Extra Credit

Thursday October 27th UM is hosting a Day of Dialogue. If you attend one event, two at the most, and complete two separate assignments for each I will give you extra credit that will be equivalent to two homework assignments OR two days worth of participation for one event or double that for two.

Assignment One:

Write a one page essay style response that includes which event you saw, how it engages in civil discourse, or not, and what elements from our Op-Ed unit you noticed and whether or not it counts as an effective argument that engages in argument as dance. What was the presentation about? How did you react to it? Did they use rhetorical devices? Did they idenitfy or use logical fallacies?

Assignment Two:

Write a one page proposal for a presentation or activity you would do for the Day of Dialogue event. What would it be on? How would you structure it? What point would you be making? Why do you think people would like/need to hear it? Use ideas taken from class on logical fallacies, civilized discourse, using research, and addressing a certain audience, or anything else from this unit you would like to use. You could even cite specific books, youtube clips, powerpoint presentations, music, or art you would incorporate to prove your point. You could be as creativity, or not, as you wish.

This is due Friday November 4th at 12:10. If you need this extra credit to apply to something else you are missing or lacking in this class come talk to me. Also, you need to let me know if you are interested in this. I have pasted the website to the Day of Dialogue homepage below.

http://life.umt.edu/dod/default.php

Homework Due During Conferences

1. Bring TWO copies of a full rough draft 700-1,000 words with a works cited page (or your laptop) to conferences

2. Bring your devil's advocate freewrite from Monday and peer review sheet that your partner filled out for you. If you already e-mailed both that's fine too.

3. Read CW 275-280

Op-Ed Sketch Breakdown List

The Sketch: A Breakdown List

General Checklist:

Your Sketch must have your name, my name, class name, and the date it is due typed in the top corner. You must have a title and a works cited. Include the Works Cited at the bottom of the Sketch, not on a separate page. I want it typed and between 500-600 words. Single or double spacing does not matter. This is due Monday bring two copies typed and printed out or e-mailed to me and yourself for class workshops.

Title:

Make your title your tentative claim about your topic (also known as the “I think this is what my point is so far…” claim). I want see the question that is guiding your search, you should have numerous questions about your topic, but I want to see the central question you are interested in. What issue are you investigating? Examples:

Mine: Does the Smoking Ban Discriminate Against Smokers?

Ballenger’s: “How to Really Rock the Vote”

Handout: “Should Rifle Suppressor's Be Allowed in Hunting?”

Major Components:

Claim: What is the major point of your op-ed so far? Ex: Smoking ban should be lifted? I need to see your topic right in the opening of your Sketch. What questions are you trying to answer? Later in the Sketch I will see you answer your questions.

Intro=Major Question

Body Paragraphs=Evidence/Background Information/Minor Questions and Answers

Conclusion=Your Answer to the Major Question

Supporting Elements:

The main components that your final op-ed will include are: claims, evidence, warrants, backing, counterclaims, and a rebuttal (CW 249-250 and OWL Purdue Handout). These ideas will not be fully developed in your sketch but you should be working towards them after conferences. See next page for details.

Side Note: If this seems like a lot of things to cover don’t let it overwhelm you. Look at CW 274 for an example of what a Sketch looks like and how someone else incorporated all of these ideas. Ballenger reminds you that “A sketch is often sketchy. It’s generally undeveloped, sometimes giving the writer just the barest outline of his subject” when he is describing the rules for this assignment (CW 274). This is an early draft to your op-ed assignment it should be extra drafty. That being said I want you to include most of these elements in it. Do your best and we will work on polishing it on Monday.

Why is this Sketch Important?

This Sketch will help you flesh out your topic for your op-ed. By doing this assignment you are doing invention work for how you want to share your opinion about the topic you have chosen for the op-ed with others. I want to see that you have enough sources, claims, and ideas to support your claim. This is an excellent place to realize that there might be issues with the topic you have chosen. The goal is to get everyone headed towards a rough draft for their op-ed’s, but if you are experiencing problems don’t panic now is the time to find a more suitable topic.