SERVES:ENG1013

Understanding the real-world benefits of strong, thoughtful writing skills through community service.

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DJP #12

Last digital journal post!! Woohoo! You all are doing great. Keep working. 

For this last journal of the semester, we are going to work on that wedge issue section of your Opposing Arguments essay.

Last week, you wrote a summary for each of the arguments (the opposing arguments) for your essay. You offered a draft of a thesis. In class we worked on your researching and finding your 2 sources. You used the evaluations chart to dissect the arguments you found. We summarized and analyzed examples. We synthesized examples. On Thursday we workshopped introductions that begin in specificity, meaning that they do not begin from the “every,” “all,” “some” and “others” places. We also worked on creating specificity in your thesis statements. 

Here is a quick reminder of your assignment, 

Choose a controversial issue, analyze the debate, and write a topically organized essay identifying the areas of agreement and disagreement, honing in on the most critical area of disagreement in the essay.

For this digital journal post, I’d like you each to identify the “most critical area of disagreement” between your opposing arguments. 

Write at least a full paragraph identifying that most critical area of disagreement. 

You may use direct quotes, but only sparingly. And when you do, they should be properly cited using MLA style.

After identifying the most critical area of disagreement, you should be able to synthesize that disagreement. Remember to use the strategies we’ve discussed in Chapters 18 and 19 to help you to write this essay. Would strategies of concession, refutation, or acknowledgement help you here? Probably so! You can find all of these in Chapter 19.

This post is due before class on Tuesday, November 22 by 11:00 AM.

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DJP #11

So far, for your Opposing Arguments essay, you have identified a controversial issue, found at least 2 opposing arguments, evaluated those arguments (they should be arguments and not reports), used the evaluations chart to help you to analyze the 2 arguments, and should now be well on your way in the drafting process.

On Tuesday we talked about an organization plan and building your thesis. 

This digital journal asks you to practice those very skills, just on a smaller journal scale. This journal is meant to help you to build your essay. 

Prompt for digital journal post #11:

Use the strategy that we discussed on Tuesday to build a thesis. It does not have to be you finalized thesis by any means. In fact, at this stage, it should only be a rough draft. But, it certainly should name the issue, discuss briefly the issue that most divides the 2 arguments, and should offer forecasting for reader.

Then, you should offer a summation of the 2 opposing arguments you have chosen. (Remember to use MLA guidelines for all direct quotes or paraphrasing. This is a request for a short summation, though. There should only be a need for minimal quoting or paraphrasing.)

Based upon the directions above, you should write a minimum of 3 paragraphs. 

This digital journal is due before class on Thursday, November 17, 2016.

[nprfreshair]

Terry suggested we play this at the end of yesterday’s show.

PS. Here’s our interview with soul singer Sharon Jones.

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Therapy

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DJP #10

Over this last weekend and in this week, you have been asked to read 2 new chapters in our textbook, SMGuide: Chapter 5 and Chapter 18, “Comparing and Contrasting.” The purpose in your reading Chapter 5 is obvious, and I don’t feel like I need to push there. But, I do want to push you again to diligently read Chapter 18 (and then for next week Chapter 19). In Chapter 18, you will find some incredibly helpful organizing tips for your essay once you get to the drafting stage.

Now, I’d like to repeat that, once you get to the drafting stage. Right now, you are in the brainstorming phase. Be sure to spend some time there. The writing is easier when you spend time to understand your subject. Please spend the time. Your learning will be deeper. Your learning will be enhanced. 

With that guidance, your post for your digital journals is all about brainstorming. Some of you have picked up the challenge to brainstorm in ways you had not before. Some of you have drawn, some have recorded your thinking. For this brainstorming post, I challenge you to try another version of brainstorming. If you haven’t tried recording your thoughts in a podcast, its not hard. Try it. If you haven’t tried drawing your thoughts out on paper, try it. Make a mess on paper. Do whatever helps you to put your brainstorming into a form of communication that can be read or distinguished by another. Make a videocast. Use your phone, a tablet, or your laptop. Let the right side of your brain express itself.

In your post, you should explore 2 ideas of controversial topics you will be writing on. In the post you should,

Briefly introduce 1 topic, then mention and briefly summarize the opposing viewpoints you have found. Who is arguing? On what point are they arguing? (I am asking these questions imagining the more general argument, and not expecting that you have found two opposing arguments per se yet.)

Briefly introduce your 2nd possible topic, then mention and briefly summarize the opposing viewpoints you have found. Who is arguing? On what point are they arguing? (Again, I am asking these questions imagining the more general argument, and not expecting that you have found two opposing arguments per se yet.)

Remember to keep track of where you are finding scholars and writings on the topics as you explore. Write the urls down in a notebook, copy and paste the author’s name and title of the work into a Word document or a Google Doc. Keep track of them.

This post is due before class on Thursday, November 10, 2016 by 11:00 AM.  

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Income Inequality Impairs The American Dream Of Upward Mobility

If the American dream is dying, is it the result of income inequality? Or is disparity in income a red herring where more complex issues are at play?

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Whoever controls the narrative has the power | Gretchen Busl | TEDxTWU

Reasoning is complex and learned while storytelling is innate. Master plots become a way of making sense of the world. When we don’t see ourselves in the mas...

Our very own Dr. Gretchen Busl explaining the connection between the concepts of narrative and power.

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What makes us get sick? Look upstream

Rishi Manchanda has worked as a doctor in South Central Los Angeles for a decade, where he’s come to realize: His job isn’t just about treating a patient’s symptoms, but about getting to the root cause of what is making them ill—the “upstream" factors like a poor diet, a stressful job, a lack of fresh air. It’s a powerful call for doctors to pay attention to a patient's life outside the exam room.

An incredibly important look at what Manchanda calls “upstream factors” in health care. Concept: upstream factors

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Why stay in Chernobyl? Because it's home.

Chernobyl was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident and, for the past 27 years, the area around the plant has been known as the Exclusion Zone. And yet, a community of about 200 people live there -- almost all of them elderly women. These proud grandmas defied orders to relocate because their connection to their homeland and to their community are "forces that rival even radiation."

Concept: The power of home.

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DJP #9

This Digital Journal Post is due by class time (11:00 AM) on Tuesday, October 25, 2016.

When considering how to use a source to support your own writing, argument, or in this case explaining, it is important not only to consider the source and what part of that source you might use (always with citations and due credit), but it’s also important to consider how you may use the source. Will you paraphrase the author or authors? Would it be a better idea to summarize? Or is a short direct quote in order? 

By now, you all should have read Chapter 23 in our SM Guide, “Using Information from Sources to Support Your Claims.” For this DJP, I would like you to return to that chapter, review it. Turn to one of the sources you’ve chosen for your Concept Assignment. You will practice these 3 different ways to use sources in your own writing - paraphrasing, summarizing, and directly quoting. 

We, generally, summarize when we hope to use the main idea or the main findings of an entire article or study. We, generally, paraphrase when the language in the writing is not particularly striking but the main idea is. When paraphrasing you must take the ideas, theories, or concepts from the author, but not their words. Paraphrasing can be a tough skill to get right. When paraphrasing, you shouldn’t just simply copy and paste the section of someone else’s writing into your own paper and change just a few words here and there. You should rather read the work, then turn to your own work and explain their ideas, theories, and/or concepts in your own words, always being certain to give credit to that other author or authors by citing their work.

When directly quoting, you should only choose a small portion of the author or authors words. We tend to directly quote too much of another’s work. Is it a sentence of statistics? If so, you may not need to quote them but paraphrase. Are you quoting an entire paragraph? More often than not, an entire paragraph or even 3 sentences can be too much to directly quote. Be particular.

So for your DJP #9, I would like you to do the following:

Refer to one of the sources you are already using to support your ideas in your Concept Assignment. Find one area you feel supports your writing well.

Using chapters 23 and 24, practice directly quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing the same ideas, section, or concepts. When you directly quote, I challenge you to use no more than 10 words of direct quote. 

Use the sentence making strategies in Chapter 23 AND use Chapter 24 to help you to use proper MLA formatting. Also, at the base of your DJP, write in the citation for the source you are paraphrasing, summarizing, and directly quoting. Use Chapter 24 and the Purdue OWL (linked in our BBoard) to help you to practice this skill. tumblr will not let you insert a hanging indent, so don’t worry about that part of it. But, you can italicize. Try to get it right.

This DJP is due by 11:00 AM on Tuesday, October 25.

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DJP #8

THIS DIGITAL JOURNAL IS DUE BY 12:00 PM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22.

DJP #7 was about focusing your writing about your concepts. This digital journal is about considering explanatory strategies. While deciding how you will offer an explanation to your reader, you should consider credibility (ethos) and tone. What does the concept you have chosen call for? What tone would your audience expect you to use when explaining the concept you have chosen? Is it a very serious concept? Is it not? Tone matters. 

With regard to ethos and credibility: Is the concept you have chosen quite technical? If so, this will affects your audiences expectations with regard to your sources. 

In this digital journal post, we will explore a few explanatory strategies you will plan to use in your concept essay.

On page 155 of SM Guide, the authors suggest to us that it may be helpful to consider the following questions:

How would you define it?  (”It” here is the concept.)

What examples would help your readers understand it? (”It” here is the concept.)

How is it similar to or different from other related concepts?  (”It” here is the concept.)

How does it happen or get done? (”It” here is the concept.)

For this DJP (which is due by Saturday at 12:00PM), you will write a response to at least two of these questions. I’m asking you to do meta-composing here - thinking and writing about what you will plan to write.

Choose the 2 questions above that you feel most connect with your concept.

Explain HOW you will respond to the thought in your paper with regard to your concept. For example: if I were answering “How would you define it?,” I would consider what tone and what sources I need to use in order to define the concept itself. A simple dictionary definition only gets us so far. We are beyond that now. So, how will you define it? 

Write at least 1 paragraph for each, 2 paragraphs in total (at least).

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Something Wicked This Way Comes - The New Yorker

A few days ago, while awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling on President Obama’s health-care law, I called a few doctor friends around the country. I …

A 2012 article discussing healthcare and what at that time was a very new legislation, the Affordable Care Act. The concept explained in this article is that of the “wicked problem.” The author explains this concept largely through the lens of healthcare, but the article at its center is about “wicked problems.”

[visual-poetry]

by jennifer dalton (+)

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Another example of explaining a concept. This one is in poetry and visual art. 

Gendered workplace?

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My love letter to cosplay

Adam Savage makes things and builds experiments, and he uses costumes to add humor, color and clarity to the stories he tells. Tracing his lifelong love of costumes -- from a childhood space helmet made of an ice cream tub to a No-Face costume he wore to Comic-Con -- Savage explores the world of cosplay and the meaning it creates for its community. "We're connecting with something important inside of us," he says. "The costumes are how we reveal ourselves to each other."

Another example of “Explaining a Concept.” This one is structured just a bit differently from the example structure in your text. You’ll notice that it is essentially flipped. If you watch all the way to 12.50, Adam Savage begins to give a definition of cosplay. So, he ends with a thesis essentially. But, this is a different mode of communicating, as it is a speech and could be considered a theatrical presentation. 

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Authoritarianism: The political science that explains Trump

The obscure research that predicted Donald Trump. For more, read Amanda Taub's feature "The rise of American authoritarianism": http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/1...

A concept explanation of AUTHORITARIANISM. (I am not entering the political argument by offering you this example.) This video describes a theory of political science that describes a current phenomena. 

Notice that the video is constructed in the same structure that our textbook offers for the Explaining a Concept essay. See page 155.

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DJP #7

On Thursday we talked about your concepts, asking yourself questions that would help you to research and hone in on your concept, and strategies for drafting your essays. This digital journal builds upon that list of goals. It is meant to push your drafting forward. 

On Thursday I gave you each a copy of a chapter of the writing guide They Say, I Say, titled “So what, who cares?” You will need to refer to that for this DJP, as well as chapters 4 and 16 of your SM Guide. 

Your calendar asks you to refer to pages 151-155 of SM Guide to help you to draft. Use it. On page 153, you will find a box with a title highlighted in blue: “What makes the concept interesting to me and my readers?” In it, you will see that the box is divided into 3 divisions of questions to help you to draft. I want you to choose 1 question from each of those sections. You will answer them in your DJP entry. Notice that the 2nd section is about audience. Use the “So what, who cares?” chapter to answer those questions. Use one of the sentence strategies (it might be the one you use in your draft, it might be an experiment).

DJP #7

In your digital journal post, please respond to a single question from each section of the box on page 153. That should be 3 questions in total, one on your concept, one considering your audience, and that helps you to explain why this writing matters.

In your post, use 1 of the sentence strategies from the “So what, who cares?” chapter. Please bold it in your post.

Because of the nature of your task, you ought to respond with at least 3 full paragraphs.

This DJP is due by 12:20 on Tuesday, October 18. Happy drafting!!!

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DJP #6

The concept essay can be difficult to understand. It is important that you realize that we DO THIS ALL OF THE TIME. So, breathe. And let’s begin. 

A concept can be an idea. Its an phenomena. Its a principle, a theory, a process. In Chapter 4 of your textbook (SM Guide), you have essays explaining supervolcanoes (a naturally occurring phenomena), the chemistry of romantic love (a process), decision fatigue (a theory), and shyness (phenomona?). You were assigned 2 of the essays from our Poverty/Privilege Reader as well (BB), Sarah Burd-Sharps and Kristen Lewis’ essay “Inequality: Shifting the Spotlight from Wall Street to Your Street” and Roger R. Blunt and Paul D. Monroe Jr.’s essay “We Have a Wealth Gap, and Military Is Poorer for It.” Guess what. They are both concept essays. Tricky. Tricky. 

Here’s what you should do in order to complete DJP #6. You’ve already read the readings (I am assuming). What are the concepts of the Burd-Sharps and Lewis or the Blunt and Monroe essay? How do you know? Offer some textual proof of your answer from the essay itself.

DJP#6

Choose one of the essays (Burd-Sharps and Lewis and Blunt and Monroe essay)

What is the concept the authors are explaining? Name it. 

Support your answer with textual support from the essay itself. (You should need 2 full paragraphs or at least 3 minutes to fully support your finding.)

*As with all your posts, be creative. Record your answer; create a videocast, just answer the question. Helpful hint: If you are recording yourself, you might create a quick outline for yourself so that you can help yourself to stay on topic. 

**This DJP is due by 11:00 AM on Tuesday, October 11.

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