Friday, April 14, 2006
Over the Easter Break
For those of you who missed class Thursday, we spent the whole time discussing the Walmart movie and how we can use it as a model for your last essay. I'm asking everyone to bring in a one page topic proposal on Tues that includes the following information:
1. The issue you're exploring. It should be one raised by the film. Your essay will not be about Walmart, though you may use the film as a jumping off point to explore your topic.
2. The question that will structure your argument. In class I gave an example: What does a responsible corporation look like? And another: What can X organization do to address problem Y? Your question does not have to be about corporate policies or practices. You are free to write on any subject suggested by the film. The more local or specific, the better.
3. Your preliminary thoughts on the subject. Where do you think you're going?
4. The type of argument or approach you will employ. Unlike your previous essays, this one does not necessary need to be claim driven. You should reach some sort of definitive conclusion, but you won't have to be as systematic as you were with the last essay. This is not to say your argument will be unfocused; rather, I'd like you to explore various argumentive strategies and techniques. We discussed in class how Walmart: The High Cost of a Low employs definitional arguments (Walmart is not an "American" company; Walmart is a monopoly), arguments of evaluation (Walmart's business practices are harmful and irreponsible), narrative arguments (the stories of small town business owners), proposal arguments (people should organize and resist Walmart), and causal arguments (Walmart's business practices hurt small communities). I'd like to see your essay include some combination of these types of arguments. Another option would be to explore an issue from a variety of viewpoints, without arguing for the validity of one over the other, then offer a proposal or solution that attempts to sort the whole thing out. Regardless of what you choose to write about, the key is that you can demonstrate that you're aware of how your argument works in terms of its constituent parts. You may not be 100% sure of how you're going to make your argument at this point in the process, but I'd like to know how you think you might, at least preliminarily, formally construct your case.
Your final draft of this essay will be due May 9th. You will not be submitting a rough draft to me in the meanwhile. Instead, I'm going to meet with each of you for 30-40 minutes to discuss your draft. This will probably happen the week of the 24th. That same week, you will bringing in a draft for peer review. Next week, we'll be screening a second documentary.
Look for another post over the weekend with details about the requirements for your last essay. I'm thinking 5 pages, 2 sources, MLA, etc. Suggestions are welcome.
There's also a chance that I'll be able to reserve an different room for next week's screening. If I get this taken care of today, I'll let you know as soon as it happens via email and the blog. ¶ 8:27 AM
1. The issue you're exploring. It should be one raised by the film. Your essay will not be about Walmart, though you may use the film as a jumping off point to explore your topic.
2. The question that will structure your argument. In class I gave an example: What does a responsible corporation look like? And another: What can X organization do to address problem Y? Your question does not have to be about corporate policies or practices. You are free to write on any subject suggested by the film. The more local or specific, the better.
3. Your preliminary thoughts on the subject. Where do you think you're going?
4. The type of argument or approach you will employ. Unlike your previous essays, this one does not necessary need to be claim driven. You should reach some sort of definitive conclusion, but you won't have to be as systematic as you were with the last essay. This is not to say your argument will be unfocused; rather, I'd like you to explore various argumentive strategies and techniques. We discussed in class how Walmart: The High Cost of a Low employs definitional arguments (Walmart is not an "American" company; Walmart is a monopoly), arguments of evaluation (Walmart's business practices are harmful and irreponsible), narrative arguments (the stories of small town business owners), proposal arguments (people should organize and resist Walmart), and causal arguments (Walmart's business practices hurt small communities). I'd like to see your essay include some combination of these types of arguments. Another option would be to explore an issue from a variety of viewpoints, without arguing for the validity of one over the other, then offer a proposal or solution that attempts to sort the whole thing out. Regardless of what you choose to write about, the key is that you can demonstrate that you're aware of how your argument works in terms of its constituent parts. You may not be 100% sure of how you're going to make your argument at this point in the process, but I'd like to know how you think you might, at least preliminarily, formally construct your case.
Your final draft of this essay will be due May 9th. You will not be submitting a rough draft to me in the meanwhile. Instead, I'm going to meet with each of you for 30-40 minutes to discuss your draft. This will probably happen the week of the 24th. That same week, you will bringing in a draft for peer review. Next week, we'll be screening a second documentary.
Look for another post over the weekend with details about the requirements for your last essay. I'm thinking 5 pages, 2 sources, MLA, etc. Suggestions are welcome.
There's also a chance that I'll be able to reserve an different room for next week's screening. If I get this taken care of today, I'll let you know as soon as it happens via email and the blog. ¶ 8:27 AM
