Blogging for Invention

Blogging can be used to incite protests, chat about football, give fashion advice or connect with other people. In ENG102, we will be using blogging for different purposes -- to invent. When I use the word invention, I do not mean to conjure up images of Thomas Edison or Bill Gates. Rather, when I see the word invention, I think instead of Aristotle. Aristotle created a step-by-step framework for rhetorical strategy. Aristotle's Five Canons of Rhetoric include: 1) invention; 2) arrangment; 3) style; 4) memory; and 5) delivery.

Invention, in my opinion, is the most important and can be the hardest part. Invention is where you begin, it is putting words on the page, and it is finding something to say. Aristotle also states that invention is "discovering the best available means of persuasion."

In ENG 102, invention will also include research. For academic papers, research is how we find what to say. We must first consult what others have said, written and argued on a topic. Only after we listen to what is currently be said and written can we insert ourselves into the academic conversation. Here is a metaphorical description of what you will be doing:

"Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In fact, the discussion had already begun long before any of them got there, so that no one present is qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had gone before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against you, to either the embarrassment or gratification of your opponent, depending upon the quality of your ally's assistance. However, the discussion is interminable. The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress " (The Philosophy of Literary Form 110-111).

Your blog is where you will prepare to enter the conversation; it is your place of invention. There will be required assignments, but I encourage you, as scholars, to do more than the required. Your blog will be where you collect your ideas, your thoughts, your words and your research.

Good luck! I will be blogging with you.

Your Final!

Your final paper/presentation must follow this format:

• Exactly 1 full page, typed
• Single spaced
• 1-inch margins, all four sides
• Title: Top 5 Things I Learned In Composition 102 (or 101) by Your Name
• 12-pt regular font
• NO MLA Header
• Bring two copies to class at the time of your final.

Final Presentation will be graded on the following . . .

• Ethos = Credible author; Unique and believable voice
• Logos = Specific details with rational organization
• Pathos = Sincere, honest and includes some personal connection
• DFD = Did Follow Directions!
• Presentation = Expressive and Inviting Tone

Portfolio Notes

Your portfolio serves two purposes; first you may witness your growth as a writer and a student over a semester; and, second, you will have all of your work for this semester assembled for future reference or use. To complete this task, you need to gather all of the work that you have generated in this class and assemble it in a two-inch, three-ring, hard sided binder. You must organize your portfolio in the following order, no exceptions:

1. Title page with Table of Contents
2. All drafts of Major Writing Projects—These should include the following materials for each project:

• a. All writing process work from your blog
• b. Any prewriting done for the project
• c. Rough Drafts
• d. Graded Draft (complete with instructor’s comments)

3. Written homework assignments (reader responses, vocabulary quizzes, etc)
4. Portfolio letter

Your portfolio must have a title page that includes a Table of Contents. The “TOC” will list the contents of your portfolio.

Section One is for your Writing Projects. You’ll need to turn in your prewriting work, a rough draft, the draft you turned into the instructor that was handed back to you with comments, and a revised copy of the project if applicable. You will need to write a brief introduction to this section as well. Reflect on your choices of topic, the process of the research, and the assembly of the paper, among other things.

Section Two will include all of the written homework. You will need to write a brief introduction to this section. Reflect on the readings, your responses, and the process in general.

Section Three will be a draft of your portfolio letter, in which you reflect on your growth as a writer, student, and citizen. You will be defending your portfolio as a whole entity and puzzling together where intersections in your learning occurred. You should have some definite examples and talking points throughout your letter, consider it an argument.

Passive voice was avoided by the writers.

In grading the last batch of papers, I noticed the use of passive voice. The link below can help:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/1/

There are multiple resources on this topic, so please click on "next resource" at the bottom of the page to view all of the information.

Create Your Own (Writing) Adventure

We have followed a fairly structured writing process on the last two Major Writing Projects. While writing should always be a process, good writers personalize the process to fit their style. Good writers also understand that the writing process is almost always recursive and non-linear -- meaning that you sometimes have to go back and forth between different stages.

With this in mind, I want you to accomplish these steps over the next week (4/11-4/15):

• MORE Research
• Develop thesis statement
• Develop outline
• Draft introduction
• Draft Review of Lit

The order you accomplish this and how you proceed in accomplishing these steps is up to you. Just know that when you turn in your papers, you must turn in: a paper with research, a thesis statement, an outline of your process, an introduction and a review of lit.

NEXT WEEK:

4/18: First draft due -- In-class peer review AND annotated bibliographies due

4/20: Second draft due -- In-class peer review

4/22: FINAL paper due

Zooming in on a Topic

Think about the World Cafe conversations you had in class on education. Use your blog (at least 300 words) to summarize what you discussed. See if you notice any topics that emerge -- looking for topics that you would like to explore and write about.

After your blog summary, list 3-5 possible topics you may want to tackle.

For more information on World Cafe: http://theworldcafe.com/

Weekend Blog Assignment: Education

STEP 1: Go to this web address:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/index.html


STEP 2: Choose one of the following columns on education to explore:

• “Pay Teachers More” By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
• “The Modesty Manifesto” By DAVID BROOKS
• “School of Glock” By GAIL COLLINS
• “Degrees and Dollars” By PAUL KRUGMAN
• “College the Easy Way” By BOB HERBERT
• “Texas, Budget Cuts and Children” By PAUL KRUGMAN
• “China’s Winning Schools?” By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

STEP 3: Blog -- in at least 300 words -- a response to one of the above articles. Blogs must be posted by 9 pm on Sunday night.
 
STEP 4: Read classmates blogs and comment on at least one other blog, at least 75 words, by classtime on Monday.