CLST 389-01W / CATH 300-01W / HIST 300B-01W / MSTU 398-01W Classical Backgrounds: Augustine - Writing Intensive Spring Semester 2012 Dr. Jacqueline Long MWF 10:25am-11:15am Mundelein 308

Writing Exercise 1: Paraphrasing for Efficiency

Goals

• To gather pertinent information from a literary text: practice skills of inquiry
• To paraphrase and summarize information clearly and concisely: practice skills of analysis
• To write informative sentences: practice skills of effective expression incorporating grammar, formatting, and proofreading
• To prepare for in-class work further analyzing, synthesizing, and argument-building

The approach:

1. Read Sermon 360A in Hill's translation. Using Hill's notes to help, but relying especially on your own critical reading, identify parts of the sermon that relate to three questions, as follows. Note where in the text each piece of information is located. For greatest clarity, use Hill's section-numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.; the descriptive subtitles Hill inserts aren't actually part of the sermon), and count the paragraphs in each section by successive letters of the alphabet: for example, Augustine declares, "The threshing floor is the world, in the fleece is the Jewish people," at 3.d.
   • What acts does Augustine say the Donatists actually have done or are doing, that he identifies as wrong?
   • What acts does Augustine say pagans actually have done or are doing, that he identifies as wrong?
   • Augustine sometimes challenges imaginary listeners, to help his real listeners envisage a lively scene; does he give any indications who is actually listening to this sermon?
2. Sort the information you have gathered and, for the written part of this exercise, make three lists, one for what Augustine says in the sermon that pertains to each question. Each item of each list should concisely re-state one pertinent element. Don't connect the elements together at this point: just summarize Augustine's ideas individually. Also don't add any interpretation: the sorting into lists reflects your discernment as critical readers, which is one goal at this point, and also leaves intellectual space to focus on efficient, informative paraphrase and clear, concise, academically correct writing. Aim for no less than 1/2 and no more than 1 full page for each list, with each item of presented as a single bullet-point. Include the source-reference with each item of information. For ease of legibility, word-process the lists in double-spaced, 12-point Times Roman.
3. Doublecheck Strunk and White and make sure you are writing clearly and correctly.
4. Proofread.
5. Come to class Monday 30 January with your summaries in hand, ready to contribute to collaborative discussion. The summaries will be collected in class.

Revised 26 January 2012 by jlong1@luc.edu
http://www.luc.edu/classicalstudies/