GET A CORRECTED BOOK FREE:  If you purchased the 6th edition printing that has many errors, you may turn it in for a replacement. Call APA at 1-800-374-2721, ext. 5510 to fill out a form. You will receive a package label in email to return your error-ridden book.  Do not delay in making your call since the deadline is December 15.

If you are just purchasing a book now, check to make sure the books indicates it is a print run that has corrected the errors.

Here I will address a few things that work for me. They are things that I was originally encouraged to do in high school and have stuck with me ever since. When I was a sophomore in high school, I hated writing. I cringed whenever we were given an assignment. It wasn’t until my teacher told me, “Write on any topic you choose. The topic does not have to be ‘academic’ per say or common at all. ” I went to her to get more specifics and she asked me a few questions:

• “What are you passionate about?”  Music, I answered without hesitation.
• “What type of music?” Metal, I said.
• “Is there a specific band or aspect of this music you would like to learn/teach people about?” (This assignment was supposed to be a highly-detailed research paper.) I’m not interested in teaching others at this point, but I want to learn about several specific bands. That would be cool, I said.
• She then sent me off to narrow these bands in which I was interested down to one.
• I came back, having decided, and she sent me off to find articles, interviews, and other resources concerning the band.

From there on out, things went fairly well for the first major paper that I would call my own. I came to find out that the band I picked also happened to take very strong stands on different social and political issues. To top that off, I found that I agreed strongly with their stances on these issues. Before long I had too much information for the length of the paper we were supposed to do. Then I had to narrow things down, but too much is always better than not enough.

I think the key step is asking “What are you passionate about?” or “In what area do you have or want to have specific interest or knowledge?” These are questions which will quickly get you on a streamlined path towards finding your research and writing your paper.

Although not everyone is likely to fall into the category of ‘passionate,’ each of us has something that is very important to us. Even if your life philosophy is apathy, there is still something valuable to be said or to explore towards that end. There are others who can and will learn from your words and experiences. There are always new things to learn about your areas of interest. Almost always the process of this learning opens you up to even more.

Is the book more about war or enlightenment? Why do the boys join the army? How does enlightenment occur, and what the responsibilities of the enlightened? Can family be replaced? Why is music so prominent in the text–How does it become a metaphor?

Ali McLaughlin, John Moldenhauer, and Philip Feldwisch, as well as moderator William Milhans provide serious talk about a thought-provoking text.

If you would like to save the file, please simply right-click on the ‘download’ link, and selected ‘Save Link Location As’, or the equivalent.

I’m Eric, and I’m back for another year at the Writing Center. This is my fifth semester consulting, and I really enjoy working with everyone who stops by.

I’m a senior this year majoring in philosophy and economics, so I’m fairly up to speed on MLA and writing standards for the humanities and social sciences. If you need help in one of these areas, I’d be more than happy to chat with you about it. I work Monday/Wednesday 3-5pm and Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-11:10am.

Now a little about me. I’m originally from NWI (the region!) and I live off campus this year. Some of my hobbies (or distractions depending on the day) include relaxing with friends, philosophy from the early modern period, traveling, and solving puzzles. I also enjoy anything off beat or original.

Happy writing!

My name is Jim, although I go by many nicknames, so I encourage you to be creative. I am excited to be back in the business of writing after taking a few years off to collect my thoughts (Actually many of them got away). I graduated from St. Mary’s University of MN with a degree in Literature and much experience in audio recording. I recently began an individualized Master’s program here at VU (MALS). My main focus is American Cultural Studies. My passions are books, music, and most things out of the ordinary. A radio show dealing with all three of these is in the works for next semester. Keep your ears open. Currently my hours at the Writing Center are Sun nights and Friday mornings. Stop in for a proofread, edit, or just to chat. I am also open to one on one outside tutoring if requested. Peace.

Jiddins

Vickie here, back for a third year at the Writing Center. I’m now a senior nursing student here at VU, which means I’m your go-to girl for APA! If I had the time, I’d add an English major as well because I love to write but my schedule is pretty packed, so I fill that void by working with you here at the WC. As a former CORE student, and survivor of many English classes, I can help you with pretty much anything you bring to us. Nursing students- whether you’re working on a process paper or your research project, I’m the person to ask in regards to anything and everything APA. If you can’t make it to the 1st floor of the Christopher Center while I’m there (Wednesdays from 11-1) send us an email at writing.center@valpo.edu, include my name in the subject line and I’ll be sure to look over it and get back to you when I can.

Otherwise, stop by to say hi, talk about the West Coast (I’m from Oregon) or bring a paper that we can sit and work through together- I love making you more proud of your work (nerdy, I know.)

CORE students . . .This podcast is a reading of your assignment from Genesis. We *totally* took advantage of the sound effects and music to create a space for the story to come to life in the oral tradition from which it came. Let the language wash over you as you relax or exercise. Consider ideas to explore in your first paper.