Congratulations!

I just wanted to congratulate you all on a wonderful semester! You've done excellent work these 16 weeks, and you should be quite proud. I've enjoyed working with you all and wish you the best in your future!

Unit 3 Proposals

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, and [3] started discussing the genres/mediums you'd like to use when making your arguments.

In your posting I'd like to address all three 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 8AM on Thursday and your response to your peers by 5PM on Friday.

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 8AM on Thursday and your responses to your peers are due by 5PM on Friday.

Your Rhetorical Case Study: Unit 2 Proposals

We've been thinking and talking about Unit 2 for a while now, and it's finally time to choose and topic! As you compose your proposal, I'd like to remind you of some of the conversations we've had in class. 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 8AM on Thursday and responses to your peers are due by 5PM on Friday. I look forward to reading and responding to your ideas!

Thinking Rhetorically: Some Practice

Welcome back to blogging! Unit 2 focuses primarily on the rhetorical analysis of arguments, eventually making meaning from that analysis. And our authors in Everything's an Argument are pushing us to develop and sharpen the skills necessary in a project of this nature. In fact, Chapter 5 is all about thinking rhetorically.

In this week's blog posting, I'd like you to perform a short rhetorical analysis of a primary text. Your chosen text can be visual, written, or a combination of the two, but it must be comprised of primary source material (i.e. a text created "in the moment"). Once you find this argument, analyze it rhetorically. Even though you may have a copy of the image (if it's visual), describe the argument carefully in your post, using the assumption that your description is all your readers may have to go on. Then make a judgment about the effectiveness of this argument, supporting your claim with clear evidence from the text.

Please remember that your post is due by 8 AM on Thursday, 2/26 and comments on your peers' blogs are due by 5 PM on Friday, 2/27.

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 place. 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. Every space is different, and thus every post will be different.

Please remember that your post is due by 8AM on Thursday, and your 3 responses to your peers are due by 5PM on Friday.

Unit 1 Proposal: Your Public Space

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, 1/29 at 8 AM. Your responses to your peers' postings are due Friday, 1/30 at 5 PM.