Feedback and More Feedback

Just a few reminders about these last few weeks of writing and revising:

Conferencing with me at least once is required; come on time, come in the classroom to wait for your turn, and bring your SEE and specific ideas of what you want feedback on.

You can also meet with me one or two or even three more times if you want -- email me to make appointments.

You can continue to peer review with your group or friends in the class if that is helpful.

You can go to the writing center and have a writing tutor give you feedback on any stage of the writing process. Bring ideas of what you want feedback on to them as well, so they can be most helpful to you.

Remember to rethink, revise, restructre, as well as edit and polish!

Self-Evaluation Brainstorming

Today in class, you will receive the assignment for the self-evaluation essay, the last piece of writing you will do in this course. In order to help you get started thinking about this essay, I would like you to use the following questions as prompts and write a 300-400 word blog post in response. You do not need to answer all of the questions, just write about the ones that spark the most thought out of you.


1. What assignment was easiest for you? Why? What does that suggest about you?
2. What was the most challenging assignment? Why? How did you deal with the challenge and what was the outcome?
3. In what ways has your writing improved or changed during this semester? What aspects did you choose to work on and to what effect?
4. What activities have helped you work most on your writing or made you realize areas you needed to work on? What, for example, was the effect of peer review, revision, even the informal writing that you completed? Were any of these more helpful or less helpful to you? Why? What did you learn from these experiences?
5. What assignment did you learn the most from and why? What assignment are you most proud of and why?
6. What do you wish you worked more on and why? Did you do more or less than was expected by the instructor? Than your classmates? Why or why not?
7. What do you still need to work on in future semesters in terms of thinking, reading, or writing?
8. Are you the same thinker, reader, or writer who began the class? If not, what is different?
9. What was the most useful part of the course? The most frustrating? What role do you play in that process in relation to the assignments, readings, class dynamics, etc.?
10. What is the relationship between the argument-based writing you worked on in this course and the kinds of thinking and writing you will need to complete in your major field of study and future career? How has this writing experience prepared you to approach those kinds of writing situations?


Compose your piece as a unified piece of writing. Don't just list the answers to the questions you choose. Due Sunday, April 21 by midnight, posted on your blog.

These questions and this writing exercise will help you begin to generate some material for the Self-Evaluation Essay. You should bring a draft of that essay to your writing conferences with me. The SEE also should not just be a list of questions you answered; it needs to be structured like a traditional essay.

Final Exams at SCSU

The final exam schedule has been posted and can be found here. Our exam period is scheduled for Thursday, May 9th from 12:45 to 2:45. We will not have an official exam, but we will have a last in-class writing and some other course wrap-ups. It may not take the entire scheduled time, but I assume that it might take an hour or so.

Making the Most of the Rest of the Semester

Essay 3 will be a rewrite (revision + extension) of either Essay 1 or Essay 2, your choice. You are expected to deepen your thinking and analysis as well as tighten the essay structure and polish the writing. This essay should be the culmination of everything we have been working on up until now and be a representation of your best work. The required length for Essay 3 is 1200-1500 words.

Here is the schedule of due dates for Essay 3:

Thurs 4/4: Choose which essay you are going to revise. In 200-500 words, discuss why you chose this one, what you hope to do with it in revision, what aspects you want to change, delete, add, improve, etc. Post this writing on your blog.

Tues 4/9: First draft of Essay 1 due + 1-pg reflection of what you have been working on so far and what else you need feedback on. Highlight, underline, or put in a different color any new material to this draft. Post on your blog.

Thurs 4/11: Peer review due (Self-Evaluation Essay assignment handed out)

Tues 4/16: Essay 3 due (SEE Writing Workshop in class)

Thurs 4/18: Conferences

Tues 4/23: Conferences

Thurs 4/25: Conferences

Tue 4/30: Conferences

Final Exam: Revised Essay 3 and Self-Evaluation Essay due

Essay #2: Rhetorical Analysis

This assignment is essentially the "Respond" Prompt on pg. 120 in our text. Choose an opinion piece written in the past year from The New York Times Online: nytimes.com.

There is also a Guide for writing a rhetorical analysis in our book starting on pg. 114. Use that to help you write your essay. For Thursday, choose an article, annotate it, do some brainstorming, and come in with a few possible thesis statements for your essay.

The first draft of this essay is due Tuesday, MArch 12; the final draft is due March 23 and should be 700-1000 words long.

Quick Write Assignment, due Tuesday: Identifying Fallacies in Argument

Chapter 5 in our book is all about identifying fallacies. This skill is very important when you are analyzing the rhetoric used in constructing arguments and evaluating them.

Read the following analysis of fallacies employed by anti-gun control proponents: "Gun Control Is Just the Latest Issue Where Facts Lose Out to Emotions and Paranoia" by Mitchell Bard. Whether or not you agree or disagree with the position the author is taking, take note of the way he critiques the positions held by his opponents and exposes the fallacies being used.

Then read this article on graded inflation: "The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation" by Alfie Kohn. The author argues that grade inflation doesn't really exist, and if grades are getting higher, that is not truly a bad thing. Again, you may find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with the points made, but pay more attention to the validity of the points and if you think the author is committing any logical fallacies in his reasoning.

Your Quick-Write Assignment, due Tuesday, is to write a critique/evaluation of Kohn's piece, arguing either:

1) that his reasoning is flawed due to fallacies (give specific evidence)

or

2) his reasoning is sound because he accurately exposes his opposition's fallacies (again, give specific evidence)


Use Chapter 5 as a resource. Further discussion of Logical Fallacies can be found at this website: http://www.logicalfallacies.info/

Grades for Essay #1

FYI -- Here is the Grading Breakdown for Essay #1:


Name, Title, Handed in on Time (5 pts)

Met the Word Count Requirement (10 pts)

Fulfilled the Assignment (5 pts)

Thesis is Specific and Analytical (10 pts)

Argument Needs to be Proven (5 pts)

Argument Proven by End of Essay (10 pts)

Paragraphs are Organized in Logical Way (5 pts)

Body Paragraphs have Strong Topic Sentences (5 pts)

Body Paragraphs have Strong Ending Sentences (5pts)

Body Paragraphs Balance Description & Analysis (10 pts)

Introduction Catches Readers’ Attention (5 pts)

Conclusion Leaves Something to Think About (5 pts)

Writing is Clear, Fluid, Grammatically Correct (10 pts)

Writing is Interesting, Varied, Polished (10 pts)

"Revisioning" your work

Today's peer review session was a bit shorter than I had hoped. Yet, many groups felt that they got some good feedback in today's session and felt confident they knew where to go next with their essays. Writing, especially the revising part of it, takes time and effort in order to produce excellent work.

Consider this sample development of a thesis from weaker to stronger:

Version #1: This ad is selling a luxury car. (Weakest -- not an argument that needs to be proven)

Version #2: This ad is selling luxury. (Weak -- too vague)

Version #3: This ad is selling upper class status and luxury. (Stronger, but not specific enough)

Version #4: This ad is selling the luxury of upper class status to average families. (Strong but could use more polished language)

Version #5: Using the image of the minivan as movie theater, this Audi ad sells the luxury of an upper class lifestyle to average American families. (Strongest, most specific, best elaboration)

In revising your essay this weekend, try to get each paragraph to level 5, which is the equivalent of A-level writing.

Pretzel Ad Analysis

An article published this week in the Hartford Courant and written by a high school student is more of an informal discussion/critique of this ad, but if she were writing a formal argument like we are for the first essay, her thesis might be something like "This ad is selling sexism and self-loathing to teenage girls" (but she isn't buying it.)

Check out her piece: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-op-fresh-talk-hughes-girls-more-than-doodle-fre-20130212,0,4237557.story

Thesis Workshop

If you missed today's class, here are the questions we used in workshopping our thesis statements:

1. Does the argument/thesis fulfill the assignment?

2. Is is an argument that CAN be proven?

3. Is it an argument that NEEDS to be proven?

4. Does the thesis/analysis move beyond simply describing the ad?

5. Does it offer an original/interesting analysis?

6. How can it be made more specific?


First drafts are due Tuesday. Bring 3 copies of your first draft to give to your group members.

SCSU OPEN

Bring your thesis and brainstorming Thursday.

If you cannot make it, let me know.

Snow!

Southern is officially closed for Monday, Feb 11. Stay tuned for Tuesday. So far, no plows have been on my street and I cannot get out, but hopefully I will be out by Tuesday if SCSU opens. In the meantime, work on your essay! And stay safe!

This just in...

SCSU closed tomorrow due to snow.

Essay #1: Visual Argument Analysis

What are they really selling?


Your first longer essay for this course builds on the argument analysis work we have been doing since the first day of class. This essay asks you to take these skills and use them in crafting an extended analysis in the form of a longer piece of writing.

For this assignment, find a unique advertisement (in a newspaper, magazine, or online -- a static, 2-dimensional ad; not a video or other multimedia commercial) that is designed to sell a particular product to a particular audience. In your analysis essay, make an argument for what the ad is "really selling," to what audience, and why it would appeal to that audience. You will need to look beyond the obvious product being sold and think more about the lifestyle, the character, the state of mind, and/or the emotion being "sold" through this product. For example, is the ad advertising a feeling of "cool" or promising success or selling nostalgia or promoting a certain lifestyle choice. Be very specific and think about how the ad accomplishes this through the makeup of the image and words. Also, why is the ad selling this specific image, message, or worldview? What is the appeal? Why does that help sell the product to the target audience.

Don't pick something that is too obvious or too simple because you won't have enough material to work with. Remember that an argument is something that needs to be proven to your readers, not something obvious to your readers immediately. Also, your essay will need to include a detailed description of the advertisement, but don't just summarize what you see. The description is your evidence that you will analyze and use to help build your argument of what's really being sold, but the description itself is not the argument.

The final draft of the essay needs to be 700-1000 words long.

For Tuesday Feb. 12th, please bring in:

1) the ad

2) notes taken on describing the ad (detail everything you see)

3) notes taken on the analysis/argument (brainstorm on what you see being "sold")

4) tentative thesis statement (or a few to choose from)


For Thursday Feb. 14th, please post a first draft on your blog and bring hard copies of the essay to class, enough copies so everyone in your group can have one to take home for peer review.

The final draft of this essay is due on Thursday Feb 21, as noted on the syllabus.

If you need help in constructing your essay, please read Chapter 7 in our textbook as that may be helpful. Also, here is an excellent web resource: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/725/03/

Announcement

Check your SCSU email!

Chapter Four Take-Home Quiz (bring answers to class Tuesday to hand in)

1. Give two examples of evidence you might use to support an argument that appeals to logos. (5 pts.)


2. Which statements are unequivocal examples of hard evidence? For those which are not, explain why not. (2 pts. each)

a. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

b. Drunk drivers are involved in more than 50% of traffic deaths.

c. A psychologist testified that teenage violence could not be blamed on video games.

d. DNA tests of skin samples found under the victim's fingernails suggest that the defendant was responsible for the assault.

e. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, while 49% of students whose parents are college graduates will themselves graduate within six years, that number drops to 15% for first-generation students.


3. Is Wikipedia a reliable source for argument-based writing in a college classroom? Why or why not? (5 pts.)


4. How do you know if any website is a reliable source for information, facts, statistics, etc? (5 pts.)


5. Write two survey questions on a contemporary issue. Word the questions in such a way as to evoke opposite responses to the same basic question. (Another wording of this question can be found in the "Respond" on pg. 66. Don't use the same example given in the chapter -- come up with a different issue/questions.) (5 pts.)

6. Explain the following terms in terms of Argument and Logos: Degree, Analogy, Precedent (3 pts. each)

This quiz is worth 40 points total (1 pt. for putting your name on it).

Logos vs. Pathos

As I mentioned in class, the recent gun control debates offer some great examples for us in examining how rhetoric is being used to sway public opinion on both sides. A friend of mine re-posted this piece on twitter today about seeing the photographs of the children killed in Newtown: "Photos of Sandy Hook Would Change Debate." Her accompanying comment was: "Would releasing the photos prove a point, or would it be pandering to pathos?" Good question. The photos are technically evidence (logos) which could show the reality of the damage inflicted by certain types of weapons. Yet, could people have anything but an emotional response to these pictures and would that hamper their ability to process the facts? What do you think?

Reminders for Thursday

We will be covering Chapter Four on Logos. We may have a quiz if I can get my printer to work!

Please post your In-class writing on your facebook ethos on your blog.

For homework, also do the Respond Prompt on page 63 and post it on your blog.

Quick-Write Assignment #2: Due Tues 1/29

Listen to and/or read President Obama's Inauguration Speech delivered this past Monday.
Analyze it and make an argument about what kind of ethos he is trying to craft using his language, images, allusions, and even body language. (Your thesis statement should be a sum of your analysis/argument.) Use specific language (direct quotes) from the speech as evidence to back up your ideas and help prove your thesis.

A transcript of the speech can be found here.

A video of the speech can be found here.

An Argument concerning Michelle Obama's Belt

As I was driving home from class today, I heard a fashion commentator making the argument that Michelle Obama's belt from J. Crew, worn over her coat at the Inaugeration, signalled that she is down to earth and "just like the rest of us." What do you think? Agree? Was she hoping to send that message to audiences?

Homework for Chapter 2 -- Pathos

For Thursday, we are reading Chapter 2 on Pathos. Please also complete Activity #4 on page 41 for homework and bring it to class on Thursday. You can find lots of examples of humorous arguments on facebook, twitter, pinterest, google images, etc. Bring in examples that resonate with you in some way.

Here is one that resonates with the English teacher in me:

It is making an argument about the way that many people no longer learn grammar rules and the repercussions of that, how that lack of attention to rules of punctuation, for example, is harmful to our society (aking to being eaten by a monster or large animal as in this image).

Visual Argument Exercise: For Thursday's Class

What arguments are being presented in the following images? And to what audiences? And why are these arguments important?

"I have rewritten--often several times--every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasers." -- Vladimir Nabokov

The Writing Center is a useful and free resource on campus. Take advantage of it to help you do well in this class, especially in revising and polishing your writing -- taking it to that next level.

Here are the Hours of Operation for Spring 2013:

MON 11:00 – 7:30

TUE 11:00 – 4:30

WED 11:00 – 7:30

THU 11:00 – 4:30

FRI 11:00 – 1:00


For appointments:

203-392-6824

or stop in EN A-012

SCSU vs. The Flu

If you are sick with the flu or otherwise, don't come to class -- just email me and let me know the situation. The English Dept. attendance policy is designed to ensure students attend most to all classes, but personal health is more important and sickness will not be penalized.

Today we received the following information from University Health officials:

In light of the recent CDC reports regarding the earlier onset and possible increased severity of the flu season, it is important for us to prepare for the start of the semester. Unlike H1N1, which was a novel virus at the onset, the current strains that are circulating have been around in the past. It appears that one of the more common strains seems to be causing more severe illness.

The first and most important preventative action is to obtain the influenza vaccine if you haven’t already done so. This is particularly crucial for those people with chronic illnesses or pregnancy. It is not too late as the season can sometimes continue until as late as April or May. Flu shots will be available in limited supply at Health Services when our shipment arrives this week and can also be obtained at local pharmacies or walk-in clinics (see Health Services website for contact information). An email update will be distributed as soon as a definitive time can be determined.

Be conscious of the usual precautions which include hand washing, avoiding contact with sick persons, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle with adequate rest, hydration, and nutrition. Medication may be prescribed early in the course of the illness but is used to shorten the duration of symptoms and minimize the transmission to others. There is no “cure” for the infection. For any questions regarding specifics of the upcoming flu season please refer to CDC.gov/flu or contact the Granoff Health and Wellness Center at (203) 392-6300 to schedule an appointment.

For current students, in the event that you are sick with a fever and flu-like symptoms - which may include sudden onset of cough, sore throat, headache, or fatigue - please prepare a plan to manage your symptoms as well as any classwork that may be missed. For residential students, you may wish to make arrangements to return home and notify your RA. If this is not possible, take-out containers of food are available at Connecticut Hall and may be obtained by a friend if they present your Hoot Loot card. Have adequate supplies of acetaminophen to control fever and water to prevent dehydration.

Arrangements should be made with professors by email as soon as possible after the onset of illness, and students should not return to class until fever has resolved for 24 hours without medication.

"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe." -- Gustave Flaubert

Welcome to the English 112, Section 72 blog! This page will function as homebase for our writing adventures this semester. I will use it to post assignments, links to additional readings, and follow-up discussions from class. I will also link to student blogs to help facilitate electronic peer review.

For the first week of class, you need to get the syllabus from your SCSU email, begin reading the first chapter of Everything's an Argument, create your own blog on Blogger and send me the link, post your first in-class writing, "A Self-Representation Argument," and fill out the "20 Pieces of Information" and hand it in to me.

I look forward to a semester of lively discussion, interesting thinking, excellent writing, and creative blogging!