Freshman Comp: Argument Analysis

Project 4  Argument Analysis

Purpose: Your goal in this project is to successfully read and analyze two short articles on opposite sides of a controversy. You'll be asked to develop and support a thesis about which of the two articles makes a better case for its point of view. Going through this process will help you be a better persuader yourself and a better evaluator of the persuasion aimed at you.

Make your selection among articles about stem cell research, medical marijuana, undocumented immigration, and the 2011 "intervention" in Libya, led by the U.S. When you make your choice of which set of articles you use, I recommend that you choose an issue that you don't already feel strongly about, so that you'll be able to look at arguments about it very objectively.

In addition to the articles themselves, we will read a lot of material about how to evaluate the arguments other people make and how to construct convincing arguments of our own.

To prepare for this paper, we'll also be reading two articles taking opposite sides of the issue "Are gender roles learned/cultural or are they inborn/biological?" and we'll read sample papers written about these two articles.

Audience: Again, the audience for this project is this class. The most relevant characteristics of this audience seem to be: we're adults, and we have read the articles (so that you don't have to summarize them, but can simply point out sections of them that support your own argument).

Format: Approximately 1000 words (4 typed pages) For groups of 3: 1250 words (5 pages). Your work should be proofread carefully before you turn in the final draft.

Due: December 12, in my office (LaCorte B336), by 5 p.m.

Grading Criteria: Your grade will be based on the same rubric as before, the criteria for the Comp Co-op. Specifically, I will pay attention to how:

* Your analysis clearly states your reasons for believing that one article or the other is more convincing.

* Your analysis gives strong, specific evidence from the articles in support of your thesis.

* You make strong use of the materials we read as homework about reading and constructing arguments.

* The tone of your argument is essentially objective, adult, and controlled.

* The paper is organized -- it should be written in a way that makes it easy for a reader to move through the paper from beginning to end.

The grading rubric for this paper is here.

SCHEDULE

11/7 Brief argument analysis; brainstorm on research topics. HOMEWORK: Read both this assignment and the assignment for the multigenre research project. Read the gender roles articles, and write a brief (two-paragraph) informal comparison of the articles: Which one is more successful? Scan (i.e., don't read completely) the various choices that you have for which set of articles you're going to use: stem cell research, medical marijuana, undocumented immigration, or the 2011 "intervention" in Libya, and have an idea of which set of articles you want to write about.

11/9 Discussion of gender roles articles. Planning for group work. Narrowing topic for research paper; hard, solid search terms. HOMEWORK: Read "Understanding Argument" (pp. 1-24); Print off the articles for the topic you've selected: stem cell research, medical marijuana, undocumented immigration, or the 2011 "intervention" in Libya. Read your articles, and bring them in Monday.

11/14 Meet in Welch Hall C-155. Group work, based on topic: rhetorical outlines. Error Logs. Do the Generating Search terms tutorial here, using the topics you want to discuss in your research project. HOMEWORK: Read these sample papers on the gender roles articles and grade them according to the rubric. Read "Responding to Argument," pp. 25-44, and do a double-entry journal on one of your to articles -- the left side will be concepts from the reading about argument, the right side specifics from the articles you're reading. DON'T BLOW THIS OFF, whether you care about your homework grade or not: It will be the center of mass for your paper.

11/16 Meet in Welch Hall F-144. Group work: idea maps. HOMEWORK: Look back over the material on Understanding Argument, and Responding to Argument, and do a double-entry journal on the other article you are analyzing. Begin reading/writing from the sources that you find.

11/21 Meet in Welch Hall C-155. Work period. HOMEWORK: Read "Questioning a Text" (pp.69-88) (pages cut off at the bottom are here), and do a double-entry journal about BOTH articles you're analyzing in your group.

11/23 Optional conferences.

11/28 Meet in Welch Hall C-155. Work period. Bibliography.

11/30 Meet in Welch Hall C-155. Work period.

12/5 Workshop on Argument analysis paper. Work period.

12/12 Argument analysis and Multigenre projects due in my office, LCH B336, by 5 p.m.

NOTES ON CITING SOURCES

For basic information on in-text parenthetical citations, see Bean et al., pp. 154-156. The basic rules are simple:

1. Cite your source by including the author's last name and the page number/numbers in a parenthesis, right as soon as you finish the quote or paraphrase: "Blah di blah blah blah blah" (Jones 92).

2. If you mention the author's name in setting up the quote/paraphrase, you don't include it in the parenthesis: However, Smith notes that x, y, and z (84).

3. If you're changing pages but not authors, you don't need to repeat the author's name: "Blah di blah blah blah blah" (Johnson 92). However, she also later describes the situation as "ultra blah di blah" (96).

Your works cited page should include entries for both articles that you use, and the readings from Elements of Argument and Reading Rhetorically. Here is a works cited page I produced through Easybib, which is also what you should use for your final research project. Use MLA format.

	Freshman Composition I English 110
	Fall 2016 Syllabus
	Project 4  Argument Analysis Purpose: Your goal in this project is to successfully read and analyze two short articles on opposite sides of a controversy. You'll be asked to develop and support a thesis about which of the two articles makes a better case for its point of view. Going through this process will help you be a better persuader yourself and a better evaluator of the persuasion aimed at you. Make your selection among articles about stem cell research, medical marijuana, undocumented immigration, and the 2011 "intervention" in Libya, led by the U.S. When you make your choice of which set of articles you use, I recommend that you choose an issue that you don't already feel strongly about, so that you'll be able to look at arguments about it very objectively. In addition to the articles themselves, we will read a lot of material about how to evaluate the arguments other people make and how to construct convincing arguments of our own. To prepare for this paper, we'll also be reading two articles taking opposite sides of the issue "Are gender roles learned/cultural or are they inborn/biological?" and we'll read sample papers written about these two articles. Audience: Again, the audience for this project is this class. The most relevant characteristics of this audience seem to be: we're adults, and we have read the articles (so that you don't have to summarize them, but can simply point out sections of them that support your own argument). Format: Approximately 1000 words (4 typed pages) For groups of 3: 1250 words (5 pages). Your work should be proofread carefully before you turn in the final draft. Due: December 12, in my office (LaCorte B336), by 5 p.m. Grading Criteria: Your grade will be based on the same rubric as before, the criteria for the Comp Co-op. Specifically, I will pay attention to how: * Your analysis clearly states your reasons for believing that one article or the other is more convincing. * Your analysis gives strong, specific evidence from the articles in support of your thesis. * You make strong use of the materials we read as homework about reading and constructing arguments. * The tone of your argument is essentially objective, adult, and controlled. * The paper is organized -- it should be written in a way that makes it easy for a reader to move through the paper from beginning to end. The grading rubric for this paper is here. SCHEDULE 11/7 Brief argument analysis; brainstorm on research topics. HOMEWORK: Read both this assignment and the assignment for the multigenre research project. Read the gender roles articles, and write a brief (two-paragraph) informal comparison of the articles: Which one is more successful? Scan (i.e., don't read completely) the various choices that you have for which set of articles you're going to use: stem cell research, medical marijuana, undocumented immigration, or the 2011 "intervention" in Libya, and have an idea of which set of articles you want to write about. 11/9 Discussion of gender roles articles. Planning for group work. Narrowing topic for research paper; hard, solid search terms. HOMEWORK: Read "Understanding Argument" (pp. 1-24); Print off the articles for the topic you've selected: stem cell research, medical marijuana, undocumented immigration, or the 2011 "intervention" in Libya. Read your articles, and bring them in Monday. 11/14 Meet in Welch Hall C-155. Group work, based on topic: rhetorical outlines. Error Logs. Do the Generating Search terms tutorial here, using the topics you want to discuss in your research project. HOMEWORK: Read these sample papers on the gender roles articles and grade them according to the rubric. Read "Responding to Argument," pp. 25-44, and do a double-entry journal on one of your to articles -- the left side will be concepts from the reading about argument, the right side specifics from the articles you're reading. DON'T BLOW THIS OFF, whether you care about your homework grade or not: It will be the center of mass for your paper. 11/16 Meet in Welch Hall F-144. Group work: idea maps. HOMEWORK: Look back over the material on Understanding Argument, and Responding to Argument, and do a double-entry journal on the other article you are analyzing. Begin reading/writing from the sources that you find. 11/21 Meet in Welch Hall C-155. Work period. HOMEWORK: Read "Questioning a Text" (pp.69-88) (pages cut off at the bottom are here), and do a double-entry journal about BOTH articles you're analyzing in your group. 11/23 Optional conferences. 11/28 Meet in Welch Hall C-155. Work period. Bibliography. 11/30 Meet in Welch Hall C-155. Work period. 12/5 Workshop on Argument analysis paper. Work period. 12/12 Argument analysis and Multigenre projects due in my office, LCH B336, by 5 p.m. NOTES ON CITING SOURCES For basic information on in-text parenthetical citations, see Bean et al., pp. 154-156. The basic rules are simple: 1. Cite your source by including the author's last name and the page number/numbers in a parenthesis, right as soon as you finish the quote or paraphrase: "Blah di blah blah blah blah" (Jones 92). 2. If you mention the author's name in setting up the quote/paraphrase, you don't include it in the parenthesis: However, Smith notes that x, y, and z (84). 3. If you're changing pages but not authors, you don't need to repeat the author's name: "Blah di blah blah blah blah" (Johnson 92). However, she also later describes the situation as "ultra blah di blah" (96). Your works cited page should include entries for both articles that you use, and the readings from Elements of Argument and Reading Rhetorically. Here is a works cited page I produced through Easybib, which is also what you should use for your final research project. Use MLA format.