1. ENG 113: Composition I Paper 2: Hostile Audience Paper Assignment Description

2. The Assignment Theme: Changing the World Choose a specific topic related to the theme The topic can be serious The topic can be personal The topic can be humorous The topic is your choice! Take a stand on the topic Develop a clear thesis statement that you will support with evidence Now convince an audience that completely disagrees with you that your position is the right one

3. Details Your essay should be: Complete Compelling Convincing This means understanding and employing: The Writing Process The Four Pillars of Argument The Rhetorical Triangle The Means of Persuasion Rhetorical Strategies Length: Minimum of 5 Pages (Approximately 1250 Words) Draft Due: March 18 Bring a hard copy to class for peer review workshop If you do not bring a copy to class, the assignment is late! Upload an electronic copy to Moodle (Required!) Draft is worth 100 Points

4. The Writing Process Prewriting Writing Revising Editing “Publishing” Handing The Paper In

5. Prewriting Brainstorm Your Topic: How do you want to change the world? What interests you about the theme? How can you narrow the theme to a more manageable topic? What is the main idea of your argument? What evidence will you need to support your argument? Personal stories? Interviews? Research? Who is your audience? (They are hostile!) What objections will they raise to your ideas? How can you best convince your audience that your stand is valid? Use Means of Persuasion and Rhetorical Strategies effectively Create a strong plan or outline for your essay

6. Defining Your Audience Hostile Audience – disagrees with your position and does not accept the underlying assumptions of your argument Your essay must: Overcome their preconceived opinions Present your own points clearly and logically Include a wide range of evidence Be reasonable and fair Show that you have considered their points Your goals is not to change your audience’s mind Instead, you are trying to convince your audience to consider your points

7. Defining Your Audience Remember: Your audience is well-informed about the topic They have already seen the same evidence as you They have already considered your side of the argument Your audience has already rejected your side of the argument Therefore, you will need to : Reframe the evidence so they view it in a new way Explain your side of the argument in a convincing way This means that you will need to carefully consider which rhetorical strategies and means of persuasion will be most effective in presenting your argument to the audience Your choices should be based on the needs of the audience

8. Defining Your Audience Your goal is to have the hostile audience listen to you and reconsider your side of the argument Therefore, your essay should not be: Angry Insulting Condescending Unfair Be sure to treat the audience with respect

9. Writing Employ the “Four Pillars of Argument” Thesis: Choose a well thought out thesis statement that clearly conveys the main idea of your essay and the significance of your stand Evidence: Support your thesis with appropriate evidence Refutation: Respectfully consider and refute opposing viewpoints Concluding Statement: Wrap up the essay with a convincing and memorable conclusion

10. Writing Refer to the “Rhetorical Triangle” and use the Means of Persuasion effectively

11. Writing Your essay should include the best balance of the three means of persuasion that will enable you to get your point across effectively Ethos – establish your authority (why should your audience listen to you) Are you an expert on the topic? Can you borrow expertise from sources found through research? Pathos – engage the audience’s emotions and push them to sympathize with your argument Use vivid details, strong descriptions, and active verbs Include stories/scenes that paint a picture and grab the reader’s attention Logos – build your argument logically, relying on strong evidence and effective organization Consider using inductive and/or deductive reasoning Avoid logical fallacies You should also employ other rhetorical strategies to make your essay interesting, engaging, and effective

12. Writing Organizing your essay: Introduction Capture the reader’s attention Provide an overview of your argument Include a strong thesis statement Body Paragraphs to Provide Evidence Supports your thesis statement with appropriate evidence If you use evidence from outside sources, you must include properly formatted MLA in text citations and a Works Cited page oMake sure that your sources are high quality because low quality sources will undermine your argument! Body Paragraphs to Refute Opposing Viewpoints Identifies opposing viewpoints and respectfully explains why they are incorrect or flawed Conclusion Wraps up the essay in a memorable way The way that you organize your essay is up to you, but you should make sure that the organization enhances your argument instead of making the essay confusing

13. Writing Remember – you are writing for a hostile audience They absolutely disagree with your position They may have already considered and rejected your evidence, ideas, and key points! They hold strong opinions and believe they have good reasons for them The have valid evidence to support their point of view Your job is to craft an essay that will make your audience reconsider your side of the argument Be creative and convincing! This requires: A thesis statement that expresses your stand clearly and concisely Strong evidence that supports your thesis Respectful refutation of the audience’s point of view Effective rhetorical strategies that make your essay engaging and convincing

14. Avoid Plagiarism Plagiarism is intentional or unintentional use of another person’s words or ideas without proper documentation Note: “Self-Plagiarism” is also plagiarism. Self-plagiarism is when you submit work done for another class without permission for credit in a different class. (If you took this class before, you may not submit the same paper again in any form. You must write an entirely new paper. You cannot earn credit twice for the same work.) Avoid plagiarism by properly citing the source for all quotes, paraphrases, and summaries Use MLA Style in-text citations with a Works Cited Page at the end of the paper (See Chapter 9, 10, and 11 in Practical Argument) Purdue OWL MLA Formatting Style Guide: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ Improper or missing citations is plagiarism. The penalty for plagiarism may include, but are not limited to: First offense: Rewrite assignment with plagiarism eliminated for 25% late penalty. Meeting with me to discuss strategies for avoiding plagiarism Second offense: Zero on the assignment with a report sent to the Provost's Office Third offense: Withdrawal from the course with an F and a report sent to the Provost's Office

15. Remember Be Yourself Your voice Your stand Your choices Be creative Begin with an interesting opening Provide plenty of details through vivid description and dialogue Conclude with a memorable ending Consider your audience Give appropriate background details Build your argument clearly and effectively Be respectful even though they disagree with you Write effectively Think – what is your rhetorical situation (writer, audience, text) Have a plan – what you will say, how you will say it Pay attention to organization – how will you prove your point Be ready to revise, revise, revise

16. Revising Your Draft Am I communicating effectively? Have you fully established your authority on the topic? (Ethos) Is your writing engaging? Have you provided vivid descriptions, dialogue, and appeals to your reader’s emotions to sway their opinions? Is the emotional content of the personal narrative appropriate? (Pathos) Have you provided enough evidence to support your claims? Is the evidence explained sufficiently? Is the evidence appropriate? Is any evidence missing? (Logos)

17. Editing The draft that you submit should: Be as complete and correct as possible Fulfill all the requirements of the assignment Be free of spelling, grammar, and other mechanical errors Take time to: Proofread Edit Be sure to submit your draft on time! Remember: fixing spelling, grammar, and other mechanical errors or fulfilling the requirements of the assignment do not count as “revisions” for the portfolio

18. A Polished Draft! Remember, the draft that you hand in should not be a rough draft. Instead, you should hand in a polished draft! Make sure that your draft: Fulfills all of the requirements of the assignment Includes a strong introduction, a clear thesis, well-developed body paragraphs, and a creative conclusion The essay should flow well and include a compelling argument Is free of spelling, grammar, and other errors This assignment is worth 100 points. You will be graded on how well the polished drafts fulfills the requirements of the assignment.

19. Next Steps: Turn in your polished draft (Due October 30) Bring one printed copy to class for peer review If you do not bring a copy to class the draft is late Upload one copy to Moodle (Required!) Peer Review My Comments Keep everything for your portfolio! (use a pocket folder) Make major revisions based on the peer review and my comments Fixing spelling, grammar, and other errors does not count! If you include research, your citations must be complete and correct in the original draft and the final revision. If in-text citations are missing from the revision, you will receive zero points Include fully revised Hostile Audience Paper and the original draft with comment sheets attached in your portfolio

20. Example How do I want to change the world? I am a fan of science fiction and I am alarmed that the United States has not developed a replacement for the Space Shuttle I believe that space travel can lead to important scientific discoveries that can change the world What is the main point of my argument? Space exploration is an important human endeavor because it leads to scientific discoveries that help people, increases our understanding of the universe, and unites explorers from different parts of the world in a common goal Who is my audience? Members of Congress who seek to eliminate funding for NASA What reasonable objections might they raise against my point of view? Space exploration is nothing but a waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere Outside of a few moon rocks, space travel has not brought any lasting benefits back to earth We should focus on problems here on earth and only look to the stars when we have solved them What evidence do I need to support my argument? Statistics that shows the benefits of space travel outweigh the costs Examples of scientific discoveries and other breakthroughs that were a result of space research Testimony of astronauts and others that show that space exploration can help people to come together and work for a common goal

21. Example Continued Ethos – How will I establish my authority since I am not an astronaut or rocket scientist? Show my “interested observer” status as an American citizen concerned with science and exploration Borrow expertise from others – astronaut autobiographies, news reports, journal articles Pathos – How will I engage the readers’ emotions? Make an emotional plea that emphasizes the connection between science fiction and what might be lost in reality if space exploration ends Focus on vibrant details, vignettes/anecdotes/“scenes” that show the realities of space exploration Logos – How will I use logic in my essay? Consider using inductive and/or deductive reasoning Make sure that the evidence is strong and convincing Focus on the essay’s organization so that the thesis is supported by the evidence and leads to the conclusion