Transcript Unit 3 Goals - Prof. Anderson

Unit 3 Goals
 Utilize genre and discipline specific visual rhetoric &
document design strategies
 Conduct primary research (based on planning from
unit 2) & incorporate results into informative writing
Today’s Goals
 Understand the differences between articles and
reports in informative writing
 Begin to analyze thinking of a publication to use with
your unit 3 essay- the informative article
Informative Writing
 Article: thesis statement driven document that
presents information in an surprising or engaging way
 Report: thesis question driven document that present
the results of a fact finding or data gathering
investigation
 Most of the publications we look at will fall into one of
these categories. Which seems more appropriate for
your subject matter?
Group Activity 1: Intro to
Informative Writing
 In groups of 4 students max
 Read “Tarantulas” on p. 316 and “Myths about
‘Dangerous’ Spiders” on p. 317
 Answer questions 1-3 on pg. 318
4. Which of these would you classify as an article and
which as a report?
Informative Writing Strategies
 Surprising Reversal:
 Strategy in which the writer’s thesis pushes against a
counterthesis
 Useful because it automatically creates a thesis with tension
to engage reader interest
 Often comes in the form of: “Where as some people/scholars
say X, I am going to argue Y”
 Must keep in mind that ‘surprise’ is relative and depends on
your audience and your relationship with that audience
 May be used with your main thesis or can be used as a general
strategy for presenting surprising information
Informative Writing
 We will be taking a separate look at 4 different styles of
publications:
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Newspapers
Magazines
Scholarly Article
Research Report
 What visual rhetorical strategies do these types of
publications use?
 How might each organize information differently?
 Aside from their general purpose of being informative, what
else might each of these publication styles be trying to
accomplish?
Group Activity 2: Genre Analysis
 In your unit 2 groups
 Select an article from one of the example publications and answer the following
questions about it:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
In a sentence or two, sum up the point of the article
Where does the article fall on the open/closed form prose continuum?
What is the intended purpose of the article? Go beyond simply “inform”
Who is the intended audience? Consider age range, income, sex, and any other
characteristics you might want. Feel free to look up this information if able.
Does the article use subheadings or not? If so, write their names out here. Are these
subheadings semantically based or do they adhere to a research article format?
What are the genre conventions of this publication? Is the language formal/informal?
Does it utilize figurative or concrete language? Is it more humorous or serious?
How does the writer use ethos? Does the writer establish himself as an expert or speak
of his own credentials?
How does the writer use pathos? What appeals to emotions, senses, or sensibilities can
you find in the essay?
How does the writer use logos? What instances of logic and hard facts can you find in
the essay?
How would you describe the author’s angle of vision? What stance are they taking on
the topic?
Homework
 Read A&B 315-323
 Sign up for a class progress conference
 Not mandatory but strongly recommended
 Will go over individual grades for the course and your progress thus far
 Appointments start next week. Most will be brief (<5 minutes) and take
place directly before or after class
 Sign up sheet on class website (posted at 5 pm)
 Begin conducting Primary research
 Finalize your interview/survey questions
 Make arrangements for your interviews or observations
 Create the online version of your surveys
 Preliminary research results due 3/27