CHEERS

Post your responses here

c

Copyrights

I was watching G4 one afternoon when the ding-a-ling hot babe of the month, you know, the tech queen of the week goddess whom all the little geek boys drool over as she reads the teleprompter was prattling on about E3 or vidgaming and suddenly she kept repeating the word ‘copyright” over and over as if she knew what it was. But the way she was using it amply demonstrated that she had no FRAKKING idea what it meant. . .Nothing chaps my downy-soft buptkis more than misuse of language so it really convulsed the air in my sphygomanometer to say the least. But then I noticed that there were no raucous cat-calls of mockery and sarcasm tripping off the lips of the usually astute boy commentator neither were there screams of laughter from off-stage, and I understood, they THOUGHT SHE WAS USING IT CORRECTLY! The dweebs! Those knuckleheads didn’t know what a copyright was either. . .Do you? What are they, what is their history, and why are they used. Two hundred words please and ask the tough question: Are they to protect rights or to protect secrets and to restrict knowledge? c

Making of a Serial Killer

Carefully read the article posted to the website. What is your opinion of this piece? Using the same criteria you must meet for your project three, does “Making. . .” meet those crtera? For whom is it written? What is its purpose? What is the writer’s position vis-a-vis Serial killers? Is it a well-focused and executed argument about what molds serial killers into their final form? Does the author have Kairos/Authority? What appeals are used: logic, authority, emotion? Is it an effective piece of argumentation or simply “thriller-chiller” entertainment? 200 words please, and respond to your peers no later than 6 pm this evening Monday 6/21.

Project III: Causal Argument

Assignment Description: Explain the causes of a situation (an accident, a phenomenon, or a past event) that concerns you. Narrow your topic enough to treat it in some detail, and provide more than a mere list of causes. When seeking causes, you will have to decide carefully how far back to go in your search for remote causes. Moreover, you must be sure to distinguish between the immediate causes and the remote causes of the event you are analyzing. For this assignment, you have complete control of the subject matter of your essay, but I must first approve your topic. Assignment Goals: carry on the persistent goals for this course – synthesizing and analyzing multiple viewpoints, use of varying argumentative strategies to write for various audiences, applications of key rhetorical features, but must also:

· Write empirical, and historical analyses of past events.

· Express a working knowledge of key rhetorical features, such as audience, purpose, and the use of appropriate argument strategies.

· Conduct inquiry-based research and writing which is driven by the desire to study a phenomenon and asks “what kind of research needs to be done in order to understand this event?”

Audience: An academic audience that is not knowledgeable about the event about which you are writing.

Sources: You must include at least four outside sources to document your essay. You can use those sources in a few ways. For example, you could use a quotation to begin your essay as a point of departure because you may disagree with the idea, or you want to clarify the statement. Another use of a quotation is to lend support to an idea you have. This use of a quotation lends credibility to your own writing.

Length: Minimum 5 pages, double spaced, 12 point font size, 1-inch margins.

Format: Proper MLA format, which includes citation and documentation with Works Cited page.

Grading Criteria:
· Effectiveness of causal argument strategies
· Demonstration of critical thought
· Fully supported analysis, including appropriate use of remote and immediate causes
· Integration of secondary sources with your central argument
· Proper and sufficient use of MLA guidelines for citations

Important Dates: Final draft due: 6/27 by 6 p.m .

Participles as modifiers

Search resources to find out exactly what purpose participles such as gerunds and past participles do in English grammar both as parts of grammar and as modifiers. Give examples (sentences) in your responses. What is the difference in meaning between “budgetary cuts” and “budget cuts” AND “budgeting cuts” and “budgeted cuts” if any. Please explain fully. Please do not respond here but send your response to me at cyntha@firstyrcomp.org as an email attachment. 200 words or so should do it. Respond here with “I understand and will comply.” the moment you finish reading this entry.

Disasters & Catastrophes

On the website’s left panel there are three different “disasters” from the past 90 years; choose one and explore its causes and effects, you will have to research beyond these articles, and write a causal analysis of the one you choose. At least 300 words. Be sure to use standard formatting: have an Introduction, several body paragraphs and a conclusion. Do not forget to comment and ask questions about your colleagues’ responses. I’m looking forward to reading what you have to say in your responses. . .

Peer reviews

Many students hate peer reviews. Pure and simple, the feedback I’ve received over the past three years of teaching in the U.S. in academic-level English classes is nearly unanimous and identical: students think they are useless, trivial and oft-times, vindictive. I have my own opinions as to exactly why y’all seem to unanimously feel that way, but I’ll keep them to myself for now. The issue I’d like y’all to comment on tonight is just that though. Have a discussion about peer review: 1) what you don’t like about them; 2) Is there any hope for them at all or are they doomed to being forever just absurd, busy-work crap?; 3) If they may be helpful, how?; 4) Does my system of anonymous submission make it any more effective or is it just another lame attempt to save an otherwise doomed project?

Let me hear what you have to say, be honest (butt-kissing will be duly noted !) and don’t forget to comment on others’ posts for full credit.

Cynthia

Kiva

Find out what it is. After you have explored Kiva thoroughly write a brief description of what it is. Then in light of what you have learned, judge Kiva for its efficacy and appropriateness among any other praise or critique (that you can justify). For full points your response must be at least 300n words long and as usual you must interact with others on the blog.

Best

c

Project II: Proposal Essay

Assignment Description: Proposal arguments are one of the most common types of arguments
that you will read or write in or out of the academy. Basically, they call for some kind of action.
They call on an audience to come to a decision and to do something. In light of this, proposal
arguments typically rise out of existing problems and are most often framed as suggested
solutions along the lines of “We should do (or should not do) X” or “We ought to do (or ought
not to do) X.”

Your task is to craft a proposal argument for specific audience in which you argue for a practical
proposal (based on the definition of this found in on-line lectures and documents). Your proposal
should offer a specific salutary personal action to solve some kind of local or immediate problem;
your proposal should be aimed to inspire others to take similar action.

Practical proposals are narrow in scope and focus on what should happen in the here and now,
i.e., how many new parking spaces should be added, the number of students who should be
added to each First Year Composition class to help alleviate the department’s budgeting
problems.

Assignment Goals carry on the persistent goals for this course – synthesizing and analyzing
multiple viewpoints, use of varying argumentative strategies to write for various audiences,
applications of key rhetorical features – but will also require you to identify and describe a key
problem inherent to the issue you seek to resolve and offer a proposed solution to the problem
with appropriate justification for why your proposal resolves the issue in whatever degree.

Audience: fellow students at ASU.

Sources: A minimum of 4 sources is required. Since your proposal will fit your audience, a
recommendation about where you’d find appropriate sources is not required (i.e., no determined
number of scholarly sources is required).

Length: Minimum 5 pages, double spaced, 12 point font size, 1-inch margins

Format: Proper MLA format, which includes citation and documentation with Works Cited page.

Important Dates: Final draft due: 6/14 by 6 p.m.

Annotated Bibliographies

The Works Cited page for the proposal essay must be an annotated bibliography. An A.B. is am LMA formatted works cited page with double-spacing and hanging indents for the details PLUS a single-spaced block-quoted paragraph giving a brief synopsis of your text quoted and a brief analysis of how it relates to the argument in your project 2. An essential point omitted from the Project Two paper description is that websites will not be accepted as sources for this paper and throughout the remainder of this class. If you have any questions please contact me at syndeeann on Skype or via email. If you feel comfortable, ask your questions here as well. Your Annotated Bibliography is due Thursday night 6/10 at 6pm. Cynthia