weekly writing topics

Use the questions and talking points below to compose your weekly short-response writings. These assignments should appear in the "weekly writings" folder shared with me on your Google Drive and will be graded on the basis of completion by the designated due date. Keep in mind that the standard deadline for these responses is 11:59pm Sunday, but some exceptions do exist. Create a separate Google Doc for each response, and save it using the following naming convention:

<duedate> response: <original title phrase>

Newest topic prompts will appear at the top. 

essay 3: research and persuasion

Background and Objective

In keeping with the "green" theme of this course much of our readings and discussions have focused on positively affecting environmental change. This essay allows you to research an environmental topic of your choosing and to produce a persuasive text.

service-learning project

Background and Objective
Following the environmental theme of this course, the service-learning project pairs student interests with community partners of their own choosing, all with the aim of addressing a specific environmental concern. This project is based largely on concepts from Thomas Deans' Writing and Community Action. Chapters from this text are posted on eLearning and will be discussed in class.

The Process
The grade for this project is divided among focused discussion posts and actual work that you will do for the client. As outlined in Deans' Writing and Community Action, the following steps are recommended in this process:

• explore community needs and project options
• investigate community organization and its context
• build a relationship with community partner
• understand your audience
• generate a "letter of understanding" to articulate the work you will provide and schedule you will keep for this project (Deans 353)
• present an overview of your project to the class
• complete the work

revision portfolio

Rather than construct a typical portfolio of your best work, this final assignment will not only show your understanding of the writing process by addressing the various forms of revision used throughout the semester but most importantly will show how you respond as a writer to the comments --both by me and your peers -- provided on your work. The portfolio consists of multiple components and represents a semester's effort and will comprise 20% of your final grade.

All revision portfolio elements are due on the last day of classes for the semester: 7 December.


brief description

• a reflective essay, which includes a clearly established and supported thesis statement that focuses on the writing contained in the portfolio (25 points)
• a significant revision of one essay of the three written for this course -- revised, edited, proofread; this revision will also include a comparison document that justifies the changes you made from the original submission. (125 points)
• two revision exhibits (25 points)
• two peer review exhibits (25 points)

essay 2: rhetorical analysis

Functioning Locally as a Citizen of the World 

Background and Objective

Whether or not we count them as such, rhetorical appeals are all around us. Philanthropists request money to help feed starving families in third world countries, professional athletes promote a new line of high-performance footwear, and journalists employ startling statistics to remind their audience of the alarming rate of alcohol-related accidents on college campuses. And we cannot help but recognize the rhetoric expressed in political campaigns from both sides of the spectrum; here's a good example from NPR regarding the 2012 presidential debates. The aim of this assignment is to look more critically at rhetorical elements in various forms of media and to display an understanding of the types of appeals—ethos, pathos, and logos—present in both visual and verbal argument. 

The Paper

For this assignment, you will select an argumentative essay on an environmental issue from a popular magazine OR one of Annie Leonard's "Story of Stuff" videos and analyze the information presented by the author based on your understanding of ethos, pathos, and logos. Be sure to include in your analysis any visual argument associated with the text (i.e. photographs, charts, drawings, etc.). These posts on the rhetorical triangle and common fallacies will also be helpful.

Your essay will be an analysis of the author’s techniques and the effectiveness of the piece in persuading the intended audience.

As part of this paper cycle, you should employ the following steps:

1. Browse the stacks or browse the videos. Yes, this means actually going to the library (or at least referring to the online databases)! It might also help to go to a bookstore to look at magazine titles. Select one of Leonard's videos or an article of at least three pages in length from a popular literary/news magazine such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic or Newsweek. You might also consider more environmentally focused titles such as Outside or Mother Earth News. Your selection must be argumentative—one which makes a claim and takes a stand about a particular issue—rather than a descriptive piece which merely aims to inform or instruct. For the purpose of analysis, it’s wise to select an essay containing both strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, chose an environmental argument that interests you.

2. Research your topic. Find at least one additional scholarly, peer-reviewed source which addresses the issue present in your primary analysis. Use the information provided in this scholarly source to either refute or support the claims made in the popular magazine.

example: If I select an article in Newsweek arguing for more stringent emissions testing standards for sports utility vehicles, a possible secondary source could be from a scientific journal to provide an ecological or environmental perspective.

3. Analyze your document/video. Consider the following as your make your claim and support it with appropriate evidence:

• describe the article/video and its setting (the author, the audience, the context in which the piece was written, etc.). What is the author’s overall goal in this piece?
• justify the need for an analysis of this type by making your claim about its quality
• analyze the author’s rhetorical strategies (the appeals, use of visuals, sections and organization of the text
• evaluate how well these methods work for persuading the audience

 4. Draft, organize, and revise. View the Purdue OWL or the Texas A&M Writing Center for additional guidance on how to organize and compose a rhetorical analysis essay.

Paper Requirements

• at least 1,000 words (please include a word count at the end of your essay).
• at least one outside source beyond the piece being analyzed. Any source information you use, whether paraphrased or directly quoted, should, at the end of the sentence, have an in-text citation. **updated for fall 2019
• a Works Cited page and a paper title.
• draft response questions inserted after the works cited page.

Grading Criteria (An "A" writer will do all of the following)

• Forward a strong, well-stated thesis, then make a sound case for it by incorporating sufficient evidence
• Demonstrate an understanding of the appeals through a critical analysis of the primary argument
• Prove an understanding of the use of visual elements to enhance the primary argument
• Organize well with thorough, unified paragraphs
• Use documentation appropriately (include in-text citations and a Works Cited page)
• Meet acceptable “readability” standards for college-level readers (mechanics, style)

Grade Components and Due Dates

The 150 points allotted to the paper two sequence will break down as follows:

element	description	points	due date
magazine article/video choice	Hard (paper) copy of magazine article for analysis or link to select Leonard video.	--	10/1 (Tuesday class), 10/3 (Thursday class)
SFD	Complete soft copy of first draft, meeting minimum word count requirements and formatting standards discussed in class.	--	before 10/8, 10/10
first draft	Complete soft copy of first draft, meeting minimum word count requirements and formatting standards discussed in class.	25	10/8, 10/10
second draft	Complete hard copy of second draft, meeting minimum word count requirements and formatting standards discussed in class. This draft will be used for an in-class peer review session. Failure to bring a complete, printed draft will result in an absence for the day.	25	10/15, 10/17
final draft	Complete final draft. Save file in rich text format. Also complete draft response questions. Complete on Google Drive.	100	10/22

essay 1: literacy narrative

Background and objective:

This first essay offers students a more familiar and perhaps comfortable assignment---a personal essay that addresses your experiences in literacy, ethics, or service. To help you understand the nuances of this genre, review the pages from Richard Johnson-Sheehan's book Writing Today and Thomas Deans' Writing and Community Action (especially the description on p. 27), both posted in the "supplemental readings" folder in eLearning. For another example of a literacy narrative with compelling details, see Belle Boggs' "The Book that Taught Me What I Want to Teach My Daughter" from The New Yorker.

Audience:
The instructor of the course will be the primary audience, but also consider your peers as a broader audience of this piece. 

Purpose: 
This essay will recount specific details of your experience. Keep in mind that this is not a biography recording your full experience since birth but instead a retelling of a particular set of events surrounding a particular idea. Whether you choose a chronological or emphatic order, be sure to create a clear sense of structure for your reader to follow. 

assignments

This course is designed on a 1000-point scale. Brief descriptions of these assignments appear below; more detailed guidelines will be linked to each requirement as the semester unfolds.

• Essay 1 (literacy narrative): 100 pts.
• Essay 2 (rhetorical analysis): 150 pts.
• Essay 3 (research and argument): 200 pts.
• Revision portfolio: 200 pts.
• Discussion posts/weekly writings: 150 pts.
• Service-learning project: Final poster: 100 pts.
• Participation: 100 pts.