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THE PURPOSE: The goal of an informative synthesis is to communicate or convey clearly and efficiently information you have learned from multiple sources (multiple perspectives) to fully inform your readers about your topic. You will combine materials on the making of China’s middle class into a clear, organized essay. The purpose of this project is to inform your readers on the making of China’s middle class so that they should know the position of the authors whose work you include after reading your paper.  Please keep in mind that your readers have not read the articles at all.  Your job is to present other people’s ideas on the making of China’s middle class by highlighting key similarities and differences. Therefore, in this paper, you are NOT 1)assessing how one author is right or the other is wrong; nor 2)advocating a position of your own on the topic of China’s middle class THE AUDIENCE: Your target audiences are college-educated adults, who may not know about the issue or articles on which you are writing. THE REQUIREMENTS: 1)The final essay is 1000-1250 words long. 2)Choose two out of the following four

sources (attached here on Isidore) and synthesize the texts. •Chinese Democratization—The Nature and Role of China’s Middle Class By Xiaobo Hu •Desperately Seeking Status: Political, Social and Cultural Attributes of China’s Rising Middle Class by Xin Wang •The New Middle Class: Constants and Variables by Tom Doctoroff •The Rise of China’s Middle Class in the Middle Kingdom by Cheng Li 3)Use correct MLA documentation—both in-text citations and a Works Cited page. Remember that your purpose of an informative synthesis is to inform and NOT to persuade.  You need to summarize the reading materials and convey the information to your readers in a clear, concise, and organized fashion. THE PROCESS: 1.Understand the project by analyzing the assignment sheet. 2.Read the articles closely and critically by annotating the readings. 3.Formulate a thesis. 4.Choose an organizational plan. 5.Write your rough draft by March 1. 6.Peer review on March 1. 7.Revise your draft. 8.Check your quotations and documentation by following MLA style. 9.Submit your final copy, the peer-reviewed rough draft, and a peer review sheet on March 3.