1. Week 9 C Humphreys

2. Free Write / Quiz (~10 minutes) What concerns do you have so far about this course? What areas are you having problems with? What grade are you expecting to receive? Why? How can you improve?

3. Course Schedule 3/27 – BA 5 due 4/6 – No class 4/10 – Research Argument due 4/17 – BA 6 4/24 – Peer Critiques due 5/1 – Draft 2

4. Intro to the Researched Argument The researched argument Draft 2.1 will focus on a scholarly topic of your choice (must be approved via a topic proposal) and should be supported by at least six scholarly sources. One of the sources must present a clear counterargument to your thesis claim. You will need to support your claim with clear lines of argument, logical support, appeals (if applicable), and consideration of alternative views. Your argument’s primary claim should be debatable; you will need to find a source that argues the opposite of your stance. You cannot make up a counterargument or simply summarize several of them; doing so creates a fallacious argument. Find a single scholarly article or work.

5. The Research Argument Assignment: Draft 2.1: Researched Argument Objective: To practice locating and evaluating sources and then integrating those sources into a researched argument. Description: To complete this assignment, write an argument using the strategies and structures described in your textbook and the handbook. The argument should have an identifiable thesis, lines of argument, logical support, ethical and emotional appeals (if applicable), and consideration of alternative views. You should use 6 sources from the TTU library or library databases as specified by your instructor for this assignment. Your essay should be 1500 words in length, not including the list of works cited. Please use MLA format (see Ch. 16 of your handbook) for in-text citations and your list of works cited.

6. Claims and Argumentation A strong, argumentative claim should: Have a clear stance on a topic or problem Focus clearly on an audience Be debatable Not founded entirely on opinion or personal experience Be supportable by reasoning and scholarly evidence A supportable claim usually calls (or implies a need) for a particular change or action: You should watch Breaking Bad this weekend. Harry Potter should not be banned from high school reading lists. Frequent testing in the Texas primary-education system is detrimental to students’ critical thinking and preparation for higher education. Stronger claims generally take a debatable stance on a problem for which there is no clear answer.

7. Claims: Arguable or Unarguable? 1. Women are most frequently the subjects of sexist chocolate advertisements. 2. Frequent mindfulness meditation improves empathy in human subjects. 3. Aerosols contribute to global warming. 4. The NSA should be limited to foreign-subject surveillance only.

8. Reasons and Logical Support Reasons are what we use to support our claims: You should go to the movies because it will be fun and you need to get out more. Standardized testing should be lessened at the primary level because it reduces leaning retention and does not emphasize applied, critical thinking in a way that engages students. Reasons can appeal to logic and emotion or even establish credibility. The effectiveness of an argument depends on the quality of its reasoning. Logical appeals often have to do with associations between two effects: think of it like cause and effect. Going to the movies has been proven to increase empathy and affectivity in young adults. If video game users show symptoms similar to those of substance abuse, some psychological treatments may apply to both conditions.

9. Ideology and Assumptions Assumptions are our underlying beliefs, often unwritten, about a particular topic or audience. Assumptions are often grounded in cultural and social norms. Ideology is made up of the underlying values and assumptions we hold that affect how we see reality and make decisions. To understand how assumptions affect an argument, we have to understand how the author portrays: Themselves Their audience Their subject Ideology should be questioned.

10. What are our cultural assumptions? What is a personal assumption you make about your career goal? How does this relate to your culture? What are some American cultural assumptions about: http://www.up.edu/iss/default.aspx?cid=6136&pid=112 Higher-Education Capitalism Gender roles Law Ask: why do we hold these assumptions? Where do they originate? For what or whose purpose do they serve?

11. Movie Reviews Not everyone’s opinion is worth the same.

12. Let’s Compare In groups, compare Roger Ebert’s review of Avatar with an amateur's review. Identify the differences between the two and discuss why the differences might exist. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/reviews?ref_=tt_ urv http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/reviews?ref_=tt_ urv http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/avatar-2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUTtt14G31c

13. Avatar In reviews of Avatar, critics tend to focus on the amazing visuals and the look of the movie. Little was said about plot, character, acting, etc. In this case, the critics valued the innovation over other elements. Why?

14. In groups Discuss why you chose your major. Write your reasons on the board.

15. Rankings and Values Now, let’s rank three of the top reasons. What do these reasons say about your beliefs and values? What assumptions can be made?

16. Rewrite from a different perspective For extra credit: Rewrite a classic fairy tale or fable (or Disney movie) from the antagonist's (the bad guy’s) perspective. What assumptions have you made? Due next Monday. At least 1 typed page.

17. Brief Assignment 5 Objective: To demonstrate your ability to analyze the effectiveness of support in an argument and determine how the support relates to each author's underlying assumptions. Description: Choose one of the articles below from your First-Year Writing text, and in a 600-750 word essay, identify and analyze the author’s use of support to make his or her argument.

18. BA5 continued… Your essay will need to identify the writer’s audience and purpose (as many of you did last semester in your ENGL1301 rhetorical analysis), describe the authors’ assumptions about this purpose and audience that govern the choices he or she makes in his or her writing, analyze the ways in which the logical support demonstrates the authors’ assumptions about the audience and subject, and discuss the overall effectiveness of the essay. In addition to the questions listed after each article selection below, please use the following questions to guide your analysis: What type of evidence/logical support does the writer use? Why does the writer think this type of evidence is convincing? (For instance, does the writer use personal experience? Historical examples? Case studies? Statistics? Why does the writer choose one type over another?) What does the author assume about his or her readers? How can you tell? Why would certain aspects of the logical support appeal to the readers that the author has in mind? Would any aspects of the logical support alienate a large group of readers? What does the author assume about his or her subject? How can you tell? Which aspects of the logical support that would unconvincing to people who did not share the author's assumptions? Why? Is the argument still convincing, or is the author's bias detrimental to the argument's success? (Hint--you might consider the extent to which the author's profession has influenced his or her perspective). In addition to these questions, you may also refer to the checklist in Chapter 9a of the St. Martin's Handbook. Remember, though, that it is important to analyze in detail--do not try to answer every question in the checklist, for example.

19. BA5 continued… Article Choices (please choose only one article for the subject of your analysis): "A New Theory of the Universe" (pp. 311-317) Lanza's piece draws from several different disciplines to adance the thesis. What disciplines are used most and how effectively are these used? "Information Assymmetry" (pp. 367-372) The writers use both historical and hypothetical examples, developing them in great detail. How does this help or hinder the argument's development. Consider the lack of specialized language? What assumptions does this reveal? "The 10,000-Hour Rule" (pp. 557-562) Scientists challenge Gladwell's use of anecdotes and examples, suggesting their validity is questionable. Is this manner credible? In what way can it be challenged? How does his use of psychological studies work with the anecdotes and examples? Format: MLA style for internal citations and works cited.

20. Brief Assignment 5 Choose one of the three articles (listed in Raider Writer for BA5), and in a 600-750 word essay, identify and analyze the author’s use of support to make his or her argument. For this assignment, stick to the Raider Writer directions and answer the questions asked. Make sure that your intro and thesis clearly identify the author’s audience, purpose, and any assumptions and support the author uses to accomplish their purpose. When you analyze, make sure to use textual support (paraphrase, partial quotes) to back your analytical claims about the text. Use MLA citations and include a Work Cited entry.

21. Homework Raider Writer Brief Assignment 5 For Class Next Week: Bring to class the following documents (separate): A topic proposal outlining (one or two paragraphs) your argument, its potential reasoning (think of “why” someone should take your stance=subtopics for body paragraphs), and some potential sources and support for your thesis claim. A working thesis for your argument that includes at least two supporting points of reasoning Ex: The NSA should be limited to foreign surveillance only because of A, B, and C.