RESPONSE PAPER 1:  In a thoughtful and clear one- to two-page essay, answer and elaborate on the following prompt: Look for a single news story on two or three cable television news broadcasts, network programs, newspapers, or radio shows and note the differences in emphasis, word choice, tone, approach, time devoted to story, facts, images used, etc.  Summarize the story and describe how different sources presented the same event.
Also, after reading the section on Page 6 about “Examining Your World View,” write a list of cultures, subgroups, or families that you belong to and list some world views that people within each group share.

RESPONSE PAPER 2:  After carefully reading “Starting with What Others are Saying,” “The Art of Summarizing,” and “The Art of Quoting” in your text, apply what you have learned by writing a one-page paper summarizing a single article of your choice.  Be sure to list the full citation information of the piece you are summarizing. Do not exceed a page in length. Bring a clean copy of the article to class (with no markings, etc.).

Offer a concise but thorough summary of the position this source is advocating. Stay as close to the text as possible, quoting the author’s exact words at times, and offering page numbers for quotations. Your aim is to hand over to your readers your understanding of what this text is arguing. Use the templates provided in your text for quoting, summarizing, etc.  You will not have room to cover all the points the author makes, so you will need to synthesize the information for us, tell us what position the author is advocating, and offer quotes from the text to demonstrate that the author is arguing what you say he or she is arguing. DO NOT offer your own comments, opinions, or arguments about the position the author is advocating.  Stick to the content: what is the author saying and what position is he or she advocating?

RESPONSE PAPER 3: (From pg. 164 of Cooper and Patton’s chapter on “Fallacious Arguments.”)  Find an editorial in a newspaper or periodical and write a one-page essay evaluating the argument. Your audience: college-age readers who have not read the editorial and who are not familiar with all the fallacies listed in the text. Your purpose: to illustrate to a less critical reader that the published arguments written by established professionals are not necessarily free of fallacious reasoning.  Follow the suggestions “for approaching this paper” provided by the prompt on pg. 164 of your reading.

You must bring in a printed and electronic copy of your paper along with a clean copy of the editorial you selected.  You will present your findings in class.

RESPONSE PAPER 4: Now that you have read about and practiced how to summarize what others are saying and how to properly use and incorporate quotations, write a one-page paper in which you summarize an article dealing with a controversy.  Be sure to list the full citation information of the piece you are summarizing. Do not exceed a page in length. Bring a clean copy of the article to class.  See the prompts for Response Paper 2 above for more specific details.  Bring only an electronic copy of your paper to class.

RESPONSE PAPER 5: Find an article on your narrowed controversy topic.  Examine where the author agrees with others, disagrees, or both.  Identify spots where the author refers to views of others and the signal phrases he/she uses to distinguish others’ views from his/hers.  Check to see whether  the author has planted a naysayer in the text.  Have they anticipated and responded to any objections?  Who, if anyone, have they attributed the objections to?  Has the author represented them fairly? Has the author answered the objections well enough? Finally, does the author address the “so what” and “who cares” questions?  Consider which of these rhetorical moves/strategies make a difference to you as a reader.  Is the article more persuasive or interesting because of these rhetorical strategies?  Make sure your one-page paper first establishes which of these strategies the author uses (provide specific examples) and then consider how they strenghten/weaken or otherwise affect the author’s argument.

RESPONSE PAPER 6: I know many of you are still searching for a topic, or trying to narrow down a very broad topic into a manageable controversy.  For this response paper, I want you to finalize your controversy topic. Use the “Finding Background Information” section of the handout from Wednesday’s library session as a starting point to choose a topic, narrow your topic, and find background information on your topic.  Your response paper will have two parts to it.  First, write a brief summary of how you came to your topic.  What encyclopedias did you consult?  What did you find/search in the “Opposing Viewpoints” database?  Where did your searches lead you?  What background information did you find, if any?  What difficulties did you have?  I want a detailed narrative of how you came to your controversy.  This should be a one-page narrative. Next, you must begin a list (on a separate page) like the one on your library handout section entitled “Turn Your Topic Into A Search.”  This will require that you first settle on a topic, write it out clearly, and underline key concepts.  Next, write the key concepts down at the top of a column and brainstorm other terms.  Keep in mind the example that Meghan demonstrated for us in class.  In addition to listing key concepts, be sure you also have a column indicating whom this controversy affects (like Meghan did for you in class).  Bring an electronic as well as a printed version of both of these pages (the narrative and the lists) to class on Monday.  We will use them during class discussion and group work.

RESPONSE PAPER 7: After reading the assigned sections “Connecting the Parts” and “Academic Writing Doesn’t Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice,” read over your Paper 1 essay (that you just handed in on Wednesday) with an eye for all the devices you’ve used to connect the parts.  Underline all the transitions, pointing terms, key terms, and repetition.  Do you see any patterns?  Do you rely on certain devices more than others?  Are there any passages that are hard to follow--and if so, can you make them easier to read by adding appropriate transitions or trying any other devices discussed in your reading?  If there are any devices that you don’t use at all, try revising a section of your text to try them out.  For the second part, study the same Paper 1 to see whether you’ve used any of your own everyday expressions, any words or structures that are not “academic.”  If by chance you don’t find any, see if there’s a place or two where shifting into a more casual or unexpected language would help you make a point, get your reader’s attention, or just add a little liveliness to your text.  Be sure to keep your audience and purpose in mind, and use language that will be appropriate to both. MAKE SURE you bring a printed copy of this response as well as the usual electronic copy to turn in.

RESPONSE PAPER 8: You will use Response Paper 8 to begin your revision of Paper 1.  Write a NEW introduction from scratch, keeping in mind all the comments I gave you on Paper 1.   Be sure your introduction properly sets up and introduces the specific controversy and ideas you will cover in your paper. To help you do this, refer to your textbook They Say/I Say. 

1.  Look at templates such as the one on Page 9 that reads: “In recent discussions of (blank), a controversial issue has been whether  (blank).  On the one hand, some argue that (blank).  From this perspective, (blank).  On the other hand, however, others argue that (blank).  In the words of one of this view’s main proponents, ‘(blank).’  According to this view, (blank).  In sum, then, the issue is whether (blank) or (blank).”   Read Page 9 in its entirety and you’ll see that this template helps you make some challenging rhetorical moves in which you map some of the sides in the controversy, introduce a quotation, and explain a quotation in your own words. 

2.  Refer to Page 20 in your text for other ways to begin your paper. 

3.  Consult Pages 24-26 for other suggestions and templates on how to introduce an ongoing debate.

After writing a solid introduction, begin answering the questions from your Paper 1 prompt:  “In the first few pages, you’ll want to sketch out the basics of this controversy for your audience and offer a sense of its significance. For example, you may want to explain what events turned this issue into a controversy, who this controversy affects, how the outcome of the controversy may affect them, and why this controversy is important to others (why should anyone else care?).”  Again, refer to your textbook for help.

4.  Use the templates on Page 36 and make good use of the “Verbs for Introducing Summaries and Quotations” on Page 36 as well.  I expect to see some of these verbs in your revision.

5.  Read and re-read Page 40 to the top of Page 45.  I expect that you will know and apply this to your writing.  Use templates on Pages 43 and 44 to introduce and explain quotations.

6.  Re-read and use Pages 92-95 on the “So what?”  Use the templates on 94-95 to help you make these claims.

7.  Re-read and use the information on Pages 101-113 to help you transition and connect your ideas.  All of you had trouble with this in your papers.

You should have your introduction and at least one page of your revision written for this response paper.  Bring both an electronic and a printed version to class.

Topic Proposal for Paper 1: (This does not have to be in essay format.)
1) The controversy I have selected for Paper 1 is:
2) Specifically, the controversy involves:
3) The sources I have already found include:
4) I am still having difficulties with:

Assignment Sheet Paper 1: Mapping a Controversy

Unit Overview:

You will begin this unit by selecting and securing your instructor’s approval for a specific controversy to study throughout the semester. Select something that matters to you and that is complex enough to sustain your interest and attention for 16 weeks. A controversy usually involves a debate among several people or groups about an issue, event, or cause; if you’re unable to discern more than two distinct positions regarding an issue, you’ve likely found not a controversy but a mere difference of opinion. Still, it’s not unusual for a diverse range of perspectives to be hidden under oppositional language, such as “pro versus con,” “good versus bad,” or even “Republican versus Democrat,” so you’ll have to read carefully and with an eye out for subtle distinctions. Remember also that people who share a similar position may hold that position for very different reasons. A major goal of this unit is to cultivate an appreciation for the wide range of differences—some subtle, some dramatic—among viewpoints within a single controversy and therefore to combat the usual tendency to think that any controversy comes down to a simple opposition.

Ultimately, you will be asked in Unit I to produce an essay that details the history of your selected controversy, maps out the central (and perhaps a few marginal) positions held in regard to it, examines the stakes of each position, and explores the ways in which the positions are interrelated (dependent upon one another). The assignment will require descriptive analysis rather than evaluation or argumentation; at this early stage, your particular position concerning this controversy is beside the point. You are to remain neutral as you survey the scene for us.

To prepare yourself for this task, you’ll need to do some research, go beyond the obvious and seek a nuanced understanding of what’s at issue and for whom in this controversy. Begin by finding and studying several sources pertaining to it; read broadly and with the aim of determining the greatest concerns for each position, what if anything the various positions hold in common, and how the arguments made by one position influence those made by another. Then select the 3 or 4 sources that best express this controversy’s major positions. You’ll work closely with those selected sources for this first assignment.

Paper 1

General:

Your purpose in this 5-6 page essay is to map out the various positions within your chosen controversy, stating clearly what those positions are and then highlighting the relationships among them. Do not—no way, no how—present a one-sided view. If this is really a controversy, there are several legitimate positions possible, and your job is to articulate each position’s most compelling arguments.

One way to maintain a neutral stance in this paper is to give each “side” an equal opportunity to present its position from its own perspective. Be sure to attribute statements to their original speakers or organizations: phrases such as “According to…” and “As stated by…” along with verbs that indicate that someone has stated a particular position, such as argues, advocates, asserts and contends will indicate that the argument you are presenting is not necessarily your own. 

For this paper, you must show that you have read and can apply what you have learned from our readings and response papers so far.  Use your They Say/I Say text to guide you through this section, which is essentially the “They Say” portion of the conversation.  You’re establishing what the conversation about this particular controversy is.

Your audience for this essay will be concerned and interested but not particularly informed citizens who are looking to you to provide an unbiased lay of the land.

Specifics:

In the first few pages, you’ll want to sketch out the basics of this controversy for your audience and offer a sense of its significance. For example, you may want to explain what events turned this issue into a controversy, who this controversy affects, how the outcome of the controversy may affect them, and why this controversy is important to others (why should anyone else care?).

In the following pages, you’ll need to accomplish both of the following:

1.describe either the positions ranging across the entire field of the controversy or the various proposed solutions to the controversy (what we should do to fix the problem) or the various positions concerning some sub-topic within the controversy (i.e., assuming we do accept that marijuana has medicinal purposes, for example, in what cases or by what guidelines should its use be considered legal?). Feel free to choose any of the above approaches, but once you do, stick to it throughout.

2.indicate the points of intersection and diversion among the positions

Don’t forget to document your sources according to the MLA documentation guide in the Little Penguin Handbook.

Conclude with a reiteration of the relations among the various positions.

Minimum Requirements:

For a C or above, your essay must:

Be 5-7 pages long, typed, double-spaced; have 1-inch margins and name, class, date at the top left corner of the first page with title centered two lines below the date

Strategically and effectively incorporate at least three sources, at least two of which are print sources

Summarize and analyze all positions fairly, without advocating or slanting

Document all sources accurately (in-text and on Works Cited page) according to MLA style guides

Be written effectively and coherently, with few errors in grammar or mechanics

Have been peer reviewed at the in-class workshop

Be turned in on time and be accompanied by all previous drafts, pre-writing exercises, written peer reviews, and copies of all sources used.

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Paper 2
Analyzing a Position within a Controversy

Unit Overview:

In this unit, you will focus on one position within your controversy and produce a close analysis of a single text that advocates that position in a representative way. However, your analysis will point out not only the commonalities this text shares with others that advocate the same position but also any significant differences you discern.

It’s important to remember that an analysis involves more than a summary of a writer’s argument. Whereas a summary emphasizes the text’s content or what the text says—central claims, key evidence, and a recap of the conclusion—an analysis also examines how an argument is put together and why specific rhetorical choices may have been made.

To prepare yourself for this task, you’ll need to do some more research, this time with the goal of locating several sources advocating the position you intend to examine. As you read these sources, attend to any significant differences and commonalities among them (in style, approach, purpose, appeals, arguments, and so on). Ultimately, you’ll select one of these articles on which to perform a close textual and contextual analysis, drawing on at least 3 other articles to demonstrate differences and commonalities.

Assignment Sheet

General:

Your purpose in this 5-7 page essay is to discern differences and similarities among those who hold the same position concerning your controversy. You’ll do this through the careful analysis of a single article advocating this position. Once again, you are not to take a position on this position; your job is not to advocate or evaluate but to analyze and describe. Your audience for this essay will be concerned and interested but not particularly informed citizens who are looking to you for an unbiased presentation of information.

Specifics:

In the first few pages, outline the position you’ll be examining and state briefly—as a preview—any significant differences and consistencies you have discerned among those who hold the same position. Then introduce the article you’ll be analyzing as an exemplary instance of this position. Be sure to state the full name of the author and the full title of the article in the text and to put the rest of the source information on the Works Cited page.

In the following pages your job is to demonstrate or show the manner in which these similarities and differences manifest themselves though your careful analysis of this selected source. After summarizing what the writer says, noting the central claims and key evidence, analyze how the argument is put together as well as why the writer may have made specific rhetorical choices. You’ll want to discern and describe, for example:

•the author’s intended audience

•the cultural context in which the text was written (the larger conversation to which this text contributes)

•where the text was published

•the reasons offered in support of the advocated position

•any appeals to the audience’s emotions or to the author’s credibility

•common rhetorical figures (metaphors, metonymy, synecdoche, etc.) utilized in making the persuasive case

•what’s at stake in this argument (what is to be gained or lost in it?)

•See your handout “What is a Rhetorical Analysis” for more specific questions to consider.

The goal is to integrate into your analysis the differences and similarities between this source and others who hold the same position. You may find that there are vehement disagreements among those who make up the same “side” of this controversy, that they advocate the same position for very different reasons and in very different ways. You may find that many use the same emotional appeals, similar metaphors, or adopt a similar ethos or tone or style. You may discover that many are explicitly responding a particular cultural event or to the same author of another text who advocates a different position. Your job in the body of this text is to analyze the key aspects of your selected source in a way that allows you to spotlight these differences and consistencies.

Conclude with a brief reflection on, or reiteration of, what your essay has accomplished.

You must refer to at least 3 sources beyond the one you’ve chosen to analyze in this essay. Don’t forget to document all your sources according to the MLA documentation guide in the Little Penguin Handbook.

Minimum Requirements:

For a C or above, your essay must:

Be 5-7 pages long, typed, double-spaced; have 1-inch margins and name, class, date at the top left corner of the first page with title centered two lines below the date, and page numbers

Illuminate significant differences and similarities among those who hold this position

Strategically and effectively incorporate at least 3 sources, at least two of which are print sources

Summarize and analyze the article fairly, without advocating or slanting

Document all sources accurately (in-text and on Works Cited page) according to MLA or APA style guides

Be written effectively and coherently, with very few punctuation or grammatical errors

Be turned in on time and be accompanied by all previous drafts, pre-writing exercises, and written peer reviews

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Paper 3: Advocating a Position

Overview:

In the first two assignments, you assumed the part of a neutral investigator, mapping out the various positions held in regard to your controversy and then carefully analyzing one of those positions. In Paper 3, you will engage in the debate you’ve been describing.  Drawing on your research and the persuasive strategies you’ve studied throughout the semester, you’ll produce an argument advocating your own informed position within this controversy.

By now you’ve probably decided where you stand on the larger issues of your controversy, but you’ll still need to decide exactly what you want to accomplish in your argument. In the previous two assignments, your purpose was mainly informative, a combination of description, explanation, and analysis. In this unit, your purpose is mainly persuasive: you want to persuade your audience of something. But of what? Do you want them to change their mind about something? To open their mind about something? Or perhaps to do something? You’ll need to be clear about what you hope to accomplish vis-à-vis your audience when you write this final paper. An argument designed to get someone to go out and do something often looks very different from one designed to get someone to believe something.

You’ll also need to determine how you want to make your argument. To get a sense of how to make your argument, you’ll want to study the arguments offered by a handful of sources that advocate your selected position, as well as some key sources that offer powerful arguments against it. These sources will act as helpful guides for you, but you won’t want simply to repeat or rebut the arguments others have already made; rather, you’ll want to come up with your own unique angle, example, or source, something that makes your argument different and interesting. You might offer, for instance, new information you gathered through an interview with someone connected to your controversy, compelling results of a survey or experiment that you’ve conducted, or close analysis in which you expose the hidden weaknesses of a familiar argument on the other side.

The rhetorical strategies that you choose to utilize will depend on many factors, but in general a strong advocate will use a combination of persuasive appeals, credible sources, and rhetorical analysis in an effort to persuade an audience. In Papers 1 and 2, your audience was assigned to you, but in Paper 3, you’ll need to determine your audience. An argument addressed to people who already agree with your position will sound quite different from one crafted to persuade a skeptical audience to change their minds, so it is important to know who your primary audience is and to understand and respect their initial positions. Generally, it is most productive to address people who have some knowledge of the issues involved but whose own positions on the subject have not yet been solidly determined. What strategies might persuade such people? And where will your argument need to appear to reach them?

Recommended Reading: They Say/I Say.   I strongly recommend that you refer to the templates and guidance provided in your text.

Essay: In this 5-7 page persuasive essay, you will situate yourself within the “map” of positions on your controversy that you constructed in Unit I and produce an argument that advocates a particular position using the persuasive strategies analyzed and studied throughout the semester.

Minimum Requirements:

For a C or above, your essay must:

Be 5-7 pages long, typed, double-spaced; have 1-inch margins and name, class, date at the top left corner of the first page with title centered two lines below the date, and have page numbers

Produce an argument advocating your own informed position within this controversy with  a clearly stated purpose and audience

Use a combination of persuasive appeals, credible sources, and rhetorical analysis in an effort to persuade an audience

Make use of a unique angle, example, or source, something that makes     your argument different and interesting

Strategically and effectively incorporate at least 3 sources, at least two of which are print sources

Demonstrate that you have read and incorporated what you have learned throughout the semester.

Document all sources accurately (in-text and on Works Cited page) according to MLA or APA style guides

Be written effectively and coherently, with very few punctuation or grammatical errors

Be turned in on time and be accompanied by all previous drafts, pre-writing exercises, and written peer reviews