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Final Paper Rubric

For this assignment, you will compose a 7-10 page paper in which you synthesize research on a topic of your choosing to answer (or begin to answer) your inquiry question(s).

In your essay, you should:

  • Leave readers with a clear understanding of your inquiry question(s) and the answer(s) to your inquiry question(s). Stay focused on your question throughout the paper.
  • Use your research to develop claims that you support with evidence drawn from your research
  • Use both academic sources and non-academic sources for a total of at least 6 sources and document these sources appropriately using APA style
  • Follow the structural and stylistic conventions of academic writing
    • Formal tone/word choice
    • Paragraphs use topic sentences, evidence, analysis, and transitions
    • Each paragraph stays focused on one topic or subtopic
    • Can use “I,” but please don’t use “you” (in the sense of “you’re probably thinking that…”)
  • Use at least 5 rhetorical devices in your paper, 2 of which can be repeats
  • Write a separate note explaining all of the intentional rhetorical choices you made in your essay (the above devices, but also appeals to ethos/logos/pathos, choices you made based on how you want to present yourself as a speaker, based on your message, based on your audience—me, or your classmates, or an imagined broader audience, etc.)

Intentions for this paper:

  • Rather than picking a belief/position/opinion you already have and using research to support that opinion, I want you to pick a topic/question that interests you and you want to learn more about. That doesn’t mean you can’t have beliefs about that topic, but it should be something you feel open to new information about.
  • I want you to genuinely learn something via your research—that’s what research is supposed to do!
  • Your inquiry questions should not be the kinds of questions where it’s easy to find a simple answer on Google.
  • Your inquiry questions should also be narrow/specific enough that you aren’t trying to solve a huge global problem or write a whole book in just this one paper.

Final Paper Rubric (100 points)

1. First and second drafts are turned in on time, peer review is completed in a timely manner, peer review is specific, thorough, and respectful (30 points)             

2. Incorporates research effectively and appropriately to support the argument (10 points)

  • All claims are backed up by evidence as needed, which is correctly cited (5 points)
  • Quotes or paraphrases from sources are well-integrated into the paragraphs (no naked quotes) (5 points)                                                                                       

3. The paper uses evidence from reliable sources and/or addresses the potential biases of the source/information. If there are common criticisms of the main argument, the paper addresses those criticisms using evidence. (10 points)                                                

3. Paragraphs and sections follow the structural conventions of Standard American Academic English (15 points)

  • Paper includes an introductory section (may be more than one paragraph) that establishes the topic, the inquiry question(s), and the writer’s preliminary answer to the question(s) (5 points)
  • Body paragraphs stay focused on individual claims supported by relevant evidence and use topic sentences and transition phrases (5 points)
  • The paper includes a conclusion that explains why the inquiry is important and what readers should take away from the paper. (5 points)                                   

4. Paper is correctly formatted in APA style (5 points)

  • Title page and/or header
  • Abstract with keywords
  • In-text citations are largely correct
  • Works cited/references/bibliography page is largely correct                     

5. Follows the stylistic conventions of Standard American Academic English (5 points)

  • Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Formatting, Capitalization, Formality     

6. Includes at least 5 rhetorical devices (2 can be repeats), which the student has either labeled in the text or pointed out in a separate document. The student has also written a separate statement describing their intentional rhetorical choices in the paper. (15 points)

6. Other Requirements (10 points)

  • Paper meets the length requirement
  • At least 6 sources are used                                                                        

Portfolio Assignment Sheet

I passed this out in class last week, but, posting again in case you lost it or weren’t here!

Due: Thursday, July 28 by end of the day

Your final portfolio, worth 20% of your grade, is your chance to showcase your learning this semester. There are several components to the portfolio, listed below. All page guidelines are minimum requirements.

  1. The first draft of your research paper (required by English department)
  2. Final (or even further revised) drafts of the following:
    • Paper 1: This I No Longer Believe
    • Proposal for Final Paper
    • Annotated Bibliography
    • Outline for Final Paper
    • Imaginary Interview
    • Final Paper
  3. A reflective letter, addressed either to me or to the class as a whole, analyzing your work this semester. Think of it as a fresh “Yourself as Reader and Writer” essay now that the semester is over. What did you learn from ENG 101? What do you want to learn more about? What skills do you want to further develop? Look back at the learning objectives on the syllabus. How have you achieved these objectives? What evidence (from your work this semester) shows that achievement? You should also reflect specifically on your “This I No Longer Believe” paper and your final paper. What do you think went well in these papers? What are you proud of? What did you do in your writing process that helped you to be successful? If you had more time to revise, what would you change? This letter should be as long as it needs to be, but I expect it will need to be at least 3 or 4 pages.
  4. Answer this question (however long it takes to answer in whatever form you choose): If you had the freedom to write about whatever you wanted, in whatever form you wanted, what would you do? (Or, you can think of it this way: if you had to change one of our assignments and its requirements to let you write EXACTLY the thing you want to write, what changes would you make?) Why is this your dream piece of writing?
  5. (Optional) Any additional assignments you want to showcase or commentary you wish to include about your work this semester.

You should present your portfolio as a digital portfolio (site) on the CUNY Commons or using WordPress.com. You may organize the required components however you wish on your site, but you should make these choices with rhetorical awareness. What looks professional and aesthetically pleasing? What organization makes logical sense for how you want the reader to navigate through the site? Is your site easy to read?

Portfolio Rubric

1. Portfolio contains all required components and was turned in on time. (20 points)

2. All components meet the length requirement. (15 points)                                

3. The final reflective essay offers compelling and persuasive insight into the student’s learning and growth (and/or lack thereof, and/or future goals for learning and growth) over the course of the semester. The final reflective essay uses specific examples from the student’s writing, actions, or life experiences to support the student’s claims. (25 points)

4. All components exhibit the appropriate structural and stylistic conventions for personal reflective writing in the student’s dialect of choice. (15 points)                        

5. The Portfolio utilizes WordPress/CUNY Commons in a rhetorically effective way, exhibiting design and organization choices that make the portfolio professional, easy to read/navigate, and reflective of the individual student. (25 points)

Day 12 (Wednesday, July 27)

Homework Due Before Class

Read this explanation of misleading graph strategies

Then take a look through these examples:

Agenda

  • Rhetorical Devices presentation (Ashlynn)
  • Talking about citations + APA formatting
  • Work time/conferences

Materials Used During Class

Guidelines for APA title page, header, abstract, keywords

Sample APA doc from class

Homework Due Before Next Class

Final draft
Portfolio
Prepare show-and-tell
All missing/make up work

Day 11 (Tuesday, July 26)

Full agenda here

Homework Due Before Class

Second drafts due
Read about Scarcity Appeal and Cognitive Biases

Agenda

  • Rhetorical devices presentations (Cesar, Leslie, and Yasmin)
  • Introductions and Conclusions
  • Conferences and Peer Review

Homework Due Before Next Class

Read this explanation of misleading graph strategies

Then take a look through these examples:

Rhetorical Devices: Glittering Generalities, Climax, Parallelism/Chiasmus

Due Monday 7/25

The readings on these devices can be found here.

For EACH rhetorical device, please post:

1. Two examples of the device in use in the world (ideally, one you witnessed in real life or made up yourself. Try not to just Google examples)

2. Any relevant context for understanding the sentence (you may not need to write anything for this part if it’s clear on its own)

3. An analysis of what the device ADDS to the speaker’s message.

Do NOT just explain to me why your examples are examples of your device. That is not useful to either of us — we both know they are, and the goal isn’t to prove that you know the definition. The goal is to show understanding of WHY someone might use the device in a particular situation and WHAT they might be trying to achieve with it.

WHY might someone use this particular example of procatalepsis or distinctio? What are they achieving? Your analysis should talk about the SPECIFIC EXAMPLES that you chose.

So: you should have SIX examples + analysis total this week (2 glittering generalities, 2 climax, 2 either parallelism or chiasmus), UNLESS you think a particular example is using more than one of the appeals. Then in your analysis just explain how the example is appealing to both and why.

I DID AN EXAMPLE ANALYSIS FOR YOU, YOU CAN SEE IT HERE.

Reminder: If you are doing your presentation on a set of devices, you do not have to do the examples + analysis for those devices.

Day 9 (Thursday, July 21)

Full agenda here

Homework Due Before Class

Read:

  1. “Glittering Generalities”
  2. “Climax, Parallelism, and Chiasmus”

Write/do:

  1. Romance, Gender, and Sex Appeal examples/analysis
  2. First/partial draft

Agenda-at-a-Glance

  • Rhetorical Devices Presentation (Alvin)
  • Independent work time
  • Peer review time

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM

Peer Review Preferences (Final Paper)

Peer Review Preferences. No matter which option you choose, you will be expected to give feedback to peers. If you choose instructor feedback only, you will be given two anonymous drafts to give feedback on.(Required)

Homework Due Before Monday’s Class

  • Continue working on your paper
  • If you didn’t already write an outline, write an outline
  • Read “How To Teach a Child to Argue”
  • Read “Parenthesis and Enumeratio”
  • Do your examples + analysis for Glittering Generalities, Climax, and Parallelism/Chiasmus

EXAMPLE ANALYSIS

This is an example of Romance Appeal.

Context: This is a picture I took of an ad on the MTA that is part of OK Cupid’s “Every Single” campaign. Each part of the campaign has a different image and says “Every single _____.” This one is “Every single cuddler.”

Analysis: Dating apps can be used for romance, sex, or both. Some dating apps (like Hinge) are designed for people looking for long term relationships, and others (like Grindr) are designed for people looking just for sex, although you may find anything on any app. In this image, OK Cupid tries to appeal to people looking for romance by emphasizing that people who like to CUDDLE are on this app, that this app is for every single person who likes to cuddle (it’s a pun — “every single” in the sense of “every single one,” but also in the sense of “all cuddlers who are single”). The weirdness of the image– two very tall people with three sets of arms – actually accentuates the romance appeal because it’s not just one set of arms cuddling, it’s THREE SETS OF ARMS. SO MANY CUDDLES. While humorous and fantastical, it subtly suggests the intensity of the cuddles you will receive if you use OkCupid. Other images in this campaign (“every single submissive,” for example) are more focused on sex appeal, and others on gender appeal (“every single feminist”), but this one is all about the romance. They’re also in their pajamas, which suggests casual emotional intimacy and some level of commitment, since if you’re staying over with someone and you bring your pajamas, it was definitely planned in advance. Maybe you live together, and maybe you don’t, but you’re definitely at a “we wear our pajamas with each other” stage of intimacy.

This one uses romance appeal AND sex appeal.

Context: One of the other images in the campaign is “for every single non-monogamist,” so this one shows that OKCupid is for people who like monogamy as well as people who don’t want to be monogamous.

Analysis: The image uses a wedding ring, to suggest love and longterm commitment. This is romance appeal — maybe if you use OK Cupid, you will find someone you want to marry. But it’s also sex appeal, since the wedding ring is presented in a way that mimics a vulgar sexual gesture that people sometimes make with their hands. (So, it’s ALSO humor appeal!) This adds complexity to the ad — it’s not just saying “you might find someone to marry,” but also saying “you might meet and have sex with someone who also wants to be monogamous, just like you, regardless of whether or not you end up marrying them.” OKCupid is trying to present itself as an app for many different kinds of people who have a wide range of interests in their dating lives. It’s not just for monogamous people, and not just for nonmonogamous people, not just for sex, but also includes sex.

Rhetorical Devices: Romance, Gender, and Sex Appeal

Due Thursday 7/21

For EACH rhetorical device, please post:

1. Two examples of the device in use in the world (ideally, one you witnessed in real life or made up yourself. Try not to just Google examples)

2. Any relevant context for understanding the sentence (you may not need to write anything for this part if it’s clear on its own)

3. An analysis of what the device ADDS to the speaker’s message.

Do NOT just explain to me why your examples are examples of your device. That is not useful to either of us — we both know they are, and the goal isn’t to prove that you know the definition. The goal is to show understanding of WHY someone might use the device in a particular situation and WHAT they might be trying to achieve with it.

WHY might someone use this particular example of procatalepsis or distinctio? What are they achieving? Your analysis should talk about the SPECIFIC EXAMPLES that you chose.

So: you should have SIX examples + analysis total this week, UNLESS you think a particular example is using more than one of the appeals. Then in your analysis just explain how the example is appealing to both and why.

I DID AN EXAMPLE ANALYSIS FOR YOU, YOU CAN SEE IT HERE.

Reminder: If you are doing your presentation on a set of devices, you do not have to do the examples + analysis for those devices.

Procatalepsis & Distinct 7/20

Procatalepsis:

  • When a student is failing a class and hasn’t done any work but tells the teacher “I know I haven’t done my work but If you give me extra assignments I will make it up too boost my grade” 
  • When a teen asks for permission to their parents to go out, “May I go out I have been doing my homework and will continue to get it done on-time”

Distinctio: 

  • When someone says to a close one “I don’t need enemies it’s sufficient with you” will refer to how enemies are described to be powerful yet it’s in a way hurtful coming from someone close to you
  • When someone says “Immigrants aren’t the cause on why America is full of crimes, it’s because everyone contributed to be this way either negative or positive ways”

Analysis: 

Procatalepsis contributes to a sentence because it’s more of a way where an individual asks a question but also answers it. Distinctio is when it’s basically a statement that is clear since it has specific type of details. People might find these two words useful because of the fact that it contributes a specific use of both words when it comes to sentences.

Day 8 (Wednesday, July 20)

Full agenda here

Homework Due Before Class

Read:
Romance Appeal
Gender Appeal
Sex Appeal

Write/Do:
Procatalepsis and Distinctio Examples/Analysis
Annotated Bibliography

Agenda at a Glance

  • Rhetorical devices presentation: Brian and Dafney
  • Strategies for getting started
  • OPTIONS: Write an outline today, OR write an outline due Monday (after you’ve already done the first draft)
  • Talking about paragraph structure and essay structure
  • Work on outlines and/or first drafts

Materials Used During Class

MEAL Plan Paragraph Structure

Hamburger Method Paragraph Structure

Example Outlines

Example Outlines from Person 1

Okay, I’m Person 1, and these are some of my outlines from my sophomore year of college.

Outline 1: Witchcraft Outline
I like this one because of the color-coding. I wrote the main ideas/section headers in black, all of the things I wanted to talk about in that section in blue, and the names of the authors I wanted to cite in red. I also wrote out my thesis in full at the top to always remind me of what I was trying to argue. It helped keep me focused.

Outline 2: Amanda Palmer Project Outline
In this one, I didn’t use color coding, just loose nests of bullets and main ideas. However, you can tell when I copy/pasted a quote from a source, because the font and coloring is different. I did this to remind myself of what quotes/examples I wanted to use as evidence in each section.

Example Outlines from Person 2

These are from a colleague of mine, also from her early years of college. Notice that she uses a much more formalized structure of headings and subheadings (numbers, capital letters, roman numerals, lowercase letters, etc.) than I do. In one case, she wrote her entire introduction as part of the outline.

Islam outline

ps35, paper1 outline

Example Outline from Person 3

This person uses the standard structure of a scientific paper (Intro/Methods/Results/Discussion) but then added sublevels of bullets to her outline based on her specific topic. (This was for an advanced research course where psychology majors had to design and conduct their own studies.)

APA Study Outline

Once she had her outline, she wrote her paragraphs in the same document underneath each subheading. By the end, she had almost an entire paper and just had to paste the paragraphs into another document and add transitions/formatting.

Same outline with paragraphs: Copy of Outline

Homework Due For Next Class

Read for tomorrow: 

  1. “Glittering Generalities”
  2. “Climax, Parallelism, and Chiasmus”

Do for tomorrow:

  1. Romance, Gender, and Sex Appeal examples/analysis
  2. First/partial draft