Blog Post #5: Final Project Prewriting - Proposal (Due 11/1)

At the end of the semester, you will submit a Final Project demonstrating some of the knowledge you have gained in this class. The class members will start presenting these projects to the class at the end of November.  For this blog post, you are going to do some prewriting for your Final Project. 

Inventing Your Final Project's Content:  Read the Final Project assignment sheet posted to Blackboard.  Then, think about the theories and course concepts discussed in class so far (rhetorical canons, rhetorical appeals, etc) and skim the chapters that will be reviewed in the next weeks (the chapters on dramatism, critical approaches to rhetoric, and rhetoric/media/technology, etc).  Think about which theories/concepts are most interesting to you, and then brainstorm about how you could apply them to a project possible for this assignment.  You could hand-write or type your ideas in a Word document (save it).  Remember: you can write a rhetorical analysis of an artifact (a speech, an advertisement campaign, etc) or do another creative project.

Topic and Format:  Based on your brainstorming, decide whether you are going to do a written project (perform a rhetorical analysis, write a speech, a fictional dialogue, etc), a visual project (a video, etc), or a web project.  Post your possible topic and the format of your project to your blog (use full sentences, such as "For the final project, I plan to ..."  Or you could open subtitles in your blog, such as "topic and format" and list your ideas besides the title).

Description of the Project and Argument:  In about a paragraph, briefly describe your project.  Your project should consist of a clear argument that aligns with the project format.  So, think about your tentative argument (this could be further developed and revised, as you work on your project), and include it in your description.

Audience and Context:  Determine the audience for your project, and note it in your blog post.

Context:  Determine the context that your project could be used, and note it in your blog post.

Online Meeting Group Activity (due by the end of the class period on 9/27)

You will use the class time on September 27 to review and comment on your peers' blogs. In order to able to complete this activity:

*Make sure that the commenting feature on your blog is available for comments. Sign in to Blogger, go to Settings>Comments, and mark “anyone can comment” to make sure your peers will be able to post to your blog for this assignment.

*Make sure that the nickname you use on your blog includes an indication of your name and last name (see my blog nickname). We must be able to correctly identify who made the comments, when grading. Unidentifiable comments cannot be counted toward the final grade for the blog assignment.

For this activity, find your group below, and go to each one of your group members' individual blogs
(except yours, of courseJ). In each blog, review your peer’s response for Blog Post #4: Qualifying
Arguments.  Check the link to the text of their choice (newspaper editorial, online blog, another online
source, etc).  Make comments (one or two paragraphs or more) about your peer’s response in light of
your reading of Chapter #4. You are free to make any connections with the chapter concepts and 
comment accordingly. You might ask yourself and comment on questions, such as: Do you find their
identification of the qualifiers/rebuttals plausible? Can you identify any other rebuttals/qualifiers in the
argument? How would you identify the claim, evidence, and type of reasoning used in this text-- in  
your opinion, which arguments were effective and which were not? Which evidence was most
persuasive? Did any warrants work better than others? OR Which of the six types of argument is 
present? Which “type” of argument was most effective? Which type was least effective? Why?

***Comments are due on your classmates' blogs by 2:45 PM on Tuesday, Sep 27.  So, start reviewing and posting to the blogs by our usual class time (1:30 PM) at the latest.  Wait for about ten minutes or so, in case your peer might just be publishing their blog post for this activity— in the meanwhile, you may go to another blog assigned to you first, etc.  If you see that any of your peers has not made his/her blog post by the end of the class time, you will not be penalized for not making a comment on his/her incompleted assignment.

BLOG COMMENTARY GROUPS

Group 1:

1) BARNES, MEAGHAN M.  

http://rhetoricalblogging.blogspot.com/
2) BLACKMER, SAMANTHA N.

http://samsrhetoric.blogspot.com/
3) BOALS, DOMINIQUE M.

 http://dominiqueboals.blogspot.com/

Group 2: 

1) BORDERS, KATHLEEN J.

http://kathleen-j.blogspot.com/
2) BREINING, MATTHEW T.

http://mattybstuff.blogspot.com/

3) CAMP, SARAH E.

http://sarahcampva.blogspot.com/

Group 3:

1) CAMPBELL, ELYSSA A.

http://rhetoricaldiaries.blogspot.com/

2) CAMPBELL, THADDEUS O.

http://thaddeuscampbell.blogspot.com/

3) CROCE, JOHN M.

http://itsnecessarilysuperfluous.blogspot.com/2011/09/introduction-to-my-blog.html

Group 4:

1) CROSS, COURTNEY L.

http://soiimcourtney.blogspot.com/
2) DIOQUINO, ELIZABETH A.

http://www.rhetoricallyliz.blogspot.com/

3) EATON, ELIZABETH D.

http://rhetoricbyelizabeth.blogspot.com/

Group 5:

1) HAYNES, CARA A.

http://rhetromags.blogspot.com/
2) HUBER, ROBERT K.

http://studentofrhetoric.blogspot.com/  

3) KOLA, KIMBERLY C.

http://kimrs.blogspot.com/

Group 6:
1) LAVERGNE, DANIELLE C.

http://myeducationaljourneyexploringrhetoric.blogspot.com/

2) LOVELACE, ELYSE R.

http://rhetoric325.blogspot.com/  
3) LUTZ-SHORTRIDGE, TIFFANY M.

http://rhetoricalhypothesis.blogspot.com/

Group 7:
1) MAPANOO, RACHEL J.

http://mythoughtsonrhetoric.blogspot.com/

2) MEISNER, ROBERT J.

http://meansofpersuasion325.blogspot.com/
3) PHILLIPS, NICHOLAS T.

http://gorun4fun.blogspot.com/

Group 8:

1) QUASH, QUINN J.

http://quinnquash.blogspot.com/

2) RESNICK, NICOLE

http://nresn001.blogspot.com/

3) SCHWARZ, LINDSAY O.

http://lschamp325.blogspot.com/

Group 9:

1) SIMMONS, DIANDRA T.

http://rhetoricalmisfit.blogspot.com/
2) SPICER, EMILY M.

http://rhetoricintheworld.blogspot.com/

3) STARR, JESSICA M.

http://rhetoricforbeginners.blogspot.com/

Group 10:

1) TANG, KRYSTAL C.

http://introto325rhetoric.blogspot.com/

2) TRIPPE, BRITTANY R.

http://brittrippe.blogspot.com/

3) VINT, KELSEY E.

http://openmiked.tumblr.com/

Blog Post #4: Qualifying Arguments (Due 9/27)

One of the most practical skills you can take from this course is the ability to identify arguments and distinguish different types of arguments from each other. You should also be able to identify strengths and weaknesses in arguments.

For this post, find an argument in an online newspaper editorial, online blog, or other online source.  Provide a link to your medium of choice in your post.

Identify the qualifiers and rebuttals that are present or absent from this argument, answering these questions:

1) How do you account for the presence or absence of qualifiers and rebuttal statements?

2) Are there some sources that are more likely to use qualifiers and rebuttals than others? Why?

*Your post is due by the beginning of the class period on Tuesday, September 27 for the Blog Commentary Group Activity that will take place from 1:30-2:45 pm on that day.  

Blog Post #3: Contemporary Letter-Writing (Due 9/20)

Read the textbook chapter on Style, Delivery, and Rhetorical Theory assigned for 9/20.  Then, find a letter written today for business or government. Or, look online at letter-writing advice. Compare contemporary letters or letter-writing advice with that of the Middle Ages discussed in the book, and respond to the following questions:

*What similarities do you notice between contemporary and Middle Age letter writing? Differences? 
*How do you account for these similarities and differences? 
*What impact has technology had on letter-writing?

Note: please begin the title of your responses as Blog Post #1, Blog Post #2, etc, for identification when grading.  You can continue with your own title, or use the same title as this blog post assignment (just make sure to identify the number of the blog post assignment). 

Blog Post #2: Presidential Rhetoric (Due 9/13)

Go to the president's website at http://www.whitehouse.gov.  Choose a recent speech by the president (http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room) and use the five canons of rhetoric to analyze and evaluate the speech.  Use these questions to guide your analysis:  What type of proof does the president use?  How is the speech arranged?  Describe the stylistic elements of the speech, such as use of metaphor or rhetorical figures.  If you can watch the speech, describe the president's delivery.  How might memory have been an important part of creating and delivering the speech? Overall, was the speech effective?  Why or why not?

Blog Post #1: Introduction (Due 9/8)

Your first blog post assignment is to post an introduction to your own course blog. Remember that anyone online can stumble on your blog; by making an introductory post, you will be making it clear to your audiences "what" your text is about and "who" the writer is. You can use some of the prompts for introducing yourself on the first day of classes (see the prompts below). Do not copy these questions in your post; rather, write a coherent paragraph about yourself/your blog that will include your answers to the questions.

Writing prompts:
Tell us about yourself. 
*What is your name?
*What is your major? What are your reasons for choosing it (what would you like to do with your degree, etc)? (Optionally, you can also tell your readers about where you are from and anything you would like to add about yourself--something interesting, unique, like a hobby, etc.)
*Why have you created this blog (for our course, etc)? What would you like to accomplish or what do you expect to accomplish in this course?

P.S. All blog post assignments are due by the beginning of the class period on the due date stated in the blog title.

Welcome to ENGL 325!

Dear Students of ENGL 325:

Welcome to our course blog! This blog will serve as a medium for us to communicate about our course, which will allow you to study the history and theory of rhetoric and apply this knowledge to the analysis and production of texts and artifacts. I am looking forward to working with you this semester.