PA#9 -- The Wiki

By Sunday, 9/29, blog a paragraph describing your wiki project. The paragraph should probably come in three parts:

1. A general description of the project that acts as your topic sentence. Don't forget to give the name of your group or the names of its members.

2. An explanation of the project in somewhat more detail than the first sentence.

3. Your particular place in the project. What are your responsibilities in terms of content? Do you have any responsibilities in terms of the writing process itself (research, drafting, revision, and/ or editing)?

PA#8

Take one of Bagaric's and Clarke's sub-arguments and respond to it. You may want to confirm. In that case, you can do the writers some good by providing evidence for their point of view. But first you must summarize their claim and expand upon it.

You may want to refute. In that case, first summarize their argument on that argument, state your own claim in response, and then provide evidence for your claim.

Please post your response by Tuesday 9-24-13 at 5 PM so that we can talk about them in class on Wednesday.

PA #7, cont.

Summarize the argument of the essay on pp. 196 - 200 of WFS. Start by mentioning the author and title and stating the main argument (its thesis). Then, outline the author's arguments for the thesis.

Don't state your responses to the essay yet. You'll get that chance when you write the essay.

Post the paragraph here by Sunday, 9-22 at 5 PM.

PA #7 (for notes)

PA#7

Okay, let's try this process again.

Read the essay on pp. 196 - 199 in WFS. Think in a systematic way about whether you agree or disagree with the writers' main argument (thesis) and the sub-arguments that support their thesis. Blog some notes here.

Bring notes to class on Friday, 9-20, and blog them here by Thursday 9-19 at 5 PM.

PA #6 -- Refutation

Find one small element (not the whole thing) of Carl Singleton's argument to disagree with and write a paragraph about it.

First, you'll have to state his opinion and explain it. Then, you'll have to state your opposing view and explain it. Finally, you'll have to find some valid source to support your point of view.

For now, use informal citation. ("According to Carl Singleton, 'blah, blah, blah'" and the like. See TSIS for appropriate transitions.)

Take some notes and bring them to class on Friday, 9/13. Blog the paragraph by Sunday 9/15 at 5 PM.

PA#5 They Say, Part 3 (Summarizing)

Read Carl Singleton's short essay on pp. 192 -94 of WFS. Summarize its main arguments in a paragraph.

The author's name and the title of the essay should appear somewhere in the first sentence. Early on, you should summarize or quote the main idea of the essay.

After that, summarize the main arguments that Singleton uses to support that main idea. Note that you are writing only a summary paragraph. Don't evaluate S's ideas. Note also that you must choose wisely the ideas that you decide to write about. Please concern yourself with the main facets of the argument and not the details and examples.

Bring notes for your paragraph to class on Wednesday (9/11/13). We'll write a draft that day.

By Thursday (9/12/13) at 5 PM, blog the paragraph. We'll look at some of them in class on Friday (9/12).

PA#4 -- They Say, Part 2 (Confirmation/ Downshifting)

Please bring notes for the assignment to class on Monday (9/9/13). We'll be writing a draft in class that day. Then blog the paragraph by Tuesday (9/10/13) at 5 PM.

The assignment:

Look at your notes from other classes. Find some small claim made by the professor in that class. I emphasize the word "small" here. You're writing only a paragraph and not an entire essay.

State the claim. Explain it. Then, provide evidence to support it.

Note that your opinion is valid here, but it does not argue. You need to build an argument with evidence from valid sources. Use them in the paragraph.

PA#3:  They Say . . .

For your third paragraph, consider a single piece of advice or evaluation about college that somebody gave you before you came to college. State that advice and explain it briefly. Based on your very limited experience, comment that advice or evaluation. Was it true? Did it help  as you started your college career?

Here's an example: My daddy told me that I was starting a new life. I could remake myself any way I wanted. I took that advice to heart. I had been a nerd, an awkward, anti-social geek. By the end of orientation, I was Mr. Popularity because I remade myself. In a paragraph I would explain all that in detail, and then tell the story of the single event that helped others to see me in that light.

As you write, consider using some of the transitional devices in TSIS. Their use will help you to construct a fully developed and well organized paragraph.

We'll review some of the paragraphs on Friday, so please get them on the blog by Thursday at 5 PM.