Primary Sources Instead of Blogging

Hi All, I just wanted to let you know that if you've been looking for this week's blog prompt, you're not going to find it.  Since you're working so hard locating primary sources and writing up your rhetorical analyses, you get a blogging reprieve!  No blog this week!

Conferences and Blogging

Hi All,
I'm just posting a reminder that our class on Thursday is rescheduled as optional individual conferences about your Unit 2 topics.  You are welcome to stop by my office any time during my office hours and our regularly scheduled class time (11:00 AM - 3:20 PM) to discuss your topic and any questions you might have about the project.

Since Thursday's class is rescheduled for conferences, I've also extended Thursday's blogging deadline to 5:00 PM.  This should give you time to post your proposal after we've met, if you choose to visit my office for a conference.

I hope this helps, and I'll see you all on Tuesday.

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!

Writing, Revising, and More Writing

We're deep in the drafting stages of Unit 1, which means NO BLOG POSTING for the next two weeks.  I meant to announce this in class on Thursday, but on weeks when drafts of an essay are due, there is no required blogging!  You should focus all your energy on your drafting, revising, more writing, and editing.

Now, for those of you who have put off making your three weekly blog comments, you have some work.  I'll be checking the first round this Thursday (9/23) to make sure you've made a total of 12 comments of 30 words on your peers' blogs.

Happy writing!

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.