This is an example of a synthesis essay for anyone taking the AP English Lit Exams. I scored 100 on my finals using an essay similar to this and have used it as a guide to how I should answer synthesis questions
Emma Fossum
The Meaning of Diversity on Campus
There is an ongoing discussion about the topic of diversity on campuses. Individuals wonder
what the true meaning of the word “diversity” means to the place they attend school. When we
analyze the unique characteristics of race, culture, and identity, we can realize how society is
diverse yet unequal at the same time.
"Making a Visual Argument: Diversity Posters" addresses the topic of diversity on today's
college campuses. The source argues how students, faculty, and administrators are trying to
figure out what diversity is and why it matters. A variety of posters are displayed to demonstrate
how a community is not only placed into one category but many. One poster is filled with
different identities, races, and religions that form into a “D” to emphasize the word “Diversity.”
For instance, they include words such as Hispanic, homosexual, and the symbol of Jewish
religion along with many other key depictions to shape the letter. The poster is a way to show
that we all cannot be equal until we include distinctive people to create unity, hence diversity.
Diversity should be a regular occurrence in our everyday lives, not something that is marketed as
if it was a stock market sale. “A Campus More Colorful Than Reality: Beware That College
Brochure” examines this issue through an interview with an African American student. Diallo
Shabazz is a college student, who was confused to find a photocopied version of his face
plastered on a campus magazine. The magazine mentions that colleges are “missing the mark on
diversity,” trying to falsely include minority groups into their lifestyle by faking it and
pretending that everyone can fit in. By trying to promoting diversity wrongfully, not only is it
untruthful, it is also injustice to minority groups. Diversity should be able to appear naturally, not
through advertisement and forceful inclusiveness.
Other sources add to the racial issue on campuses. “Introduction from Place, Not Race: A New
Vision of Opportunity in America” mentions the problem of fairness on campuses. The article
uses college admissions as an example of unfairness. Abigail Fisher, a student enrolling at UT,
complained about how she discovered Blacks and Latinos with lower test scores and grades than
her were accepted without question. She claimed, “it was not fair that other applicants got
admitted as a result of having more melanin.” She wants everyone to be treated equally without
consideration of someone’s race, but on their academic performance.
“The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality,”
considers how we have learned to accept people for who they are but do not treat them equally as
to other individuals. The article argues we "have a legitimate interest in having a diverse student
body," which unknowingly leads to several problems such as becoming deeply associated with
the struggle against racism among minorities. The writing refers to this as a "color-blind
society," focusing on establishing a mixed-race community without thinking about respecting
people as if their race did not matter to anyone. The world needs to learn that although we can
include multiple identities together, we must also make sure that everyone is equal no matter
who they are.
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