Post One: Topic Proposal (500-750 words)
Allowable sources: recent New York Times or other major U.S. city newspaper articles and/or articles from KQED or other NPR (national public radio) stations. No other sources are allowed for the first post.
TOPIC: Sexual Assault in Universities
Task: Frame your topic: For your main point in the beginning of the post, explain what you have chosen as your semester long topic and why you have picked it or why you think others should read about it (see samples on the file “Suggestions for writing post one” on Ilearn under Week Three) . Then in the rest of the post, frame your topicand answer the following in a logical order: Who is the topic important to and why does the topic matter? What is some background/important credible information people ought to know about your topic that you learned from reading about it in the news? What is something the average person does not know about your topic, but should know to understand it more fully? What questions do you have on the topic that you would like to answer eventually?
Post Two: Rhetorical analysis (500-750 words)
Allowable source: a recent New York Times article or blog post that is ideally 500-750 words long on your topic. No other sources are allowed for the second post without written permission from me.
Task: Write a detailed rhetorical analysis, analyzing the techniques professional writers use to support and illustrate their points using a recent article or a blog post from The New York Times on your topic.
For your main point in the beginning of the post, explain the main point of the article and describe how effective the writer is in communicating this point to the reader.
In the body of the post, describe the strategies the author uses to write effectively. Make sure to include in your analysis:
· the logic and structure of the argument (including a discussion of how the sub-points relate to the main point);
· an examination of the credibility of the writer’s sources;
· the techniques the writer used to help the reader visualize and understand the points.
Include specific examples and quotes from the article to illustrate your points.
Post Three: Reporting on the pulse of the nation (500-750 words)
Allowable sources: at least 50 or more (more is better) readers’ comments about an article on your topic from The New York Times or other major U.S. city newspaper articles and/or articles from KQED or other NPR (national public radio) stations. No other sources are allowed for the third post without written permission from me.
Task: Write a post reporting and evaluating what the majority of readers or listeners are saying about your topic in the comment section.
For your main point in the beginning of the post, explain what the majority of commenters think about your topic. Organize the body of your post around sub-points that relate to your main point and give multiple examples for each sub-point with a combination of quoting and paraphrasing people’s comments and then analyzing the comments’ significance. Conclude by answering the question: How do you think the people’s opinions that you have read will shape the debate or the policy about the topic?
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