March 19

For writing into the day, we answered the following questions:
1. In academic writing, you shouldn't use second person (you, your).  Why do you think this is?
2. Why do you have to write formally for academic writing?

While discussing these questions, we said:

• You shouldn't use "you" because it will feel antagonist to the reader.
• "You" makes the writing more opinionated.  It make it more full of commands.
• "You" suggests that you are telling the reader how to feel and what to think.
• You should write formally because you need to sound like you know what you are talking about.
• It's professional.  That's the way you will need to write in the future.
• Informal writing suggests that you are uneducated. 
• Why does informal writing get linked with a lack of education?
• Because we were taught these rules in a classroom.  We learned it in school so it is linked with education.
• Small children don't know the rules so if you don't know them, you seem like a child, who is uneducated.

We got into six small groups and read pages 76-79 in Practical Arugment.  Then, we applied the reading to essays in Practical Argument by finding the organization, the thesis, the evidence, and the stylistic techniques and assesssing the argument.  Half the class read "There's a Reason They Choose Schools" (pages 508-510) and the other half read "Is College for Everyone?" (pages 635-636).  After each group analyzed the essay, the small groups that read the same essay joined together (creating two big groups) and compared answers.  The goal was to come up with a big group consensus.

Homework:

• There is an extra credit opportunity.  If you revise your Visual Analysis and post it to Blackboard before Friday at midnight, you will recieve 10 points extra credit.
• Choose another article that you will be using for your Annotated Bibliography.  On you blog, analyze the rhetorical strategies of the article (thesis, organization, evidence, and stylistic techniquies) and assess the argument.

Bring two article for your Annotated Bibliography to class on Thursday.  These articels should be articles you've already read and know you are using for the Annotated Bibliography.