Why We Crave Horror Movies

Preparing to Discuss The Reading

• • • Review Stephen King’s essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies” on p. 324. If you watch horror films, could you relate to some of his reasons? If you don’t watch horror films, do you have a better understanding of why people do watch them, having read this essay?

“Why We Crave Horror Movies”

• • • • What are some of the reasons the King puts forward for why horror movies are so popular? As a writer, which of King’s reasons was most convincing or intriguing? What are some of the cultural trends that, according to King, horror movies respond to/push back against? Can you think of any other genres of film/tv/literature that are responding to or pushing back against a particular cultural trend?

A Few Reminders about Thesis Statements:

• A thesis statement is a CLAIM, which means that it… – Invites discussion by putting forward a claim.

• Not a statement of undisputed fact. • Not a question – Specifically ANSWERS the question in the prompt. – Is an OPINION (point of view/stance) that is… • Supported by responses to research/sources AND/OR • Supported by logic and sound critical thinking – A preview of what your ENTIRE essay will prove. • Strike a balance between “too vague” and “too specific.”

Questions for Peer Review

• • • • • •

Is the thesis statement clear? Does it make a strong, debatable claim about popular culture that is neither a simplistic statement of fact nor a question? Is it supported by every paragraph in the rest of the essay? If not, how could the thesis be revised?

Do all body paragraphs have strong topic sentences? Are the main points of all body paragraphs relevant to the thesis and supported by quotes from research and logical arguments? How might it be improved? (Even the best points, can be improved, so everyone should have suggestions here.) Does the paper use its research successfully? Are quotes well-chosen? Are quotes an appropriate length? Is each quote, paraphrase, or summary thoroughly introduced and explained? Do the sources add to the author’s credibility? How might use of sources be improved?

Does the paper show that the author has a broad knowledge of the subject? Does the author show an awareness of opposing viewpoints, if appropriate? If the author includes an opposing view, is it done respectfully? Does the author answer the opposing view with relevant and convincing arguments? If not, how can this be improved?

Does the paper have an intriguing introduction, a strong conclusion, and strong transitions between paragraphs and ideas? How might the intro, conclusion, and transitions be improved? Tell the author of this essay one thing he/she did well and one thing he/she needs to improve.

Workshop on Use of Sources

• • • Step 1: Mark quote or paraphrase in your essay (underline, highlight in yellow, whatever works for you). Step 2: Mark all of the places where you INTRODUCE your quotes or paraphrases, or give context for them, in a different way (different color, dotted underline, etc). Step 3: Highlight all of the places where you RESPOND to quotes by explaining, giving an additional example, or agreeing/disagreeing, in a THIRD way.

Look at your highlighting.

• Are there any places where you have a lot of quote, but not a lot of introduction and explanation? • Do you need to remove some of the quote? Remove any bits of the quote that aren’t relevant to your response. • Do you need to add more to your introduction or response? • Make sure that your response addresses any important issues the quote brings up.

Double check for in text citations.

• Look back at your quotes/paraphrases. Mark or highlight the place where you give credit to the author (or, if you don’t know the author, the article/source). Every quote should have SOME marking/highlighting that indicates a citation. • You might give credit in an in-text citation (the author or article name in parentheses).

• You might give credit in a “signal phrase.” (The author’s name mentioned in the introduction of the quote.)

Digging Deeper…

• • Each introduction of a quote should: • Connect the quote to the point you are currently making.

• Prepare your readers to notice what you want them to take away from the quote. • Give your readers any context that they need in order to understand the quote. Each response to a quote should: • Deal specifically with the issues that are raised in the quote. It might also… • Explain an idea from the quote further. (Not just repeating the ideas from the quote in new words.) • • Give a new example of an idea from the quote. Agree or disagree with an opinion displayed in the quote and explain your agreement/disagreement. • Connect the quote to a point your have made somewhere else on the paper, or to another quote.

Logos Review

• • • One of the ways you will be making your argument is through the use of logos. Logos appeals to logic, reason, and “common sense.” Arguments that use logos use facts and interpret those facts for the reader to show how those facts support the claim.

Using Facts Effectively

• • “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” – U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan When you present facts in your research paper, you are going to need to do these things: – Interpret the fact. Explain what it means to your argument.

– Give your facts context. – Make sure your facts are credible to the reader.

• • •

Your Sources May Have Done Some Interpretation Already…

In your research, you will find facts presented in two different ways: Informative sources simply give you the facts and let you draw your own conclusions. There are no beliefs about the facts in informative sources, and it is up to you to interpret the facts and explain why they fit your claim. Persuasive sources will use facts in order to support a claim. These types of sources will have beliefs about what the facts mean and what should be done because of them. These are the sources you can agree or

disagree with.

Informative/Persuasive: to Sum Up

• • So, to sum up: if a fact is from an informative

source, it is up to YOU to interpret it.

If a fact is from a persuasive source, you have

a choice.

– Use the fact without responding to your source’s ideas about the fact.

– Quote the fact and the ideas, and then agree/disagree with the ideas about the fact, not

the fact itself.

Example Fact and Idea

• • According to a 2006 study, children of divorce are more likely to experience psychological problems (Falci), so states should make divorces harder to get.

THIS is a persuasive source that gives you room to argue. You can disagree with the USE of the fact to argue for making divorces more difficult, but you can’t say the fact isn’t true without proof.

Logos and Statistics

• • • Many appeals to logos are based on research that has

statistical results.

For example, if I am arguing for increased funding for academic counselors and student support services in community colleges, I might say… According to research done by the Chronicle of Higher Education, only 25.3% of all students at California community colleges who were seeking a two-year degree had completed their degree within three years . While many of the students who did not complete their degree did not finish because of family or employment issues, better access to counselors and student services would help many of the 75% who did not graduate in three years to navigate the community college system and achieve their educational goals more quickly.

Questions to Ask About Statistics/Research

• • • • • Who conducted the research? Are they credible? How recent is the research? How many individuals were included in the study? What methods were used to conduct the study? Were they fair and effective? If the statistics are interpreted/explained, who is doing the interpretation?

Give Your Facts/Statistics Context

• • • The fact “74.7% of CA students don’t finish their community college degrees in three years” needs context. Which students were included in the study? – “First time, full-time degree seeking students.” – This means that students who took a break and then graduated in a reasonable amount of time aren’t counted. – Part time students who later became full time aren’t counted.

25.3% graduate in 3 years in California, but how does this compare to other states? – The national average is 20.4%, so California is performing BETTER than the national average in Community college degree completion. – California has the 16 th highest completion rate (the highest is South Dakota, with 52.9% graduating in 3 years).

Questioning Facts: The Exception

• • • • • Remember how I said “you can’t argue with facts”? There is one exception. If you find out that the research that provided a statistic was not well done, you can question the

research.

Point out a flaw in the study’s methods that you discovered. Point out an unethical or unfair practice by the study’s authors. Remember, though, you can only do these things if you are ready to prove that the study is flawed.

A Problems to Watch out For

• • •

Correlation is not causation (the verb is “correlate”)

– Just because two things are happening at the same time, or changing at the same rate, does not mean that they one is the cause of the other. If you believe that two things are changing at the same time or at the same rate because they are related, you need to do much more to argue for the connection than present statistics that say they are both changing. There are several amusing graphs about trends that prove this point here , as well as a video that explains the issue in more depth.

• • •

So what does all of this mean for my research paper?

Use facts and statistics wisely. When you are interpreting and explaining facts and statistics, make sure you are doing so in a way that is logical and fair. – Let your audience know where the fact/statistic came from, and argue for its credibility. – Remember that correlation is not causation.

When you are responding to your sources’ interpretations of facts, be sure that you are arguing for or against the interpretation of the facts, and not the facts themselves, unless you have proof that the study is flawed.

Writing Strong Conclusions

• • • • Remember, a strong conclusion does much more than restate your thesis and main points. Your conclusion might… • Remind your reader of the big picture – how all the points you have made are connected to one big claim (your thesis). • Say something that you couldn’t have said at the beginning of your essay because your reader didn’t have the context/information to understand it yet. • • End with a call to action since this is a persuasive research paper. Look ahead to the future of your topic. Examine your conclusion. Is it only a restatement/rewording of points you’ve already made? If so, you need to improve your conclusion by using one of the techniques above. If you are struggling with your conclusion, feel free to raise your hand and speak with me about it.