Unit 3 Proposal

Your posting this week should discuss your Unit 3 Project: Creating Public Arguments. At this point you group should have [1] chosen an issue/debate you'd like to enter, [2] discussed what you'd like to say in this ongoing conversation, [3] pinpointed different audiences, and [4] started discussing the genres/mediums you'd like to use when making your arguments.

In your posting I'd like to address all four of these elements, highlighting any questions or concerns your group may have as you proceed with this project.

Please remember that every group member should post independently, but the content of your proposals can be the same. Your posting is due by 1 PM on Thursday.

Unit 3 Job Titles and Descriptions

Welcome back to blogging! As we begin Unit 3, a collaborative project, I've asked you to think about an ideal group work situation. We wrote and talked in class about what would make group projects more effective, and most seemed to think that everyone "pulling equal weight" was key. In an effort to facilitate that ideal situation, I asked everyone to define their role in the group, developing both a job title and job description.

In this week's blog posting, I'd like you to discuss your group job title and description. What role are you playing in the group? What are your primary responsibilities? How will your role help the group function efficiently? In addition to answering these questions, please list your other group members (mainly to help me keep track of everyone!).

Please remember that your blog posting is due by 1PM on Thursday.  And don't forget to comment on your peers' blogs!

Unit 2 Proposal

We've been thinking and talking about Unit 2 for a week now, and it's time to choose a topic! As you compose your proposal, I'd like to make a few suggestions. First, I encourage you to pick something you like-- something to which you wouldn't mind devoting 6 weeks of research and writing.

Second, it may help if you think about choosing an "event" rather than a "topic." Here's what I mean: since you are asked to locate a variety of primary sources created in direct reaction to a controversy, it's sometimes easiest to isolate a major event or decision rather than a topic. For example, locating texts created in reaction to the U.S. decision to build a fence on the Mexican border is a far easier task than locating texts created in reaction to, say, immigration as a whole.

For this week's post, please [1] re-read the Unit 2 assignment sheet, [2] detail your proposed topic, and [3] discuss where you intend to look for primary sources. Finally, [4] please talk briefly about why you chose this topic. The more specific the better, though I am purposefully leaving the proposal criteria open since these project tend to vary widely.

Please remember that, even though we are not meeting as a class on Thursday, that your posting is due by 1 PM on Thursday. I look forward to reading and responding to your ideas!

The Ethos, Pathos, and Logos of Public Spaces

As you observe and take notes on your chosen public spaces, I'd like you to consider the Ethical, Emotional, and Logical appeals of your public space. In this week's blog post, please discuss the Ethical, Emotional, and Logical appeals your space makes. I understand that this prompt is open-ended, which is intentional. I'd simply like you to use this post to work through your ideas about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in relation to your Public Space Analysis; you'll need discuss these things in your essay, so it's a good idea to start flexing those muscles now. Every space is different, and thus every post will be different.

Please remember that your post is due by 1 PM on Thursday.  And don't forget about your 3 responses to your peers!

Unit 1 Proposal

As we begin our first major writing assignment together, I'd like you to take a moment to think about some of your favorite collegiate writing assignments. When I discuss writing with students, it seems they remember most fondly the projects that interested them and related directly to their own lives. In short, we tend to enjoy writing about the things that we, well, enjoy! I encourage you to keep this in mind as you choose your topic for Unit 1 and urge you to choose a place that interests you personally, not simply one that seems like an "easy" paper topic.

In this week's blog posting, please take some time to talk about your chosen place for Unit 1. Here are some questions you may consider answering:

*What makes this space appealing? Why did you choose it?

*What do you expect to find upon observation? Why?

*Are you part of the target audience?

*What pre-conceived ideas may influence your objective observation? How can you overcome these obstacles?

Please remember that your blog posting is due Thursday, 9/9 at 1 PM. And don't forget to comment on your peers' blogs!

Analyzing Arguments in the Media

As we read Chapter 1 in Everything's an Argument, the authors encouraged us to think about argument in a variety of different ways. Now we should practice identifying and making meaning of these arguments, focusing on a contemporary societal text.  Commercials permeate our lives and have become much more than just advertisements; they comment on politics, current events, and social concerns.  

For this week's blog posting, I'd like you to watch the following BP commercial, paying close attention to the different types of argument. As you watch, remember to keep track/reference the arguments to inform, persuade, convince, etc.. Additionally, you'll want to pay attention to the use of ethical, emotional, and logical appeals. In your post, please cover at least 5 different types of argument, discuss how they were used and whether or not you feel these arguments were effective. Please use this blog posting to work through ideas about different types of argument-- this blog post should be a type of writing experiment to try out new ideas concerning argument. No wrong answers here.

Please remember that your blog posting is due Thursday, 9/2 at 1 PM. Additionally, don't forget about the 3 comments on your peers' blogs.  

Welcome and First Assignment

Your first assignment for this class is to create your own blog using Blogger and to write your first post. Here are the instructions:

[1] Set up your blog: To do so, go to www.blogger.com, and follow the on-screen directions for setting up a free blog. Please take some time to personalize your blog. This is a way for both me and your classmates to get to know you, so feel free to include a photo, links to other sites you enjoy, etc. Please make sure that your name (first/preferred name and last initial) is clear on your blog. I know that some/many of you already have a blog where you write posts; however, for the purposes of this class, you will need a separate blog that is focused on reflecting about your reading and future writing. Feel free to provide links to your other blog(s) if you would like to share them with me and with your classmates. Keep in mind,though, that I will post your blog address on the course website, so your class members will have access to your blog. You can restrict general public access to your blog, however, under “Settings” by marking “no” for the question “Add your blog to our listings?”

[2] Write your first entry: Write a letter of introduction about yourself. Start with the basics—where you are from, what year you are at TCU, what major you are considering, etc. Then, I want to know a few things related to your participation in this course. Here is a series of questions to think about as you write:

* First, think about your interest in this course. Why did you choose to take this writing course? If your answer is simply that it’s required, then what would you like to get out of it?

* Next, consider your experience with writing both in and out of the classroom. What types of writing do you primarily do now (think beyond traditional school papers to other kinds of writing and technologies, like email, facebook, texting, etc.)? How do you feel about your writing? Why?

* Finally, as you're reading chapter one of Everything's an Argument for class on Thursday, you'll notice that the authors discuss how everything we say/do/create truly is an argument. This means that in your first assignment of creating a blog for this course, you are making an argument (whether you realized it or not). Take a few minutes to talk about what kind of argument you think your blog is making. Consider choices you made about colors, images, font, links, songs, the way you introduce yourself, etc. What do these choices say about you as the blog author? About your participation in the course? If you can, incorporate some ideas from the reading.

At the end of your letter to your blog audience, please write a final statement letting me know that you have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus, which I see as a contract for our course. Remember that all of your blog entries should be in paragraph form.

[3] Follow up: Add a comment to this post that includes your name, section, and blog address (http://____.blogspot.com), so that I can add it to the list on our course page. Also let me know if you have any questions regarding the syllabus or anything discussed in our first meeting of the course.