Feb. 26 class

HW: Type a one to two page paper that includes an introductory paragraph and one or two paragraphs of your “working essay.” Use correct citation methods, signal phrases, and paraphrasing of sources. Also, use impeccable grammar and punctuation. Bring this and your summary/evaluation to class Thursday.

Feb. 21 class

1.      Write three different sentences with the same transition word of addition. Use a different kind of punctuation (comma or semi-colon) in each.

Additionally, in addition, also, as well as, furthermore, plus,

There are things I can do, maybe volunteer or donate. I could, additionally, join an organization.

Mike said dogs are smart; furthermore, they can be loyal.

OWL persuasion

1.      What is the author’s thesis?

2.      What does she do to support her viewpoint?

3.      Where does she acknowledge the opposition and refute?

4.      Are there any flaws in her argument? If so, where?

5.      Does she make any mistakes in her writing?

6.      Where does she use figurative language?

 

Transitions: 302-317

1.      What is a main point of the article?

2.      What did you learn that was new information?

3.      How did the article change your viewpoint about how we treat mental illness in the US?

4.      Credible, argument style, refutation

 

HW: Type a one-page paper that: summarizes and evaluates two of your sources. Summarizes: tells what it is about Evaluates: tells why it is good support for your point of view in your essay

Essay 4

Essay #4: The American Brand of Crazy

Globalization is one of the most important social forces in our lives today. More than ever before in human history, people all over the world are listening to the same kinds of music, eating the same kinds of food, wearing the same kinds of clothing. Many of the lifestyles and fashions that people worldwide are adopting originated in the world’s wealthiest countries, especially the United
States. America has a huge influence on the culture of other places: just think of the places all over the globe where people eat McDonald’s hamburgers and drink Cokes, where people wear Nike shoes and watch Hollywood movies.

In an article in New York Times Magazine, Ethan Watters argues that America has another important export for the other countries of the world: our view of mental illness. According to Watters, Americans commonly assume that mental illnesses like depression are the same all over the world. However, Watters contends that these conditions are in fact culturally constructed—that is to say, different cultures view depression very differently. And, for better and worse, the American concept of what depression means has started to dominate the whole globe.

For your final out-of-class essay, I’d like you to read Watters’ argument carefully. The name of the article is “The Americanization of Mental Illness,” and it appeared in New York Times Magazine on January 8, 2010. Once you have read the piece, I’d like you to write an essay evaluating and responding to a claim Watters makes in the end of his article: “Some philosophers and psychiatrists have suggested that we are investing our great wealth in researching and treating mental illness — medicalizing ever larger swaths of human experience — because we have rather suddenly lost older belief systems that once gave meaning and context to mental suffering.” What does this claim mean? Is it true? What evidence does Watters produce to support it? Can you find evidence from other sources that also supports this claim (or that undercuts it?)

In grading this paper, I will evaluate your performance on all six criteria from your “What Makes a Good English 101 Essay?” sheet: focus, development, audience awareness, organization, correctness, and effective research. Regarding the last two criteria, I’m expecting that your paper be as clean and as well edited as you can make it. I expect your paper to be word processed with 12 point type, double-spaced, in an academic font such as Times New Roman, with no spelling errors, and proofread. Regarding grammar, I will be evaluating your performance on all of the issues we’ve talked about: complete sentences, comma use, subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, pronoun reference, pronoun case, parallelism, and minor punctuation. Regarding citations, you will need to refer to between three and four recent (2006 or later) periodical articles from EBSCO or ProQuest, (you should include the article from New York Times Magazine as one of these). Both the in-text citations and works cited page should appear in correct MLA format. The length of this paper should be substantial; however, I will grade your work on its development rather than its length. In order to be able to devote time to each of the many students writing a paper on this topic, I ask you to limit yourself to a maximum of 1600 words (excluding works cited). I will return ungraded any paper longer than this.

Feb. 14 class

1.  Thesis

2.  Hook (and title)

3.  Two-three clear ideas

4.  Clear organization

5.  Convincing persuasion

6.  Unclear sentences

7.  Punctuation

8.  Conclusion

9.  Citations

10.                   Works cited

Freewrite:

How will you change your essay?

Use a dash and italics for emphasis in your freewrite.

Writing Tutoring Center

Sychology – proofread

Final draft due Tuesday, Feb. 19

 

 

In what class would you need to write to make something complicated and/or bland in to something interesting?

Economic, East Asian History, Finance, legal aspects of the medical office, politics, actuarial science, math for society, photosynthesis, theology, psychology

What do you know about atoms?

What are your thoughts on evolution?

Do you consider yourself a “lucky” person?

What do you think about the way the information was presented?

Do you have an inclination to check his facts?

What thought might stick with you after reading this?

HW: 1. Read “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”     By PETER SINGER (You can Google it). Write a 1-2 paragraph response (your view).

 

Essay 3

Essay 3: Transportation Alternatives

 For years Portland and Vancouver residents have been debating what to do about the old Interstate Bridge on I-5. Residents on both sides of the river—as well as all the others who uses this stretch of I-5—agree that the current bridge slows down traffic and reduces highway safety. However, what should be done to deal with the problem is an open question. This local debate is just one of thousands of debates going on worldwide about how cities should deal with traffic congestion. 

Everybody (except maybe billboard advertisers) complains about traffic congestion, and with good reason. Traffic congestion creates tons of air pollution, decreases highway safety, lowers our economic productivity, and stresses us out. We also know that alternatives to congestion are available, such as buses, light rail, bike paths, and carpooling. Why, then, do we not make greater use of available transportation alternatives? This question is the focus point of our third out-of-class essay for this course.

 For our first reading on the subject, I would like for you to study an article from US News and World Report. The author’s name is Will Sullivan; the title of the article is “Road Warriors.” It appeared in the May 7, 2007 issue of the magazine and can be found on EBSCO. Please read this article actively to begin our conversation about transportation alternatives.

 When you do read the article, you will notice that the article I have chosen does not answer the question I have posed for this essay. That’s okay; the article will nevertheless provide good background on the topic and may give you some insight about where to look next for answers. Also, this article will help you deal with a second question that I want to pose for this essay: once you have determined why we don’t use current transportation alternatives, what can we do as a society to help solve the traffic problem? This type of question, calling for a proposal, requires that you find out why the problem exists in the first place.

Like most of our papers, this essay presents you with a persuasive writing situation. This essay includes elements of a proposal, but there are also elements of another type of persuasive writing: cause and effect. In the coming days, we’ll explore different ways to write this kind of paper.

 In grading this paper, I will look at all six criteria on your “What Makes a Good English 101 Essay?” sheet: focus, development, audience awareness, organization, correctness, and citations. I expect your paper to be word processed, printed on regular paper in 12 point type, double-spaced, in an academic font such as Times New Roman, spell checked, and proofread. Regarding the grammar, I will be evaluating you on all of the grammar principles that we have covered in class: complete sentences, agreement, comma usage, parallelism, minor punctuation, and sentence unity. Regarding citations, you will need to refer to at least two recent (2006 or later) periodical articles from EBSCO or ProQuest. You will need to provide effective MLA citations and a complete MLA works cited page (not a bibliography). The length of this paper should be about 1000 words.

Feb. 5 class

HW: Essay 3 First best draft due: Feb. 14. Write a list of ideas you have to solve the transportation problem. Find two sources that will help with your paper. Print the abstract and bring to class.

 TFA:

1.   What are three changes she proposes?

2.   Who is her audience? How can you identify with the article?

3.   Where does she anticipate questions and overcome objections?

4.   Is this Aristotelian or Rogerian?

 

Essay 3 First best draft due: Feb. 14. Write a list of ideas you have to solve the transportation problem. Find two sources that will help with your paper. Print the abstract and bring to class.

 

1.       What are four elements of a correct works cited page?

A:

N:

A:

2.       Give two examples of clichés. (idioms)

A:

N:

A:

3.        What are two ways to fix sentence fragments and run-ons?

A: Combine with fanboys , semi-colons, recast, reread (proofread)

N:

A:

4.       When do you use in-text citations in a paper?

A: quotes, statistics, paraphrase (1), other researched info such historical dates etc . . .

(“Geology “).

A:

5.       How many times should you read a selection for this course in order to understand it and summarize it?

A:

N:

A:

6.       When you summarize a reading, you should mention the article and the author in the first paragraph.  Give an example of how you do that.

A:

In the article “Tempermental Toilets” by Rap Ed Flush, there are descriptions of how an amateur fixes  leaky toilets.

 

A:

 

 

 

Works Cited

"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.

Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. “Clinton on Climate Change.” New York Times. New York Times, May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.

Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times. New York Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.

Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis Guggenheim. rogerebert.com. Sun-Times News Group, 2 June 2006. Web. 24 May 2009.

 

 

1.       Put in the missing word, the quotation marks, and the in-text citation (in parenthesis):

 

According to the website Drugs.com,  Iva Brownthumb in an article in US News, gardening is America’s most popular non-contact

sport. Neighbors along fences throughout the country regularly compete for the highest corn stalks and heaviest watermelon (“Vicodin”).

 

Brownthumb went on to mention . . .

 

Works Cited

 

Brownthumb, Iva. “Good Fences Make Good Gardens.”  US News and World Report  13

               

May 2009: 28. Web

 

 

 

    2. Add quotation marks and a parenthetic citation (from info below):

 

Master gardener Watts Medigg, in an article on his online website, GO Green! refers to recent gardening trends as “a craze growing in yards across America that has spawned the green wars”  (1 ).

 

Works Cited

 

Medigg, Watts. “Battles for Beets Go Green!” Go Green! Greenmove Review. Greenmove.org,                

            

2009. Web. 11/08/11.

 

 

 

lichés  -- Phrases your parents and grandparents always say: Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. It’s more than the law allows. It was like a zoo in there.

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-cliches.html

 

It usually takes an amateur three trips to Home Depot in order to solve a plumbing problem because at first you are not really sure what happens. And you have to ask the guy and then you buy parts and take them to your house and the parts don’t fit right so you go back to Home Depot with the old rusty parts and show the guy then he gives you the right parts and you go back and make some progress but then you realize you need another part. Parts are expensive. So I finally get the right parts and get it done after about four hours and a lot of language I can’t repeat.

In the article “Tempermental Toilets” by Rap Ed Flush, there are descriptions of how an amateur fixes  leaky toilets.

 

 

 

Feb. 4 class

http://www.towson.edu/ows/pronouns.htm

Pronoun - Antecedent Agreement - Exercise 1

1. During early rehearsals, an actor may forget (his or her, their) lines.

2. The Washington team was opportunistic; (it, they) took advantage of every break.

3. A person needs to see (his or her, their) dentist twice a year.

4. The committee members put (its, their) signatures on the document.

5. If any one of the sisters needs a ride, (she, they) can call me.

6. When someone has been drinking, (he or she, they) may drive poorly.

7. If the board of directors controls the company, (it, they) may vote for a raise.

8. Neither the pilot nor the attendants gave (his or her, their) opinion about the mishap.

9. Each of these companies had (its, their) books audited.

10. Some of the china has lost (its, their) luster.

http://www.towson.edu/ows/exercisep-aagr.htm

KINDS OF PRONOUNS

A.      A. Personal Pronouns:

SINGULAR				PLURAL
	subjective	objective	possessive	subjective	objective	possessive
1st person	I	me	my, mine	we	us	our, ours
2nd person	you	you	your, yours	you	you	your, yours
3rd person	he she it	him her it	his her, hers its	they	them	their,

D. Indefinite Pronouns:

Singular:

one	someone	anyone	no one	everyone
each	somebody	anybody	nobody	everybody
(n)either	something	anything	nothing	everything

Examples:

Somebody is coming to dinner.

Neither of us believes a word Harry says.

Plural:

Examples:

Both are expected at the airport at the same time.

Several have suggested canceling the meeting.

Singular with non-countables / Plural with countables:

Examples:

Some of the dirt has become a permanent part of the rug.

Some of the trees have been weakened by the storm

Pronoun - Antecedent Agreement - Exercise 2

---

1. We watched the cat and mouse as (it, they) scurried around the corner.

2. Unfortunately, the committee hasn’t started (its, their) search for a new president.

3. Neither of the children will do (his or her, their) work.

4. Captain Parker or his men were rescued on (his, their) fourth day at sea.

5. All of the workers feel that (he or she, they) deserve the union’s support.

6. Every cat, dog, and rabbit had received (its, their) vaccine.

7. A number of people had lost (his or her, their) luggage on the flight.

8. The United Nations developed ( its, their) Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

9. After the game, the team members talked about ( his or her, their) individual playing problems.

10. Many people saw the show, but only a few reported ( his or her, their) reactions to it.

http://www.towson.edu/ows/pronouns.htm

Page 920

 

The ideal format of a written Rogerian persuasion looks something like this.

• Introduction. . . . Try presenting [your topic] as a problem rather than as an issue.
• Fair Statement of the Opposing Position. The goal here is to convince your readers that you understand their perspective by stating their position in a way they will recognize as fair and accurate.
• Statement of Contexts in Which That Position May Be Valid. Here you are trying to convince your readers that you understand how they could hold their position by suggesting that in certain contexts it has some valdity.
• Fair Statement of Your Own Position. Although you want to state your position convincingly, you also want to maintain your image as fair-minded. Your immediate goal is to get your readers to reciprocate, to understand your position as fairly and thoroughly as you have understood theirs.
• Statement of Contexts in Which Your Position Is Valid. Here you are trying to induce your readers to look at the problem from new perspectives and hence to see it in contexts they may previously have ignored.
• Statement of How Readers Would Benefit by Adopting at Least Elements of Your Position. Here you are appealing to your readers' self-interest, at least in the broader, long-term sense. You are trying to transform your position from a threat to a promise.

Rogerian argument – common ground

1.      Terminally ill people should be allowed to have physician assisted suicide.

2.      Terminally ill people should not be allowed to have physician assisted suicide.

3.      People should be allowed to do anything they want with their bodies, including physician assited suicide.

Euthanasia Is Morally Wrong

Every human life is precious. Regardless of age, gender or race, each individual is entitled to his or her self-preservation. While we have the innate duty to maintain our personal welfare, it is morally sound to say that we also have a responsibility to avoid inflicting harm towards other people, whether we personally know them or we are total strangers to them and vice versa.

In the medical field, doctors are presumed to cure their patients and provide them with utmost care for their health. Family members or relatives of patients are likewise expected to see to it that their loved-ones in hospitals are given the proper medical attention. All of these things point to the undeniable fact that we bring our ailing friends or family members to hospitals so that they will be cured and be brought back to their normal lives.

In extreme life-or-death cases, our impulse to keep our loved ones alive is stronger more than ever. Patients with terminal cases or those who have very little chance of survival are expected to receive the best medical treatment in order to address the risks involved. These patients, too, are human beings just like any one of us, except that they are suffering from tormenting ailments. They can feel pain. They have lives.

Euthanasia, or mercy-killing, is killing. Any way you look at it, euthanasia involves taking away the life of a person. When a patient is induced with euthanasia, the primary intent is to kill the patient. Some say that the reason why some patients are induced with euthanasia is to relieve them of their pain. Apparently, it is a fact that dead people can feel no pain because, of course, they are already dead. But that should not mean that just because a patient has a terminal disease we should resort to euthanasia in order to end his or her suffering.

Think about this. If you really intend to preserve the life of a person, not the least someone who is close to you, you find ways to extend his or her life no matter how short that extension may be. Killing that person for the sake of saving on medical payments or of cutting short his or her physical suffering does not justify euthanasia. It only adds to the fact that killing is wrong any way you look at it. No one has the right to deprive others of their right to live, not even doctors and family members. Not even when the patient "wills" her death can ever begin to justify to take the patient's life into our own hands and decide once and for all to end his or her life. To do so is to become an accessory to the wrong deed.

It is for these reasons that euthanasia is morally wrong.

In order for you to write/make a good Rogerian argument in your essay, it is important to keep in mind some important outlines and pointers as well keeping in mind your Rogerian argument topics and ideas. While conventional wisdom might tell you to simply consider the common grounds between your proposition and the opposing argument, it is likewise crucial to get a formidable grasp of what you're really trying to argue and the opposing views to it. Here are a few tips for writing a Rogerian argument that you can use for writing your own examples, arguments that are not only convincing but also enable you to drive home your point with conviction.

1. Know your audience well. Or better yet, know the opposing argument(s) well. A knowledge of both your audience and the opposing point will help you a lot in formulating the arguments you want to push through in the end. But before that...
2. You should be able to determine the "common ground" between you and your audience. One way to do this is to outline your main points and compare it with the main points that you anticipate your audience, reader, or instructor to have. Remove opposing ideas from the list until you arrive at the meeting points between the two. But if you can't find common grounds among the main points you have listed...
3. Try to make an extended list of all the possible premises. The list should include the minor or sub-premises and its more minor points. For example, the major premise "poetry is an art" should further be divided into smaller premises or supporting ideas such as "poetry is an art because it requires mastery of words" or "poetry is an art because it requires the poet to go beyond immediate sensory experience" and other related supporting ideas.
4. Now that you know the proposition that you and your audience or reader share, use that shared belief to start you essay. That way, you'll be able to attract the attention of your audience without having to argue while introducing the topic. Be sure to use words that you know your audience can easily relate to and absorb. The task is to come into terms with your audience first and foremost.
5. Right after establishing the "common grounds," continue by slowly integrating your position. Remember to avoid engaging your audience into a disagreement yet. Simply try to make a brief introduction of your position in one or two short but concise sentences. After that...
6. You should now integrate your supporting arguments for your main position. This can be done by immediately placing your evidences after you have stated your main point. Take note that you should not write down supporting arguments that negate the position of your audience in an obvious way. For instance, avoid using "it is not true that poetry is not an art." Rather, it would be better for you to provide remarks which support your position that "poetry is an art." A good example is for you to write "poetry is like painting because the poet has to weave words together that are colorful" instead.
7. The next step is for you to point out the obvious conflicting arguments between you and your audience. After recognizing the conflict of arguments, persuade your audience that your position is more valid or more sound by telling your audience why their position or argument is weak. Point specifically to the arguments rebutting yours which have weak evidences or which lack supporting arguments. This is the part where you should expect your audience or your reader to either accept or reject your position. If your position is accepted, good job. If not...
8. Try to reiterate the "common grounds," but this time merge it with the evidences you have as to why your position is acceptable, or outweighs the other position.
9. Finally, conclude your essay, or argumentation, with a short summary of your position and a brief reminder of those "common grounds."

How to write a good Rogerian argument essentially depends on your ability to "locate and isolate" the beliefs that you share with your audience. You have to remember that you should not immediately introduce your position as this will disrupt your attempt to bridge your audience towards you and your arguments. The key is to identify those "common grounds" and capitalize on it to your best advantage without having to abandon your arguments altogether.

Outline and Example of a Rogerian Argument Essay

written by: Sylvia Cini • edited by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch • updated: 12/16/2011

If you find it difficult to get your point across in a debate, use a Rogerian argument to persuade others to see things from your perspective. This article will provide you with an outline for forming a Rogerian argument. Convinced? Click here to read more.

·         Outline of a Rogerian Argument

There are four parts to a Rogerian argument. They are:

o    the introduction, during which the problem is stated without comment,

o    the re-statement of the audience's current stance,

o    the explanation of the speaker's stance,

o    and the conclusion, during which the speaker highlights the concessions made by the speaker and the benefits of changing viewpoints.

·         Tips

When constructing a Rogerian argument essay, you must remember that the goal is to achieve a mutually satisfactory solution through communication — not to overpower your opponent with wit, sarcasm, insults or threats.

o    Know your audience. The more you know about your audience, the more you can tailor your essay to draw their attention. Having information about your audience will also provide you with a better understanding of the problem and how it is affecting their lives.

o    Avoid negative language. Focus on the positive aspects of your opponent’s stance. For example, if your opponent is against the teaching of evolution in schools, acknowledge and honor their commitment to the education of their children.

o    Avoid controversial side topics. If you know that discussion of other related beliefs and practices would elicit a negative reaction from your audience, then don’t go there. Steer away from additional controversial topics and focus on the matter at hand.

o    Maintain a neutral tone when stating your viewpoint. The final stage of the argument is for persuading. When stating your point, state it simply without misleading terms or flowery speech. For example, change “I have an easy-to-use niche product that will revolutionize your household chores, saving you hours” to "My product will simplify cleaning chores, such as vacuuming and dishes.”

·  Example of a Rogerian Argument

Dear PTA,

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My name is Mrs. Maples and I am the lead Special Education teacher at Bright Hub Elementary. I attended your last round-table discussion and have been thinking about the difficulties you are having with securing volunteers for the upcoming book sale. I may have a solution that will help us both.

From the explanation Mrs. Reed gave at the meeting, the primary problem is finding a consistent group of volunteers — you train five or six new helpers every month and lose 10, which could mean cutting future events. I know our students love the book sale and winter carnival. The staff does, too. We would all hate to lose these annual joys.

I may have a source of steady volunteers that can help with this problem.

My fifth grade Special Education teacher, Ms. Evans, has informed me that her class is available to serve as student helpers at the next book sale. These children are passionate learners and eager assistants. They are currently volunteering in the library and cafeteria — so they are no stranger to a bit of hard work!

I understand that working with special needs students may seem like a challenge, and it is, but the rewards for both you and the students would be great. With nearly 25 students, the class would more than satisfy your volunteer quotas and Ms. Evans and myself will also attend to delegate duties and assist with supervision. But most importantly, the students would be learning a valuable lesson about the operation of this enormous event. They would all have a deeper appreciation for the books sale, understanding all of the work that goes into making these little miracles happen at Bright Hub.

I will be available from 9 am-6 pm, Monday through Thursday, if you would like to discuss the potential for a partnership between the fifth graders and the PTA. I hope that we can establish a bond that will last for many years to come.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Evelyn Maples

·  Introduction and Re-statement

Example

Dear PTA,

My name is Mrs. Maples and I am the lead Special Education teacher at Bright Hub Elementary. I attended your last round-table discussion and have been thinking about the difficulties you are having with securing volunteers for the upcoming book sale. I may have a solution that will help us both.

From the explanation Mrs. Reed gave at the meeting, the primary problem is finding a consistent group of volunteers — you train five or six new helpers every month and lose 10, which could mean cutting future events. I know our students love the book sale and winter carnival. The staff does, too. We would all hate to lose these annual joys.

Analysis

In this introduction, we gain an understanding of the problem at hand. The identities of the speaker and audience are revealed. A teacher at an elementary school is discussing a volunteer shortage with the PTA. The teacher compliments the PTA and acknowledges an existing relationship. Building a bridge.

·  The Explanation

Example

I may have a source of steady volunteers that can help with this problem.

My fifth grade Special Education teacher, Ms. Evans, has informed me that her class is available to serve as student helpers at the next book sale. These children are passionate learners and eager assistants. They are currently volunteering in the library and cafeteria — so they are no stranger to a bit of hard work!

Analysis

Here we get into the meat of the argument. The teacher wants the PTA to accept a responsibility and form a partnership with a student group.

·  Conclusion

Example

I understand that working with special needs students may seem like a challenge, and it is, but the rewards for both you and the students would be great. With nearly 25 students, the class would more than satisfy your volunteer quotas and Ms. Evans and myself will also attend to delegate duties and assist with supervision. But most importantly, the students would be learning a valuable lesson about the operation of this enormous event. They would all have a deeper appreciation for the books sale, understanding all of the work that goes into making these little miracles happen at Bright Hub.

I will be available from 9 am-6 pm, Monday through Thursday, if you would like to discuss the potential for a partnership between the fifth graders and the PTA. I hope that we can establish a bond that will last for many years to come.

Analysis

In the conclusion of this Rogerian argument example, we see the teacher acknowledge the potential difficulties of working with special needs students while also highlighting this class' experience. The teacher asks the PTA to look past the challenges to see the possible benefits for this event and the kids. Concessions made include the offer of adult assistance and flexible contact hours. The teacher ends on a positive note, leaving the conversation in a non-confrontational m