TODAY’S GOALS Discuss thesis strategies for our rhetorical analysis essays Introduce new debate mechanics Finalize debate preparations for Wednesday

EXTRA CREDIT The first extra credit opportunity will be on 6-22 Attend another classes debate as a judge to receive the extra credit Counts for 1 quiz grade or two days of class work Times/locations: 9:30- ECS143 1:15- ECS143

STRONG RESPONSE: THESIS AND FORECASTING Should include an evaluation of the writer’s rhetoric or overall success and the explicit name of the article and/or author Should occur near the beginning of the essay, most commonly in the last few sentences of the first paragraph Should be strongly stated and easy to identify Avoid tensionless statements, like “this article has good and bad points.” Take a stance! Should be as short, simple, and direct as possible

EXAMPLE STRONG RESPONSE THESES “Holt’s article contains weak rhetoric and is unsuccessful in persuading his audience.” “For someone to say that multilingualism is destroying America, they must not be looking at the positive effects, like the Author of “American Multilingualism: A National Tragedy” who has poor rhetoric and no concrete facts to back up his accusations.” “Raff’s use of rhetoric is ineffective and it did not persuade me” “The articles shows bias, contradiction, weak rhetoric, and Raff openly being close minded while he writes this article.” “While I agree with Holt’s stance on increasing the country’s education on foreign language, I disagree with Holt’s reasoning and argument for why we should emphasis the nation’s education on foreign language.”

GROUP ACTIVITY: THESIS WORKSHOP In your debate groups Share your strong response drafts then answer the following questions: 1.What is each student’s thesis? Write them out here. 2.Do each of these theses give an overall evaluation or rhetoric of the article? 3.Do each of these theses name the article and/or author? 4.Based on our discussions in class, write down a revised version of each students’ thesis

DEBATE MODIFICATIONS! After both sides of the issue have presented their arguments, a specific and contemporary issue related to the topic will be presented to the group You will be asked to provide a solution or defend your position based on this problem/situation presented You will have 3 minutes to prepare Each side will have 2 minutes to make their case with the pro side going first

DEBATE GRADING SYSTEM Arguments 50% At least 5 salient main points Utilize all rhetorical appeals Arguments are rhetorically sound Propose a solution(s) Time Management 20% Are all speaking points adequately explained? Individual Participation 20% Groupwork 10% How well coordinated is the group? Do speaking points overlap?

DEBATE MODIFICATIONS: FINAL PROBLEM After both sides of the issue have presented their arguments, a specific and contemporary issue related to the topic will be presented to the group You will be asked to provide a solution or defend your position based on this problem/situation presented You will have 3 minutes to prepare Each side will have 2 minutes to make their case with the pro side going first

EXAMPLE FINAL PROBLEM- GENETIC ENGINEERING Let us consider the hypothetical situation of Dr. Jameson Dr. Jameson is a genetics researcher who works with the manipulation of embryo DNA and the prevention of diseases. In the course of her research, Dr. Jameson made an amazing discovery: she was able to develop a combination of genes that make subjects highly resistant to cancer. Specifically, any embryo created with this combination of genes will be completely immune to skin cancer and 80-90% less likely to develop other forms of cancer, and Dr. Jameson’s technique allows these genes to be manipulated with relative ease. Unfortunately, many of the genes involved in this technique are related to characteristics we associate with race and specifically skin tone. Embryos that undergo this genetic manipulation will all have significantly darker skin tones. In other words, characteristics we associate with Caucasians would be completely eliminated. Dr. Jameson is unsure of what to do. A widespread release of her findings could reduce instances of cancer in future generations by more than 90%, but this could also lead to a form of genetic genocide drastically altering the racial landscape of the world. Should Dr. Jameson release the results of her research? Is it more important to prevent cancer and save lives or preserve a people’s racial and cultural heritage? What are the moral implications of such genetic manipulation that could save lives of millions but at the same time have such a monumentally negative affect on diversity?

GROUP ACTIVITY: DEBATE PLANNING In your debate groups Continue to work on preparations for your debate At this point you should make sure to consider: 1.What 3 speaking points will you be sharing with the opposing side? Please write these out on a separate sheet and turn them in as soon as possible, before the rest of the questions) 2.Will you appoint a group leader? If so, who? If not, how will you make decisions during the debate? 3.Will your group be using a set order or flexible order? If a flexible order, how will you decide the order during the debate? (You will have very little time for this) 4.What research will you bring to the debate to support your argument? 5.What is the final list of your main speaking points? Provide a detailed description for each person. 6.How are ethos, pathos, and logos used in each of these speaking points? Make sure you use all three at least once.

HOMEWORK Rhetorical Analysis Draft words Submitted to Turnitin.com before Friday’s class time Printed and brought to class on Friday Should introduce the topic in an engaging way Should include your introduction and several body paragraphs