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.

Finding Arguments at the Inauguration

As we read Chapter 1 in Everything's an Argument, the authors encouraged us to think about argument in a variety of different ways. Likewise, in class today we discussed/listed the different types of arguments appearing in the text and even detailed how some of them could function as arguments in mainstream society. Now we should practice identifying and making meaning of these arguments, focusing on a contemporary societal text: the 2009 Presidential Inauguration.

For this week's blog posting, I'd like you to watch at least 20 minutes of the Presidential Inauguration coverage, 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, 1/22 at 8M. Additionally, your 3 comments on your peers' blogs (see handout and syllabus for details) are due Friday, 1/23 at 5PM. Happy blogging!

Blog Links Posted and Some Notes

Hi All. If you scroll down on this page, you'll see that I've posted links to all your blogs. Please take the time to click on your own link, just to make sure everything is in working order. If there are any issues with the technology, just let me know.

I want to issue a quick notice that your 3 weekly responses (due on weeks when posts are due-- see schedule) are due by Friday at 5:00 pm. Please see your "Blog Assignment" handout for length requirements and additional guidelines.

If you've taken the time to poke around our English 20803 class blog, you'll notice that I've been labeling the postings. I do this to help me (and you) keep track of what we said, where, and for what Unit. Here's a quick list of the labels and what they mean so that you can keep track as well:

• "Prompts" are questions/topics that you will be required to answer or discuss on your blog. Prompts are usually announced and discussed in class, but a more detailed version/any changes will appear here.
  
• "Posts" are my own responses to some of the prompts or topics. I won't post on every topic, but I'll participate in many of the discussions emerging on the blogs.
  
• "F.Y.I." will be anything interesting (course-related) that might interest you.
  
• "Unit __" will let you know which course unit the post belongs to.

I hope this helps. Happy blogging!

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, 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.