On any possible topic there are many voices, each saying something slightly different.

On any possible topic there are many voices, each saying something slightly different. These voices are having a conversation, and in listening you have to find the common thread that ties them together. As an academic writer, it is your job to be able to synthesize others’ voices with your own in order to craft your position. In doing so, you both integrate several voices together, as well as analyze the overall position. 

In the Phase 2 essay, you’ll chose gather together at least 3 voices on one subject and integrate them into a cohesive essay that makes a clear point. Throughout the essay, you should analyze an issue within the general topic of Nutrition. Thus, the essay works two directions at the same time: gathering together authors and splitting an idea into parts. Throughout, you’ll work on finding external sources, quoting sources correctly, responding to arguments altogether, and building significance.

Below, I have provided you with 6 starter-essays, 4 of which we will discuss in class. You should use one of these as your jumping off point as well as one of your 3 total sources. You are welcome to go another direction within nutrition, but you must speak to me about it first. 

Guidelines

• Write a 750 – 1000 word essay that analyzes one focused subject under the general topic “Nutrition”
• Begin with one of these articles:
  • How Americans Got Red Meat Wrong” – Nutrition and Meat
  • “Eat Food: Food Defined” – Nutrition and Processed Food
  • “Is it Cereal or Candy” – Nutrition and Sugar
  •  “The New Training Table” – Nutrition for Athletes
  • “Let Them Drink Chocolate” – Nutrition in School Lunches
  • “The Use of Nutritional Labels by College Students in a Food-Court Setting” – Nutrition for College Students
  • Integrate the writing of at least 3 sources
  • Find external sources in one of 2 databases: Academic Search Premier or Lexis-Nexis (Links to an external site.)
  • Use at least one template each from Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 7. Color the template text blue.
  • Use MLA formatting for page formatting and citation 

Suggestions for Success

• Choose a nutritional topic that you are interested in or that is relevant for you.
• Do your research early. Keep track of what ideas/quotes you get from what article. Only search in the specified databases.
• Write summaries of each article before you integrate them into your essay.
• Don’t just react to issues and make your sources say what you already think. Instead, listen to the experts on your chosen essay and synthesize what is there.