| Discussion
Starter
Description
For the discussion starter, each
student in class with pick out an argument essay from an American
newspaper or periodical. The student will email that opinion
piece to the entire class (via the instructor) with a brief
introduction explaining why the presenting student chose to
focus on this selected opinion piece. The non-presenting students
are then required to read this selected argument essay by the
day the presenting student will read his or her discussion starter
essay. The discussion starter itself should have from 500 to
750 words and it should critique, support, or otherwise respond
to the selected argument that the presenter emailed to the class.
The presenter may not summarize or merely repeat things said
in the selected argument. Instead they must respond to, analyze,
or build upon what is said in the original piece. Many students
use the criteria for evaluating arguments and constructing counterarguments
outlined in chapters 6 and 19 of SMG to prepare this assignment.
Others do some outside research for counterarguments, data,
or other ideas that support or refute the original argument.
After the presentation, the other
students in the class will respond (via the course discussion
board) to a question posed by the presenter and then have a
brief discussion about the selected essay argument and the presenter's
discussion starter. After class, the presenter will summarize
the discussion and the comments made on the discussion board
in an email sent to the entire class (via the instructor).
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Requirements
- a conference with the instructor before selecting
and distributing the selected argument essay to the class (this
should occur at least one week before your presentation)
- an emailed text of (or link to) the selected
argument essay with a brief explanation of why the presenter
chose the selected essay.
- length: 500-750 words (the closer to 500 words
the better)
- typed in essay form
- delivered as a read "speech" in front
of the class (yes, quality of reading is important)
- your discussion starter responds to, critiques,
or builds upon the selected argument without repeating or summarizing
- an open-ended question about the selected argument
or the discussion starter itself for the class to reflect upon
and respond to
- a brief summary of your classmates' response
to your open-ended question and discussion starter
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Evaluation
Criteria
- a well-chosen selection of an argument essay
for the class to read (did you choose an essay for the class
to read that was interesting, well-written, and worth discussing)
- a demonstrated understanding of the logic and
content of the selected argument essay
- an arguable, clear, and qualified thesis
- effective reasoning and support for that thesis
(could and usually should include some research)
- dynamic sentence style and word choice (remember
this is a spoken piece--effective verbs are the key!)
- correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
- an open-ended discussion question that stimulates
a lively and interesting discussion
- a perceptive and fair summary of your classmates'
response to your discussion question and your discussion starter
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Suggested Timetable
- one week before presentation: conference with
instructor (may be done by email)
- at least two class days before your presentation:
send instructor email with copy of or link to selected text
and your brief explanation of why you chose this text
- at the end of the class prior to your discussion
day: you will briefly verbally remind the class of your selection
and your reasons for choosing it.
- presentation day: you will read your typed essay
to the class
- next class day: you will forward a brief summary
of your classmates' response to your open-ended question and
your discussion starter to the class via the instructor.
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Sources
I have required you to sign up for
the Los
Angeles Times and New
York Times because I believe the opinion pages
of those two papers is a great place to start. During the week,
the L. A. Times pages are not usually very strong, but the Sunday
opinion section will offer many potentially interesting
arguments for you to analyze. The New York Times has a superb
op-ed section that often features some of the nation's most
important leaders and thinkers. For a more conservative perspective,
the Wall
Street Journal is the place to go (but you can't
get in for free!).
Please remember, however, that these
newspapers are not the only places where you can find interesting
arguments about American social problems and issues. I strongly
recommend that you scour the Arts
and Letters Daily site. It provides links to a
wide range of argument and opinion essays in many magazines
and journals that could interest you and would provide rewarding
essays for the class to consider (as you have seen, the entire
column on the right side features interesting opinion pieces,
but you can also find interesting essays for the purposes of
our class in the left column and among the many links provided
in the left margin). For arguments and opinion pieces on the
liberal side of things, check out Harper's,
The
Nation,
Mother Jones,
The Atlantic Monthly,
The Progressive, and The
New Republic. For the conservative perspective,
try The
National Review, The
Weekly Standard, Commentary,
The
New Criterion, The
Public Interest, and The
American Prospect.
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Signing
up for your discussion starter
To sign up for your discussion starter,
go to the discussion board section of the course
blackboard. Enter the "Discussion Starter"
forum, find a date that you like, then post a response to that
date message that makes it clear that you have chosen that day
to do your presentation. Please DO NOT sign up for a date that
another student has already selected.
You may sign up for your
discussion starter anytime after 5 PM on Saturday, January 10.
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Page last updated:
28 January, 2004
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