Written Assignment #3

Incorporating Other Voices: This paper is much like a research paper that you will write when you are enrolled in English 108: College Writing and Research. This paper will serve to transition to into this kind of writing. This assignment will require that you incorporate the voices of others as support for your argument. Because this is a research paper, you will need a concentration, or rather, a research question that you would like to explore. I will not assign topics, so you will have the freedom to explore something that you are interested in. However, what you choose must come from one of the three books we have read, or will read, for this semester. Take this time as an opportunity to investigate something that you are interested in.

Writing Assignment: For this assignment, you will select a theme that is listed in one of the books that we have read, or will read, this semester. Listed below include a number of themes that you may choose from; however, keep in mind that you do not have to choose something from this list. I welcome any ideas, so please contact me if you have something different in mind. For this assignment, the objective is not to take sides. I do not care whether you agree or disagree with the theme that you have chosen; instead, you will investigate it. You should assume a neutral role in this investigation. What is required of this assignment is three scholarly sources. You may use one of these sources as the text that you have chosen to investigate such as: Generation Me, The Hip Hop Reader, or Full Frontal Feminism. The other two sources that are required must be academic and scholarly. Therefore, I do not allow sources that are found in the Google search engine. If you wish to choose more than three, than you may transition the search process to Google; however, you must determine the source’s ethos.

Annotated Bibliography: For this assignment, you will write an annotate bibliography. I have listed three examples in the O/P drive, will upload them to the class blog and will include them in the email as an attachment. If you look in the course syllabus, I have also listed two links that may be of value. We will be going over search engines and reviewing sources’ ethos.

Possible Themes to Investigate:

Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – And More Miserable Than Ever Before by Jean M. Twenge

· Explore the societal expectations and implications of men? Of women? How have societal expectations changed for men? For women? What do these societal expectations imply of men? Of women?

· Explore self-esteem curriculum for children in America’s schools. What lessons are included? What is the overall objective? Tell us about these lessons; what are children getting out of them. Think about the expectations and implications of these programs.

· Look into the issue of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. How does this affect GenMe? Either compare or contrast the Baby Boomers and GenMe. Look at the progress we have made, but why are there such higher rates of anxiety, depression and loneliness?

· Explore this theme of “change.” How did it differ from the Baby Boomers and GenMe?

· Explore sex education either in the State of Missouri or any other state. OR look at the differences between comprehensive sex education and abstinence only education. Where is the money going? Which is effective and why?

· The rise of STDS.

· Explore the advancement of minorities, women and gays and lesbians. I encourage you to narrow this down to one community. While you will examine the progress this community has made, what limitations and restrictions do they still continue to encounter?

The Hip-Hop Reader by Tim Strode and Tim Wood

· The Roots and Stylistic Foundations of the Rap Music Tradition by Cheryl L. Keyes – Write an essay in which you reflect on Keyes’s discussion of the West African bardic tradition. In your essay, show how the bardic tradition helps us understand the role of the hip hop artist in her or his community.

· The Roots and Stylistic Foundations of the Rap Music Tradition by Cheryl L. Keyes – Using two key terms from Keyes’s essay – nyama and nommo – to examine hip hop in terms of its power to move or persuade. The particular influence of the language of hip hop need not necessarily be positive.

· Elvis, Wiggers and Crossing Over to Nonewhiteness by David Roediger – The controversy around the word wigger shows the power and importance of diction or word choice. Consider writing a diction paper of your own. Choose a highly charged or evocative word and explore its meaning. Describe its etymology (its historical roots) and then construct an argument about the word’s use and significance. You may choose to use hip hop or another cultural form to give context and specificity to the word (see also Michel Marriott’s Rap’s Embrace of ‘Nigger’ Fires Bitter Debate).

· The Hip-Hop Nation by Toure – Write an essay putting Toure’s essay in dialogue with Kleinfield’s Guarding the Borders of the Hip-Hop Nation. Give your paper the following focus: Does anyone own culture? Is it right to say that any one ethnic or racial group should be in charge of something like the Hip-Hop Nation? Ultimately, what will you do in this paper is decide whether you agree with or object to Toure’s conclusion in The Hip-Hop Nation?

· Look up the “N” word in the Oxford English Dictionary. What is the word’s etymology? How has this word been used historically, from its early uses to its present day manifestations? How is the “N” word used in hip hop culture? How is hip hop’s use of the word unique or new? Write an essay debating the use of the “N” word in hip hop or ordinary conversation.

· Hip-Hop Women Shredding the Veil by Marcyliena Morgan – Research the State of Missouri v. Celia case and write an essay that builds on Morgan’s own analyses. Go into more detail than Morgan does, and, based on your research, construct an argument that either conforms or complicates Morgan’s claims.

· Hip-Hop Women Shredding the Veil by Marcyliena Morgan – Research either of the other two cases that Morgan cites, the K-BOO case or the controversy involving the rapper Nelly and the uproar he created because of a planned concert at Spelman College. Use your research to help explain some of Morgan’s more difficult claims, such as the following: “{There} are two intertwined themes without African American women’s discourse. One is associated with representing individual and group identity and the other with representing racial, gender, and class injustice.” How does such a claim manifest itself in the two cases cited above.

· When Black Feminism Faces the Music and the Music is Rap by Michele Wallace – Write an essay that looks at female rappers and their response to mainstream hip hop’s depictions of women. Since Wallace wrote her article have any women MCs emerged who are “speaking in their own voice,” as she puts it? One artist you might consider looking at is the Brooklyn-based MC, Jean Grae.

· Examine lyrics by women rappers such as Jean Grae, Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown and Bo$$. Can you find continuities among their different positions, attitudes and rhymes? How do the lyrics of the female MCs complicate the picture of a woman’s place in hip hop?

· Compare the songs “Ether” by Nas and “Take Over” by Jay-Z. How do these songs—the words of which constitute a lyrical “battle” between the artists—use gender as the basis of their respective arguments? More specifically, how is masculinity constructed and deconstructed in each song?

· Watch a music video. Describe the men and women. How do they look and act? What roles do they play? Based on your description of the video, what does it mean to be a man and what does it mean to be a woman? List the unwritten rules of gender that underlie the depictions that you see and describe.

· Gangsta Rap and American Culture by Michael Eric Dyson – Dyson’s essay invokes debates about gangsta rap that were particularly intense in the middle of the ‘90s. he brings up figures such as Bob Dole and C. Delores Tucker. Research one or both of these figures in relation to what they had to say about gangsta rap. Write a paper that lays out explicitly the nature of their criticism. What were the exact terms of their criticism? Is Dyson fair in his representation of their views?

· Gangsta Rap and American Culture by Michael Eric Dyson – Much of Dyson’s essay is directed against conservative politicians and cultural critics who, he suggests, fail to perceive the breadth and depth of issues that gangsta rape at its best deals with. Write an essay in which you choose an album by a gangsta rapper or group (Ice Cube, NWA, Snoop Dog, Tupac Shakur, etc.) and use it to test some of Dyson’s claims.

Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters

· Examine the laws that are being proposed all across the country in regard to women’s reproductive rights. Think about the implications of these bills. How and why does it set women’s rights back?

· Examine how the term feminist has been used and in what conversations. How has the meaning of this word changed? What does the term feminist imply? What about its stereotypes?

· Examine the insults that are used to reference women: mangina, pussy, girl, slut, whore, bitch, cunt, skank, etc. Normally these terms are used to insult men. Examine the context that these terms are used. Focus only on one. You may choose to examine a movie and see how the terms are used. What does it imply?

· Examine the stereotypes surrounding feminists.

· Examine surgeries that women undergo for male consumption. Think about the implications of these surgeries.

· Examine GOP’s attempt to redefine rape. What does this mean for women? What may this bill imply if it passes?

· Examine rape trials. What about the blame and shame game? How do they attempt to place blame in the victim’s hands.

· Examine the world of weddings. What does this suggest of women and their role? For this concentration, you may choose to look more closely at a bridal TV show or magazine.

· Look into men’s organizations that are aiding in the fight for women’s rights like Men Can Stop Rape.

Objectives of the Written Assignment:

1) Select a theme that you wish to investigate.

2) Write an annotated bibliography and adhere to MLA style.

3) Understand the difference between summary and analysis.

4) Summarize the text for your audience.

5) Investigate and draw on support from scholarly, academic sources.

6) Construct a Works Cited page adhering to MLA format.

Keep in mind that this may not be the exact order of your written assignment.

Easy Writer	Pages
Conducting Research	176 – 182
Evaluating Sources & Taking Notes	184 – 193
Integrating Sources & Evaluating Plagiarism	197 – 202
MLA Style	206 – 245
Sample Student Research Essay, MLA Style	245 – 252
Organizing an Argument	34
MLA Style	206 - 207

Format of the Written Assignment: For this written assignment, you will follow MLA format to set up your paper. This format can be found in Easy Writer, pages 206 – 207. The written assignment must be four to five pages in length. A works cited page will be required with this assignment.

Rhetorical Precis

The rhetorical précis is a structured four-sentence paragraph designed to help you break down a reading to its essential components.

1) Name of author, (optional – a phrase describing the author), genre and title of work, a descriptive verb such as “assert,” “argue,” “imply,” “suggest,” “claim,” etc., and a “that” clause containing the essay’s main assertion or thesis statement.

2) An explanation of the author develops and/or supports the thesis, usually in chronological order.

3) A statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an “in order” phrase.

4) A description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

The rhetorical précis may appear in your academic paper; however, this format will also be used for the annotated bibliography. For the annotated bibliography, there will be five sentences, the fifth and last sentence should indicate how and why you intend to use this source.

Sample:

In her article “Who Cares if Johnny Can’t Read?,” Larissa MacFarquhar asserts that Americans are reading more than ever before despite claims to the contrary and that it is time to reconsider why we value reading so much, especially certain kinds of “high culture” reading. MacFarquhar supports her claims about American reading habits with facts and statistics that compare past and present reading practices, and she challenges common assumptions by raising questions about the intrinsic value of reading. Her purpose is to dispel certain myths about reading in order to raise new and more important questions about the value of reading and other media in our culture. She seems to have a young, hip, somewhat irreverent audience in mind because her tone is sarcastic, and she suggests that the ideas she opposes are old-fashioned positions.

Annotated Bibliography #3

Research Focus

In analyzing the Rhetoric of Race, I am examining how and why Tupac Shakur references himself and the Black Community.

“Changes”

I see no changes, Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,

Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?

I’m tired of bein’ poor and even worse I’m black.

My stomach hurts, so I’m lookin’ for a purse to snatch.

Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he’s a hero.

Search

I conducted a brief search using the ERIC database via EBSCOhost. Using the advanced search option, to locate scholarly sources, I was certain to select “peer reviewed” articles. I don’t know if it is a concern, but I came across many different articles—not all pertaining to my related subject. In one search, I used “rhetoric of race,” “Tupac,” and “lyrics.” I came across 170,978 articles! When I narrowed my search to “Tupac Shakur,” it shortened the search to 171,111 articles. When I modified one of my search terms to Shakur’s lyrics that I will be analyzing to “Changes,” it actually increased the number of articles to 737,572. I tried to shorten my search to “Tupac Shakur,” “authenticity,” and “black community,” but there were still a number of articles I found. As I continue to search for more articles in reference to the rhetoric of race, “Changes,” and Shakur, I intend to lengthen my search. This is where my research first began.

Annotated Bibliography

Brown, Timothy. “Reaffirming African American Cultural Values: Tupac Shakur’s Greatest

Hits as a Musical Autobiography. The West Journal of Black Studies 29.1 (2005): 558-

573. Print.

Tupac Shakur’s lyrics emphasize the gangster rap that Brown describes. The harsh criticism it has endured because of the glorification of the gangster lifestyle does not allow critics to comprehend the actual experience. What is traditionally seen as embracing misogyny, material goods, and feminizing other men, Shakur’s lyrics are an example of a representation of Black protest music. Characterized as the expression of resistance and oppression Blacks have endured is conveyed in his lyrics. According to Brown, Shakur is considered the voice of the intelligent Black male artist.

Edwards, Walter. “From Poetry to Rap: The Lyrics of Tupac Shakur.” The Western Journal of

Black Studies 26.2 (2002): 61-70. Print.

Shakur’s lyrics were repeatedly “influenced by the political views, militant passions, and wider social exposure of his mother and her Black Panther colleagues” (Edward 61). His lyrics were a springboard for attacking the white community who reinforced racism and oppression in the Black community. He refers to his community as such in “Changes,” “I’m tired of bein’ poor and even worse I’m black” (Changes). The white community such as the police and governmental bodies has put these stereotypes in place. Edwards tells us that Shakur was fully aware of these harsh realities by the time he could walk.

Iwamoto, Derek. “Tupac Shakur: Understanding the Identity Formation of Hyper-Masculinity of

a Popular Hip-Hop Artist.” The Black Scholar 33.2 (2003): 44-49. Print.

Shakur is a misunderstood Black hip-hop artist to many hip-hop critics such as Bill O’Reilly and Bill Cosby. What these critics do not consider is what positive influence hip-hop music has on its listeners and the Black community. They don’t look at the context of the lyrics in which they are in place. They dissect these lyrics and pull out any negative influences and criticize its affect on the listeners and the Black community. Predominantly, Black males should be aggressive. They should assert authenticity by violence, drug dealing, and having sex with lots of women.

Keeling, Kara. ‘“A Homegrown Revolutionary’?: Tupac Shakur and the Legacy of the Black

Panther Party.” The Black Scholar 29.2 (1999): 59-64. Print.

The anger we see projected in Shakur’s lyrics stem from a rich family background associated with the Black Panthers. His mother, Afeni Shakur, was acquitted on charges of a plot to bomb public spaces in New York City, N.Y. Shakur lived at the very onset of oppression in his community. He was shot five times before the drive-by shooting that inevitably led to his death. His lyrics display black-on-black violence, misogyny toward Black women, money as a status symbol, and drug dealing. Keeling states that Shakur never quite lived up to his potential as opportunities were available to the Black community since the ‘60s and ‘70s. Shakur, the son of a Black Panther and the rapper, are two very different persons. Many critics don’t consider this in regard to his lyrics. His family wanted to live in an ideal world where possibility and opportunity were available to all persons, but Shakur prepared them to live in the world that he knew.

Pinn. Anthony B. “Followers of Black Jesus on Alert: Thoughts on the Story of Tupac Shakur’s

Life/Death/Life.” Black Theology: An International Journal 7.1 (2009): 31-44. Print.

Shakur’s controversial lyrics paint a cruel, but accurate picture of the life living in the inner city and the prejudices that followed his family and the Black community. Some critics or even those in the hip-hop industry might call into question Shakur’s authenticity. Pinn chronicles Shakur and his family’s repeated attempts to avoid poverty. He watched his mother succumb to her addiction to cocaine. It was these life experiences that fueled Shakur to showcase the thug lifestyle in his lyrics. Although his intentions were not to merely entertain listeners, but to educate them on the harsh realities affecting the Black community.

Shakur, Tupac. “Changes.” Greatest Hits. Interscope Records, 1998. MP3 file.

This will be the document that I will be analyzing in respect to the rhetoric of race. Shakur refers to the Black community in such a degrading light. The representations of his race speak to the inner city Black person.

Annotated Bibliography - Written in APA Style

Bibliography

Chung, D. (2006). Into the blogosphere: How online news sites are blogging the

news. Paper presented at the International Communication Association

Conference, Dresden, Germany.

As the institution of journalism is undergoing a rapid evolution, Chung explains that many newspapers are establishing an online presence to allow consumers with available access to and endless opportunities such as search features, hyperlinks, audio and/or video and message boards. Although the Internet is an interactive tool that allows consumers to interact with journalists, the weblog is an influential, but controversial tool that begs the question(s): 1) Who is a journalist? 2) What is journalism? Chung examines in her research study how news sites utilize blogs and the effects it has on journalism. In her final sample, she examined 74 news blogs; this number is based on Cyber Journalists’ List of Weblogs, which includes an extensive list of blogs written by journalists, an online entity with a partnership with the Online News Association. This research study examined six categories: author information, descriptive variables, structural features, temporal modality, exchange features and connectedness. Chung found that these weblogs focus primarily on general news and filter blogs written by reporters. Although these sites share some gatekeeping control with consumers, this study suggests that news sites are not taking full use of the Internet. Because of the slow pace to adapt to interactive features, these news sites do not allow consumers to communicate and exchange ideas.

Hermida, A. & Thurman, N. (2008). A clash of cultures: The integration of user-

generated content within professional journalistic frameworks at British

newspaper websites. Journalism practice, 2(3), 343-356.

The Internet is being redefined by user-generated content including the evolution of technologies such as MySpace, YouTube, and Wikipedia. User-generated content, also known as UGC, allows users to publish text, upload video, audio and images to the Internet. Hermida and Thurman suggest that UGC allows users to participate in the gathering and disseminating of news and/or information. The authors examine the online experiences of 12 leading national newspapers in the United Kingdom, excluding the BBC, who have utilized UGC in some way or another. This research study identifies nine UGC formats such as: polls, message boards, “Have your say,” comments on stories, Q&As, weblogs, reader blogs, “Your media,” and “Your story.” The authors found that weblogs specifically allow for a different target audience. While journalists have accepted that this genre has a place in journalism, these newspapers still maintain a specific role of gatekeeping. This research study indicates that UGC if framed by the newspaper’s norms and values.

Lanosga, G. (2008, April). Blogs and big media: A comparative study of agenda.

Paper presented at the International Communication Association Conference,

Dresden, Germany.

Lanosga examines the State of Indianapolis to conduct a comparative study to find if there is an effect on media organizations who utilize weblogs and if it has an influence on these same organizations. Focusing specifically on The Indianapolis Star and its TV affiliates, WISH (CBS) and WTHR (NBC), this research study observed four political blogs:

· Taking Down Words (a liberal blog).

· Frugal Hoosiers (a conservative blog).

· Masson’s Blog (an attorney and formal legal counsel).

· Advance Indiana (a lawyer with a conservative slant).

Lanosga found that weblogs rely much on mainstream media for news, information and updates. The findings reveal that at the national level, Indiana blogs have initiated breaking news, but in this study, the weblogs that were observed had virtually little impact on the newspaper and its TV affiliates.

Mersey, R. D. (2009). Online news users’ sense of community: Is geography dead?

Journalism Practice, 3(3), 347-360.

The Internet challenges the geographic location of newspapers not just nationally, but globally. According to the World Association of Newspaper’s World Digital Media Trends Report (2008), online news readership rose 20 percent from 2006 to 2007 and 100 percent from 2005 to 2007. This geographic location is moving online. There is a new idea of place in journalism, which exists in the online world. Mersey suggests that today the newsroom staff is tech savvy, younger and more prepared to serve the needs of print and web. The author defines community as social relations that are tied together. Four concepts of community are outlined as membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs and shared emotional connection. Mersey examines this changing geographic location and the implications of this online community.

Schultz, B. & Sheffer, M. L. (2009). Newspaper managers report positive attitudes

about blogs. Newspaper Research Journal, 30(2), 30-42.

With the evolution of weblogs, podcasting, cell phones and high definition TV, these technologies are redefining culture and society. With this evolution, these technologies drive more traffic online and enhance communication with consumers. The newspapers have reacted to this phenomenon by utilizing blogs as opinion and commentaries. Some newspapers even allow consumers to offer their own opinions. Schultz and Sheffer suggest that there is not definitive list of how many newspapers offer weblogs; however, nearly 51 percent of journalists read blogs and 53 percent get story ideas and sources from them. Prior research suggests that journalists have been asked to create and maintain weblogs with little direction, training and communication from editors and/or managers. In this event, some, though not all, journalists have negative perceptions of weblogs, so they do not see the real value of this technology. The authors suggest that in this case many editors and/or managers were blamed. Prior research, they conclude has not reported on the unknown attitudes of these persons.

Annotated Bibliography #1 -- Not available in MLA Style

Research Question

How do I incorporate blogs into my college composition classroom? Furthermore, when I have incorporated blogs into my classroom instruction, how do blogs affect each student’s writing (i.e. writing process, final product)?

Search

I used the ERIC search engine using the Library’s site. At first, I began to search for terms such as “Teaching Technology in the Composition Classroom,” “Technology in the Composition Classroom,” “Technology in the Classroom,” “Using Technology in the Classroom,” and finally, “Technology and Writing.” My search results were limited. It was not what I was looking for. Using these terms, I also looked through JSTOR and EBSCOhost; however, there was no luck. I found that if I typed these terms into the dialog box, it would only search for these terms in articles. Therefore, I widened my search. I conducted an advanced search through ERIC that was peer-reviewed. In the first dialog box, I typed, “Technology,” in the next, “Writing,” and in the last box, I typed “Blogs.” Thirty-seven articles were found. This is where I have located all of my articles; however, I still intend to locate more articles and use different search terms.

Annotated Bibliography

** I refer to students here as writers.

Boling, Erica. Jill Castek, Lisa Zawilinski, Karen Barton, and Theresa Nierlich.

“Collaborative Literacy: Blogs and Internet Projects.” The Reading Teacher 61:6:10 (2008): 504-506. ERIC. Print. 21 Sept. 2009.

I intend to use this article in order to introduce blogging and what it encourages to our writers. Blogging encourages writers to use an authentic voice and an engagement of collaborative writing. By definition, blogs are “websites that allow individuals to create personal webpages of text, pictures, graphics, videos, and other multimedia” (Boling, Castek, Zawilinksi, Barton, and Nierlich, 504). Students can post comments on peers’ walls and engage in an online conversation. Blogging provides opportunities to connect with real audiences, encourages students to read and write for meaningful purposes. Writing for such a diverse audience of peers also encourages students to revise and edit their work.

Ohler, Jason. “New-Media Literacies.” Academe 01902946. 1 May 2009: Vol. 95, Issue 3.

ERIC. Web. 21 Sept. 2009.

Being literate is now connected with being able to read and write using different technology of today. Although it is inexpensive and easy-to-use, being literate requires of writers to be aware of text, sounds, graphics, and moving images. Incorporating blogs allows for self-expression. What we need to do is to blend traditional media with new forms of media such as blogging. Ohler asserts that historically, everyone should read and write took centuries to evolve; however, with the advent of the web, it has taken less time to go from “read-only to write-possible” (Ohler). Blogging is at everyone’s grasp with the growing popularity of Facebook, MySpace, and blogspot, offered by Google. The objective of literacy is to interact and communicate with the real world, which is exactly what blogging allows.

Ramaswami, Rami. “The Prose of Blogging (and a Few Cons, Too).” T.H.E. Journal

0192592X. 1 Nov. 2008: Vol. 35, Issue 11. ERIC. Web. 23 Sept. 2009.

There are conflicting arguments about incorporating blogs into our classroom instruction. Those who argue against this assert that it increases mistakes made in grammar and punctuation and encourages tech-speak, which is the language of instant messaging or text messaging. Ramaswami introduces a case study where the objective was to examine the integration of technology and its effects on student achievement. The blog served as a journal where students posted research findings, brainstormed ideas, and responded to their peers’ findings. They found that blogs helped writers organize their thoughts, develop ideas, make sense of the research, and benefit from their peers feedback.

Smith, Cheryl. “Technologies for Transcending a Focus on Error: Blogs and Democratic

Aspirations in First-Year Composition.” Journal of Basic Writing (2008): Vol. 27, No. 1, 35-60. ERIC. Print. 20 Sept. 2009.

Reading and writing practices are changing with the advent of the web. Writers write more today than they have in the past, “but in less conventionally academic ways” (Smith 35). There is now a new relationship between composition and expression. Exposure to technology influences our writing styles. Blogs are used as an instrumental piece in the process of recognizing error. Smith asserts that first-year composition courses are established around drafting and revision. A classroom community is established with the advent of blogs. Blogs encourage student expression, facilitate brainstorming methods and peer review.

Witte, Shelbie. “That’s Online Writing, Not Boring School Writing: Writing With Blogs

and the Talkback Project.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy Oct. 2007: 51:2. 92-96. ERIC. Print. 20 Sept. 2009.

The purpose of the community of blogging should foster and encourage creative and reflective thinking. It serves as a cross-curricular tool. Writers should think and write about what they learn across all subjects and all grade levels. Blogging is a reflective activity. It can become a real life experience because writers are writing for a diverse audience whereas writers who engage in traditional writing write for one audience—normally their peers or the teacher. Writers take ownership of writing when they know others will read it. It is seen as a contemporary, real life opportunity for writing development.

Five Minute Essay: Complete the following outline (just jot down ideas; do not use complete sentences yet) before you draft in order to find focus and ensure your ideas and paragraphs are developed and/or before you revise in order to refine and develop your essay. If you cannot fill in every line, then go back and review your choices.

Topic: Analyzing Jean M. Twenge’s ethos, author of Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – And More Miserable Than Ever Before

Claim/assertion—why significant: ­­­­­­­­­I think that Jean M. Twenge is a credible source because of the data that she presents in her text. She has conducted many studies and includes studies that have been published well before the time that she was born.

I. Introduction

Thesis statement (topic plus claim/assertion): Author of Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – And More Miserable Than Ever Before, Twenge’s research on generations is the focal point of her presentations and the courses she has taught at San Diego State University, Case Western Reserve University, Gustavus Adolphus College, the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.

II. Body Paragraph One

Topic Sentence (topic and claim) Twenge’s ethos as an author

Example/story She has written Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – And More Miserable Than Ever Before.

Explanation/significance/connection to thesis Provide a summary of one of two books.

III. Body Paragraph Two

Topic Sentence (topic and claim) Twenge’s ethos as a writer

Example/story She has written The Narcissism Epidemic: The Age of Entitlement with W. Keith Campbell.

Explanation/significance/connection to thesis Provide a summary of one of two books.

IV. Body Paragraph Three

Topic Sentence (topic and claim) Twenge’s ethos as a speaker

Example/story Twenge travels the country discussing her research she has gathered about Generation Me.

Explanation/significance/connection to thesis Include a client testimony and analysis of it

V. Body Paragraph Four (and so on)

Topic Sentence (topic and claim) Twenge’s ethos as a professor

Example/story Where she teaches and what she has taught

Explanation/significance/connection to thesis Include any academic articles she has written

VI. Conclusion

One powerful/important point or statement

Written Assignment #2

Ethos, Pathos and Logos: These are probably new terms that you have not been introduced to in your life and if you have, this unit will serve as a refresher for the mind. While you may not be familiar with these terms, you may be familiar with these terms: credibility, emotion and support. Essentially, these terms identify with ethos, pathos and logos. Think about these terms and these definitions.

Ethos: Credibility. Have you ever thought about your ethos? Your credibility as a student? Who else are you? How do you identify yourself in this lifetime? Think about who you are. For instance, I might ask myself about my ethos as a server, as a teacher, as a daughter as a sister, as an aunt, as a feminist. Do you get the idea? Our ethos is very important to consider, because it can affect our interaction with others. Each and every day, we all do thinks that either improve or diminish our ethos. Think about how you have diminished or improved your ethos with me?

For this assignment, you could analyze an author’s ethos with you. For instance, how has Jean M. Twenge, the author of GenMe, established her ethos with her readers? You could analyze a hip-hop artist’s ethos with his/her audience. For this assignment, you could examine Tupac Shakur’s “Changes” or “Keep Your Head Up”. How does Shakur establish his ethos with his audience?

Pathos: Emotion. Have you ever thought about your pathos? How do you react to things such as criticism? To Twenge’s GenMe? This appeal applies to our emotions. While it may feel flimsy, it is actually very important, because in order to establish an argument, we must first identify our target demographic, establish our ethos with them and then consider how we wish to make them feel. Think about your pathos in relation to others?

For this assignment, you could analyze Cosmopolitan’s appeal of pathos to their target demographic. You could look at the cover of the magazine in order to draw support. You could analyze a Youtube video’s pathos with his/her audience.

Logos: Support. Think about the structure and logical appeal of an argument. These three appeals work together to create a persuasive argument. Logos is important because each argument needs structure and support. In order for our argument to be valid, we need to draw on support. What is the GenMe’s claim? How does she support this claim? Think about the support that you draw on in your first written assignment.

For this written assignment, you could select a short article and analyze its logos. Remember, think about the structure, the logical appeal and the support the author draws on to support his/her claim. You could also analyze a Youtube video’s logos.

Think about these appeals. How do they work together to form an argument? Why is understanding ethos, pathos and logos important to your argument?

Writing Assignment: For this assignment, you will select a text and analyze how it employs ethos, pathos or logos. These texts are not limited to:

• A movie trailer
• An excerpt from a book
• A song
• A musical artist
• A website
• Youtube videos
• Slam poetry
• The cover of a book
• An advertisement
• An article
• An author
• A magazine

Once you have chosen a text to analyze, you will need to discuss its target demographic, summarize the text for your audience and discuss how it employs one of these appeals: ethos, pathos or logos.

Objectives of the Written Assignment:
1) Select a text you wish to analyze.
2) Understand the difference between summary and analysis.
3) Summarize the text for your audience.
4) Analyze the text and how it employs ethos, pathos or logos.
5) Explain how this is the target demographic (and why).

Keep in mind that this may not be the exact order of your written assignment.

Identifying a Target Demographic: Go beyond identifying people or young men or young women. I have included categories for assigning a demographic below. This should help you with this written assignment.

• Age
• Race
• Gender
• Geographic location
• Education
• Occupation
• Social Class
• Politics
• Religion
• Marital status
• Sexual orientation

Easy Writer

Identifying Basic Appeals in an Argument, 28 – 33
Exploring a Topic, 17 – 18
Developing a Working Thesis, 18
Developing Paragraphs, 20 – 22
Reviewing, Revising and Editing, 22 – 23
Sentence Grammar, 60 – 90
MLA Style, 206 - 207

Format of the Written Assignment: For this written assignment, you will follow MLA format to set up your paper. This format can be found in Easy Writer, pages 206 – 207. The written assignment must be three to four pages in length. A works cited page will not be required for this assignment; however, you must include the link and/or text with the written assignment.