First, read Tool 22 in Writing Tools and then Dinty W. Moore's "If Mr. Clean Had Been My Father" in Brief Encounters (p. 243), paying attention to how Moore knows when "to show" and when "to tell."
Then, write a sentence or two explaining how you can use the "ladder of abstraction" in a paragraph in your personal essay.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Monday, July 17, 2017
Summer 2017, Post #10
First, read "Tool 33" in Writing Tools and then Lia Purpura's "Brief Treatise Against Irony" in Brief Encounters.
Explain in a sentence or two how you could use purposeful repetition (as Purpura does by personifying "irony" as the opening line for most of her paragraphs) in your personal essay.
Explain in a sentence or two how you could use purposeful repetition (as Purpura does by personifying "irony" as the opening line for most of her paragraphs) in your personal essay.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Summer 2019, Post #9
Read Tool 18 and Tool 19 in Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools and then read Sven Birkerts's "One Long Sentence" (p. 38) and Bill Capossere's "Chess Piece" (p. 137) in Brief Encounters.
One aspect of successful writing is the writer's facility with syntax and line length; for this post, write two sentences that you could use in your personal essay. Have one sentence be short, blunt, powerful, and emphatic. Have the second sentence be longer, more complex, and more musical. Be sure each sentence is grammatically and mechanically correct, and play close attention to your subjects and verbs.
One aspect of successful writing is the writer's facility with syntax and line length; for this post, write two sentences that you could use in your personal essay. Have one sentence be short, blunt, powerful, and emphatic. Have the second sentence be longer, more complex, and more musical. Be sure each sentence is grammatically and mechanically correct, and play close attention to your subjects and verbs.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Summer 2017, Post #8
The nine rhetorical modes are methods of presenting and structuring information. For writers, managing these rhetorical modes ensures that both individual paragraphs and the essay as a whole are focused and coherent. Here are the rhetorical modes in no particular order . . .
Description: this refers both to literal description (based on sensory imagery) and figurative description (based on association). Thus, a description could provide visual details (literal description) and a simile (figurative description) in order to depict an object, idea, or scene.
Definition: elaborating the essential qualities of a thing. For example, if I were to define "dog," I couldn't just say a "four-legged animal" since that would include cats and would exclude a dog that might be missing a leg. Thus, writing an effective definition requires in-depth critical analysis.
Exemplification: providing examples to illustrate or "exemplify" a concept.
Cause/Effect: describing the causes or effects. In practice, a writer could do either or both: in other words, a writer could focus on the causes of an event, the effects of an event, or both the causes and effects of an event.
Division/Classification: breaking a concept down into categories (division) and then providing labels for each category (classification). For example, a writer could discuss types of music (genres) and define the essential qualities of each genre.
Compare/Contrast: analyzing the similarities and differences between two topics.
Argument: making a claim and then supporting that claim with reasons and evidence.
Narration: telling a story in order to illustrate a point.
Process Analysis: detailing the steps involved in a process. For example, a writer could discuss how to do something, or a writer could detail the steps leading up to a historical event.
There are two disclaimers:
1. An essay does not need to use all nine rhetorical modes to be effective.
2. These rhetorical modes work in conjunction with each other. An effective definition may also describe and divide/classify.
For this post, read Harrison Candelaria Fletcher's "White" (p. 62), and pay attention to how he uses the various rhetorical modes.
Then, read Tool 28 in Writing Tools in which Roy Peter Clark explores how to learn from contrast.
Finally, make (and post) a list of the rhetorical modes you plan to use in your personal essay; if you do this well, this list should function as a rough outline for your essay.
Description: this refers both to literal description (based on sensory imagery) and figurative description (based on association). Thus, a description could provide visual details (literal description) and a simile (figurative description) in order to depict an object, idea, or scene.
Definition: elaborating the essential qualities of a thing. For example, if I were to define "dog," I couldn't just say a "four-legged animal" since that would include cats and would exclude a dog that might be missing a leg. Thus, writing an effective definition requires in-depth critical analysis.
Exemplification: providing examples to illustrate or "exemplify" a concept.
Cause/Effect: describing the causes or effects. In practice, a writer could do either or both: in other words, a writer could focus on the causes of an event, the effects of an event, or both the causes and effects of an event.
Division/Classification: breaking a concept down into categories (division) and then providing labels for each category (classification). For example, a writer could discuss types of music (genres) and define the essential qualities of each genre.
Compare/Contrast: analyzing the similarities and differences between two topics.
Argument: making a claim and then supporting that claim with reasons and evidence.
Narration: telling a story in order to illustrate a point.
Process Analysis: detailing the steps involved in a process. For example, a writer could discuss how to do something, or a writer could detail the steps leading up to a historical event.
There are two disclaimers:
1. An essay does not need to use all nine rhetorical modes to be effective.
2. These rhetorical modes work in conjunction with each other. An effective definition may also describe and divide/classify.
For this post, read Harrison Candelaria Fletcher's "White" (p. 62), and pay attention to how he uses the various rhetorical modes.
Then, read Tool 28 in Writing Tools in which Roy Peter Clark explores how to learn from contrast.
Finally, make (and post) a list of the rhetorical modes you plan to use in your personal essay; if you do this well, this list should function as a rough outline for your essay.
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Summer 2017, Post #7
First, read Julian Barnes's "Grief" in Brief Encounters (p. 307). In terms of its structure and strategy, this essay is notable for three reasons. First, Barnes titles his essay "Grief," but he never uses the word "grief" (or even "sadness") in the essay, nor does he use a generic pronoun "it" to stand in for "grief." Rather, he lets his description stand alone. Second, Barnes explores and defines an emotion by manipulating his use of pronouns, moving from the plural "we" to the singular "I." Third, he explores the emotion of grief by using the metaphor of observation and distance, first with the comparison to "aerial surveying" and then to "photographs of photographs."
For this post, think about an intense emotion that you have experienced at a pivotal moment in your life. The emotion may be positive, negative, or some ambiguous combination of positive/negative. Next, write one paragraph in which you describe/define that emotion without ever using the name of the emotion itself or using "it" to refer to the emotion. Rather, let your description stand alone. In this paragraph, manipulate your use of pronouns (shifting between two or more of the first-person singular "I" or plural "we," the second-person "you," and the third-person singular "he, she, it" or plural "they"). Finally, explore this emotion by using a metaphor to compare it to an object or experience that allows your reader to "see" or "get" the emotion through your description.
For this post, think about an intense emotion that you have experienced at a pivotal moment in your life. The emotion may be positive, negative, or some ambiguous combination of positive/negative. Next, write one paragraph in which you describe/define that emotion without ever using the name of the emotion itself or using "it" to refer to the emotion. Rather, let your description stand alone. In this paragraph, manipulate your use of pronouns (shifting between two or more of the first-person singular "I" or plural "we," the second-person "you," and the third-person singular "he, she, it" or plural "they"). Finally, explore this emotion by using a metaphor to compare it to an object or experience that allows your reader to "see" or "get" the emotion through your description.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Summer 2017, Post #6
Tool 25 in Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools explores how to use narrative effectively. Choose one nonfiction essay in Brief Encounters, and explain how the author uses who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Tool 24 in Writing Tools explores how to use a blueprint (or outline) effectively. Choose one nonfiction essay in Brief Encounters (it can be the same essay as above or a different one), and make a blueprint that tracks the essay's structure and flow.
Tool 24 in Writing Tools explores how to use a blueprint (or outline) effectively. Choose one nonfiction essay in Brief Encounters (it can be the same essay as above or a different one), and make a blueprint that tracks the essay's structure and flow.
Monday, June 19, 2017
Friday, June 16, 2017
Summer 2017, Post #4
One hallmark of advanced writing is the effectiveness with which one
uses another person's words and ideas. There are three ways to
accomplish this: summary, paraphrase, and direct quote. To summarize or
paraphrase means to keep the author's ideas but to reconstruct them in
your own language, syntax, and voice (while giving attribution to the
original author, of course). To directly quote a source is to keep the
author's ideas and words (if the language is vivid enough to be worth
keeping). However, when using a direct quote, writers should avoid
free-standing quotes (also known as dropped, floating, or cut-and-pasted
quotes). A free-standing quote is a quote that a writer uses without
introduction or integration, and it will disrupt the writer's own tone
and flow.
There are three ways of introducing quotes to prevent them from being free-standing.
1. Use a simple introductory phrase, like "According to" or "So-and-so argues." This method emphasizes the author, so a writer would use this when he or she wants to emphasize the person as an expert or someone offering testimony.
Here's an example.
According to Siegfried Kracauer, "While time is not part of the photograph like the smile or the chignon, the photograph itself, so it seems to them, is a representation of time" (424).
2. Write your own sentence, then use a quote (introduced with a colon) that functions as evidence or demonstration of your sentence's ideas. Be sure your sentence is a complete sentence; otherwise, the sentence becomes a fragment. This method works most effectively for using source material as evidence for the writer's own claims.
Here's an example.
In certain ways, a photograph functions as a more reliable witness than our own memory: "Memory encompasses neither the entire spatial appearance nor the entire temporal course of an event. Compared to photography memory's records are full of gaps" (Kracauer 425).
3. Instead of introducing the entire quote, integrate pieces (words, phrases, or clauses) into the context of the writer's own syntax. This method works best to synthesize ideas and to create a smooth flow.
Here's an example.
When we reduce our experience of the world to collecting photographs, we become guilty of the "warehousing of nature" (Kracauer 435) and loved ones in dusty albums as forgotten souvenirs.
Your assignment:
A. Find three relevant quotes from your sources.
B. Introduce those three quotes using the above methods:
1. Introductory phrase, "quote" (citation);
2. Complete sentence: "quote" (citation);
3. Your sentence with the "quote" embedded somewhere in the middle (citation).
There are three ways of introducing quotes to prevent them from being free-standing.
1. Use a simple introductory phrase, like "According to" or "So-and-so argues." This method emphasizes the author, so a writer would use this when he or she wants to emphasize the person as an expert or someone offering testimony.
Here's an example.
According to Siegfried Kracauer, "While time is not part of the photograph like the smile or the chignon, the photograph itself, so it seems to them, is a representation of time" (424).
2. Write your own sentence, then use a quote (introduced with a colon) that functions as evidence or demonstration of your sentence's ideas. Be sure your sentence is a complete sentence; otherwise, the sentence becomes a fragment. This method works most effectively for using source material as evidence for the writer's own claims.
Here's an example.
In certain ways, a photograph functions as a more reliable witness than our own memory: "Memory encompasses neither the entire spatial appearance nor the entire temporal course of an event. Compared to photography memory's records are full of gaps" (Kracauer 425).
3. Instead of introducing the entire quote, integrate pieces (words, phrases, or clauses) into the context of the writer's own syntax. This method works best to synthesize ideas and to create a smooth flow.
Here's an example.
When we reduce our experience of the world to collecting photographs, we become guilty of the "warehousing of nature" (Kracauer 435) and loved ones in dusty albums as forgotten souvenirs.
Your assignment:
A. Find three relevant quotes from your sources.
B. Introduce those three quotes using the above methods:
1. Introductory phrase, "quote" (citation);
2. Complete sentence: "quote" (citation);
3. Your sentence with the "quote" embedded somewhere in the middle (citation).
Monday, June 12, 2017
Summer 2017, Post #3
For this post, use the Walter Stiern Library's ebrary electronic search database for books, and find one book that would be relevant for your essay. Post the title, author, and a short explanation as to how/why you could use this source in your essay.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Summer 2017, Post #2
Part of an effective argumentative essay is the use of evidence to help proves one's point; we can classify types of evidence using the Greek terms logos, ethos, and pathos. Logos refers to logical evidence, such as facts, statistics, and hard "objective" data. Ethos refers to the legitimacy of an ethical voice; this usually takes the form of expert testimony but can also refer to legal codes and other "fundamental" sources. Pathos refers to emotional evidence, such as specific examples, descriptions, and narratives. An effective argument will use all three types of evidence to convince and appeal to each part of an audience's personality.
Thus, when you are finding sources to use to develop your formal argument (the in-class essay), you should be looking for facts/statistics to develop the logic of your claims, expert testimony to develop the ethics of your claims, and specific examples and narratives to develop the emotions of your claims.
Begin your research by looking for scholarly articles (that have been peer reviewed and have an "ethos" foundation) through the Walter Stiern Library. To decide which search terms to use, look at each body paragraph of your in-class essay. What was the focus of body paragraph #1? Search for an article that explores those ideas, and then do the same for each of your body paragraphs. Be sure to save the articles (or e-mail them to yourself). You might run into some difficulty if you're using a home computer with slow internet connection, so if this happens, give yourself some time to stop by the actual Walter Stiern Libray to use their computers.
For this blog, post the authors and titles of three (3!) articles you find, and explain in a sentence or two how each source is relevant for the topic of your essay.
Thus, when you are finding sources to use to develop your formal argument (the in-class essay), you should be looking for facts/statistics to develop the logic of your claims, expert testimony to develop the ethics of your claims, and specific examples and narratives to develop the emotions of your claims.
Begin your research by looking for scholarly articles (that have been peer reviewed and have an "ethos" foundation) through the Walter Stiern Library. To decide which search terms to use, look at each body paragraph of your in-class essay. What was the focus of body paragraph #1? Search for an article that explores those ideas, and then do the same for each of your body paragraphs. Be sure to save the articles (or e-mail them to yourself). You might run into some difficulty if you're using a home computer with slow internet connection, so if this happens, give yourself some time to stop by the actual Walter Stiern Libray to use their computers.
For this blog, post the authors and titles of three (3!) articles you find, and explain in a sentence or two how each source is relevant for the topic of your essay.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Summer 2017, Post 1
Hello All,
This assignment should be easy: 1) Read the syllabus and 2) Ask a question about the class, the syllabus, or an assignment. Be sure to post your name along with your question so I'll know to give you credit.
This assignment should be easy: 1) Read the syllabus and 2) Ask a question about the class, the syllabus, or an assignment. Be sure to post your name along with your question so I'll know to give you credit.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #15
First, read James Richardson's "Aphorisms & Ten-Second Essays" in Brief Encounters. An aphorism is a concise statement of a truth, and the most effective aphorisms are the ones that avoid cliche and reveal both a personal and universal truth.
For this post, write a series of five aphorisms and/or concise "ten-second" essays about what makes life meaningful to you or how you find (or make) meaning in your life (or, conversely, fail to do so). Be sure to avoid cliches!
For this post, write a series of five aphorisms and/or concise "ten-second" essays about what makes life meaningful to you or how you find (or make) meaning in your life (or, conversely, fail to do so). Be sure to avoid cliches!
Spring 2017, Post #14
First, in Brief Encounters, read Sven Birkerts "One Long Sentence," a one-sentence essay that narrates a travel experience.
Then, write a one-sentence essay exploring an experience that typifies your life. Again, be deliberate as to which rhetorical modes you will use, and again, compose this first in a Word program and then copy-and-paste here. This one-sentence essay should be at least 200 words, and pay attention to your commas and semi-colons, which will help you keep this from being a run-on sentence. You might even take this to the Writing Resource Center for a final edit before submitting.
Then, write a one-sentence essay exploring an experience that typifies your life. Again, be deliberate as to which rhetorical modes you will use, and again, compose this first in a Word program and then copy-and-paste here. This one-sentence essay should be at least 200 words, and pay attention to your commas and semi-colons, which will help you keep this from being a run-on sentence. You might even take this to the Writing Resource Center for a final edit before submitting.
Spring 2017, Post #13
First, read Anika Fajardo's "What Didn't Happen" in Brief Encounters. In this essay, Fajardo explores how her life would be different if her parents had not divorced and she had not moved from Columbia to the U.S. with her mother.
Then, write a three-paragraph mini-essay exploring how your life would be different if one aspect from your childhood were to be changed. Be deliberate as to which of the nine rhetorical modes you will use in these three paragraphs (definition, description, narration, argument, exemplification, compare/contrast, cause/effect, division/classification, process analysis). Each paragraph must be at least 80 words, so write your paragraphs first in a Word program (which will count the words for you), and then copy and paste those paragraphs here.
Then, write a three-paragraph mini-essay exploring how your life would be different if one aspect from your childhood were to be changed. Be deliberate as to which of the nine rhetorical modes you will use in these three paragraphs (definition, description, narration, argument, exemplification, compare/contrast, cause/effect, division/classification, process analysis). Each paragraph must be at least 80 words, so write your paragraphs first in a Word program (which will count the words for you), and then copy and paste those paragraphs here.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #12
For this blog post, first read Harrison Candelaria Fletcher's "White" (62) and Jericho Parms's "Red" (144) in Brief Encounters: A Collection of Contemporary Nonfiction. In "Red," Parms uses color to explore perception, focus, and connectivity while Fletcher uses color to frame and structure memory and experience.
Then choose a color, and walk through your home or apartment making a list of every thing (important or insignificant) you have that is that color. Then, reflect on what this color means to you (in terms of association, emotion, and memory).
Then choose a color, and walk through your home or apartment making a list of every thing (important or insignificant) you have that is that color. Then, reflect on what this color means to you (in terms of association, emotion, and memory).
Friday, March 10, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #11
After completing the "PeerMark" assignment through Turnitin.com, use this blog post to answer two questions:
1. What were the general strengths and weaknesses of your classmates' essays?
2. After reviewing three of your classmates' essays, what changes do you intend to make to your essay? Why?
1. What were the general strengths and weaknesses of your classmates' essays?
2. After reviewing three of your classmates' essays, what changes do you intend to make to your essay? Why?
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #10
As you're writing your essay, keep in mind that this is an academic analysis and not an annotated bibliography. In other words, your paragraphs should not revolve around your sources (paragraph 1 summarizing source 1, for example); instead, your paragraphs should revolve around your ideas, and you will use your sources where they are relevant to your ideas. This means that some paragraphs may not use sources at all whereas other paragraphs may use as many as four sources (if all four sources are exploring a similar, specific point).
Furthermore, one hallmark of advanced writing is the effectiveness with which one uses another person's words and ideas. There are three ways to accomplish this: summary, paraphrase, and direct quote. To summarize or paraphrase means to keep the author's ideas but to reconstruct them in your own language, syntax, and voice (while giving attribution to the original author, of course). To directly quote a source is to keep the author's ideas and words (if the language is vivid enough to be worth keeping). However, when using a direct quote, writers should avoid free-standing quotes (also known as dropped, floating, or cut-and-pasted quotes). A free-standing quote is a quote that a writer uses without introduction or integration, and it will disrupt the writer's own tone and flow.
There are three ways of introducing quotes to prevent them from being free-standing.
1. Use a simple introductory phrase, like "According to" or "So-and-so argues." This method emphasizes the author, so a writer would use this when he or she wants to emphasize the person as an expert or someone offering testimony.
Here's an example.
According to Siegfried Kracauer, "While time is not part of the photograph like the smile or the chignon, the photograph itself, so it seems to them, is a representation of time" (424).
2. Write your own sentence, then use a quote (introduced with a colon) that functions as evidence or demonstration of your sentence's ideas. Be sure your sentence is a complete sentence; otherwise, the sentence becomes a fragment. This method works most effectively for using source material as evidence for the writer's own claims.
Here's an example.
In certain ways, a photograph functions as a more reliable witness than our own memory: "Memory encompasses neither the entire spatial appearance nor the entire temporal course of an event. Compared to photography memory's records are full of gaps" (Kracauer 425).
3. Instead of introducing the entire quote, integrate pieces (words, phrases, or clauses) into the context of the writer's own syntax. This method works best to synthesize ideas and to create a smooth flow.
Here's an example.
When we reduce our experience of the world to collecting photographs, we become guilty of the "warehousing of nature" (Kracauer 435) and loved ones in dusty albums as forgotten souvenirs.
Your assignment:
A. Find three quotes from your sources that you will use in your essay.
B. Introduce those quotes and/or incorporate them into a sentence of your own that you will use in your essay. Make sure you cite the author and page number (and year if you're using APA). I have no preference as to which citation format you use as long as you are using it correctly.
C. Post those three sentences to the blog.
Furthermore, one hallmark of advanced writing is the effectiveness with which one uses another person's words and ideas. There are three ways to accomplish this: summary, paraphrase, and direct quote. To summarize or paraphrase means to keep the author's ideas but to reconstruct them in your own language, syntax, and voice (while giving attribution to the original author, of course). To directly quote a source is to keep the author's ideas and words (if the language is vivid enough to be worth keeping). However, when using a direct quote, writers should avoid free-standing quotes (also known as dropped, floating, or cut-and-pasted quotes). A free-standing quote is a quote that a writer uses without introduction or integration, and it will disrupt the writer's own tone and flow.
There are three ways of introducing quotes to prevent them from being free-standing.
1. Use a simple introductory phrase, like "According to" or "So-and-so argues." This method emphasizes the author, so a writer would use this when he or she wants to emphasize the person as an expert or someone offering testimony.
Here's an example.
According to Siegfried Kracauer, "While time is not part of the photograph like the smile or the chignon, the photograph itself, so it seems to them, is a representation of time" (424).
2. Write your own sentence, then use a quote (introduced with a colon) that functions as evidence or demonstration of your sentence's ideas. Be sure your sentence is a complete sentence; otherwise, the sentence becomes a fragment. This method works most effectively for using source material as evidence for the writer's own claims.
Here's an example.
In certain ways, a photograph functions as a more reliable witness than our own memory: "Memory encompasses neither the entire spatial appearance nor the entire temporal course of an event. Compared to photography memory's records are full of gaps" (Kracauer 425).
3. Instead of introducing the entire quote, integrate pieces (words, phrases, or clauses) into the context of the writer's own syntax. This method works best to synthesize ideas and to create a smooth flow.
Here's an example.
When we reduce our experience of the world to collecting photographs, we become guilty of the "warehousing of nature" (Kracauer 435) and loved ones in dusty albums as forgotten souvenirs.
Your assignment:
A. Find three quotes from your sources that you will use in your essay.
B. Introduce those quotes and/or incorporate them into a sentence of your own that you will use in your essay. Make sure you cite the author and page number (and year if you're using APA). I have no preference as to which citation format you use as long as you are using it correctly.
C. Post those three sentences to the blog.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Spring 207, Post #9
For previous blog posts, you analyzed how Victoria Finlay utilizes rhetorical modes in her book Color. For this blog, you need to choose which rhetorical modes you will use in your own essay and explain how you will use them. For example, if you choose compare/contrast and you are writing from the discipline of psychology, you could compare and contrast the effects of two different colors on a person's emotions (a blue room versus a yellow room, for example). Here are the nine rhetorical modes again (in no particular order):
Description
Definition
Exemplification
Narration
Division/Classification
Cause/Effect
Compare/Contrast
Process Analysis
Argument
In terms of how to use these rhetorical modes, you could use them as the focus for individual paragraphs (i.e., in the first body paragraph, I will use definition; in the second body paragraph I will use cause/effect) or as sections of the essay (in the first few paragraphs I will analyze the process of how this happens).
You do not need to use all nine rhetorical modes to be successful, but you do need to use effectively the ones you choose. For the purposes of this blog response, brainstorm how you could use at least four of the nine rhetorical modes in your academic analysis.
Description
Definition
Exemplification
Narration
Division/Classification
Cause/Effect
Compare/Contrast
Process Analysis
Argument
In terms of how to use these rhetorical modes, you could use them as the focus for individual paragraphs (i.e., in the first body paragraph, I will use definition; in the second body paragraph I will use cause/effect) or as sections of the essay (in the first few paragraphs I will analyze the process of how this happens).
You do not need to use all nine rhetorical modes to be successful, but you do need to use effectively the ones you choose. For the purposes of this blog response, brainstorm how you could use at least four of the nine rhetorical modes in your academic analysis.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #8
You will need to research to find relevant sources to help you explore your essay's topic. For this blog post, find two sources that you could use in your essay (following the steps below), and write a brief summary of each source along with the source's title and author. NOTE: These searches will work most effectively on a school computer, so try to do these searches on campus and not from home. You can still do them from your home network, but you'll need to repeatedly enter your CSUB ID and password, and the connection will be much slower.
Source 1:
Go to the Walter Stiern Library e-brary page.
Use the search terms to find a book. For example, when I search "color AND psychology," the results list almost 40,000 different e-books I could use. If this were my search, I would find a promising book, skim the chapters, and see if it would be relevant for my topic. Find one such e-book that you could use in your essay, and write a brief summary/overview of the book along with the author and title.
Source 2:
Go to the Walter Stiern Library home page.
Click the tab that says "Articles," and enter a search term. For example, when I search "color AND psychology," the results number in the thousands. Under the "Format" tab on the left of the page, I will then click "Articles" to narrow/limit my search, the first of which looks interesting: "Extending Color Psychology to the Personality Realm: Interpersonal Hostility Varies by Red Preferences and Perceptual Biases" by Adam Fetterman. Find one such article that you could use in your essay, and write a brief summary of the article along with the author and title.
Source 1:
Go to the Walter Stiern Library e-brary page.
Use the search terms to find a book. For example, when I search "color AND psychology," the results list almost 40,000 different e-books I could use. If this were my search, I would find a promising book, skim the chapters, and see if it would be relevant for my topic. Find one such e-book that you could use in your essay, and write a brief summary/overview of the book along with the author and title.
Source 2:
Go to the Walter Stiern Library home page.
Click the tab that says "Articles," and enter a search term. For example, when I search "color AND psychology," the results number in the thousands. Under the "Format" tab on the left of the page, I will then click "Articles" to narrow/limit my search, the first of which looks interesting: "Extending Color Psychology to the Personality Realm: Interpersonal Hostility Varies by Red Preferences and Perceptual Biases" by Adam Fetterman. Find one such article that you could use in your essay, and write a brief summary of the article along with the author and title.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #7
For this post, I want you to begin thinking about your essay. How will you apply/explore "color" through the lens of your specific major/discipline? This is a brainstorming blog, so I want you to come up with at least three different ideas.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Spring 2017 #6
First, read the chapters "Yellow," "Green," and "Blue" in Victoria Finlay's Color.
The rhetorical mode of division/classification involves taking a concept or idea (such as "color") and dividing it into various types, genres, or categories. Finlay uses this rhetorical mode as the overall structure of the book, breaking each chapter into one "type" of color from the rainbow.
1. Find another example where Finlay uses division/classification within one of the three chapters of "Yellow," "Green," or "Blue." How does she develop these categories?
The rhetorical mode of compare/contrast explores similarities and differences between different ideas or things.
2. Find an example where Finlay compares and contrasts things or ideas in the chapters "Yellow," "Green," or "Blue." What larger point is she trying to make through comparing and contrasting?
The rhetorical mode of process analysis explores the steps involved in a process. This could be in the past tense (how something was done), the present tense (how to do something), or the future (how something should be done). Find an example where Finlay analyzes a process in the chapters "Yellow," "Green," or "Blue." Why is she detailing this specific process?
The rhetorical mode of division/classification involves taking a concept or idea (such as "color") and dividing it into various types, genres, or categories. Finlay uses this rhetorical mode as the overall structure of the book, breaking each chapter into one "type" of color from the rainbow.
1. Find another example where Finlay uses division/classification within one of the three chapters of "Yellow," "Green," or "Blue." How does she develop these categories?
The rhetorical mode of compare/contrast explores similarities and differences between different ideas or things.
2. Find an example where Finlay compares and contrasts things or ideas in the chapters "Yellow," "Green," or "Blue." What larger point is she trying to make through comparing and contrasting?
The rhetorical mode of process analysis explores the steps involved in a process. This could be in the past tense (how something was done), the present tense (how to do something), or the future (how something should be done). Find an example where Finlay analyzes a process in the chapters "Yellow," "Green," or "Blue." Why is she detailing this specific process?
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #5
For Week Three, read "White," "Red," and "Orange" in Victoria Finlay's Color.
The nine rhetorical modes are methods of presenting and structuring information. For writers, managing these rhetorical modes ensures that both individual paragraphs and the essay as a whole are focused and coherent. Here are the rhetorical modes in no particular order . . .
Description: this refers both to literal description (based on sensory imagery) and figurative description (based on association). Thus, a description could provide visual details (literal description) and a simile (figurative description) in order to depict an object, idea, or scene.
Definition: elaborating the essential qualities of a thing. For example, if I were to define "dog," I couldn't just say a "four-legged animal" since that would include cats and would exclude a dog that might be missing a leg. Thus, writing an effective definition requires in-depth critical analysis.
Exemplification: providing examples to illustrate or "exemplify" a concept.
Cause/Effect: describing the causes or effects. In practice, a writer could do either or both: in other words, a writer could focus on the causes of an event, the effects of an event, or both the causes and effects of an event.
Division/Classification: breaking a concept down into categories (division) and then providing labels for each category (classification). For example, a writer could discuss types of music (genres) and define the essential qualities of each genre.
Compare/Contrast: analyzing the similarities and differences between two topics.
Argument: making a claim and then supporting that claim with reasons and evidence.
Narration: telling a story in order to illustrate a point.
Process Analysis: detailing the steps involved in a process. For example, a writer could discuss how to do something, or a writer could detail the steps leading up to a historical event.
There are two disclaimers:
1. An essay does not need to use all nine rhetorical modes to be effective.
2. These rhetorical modes work in conjunction with each other. An effective definition may also describe and divide/classify.
For this post, find sections where Finlay uses description, definition, and exemplification effectively. In other words, where does Finlay effectively describe something? Where does she provide a memorable definition? Where does she provide enlightening examples of something? Provide a quote for each of these three rhetorical modes from the text, and explain (in a sentence for each of these three rhetorical modes) what makes Finlay's use of that mode effective.
The nine rhetorical modes are methods of presenting and structuring information. For writers, managing these rhetorical modes ensures that both individual paragraphs and the essay as a whole are focused and coherent. Here are the rhetorical modes in no particular order . . .
Description: this refers both to literal description (based on sensory imagery) and figurative description (based on association). Thus, a description could provide visual details (literal description) and a simile (figurative description) in order to depict an object, idea, or scene.
Definition: elaborating the essential qualities of a thing. For example, if I were to define "dog," I couldn't just say a "four-legged animal" since that would include cats and would exclude a dog that might be missing a leg. Thus, writing an effective definition requires in-depth critical analysis.
Exemplification: providing examples to illustrate or "exemplify" a concept.
Cause/Effect: describing the causes or effects. In practice, a writer could do either or both: in other words, a writer could focus on the causes of an event, the effects of an event, or both the causes and effects of an event.
Division/Classification: breaking a concept down into categories (division) and then providing labels for each category (classification). For example, a writer could discuss types of music (genres) and define the essential qualities of each genre.
Compare/Contrast: analyzing the similarities and differences between two topics.
Argument: making a claim and then supporting that claim with reasons and evidence.
Narration: telling a story in order to illustrate a point.
Process Analysis: detailing the steps involved in a process. For example, a writer could discuss how to do something, or a writer could detail the steps leading up to a historical event.
There are two disclaimers:
1. An essay does not need to use all nine rhetorical modes to be effective.
2. These rhetorical modes work in conjunction with each other. An effective definition may also describe and divide/classify.
For this post, find sections where Finlay uses description, definition, and exemplification effectively. In other words, where does Finlay effectively describe something? Where does she provide a memorable definition? Where does she provide enlightening examples of something? Provide a quote for each of these three rhetorical modes from the text, and explain (in a sentence for each of these three rhetorical modes) what makes Finlay's use of that mode effective.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #4
After reading the chapter on "Black and Brown" in Victoria Finlay's Color, read the chapter on verbs in Constance Hale's Sin and Syntax.
Find one sentence in "Black and Brown" that embodies Hale's recommendation for writers to use dynamic verbs. Copy that sentence, and explain why Finlay's choice of verbs in the sentence is so effective.
Find one sentence in "Black and Brown" that embodies Hale's recommendation for writers to use dynamic verbs. Copy that sentence, and explain why Finlay's choice of verbs in the sentence is so effective.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #3
For this post, first read "Ochre" in Victoria Finlay's Color.
Our class has students from a wide variety of majors and disciplines: Liberal Studies, Criminal Justice, Philosophy, Business Administration, Nursing, Biology, Physical Education and Kinesiology, Psychology, Religious Studies, Communications, and Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies. Each major and discipline is a way of seeing and understanding the world.
Choose two majors/disciplines from this list, and explain what parts of the chapter on "Ochre" a student of this field would find most interesting.
Our class has students from a wide variety of majors and disciplines: Liberal Studies, Criminal Justice, Philosophy, Business Administration, Nursing, Biology, Physical Education and Kinesiology, Psychology, Religious Studies, Communications, and Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies. Each major and discipline is a way of seeing and understanding the world.
Choose two majors/disciplines from this list, and explain what parts of the chapter on "Ochre" a student of this field would find most interesting.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #2
Read pages 1-8 in Constance Hale's Sin and Syntax. Find one sentence in Victoria Finlay's chapters "The Beginning of the Rainbow" or "The Paintbox" (in Color) that embodies Hale's advice to "relish every word," "be simple, but go deep," "take risks," "seek beauty," or "find the right pitch." Copy that sentence, and explain why and/or how it succeeds. In other words, don't summarize the sentence; instead, explain why it is a well-written sentence.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Spring 2017, Post #1
Hello All,
As I wrote in the e-mail, introduce yourselves and ask a question about the class or syllabus.
As I wrote in the e-mail, introduce yourselves and ask a question about the class or syllabus.
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