Precis Part 1

Description

Writing a Precis

What is a “precis,” you are probably asking. Think of it as, essentially, the preliminary work for any kind of academic writing. In order to interact critically with a text, you must be able to accurately summarize an article. You must acknowledge the context in which the author is writing, as well as recognize the structure of the argument and the rhetorical elements at play. A precis is a kind of overview or abstract of an essay, which is the first step towards critical analysis.

The précis has three parts: a situation section, an issue section, and a thesis section. Essentially, a precis is like a glorified summary. You aren’t weighing in on the argument but scrutinizing its message, its purpose, and its construction. Without actually debating the author’s stance, you are committed to studying the text closely, exploring both content and strategy, to come to a deeper understanding of the piece.

Part 1: The Rhetorical Situation

In this first section, you will be analyzing the situation of the writing. Please post to our discussion forum by answering the following in at least 400 words or more:

What is the rhetorical situation for this piece of writing? That is, what contextual information bears relevance on the author’s concerns? When (be specific) was the piece written, by whom, and for whom? What kind of cultural and/or historical concerns seem to bear relevance to the author’s subject matter? In what ways is this article a product of its time? What general relevant situation in the world does the author address? Are there any specific events or cultural changes that come to mind that you think may have prompted the writing?

Try to track down the original publication information. Who is the target audience, both currently and when it was originally published? How do you know who the target audience is, based on context clues in the article? Where was this piece published? What kind of readership does this publication have?

Lastly, what do you know about the author after reading this article? What rhetorical devices does he employ in order to engage with his reader? What is his tone like? What seems to be his purpose in writing this piece–persuade, argue, suggest, evaluate, theorize, discuss, debate, contribute to a discussion? Remember that identifying his purpose for writing the article might be slightly different than simply summarizing his argument.

The key is to think about how these things impacted the piece of writing. Give examples from the text by quoting directly. Point to the moments in the article where you are making the necessary deductions and inferences to help you answer the questions above.

Think of this section as the introductory material, recognizing the context and purpose for the essay we are studying. You will need to pull specific examples from the article and cite those examples according to MLA guidelines.