Homework for Tuesday, April 23rd

In a blog post, please provide a counter argument to your position. Doing so will help you see where the other side stands on your topic, which will help you empathize with the opposition and create a stronger argument for your own paper. Your post should include the following:

1. State the opposite of your thesis.
2. Make one claim that helps support this new thesis.
3. Find at least one piece of cited evidence that supports the claim.
4. Draw the connection between the evidence and the claim through sound reasoning.
5. List the cited source in the post (don't worry about the formatting).

Make sure the content from numbers 2-4 are written in paragraph form. This post needs to be on your blog by Tuesday, April 23rd. Also, I have uploaded an student example of an argumentative research paper to D2L. Please read this and be prepared to discuss it on Tuesday. The assignment sheet for the rough draft and final paper is also up on D2L. Please review it and let me know if you have any questions.

Homework for Thursday, April 18th

After having watched the video debate in class, please respond to the following questions in a blog post. Your post should total at least 250 words.

• What's the purpose of the debate?
• How does each speaker connect to his respective audience?
• Identify at least one rhetorical trap/fallacy/misstep from each speaker.
• Was the debate worthwhile?
• Based on what you've seen here, is the act of debating necessary?

Please have your responses up by Thursday, April 18th. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Class for Thursday, April 11th

Due to the weather, I am canceling class for Thursday; please check your MavMail for more details. I will have an assignment for Tuesday posted here tomorrow. Stay tuned.

In-Class 4/9 and Homework for 4/11

After examining the purpose of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," I want you all to ask yourselves why you are arguing for the topic you chose. What is the purpose of your stance? Why is it important? Think about these questions and respond to them in a blog post. Your responses could become the basis of your paper's conclusion.

For Thursday, April 11th, please compose a Works Cited page, consisting of at least 5 sources you plan on using for your paper. The assignment sheet is available under the Content section of D2L (titled, "Works Cited Assignment") for download. Your Works Cited page should be submitted via the D2L dropbox with the same title as the assignment sheet.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email.

Homework for Tuesday, April 9th

Please read the essay "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King Jr., found in the content section of D2L. In order to help facilitate an in-class discussion, you will need to write a response to the essay, following the guidelines in the assignment sheet. The assignment sheet also can be found under the Content section of D2L. If you have any questions about the assignment, please feel free to contact me.

Next Thursday, there will be another extra credit opportunity. We will be ending class early so that anyone interested in earning extra credit can attend the Good Thunder Craft Talk. Just a heads-up: I would like you all to submit a draft of your Works Cited page on Thursday, April 11th. I will have an assignment sheet for you on Tuesday, but I wanted to let you know in advance.

For Thursday, April 4th

I have setup a discussion forum for your very rough drafts in D2L. Please post your draft--including an introduction with thesis, three body paragraphs, and conclusion--before class on Thursday, so that we can peer review them during our class time.

Remember: If you have cited research in your paper, include a properly formatted Works Cited page.