Class Goals: Introduce strategies and requirements for EIP. Text analysis for claims and appeals using the Nizer editorial (see appendix). This will allow them to see how claims and appeals are used together, as they will need to for their essays, and see an argument organized in the"classical argument structure" discussed in the PHG; though this last point is not the focus of the day’s activities, it might be worth mentioning so they know there is a model to follow.
Connection to Course Goals: Shows how to define claims and evaluate the efficacy of claims they will encounter as critical readers of their own texts and outside readings.
Activities:
- Collect CAP.
- Discuss and clarify types of appeals. List examples of each and what counts as evidence for each. (You could have them pair up to come up with examples of each type. TV ads work as good examples for you. For instance, those Sally Struthers ads for aid to starving children are clearly appeals to emotion while many political ads for candidates showing their happy, lovely children and dog getting into a clean minivan are appeals to character - Vote for me! I’m a decent guy!)
- Hand out
the Nizer editorial and have them read it. As they read, have them underline any claims and appeals they notice.
- After reading, students list the claims and appeals and identify their type.
- Discuss and list
on the board the types of claims and appeals and their use.
- From
here, you could have a discussion about how effectively they feel Nizer made his argument. This editorial usually generates a lot of pretty vehement opinions. They could even debate the issue, generating their own claims and appeals about the essay’s validity.
- Discuss
strategies and requirements for EIP.
Assignment: Read in PHG about logical fallacies, pp.456-58, and "Shaping", pp. 450-3. Research for your EIP.
Return to Unit Three:TR