The "Why Terror" text serves as exercise for us to create our Essay Unit 1 about a song. On Monday, you will receive your final summary versions back which I got from you today. Then, I will model how to write an A,B,C,D, and F paper "response." Therefore, those of you who have not emailed me the response part yet (just the summary), email it before Sunday, so I can give advisory grades before class on Monday.
Today, we are creating the outline for the "response part" of our song essay. You have finished the "summary part" already, which was due today in class.
For the OUTLINE, which is due in an email to me today after class, please use the following guidelines:
You will look for the following elements of argumentation we have talked about in class (remember they can be mixed; not exclusively one or the other):
1) determine the type of argument (to inform, to convince, or to explore)
· Does the composer tell mere facts?
· Does he/she try to manipulate/convince the audience, lead them in a certain direction?
Make them believe something?
· Does he/she invite/encourage the audience to become active and do something against this
social issue? (exploration)
2) determine what the argument is about (the past (forensic), the present (ceremonial), or
the future (deliberative))
3) determine how the composer connects to the audience (argument based on values,
credibility, and character (ETHOS); argument from the heart (feelings; PATHOS); or
argument based on facts and reason (LOGOS))
· How does the composer address the audience? Does he/she use a certain language or slang
to create group feeling and a sense of belonging? (Give examples.) Does he/she talk to
teenagers, adults, or people in general?
· Does the composer use autobiographical incidents (does he/she offer himself/herself as an
example) to tell a story/warn the audience/talk about overcoming problems?
· Are the incidents narrated in the lyrics mere fiction, or founded on real life events?
· Does the author use any stylistic elements to make his argument more visible or striking,
such as symbols, metaphors, proverbs, images, allusions, etc?
4) rhetorical analysis (who is the audience (age; social status; race), what is the purpose of the
argument, what are the contexts, etc.)
The discussion of these elements must be backed up with citing lines or keywords (in quotation marks, mentioning the stanza or line of the song) from the lyrics which describe the claims the composer is making. Also, you need to use at least one scholarly research article (no Wikipedia!) to prove that you have investigated in the social/political/economical background of your song.
For example: when your song deals with runaway kids (such as in “Runaway Train” from Soul Asylum), you should cite some statistics about children living on the street, or from Amber Alert, or recent cases from the media as examples, to show the importance of this social issue today. Why did they run away, what became of them? Don’t just generalize, do some in-depth research to explain why the composer wrote a song about this topic, why he/she wrote it at that time, and not twenty years ago, and what he/she wants to achieve with it.
The following search engines should be used to find background material:
JSTOR
search engine
ERIC
Google Scholar
Task for today: copy and paste these guidelines into a word document, and type your text under each of the points. This is our brainstorming and pre-writing activity. We collect data before starting our response.
When you're done filling in the blanks, try out the three search engines and look for background material that you can use to support your thesis why your song is important today. Copy the links to any research article you find into your word document, and email all this to me at the end of today's lesson. No late documents accepted. If you don't get done, just email what you have. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE AN ARTICLE FROM A TIME THAT MATCHES YOUR SONG!!! So, if your song is from 2006, don't pick a research article that talks about the background of the 1920's, and if your song is a hippie song from 1969, don't use an article that talks about drug abuse in 2007!
HOMEWORK for Monday: complete your outline, including at least one link, and bring a paper version to class on Monday/or email it to me for class on Monday.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
In-Class, Jan. 30th: summaries, summaries...
Today, we are going to deal with SUMMARIES again. (Don't mind the "response" part yet.)
I have graded your summaries of "Why Terrorism," but don't worry, these are just ADVISORY GRADES, which means you have the chance today of rewriting your summary and turn it in for a better grade.
Task 1: revise your summary of "Why Terrorism"
Now that you have the handout with examples of A, B, C, D, and F summaries it should not be a problem to write a very good one. So take the graded summary I'll give back to you today, and retype it in the first 10-15 minutes of class.
Task 2: email it to your neighbor for peer-edit
Email your perfect summary to the person who sits next to you. If there is one person who has to grade 2 instead of 1, I will give him/her extra credit. If there's no volunteer, I will pick one. Everyone must have one summary to proofread and edit.
I will model how to do professional "comments" in a word document.
Task 3: send your edited version back to your peer, together with a memo
When you've finished peer editing, email the summary back to the peer you got it from, together with a short MEMO (in memo style) what he/she has done well, and what needs to be improved.
Always email a copy to me (both of YOUR perfect version, and the version you have PROOFREAD).
At the end of the first half hour, I want to have all your emails.
HOMEWORK: Revise your perfect version according to your peer's comments, and email it to me as your "final" summary for a real grade by Friday! Or bring it to class on Friday.
Task 4:
Write a ~200 word summary of the song you have picked. Email this summary to your partner. The partner will peer edit it, and email it back to you. This is also due in class on Friday (your "final" version).
MAKE SURE you exchange names and email addresses with your neighbor, in case you email from home!!!
What to look for in a summary:
1) does it have a cool title telling about the content? The best one I've seen so far was:
Terrorism - Choice, or Obligation?
You can't take this one any more; it belongs to the student who invented it!!!
2) Is the first sentence an attention catcher?
3) Does it have a short, precise summary of the content of the article, stating the author's main point (what does the author want to tell us with this article - that's the thesis)?
4) It must not have too many quotations (those belong in the response part).
5) It must not have personal "I" - only in the last sentence of the summary, you may make a personal statement, but it is always better to put it in passive, such as "The author was very convincing," instead of "I was very convinced by this text."
6) It must not be longer than 200 words, and not shorter than about a 100.
7) Does it have a good text flow, correct grammar and mechanics?
I have graded your summaries of "Why Terrorism," but don't worry, these are just ADVISORY GRADES, which means you have the chance today of rewriting your summary and turn it in for a better grade.
Task 1: revise your summary of "Why Terrorism"
Now that you have the handout with examples of A, B, C, D, and F summaries it should not be a problem to write a very good one. So take the graded summary I'll give back to you today, and retype it in the first 10-15 minutes of class.
Task 2: email it to your neighbor for peer-edit
Email your perfect summary to the person who sits next to you. If there is one person who has to grade 2 instead of 1, I will give him/her extra credit. If there's no volunteer, I will pick one. Everyone must have one summary to proofread and edit.
I will model how to do professional "comments" in a word document.
Task 3: send your edited version back to your peer, together with a memo
When you've finished peer editing, email the summary back to the peer you got it from, together with a short MEMO (in memo style) what he/she has done well, and what needs to be improved.
Always email a copy to me (both of YOUR perfect version, and the version you have PROOFREAD).
At the end of the first half hour, I want to have all your emails.
HOMEWORK: Revise your perfect version according to your peer's comments, and email it to me as your "final" summary for a real grade by Friday! Or bring it to class on Friday.
Task 4:
Write a ~200 word summary of the song you have picked. Email this summary to your partner. The partner will peer edit it, and email it back to you. This is also due in class on Friday (your "final" version).
MAKE SURE you exchange names and email addresses with your neighbor, in case you email from home!!!
What to look for in a summary:
1) does it have a cool title telling about the content? The best one I've seen so far was:
Terrorism - Choice, or Obligation?
You can't take this one any more; it belongs to the student who invented it!!!
2) Is the first sentence an attention catcher?
3) Does it have a short, precise summary of the content of the article, stating the author's main point (what does the author want to tell us with this article - that's the thesis)?
4) It must not have too many quotations (those belong in the response part).
5) It must not have personal "I" - only in the last sentence of the summary, you may make a personal statement, but it is always better to put it in passive, such as "The author was very convincing," instead of "I was very convinced by this text."
6) It must not be longer than 200 words, and not shorter than about a 100.
7) Does it have a good text flow, correct grammar and mechanics?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Cheating Survey....
Dear all,
Please read the attachment that I sent everyone per email. It tells us that on February 7th, Professor McCabe will visit our campus to present the results of a plagiarism survey that all SIU faculty and students are asked to take.
So we'll all take this wonderful "student cheating" survey at the beginning of class today.
After that, I'll hold a short presentation about how to write a good introduction and summary, based on your "Why Terrorism" summary/response essays.
Then, we'll proceed to our next blog entry, and do some REAL work!
Please read the attachment that I sent everyone per email. It tells us that on February 7th, Professor McCabe will visit our campus to present the results of a plagiarism survey that all SIU faculty and students are asked to take.
So we'll all take this wonderful "student cheating" survey at the beginning of class today.
After that, I'll hold a short presentation about how to write a good introduction and summary, based on your "Why Terrorism" summary/response essays.
Then, we'll proceed to our next blog entry, and do some REAL work!
In-Class, Jan. 25th: ENGFISH, and Song Texts
Hello!
Task 1:
Read the following website about ENGFISH. There are only two things to remember:
1) DON’T USE IT!
2) Be able to detect it when other people talk to you like this – professors use ENGFISH, too!
Today, we will work in groups, and each group will post one short summary on our blog. (Add all the names of your group members to your blog entry.)
Task 2:
We are going to prepare for our Unit 1 essay, a Song Text Argument Analysis.
Topic: SONG TEXT ABOUT A SOCIAL ISSUE
Work in groups of 3-4 people. Pick a song text (one of the links below). In your group, discuss what the writer’s main point is. Then, create a “perfect” introduction and summary of no more than 200 words, and publish it on this blog. Hint: Do some Internet research to expand your background knowledge (when did the composer write it, in which country, during which social / political circumstances). Distribute those tasks fairly in your group - one person has to type the blog, another does a specific research....
Group 1: “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins
Group 2: “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan
Group 3: “Mother’s Little Helper” by the Rolling Stones
Group 4: “The Streets of London” by Ralph McTell
Group 5: “Space Oddity” by David Bowie
Group 6: “The Town I Loved So Well” by Phil Coulter
Task 3:
Write an analysis of the ARGUMENT the song makes. What feelings does the song text appeal to? Does it inform, convince, or encourage you to explore and take action? Does it talk about past (forensic), future (deliberative), or our daily life in the present (ceremonial)? What is its target? If you don't know, google it and find out what the composer might have wanted to say. (If there are unknown words in your song, google them to find out what they mean, or use an online dictionary.)
Homework:
These were the songs I grew up with, some 25 years ago…. ;-) Now it’s up to you: pick a song YOU like which contains an ARGUMENT dealing with a SOCIAL ISSUE, and write a short MEMO to me why you want to choose this song for your Unit 1 Essay. Either email the link with the song text and your memo to me for Monday, or bring them to class on Monday in paper format, so I can approve of your song by Wednesday.
Have fun!
Task 1:
Read the following website about ENGFISH. There are only two things to remember:
1) DON’T USE IT!
2) Be able to detect it when other people talk to you like this – professors use ENGFISH, too!
Today, we will work in groups, and each group will post one short summary on our blog. (Add all the names of your group members to your blog entry.)
Task 2:
We are going to prepare for our Unit 1 essay, a Song Text Argument Analysis.
Topic: SONG TEXT ABOUT A SOCIAL ISSUE
Work in groups of 3-4 people. Pick a song text (one of the links below). In your group, discuss what the writer’s main point is. Then, create a “perfect” introduction and summary of no more than 200 words, and publish it on this blog. Hint: Do some Internet research to expand your background knowledge (when did the composer write it, in which country, during which social / political circumstances). Distribute those tasks fairly in your group - one person has to type the blog, another does a specific research....
Group 1: “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins
Group 2: “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan
Group 3: “Mother’s Little Helper” by the Rolling Stones
Group 4: “The Streets of London” by Ralph McTell
Group 5: “Space Oddity” by David Bowie
Group 6: “The Town I Loved So Well” by Phil Coulter
Task 3:
Write an analysis of the ARGUMENT the song makes. What feelings does the song text appeal to? Does it inform, convince, or encourage you to explore and take action? Does it talk about past (forensic), future (deliberative), or our daily life in the present (ceremonial)? What is its target? If you don't know, google it and find out what the composer might have wanted to say. (If there are unknown words in your song, google them to find out what they mean, or use an online dictionary.)
Homework:
These were the songs I grew up with, some 25 years ago…. ;-) Now it’s up to you: pick a song YOU like which contains an ARGUMENT dealing with a SOCIAL ISSUE, and write a short MEMO to me why you want to choose this song for your Unit 1 Essay. Either email the link with the song text and your memo to me for Monday, or bring them to class on Monday in paper format, so I can approve of your song by Wednesday.
Have fun!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Solutions for 10 arguments (ads)
1. "Just do it." (Ad for Nike, appeals to pleasure, boldness.)
2. "Think different." (Ad for Apple computers, appeals to pride, creativity.)
3. "In your heart, you know he's right." (1964 campaign slogan for U.S. presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, a conservative. Appeals to empathy.)
4. "It's the economy, stupid!" (1992 campaign theme for U.S. presidential candidate Bill Clinton against Bush. Appeals to fear or alienation.)
5. "By any means necessary." (Rallying cry from Malcolm X, appeals to fear or anxiety.)
6. "Have it your way." (Slogan for Burger King, appeals to freedom, pleasure.)
7. "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star." (Slogan for Texaco, appeals to anxiety and attachment.)
8. "It's everywhere you want to be." (Slogan for Visa, appeals to pleasure, anxiety, or security.)
9. "Know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing!" (Tag line for Calvin Klein jeans, appeals to pleasure.)
10. "Don't mess with Texas!" (Antilitter campaign slogan, appeals to fear and empathy.)
Those who had the Texas department of transportation for point 10 and found reasonable feelings for that, got the full points, too.
All in all, there were 20 points for this exercise; 1 for the source where the slogan came from, and 1 for the feelings it evoked for each number.
2. "Think different." (Ad for Apple computers, appeals to pride, creativity.)
3. "In your heart, you know he's right." (1964 campaign slogan for U.S. presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, a conservative. Appeals to empathy.)
4. "It's the economy, stupid!" (1992 campaign theme for U.S. presidential candidate Bill Clinton against Bush. Appeals to fear or alienation.)
5. "By any means necessary." (Rallying cry from Malcolm X, appeals to fear or anxiety.)
6. "Have it your way." (Slogan for Burger King, appeals to freedom, pleasure.)
7. "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star." (Slogan for Texaco, appeals to anxiety and attachment.)
8. "It's everywhere you want to be." (Slogan for Visa, appeals to pleasure, anxiety, or security.)
9. "Know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing!" (Tag line for Calvin Klein jeans, appeals to pleasure.)
10. "Don't mess with Texas!" (Antilitter campaign slogan, appeals to fear and empathy.)
Those who had the Texas department of transportation for point 10 and found reasonable feelings for that, got the full points, too.
All in all, there were 20 points for this exercise; 1 for the source where the slogan came from, and 1 for the feelings it evoked for each number.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
ETHOS, LOGOS, PATHOS....
This is a repetition from ENGL 101 -- you will all remember having talked about ETHOS (how a writer arguments with credibility, for example by citing famous and influential persons), PATHOS (how a writer uses "arguments from the heart" to address the emotions of his audience), and LOGOS (how a writer uses arguments based on facts and reason).
Your task:
1) Find three different articles in the online version of the Daily Egyptian, one in which the author uses arguments of credibility, one in which he/she uses arguments from the heart, and one where the writer uses arguments based on pure facts. Copy and paste the short article into a word document, type a ~100 word statement for each, explaining why you think it belongs in this category, and email this to me.
2) PATHOS = arguments from the heart...
To what specific feelings or emotions do the following slogans, sales pitches, and maxims appeal?
Email them to me (as many as you can identify!! An extra plus if you can find out where those slogans come from!!! You can discuss them with your neighbors.)
1. "Just do it."
2. "Think different."
3. "In your heart, you know he's right."
4. "It's the economy, stupid!"
5. "By any means necessary."
6. "Have it your way."
7. "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star."
8. "It's everywhere you want to be."
9. "Know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing!"
10. "Don't mess with Texas!"
11. Bonus: Find a cool advertising slogan and explain what feeling it addresses!
Homework: Read the sections about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in your textbook everything's an argument.
Your task:
1) Find three different articles in the online version of the Daily Egyptian, one in which the author uses arguments of credibility, one in which he/she uses arguments from the heart, and one where the writer uses arguments based on pure facts. Copy and paste the short article into a word document, type a ~100 word statement for each, explaining why you think it belongs in this category, and email this to me.
2) PATHOS = arguments from the heart...
To what specific feelings or emotions do the following slogans, sales pitches, and maxims appeal?
Email them to me (as many as you can identify!! An extra plus if you can find out where those slogans come from!!! You can discuss them with your neighbors.)
1. "Just do it."
2. "Think different."
3. "In your heart, you know he's right."
4. "It's the economy, stupid!"
5. "By any means necessary."
6. "Have it your way."
7. "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star."
8. "It's everywhere you want to be."
9. "Know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing!"
10. "Don't mess with Texas!"
11. Bonus: Find a cool advertising slogan and explain what feeling it addresses!
Homework: Read the sections about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in your textbook everything's an argument.
Welcome!
Dear all,
Welcome to our ENGL 102-27 blog. Since we have a computer room, we will do many short writing assignments online to save paper (we cannot print out here, anyway). Also, a blog does give us the opportunity to exchange ideas and give peer feedback.
Let's talk about ARGUMENTS again...
You’ve done a very good job defining three different web pages about “arguments to inform” (information about AIDS, about the stock market, news, etc.), “arguments to convince” (for example, to buy a certain product, to start a certain diet, to vote for a certain candidate, to join the army or a special organization), and “arguments to explore” (for example, sites with lots of links for the reader to explore the topic; sites like siuc.edu, facebook or myspace or eBay where people can “explore” or find almost anything, any course/career, or anybody).
Now, we will find out whether an argument can really be ANY text that expresses a point of view. For example, what kinds of arguments might be made by the following items, and which audiences to they target specifically?
1) EXAMPLE:
the label on a best-selling rap CD (answer: A label affixed to a CD might warn that the lyrics and themes in the album are unsuitable for children. Some people might avoid the CD for that reason, and others might select it because of the adult content.)
Now it’s your turn. Everyone gets one text to explain which argument it makes. Type your answer as comment to this blog entry.
Alexander:
the embossed leather cover of a book
Allyson: a Boston Red Sox cap
Ashley: a Livestrong bracelet
Brittany: the label on a pack of cigarettes
Chelsea: a belated birthday card
Clayton: nutrition labels on food items
David: a metal car sticker displaying a fish saying DARWIN
Dephane: a Rolex watch
Jerad: a USDA organic label
Justin: the Nike swoosh
Lashawnda: rating on a movie
Michael: the Sean Jean label, as seen on its Web site
Patrick: the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Joe: Ground Zero
Sara E.: a dollar bill
Sara M.: Oprah Winfrey
Simone: a license plate that says MYTFINE
Todd: the campaign sign VOTE FOR CHANGE
Brandon: Sleeping Beauty's castle on the Disney logo
Abdul: a t-shirt with a reproduction of Michelangelo's painting about God creating Adam; but instead of touching Adam by the hand, he gives him a joint
Welcome to our ENGL 102-27 blog. Since we have a computer room, we will do many short writing assignments online to save paper (we cannot print out here, anyway). Also, a blog does give us the opportunity to exchange ideas and give peer feedback.
Let's talk about ARGUMENTS again...
You’ve done a very good job defining three different web pages about “arguments to inform” (information about AIDS, about the stock market, news, etc.), “arguments to convince” (for example, to buy a certain product, to start a certain diet, to vote for a certain candidate, to join the army or a special organization), and “arguments to explore” (for example, sites with lots of links for the reader to explore the topic; sites like siuc.edu, facebook or myspace or eBay where people can “explore” or find almost anything, any course/career, or anybody).
Now, we will find out whether an argument can really be ANY text that expresses a point of view. For example, what kinds of arguments might be made by the following items, and which audiences to they target specifically?
1) EXAMPLE:
the label on a best-selling rap CD (answer: A label affixed to a CD might warn that the lyrics and themes in the album are unsuitable for children. Some people might avoid the CD for that reason, and others might select it because of the adult content.)
Now it’s your turn. Everyone gets one text to explain which argument it makes. Type your answer as comment to this blog entry.
Alexander:
the embossed leather cover of a book
Allyson: a Boston Red Sox cap
Ashley: a Livestrong bracelet
Brittany: the label on a pack of cigarettes
Chelsea: a belated birthday card
Clayton: nutrition labels on food items
David: a metal car sticker displaying a fish saying DARWIN
Dephane: a Rolex watch
Jerad: a USDA organic label
Justin: the Nike swoosh
Lashawnda: rating on a movie
Michael: the Sean Jean label, as seen on its Web site
Patrick: the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Joe: Ground Zero
Sara E.: a dollar bill
Sara M.: Oprah Winfrey
Simone: a license plate that says MYTFINE
Todd: the campaign sign VOTE FOR CHANGE
Brandon: Sleeping Beauty's castle on the Disney logo
Abdul: a t-shirt with a reproduction of Michelangelo's painting about God creating Adam; but instead of touching Adam by the hand, he gives him a joint
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