Assignment #8- Thinking About Arguments

For this blog post, I want you to start thinking critically about your argument analysis assignment. This post has two requirements: you must summarize the argument you have chosen to analyze, and briefly reflect on why you have chosen to write about that particular argument. Your summary should be 200-300 words, and may be extremely similar to the summary that ends up in your paper. 

What you include in your reflection is up to you; I just want you to think critically about why you chose that article. Was it something that was particularly interesting to you? Did you think you would have an easier time writing about that particular article? Did you just choose the first one off the list because you didn't feel like reading any more? Whatever your reasons, I want you reflect on what caused you to select that argument and what that means for the writing of your essay. Your reflection should be 1-2 paragraphs, and while it will  not be identical to anything in your essay, it will help prepare you for your personal response.

NOTE ABOUT BLOGS: Friday, March 2 is the last day to complete any of your first eight blog entries. After that, I will calculating your final grades for the first half of your blog assignment. I will not offer any credit for the first eight blog entries after Friday. This way, you are not stuck writing 16 blog entries right before the end of the semester, and I am not stuck grading 16 blog entries right before the end of the semester. If you have any questions or technical difficulties, please come see me before March 2.

Assignment #7- Reflecting on Progress

As we near the midterm, I want you to reflect on Writing I so far. I want you to think critically both about how you personally have developed as a writer and what specifically about the class helped spur that development. Some things you may want to consider in your reflection include:

• Look back to your first blog post. Do you feel like you are making progress on your goals for the class? Why or why not? 
• Are there any specific aspects of the class that you feel like has been particularly helpful for you as a writer? Why or why not?
• Is there anything about the class that you would like changed in order to better facilitate your learning process?
• Has your writing process changed since the beginning of the semester? How specifically has it changed and why?
• Do you think your writing has improved since the semester started?

You may not address all these issues in your blog post, but just make sure your reflection is thorough, thoughtful, and at least 250-300 words.

 

While writing this post, keep in mind that learning to write is not a neatly linear process. It is possible that while you challenge yourself to leave your comfort zone as a writer, it is possible that you may struggle and your writing style may even regress. However, keep in mind that this does not mean that you haven't grown as a writer. 

The purpose of this post is twofold: I want you to think critically about your own progress as a writer, and I also want your honest feedback on the class. To accomplish these goals, it is important that you are as specific as possible and focus on being constructive and respectful. For example, rather than simply writing, "This is literally the best class I have ever taken" or "This class sucks and I hate it", write, "I find our peer review worksheets really helpful" or "I really wish Ms. Spencer would assign us more homework."

Assignment #6- Responding to Peers and Considering Rhetorical Situations

For this week your assignment has two parts. First, you are required to comment on one of your peers' blog posts from last week. To do so, simply go to a classmate's blog, and click on comments. In your comment, I want you to briefly describe at least one aspect of your peer's ad analysis that is particularly insightful or effective, and one aspect that is illogical, vague, or weak in any other way.
 
For example:
I think my peer does an excellent job explaining how specifically the scenery in this ad is meant to appeal to the audience. However, I think they need to expand their ideas and include who the target audience is, and what evidence from the ad makes that clear.

For your blog post itself, you need to compare and contrast the rhetorical situation of your ad analysis essay with that of your literacy narrative essay. Remember especially to consider purpose, audience, tone, and genre. Briefly discuss how the different rhetorical situation will affect the choices you make when writing your paper.

Assignment #5- Analyzing an Advertisement

For your second major writing assignment in this class, you will be analyzing an advertisement of your choice. For your fifth blog post, you will be preparing for that paper. Remember, an analysis requires you not just to summarize the text, but to make an argument about the deeper meaning using specific text-based evidence. To lay the groundwork for this assignment, I want you to choose the advertisement you want to write about and identify the specific rhetorical situation.

The ad you select can be pretty much any print ad (no commercials though), but make sure it is an ad that you feel you can discuss in a meaningful manner. For this blog post I want you to post the ad itself, and then, using text-based evidence, identify all of the following:

• Purpose- What is the purpose of the ad? What argument is it trying to make? How can you tell?
• Audience- Who is the target audience for this ad? Is it trying to appeal to people of a certain age, gender, ethnicity, etc.? Again, what from the text makes this clear?
• Genre- How would you describe the genre of the ad? How might it compare to other ads for similar products? Is it what you would expect for that type of ad or does it subvert audience expectations? 
• Tone- What is the tone of the ad? Why would the advertisers chose that tone for that particular product?

There certainly may be some overlap of these categories. For example, if you feel you have already discussed tone thoroughly while defining purpose and genre, you may not need to identify it separately, but it should be addressed at some point. 


For more information, see the example below.

Purpose: By using stark, bright, active imagery and minimal text, this ad is able to foreground its product and argue that iPods, like all Apple products, are hip, modern, and easy to use.
Audience: The silhouette of a woman in this ad is intentionally ambiguous so as to be appealing to a wide variety of audiences. Though the audience is unable to identify the woman's exact age or ethnicity, it's clear through the woman's carefree dancing, tousled hair, and loud jewelry that she is a self-assured, stylish individual.
Genre: This ad is one of the many similar ads that Apple produced for iPods. All the ads feature some sort of bright background with a black, dancing silhouette and a clearly displayed iPod. All these ads help advance the argument that iPods are fun and hip.
Tone: The bright pink background, minimal text, and dancing woman all create a fun, vibrant tone.