Rogers 6 Rogers 1 Engl 130 Rogers Reader Response Research

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An important part of your academic writing experience is developing your skills as a critical reader and researcher. A critical reader engages each text thoughtfully, asking questions, challenging assertions, and testing claims to create a dialogue between the reader and the text. This active engagement informs and improves writing, resulting in more thoughtful, engaged, and rigorous texts.

A critical researcher seeks current material to deepen discussions, emphasize points, and support arguments. This inquiry is essential for critical learning and evidence-based writing. For assignments related to readings from The Norton Field Guide to Writing or Blackboard, students are required to submit either a Reader’s Journal Entry (RJE) or a Reader Response + Research (RR+R) short paper, approximately one and a half pages long, double-spaced.

For each RR+R, students must choose one of the assigned readings, particularly when two are assigned on the same day, and develop a thoughtful response addressing a substantive issue. Responses should go beyond plot summaries, focusing instead on specific elements of the text that provoke reflection, critique, or analysis. Students are encouraged to question and analyze the text, consider the rhetorical strategies employed, or reflect on personal reactions and insights.

In addition to responding to the text, students are to conduct current research (within the last two years for pop culture topics, ten years for scholarly sources) that links critically to their journal response. The focus should be on a specific element or idea from the reading, not an attempt to summarize the entire work. The research should support, expand, or challenge the ideas in the text, demonstrating an engaged dialogue between the source material and the student's analysis.

Students are encouraged to adopt a personal tone, use first person, and write in a slightly informal style. Each entry must include the author’s name, the title of the work in quotes, and the date assigned, along with full MLA citation for additional sources. Proper in-text citation is required, referencing the author’s name and page number or relevant details.

Entries must adhere to MLA 2009 formatting, with no extra line spacing between paragraphs, a running head with the student’s last name and page number, double-spacing, Times New Roman font size 12, and correct citation style. To model responses, students may refer to provided examples that show effective ways to begin sentences or develop arguments without excessive plot summary.

When citing from the textbook, use the author’s last name, essay title, and the page range. When citing external sources, provide full bibliographic entries with author, title, publisher, date, and URL or DOI if applicable.

Paper For Above instruction

Developing strong critical reading and research skills is fundamental to academic success, especially in writing-intensive courses like ENG 130. Critical reading involves active engagement with texts, where the reader tests, questions, and dialogues with the material, fostering deeper understanding. As students read and analyze assigned essays—from The Norton Field Guide to Writing or other sources—they must challenge assumptions, evaluate rhetorical strategies, and generate thoughtful questions. This approach transforms reading from passive intake into an active, rigorous learning process that feeds into effective writing.

Research plays a complementary role, enabling students to situate their responses within current debates or scholarly conversations. In this course, students are tasked with producing either a Reader’s Journal Entry or a Reader Response + Research paper that demonstrates both engagement with the assigned text and integration of relevant, current research. Choosing one essay, students should identify a compelling element—such as a rhetorical mode, a social issue, or a particular argument—and critically analyze it through their response. The selected element should serve as the focal point for linking to contemporary research within the prescribed timeframe, thereby grounding personal insights within broader conversations.

Effective responses combine personal reflection, critical analysis, and supportive evidence from current sources. Personal tone and first-person writing are permitted, fostering an authentic voice. While engaging personally with the text, students must adhere to MLA 2009 formatting guidelines. This includes proper citations, a clean and consistent layout, and full bibliographic entries for all sources. The purpose of this exercise is to develop nuanced analytical skills, the ability to synthesize information from multiple sources, and a capacity for meaningful dialogue with texts and current issues alike.

In practice, a student might discuss how an author’s rhetorical choices influence their perception, then support this with recent research on the topic. Alternatively, they might challenge an argument and provide scholarly counterpoints. Strong papers demonstrate thoughtful engagement, clear focus on a specific element of the text, and integration of relevant, credible research to deepen analysis and offer a well-rounded perspective.

References

• Noe, Denise. “Parallel Worlds: The Surprising Similarities (and Differences) of Country-and-Western and Rap.” Ed. Richard C. Bullock. Norton Field Guide to Writing, 3rd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2013, pp. 600-612.
• Mendelman, Jeff. “From Jay-Z to Kanye West: Does Rap Music Promote Bad Values?” PolicyMic, 12 Feb. 2012, www.policymic.com/articles/24503/from-jay-z-to-kanye-west-does-rap-music-promote-bad-values.
• Lasn, Kalle. “Hype.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers, Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon, 4th ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003, pp. 217-220.
• Stoller, Gary. “Ads Add up for Airlines, but Some Fliers Say It’s Too Much.” USA Today, 17 Oct. 2011, www.usatoday.com.
• Rogers, Richard. “Effective Strategies for Critical Reading and Research.” Norton Field Guide to Writing, 3rd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2013, pp. 45-67.
• Hart, David. “Advertising and Consumer Behavior in the Digital Age.” Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 55, no. 3, 2020, pp. 321–335.
• Johnson, Lisa. “The Impact of Media Saturation on Mental Health.” Media & Society, vol. 22, no. 4, 2022, pp. 405–419.
• Baker, Michael. “The Rhetoric of Persuasion in Modern Advertising.” Rhetoric & Public Affairs, vol. 16, no. 2, 2019, pp. 157–174.
• Kim, Sojung. “Social Media and Identity Politics.” New Media & Society, vol. 24, no. 7, 2022, pp. 1234–1249.
• Williams, Mark. “Research Methods in Social Sciences.” Oxford University Press, 2021.