Today’s Plan:
- Williams and Bizup on Actions (Canvas)
- Review Piece #1 Submission
- Workshop
Williams and Bizup on Actions
Hi all. First I want to read a selection from William and Bizup’s Style together. Then we’ll work through a quiz on Canvas.
Review Drafts of Medium Piece #1 Assignment
So:
- Q: How long is the draft? A: 800-1000 words
- Q: Where do I turn the draft in? A: On Canvas
- Q: Am I publishing this on medium? A: NO. This week we draft. Next week we revise. Then we publish on Medium. For now, CANVAS.
- Q: Do I use MLA or APA format? A: No. You have to attribute sources by using the author’s name, use quotation marks when you are directly quoting material, and make it VERY clear when an idea comes from a source and when it is your own. We’ll talk about this more on Tuesday when we discuss attribution, citation, and plagiarism
Remember the framework that I showed last class. What I really want to stress to them here is that your medium posts are 75% summarizing and comparing what other people have said and 25% arguing for your own position. A stock blueprint:
- First paragraph points the reader to something that just happened or is about to happen
- Second paragraph offers one perspective on it
- Third paragraph compares that perspective to another that basically agrees with it (but maybe points out minor differences)
- Fourth paragraph contrasts those perspectives to a really different perspective
- Fifth paragraph offers and even different perspective, or someone who brings a new question to the issue/event/object/etc
- Sixth paragraph argues which person you think is the most right and why
- Seventh paragraph shows how you would argue against the person you think is the most wrong (might point to another article with some concrete evidence)
- Eighth paragraph concludes without getting all wishy washy and saying “well, that’s my opinion but there’s a lot of opinions, what’s yours?”
A quick word of advice about conclusions. They are tricky. Stock advice is to simply restate the introduction or to try and re-emphasize your main point. Another strategy is to switch from whether something is true to what we should do about it (if you are writing that kind of argument–we’ll get to this later in the semester when we talk about stasis). For instance:
Despite all the evidence, some people will continue to doubt the existence of climate change. This conclusion is not for those people. Rather, I want to end by suggesting that those of us who do accept its reality need to make three daily changes. First, we can…
Or…
Despite what I have shared here, some of you will still continue to predict that the Broncos will make the playoffs. Quarterback shwarterback. Here’s my advice for the rest of you sane people out there. Go hiking on Sundays. Take up portrait painting. Invest in a new Sudoku book. Do anything but watch this collection of shwaterbacks try to throw the ball.
We’ll talk about conclusions a bit more in the coming weeks.
Workshopping
Today is our first workshop session. Workshop provides writers an opportunity to see how others are receiving their writing. Normally, I’ll solicit volunteers at the end of Tuesday’s class and distribute these pieces on Wednesday afternoon; that way you will all have a chance to read and comment on them before Thursday’s class. Today I’ll read the papers and ask you to listen. As I read, I want you to do a couple of things:
- First, pay attention for claims. When does the author start arguing something? Does she offer evidence? Enough evidence? Quality evidence? Do you have questions about the accuracy of evidence? Do you think some other people might not accept her evidence as evidence? Our first concern is to pay attention to the arguments the author advances, and that means also paying attention to how she supports her claims
- Second, just mark off with a star or something any sentence that grabs your attention. It is really hard to talk about style and writing. We don’t have a lot of words to do it. I think the best way to start talking about style is to pay attention to sentences that peak our interest (or, conversely, sentences that rub us the wrong way). So, look for those sentences that stand out, either because they grab your attention or prick your nerves.
- Third, since we just did an activity with Williams and Bizup, let’s pay attention to the subjects and verbs. Are there places where the author could use a more vivid verb?
After I’ve finished reading, I’ll often ask you to write a sentence or two. Then we’ll go around in a circle and I will ask everyone to contribute. If you make a meaningful contribution, then you earn a point for today in Canvas. If you don’t, then you don’t. And no, I can’t precisely define what I mean by meaningful–but I can say that it has to be something specific to the paper, and not a generic, vanilla comment that you could say in response to any piece of writing.
Homework
Submit the complete draft of your first medium piece to Canvas by 11:59pm on Sunday.
