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

2. The Assignment Choose a specific topic where your audience reasonably disagrees with your position 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 the hostile audience who completely disagrees with your position that they should consider your stand to be valid

3. Sample Topics Example of a National Issue: Demonstrating the value of acupuncture as part of routine healthcare Hostile Audience: The American Medical Association which advocates against alternative medicines Example of a Local Issue: Convincing an animal shelter in your neighborhood to adopt a “no kill” policy Hostile Audience: Members of the Board of Directors who have established the current “kill” guidelines Example of a Personal Issue: Advocating for the regular use of motorcycle helmets Hostile Audience: Your uncle and aunt who take pride in never wearing their helmets when they go riding

4. 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 Logic Models Deductive/Inductive Reasoning Rogerian Argument Toulman Logic

5. Requirements Goal: Use the means of persuasion (ethos, pathos, and logos) and other rhetorical strategies to convince a hostile audience to reconsider your position on an issue on which you disagree Length: Minimum of 5 Pages (Approximately 1250 Words) Draft Due: October 28 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

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

7. Prewriting Brainstorm Your Topic: What is a topic that you believe in where others disagree? What interests you about the topic? How can you narrow the theme to a more manageable position? 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

8. Defining Your Audience Hostile Audience – disagrees with your position and does not accept the underlying assumptions of your argument Your essay must: Identify the audience’s position and refute their arguments 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

9. Defining Your Audience Remember: Your audience is well-informed about the topic They have already seen the same evidence that you have seen They have already considered your side of the argument Your audience has already rejected your side of the issue 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 Be respectful of their position and arguments 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

10. 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

11. Defining Your Audience Create understanding for your audience by considering these types of questions: What does my audience believe about this issue? How can I accurately convey that I understand their position? What experiences or assumptions may have led them to this position? How can I respectfully demonstrate how these experiences or assumptions are invalid? What do they understand about this topic that I agree with? How can I establish common ground with this audience? What do they believe about this topic that I disagree with? How can I present my own position and refute theirs? What does he or she not know about this topic that I know? How can I share this information in way that helps them to see the issue in a new way? What sensitive issues or values does the audience hold that I must be careful not to offend or dismiss as unimportant? Demonstrating fairness and respect for the hostile audience will help establish your credibility (ethos)

12. 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

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

14. 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

15. Consider Employing Rogerian Argument Begin by establishing common ground Point out that both sides share an interest in solving the problem or coming to an agreement about the topic Describe the other side’s view of the topic Use neutral terms with unbiased, impartial language Present your own view of the topic Fairly and objectively Convince the reader that your position has merit Concede the strengths of the other side’s position Explain the benefits of resolving the disagreement and respecting each other’s positions End by reinforcing your position and emphasizing the possibilities of a mutually satisfying agreement

16. 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 creative or memorable way The way that you organize your essay is up to you, but you should make sure that the organization enhances your argument by guiding the hostile audience through your points without making the essay confusing

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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)

21. 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

22. 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.

23. Next Steps: Turn in your polished draft (Due October 28) 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

24. Example What is a topic where I hold a strong position that others might disagree with? Space exploration Space exploration does not seem to be a priority for the government, but I believe it is important and should be supported Why am I interested in this topic? I am a fan of science fiction and I am alarmed that NASA has not developed a replacement for the Space Shuttle I believe that space travel can lead to important scientific discoveries, improve humanity’s understanding of the universe, and build connections between nations What is the thesis 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 reduce or 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 that 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

25. 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 employing Rogerian Argument or Toulmin Logic 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 oConsider inductive and/or deductive reasoning