Finishing up response essays: At the beginning of class I drew your attention to the homework assignments I will be looking at as I provide feedback for your response essay. The points will be allocated in a way similar to the summary unit: 25 pts for preparation work, 25 pts for the finished essay. I will send a grade sheet to your email address, sometime before next class. This grade sheet will be a grade-so-far, and will give an indication of credit you have earned for participation (attending class, being perpared, and taking part in class discussions), your baseline essay, and for the summary and response writing. I will start class by answering question and talking a little about how to interpret the grade-so-far.
Reading the conversation:
We started class with a discussion of TS/IS's overview of strategies for reading essays both for the author's point (the I Say) and the set of arguments, assumptions, or beliefs that the author is arguing against (the They Say). As pointed out in this chapter, the They Say may be implied, a gap (or an undeveloped argument), or it might be just plain hard to figure out.
You worked in groups on how to figure out the "They Say" in difficult text, and we came up with the following (general) strategies:
1. Look for words from the templates that "signal" the They Say or the I Say. For example, words before words like "but" are often part of the They Say, and words that follow it are often part of the I Say.
2. Use the overall organization of the essay to identify TS v IS. In general (though not always), the They Say comes first.
3. Look for words that name a position as "mistaken" or missing the point. For example, in the Ungar essays, the TS statements were identified as "misperceptions".
The text also suggested additional strategies for reading texts that were just plain hard to understand.
1. Identify words you don't know or aren't sure of - and define them. Then see if you can paraphrase the sentences where they are used.
2. Build bridges from confusing or new material to ideas that are more familiar. In doing this, double check to make sure that you are building the right kind of bridge - that your idea and the idea in the text are actually connected.
3. We didn't say this one - but make use of the internet to see how other writers may have interpreted the reading you are stuck on . This can help with bridge-building.
The New Liberal Arts
We spent the rest of class talking about Ungar's The New Liberal Arts. You worked in groups to identify the main ideas and supporting points for the They Say, and for the I Say for each "misperception" in Ungar's essay. (hint: if Ungar names something a misperception => it is a They Say.) We then talked as a class about points 1,3,5 & 7 and spent some time talking about both the TS & the IS for each point.
After we had those points on the board we noticed that Ungar had not directly stated his set of beliefs (whether he was liberal or conservative), but rather wrote his essay to appeal to conservatives (the people he sought to convince?) by pointing out that liberal education and liberal beliefs were actually quite different, and that in fact, liberal education fit with a conservative agenda. At the same time, in the last point, he holds government accountable for making liberal arts education affordable. He says the government has not given enough support - and that it has the capacity to give much more (so everyone has an equal opportunity). This last point is clearly part of the "liberal" agenda.
So who was Ungar seeking to convince? We decided it was the conservatives he needed to bring around, since the liberals probably already agreed with him. So, was the logic of this piece designed to connect to the belief systems of conservatives? Maybe. All except for that last point (which is maybe why it was last?)
Who do you need to persuade with a persuasive argument?
So - very briefly, we spent the last part of class going over the different kinds of moves you can make to persuade someone who does not agree with your argument. You can give them reasons - information that might change their mind (if they believe it); you can appeal to their hearts - by stepping into their perspective, seeing how they feel & what they believe and speaking to that; or you can get them to understand and respect the authority of your argument - essentially, get them to trust you, respect you, and see things from your perspective.
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, and in classical rhetoric - Aristotle identified these three moves as appeals to logos (logic); pathos (emption - getting your reader/listener to empathize), and ethos (character - establishing your knowledge, integrity, and/or expertise).
As we noted in our discussion at the end of class - sometimes getting someone to see your point of view is NOT about having "the facts" or even about "being right". It is about making a connection to what the person on the other side believes, how s/he feels, or what she wants. Therefore, an effective argument absolutely has to be a conversation - where you include the They Say, and acknowledge it and consider it as seriously as what you will say back to it. Moves for pathos and ethos are essential to establishing a connection to They Say in a way that lets "Them" hear your argument, and maybe even be willing to see some of the value in it.
For next class
Read: Are colleges worth the price of admission? p 179.
Write: post your notes on Ungar to the Persuasive Essay page. Name the file YourNameUngarNotes. These notes should describe the They Say and the I Say for each of Ungar's 7 points. Use the strategies we noted in class for figuring out 2,4 & 6 (the points we didn't do together in class)
In class on Tuesday, you will practice identifying the audience, purpose and form for your arguments, and you will work on creating "arguments" based in the three different appeals. Your arguments will reply to or draw from one of the I Says set forward in the readings on the cost of higher education, Ungar or Hacker & Drefus.
Have a great weekend, and see you Tuesday!
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