1. David E Sutton, PhD.

2. The Topic without The film review is a great exercise in argumentative persuasion. A film critic must control her language and create a piece that successfully defends her position without revealing too much information. Moreover, a film critic must present a balanced critique that considers not only their own argument, rather, they must also consider the counterarguments to their position. A film review is indeed a delicate balancing act that takes skill to master.

3. Siskel and Ebert: Back to the Future 2 YouTube Link

4. Siskel and Ebert: Back to the Future 3 YouTube Link

5. Learning from the Masters One of the reasons Siskel and Ebert are often regarded as the best film critics of all time is their ability to banter back and forth about the films they viewed. Often times, they would never agree on whether a movie was well made, not because they tried to be confrontational, rather, because they were respectful of their individual opinions and the opinions of their co-critic. Siskel and Ebert realized that if they made a convincing case for their perspective, defended it with clear, logical arguments, and they conveyed the emotions they felt regarding the film, the viewers of their show would respect their positions (even if the audience did not agree with the perspective). Furthermore, they proved their points valid without revealing the complete details of major plotlines or story arcs. They used just enough detail to compel the audience to trust them or become interested in their perspective, and then, they left out enough information to entice the audience to go see the picture for themselves and make their own judgments. Moreover, when either critic spots an opportunity to counter any argument or counterargument, they would create a logical response, often times turning their opponents previous reviews against them: defeating the opposition with the oppositions own arguments.

6. Building the Assignment Following a few additional film reviews, students are assigned the film review assignment. Typically, the assignment pairs the students with a pre-existing film review. The writer shapes their argument, paraphrases the critic’s, and initiates a cross-talk between the two perspectives in the third part of the assignment. For extra credit, students are granted an opportunity to create a technological representation of their paper and submit it. Because I work to energize my students through both my enthusiasm for the power of rhetorical persuasion and an interest in their passions, I am often asked to augment an assignment. The change is not a simplification of the assignment; rather, it often produces a more involved and demanding assignment because they want the added challenge. Option 2 on the handout I have given each of you was a student requested modification. STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING Where the Assignment Begins. What They Want

7. An evolved writing assignment. Shared with the permission of Sam Ryan and Beau Tiongson.

8. David E Sutton, PhD.