If you're using the older, first version of the textbook (yellow, rather than green), you'll want to download Thursday's reading assignment here. It won't be quite as pretty as the one in the book, but the information is all the same. Let me know if you encounter any difficulties!
(Edit: I made this document private again to avoid have a copyrighted work out there publicly. Let me know if you need this chapter.)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Podcasting resources
There's a new page on the right-hand menu that lists some of the media and technology resources on campus we'll be using this semester. For the audio recording (podcast) portion of the This I Believe project, I'd recommend setting up an appointment at one of the three main Media Commons locations.
You'll submit the podcast portion by posting it to your RCL blog (sorry, it won't replace your weekly posts). The catch is that I'm not going to tell you how to do this. It will be an opportunity for you to engage in some investigative problem solving. So talk to other people, search online, and I know that you'll find one of a variety of ways to provide this content on your blog.
You'll submit the podcast portion by posting it to your RCL blog (sorry, it won't replace your weekly posts). The catch is that I'm not going to tell you how to do this. It will be an opportunity for you to engage in some investigative problem solving. So talk to other people, search online, and I know that you'll find one of a variety of ways to provide this content on your blog.
Some additional sample RCL posts
A couple of you wanted more clarification in terms of what counts as "good" RCL posts, so I thought I'd highlight some from other students (in different sections).
Rayna blogged about JFK's inaugural address, Patrick blogged about how a Nike ad echoes his struggle with motivation, and Kate blogged about delivery styles observed at a local poetry reading.
All three posts were, first and foremost, engaging. They were focused, had a clear point to make (whether stated at the outset or the conclusion), and were just plain interesting. They all tackled an instance rhetoric as it was experienced, and they engaged in analysis in addition to mere observation. Finally, they embedded visuals (they didn't just link them), and they adopted a narrative style to convey their analysis. (While not always appropriate, these last two take advantage of the best features of the blogging medium.)
Rayna blogged about JFK's inaugural address, Patrick blogged about how a Nike ad echoes his struggle with motivation, and Kate blogged about delivery styles observed at a local poetry reading.
All three posts were, first and foremost, engaging. They were focused, had a clear point to make (whether stated at the outset or the conclusion), and were just plain interesting. They all tackled an instance rhetoric as it was experienced, and they engaged in analysis in addition to mere observation. Finally, they embedded visuals (they didn't just link them), and they adopted a narrative style to convey their analysis. (While not always appropriate, these last two take advantage of the best features of the blogging medium.)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thoughts on initial round of blog posts
I wanted to give you a link to a blog entry by friend and fellow LA 101H instructor Robin Kramer, who wrote up some great suggestions as her class is thinking about entries for their passion blogs. I particularly appreciated #4: Make a Point.
As I reviewed the initial round of blog entries (for both the passion and RCL blogs), I noted that the stronger entries had a clear sense of purpose--these writers knew why readers would be interested in their thoughts and framed things accordingly. If you're still not sure what you're trying to accomplish in your passion blog, I strongly encourage you to seek out others who are writing about something similar and see what catches your attention. Modeling after other successful writers is a great strategy. You may even find you want to link to one of their entries as you blog (and remember, any traffic from your link will show up in their stats, so this is a good way to get some exposure to a readership outside the class).
In many ways I viewed this first week as just a way to get acclimated to blogging, commenting, etc. And although I'd say a third of the entries I reviewed needed some focusing, I expected this. Part of the writing process is trying things out, seeing how they work once you've put them out there. So if you're still a bit uncertain about "big picture" goals, or realized from the comments you received that things weren't clear, that's okay. Use that to improve this week's entry.
Finally, there also were many really great entries this week, so I encourage you to browse through a few more of the blogs by your peers to see what others are doing. There are a lot of creative, thoughtful, and engaging ideas out there!
As I reviewed the initial round of blog entries (for both the passion and RCL blogs), I noted that the stronger entries had a clear sense of purpose--these writers knew why readers would be interested in their thoughts and framed things accordingly. If you're still not sure what you're trying to accomplish in your passion blog, I strongly encourage you to seek out others who are writing about something similar and see what catches your attention. Modeling after other successful writers is a great strategy. You may even find you want to link to one of their entries as you blog (and remember, any traffic from your link will show up in their stats, so this is a good way to get some exposure to a readership outside the class).
In many ways I viewed this first week as just a way to get acclimated to blogging, commenting, etc. And although I'd say a third of the entries I reviewed needed some focusing, I expected this. Part of the writing process is trying things out, seeing how they work once you've put them out there. So if you're still a bit uncertain about "big picture" goals, or realized from the comments you received that things weren't clear, that's okay. Use that to improve this week's entry.
Finally, there also were many really great entries this week, so I encourage you to browse through a few more of the blogs by your peers to see what others are doing. There are a lot of creative, thoughtful, and engaging ideas out there!
Monday, January 24, 2011
State of the Union
Yes, that in-many-ways-awful presidential speech is coming up this week. And the rhetorical situation is a bit different this year due both to the Giffords assassination attempt, and to the more explicit discussion of the role of civility in American political life.
Look for lots of punditry over the coming days--both speculation before and parsing afterward. Here's one of the more interesting articles I've found on the issue of SOTUs and our relation to them. Worth a look!
Look for lots of punditry over the coming days--both speculation before and parsing afterward. Here's one of the more interesting articles I've found on the issue of SOTUs and our relation to them. Worth a look!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Quality Blog Comments
Many people have written advice about good blog commenting, so a quick search should yield some useful advice. These two entries are especially pithy--worth a look:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-write-a-blog-comment.aspx
http://bestbloggingtipsonline.com/10-reasons-no-one-notices-your-blog-comment/
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-write-a-blog-comment.aspx
http://bestbloggingtipsonline.com/10-reasons-no-one-notices-your-blog-comment/
Monday, January 17, 2011
Chapter equivalencies - 1st and 2nd editions
| 1st ed | 2nd edition |
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 6 | CUT, replaced with “Kairos” |
| 7 | 7 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 9 | 9 |
| 10 | 10 |
| 11 | CUT |
| 12 | 11 |
| 13 | 12 |
| 14 | 13 |
| 15 | CUT |
| 16 | CUT |
| 17 | 14 |
| 18 | 15 |
| 19 | CUT |
| 20 | 16 |
| 21 | 17 |
| 22 | 18 |
| 23 | 19 |
| 24 | 20 |
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Martin Luther King Jr. [perhaps on civic engagement]
"Now, we got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. And this is what we must see as we move on."
Thursday, January 13, 2011
This I Believe and Jon Stewart links from class
NPR's This I Believe site: http://www.thisibelieve.org
Local This I Believe examples: http://wpsu.org/radio/program/thisibelieve
Jon Stewart on Crossfire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE
Local This I Believe examples: http://wpsu.org/radio/program/thisibelieve
Jon Stewart on Crossfire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE
The rhetoric of rhetoric
Much has been said in the past week about the tenor of our nation's civic discourse. Early editorials and punditry placed some of the blame for the Arizona shootings on the tone of that discourse, especially remarks coming from conservatives. Yesterday's remarks by Sarah Palin and speech by President Obama both addressed the issue of the civility and freedom of our speech, as well.
Bloggers on the left and right have chimed in, many providing clear rationales for their side's take on the issue. One of the more restrained blog entries I found came from NYT politics blogger Michael Shear. His post discussed the nature of Obama's and Palin's rhetoric, drawing out both the differences and similarities in their treatment of the issue, intimating that we'll see more of the contrasts in the coming year, as the next presidential election cycle ramps up.
Americans, for the most part, seem to think that there's been unhelpful politicking in response to the tragedy. A Gallup poll Tuesday found that a majority of Americans think the issue of uncivil rhetoric wasn't a factor in the shooting, but is instead a wedge issue designed to make conservatives look bad. Yet the poll also found "they are inclined to believe all major U.S. political groups are going too far in using inflammatory language to criticize their opponents."
So what, realistically, should be done about this? Is it the nature of politics itself, as one conservative commentator (above) seems to imply? Or has some appropriate limit been crossed, as others are claiming? Or perhaps we're just expecting too much of politicians to begin with. What do you think?
Bloggers on the left and right have chimed in, many providing clear rationales for their side's take on the issue. One of the more restrained blog entries I found came from NYT politics blogger Michael Shear. His post discussed the nature of Obama's and Palin's rhetoric, drawing out both the differences and similarities in their treatment of the issue, intimating that we'll see more of the contrasts in the coming year, as the next presidential election cycle ramps up.
Americans, for the most part, seem to think that there's been unhelpful politicking in response to the tragedy. A Gallup poll Tuesday found that a majority of Americans think the issue of uncivil rhetoric wasn't a factor in the shooting, but is instead a wedge issue designed to make conservatives look bad. Yet the poll also found "they are inclined to believe all major U.S. political groups are going too far in using inflammatory language to criticize their opponents."
So what, realistically, should be done about this? Is it the nature of politics itself, as one conservative commentator (above) seems to imply? Or has some appropriate limit been crossed, as others are claiming? Or perhaps we're just expecting too much of politicians to begin with. What do you think?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Welcome to our LA 101 website!
This website is the online space for your section of LA 101H. It'll provide announcements, assignment directions, and ideas about how to get the most out of the course.
Feel free to explore the site using the page links to the right. More content will be added as we go through the semester, so be sure to bookmark this site and check back regularly.
Glad to have you as part of the class!
Ben
Feel free to explore the site using the page links to the right. More content will be added as we go through the semester, so be sure to bookmark this site and check back regularly.
Glad to have you as part of the class!
Ben
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