"The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting" and "Is There Hope for the American Marriage?"

I've just discovered that these articles are no longer available on Time without a paid subscription, so here are a couple of other links to try.  If you find that any of the other article links aren't working, please email me and let me know.  Thanks!

"The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting"


"Is There Hope for the American Marriage?"

Final Exam Prompt and Links to Articles for Final Exam

Here are the articles for the final exam, as well as the prompt. See you Friday!

"Is There Hope for the American Marriage?" by Caitlin Flanagan

"The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting" by Nancy Gibbs

"Watching TV Makes You Smarter" by Steven Johnson

"Does Your Social Class Determine Your Online Social Network?" by Breeanna Hare

"Don't Blame the Eater" by David Zinczenko

ENG. 1010/Whitby

Final Exam Prompt

For this exam, you need to write an essay about the article you have chosen to work with. To do this, you need to read the article, formulate an argument, and be prepared to use examples from the text to support your claim. Make sure to use all the skills we have worked on this semester: your essay should have a solid intro and thesis, some summary and evaluation of the article, quotes and examples to support your argument, and a good conclusion that restates your main point. You may agree with the article, disagree with the article, or both agree and disagree with the article. There is no minimum page requirement, but it should be apparent from the length of your essay that you have written for most of the exam period.

Your essay should include:

➮ An intro and thesis statement that clearly tells the reader the main point of your essay.

➮ A brief summary of the article.

➮ Some evaluation of the article.

➮ Quotes and examples from the article to support your thesis.

➮ A conclusion that restates your main points and ties in to your thesis.

*If you type your essay on a laptop, you may email it to me at emilywhitby1@weber.edu.  Check with me before you leave to make sure I’ve received it.

Annotated Bibliography and Essay #3 Topic Ideas

Here is the link to the sample annotated bibliography to use as a reference on your own annotated bibliography that is due Wednesday.

Sample Annotated Bibliography

And for those of you who are struggling to choose a topic, here are some ideas to get your brain going.  I suggest you use these topic ideas as a resource, but because these are very broad, general topics, try to find an interesting approach or angle to take on the issue.

Essay #3 Topic Ideas

• Raising the debt ceiling
• Violence in the media
• Human trafficking
• Flat tax
• Better nutrition as cure for disease
• Pay for college athletes
• Poverty in the U.S.
• Violent video games
• Divorce in America
• Disciplining children
• Physician-assisted suicide
• Utah’s alcohol laws
• Children’s exposure to violence: parent vs. media responsibility
• Public vs. private health care
• Changing a 4-year degree to a 3-year degree
• Texting while driving
• Eliminating senior year in Utah high schools
• Childhood obesity
• Causes of climate change
• Alternative fuels
• Video game addiction
• America’s oil dependence
• Daylight savings time: should it be eliminated?
• Is drug testing worth it?
• Cell phones: a benefit or a hazard?
• Effects of computer use on children
• Are parents and coaches pushing young children too hard?
• Capital punishment
• Should undocumented students be allowed to pay resident tuition in the state where they have grown up?
• Climate change
• Public education vs. homeschooling
• Is texting affecting our ability to communicate effectively?
• Bullying
• Divorce in the U.S.
• Homelessness and hunger in the U.S.
• Benefits of early college
• Online classes vs. face-to-face
• Growing problem of obesity in the U.S.
• Positive vs. negative effects of social networking
• Are prisoners given too many comforts?
• Health effects of diet colas
• Debate over online universities
• Body image issues for women
• The risks of nuclear energy
• Effects of college sports on academics
• For-profit universities
• Sex education in schools
• Genetic engineering of food
• The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria

"The Legalization of Marijuana" by Salas

What are some of the strongest elements of this essay? Where are its weak spots?  Overall, did you find Salas' essay persuasive or convincing?

"And They Lived Happily Ever After" by Tueller

What are your thoughts on this issue?  Is it possible that Disney princesses and Disney's princess merchandise might have a negative effect on young girls (and, as many of you pointed out, on young boys as well)? Maybe you don't agree with Tueller entirely, but can you see where he is coming from?  Or are his claims completely unfounded?

"Video Games and Aggression" by Viet Nguyen

In this article, Nguyen suggests that research attempting to show a direct link between video games and aggression has been biased or inconclusive. What are your thoughts on this? Do you have any first-hand experience that might show a connection?

"Are Virtual Games a Virtual Problem?" by Shay L. B. Larsen

(And I mean "nerds" in the nicest sense of the word :) )

What kinds of conclusions can we come to based on the research presented in Larsen's article? How does this article compare to Gillen's? And looking ahead, how does it conflict with Nguyen'

"Video Game Playing: Friend or Foe?" by Jeremy Gillen

What do you think of the evidence Gillen provides to support his argument? Was the research solid? Was his evidence convincing? Did this article affect the way you think about video games? 

"The Fate and Future of Food" by Kyle Hole

Sometimes essays end with a "call to action" that invites readers to change their opinions, beliefs, or actions regarding an issue.  What is the "call to action" in this article? What does the author want us to do after reading the article?

"How Many Eggs Should We Place in the Student Evaluation Basket?" by Devin Gilbert

What did you think of Gilbert's article? How many of you write evaluations after a class is over, and how much weight do you think these evaluations should be given?

Here is the post for the Weber Writes article, "Correlation Between Sleep Habits and Academic Performance in College Students." What do you think of this article? What does Burton do well, and what could she have done better? Also, do you have experience with attempting to get more sleep while balancing school, work, and home life? Did it work?

Essay #2 Assignment Sheet

Here is the prompt for Essay #2, just in case you need it to finish your drafting questions over the weekend:

Essay #2 Assignment

ENG. 1010/Emily Whitby

Due: November 4, 2013

In this assignment, your task is to compose an essay in which you describe how one text attempts to persuade the reader.  You need to draw on examples from the text and evaluate the persuasive language in these examples using rhetorical appeals, advertising appeals, and logical fallacies.

Remember, this is not an essay about your opinion of the text, or whether the text is “good” or “bad.”  This is an essay in which you make an argument about how the text persuades readers, and then support your claims with examples from the text.  In order to accomplish this, you will need to discuss 1) what the author is trying to achieve, 2) how the author uses persuasive language to do it, and 3) whether the author is successful in persuading the reader and why.  You must focus on these three things in your essay in order to get credit for the essay.

Formatting:

●    3-4 pages

●    Double spaced

●    12 pt. Times New Roman

●    1” margins

●    Include a Works Cited page at the end of your essay (this does not count as a page of your essay)

Essay #2 Drafting Questions

●    What is the author trying to make us think, feel, or believe?

●    Why does the author want us to think, feel, or believe this?

●    What rhetorical appeals does he or she use?

●    What logical fallacies can you find in the text?

●    Give specific examples of how the text tries to persuade us.

●    Give specific quotations from the text that are particularly persuasive or manipulative.

●    What specific words or images does the author use to persuade us?

●    Does the author succeed in his or her purpose?  What makes him or her successful?

●    What makes the author’s argument important or significant?

●    What else needs to be said about the persuasive/manipulative language in the text?

●    Overall, what can be gained by considering the text’s persuasive language?

 

Possible Articles for Essay #2

Here are just a few persuasive articles, any of which would fit the criteria for the Essay #2 assignment.  The first article is from 1977 and contains one of the examples in our rhetorical appeals handout.  The rest are from the opinion pages of the websites I've suggested. Skim through the articles and see if they spark your interest; if not, let the articles lead you to other articles on their pages. At the end if this post I've also included websites for you to search.

"The Satisfactions of Housewifery and Motherhood" by Terry Martin Hekker

"Why I am Pro-Life" by Thomas L. Friedman

"Mugging Our Descendants" by George F. Will

"It's Time to Allow Doping in Sport" by Ellis Cashmore

"Should Doping Be Allowed?" Room for Debate Forum

"Who Says There Is No Solution to Bullying?" by Becky Cohn-Vargas

"Don't Blame the Eater" by David Zinczenko

"Many Women at Elite Colleges Set Career Path to Motherhood"

cnn.com
nytimes.com
washingtonpost.com
motherjones.com
huffingtonpost.com
salon.com
sltrib.com
deseretnews.com
standard.net

"Selling Happiness: Two Pitches From Mad Men"

The following links will take you to YouTube clips of the popular AMC series, Mad Men.

The first clip   is from the very first episode of the series, and shows Don Draper making a pitch for Lucky Strike Cigarettes: "Mad Men: It's Toasted."

The second shows a pitch for the Kodak Carousel: "Mad Men: Carousel."

As you watch the clips, consider how the use of a single word, or the choice of one word over another, can increase the persuasive appeal of an advertisement.

"A Portfolio of TV Advertisements"

Here are the links for the TV advertisements.  Click on the links and watch each ad, and keep in mind the 15 Advertising Appeals as you watch them.  Which appeals are used? Are the ads effective? Why or why not?

Volkswagon: Snowplow
Union Carbide: Chick
Alka Seltzer: Spicy Meatball
Quaker Oats: Mikey
Coca-Cola: Mean Joe Green
Federal Express: Fast Talker
Pepsi Cola: Archaeology
Levi's: Launderette
Jeep: Snow Covered
Energizer: Darth Vader
Got Milk?: Aaron Burr
The Gap: Pardon Our Dust
Honda: Physics
Sony Bravia: Bunnies
Dove: Onslaught
Tide to Go: Interview
Planters Peanuts: Perfume

"Advertising's Fifteen Basic Appeals" by Jib Fowles

Here is the link to Jib Fowles' article, "Advertising's Fifteen Basic Appeals." This article is quite old, but the appeals still apply to advertisements today. Can you think of one or two ads that correspond with one or two of the appeals listed in this article? Share the ads by linking to a Youtube video, if possible.

Save My Playlist!!

Here is the bonus post: comment with a song to add to my marathon playlist, and it will take the place of some comment/question on a boring topic in the near future. Thank you thank you!!!

"A Portfolio of Print Advertisements"

Take a look at each of these print advertisements and be prepared to talk about them in class on Friday. What is the advertisement trying to sell? What kinds of tactics do they use to make their product look appealing?

Article Suggestions for Essay #1

"Why E-Reading With Your Kid Can Impede Learning"

"A Focus on Distraction"

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv (I have a copy of this text you could borrow; it is also available in the Stewart Library. You will want to focus on a single chapter, not the entire book).

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains by Nicholas Carr

"The Rx for Technology"  (This is the podcast of a Radio West interview of David Strayer by Doug Fabrizio).

"What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains" (Youtube Video)

"Reading Study Shows Remarkable Decline in U.S." (This is the transcript of an interview conducted on NPR. You can either listen to or read the interview.)

"Fiction Reading Increases for Adults"

"Decline of American Reading Culture: Literature’s Struggle in Face of Pop Culture"

"Young Adult Lit Comes of Age"

"Adults Are Devouring Kids' Books For Good Reason"

"The Real Effects of Technology on Your Health"

"Despite Risks, Internet Creeps Onto Car Dashboards"

"How Green is My iPad?"

"Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say"

"Set Students Free With Technology in Schools"

"The Problem With Technology in Schools"

Essay #1 Assignment Sheet

ESSAY #1

English 1010

Due: Friday, October 4th

So far this semester, we’ve been discussing reading and technology, and their effect on the human brain.  Your assignment is to compose an essay using one of the texts we’ve read and an outside text on reading, technology, and the brain.  Your essay should discuss 1) how one essay’s argument is incomplete, 2) how the second essay helps complete the picture, and 3) how reading these two texts together gives us a better perspective on the issue.

In order to accomplish this, you will need to:

• Discuss what both texts argue
• Explain how one of the texts’ arguments is inadequate or incomplete
• Describe how the other text helps complete the picture
• Explain why considering both texts together is superior to simply considering one of them

A couple of things to note:

• Please avoid personal feelings and beliefs into the essay.  Make sure your opinions are stated as arguments that can be supported by explanations, examples, and quotes from the text.

Formatting considerations:

• Page length: 3-4 pages, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1” margins.
• Name, course number, instructor’s name, and date should appear flush left at the top of the page.
• Title should be centered on the next line below the date.
• Essay should begin on the next line below the title.
• Use MLA format for in-text citations, as discussed in class.

Extra credit options:

• You may take your essay to the Writing Center for an additional 5 points on your essay. You must ask your tutor for a signed slip of paper to verify your tutoring session.
• You may also rewrite your essay for up to 5 extra credit points.  Your rewrite is due one week after you receive your graded essay back from me.