Archive for the 'College Writing' Category

College Writing: rhetorical analysis outline

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Rhetorical Analysis Outline

Author:
Year Published:
Topic:

Summary:

Audience:
Political Orientation:
Evidence:

Academic background:
Evidence:

Gender:
Evidence:

Age Group:
Evidence:

Ethnic Identity:
Evidence:

Appeals to ethos:
Evidence:

Appeals to pathos:
Evidence:

Appeals to logos:
Evidence:

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Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

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College Writing: Freshman Collaborative Project Info

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Freshman Collaborative Project
General Information

For approximately five weeks, you will research, read and become involved with a topic (one with at least two sides) that can be argued. You will study the topic; you will live in it with your friends; you will become annoying in your desire to discuss and refine your stance regarding the topic. You will talk to each other, to people in the community, to your parents, other adults, other peers, and when you speak, you will be knowledgeable and articulate. You will be confident that you have a multi-faceted understanding of the major issues and larger conversations surrounding your topic.

The expectations for tackling the project are as follows:

– Become as much an expert in the field as possible, given the time limitations. If someone else in the class asks questions (Ms. Tierney, for example), you will be the person that s/he will turn to for answers.

– All readings in the text concerning your issue are your group’s responsibility. It is also your responsibility to educate the rest of class to provide a framework or landscape for your argument. You will assign readings, film viewings, music, etc. and expect the class to come to your presentation prepared.

– We certainly encourage a hands-on approach to the issue. Nothing teaches about poverty, for example, better than having no money. No one understands the complexities of the immigration issue better than immigrants themselves. Obviously, we do not suggest becoming pregnant in order to better understand the issue of abortion; immersion in the topic means becoming deeply involved with the issue beyond the surface level.

– This project should be a mixture of individual and group work. In order to monitor the progress of your group, you will be required to fill out daily production logs as a report on what you have done in the course of the week. You will also write a self-reflection that includes a report on how well your group worked together. However, nothing is guaranteed that a situation will not come up that needs to be addressed by either you or me, so please contact me with any problems you face. You can contact me via e-mail or at Sheldon by phone. I’ll even give you my cell phone number in class.

– A large portion of your grade will be based on the presentation of this project. In your past classes, much of this material has probably come off rather haphazardly—either hastily prepared or unprofessionally given in a speech “read” that failed to excite any interest from the audience. WE DO NOT WANT A PRESENTATION LIKE THAT in any way, shape or form. You will have the opportunity to pick your own group and your own topic. You are in charge of being interested in your own topic, so make some wise decisions for yourself. We are looking for a dynamic presentation—alive, full of energy and pizzazz—the best always making the audience interactive as well.

– We want a multi-media approach—film, video, slides, overhead, lightshows, TV scripts, clips, etc.

– No more than 12- minute segments of film should be used. People tune out anyway.

– Consider using a variety of sources for research. Interviews, academic journal, books and reliable internet sources will be helpful. Guidelines for internet work include parental permission and responsible behavior.

You’ll have two class days to present your argument. A third day will be dedicated for a Q & A panel discussion of the topic.

By then end of WR 123, you will accomplish the following:

1 8-10 page documented research paper.
1 position paper on another group’s topic
3 article outlines per group
1 daily production log
1 self-reflection paper

Email and access to google docs.

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Every student in the 4j district has access to email and google docs, which provides a great way to keep in touch with instructors, request missing assignments, and collaborate with other students. Now that you have access to google docs, you will never again have to worry about not having the required software to construct a presentation or to turn in a paper. I have added links to the side bar to get you there, but if that is confusing, follow the following directions.

To access email:
– Go to the Sheldon website: http://www.shs.lane.edu
– Scroll down; about halfway down the page you will see a section that reads “Quick Jump Resources”
– Click “Webmail”
– Enter the same username and password that signs you onto the network on campus.

To access google docs:
– Go here: http://google-web.4j.lane.edu/index.html
– Click on the link “Google Docs”
– Enter the same username and password that you use for email and internet access
– On the left side of the screen, you will see a tab that says “Create New”
– Drop down to choose between a document, a presentation, a spreadsheet, etc.
– Note that you can also create a calendar that will email reminders to you for, like, a due date for an English paper.

Syllabi

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

English Nine Syllabus 2009-10

College Writing Research Paper Info (Now with new links.)

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

research-paper-eval.doc

res-paper-checklist.doc

College Now! Register now!

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

College Now Writing:

Don’t forget to register for WR 121, 122, 123*. Email me (tierney_k@4j.lane.edu) for the course numbers so that you can collect your credits.

*Disclaimer: you must pass the classes with a B or higher in order to earn credit.

Argumentation Analysis Q & A

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

In answer to Stephanie’s question:

Here’s an outline that might help:

Intro: summarize the subject, and then show how the article you are analyzing fits into that context. State the article’s thesis (claim). Your thesis makes a claim about how successful the argument is in light of the entire subject.

Body:

1: What is the structure of the argument? Why? Does it work?
2: On what is the author basing his/her claim? Is this effective?
3: Does the author appeal more to emotion? Logic? His/her own credibility? Point out the appeals.
4: What about word choice and sentence structure? The author’s voice? Is it academic or comical? What SPECIFICALLY makes it seem this way? Is that an attempt to appeal to logic, emotion or credibility?
5: What is the author’s intended audience (age, race, gender, social class, etc.) and how do you know?
6: What might the author be missing? Does the author appropriately address an opposing argument?

Conclusion:
Does the article offer a valid perspective on the topic? Fundamentally, what aspect of the topic is addressed in this article? (Move somehow poetically back into the realm of context.)

Remember:

Context, text, context.

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

“There is no such thing as a neutral education process. Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of generations into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the ‘practice of freedom’, the means by which men and women deal critically with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”
—Paulo Freire

Speaking of Sufjan Stevens…

Friday, February 6th, 2009

Since we read “How I Trumped Rudolf Steiner…” which appeared as the introduction to the 2007 edition of Best American Non-required Reading this week, I thought it would be nice to share some music. This is from the album Illinoise and the song is “Decatur or Round of Applause for Your Step-Mother!”

I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpdL2DLshf4