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Most writing in college requires that you do research to inform…
Most writing in college requires that you do research to inform yourself about the arguments and evidence of experts in your field, weigh the sources of agreement and disagreement between a variety of texts, and draw informed conclusions about important issues. In other words, when you write an essay with sources or give a presentation with sources, you must do much more than simply summarize what others have said but make a point based on your understanding of how the sources talk to each other. Margaret Kantz calls this type of writing an original argument based on sources.
Assignment:
Compare the arguments in the articles by Fish and Young. Using what you have learned from the Kantz article about rhetorical reading, examine each article. Begin by establishing what’s called rhetorical context: ” Who is the author? What are their credentials? Where was the article published? Who is the intended audience? For example, people reading the New York Times are not necessarily the same people as those reading a scholarly journal.
Ask the following questions:
What is each author’s message? What is it that they think their audience needs to hear? Devote some space to summarizing each article, capturing the most important ideas. A good way to practice summary is to put the text away and write down the main points you recall. You can always go back later and add specific examples.
What is each author’s credibility? Doing so goes beyond establishing their expertise. Ask questions such as these: Does the writer come across as honest, serious, and authentic?
How does each writer appeal to their specific audience? What reasons do they state to support their argument? Do the authors appeal to the audience’s emotions? Do they appeal to reason, for example by offering evidence? Does the evidence inspire honest debate?
Do the authors disagree on each aspect of the issue?
Why and how do the authors disagree? Your essay must present an answer to this question. Ultimately, your answer will be somewhere in your introduction as a thesis statement, but don’t worry if you don’t have an answer yet. Trust that your answers to the questions above as well as the class discussion will get you there.
What do you think about this issue? Which argument did you find more persuasive and why? Do any of the ideas discussed in these two sources resonate with your own experience as a writer? If so, how?
Note: These questions will help you gather ideas and do some prewriting; however, they do not suggest an essay structure. Do not simply write a list of answers.
Main Learning Outcomes for this Assignment:
assess complex texts for audience, purpose, tone, and development.
evaluate arguments for logical consistencies and fallacies.
synthesize concepts and evidence from complex texts and sources.
To be marked complete, this assignment must meet these standards:
Unity and Organization: The thesis is apparent and generally controls the direction and development of the essay. For the most part, paragraphs are unified. The essay has a logical progression of ideas.
Ideas and Support: The essay shows a basic understanding of the sources. The essay develops its supporting points with adequate evidence and analysis. The essay addresses the essay topic and meets the required length.
Style and Mechanics: The essay may contain some errors that distract the reader but do not impede understanding.
Documentation and Use of Sources; The essay displays awareness of MLA documentation and citations, though there may be a few errors. Writing is free of plagiarism.
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