Write-Up 1 & 2 Scores

Here is a spreadsheet of your scores on Write-Ups 1 and 2, as they stand now:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ap9oU02C12STdEtmYWxLODllclJiNmN4Y1h3MEFEaEE#gid=0.

(Please note: If you don't see a score for any of your write-ups in this spreadsheet, and you did submit write-ups, please contact me as soon as possible.)

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(Update, 3/1/2014: I have just finished correcting a mistake in this spreadsheet. The current scores should be correct and up-to-date.)

Reminders for Next Week

For next week ...

-- Go on reading in Better. Please read the next chapter, "Piecework," p. 112-129.

-- Remember that your Essay 2 first draft (label: "Essay 2 Draft 1") is due on your group blog by 11:59 PM Thursday night, 3/6/2014.

-- And don't forget that I'll be absent on Thursday, 3/6/2014. We won't meet in class that day. But please check the course site. I'll be posting a graded online assignment for you to do.

Sample Summary-and-Response Essays

We talked about the difference between informal and formal writing. This difference is important in taking an article write-up and developing it into a summary-and-response essay. So let's take a look at some examples, to illustrate what you might need to do in your own work.

Here's a former student's article write up:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STVGNyZWExMGZXaXM/edit.

Now here's this student's summary-and-response essay, based on the same article:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STaS0yZ1hJel8xamc/edit.

Take a moment to read through these two sample assignments. What do you notice with regards to the differences between them? What has this student done to her informal article write-up to make it into a formal summary-and-response essay? What has this student done well here? And what has she done not-so-well? What lessons can we learn from this student's efforts?

Now, here's another student's summary-and-response essay, based on a different article:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STNjhqamZaWWZ2M2M/edit.

Take a moment to look at this summary-and-response essay, too. What do you think makes this essay work? Does it seem to be successful in appealing to a possible audience? What does this essay do well in appealing to an audience? What does this essay do not-so-well? What can you learn from this student's work about making your own summary-and-response essay convincing?

Reading Quiz: "What Doctors Owe"

On your own, please take out a sheet of paper, put your name and "Reading Quiz" on top, then open the link below and follow the directions inside (Notice: It might be smart to have a copy of Atul Gawande's book, Better, next to you as you work on this quiz):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iOM8Qr4VTj2s7yStiCq4qkJBuZxhA7uaw1Q9lgYTRVM/edit.

Classwork: Analysis of an Argumentative Essay

Together with on or two other classmates, make your own analysis of the following article from The Seattle Times:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STeHJ5c0NLYVItYjQ/edit.

Here's a link to the worksheet that I would like you to use in analyzing the above article:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STM2FLeTQ2QVg1Ylk/edit.

Argument Basics: Writing for an Audience & the Three Rhetorical Appeals

What's the difference between writing for yourself and writing for an audience? Why is writing for yourself often called "informal" and writing for others often called "formal"? What's are some basic differences between formal and informal writing? These are the basic differences between our article write-ups (which are supposed to be informal) and a summary-and-response essay (which is supposed to be formal).

The question of appealing to an audience, arguing in ways that interest people, move people, convince people, has troubled speakers and writers since the beginning of civilization. Eventually, philosophers started to develop theories regarding how to answer this question effectively. One such philosopher, Aristotle, broke down appealing to an audience into three categories, The Three Rhetorical Appeals:

-- Logos -- appealing to an audience based on the audience's logic and basic reasoning

-- Pathos -- appealing to an audience based on the audience's emotions

-- Ethos --  appealing to an audience based on their values and beliefs, their ethics

Notice: The key in appealing to an audience is looking at an argument form their perspective, not yours. Consider this comparison: Every audience wants you, the writers and speakers, to think like them, or at least to try to relate to them; but not every audience wants you to "be yourself." So remember, when writing for an audience, focus on the audience's perspective. Trust me; this is a simple but challenging idea.

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Here's an exercise to try to think through the basic ideas of appealing to an audience:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zlkm9inXBdtxNvL-exVOwuZRRNCFFiIJeIUZzXH4z8Y/edit.
(And here's the same document in a Word file, just in case the link above doesn't work for you:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STWlhzQ2ZvdnB1dlk/edit.)

Essay 2: Summary-and-Response Essay

Here's the link to your Essay 2: Summary-and-Response Essay assignment (p. 1) and rubric (p. 2):
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STMFR6QVdEN3RhMHc/edit.