Revising

Directions: Rewrite your blog, "Determining Arguments." Look for any elements we have so far discussed that you could improve, and also perform a read-aloud with your blog. Eliminate spelling errors, make sure that your blog is in the form of a paragraph, and take any of your peers' constructive criticism into consideration that you think would help improve your argument. Also, now that you can identify logical fallacies, please fix those errors as well.

Check points 2, 3, 5, and 7 on page 14 of Inquiry should help. Also, check out the LBH revising section of the LBH guide posted on D2L.

If you did not perform this blog, then this will be your opportunity to do so. Write a single draft first, and then check for editing points (perhaps share your intended post with a friend, family member or co-worker for assistance).

Due February 26th before class.

Reply: Free pass. No reply. The initial response will be worth the full 4 points of the week.

Audience and Building Connections

Directions: Read the Inquiry pages on ethos and pathos.

Review your chosen text and:

1. I will give you further instructions in class tomorrow, February 19th.

Due before midnight on Friday, February 21st.

Reply: Try to comment on a blog that has no other comments yet.

You finally have the chance to compliment your classmate on his/her success at capturing the essence of the original author's approach to the audience. Yay. Try to comment on a blog of someone whose article you have read.

If you cannot find a commentless blog that you agree with, then you may disagree with a classmate's conclusions. Please be specific as to why, and ask a question that will provoke thought in your classmate about audience, ethos or pathos.

Be academic and professional.

Due before class on February 24th.

Audience, Purpose and Occasion (APO)

Watch the video below and answer the proceeding questions. The direct link to the video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QleRgTBMX88.

1. Who does the speaker identify as her audience? Does the speaker know her audience? Who is her audience (is she right, or is she wrong?)? Feel free to look up the audience.
2. What is the purpose of this video (i.e. entertainment, self-expression, explanation, and/or persuasion). Is she successful in her delivery and explanation? If so, how does the speaker's knowledge of her audience help her to deliver her message about wrongness? If not, why?
3. What is the Occasion (in Inquiry, they call it Situation)?

You will learn about the K in the ultimate acronym APOK next week.

Please keep your responses to less than 200 words for the sake of those who must reply to you.

Due before class on Wednesday, February 12th.

Reply: Respond to a classmate, and ask one of the questions on page 30 of Inquiry (choose a question that is appropriate to the blog you are replying to). Then give the student a link that can give them the answer, or the beginnings of an answer.

Example:

Initial response:

2. The purpose of the video is explanation. Schulz is successful in her delivery because she seems to know a lot about being wrong. She says she spent five years thinking about this. Her audience is a bunch of smart people, so they can probably relate to her message, and to thinking about things for a long time. She has a lot of real life examples and uses personal experience as her evidence, which is convincing.

Reply:

How do you know her data is correct or that she has legitimate evidence that would convince really smart people? Read this book review on Schulz: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/books/11book.html?_r=0. Do you think that her ideas might be more appealing because they are accessible and not overly scientific?

Look to LBH pages 75-78 for advice on both how to give and receive advice with equanimity.

Due before class on Monday, February 17th.

Determining Arguments

Directions: Watch the video (if you have trouble accessing the video from Blogger, go directly to YouTube address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSO_d1svtfU).

What is the main argument of the video? How does the introduction of the video support this argument? What about the main support (what types of main support are there?)? What would make the middle part more convincing, if you feel it does not effectively support the main argument? How does the conclusion of the video work to wrap up the whole argument?

Note: If you wish to comment on the video, please perform the assignment first, and then comment.

(You might think that listening to parts of this video is torturous, but push through).

Due before class on Wed. Feb. 5th.

Reply to a classmate: Find a classmate you can politely disagree with, and comment on his/her blog. 

Note: Disagree with what you think your classmate misdiagnosed or mislabeled as part of the argument, especially the evidence. If you wish to disagree with his/her opinion, do so, but please perform the assigned reply first.

Stay helpful and professional!

Reply due before class on Monday, Feb. 10th.