Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

Summary of Aldo Leopold's "The Land Ethic"

Purpose:  With this first seminar paper, we'll be practicing the skills of critical reading/thinking, learning MLA documentation, and walking through the steps to writing an effective seminar paper.  You will be asked to actively read, outline, and summarize the argument Leopold presents in this classic essay written in 1949 and widely considered to be one of the first serious calls for a new way of thinking about our obligation to the earth.    In this essay, he presents his argument for "the land ethic," supporting his thesis with examples from biology, history, philosophy, and literature. By reading and studying Leopold's essay, we gain a historical perspective on the conservation movement and are provided with an excellent model for an argument.  While you will be limited to summarizing Leopold's argument in your paper, you will be able to discuss your own response to it in a journal entry. In future essays, you will be encouraged to develop an analytical response to the readings.    

Process:  Go through the steps we outlined in class:

Read the text ACTIVELY, underlining key points and significant passages.
Outline Leopold’s argument, using the standard outline form, listing the key points of his argument as the main headings and his support as the subheadings.  Your outline should be detailed enough for you to closely follow Leopold’s argument (this will take 2-3 pages), but not so detailed that every sentence is represented.  Use the outlining process to work your way through Leopold’s argument in a step-by-step fashion.  
Summarize IN YOUR OWN WORDS Leopold’s
Summarize IN YOUR OWN WORDS Leopold’s main points.  
Choose the most relevant passages to illustrate the main points as quotes, noting the page numbers where they appear.
Write a rough draft of your summary following the guidelines given below.

Content: Your summary should be 3-4 pages (12 point type) and consist of the following components:

Opening should introduce the full name of the author and “title” within the first few sentences.  (For a summary, we won’t worry about a creative opening, but we will in future seminar papers).
Brief overview of Leopold’s essay.
Thesis statement (Leopold’s thesis) in your own words by the end of the first paragraph.
Body paragraphs in which you walk the reader through Leopold’s argument, listing the main points and using passages for his essay to illustrate these points, using MLA intext citations for both paraphrased ideas and quoted passages. ex: (Leopold 446)  
Transitions to indicate the development of the author’s argument: (“He demonstrates, he goes on to say, he develops this point further by, he illustrates using an example from literature” etc. ) Note:  It is the convention in writing English papers on literature to write in present tense.    
Conclusion: summarizes Leopold's argument and re-states his thesis in different words, followed by a statement that effectively provides closure.
Assessment:

To encourage you to establish good working habits, you will receive participation points for meeting deadlines (see below). Your final seminar paper will receive a decimal point grade. More information on the assessment criteria will be handed out.

Outline:  5 pts

Rough draft of summary: 5 pts

Peer critiques: 5 points

Reflection: 5 points

Form: Outline should follow standard outline form (see Hacker pgs. 10-12)

Final summary paper should be typed, double-spaced with 1” margins in manuscript form using MLA in-text citations and Work Cited.