Assignment 3
English 102
Revision Directions
Length: 7 double space pgs
Due Date: Wednesday, December 12
Now that you have written your draft you have now gone through arguably the most difficult part of
writing a research paper. That is, figuring out precisely what argument you want to argue, and then
beginning your explanation of the details behind that argument.
Now, you will be doing an equally, but usually more specific part of the work. Now, you are going to
revise your work by adding additional complication and ideas.
Before you add complication, however, look for these things:
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Have you picked an issue or problem that would affect at least half of people in the class (given
their age, gender, concerns, interaction with their particular culture)?
Read over the directions from the draft. Are you answering the questions that are brought up?
Are you explaining to us a problem that you think needs to be rethought or solved? If so, where
is your original contribution to the debate or discussion? Are you telling us a new way to FRAME
the idea or providing us with a complex solution to the issue?
Do you have at least 3 claims? Do you have a main argument?
After you have checked for these elements, now think about how you will add complication to your
paper. How will you do this? By 3 ways:
1. Find 3 possible points to dig. What are these? These are CLAIMS where you are saying
something interesting, original, or important but you have not fully explained the idea. Often in
drafts these points crop up at the end or middle of paragraphs and they might not be the main
point you were trying to make.
When you find such a claim, run it through our CLAIM BOOT CAMP hand out and see what extra
information you generate. In addition, you can keep asking yourself
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“HOW does this claim connect to the others in the paper?”
“WHAT important point can this claim add that others will not”
“WHY am I including this claim in the paper? What ROLE is it playing and what does it add that is
original or interesting?”
“WHO does this claim effect?”
“In WHAT ways does this claim affect them?”
“HOW does this claim change something for who it affects?”
Go through this process with ALL 3 points.
2. Find one place to provide a devil’s advocate position to your paper. What is the devil’s
advocate? Remember, it is a claim that counters the main argument or a claim that you are
making in your paper. So, you need to pick a claim (or the main argument you are making) and
provide 1 -2 paragraphs providing a fully developed argument AGAINST your claim or main
argument.
Then, you are going to respond to this devil’s advocate (d.a.) by explaining how the concerns of
the d. a. are illogical, inaccurate, or less important than your claim or argument. You will
respond within a paragraph, or possibly two.
This does not mean that you STRAW MAN the d.a. and make their argument weak so that you
can easily counter it. This means that you argue for their point like they would—in a complex
and nuanced way with details, connections, and evidence. By arguing against a well developed
argument, you will then show that your point has merit amongst other possible positions and
that you are aware that there are other positions out there.
If you have already written a d.a. into your paper and ALSO included a response, then I want you
to find another source for that d.a. and run the d.a.’s argument through the complication
process provided in Step 1 above (the Claim Boot Camp and questions). In addition, rewrite your
response to this newly formed and complicated d.a. position.
3. Find at least ONE more source to support your point. This means that the revision will have 5
sources (while the draft at 4).
When you use this source, make sure that you are fully integrating and reworking a large part of
your paper in response to the newly added source. Do not just drop in the source and call it
quits. Think about how the idea that you have introduced affects the ideas and claims around it.
Remember, the revision is 7 pgs (double spaced) with five (5) sources. You will also turn it in with the
draft and my comments. It is due, in class to me, Dec 12.