Assignment 2: Positioned Literature Review Portfolio Assignment
GNED 1401
Assignment 2: Draft positioned lit review assignment (written in class) * 5 % Oct 24
Final positioned lit review portfolio 15 % Nov 1
Format: typed, double-spaced, in PDF, uploaded electronically to the D2L Brightspace dropbox
Length: ~1000 words total
Worth (total): 20%
Portfolio
Part 1: First draft- written during class time (thorough completion required to earn a mark)
Part 2: Edited work + editing notes
Part 3: Reflection
Portfolio format: two drafts (first + edited draft) plus editing notes and reflection in an electronic folder
Format: typed, double-spaced, in a single PDF, uploaded electronically to the D2L Brightspace dropbox
HOW YOU’LL BUILD YOUR PORTFOLIO
1) You will write the first draft in class. On that day, you may bring to class a hard/digital copy of the
articles you are reviewing, with your highlights or gist notes in the margins, and your forest diagram
connecting the three articles.
2) You will then take your first draft home and revise it. Include in-text references where
appropriate, and a References list in APA style.
3) At home, you will also type up to a page of notes on the changes you made while revising, and a one-
paragraph reflection as described below.
On the final due date, you will hand in all three pieces: your first draft, your final draft, and your page of notes
and reflections. This collection of three pieces is your “portfolio.”
WHAT YOU WILL WRITE
The main piece of writing here is a “they say / I say” assignment: a three- or four-paragraph piece of writing in
which you first give an overview of what other academics have already argued (what “they say”), and then
explain your stance—your position—on their research (what you say). The other academics whose arguments you
are reviewing here are Graff, McCarthy, and Wilder and Yagelski. You will build and improve here on the
understanding of those three articles that you demonstrated in Assignment 1.
The first two-three paragraphs should be a neutral academic overview, a “literature review,” of what Graff,
et al., McCarthy, and Wilder and Yagelski have argued.
Rather than summarizing these articles in turn, as a disconnected sequence, you will synthesize an
overall picture of what research in this field has had to say, as well as highlighting what each study
individually has argued and how each connects to that picture. Pay balanced attention to each of the three
articles.
As in the previous assignment, this should be an accurate, informative, and coherent extended summary, for
an academic audience, of what other academics have argued before. Structure this overview in a similar way
to your summary for Assignment 1, by
starting with a general/overall indication of the overall topic,
indicating each study’s distinct topic and arguments,
mentioning a few select sub-arguments or details about one or more of (to you) the most interesting
aspects of their arguments or conclusions
making clear to your reader how all these studies fit together and how they compare
The final paragraph should gradually transition to describing your own stance, or position—your critical,
reasoned perspective—on the research you have reviewed. When indicating your position,
use your writing style to subtly present yourself as a fellow academic—a thoughtful, rational, fair-
minded but skeptical person, and a colleague to the academics you are reviewing—who has developed
your position by thinking open-mindedly but critically about their arguments
take a stance that will interest other academics, by commenting on one (or possibly more) of
– the strengths or special insights of the research you are reviewing
– any conclusions that are particularly striking, surprising, or illuminating
– any limitations or weaknesses in the methods or analysis of the research you are reviewing
– any interesting or glaring gaps in the research so far, which you see as areas for further
research
– implications for academic writing, university teaching, or university policies
avoid personalizing your response by writing about your personal experience, or by responding emotionally to
the research you are reviewing
The editing notes:
In the final portfolio, include two to three informal, point-form notes on the type of changes you made
when editing your first draft.
The reflection:
Writing from your own perspective and in your own words, write one informal paragraph where you
reflect on your experience of writing a positioned literature review for this assignment. Respond to the
following question: what does it feel like to take an academic stance on other researchers’ arguments, and
how does this compare to other types of writing you’ve done before?
Notes:
Throughout the assignment, include in-text citations in APA style, when appropriate, and a References list as
appropriate.
This overview must be your own work, based solely on your own understanding of the articles you have read.
The only sources you should consult when writing this assignment are the articles you are summarizing (and
your own notes and forest diagram about it). You are absolutely not required or encouraged to read anything
else.