Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Fallacious D

Hasty conclusion like toy balloon: easy blow up, easy pop.
–Charlie Chan at the Race Track 

In order to augment the reading from our packet, research the following fallacies here* and then create for your blog three short scenarios: two of which are examples that you make up using any two of the fallacies below and one that is meant to be logically consistent. In class, we’ll examine these paragraphs and see if the class can guess which is which. Make sure that it’s not obvious that you’re using a fallacy. Make us work; make us better.
  • Begging the Question
  • Slippery Slope
  • False Dilemma
  • Post Hoc
  • Biased Sample
  • Gambler’s Fallacy
  • Hasty Generalization
  • Ad Hominem
  • Straw Man
  • Tu Quoque
  • Red Herring
* Use this site and this Nizkor Project site to help with this task.

I know some of these were mentioned in your reading as well, but it doesn't hurt to get some more information about them.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Lunch at Jerry's anyone?

If you haven't already, please read Serving in Florida on page 179 of your books. Then blog your answers to questions 1-6 and 9-11. If you weren't in class today, consider her appeal (logos, ethos, pathos) and her argument type (fact, value, policy).

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

AP Semester Final Study Guide

Version: Winter 2013-14

Primary Study Points

Argument Stasis Questions (Packet)
  • Fact
  • Value
  • Policy
Be able to evaluate a claim and decide the type of argument it necessitates.

Aristotelian Triangle

Toulmin (See blog Class Info and Resources/Rhetorical Analysis Tools/Toulmin Model)
      Know definitions and model
Be able to read a passage and identify what they are talking about, the effect of various rhetorical techniques, the tone, the style, authorial intent, underlying assumptions, etc. Essentially the stuff we’ve been doing all year. If you can answer the blog questions without undue stress, and you seem to get it when we talk about the timed write passages, you should be fine.

There’s more I could ask about, such as thesis types, organizational patterns and their benefits in different situations, and the like. The final was getting kind of long though, so I stopped asking questions. J

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

This I Believe Paper

Your This I Believe essay is due on Tuesday January 21st. It should be uploaded to your blog and you will be reading it aloud in class as well. Here are the requirements adapted from the This I Believe submission page (I encourage you to submit them to This I Believe if you wish).
Keep the following in mind when you write your essay:
  • Limit your essay to 350-500 words.
  • Describe an event that shaped your beliefs or a person who inspired them.
  • Avoid sermons and editorials—no soapbox declamations, please!
  • Read more of the This I Believe essay-writing tips.
You can peruse multiple examples at http://thisibelieve.org. Often the ones put on the radio are a bit better, but not necessarily so.
Andrea Kang's (Class of 2009) This I Believe essay. The Tacoma News Tribune re-posted it from its original posting so all of the comments are gone, but her essay is here.