RWS 200 9 14 18 Andrew Testa Selingos

RWS 200 // 9 -14 -18 // Andrew Testa Selingo’s Sprint, Stroll, Stumble

Recap • Recap of last class.

Assignment One SLO 1. Analyze and evaluate an author’s argument, claim, project, and assumptions, as well as the rhetorical strategies used to construct the text. 2. Explain how those strategies contribute to the author’s appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. 3. Evaluate the extent to which those appeals persuade the intended audience. 4. Consider how those strategies are based on key assumptions the author makes about that audience.

Outline 1. Assignment 1 Prompt 2. Assignment 1 Rubric 3. Quick Write 4. Selingo Discussion 5. Audience 6. Summary

1. Assignment 1 Prompt • Let’s go over it.

Questions? • Does anyone have any questions about the prompt?

2. Assignment 1 Rubric • La rubrica.

Questions? • Does anyone have any questions about the rubric?

3. Quick Write • What did you think of Selingo’s Sprint, Stroll, Stumble article? Did you like it? Why or why not? • What strategies do you think Selingo uses? Are they persuasive? What do they appeal to?

4. Selingo Discussion • Selingo discussion.

1. Who is the audience? Who is the author trying to reach? (age, gender, cultural background, class, etc. ) Which elements of the text – both things included, and things left out – provide clues about the intended audience? How does the author represent the audience? 2. Who is the author, and where is he coming from? What can you find out about the author? What can you find out about the organization, publication, web site, or source he is writing for? 3. What is the author’s purpose? What is the question at issue? Why has the author written this text? What is the problem, dispute, or question being addressed? What motivated him to write, what does he hope to accomplish, and how does he hope to influence the audience? 4. What is the context - what is the situation that prompted the writing of this text, & how do you know? When was the text created, and what was going on at the time? Can you think of any social, political, or economic conditions that are particularly important? 5. What “conversation” is the author part of? It’s unlikely the author is the first person to write on a particular topic. As Graff points out, writers invariably add their voices to a larger conversation. How does the author respond to other texts? How does he enter the conversation (“Many authors have argued X, but as Smith shows, this position is flawed, and I will extend Smith’s critique by presenting data that shows…”) How does the author position himself in relation to other authors? 6. How does the author claim “centrality, ” i. e. establish that the topic being discussed matters, and that readers should care? 7. What is the author’s “stance”? What is his attitude toward the subject, and how does this come across in his language? 8. What research went into writing the text, & what material does the author examine? (project)

4. Selingo Discussion • Who is Selingo? • According to Google: Jeffrey J. Selingo is a leading authority on higher education worldwide and editor at large for the Chronicle of Higher Education. He frequently speaks before national higher education groups and appears regularly on regional and national radio and television programs on NPR, PBS, ABC, MSNBC, and CBS. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Huffington Post. • AKA writer about higher education.

4. Selingo Discussion • Who is his audience? • People who read NYT. • Parents and students who are interested in higher education.

4. Selingo Discussion • Rhetorical strategies in Selingo. • Some of the biggest ones I see: • Narration. • Division and classification. • Big names. • Definition. • Description. • Exemplification.

5. Audience • Audience is key. You always write to someone. • Audience’s demographics are important. • Always keep in mind your audience when you are writing.

6. Summary • Try to avoid summarizing in your college essays. • Instead of summary, try to analyze. • Look at rhetorical appeals, rhetorical strategies, and claims. • If you find yourself summarizing, do the following: • Reread the prompt for the assignment. • Write directly based on your thesis (which should be analytical) • Ask if what you are saying would be obvious to the reader

Summary • Prompt and rubric • Selingo generally • Audience and summary • Group work on Selingo • Homework