As the world becomes more globalized and our
lives touch those of many other cultures, knowing ourselves and using out
thinking to respectfully persuade others becomes of utmost importance in
becoming global citizens. In one of persuasion’s oldest senses, to “argue”
means to clarify – to persuasively demonstrate a point with logic and
precision. In my opinion, writing arguments helps the writer to clarify his/her
thinking about the complexities of a given topic or problem. In this course,
you will develop the critical thinking skills, writing strategies and
rhetorical awareness to prepare you for college-level argumentative writing.
By reading pop culture and scholarly arguments
critically, this class will emphasize the reading and writing of analytical arguments
to foster a critical awareness of argument in our daily and academic lives.
Over the course of the semester, you will critically read and analyze scholarly
and creative texts that make both implicit and explicit arguments. As such, you
will be expected to give all reading assignments (advertisements, literacy
narratives, essays, comic books, news articles, creation stories,
documentaries, movies, etc.) equal critical treatment.
With the successful completion of this course,
you should be able to
- compose college-level writing that fulfills the
expectations for a rhetorically effective argument, - provide evidence of
using and adapting strategies for composing, revising, editing and proofreading
to produce academically-appropriate finished prose, - compose an argument that
makes use of relevant and credible source material, and - format an argument
in accordance with an appropriate style guide.
Required Texts:
- A reliable dictionary of choice
- An appropriate style guide or access to a reputable online guide
- Textbook: Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with
Readings (8th edition) edited by John. D. Ramage, John C. Bean & June Johnson - Non-Fiction: The Truth about Stories by Thomas King
- Fiction/Poetry: Sista Tongue by Lisa Linn Kanae
- Graphic Novel: “We3” written by Grant
Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely