Class - Wed., 3/23/11

1.       Roll

2.       Questions on BA6?

3.       Arrangement: Review Chap. 7 points – pgs. 201 – 227; Pg. 218 includes many considerations

- Exordium (introduction)

- Narrative  (narration of the case – statement of the case) – includes all points

- Point/proof A (topic sentence)

- Point/proof B (topic sentence)

- Point/proof C (topic sentence)

- Point/proof D (topic sentence)

- Point/proof E (topic sentence)

- Refutation (rebuttal)

-  Peroration (conclusion)

- List of working sources (2 – 6)

4.   Review Draft 2.1 Assignment -

Textbook: Read Chapter 8 pp. 239-255 on STYLE

Textbook: Review Student Example – Jarred Riley, Pg. 695

Assignment: 2.1: Researched Argument

Objective: To practice locating and evaluating sources and then integrating those sources into a researched argument.

 Description: To complete this assignment, write an argument using the strategies and structures described in your textbook and the handbook. The argument should have an identifiable thesis, lines of argument, logical support, ethical and emotional appeals (if applicable), and consideration of alternative views. 

You should use 6 sources from the TTU library or library databases as specified by your instructor for this assignment. Your essay should be 1500 words in length, not including the list of works cited. Please use MLA format (see Ch. 18 of your handbook) for in-text citations and your list of works cited.

Scoring Guide:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Has the student focused his or her argument on a narrow topic?  Is the essay argumentative rather than informative?

C2—Context and Assumptions

Has the student considered the contexts of the articles which he or she quotes?  Has the student discussed any assumptions which he or she makes about the topic as well as the assumptions which the articles make?

C3—Sources and Evidence

Has the student presented sources effectively to support his or her points?  Are the sources scholarly?  Has the student cited these sources correctly?  Is the Works Cited list formatted correctly? Has the student cited all of the sources listed in the Works Cited?

C4—Diverse Perspectives

Does the student consider the counterargument fairly and carefully?  Do the articles which the student cites in the counterargument support the counterargument and not the argument?  Sometimes, students will borrow a summary of the counterargument from a source that they have been using to support their own lines of argument.

C5—Own Perspective

Has the student clearly stated an arguable thesis statement?  Do the lines of argument provide adequate support for this thesis statement, and is it clear how they support it? 

C6—Conclusion

Does the student summarize the main points the student has made?  Does the conclusion restate the thesis statement?  How effective is the conclusion rhetorically?

C7—Communication

Is the essay clearly organized and easy to follow?  Can you tell which paragraphs are lines of argument?  Is it clear how every paragraph helps to develop the thesis statement?  How effective is the student’s writing at the sentence level?

5. Review Databases and Return Ch. 5 Quizzes

7. Return Quizzes – quizzes graded on curve, A - F

8. Library Assignment: By the end of class, please email me an outline of your Draft 2.1 paper. This is a classwork credit grade (100 points). Include the following in the TEXT OF AN EMAIL to erin.trauth@ttu.edu:

- Exordium (introduction)

- Narrative  (narration of the case – statement of the case) – includes all points

- Point/proof A (topic sentence)

- Point/proof B (topic sentence)

- Point/proof C (topic sentence)

- Point/proof D (topic sentence)

- Point/proof E (topic sentence)

- Refutation (rebuttal)

-  Peroration (conclusion)

- List of working sources (2 – 6)

 

Class - Wed., March 9, 2011

Class – Wednesday, March 9, 2011

1. Roll

2. Questions on BA6? Look at pgs. 670-672 for further discussion.

3. Review Ch. 5 and 6 Readings –

·       First-year Writing Textbook: Chapter 5, pgs. 153-166

·       Chapter 6 pp.169‐197

Review terms:

rhetoric – Aristotle’s definition: using the available means of persuasion

ideology – coherent set of beliefs people use to understand events and the behavior of other people. Words about ideas

argument (and researched argument)

ethos – appeal to character

pathos- appeal to emotion

logos – appeal to reason

analogy – puts one hypothetical example forth for comparison to another example; professional wrestling is to athletic competition as Crossfire is to debate

metaphor – A figure of speech in which an implicit comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common. “The assignment was a breeze.",

simile – uses like or as

maxims – wise sayings or proverbs

theoretical framework – structure of theories

proposition – any arguable statement put forward by a rhetor

premises- a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion.

commonplaces – ideas commonly believed in by members of a community

probabilities – any kind of statements that predicts something about human behavior; not as reliable as certainties; “A small weak person will not physically attack a large strong person”

logical proof - An argument based on inductive or deductive reasoning.

reasoning – “a discussion in which certain things have been lead down, and something other than these things necessarily results through them” – Aristotle; All people are mortal, I am a person, therefore I am mortal. Major, minor, conclusion – Pg 175

deductive reasoning- . A deductive argument is one in which it is impossible for the premises to be true but the conclusion false. Thus, the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises and inferences.

1. All men are mortal. (premise)
2. Socrates was a man. (premise)
3. Socrates was mortal. (conclusion)

inductive reasoning - An inductive argument is one in which the premises are supposed to support the conclusion in such a way that if the premises are true, it is improbable that the conclusion would be false. Thus, the conclusion follows probably from the premises and inferences. Here is an example:

1. Socrates was Greek. (premise)
2. Most Greeks eat fish. (premise)
3. Socrates ate fish. (conclusion)

syllogism - A syllogism or logical appeal is a kind of logical argument in which one proposition (the conclusion) is inferred from two others (the premises) of a certain form, i.e. categorical proposition.

enthymeme (EN-thuh-meme): A figure of reasoning in which one or more statements of a syllogism (a three-pronged deductive argument) is/are left out of the configuration; an abbreviated syllogism or truncated deductive argument in which one or more premises, or, the conclusion is/are omitted. There are various kinds of syllogisms and the formal treatment of them is rather technical. However, all syllogisms are similar in that they contain at least three statements -- two premises followed by a conclusion.

Ex1: - All humans are mortal. (major premise)

       - Michael is human. (minor premise)

       - Michael is mortal. (conclusion)

The syllogism above would be rendered an enthymeme simply by maintaining that "Michael is mortal because he's human" (leaving out the major premise). Or put differently, "Since all humans are mortal, Michael is therefore mortal" (leaving out the minor premise). Statements may be strategically excluded in an enthymeme because they are too obvious or because revealing them might damage the force of the argument. Yet another reason to excluded a premise or conclusion is to let the audience infer it. The idea here is that audiences who have to draw out premises or conclusions for themselves are more likely to be persuaded by the overall argument.
Ex2: - Those who study rhetoric speak eloquently. (major premise)
       - Susan studies rhetoric. (minor premise)
       - Susan speaks eloquently. (conclusion)

 understand that in an enthymeme some logical elements are assumed

Big question: How does the type of information a writer uses help identify a writer’s theoretical framework?

4. Moving forward: How do visuals work as argument and in argument?

- Examine examples

5. Assignment – BA 6 – Due Monday, 3/21/2011 at 11:59 p.m.

Reading

Textbook: Chapter 7 pp. 201‐235; E‐Handbook: Chapter 10 (Specifically the questions and the green box in section 10c of the St. Martin’s Handbook)

Assignment: Brief Assignment 6

Examples: Pg 690 – 693 in textbook

Objective: To demonstrate your ability to analyze how figures and tables work in an argument.

Description: Answer the following in a 300‐500 word essay.

o Read "The Politics of Cohabitation" on pg. 411-418 of First-Year Writing. Joy Van Marion uses four visuals, which are intended to provide strong support for her argument. Which visual is most strongly "anchored" in the text: Table 1, 2, 3, or 4?  In other words, which visual does Van Marion provide the most reference to in the text in using it to support her argument? How might she have better anchored the other visuals to provide stronger support that is clear to the reader, rather than a vague implication which is left up to the reader to draw for himself or herself? Be sure to support your decision with solid, logical evidence from the text.

Scoring Guide:

 The analysis of visuals for this assignment asks students to consider the types of visuals that they will encounter in academic writing and how these visuals support the text.

In this assignment, consider the following:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

   Does the student focus on analyzing the ways visuals function in the text?  Does the student address all of the questions in the prompt? How specific are the student’s   suggestions for improvement?

C2—Context and Assumptions

Does the student consider the visual in the context of the overall argument?

C3—Sources and Evidence

    Does the student use specific evidence from the article?

C5—Own Perspective

Is the student’s opinion of the author’s use of visuals clear?

C6—Conclusion

Does the conclusion offer an evaluative statement of the visuals’ effectiveness in the article?

C7—Communication

Is the essay clearly and logically organized?  How effective is the student’s communication at the sentence level?

6. Review Draft 2.1 – Due 3/28/2011

Draft 2.1: Researched Argument

Example: pp. 695-699

Objective:

To practice locating and evaluating sources and then integrating those sources into a researched argument.

Description:

To complete this assignment, write an argument using the strategies and structures described in your textbook and the handbook. The argument should have an identifiable thesis, lines of argument, logical support, ethical and emotional appeals (if applicable), and consideration of alternative views.

You should use 6 sources from the TTU library or library databases as specified by your instructor for this assignment. Your essay should be 1500 words in length, not including the list of works cited. Please use MLA format (see Ch. 18 of your handbook) for in-text citations and your list of works cited.

Topic proposals due in Google Docs by Monday, 3/21/2011 at 11:59 p.m. for full credit

Class - Wed., March 2, 2011

Class Activities for Wednesday, March 2

Today’s Instructor: Jeannie Bennett

1. Roll

2. Collect Peer Review Sheet from last week

3. Chapter 5 Reading Quiz – 20 minutes

4. Crossfire clip (through about 8-minute mark): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE

Pg 136-137 in the textbook also discusses this clip.

A. After watching the clip, please respond to this question:

Consider John Stewart’s point about the state of argument in America today. Have you encountered any examples recently or argument that’s not really argument? How can you tell the theatrical sort of argument from the rhetorically-engaged?

B. Discuss answer with a partner

6. First-year Writing Textbook: Chapter 5 pgs. 135-153.

A. Questions/responses.

B. In groups of four, please answer the following questions:

·        What is an argument?

·        What is different between ancient and modern forms of argument?

·        What does argument look like in our society today?

·        How does one get someone else to change their mind about a topic? In other words, how does one effectively argue? Is this different when done in written form versus verbally?

7. Go over BA 5 (Due Monday, March 7 at 11:59 p.m.). You’ll want to be SURE to read what’s listed below before beginning the assignment, as the readings will guide your analysis in BA5.

Step 1 -  Read First-year Writing Textbook: Chapter 5, pgs. 153-166

Step 2 – Read Textbook: Chapter 6 pp.169‐197

Step 3 – Complete Brief Assignment 5: Logical Proof and Theoretical Framework

Objective:

To demonstrate your ability to analyze the effectiveness of support in an argument and how the support relates to the author's theoretical framework.

Description:

Choose one of the following articles, and in a 400-600 word essay, identify and analyze the author’s use of logical support and how the support helps frame the writer’s theoretical framework.

* “Iraq and the Democratic Peace: Who Says Democracies Don’t Fight?” (501-505)

* “The Tragedy of the Commoners: Biotechnology and its Publics” (540-547)

* “Why Marriage Today Takes More Love, Work – from Both Partners” (419-421)

Describe the author's framework.  Consider the following: What types of evidence do the authors use? How does this evidence demonstrate the authors’ ideology. Be sure to use evidence from the text itself to support your evaluations.

Length: 400 - 600 words Format: MLA style for internal citations and works cited.

 BA 5 Scoring Guide:

 C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Does the student thoroughly analyze the kinds of support used by the author and its effectiveness? Does the student analyze how the author’s support might reflect the writer’s ideology/theoretical framework?

 C2—Context and Assumptions

Does the student’s analysis show an awareness of how elements, such as background, environment, bias, and so forth can influence or shape the author’s theoretical framework?

 C3—Sources and Evidence

Does the student support his or her analysis with evidence from the text?

 C5—Own Perspective

Is the student’s voice apparent throughout the analysis? Does the student assert his or her own views?

 C6—Conclusion

How effectively does the conclusion pull the analysis together? 

 C7—Communication

Does the student communicate his or her analysis effectively?  Is the student's tone professional?  Has the student organized his or her analysis effectively?  Is the analysis relatively free of grammatical errors?

Class - Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011

1. Roll/Class Next Week
2. Questions on peer critiques?
3. Using peer critiques effectively
4. In-Class Peer Review - Powerpoint
5. In-Class Peer Review Session/ Revising Draft 1.2
Final Questions on Draft 1.2?

 

Draft 1.2: Literature Review The Prompt: Objective: To develop skills for revising your writing. This assignment enables you to revisit your literature review and apply suggestions from your instructors and peers to produce a polished final draft.  Description: To complete this assignment, you will expand and revise the first draft of your literature review, draft 1.1.  Remember, your literature review must do more than just summarize the information. A literature review discusses previously published information about a particular topic or issue in order to accomplish the following:  • show readers what has been written about a topic, so that they can understand a particular development of ideas concerning that topic  • explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or reexamined by researchers • help readers understand more about why a topic is being examined by a researcher in a particular way    Use the guidelines that you developed for Draft 1.1 to assist you in revising your literature review. Your review will discuss at least eight sources, all of which must be located via the TTU library databases and online catalog.   Minimum word count: 1500 words Format: MLA style for internal citations and works cited. Scoring Guide: *Note - graders consider if you make suggested changes or not. C1—Issue Focus and Identification Is the scope of the review appropriate? (Is the student trying to write an "epic" literature review?) Is the scope and focus clear? Do you know what topic(s) the student will cover?   C2—Context and Assumptions Does the student establish the context for the articles which he or she discusses?  Does the student indicate the importance or need for this review by accurately summarizing the critical context of the issue in general?  C3—Sources and Evidence Has the student accurately quoted and cited the sources?  How well has the student integrated source material?  Does the student use appropriate sources? C4—Diverse Perspectives Has the student synthesized articles which express varying viewpoints on the topic?  How effective is the synthesis throughout this draft? Does the student synthesize the sources, not only summarizing the authors’ perspectives but also providing insight into the significance of the authors’ contributions and their relationship to each other? C5—Own Perspective Has the student expressed a clear purpose for reviewing the research on the topic?  Is the student’s voice appropriate for a literature review (i.e., does the student summarize and synthesize the sources rather than creating an argument, an extended annotated bibliography, or a research paper?) C6—Conclusion Does the conclusion explain how the summary and synthesis enabled the student to achieve his or her purpose? C7—Communication Has the student organized the research in a clear, effective manner? Does this organization make sense? How effective is the student’s communication at the sentence level?

6. Draft 2.1- Discuss

Draft 2.1

Researched Argument The Prompt:  Objective: To practice locating and evaluating sources and then integrating those sources into a researched argument. Description: To complete this assignment, write an argument using the strategies and structures described in your textbook and the handbook. The argument should have an identifiable thesis, lines of argument, logical support, ethical and emotional appeals (if applicable), and consideration of alternative views.   You should use 6 sources from the TTU library or library databases as specified by your instructor for this assignment. Your essay should be 1500 words in length, not including the list of works cited. Please use MLA format (see Ch. 18 of your handbook) for in-text citations and your list of works cited.

7. Review Argument Readings - An Introduction - E-Handbook:  11; First-year Writing Textbook: Chapter 5 pgs. 135-153
HW:

1. Argument Readings - E-Handbook:  11; First-year Writing Textbook: Chapter 5 pgs. 135-153 - There will be a quiz on this material.

2. Watch Crossfire Segment
3. Draft 1.2 - Due Monday, Feb. 28 at 11:59 p.m.

Class - Feb. 16, 2011

1. Roll

2. Questions on Literature Review?

3. Reflect on Draft 1.1

4. Guidelines for Peer Review – Editing Tips, Ch. 6 – E-Handbook

5. Assignment

Reading

Textbook: Examples of peer critiques pp. 62-73

Assignment: Critique 1.1a and 1.1b

Objective: To demonstrate your ability to critique a text (in this case, a literature review) and articulate your critique to the text’s author.

Description: After you have read the draft provided, please respond to each of the following prompts as specifically as possible, using detailed examples and selected passages from the draft you have read to illustrate your points and validate claims about that draft. The minimum length of the critique (excluding questions should you choose a Q&A format) is 300-500 words. You will critique TWO literature reviews.

1.What is the author’s thesis statement, which helps to guide the reader for the purpose of the literature review? Is the purpose of the review clear from reading the first paragraph? In other words, can you tell if the review shows what research has been done on a given topic? Or has the author chosen to compose the literature review to explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or re-examined by researchers? If the author does not give a clear purpose, what does the purpose seem to be?

2.How has the author chosen to organize the research that he or she is reviewing? How well does this structure work? Does the author synthesize the research, showing how various researchers fit together, rather than just summarizing sources? Is there another way to organize the information?

3.Examine the use of the source material. Discuss whether the sources are relevant and reliable, as well as whether they are used appropriately and effectively integrated. Explain to the writer how selecting or integrating sources in a different way might improve the review, providing examples of revised versions of introducing, integrating, and commenting on source materials.

Scoring Guide:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Does the student address all of the questions in the assignment?

C3—Sources and Evidence

Has the student provided specific examples from the critiqued paper? In other words, does the student directly refer to specific parts of the text (paragraphs and/or sentences)? 

C5—Own Perspective

Does the student offer pertinent suggestions to the writer?  Does the student show authority in relaying his or her perspective about the effectiveness of the text?

C6—Conclusion

Does the student provide an accurate evaluative statement about the draft's overall effectiveness?  Does the student discuss the significance of the problems he or she identifies in the draft (i.e., how important each of these problems are)?

C7—Communication

Does the student communicate his or her critique effectively?  Is the student's tone professional?  Has the student organized his or her critique effectively?  Is the critique relatively free of grammatical errors?

Class - Feb. 16, 2011

1. Roll

2. Questions on Literature Review?

3. Reflect on Draft 1.1

4. Guidelines for Peer Review – Editing Tips, Ch. 6 – E-Handbook

5. Assignment

Reading

Textbook: Examples of peer critiques pp. 62-73

Assignment: Critique 1.1a and 1.1b

Objective: To demonstrate your ability to critique a text (in this case, a literature review) and articulate your critique to the text’s author.

Description: After you have read the draft provided, please respond to each of the following prompts as specifically as possible, using detailed examples and selected passages from the draft you have read to illustrate your points and validate claims about that draft. The minimum length of the critique (excluding questions should you choose a Q&A format) is 300-500 words. You will critique TWO literature reviews.

1.What is the author’s thesis statement, which helps to guide the reader for the purpose of the literature review? Is the purpose of the review clear from reading the first paragraph? In other words, can you tell if the review shows what research has been done on a given topic? Or has the author chosen to compose the literature review to explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or re-examined by researchers? If the author does not give a clear purpose, what does the purpose seem to be?

2.How has the author chosen to organize the research that he or she is reviewing? How well does this structure work? Does the author synthesize the research, showing how various researchers fit together, rather than just summarizing sources? Is there another way to organize the information?

3.Examine the use of the source material. Discuss whether the sources are relevant and reliable, as well as whether they are used appropriately and effectively integrated. Explain to the writer how selecting or integrating sources in a different way might improve the review, providing examples of revised versions of introducing, integrating, and commenting on source materials.

Class - Wed., Feb 9, 2011

1. Roll

2. Questions on BA 4?

3. Changes in office hours – office hours by appointment this week

4. Discuss Student Example of Lit Review Draft 1.2 – Grade based on Lit Review Scoring Guide

5. Critique of Synthesis - BA3

6. Outline Activity

The outline for your literature review might look something like this:

I. A growing body of research indicates that the effects of violence in the media have been overstated.

•A. The seminal study in this area is by Smith, who argues...

•B. Drawing upon Smith, Johnson takes the argument a step further and argues...

•C. Somewhat in contrast to Smith and Johnson is Garcia, who argues...

•D. Taking the argument in a new direction is Brown, who argues....

II. More specifically, recent research has also called into questions the popular public assumption that video game violence leads to real life violence.

•A. One important research study that demonstrates this was conducted by Cohen and Williams, who found that...

•B. A much different study that yielded similar results was conducted by Green, who found...

•C. A similar study was conducted by Kelly, who argued....

And so on…

7. Outlining Activity

8. Review Draft 1.1

Assignment

Reading

E-Handbook:  13, 15, and 17

Assignment:  Draft 1.1: Literature Review

Objective: To demonstrate your ability to analyze and synthesize research on a given topic into a literature review.

Description: Now that you have developed an understanding of how literature reviews are put together and function, you will write a literature review of your own on the topic of your choice.  Remember, your literature review must do more than just summarize the information. A literature review discusses previously published information about a particular topic or issue in order to accomplish the following tasks:

·         show readers what has been written about a topic, so that they can understand a particular development of ideas concerning that topic

·         explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or reexamined by researchers.

·         help readers understand more about why a topic is being examined by a researcher in a particular way

Remember that many academic papers use the information presented in the literature review as the basis for making an argument or presenting results of research. It’s important to understand that a literature review is not the same thing as an academic research paper. A research paper supports your own argument or position about a topic; a literature review is written to summarize and synthesize other people’s ideas and perspectives about a topic. A free-standing literature review, which is what you are writing here, has a thesis statement. However, remember that the focus of that thesis statement is on the sources. A thesis statement for a literature review must have as its subject the literature. For example, an appropriate statement for a literature review on tax code reform might be as follows: “Although, historically, some economists have discouraged a flat tax, a large number of recent publications are making the case that such a strategy is a beneficial option.”

Your review will discuss at least eight sources, all of which must be located via the TTU library databases and online catalog. Your sources should be scholarly or other reputable or credible articles.

Minimum word count: 1500 words

Format: MLA style for internal citations and works cited

9. Lit Review Scoring Guide:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Does the student do a thorough job of explaining his or her purpose for the review?  Does the research/scholarly work take precedence? Is the significance of the scholarly work clearly stated?

C3—Sources and Evidence

Does the student use scholarly/reputable sources? Does the student synthesize the sources, not only summarizing the scholarly perspectives but also providing insight into the significance of the scholars’ contributions and their relationship to each other?

C5—Own Perspective

Is the student’s voice apparent throughout the analysis?

C6—Conclusion

How effectively does the conclusion pull the analysis together? 

C7—Communication

How effective is the organization of the review?  How effective is the student’s writing at the sentence level?