Edge magazine hosted an online debate of Carr's article. Again, there are a lot of short texts by prominent writers and prognosticators, including W. Daniel Hillis, Kevin Kelly, Larry Sanger, George Dyson, Jaron Lanier,Douglas Rushkoff,W. Daniel Hillis, David Brin
Here is a list of key dates and homework due for the remaining classes. Here is the "cheat sheet" for the final paper from class, and Graff's "How to Write an Argument."
Wednesday Dec 02: drafts due. Post to blog and bring 2 copies to class. Peer review.
Friday & Monday Dec 04 & 07 conferences
Last class Wednesday 12/09
Final paper due Monday 14th (posted on blog, printed copy handed into SHW141 – mailbox “Werry”)
As mentioned in class, the prompt for assignment 4 gives you many options. We went over many of these in class. For homework, I'd like you to
continue brainstorming and drafting project ideas, and post these to your blog. They can be rough, free-wheeling and provisional.
You may wish to look through the material on this wiki for each major unit. For units 2-4 in particular, there are readings, resources
and links you could use. As we we discussed in class, you could use the IQ squared debate as the "conversation" part of your paper, then
present your own argument in relation to what "they say" (one side of the debate). There are also texts that respond to Carr, Boyd and Thompson.
In the next few classes I'll also work through some sample lines of argument you could explore. For example, you could construct the "They Say" part of the paper by using Thompson as an example of people who argue for the potential of digital media to support rich new forms of writing thinking and literacy. You could also use Boyd as a representative of scholars who share some of Thompson's optimism, but see many challenges and problems ahead. For Boyd, a major challenge is cultivating critical digital literacy. She points out that many students are not well equipped to take advantage of the potential of new media, and many lack fundamental skills such as search literacy.
There are many resources on this wiki that describe how to teach students critical digital literacy. For example, the pages on Dana Boyd's work explore many aspects of critical digital literacy, and there is a page on digital literacy here: https://rws100wiki.pbworks.com/Digital%20Literacy You could examine these resources and critically investigate how well they address some of the issues raised by Boyd, and how well they provide you with the tools and information you need to develop your own sense of digital literacy. You could perhaps even consider ways of tackling this as a group, splitting up the work of researching different dimensions of digital literacy. If you are interested in doing this, you'd need to talk to me first.
Your Homework is to complete your draft.As mentioned yesterday, there is no class on Friday or Monday. Instead there are conferences both days. The list of meetings is here: https://rws100wiki.pbworks.com/Conferences If you'd like to meet with me to discuss your paper and have not yet signed up, send me an email (cwerry@mail.sdsu.edu). I can also meet at some times outside the ones listed.
As mentioned in class, bring a "rough rough draft" to class on Wednesday. Your draft should contain analysis of two strategies.
On Wednesday you will be able to sign up for conferences. I will be available to meet this Friday and Monday next week.
The final paper is due on Friday the 13th.
For Monday take those notes you wrote on evidence, ethos, analogies or rebuttals, and
turn them into a full body paragraph that analyzes a rhetorical strategy. I have attached a
sample draft student analysis (from class today) as well as the prompt. Remember there are
materials on strategies on the wiki at https://rws100wiki.pbworks.com/Unit3 and in the Essentials
textbook (it covers ethos, pathos and logos in chapter 7).
Post to your blog and bring a print copy to class. Happy Halloween weekend.
Due to back pain that has thrown off my schedule, I'm belatedly assigning some light homework.
I'd like you to brainstorm some notes on one of the following:
You don't need to compose full paragraphs, just jot down as many ideas as you can come up with.
You will should skim these handouts for help with evidence, analogies, ethos and authorities
prompt, definitions of strategies, material on evaluating elements of an argument. You'll also find
material on ethos in Essentials of Argument page 141, 151-2.
Re-read Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" and post responses to the following on your blog:
You may find the following collection of material useful. It contains the prompt, definitions of strategies, and some sample student writing.
Please complete the following two tasks, and post them to your blog.
1. Prospectus for Paper 2 (~2 pages)
Your prospectus should include the following parts:
MLA Works Cited Page, annotated. Under each source entry, write a few sentences why you selected the source.
2. Full Body Paragraph
Compose a full body paragraph that describes
a) the claim in Boyd you wish to explore, and a quotation illustrating this claim
b) the outside source you will use, and the claim or evidence in this source you will examine.
c) analysis of how the outside source extends/illustrates/challenges/complicates/qualifies Boyd.
Use one or more quotations from the outside text to make your case.
Due to some confusion regarding the previous homework assignment, Wednesday's homework will consist of updating
Monday's work. So compose (or revise) an introductory paragraph. Be prepared to read it aloud in class.
Review Boyd's article, and take a look at the handout from class today. Then identify 2 elements (claims, evidence, topics)
of Boyd's text that you are interested in and would like to explore further. These will be your "anchors." You will search for outside sources
that extend, illustrate, complicate or challenge the element in Boyd. Describe these two elements, and locate a quotation
for each one.
Take a crack at composing an introductory paragraph, and locate an element in the text you'd like to use as an "anchor" for your analysis of an outside text.
Read the remaining sections of Boyd, namely,
Describe the main claim in each section. Review Boyd's text and not 3 elements of the text you find provocative, interesting,
hard to follow, or would like to know more about. Post to your blog.
Print out Boyd's "Literacy: Are Today's Youth Digital Natives?" (plus footnotes) and read pages 176-192.
A) Explore the rhetorical situation by researching who Boyd is, what kind of work she does, what her book is about, who published it,
and who you think the audience is. (Remember - you can use some of the social media tips we discussed in class.
B) Identify the main claims in the following sections of the text:
C) Note any passages or points you found particularly interesting, provocative, noteworthy, unclear, or unpersuasive.
Post this to your blog.
Bring a finished draft and bring a copy to the conference. Here is a copy of the rubric I'll be using to grade the papers. You can use this as a checklist as you revise.
Remember, final (print and blog) copies of the paper are due in class Monday September 29.
Homework for Friday is to rework/improve/compose your introduction and the two body sections (claims and evidence). You can leave the conclusion until later.
Post to your blog and bring two printed copies to class. On Friday I'll have a sign up sheet for conferences.
There is no homework if you have kept up with posting work to your blog. If not, your homework is to post all the work you've done so far to your blog. See the list of homework assignments to make sure you are up to date.
Here is the revised schedule I mentioned today in class.
W 09/16 Continue drafting work – claims, evidence, evaluation
F 09/18 Bring a rough draft of paper 1 (2 copies). This should include full introduction and body paragraphs. We will workshop and do peer review.
M 09/21 CONFERENCING with instructor
W 09/23 NO CLASS
F 09/25 CONFERENCING with instructor
M 09/28 PAPER DUE
Re-read the introduction and body paragraph you drafted in previous homework. Revise, extend, and improve the introduction
and body paragraph based on the work we did in class today. The handouts from today are available - the collection
of materials on quotations, signal verbs, outlines, how to structure your paper etc., and the handout on claims.
Take your first shot at composing a full introduction, and the first paragraph of the body section. Go big - be brave, creative,
and plunge in - know you aren't committed to it, may end up changing both sections later, but you need to start somewhere.
Post this to your blog and bring a print copy to class.
Use the template below to draft an introduction. Be creative, brainstorm, and be brave. It doesn't have to be perfect.
But try to draw the reader in, establish the context and say what the paper will do.
Outline for Introduction
Read They Say/I Say pages 30 - 50 ("The Art of Summary," and "The Art of Quoting"). Then, using the advice in
They Say, fill out the template below. Use it to draft a paragraph describing a major claim.
1. One of Thompson’s main claims is [describe claim]_____Thompson asserts that___[describe claim further]
2. According to Thompson, [explain claim further]...
3. For example, Thompson states that "...[give quotation/s]___
4. What he means by this is...[discuss quotation]_____. In other words,…..[explain quotation further]
Read this short text by Rifkin, "A Second Thought About Animals" Using the reader (p. 5-9) identify 3 of Rifkin's main claims.
List three types of evidence, and describe a strategy Rifkin uses to persuade his audience (see pages 7 and 26-29 of the reader).
Do you think this is effective? Why/why not? (post this to your blog, or if you haven't set this up, print and hand bring to class).
Check for an email inviting you to join the class wiki (may need to check your spam folder). When you receive this email, accept the invitation. Follow the link and directions to join (use your email as the username and create a password for yourself.)
Create a blog page that you will use for much of the writing done in this class. I suggest: http://wordpress.com/.
Copy and paste the address into a document, print this out and bring it to class.
Write a response to the following questions. Print them out and bring to class, and also post them to your blog.
What is your prospective major? Describe a couple of interests or experiences that help describe who you are. What writing activities do you engage in outside of school (blogging, tweeting, journaling, etc.)? What do you write about and how often do you do it? How do you feel about yourself as a writer?
Read pages 1-7 from CR (course reader) and pages 3-15 of Essentials of Argument.
Read this short text by Kristof, "Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?" Compose a one-page response to the questions below. Print them out and bring to class, and also post them to your blog.
What do you think are Kristof's main claims?
List the main types of evidence you saw in the text.
Identify a strategy Kristof uses to persuade his audience (see page 7 of the reader). Do you think this is effective? Why/why not?
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Raymar, Jesse |