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Passage Interpretation Papers

Passage interpretation papers (PIPs) are short writing assignments where students select a short (2-4 sentences) passage of text from the course text and then explain (in their own words) what the passage says. In completing this assignment, your goal is to demonstrate to your reader your capacity to explain a passage of text, illustrate your interpretation using an example. In particular, your PIP should include the following:

  1. Selection: Pick a passage of text from the assigned reading (e.g., 2-4 sentences). You should pick a short passage since the assignment will require you to explain all parts of the passage. If you are unsure about how to quote a passage, consult How to Quote.
  2. Type out the passage: Type out the entire passage and provide an in-text and reference citation. If you are unsure how to do this, consult How to Cite.
  3. Explain: Explain the passage in your own words. In explaining the passage, you are expected to do the following: (a) Explain the passage in simpler and more commonsense terms than the author. Your goal is to make the passage clearer or more understandable than the author has made it. (b) Define any key terms or jargon (you may have to look up certain words or phrases) (c) Put the passage in context if key ideas depend upon the context in which the passage is located. If you need help with clarifying a passage, consult How to Clarify.
  4. Give an example: Illustrate the meaning of the passage by giving an original example or test case for the passage. For example, suppose you are explaining a passage of text that says violence in sports helps build community, you might explain a concrete case in some sport that illustrates this claim. Here is a second example. Suppose you are considering whether “knowledge” is best defined as “justified true belief”. You’ve just read a passage involving a person who has justified true belief that it is 3:00 based on observing a broken clock. However, that broken clock, just by chance, displays the actual time (3:00) and so, intuitively, their justified true belief would not count as knowledge (undermining the definition). You could further illustrate this idea by applying the same logic to other examples not involving broken clocks.

A template for a PIP assignment can be found in the templates folder.

Sample Rubric

Simple rubric for PIP paper (out of 100pts):

  1. Passage: 10pts
  2. Citation: 10pts
  3. Explanation: 50pts
  4. Example: 30pts