MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Here is a long google document that tries to capture the last post and our classroom discussion. Today, we will talk about meta discourse and counting techniques to help the paragraphs cohere (flow!). Samples:

Before we look at Patel's work on genomic visualizations, let's review the status of these data sets and their visual depiction.

Now that we have reviewed the seven types of MODY diabetes, we can turn to Guerra's typology of treatment protocols.

For more information on MODY types, see the excellent overview at the British National Health Services pages on mono-genetic diabetes types.

A cursory review of two assumptions will help the lay reader consider the importance of Jones' proof on intergalatic space travel equations.

A first take-away from Patel's typology is...

A second point, with clear implications for clinical practice, concerns...

My description of this cycle is necessarily simplistic but will allow for a quick review of applications.

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Openings guidance.

Here is a grid you can use for close reading.  Copy this or share to YOUR drive. Here is a link to Raul Pacheco-Vega on reading complex technical literature for meaning AND for writing.

More on reading strategies on science:

via GIPHY

Reading science and scientific literature, some articles for you to skim, parse, or review (KE's guide):

• Guidance for health professionals and physicians in 2009 "Critical Appraisal of Scientific Literature" -- all will appreciate the clarity, conciseness, and document design of the abstract.  This table is particularly useful also.  Note: you can seek out two other related articles, as this is the first of three.
• This open access guide to writing a literature review can help you read a literature review.
• In 2016, AAAS (do you know what that is?) published a series on reading scientific literature. In this piece, be sure to look at the summaries of how different scientists approach their reading.

A.I., a student who recently took the DAT, suggests that you consider learning about the Search and Destroy close reading method.  Additional note from A.I., she thinks that the ABT -- and, but, therefore -- structure could help you prep for job or grad/prof school interviews.  I agree!

Flow, we want flow!

via GIPHY

Meta discourse hovers above the content revealing our path or signposting for readers.  These phrases and sentences will help you, including near the beginning and ends of paragraphs:

Having defined LCA, let's look now at Martin Hocking's work on . . .  (or, insert Charles Moore)

As you can see, Hocking's work is, essentially, an LCA on disposable hot beverage cups.

Should you need more information on climate change and energy efficiency, see this helpful and brief article at...

For purposes of this cursory analysis (short analysis, first-cut look, quick-and-dirty examination), we will now turn to Moore's groundbreaking work on ocean plastic.

Recall, that my recommendation relies both on:

• my opening assumption about ocean plastic and
• LCA as a decision criteria

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Block quotes on LCA definition (one strategy, for the LCA definition paragraph). You can also use a screen shot from this large slide set hosted by EPA. To be discussed in class.

Scientific method has a cousin -- actually an ancestor -- in stasis theory.  This conceptual diagram show stasis method with an environmental science decisionmaking context.

We are also looking (re-looking?) at paragraph transitions. I copy/paste here some information (short google docs) you read about a week ago:

Discussion on sentences, with emphasis on "empty subjects" to be continued.  And, on to paragraphs: let's start with a brief document on transitions, taken from a real-world setting.

This NEW memo content is more complex and wide-ranging. Transitions are a way to thread the cognition for our busy readers. Your first memo focused on the definition stasis, with a evaluation move at the end.

Now, our boss wants a problem-solution memo about the type of coffee cup we use in our firm, as well as what the governor wants to know. Therefore, we need to frame this work with the stasis of policy (what ought we do).

Let's start by reading this short news article from Seattle:  Coffee Cup Recycling Brims with Obstacles.

Back to our boss: Jane wants a coffee cup policy for the office that is "green."  OK, that is the content for your invention.  Here is rough working arrangement (paragraphs):

POLITE OPENING, with your recommendation that previews your final policy paragraph

CONJECTURE PARAGRAPH  Problem description (our office situation, with quantifiers), with reference to national. international size of the problem

CONTEXT PARA(s) Environmental problems (energy efficiency ->climate change AND persistence of plastic in ocean -> food chain disruption)

YOUR WEIGHTED PROBLEM SOLVING METHOD (revealing your pre-analytical frame or bias)

DEFINITION-->CAUSE/EFFECT information 

Coffee cup types (how many?  Can we do this in one paragraph or do we need one per coffee cup type? Use counting technique of two or three)

PIVOT PARA from backgrount to ANALYSIS PARAS

Decision criteria (HINT:  Life cycle analysis, and define this; use an EPA source) HERE, this definition helps us move to the VALUE paragraphs

CAUSE/EFFECT continued (system) -->VALUE (Harm or benefit)

Martin Hocking's work on life cycle analysis of paper v. Styrofoam

Charles Moore's work on size of ocean garbage patches

POLICY/ RECOMMENDATION (restate your recommendation, with qualifiers, as one does in science land)

Science/Research support (remind about evidence discussed above in VALUING PARAGRAPHS)

Qualification (concede reasonableness of the other position)

Concrete examples (2)

Sentences that can help you as topic sentences or transitions sentences between paragraphs

Any analysis of coffee cup choice requires use of life cycle analysis.

Life cycle analysis -- also known as cradle-to-grave -- helps capture the entire environmental effect from origin and inputs through use and, importantly, to disposal.

In my analysis, I weight [name environmental problem] more heavily than [the other problem].

Life cycle analysis can help us understand this difficult question about coffee cup sustainability

We have two choices in coffee cups: paper or plastic (Styrofoam).

Martin Hocking conducted the first -- and to date only -- peer-reviewed analysis of the energy embodied in coffee cup choices.

Charles Moore is among the first to alert us to the huge problem of persistent ocean plastic.

We will work through the above next week, using stasis theory.  COME TO CLASS.  For Friday, you will need a working draft of this short memo for peer review.  Monday, the memo is due in hard copy for a my evaluation.

We will work in pairs (because writing together is a workplace practice; synergies and efficiencies are possible).

Source/citation comment: This time, we WILL USE peer-reviewed sources for Moore's work and for Hocking's work BUT also use web-available summary documents as a referral citation. Recall that we do not want our audience to hit a payway.

1. Use the library research databases to find one peer reviewed source for each expert.  
   1. Consider looking at environmental science and technology categories for Hocking.  The two articles I am thinking of are circa 1991 and 1994.
   2. Consider marine biology or ocean science categories for Moore.
2. For the open access sources, search the web for
   1. Charles Moore's foundation.
   2. A summary of Hockings' work at a major science publication.
3. Use Wikipedia for a working sense of what life cycle assessment/life cycle analysis is. We will discuss in class how to use Wikipedia as a citation that both buids our ethos and is helpful to the busy reader.  

This approach below can help us, too.  Apologies for the large size file nested here.

Does this visualized arrangement of our thinking help? Here is a rough cut at how a flow chart would make the NODE paragraph choices clearer.  What do you think?  I saved this as a PNG file so this is scalable.  You can download the image and look at this in an image viewer.  I tried Popplet at the advice of JP Dickerson, in Computer Science.