Between drafts, I am going to revisit my overall structure. I’m currently going back to my outline and thinking through alternative ways to structure. I want to introduce both fields and make the purpose of the paper clear at the beginning, but I also want to provide relevant background information, especially to help explain some of the more technical linguistic terminology. As a result, it has been a little difficult for me to find structural balance.
In my initial outline and draft, because I begin by outlining cultural appropriation and its surrounding issues, I fear that it takes me too long to introduce polysystem theory in detail. This may be a slightly too linear approach, and in turn pushes my overall thesis deeper into the paper than I would like.
The idea I’m currently entertaining the idea of using the introduction solely to provide an overview of the aims of the paper, so that I better set up both fields from the beginning. From there I will divide my paper into three sections, made of smaller arguments.
- argue that while current analyses of cases of cultural appropriation may be valid and valuable, they lack an overall framework that creates contradictions.
- argue polysystem theory, although originally designed to address translational equivalence, addresses the problem equally well for cultural appropriation, due to striking parallels between these fields.
- Show how polysystem theory can be applied to specific cases of cultural appropriation to better explain seemingly contradictory observations.
I think that brief explanations in an introduction that outlines these points will help the overall argumentative force of the paper and give the reader a better footing on which to understand the rest of the paper. In my first draft, I more or less introduced the points as I reached them.
For my second draft, I mostly just need to reorganize my draft one, then complete the second section.
It has been interesting to see the development of your project through the many blog posts. I think your idea of "using the introduction solely to provide an overview of the aims of the paper" is a good idea and particularly helpful given your niche topic. It will help the reader prepare for what they are reading and make it more seamless as well. I've also enjoyed seeing the collaboration between author and commenters play out and I think we are all helping each other in great ways.
ReplyDelete- Ethan Saber
DeleteIts seems like you have taken a step back to truly examine your current draft and make sure it aligns with your aim for the final paper. This is definitely an important step in the writing process! The breakdown of your 3 sections was super helpful because it allowed me to understand the outline and goals of your paper. It seems like you are headed in the right direction, good luck on your paper! - Rhea Bhatia
ReplyDeleteLiam Costa: that's good that you are making both structure and clarity priorities for your paper. The topic you're covering is not the easiest to understand, so this effort you're making will be fruitful. Your topic of cultural appropriation is interesting and seems to have become more relevant as history has gone on.
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