composition 102

Getting Started on the Final....

2009-04-30T15:14:00.001-07:00

I've had quite a few requests to put the "starter" questions we did in class on Wednesday, so (drum roll...) here they are! Remember, these are just some ideas to get you thinking about what you might want to write about--not all-inclusive questions that must be answered!

OPTION ONE:
1. How did you feel about the argument as the audience member that you actually are (a student analyzing a piece of rhetoric)? How might you have felt as an audience member of the target group (a person who the argument was actually meant for)?
2. How EFFECTIVE was the argument and what were the STRATEGIES the writer used to get that point across? How well did the FORM fit the CONTENT?
3. Which parts were the MOST effective? LEAST effective?
4. Note quotes, images, interesting points to the piece you remember well (evidence)

OPTION TWO:
1. What have I put into this course and what have I gotten out of it? What did I know about the art of rhetoric and what do I know now? How have I shown this through my writing? (Think of writing as a process)
2. How have I tackled (by the end of the course) the questions on the front page of the syllabus?
3. Think of all the activities we did/materials we used in class. C, CR, SG books, short writing assignments, essay assignments, choosing a topic and planning an essay, re-envisioning research into argument, public performances, drafts and peer workshops, etc. How have these methods worked/not worked for you as a writer? Where do you see yourself going from here? How will you apply what you’ve learned about rhetoric to other areas of your life?
4. What is the biggest area of improvement I’ve seen in my writing, and how can I show that through examples in my essays? (Use old drafts of prior essays/projects)

OPTION THREE:
1. What did I really like/dislike about the public argument I did in class? Now that I’ve presented, what worked the best/what surprised me/what would I have liked to improve?
2. What other audience might be affected by this issue? What forms best speak to them (magazine article, letter to the editor, speech, book)?
3. What other kind of argument could I explore using this topic? (Remember., you have to “re-cast” your argument—if you did a proposal/call-to-action, you could try a refutation instead). What argument could I make?
4. How will I prove in the analysis portion that this new argument is just as effective (if not more so) than the one I did in Unit III?

MWF 2:00-2:50 Public Arguments!

2009-04-29T14:35:00.001-07:00

Hello writers of the 2:00-2:50 class!

Please post (as a comment) a 1-2 sentence synopsis of your public argument here with your name, brief summary, and email address. Also, please check your email in case someone wants to analyze your project, and be ready to send them any materials he/she might need (powerpoints, video clip, etc.)

See you Friday!
~Kristin

MWF 1:00-1:50 Public Arguments!

2009-04-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hello writers of the 1:00-1:50 class!

Please post (as a comment) a 1-2 sentence synopsis of your public argument here with your name, brief summary, and email address. Also, please check your email in case someone wants to analyze your project, and be ready to send them any materials he/she might need (powerpoints, video clip, etc.)

See you Friday!
~Kristin

Making Effective Oral Presentations!

2009-04-13T13:39:00.001-07:00

A really helpful checklist: http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/skills/oral.htm

Weekend's HW!

2009-03-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

For this weekend's hw, here's what you need to do:
1. Read 14.4 in the SG, pg.270-272. It's about the "re-envisioning" process.
2. Writing Assignment #1: Pay close attention to your surroundings during the next few days and take note of a published "public argument" that you come across. Explain the argument and context--where you saw it, how it was presented, what kind of argument it is (proposal, refutation, cause, effect, call-to-action), and talk about who would see the argument. It can be anything--a billboard, a sign in a store, a song, an advertisement, a news clip, something on the internet. Finally, was it effective for you?

See you Monday!

Guidelines Checklist: Research Paper!

2009-03-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some good guidelines for your research essays:
http://glory.gc.maricopa.edu/~mdesoto/eng101/peer_review_form_argumentation.htm

Extra Credit! Movie at Gallagher Theatre Weds. Night!

2009-02-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

If anybody is interested in an extra credit opportunity, here's a great one--check out the movie at the Gallagher Theatre in the Student Union tomorrow night, Wednesday, February 25, 2009. If you go, write up 300 words or so and post your comments here!

America The Beautiful: Film and Q&A with the Filmmaker - FreeAmerica the Beautiful is a socially probing documentary which explores the question "does America have an unhealthy obsession with beauty?" Filmmaker Darryl Roberts journeys into the psyche of celebrities like Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson, athletes like Reggie Theus, industry professionals from "US weekly" and the "E! Channel," and the American citizenry to determine the roots of this superficial obsession.

For information about pricing and schedule, see the American the Beautiful movie site.

Master List of Subject Ideas

2009-02-16T08:48:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!

As promised, here's the Master List we came up with in class last week. If you haven't picked a subject/topic yet, surely there's something here that might interest you. Just pick one and try it out today in the ILC! See you in class :)

Body Worlds
Facial transplants
Race
Stereotypes
The Beauty Myth
Advertising
Gender issues
Age discrimination
Drug use
Steroids in sports
Physical handicaps
Religious dress
Eating disorders
Physician-assisted suicide
Sex changes
Prostitution
Organ doning
Science ethics
Pornography
Sex appeal in work place
Glass ceiling for women
Doctor/patient confidentiality
Birth control
Condom use/university
Health care/prescriptions
Gay marriage
Interracial relationships
Defining the self
“Perfect” body
Rights of the body
Necessary vs. social surgery
Abortion
Tattoos
Body Art
Extreme body modification
Drinking age
Diets
Prescription diet pills
Transgenders
Plastic/cosmetic surgery
Weight loss
Cloning
Stem-cell research
Dove campaign
Evolution video
“Girl” culture
Feminist movement
Obama/elections
Nudity
Parenting styles
Capital punishment
Piercings/health risks
Suicide
Euthanasia
Artificial insemination
Death Penalty

Student Guide Essay Contest Deadline Feb.15th!

2009-02-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Note from the English Department:

We wanted to remind you that the deadline for the Student's Guide Essay Contest is February 15. Please encourage your students to submit essays in any assignment category. They may submit essays written in Spring 08, Summer 08, Fall 08, or Spring 09. Students can access full guidelines at http://english.arizona.edu/index_site.php?id=586&preview=1.
Sincerely, The Writing Program, University of Arizona. Email any questions to wpguide@email.arizona.edu.

See you tomorrow!
--Kristin :)

Student's Guide Cover Art Contest!

2009-02-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

The UA Writing Program’s freshman composition textbook, A Student’s Guide to First-Year Writing, is now accepting submissions for its 2009-10 cover art contest. This year, the contest asks participants to submit original artwork on the theme, “Living on the Border.” Participants may submit work in any medium, but work should be submitted in print form in accordance with the guidelines listed below. Some possible areas include but are not limited to:

· Immigration
· Border relations
· Borders as physical spaces and places
· The Sonoran Desert as a border landscape
· Borders as liminal (in-between) zones
· Borders as metaphors
· The UA as a border campus

Submission Guidelines
The contest is open to all UA undergraduate students. Entries must include the following:
1. Artwork suitable for book covers (9" by 6" format), not posters (i.e., must look good folded)
2. Printed color copy and a CD with the submission file(s)
3. Completed entry form, submitted with artwork by March 1, 2009 (http://english.arizona.edu/index_site.php?id=82)
4. Book title (A Student’s Guide to First-Year Writing, 30th edition) and year (2009-2010)
5. Guide Editors’ names (Marlowe Daly-Galeano, Marissa M. Juárez, and Jacob Witt)
6. Space for ISBN bar code and Hayden-McNeil Publishing logo

First Prize:
$150 and publication
Second Prize:
Certificate and public recognition
Third Prize:
Certificate and public recognition

Submit Entries to
English Department office, Modern Languages 445!

Submission Deadline
4 p.m. on March 1, 2009.

Email questions to wpguide@email.arizona.edu.

Superbowl Extra Credit!

2009-02-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

Don't forget about today's extra credit!!

If you plan on spending your Sunday watching the infamous Superbowl, why not go ahead and get credit for it? Find a commercial that struck you and write about 100-200 words analyzing the rhetorical situation. (Like we did when we analyzed ads and commercials in class....)

Post it here (and make sure to sign your name!)

EXTRA CREDIT! Presidential Inauguration

2009-01-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

A very important speech is happening on Tuesday morning--Coverage begins at 8am EST, with the swearing-in ceremony at 11:30am EST, followed immediately by Obama's inauguration address. This is a very historical event, and I'd love for you all to watch it. If you do, I'm happy to give extra credit--I'll omit one absence (or add one point to your final grade if you don't use all your absenses!) if you do the following:

Watch it live, online, at http://www.cnn.com/live/ or on t.v. Then, write about 300 words about your reaction to the speech (pay particular attention to the rhetoric he uses, what kind of American audience is he appealing to, what interesting words/anecdotes/etc. do you hear?

Post your reaction here as a comment!

Syllabus: Week One

2009-01-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

WEEK 1
W 1/14 In class:
• Introduction to course & review of syllabus
• Group icebreaker
• Initiation into Rhetorical Analysis: class activity
Homework:
• Read C—The Conversation Model of Reading…. (2-7)
• Read SG 2.5--Overview of English 102 (31-37): Come prepared on Friday to ask/discuss any questions you have about this course.
• Writing Assignment # 1: Based on what we discussed today, either 1) find an advertisement depicting the body in some way (abstract, concrete, as a selling point) and write a (typed) 2 page response defining your ad’s rhetorical situation: what is the designer’s purpose? Audience? Context? Publication? or, 2) draw your own advertisement and write a brief statement (a paragraph or two) about what your ad hopes to do and what your purpose, audience, and context is. Where would it be published? Bring ad and writing assignment to class on Friday!

F 1/16 In class:
• Questions about the syllabus, conversation model presented in Conversations
• Share journal entries in group and on Elmo; discuss implications of ads: When we think of the body, what comes to mind?
• Introduction to visual rhetorical analysis: practice in small groups activity (ads)
Homework:
• Read SG 11.1-11.2: Rhetoric: An Overview (203-212): Annotate and take notes on these sections—they break down how to study rhetoric.
• Writing Assignment/Mini-Essay # 2: Read “Shipwreck” handout by Cat Bohannon. Thinking about our theme for this course and using the information in the SG, how does Bohannon regard the body as a physical object? A sacred one? A scientific one? How does she use narrative to construct her essay? What rights do our bodies have? What conclusions is she making? Think about her audience: how would they react to her claims?

Welcome!

2008-12-18T22:31:00.001-08:00

Welcome to English 102!

Here, we'll start blog conversations, get assignments, find links to webpages we discuss in class, and have a general "meeting place" for our class. I'll also post the syllabus in case you ever misplace or lose your copy.

Our class, which aims to situate in us a dialogue between ourselves and those whose work we read and view, is a course designed to get you thinking and talking. Let's think about the semester as a "conversation" in which we will all have a voice--a voice that matters!

See you in class :)