Feb 22 => Persuasion!

In class to day I showed you how to share your portfolios.  Those of you who needed additional help to complete the portfolio will meet with me in my office - CAS 324 - Wednesday, Feb 23 at 2:00 pm.  I will leave a  note on the door to let anyone who is a little late which computer lab we are working in.

We started thinking about persuasion by talking through a hypothetical situation where one person, J,  was in a position where he wanted to persuade another, K.  We began by listing the reasons K might choose to do what J  wanted.  We then listed the reasons J would present to K if he tried to persuade him.  We noted that these two lists were different => the content and organization of an argument depends on your audience and your purpose.

We them quickly reviewed the presentation of argument in your text.  We discussed the use of logos, pathos, and ethos - the three ways to appeal to your audience to see your side.  We talked about what each kind of appeal can do - and began to think about when, where and why you might choose one appeal over another.

We then looked at Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha - and identified the main points + the nature of her appeals.

For homework:
Read: HTWA Chapter 3, Argument
Write: write a plan for an argument against "Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha.  Use a process similar to the process we walked through in class to discover what you have to say.  After doing some invention writing (this can be listing, freewriting, clustering, detailed listing etc) develop your plan.  Your plan should include the points you will make in the order you will make them.  Label the appeal you make for each point.