Make sure to tell your readers what you want them to think about the source's ideas.

For Monday:

  • Read Mistrial Ch. 9.
  • Reading Roundtable