QUESTION

How to structure the first assignment + break down of points
(3 paragraphs)
Your job is to construct an account of the argument that author makes. An account is NOT the same as a
summary (although you will need to do some summary). Your goal is to show how the author’s use of
specific kinds of evidence supports the argument, to explain how the argument is constructed and why it
is effective. Your paper should respond, in order, to the following specific issues:
Part 1. Introduction (1 paragraph) should:
1. Introduce the author and her project. Questions to consider:
a) Who is she?
b) What is her project? (What sort of work does she set out to do, how, and why?) 1
c) What issue or problem is she responding to, and why does it matter?
d) 2. Describe the author’s main argument - what is she trying to get us to believe?
3. State the direction of your analysis and the steps you will take to get us there. This is called
metadiscourse. (For example, “In my analysis of Pinker’s text I will examine X and show Y.”)
Part 2. The Body, in which you present your central analysis
In this section, you will provide 3 or 4 major claims that support the author’s argument. For each claim,
you will:
❑ Identify the claim, in your own words, that you will discuss in this section.
❑ Use a quotation to illustrate this claim
❑ Identify the evidence the author presents to support this claim
❑ Use at least one verb to describe what the author is doing - what moves the author makes to get
his point across and make the claim persuasive
❑ Interpret these moves in terms of the main claim. How does the work the author is doing in this
particular section support his claim/argument?
❑ Comment upon how the author organizes his text as he makes his claim and why he may have
decided to place the material where he does.
Part 3: Your conclusion, which tells us “So What?” (1)
In this section, you will discuss the overall significance of the text. There are several things you can
choose to emphasize in this section.
❑ What is the significance of the argument – why does it matter (at this moment/in general/to you)?
❑ Consider the effectiveness of the argument – has the author impacted your thinking/views on this
topic?
❑ Consider the significance of the assignment – of the intellectual exercise you have carried out.
Does reading and analyzing a text this way provide you with any interesting or novel insights?
Some Key Suggestions:
1. Remember to focus on the text’s argument and how it is constructed, not what it is about.
2. Write the paper as if you are addressing an audience that has not read the text, and you thus need
to “spell things out.”
3. You are expected to use APA format. See The Owl for assistance.
4. Proofread your work—you will be marked down for grammatical/spelling errors!

The “project” describes what the author sets out to do, how she does it, and by what means (such as research 1
connections between X and Y, drawing from case studies or statistics, etc.) To articulate a project you need a verb,
such as “researches,” “investigates,” “studies,” “presents,” “connects A with B,” etc.

Project Guidelines: What Your Paper Should Talk About
Construct an account of the argument that the author makes. Your goal is to show how the
author’s use of specific kinds of evidence (or some other strategy – see what your instructor’s
wishes to focus on) serves to support the argument in the text, and to explain how the argument
is effective. Your short paper should respond, in order, to the following specific questions:
Part 1. The intro should answer these questions:
• What is the author’s project? What is the author doing (investigating, researching,
comparing, defending)?
• What is the author’s argument? What is the author trying to persuade us to believe?
• What are YOU going to talk about in this paper? What do you intend to show us? (This
sentence is your metadiscourse – known by some classes of first-year students as “the
magic sentence” because it defines your paper, both for you as the writer and your
audience.)
Part 2. The central analysis should include this information:
• What is your author’s central claim? What is he or she trying to get us to believe?
o What evidence does he or she use to persuade us?
o Nail with a quote from the text.
o Why is this quote useful here? What are you showing us?
• What is a related claim?
o What evidence does he or she use to persuade us?
o Nail with a quote from the text.
o Why is this quote useful here? What are you showing us?

Part 3: The conclusion should tell us “So what?”
Is this an effective argument? Does the author “make it work”? How & why did he or she
persuade you? Was it the evidence (logos)? Was it the emotional connection (pathos)?
Given that you are the audience for this argument, what particular element did you find a

ANSWER

Analysis of Mechanics of Materials, James M. Gere

After teaching Engineering for 32 years, James M. Gere, a Stanford University Professor
emeritus, succumbed to cancer at 82. Besides his admirable personality, exemplary career
performance, and optimism, he is remembered for being an artful author passionate about the
field of engineering. Mechanics of Materials is one of the nine books that stand out to civil or
mechanical engineers, which he co-authored with Barry, J. Goodno. Analysis of materials is an
extremely complicated field of engineering. Mechanics of Materials is a classic text on materials
science by James M. Gere that has been published and republished many times. It describes the
nature of materials and how they interact- how material properties are determined. Gere's book
presents a problem-solving approach to analyzing material properties that can be applied to any
field, not just engineering. In essence, this analysis delves into assessing the works of Gere by
revisiting the details of his contributions to civil engineering, specifically materials science,
based on the concepts presented in the Mechanic of Materials.
The book begins with a brief overview of the material properties common to all
materials. It then describes the relationships among the different properties of materials, like
strength and rigidity. The book then introduces the concept of material and explains how
different properties are inherent to different kinds of material. "To determine the stresses and
strains, we use the physical properties of the materials as well as numerous theoretical laws and
concepts, (Gere & Goodno, 2012, p.5)" Every material has a unique set of properties based on its
composition and structure. For example, metals are malleable, whereas wood is rigid. Gere then
introduces the idea of working material and artificial material, showing how each has advantages
over the other. Gere identified the four main types of machines used to analyze materials; creep,
fracture, fatigue, and static. Creep is caused by constant pressure applied to material; it causes

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the material to change over time. A fracture occurs when applied stress to a material exceeds its
permissible limits; it causes the material to break apart. Fatigue occurs when an applied force
causes a material to deform; it depends on its elasticity and ductility. Lastly, static is the
tendency of a material to resist a force applied to it; it also depends on the material's elasticity
and ductility.
Engineers need data regarding the material's cost, performance, and the environment
when analyzing materials. "With the formulas available, we can readily calculate the forces,
stresses, and displacements of the assembly for any given set of numerical data" (Gere &
Goodno, 2012, p.122). Performance data is based on the output that can be achieved by applying
design intent to the material. The environment consists of how extreme or mild the conditions
affect the material. For example, extremely cold temperatures or heat might affect how a material
performs or looks different under extreme and mild conditions. When analyzing materials,
engineers need data regarding how a material's physical properties change due to a change in its
environment. For example, it answers a few questions: Do its physical properties change
accordingly when an object's temperature increases? What about when an object's humidity
increases? Do its physical properties change due to the change in its environment? Engineers
need data regarding these factors when analyzing materials to analyze how a material performs
under different environments and conditions. 
As previously highlighted, the main focus of Mechanics of Materials is problem-solving-
it explains how to analyze various properties of materials and find solutions to specific problems.
The book discusses various aspects that need to be considered when analyzing a material, such as
a temperature and stress. These aspects have to be analyzed in conjunction with the physical
structure of the material when determining a property's value – "An advantage of numerical