Author: JStowers

Please read “Avoiding Misconceptions: Immigrants Are Beneficial to Society” on page 254 in your reader. This is an example of a well-focused research paper written by a freshman student at Baruch last year.

On a separate piece of paper or in an email, please create a very brief outline of this essay using the following guidelines:

1. State the paper’s claim.
2. State the focus of each body paragraph.
3. List the counterclaims.
4. State the student’s concluding point.

Hi Everyone,

Below is a link to a chapter from Nathan Hill’s novel The Nix. This chapter introduces different types of logical fallacies in a creative and humorous way.

TheNix-Chapter-4

After reading the excerpt, please complete the following:

1. Choose two of the fallacies Hill uses in the chapter, and define each of them in your own words.
2. Point to the moment in the text that exemplifies the fallacy being represented.
3. Find an example of each fallacy you’ve chosen from contemporary news / media / advertisements, and paste the link inside the comments section. We will be reviewing and discussing several in class.

Hi Everyone,

Just a reminder that the first draft of your research papers is due this Monday, 11/25, in hard copy.

In addition, please bring in sections of your paper for some peer review.

Feel free to email me with any questions.

Have a great weekend, and see you Monday!

Jackie

Hi Everyone,

Just a reminder that class on Wednesday, 11/20 will be held in the computer lab, room 6-160.

Best,

Jackie

Read James Baldwin’s “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” on page 88 of your reader, and answer the following questions in the comments section below.

*Please make sure to bring this reading to class, as we will work with it extensively.

1. What is Baldwin’s thesis about the role of language?
2. When was this piece written? (Hint: there is an index on the last page of the book). Do you feel that it is still relevant today? Why?

Here is a link to an electronic copy of your research project outline. You can use this to replicate the body paragraph template as-needed.

ResearchProjectOutline2019 (1)

In preparation for starting your research paper outlines, please read:

• Pages 212-213 in your reader
• “Organizing an Argument” pages 214-223

While I am not asking you to write a response, these readings will be EXTREMELY helpful as you dive into your own research paper outline on Monday!

Please complete your “They Say / I Say” assignment for HW this weekend for ONE especially relevant source that will be foundational for your paper.

To sum up what we went over in class, you will be providing a brief summary of each section of your chosen article (They Say), and providing commentary in relation to how it will work in your paper (I Say).

*Remember to include the title and author.

 

Part One: Choose ONE source that you want to work with this week for source work analysis, and bring a copy to class on Wednesday, 11/6 (either hard copy or electronic). I strongly recommend choosing an article that you feel you will use heavily in your paper, but NOT a peer-reviewed source for Wednesday’s project, as a long, dense scholarly article will make the project more time-consuming for you.

Part Two: Complete the following source check for criteria for TWO sources, to be submitted in hard copy or via email by the beginning of class on Wednesday, 11/6.

Source Check Criteria (refer to pages 173 – 176 in your reader for further explanation)

1. Relevance: How will this particular source be useful for your paper?
2. Credentials and Stance of the Author: Who is the author? What are the author’s credentials? What is their stance on the topic?
3. Credentials and Stance of the Publisher/Website: Name the publisher/website. What is their reputation? What is their overall stance on the issues they publish? (Remember the “whois + URL” trick.)
4. Currency: When was this piece published?
5. Level of Specialization / Audience: Is this general, or more specialized information? Who is the intended audience for this piece of writing? Academics? General public?

Your reader has some excellent essays and resources to help guide you through the research process. For Monday, 11/4 Read “Evaluating Sources” on p. 172 and “Stasis Theory” on p. 203.

You will be using these two readings actively next week, so they are really important. For now, answer the following questions in the comments section below:

1. How can you actively work to eliminate (or mostly eliminate) bias from your research?
2. Explain Aristotle’s concepts of topoi and stasis.
3. In your own words, explain stasis theory.

*You may also want to review the chart on pages 178-179 as you sit down to source search on Monday.