MAKE THE MOST OF SEMINARLet’s truly make this the greatest hour of the week!! Quality matters. Make sure you are

sharing at least 3-5 posts of substance (i.e. that go beyond one word)

Be courteous to your classmates and don’t have side conversations or simply hit “submit” for posts that do NOT contribute to the discussion.

Save questions for when I ask. That will be every 15 minutes.

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CM 220 UNIT 3 SEMINAR

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK: “Research is creating new

knowledge.” (Neil Armstrong)

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UNIT 3: AN AGENT FOR CHANGESeminar agenda: Review Unit 2 Assignments for Unit 3 Creating persuasive thesis statements Identifying types of claims The three appeals (logos, ethos, pathos)

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UNIT 2 REVIEW

Last week we: Talked about how to select a topic

and generate ideas Explored prewriting

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$1,000 REVIEW QUESTIONS What does MAPS stand for? How can you use it for preventing

writer’s block and smoothing our your writing process?

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PREVIEW OF OUR UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS

Unit 4: persuasive thesis. This will be a paper talking about your thesis and strategies for arguing.

Unit 6: an annotated bibliography. This is basically a summary of sources you will use for your Unit 8 essay

Unit 8: an academic essayUnit 9: digital project

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SELECTING A TOPIC Review all upcoming projects to make

sure your topic fits with them. You must have an opposition that is

educated, and intelligent. Look to see if there is a published opposition.

You must be able to find sources.

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UNIT 3 ACTIVITIES Learning activities Discussion Quiz Seminar

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THESIS STATEMENTS

What is the purpose of a thesis statement and where will we find it in an essay?

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It is a sentence that gives your reader direction.

It must be a complete sentence and must show the main points you will cover in your essay.

It always appears at the end of the introduction.

WHAT IS A THESIS STATEMENT?

Rosa Parks, the hero Is Rosa Parks a great hero for

contemporary society? Rosa Parks presented a definition of

courage for America by refusing to accept standards that were racist, by reaching out to those in need, and by continuing to fight racism as a national speaker and symbol of equality.

I am going to write about Rosa Parks and her many contributions to society.

WHICH OF THESE IS A THESIS STATEMENT:

Rosa Parks presented a definition of courage for America by refusing to accept standards that were racist, by reaching out to those in need, and by continuing to fight racism as a national speaker and symbol of equality.

This statement shows exactly what I plan to write about in my essay and the order in which I plan to present my points. It is a statement, not a question, and it not “announced”.

WHICH OF THESE IS A THESIS STATEMENT:

THIS ONE IS A TOPIC NOT A THESIS Rosa Parks, the hero This may tell my reader what topic I

plan to address, but it does not tell any of my points.

THIS ONE IS A QUESTION Is Rosa Parks a great hero for

contemporary society? This asks the reader to think about the

topic, but it does not give any indication of what the author plans to write about in the essay.

THIS ONE IS TOO ANNOUNCED I am going to write about Rosa Parks

and her many contributions to society. This one may tell the reader something

about what the author plans to write about, but it uses an immature structure.

This structure is often taught to elementary school students, but is inappropriate for an adult.

WHERE DOES THE THESIS GO? The thesis should always be located at

the end of the introduction.

WOULDN’T IT BE EASIER TO JUST STATE MY THESIS BEFORE I BEGIN MY ESSAY?

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I often encounter students who put the

thesis at the top of the page rather than in the essay because they think this adds clarity.

It does NOT! Your thesis belongs at the end of the

introduction. No where else!

CAN THE THESIS BE MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE? Yes, but for essays that are less than 8

pages try to keep it to one sentence because it provides a more concise and usually more clear statement.

CAN THE THESIS BE IMPLIED? “Implied” means that you do not state it

directly, but rather the reader gets the idea based on the introduction.

Yes, it can be, but not in Composition 1 & 2. In fact, in general I would always write a clear thesis statement regardless until you are much farther in your journey as a writer and even then, a thesis provides guidance while writing, so it is a beneficial thing to have.

WHAT IF A PROFESSOR DOES NOT ASK FOR A THESIS STATEMENT? EVERY essay must have a thesis

whether the professor has discussed thesis statements or not.

It is just as much a part of an essay as four legs are a part of a dog.

In academic writing professors WILL EXPECT to see a thesis whether or not they have blatantly asked for one.

TYPES OF CLAIMS: PROPOSAL Proposal claims assert how a problem should be

solved and how that solution should be enacted.

Example: To reduce the number of stray animals, the city of San Antonio should require all pet owners without breeding licenses to spay or neuter their pets.

TYPES OF CLAIMS: CAUSE Causal claims argue that a specific event or

action leads to an outcome, whether favorable or unfavorable.

Example: Allowing exemptions for vaccinations has led to the resurgence of measles and put countless children at risk.

TYPES OF CLAIMS: POLICY A policy claim will assert that a problem can be

solved only by enacting a certain policy.

Example: College campuses should allow students to carry concealed weapons because this will reduce sexual assaults.

TYPES OF CLAIMS: ETHICAL Ethical claims argue that a set of moral standards

should guide how we behave.

Example: The United States should ban the death penalty because this punishment goes against the Constitution’s “cruel and unusual” ban.

TYPES OF CLAIMS: VALUE Value claims make judgments and evaluate

actions, things, or events. Such claims attempt to prove if something is good or bad.

Example: Filmgoers should avoid the new Fifty Shades of Grey movie because it glamorizes unhealthy romantic relationships.

THE THREE APPEALS: LOGOS, ETHOS, AND

PATHOS

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LOGOS

Logos is “an approach to argument that appeals to the reader’s sense of logic” (Clements, “Three Appeals,” 2013).

This appeal would use the following: Statistics Facts Examples Expert testimony (Clements, “Three Appeals,”

2013)

ETHOS

An ethos appeal “attempts to show the writer as a fair-minded, concerned, and reliable individual. It’s the reader’s sense of the writer as trustworthy and credible that makes what he/she says convincing” (Clements, “Three Appeals,” 2013).

An ethos appeal would use the following: Reasonable tone Fair consideration of opposing arguments Credible evidence Word choice that is not offensive

PATHOS

Pathos is used to appeal “to the audience’s emotions. The idea is to stir up the feelings of readers as a way to gain their support for what the writer claims to be true about a subject” (Clements, “Three Appeals,” 2013).

A pathos appeal might use the following: Emotional examples Vivid, sensory details Imagery and analogies

QUESTIONS?

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REFERENCES

Clements, K. (2013, September 6). The three appeals of argumentative writing [Podcast]. Effective Writing Podcast Series. Retrieved from http://www.screencast.com/t/8gyyeFs27

Zahran, S. (2011). Writing a thesis statement: The central step in the writing process. Retrieved from https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/DocumentStore/Docs11/pdf/WC/WritingAThesis_Mar2011.pdf