Current Events

Current Events Your initial response should be at least 250 words.  This is our second current event discussion. It is my hope that this will be engaging and help any of you who are unsure about a topic. Same as before… It is important for you to act and interact with rhetoric that exists within the academic as well as the public sphere. Everything that has been discussed or written is part of a larger conversation. Each person who decides to enter that conversation explores it through a particular lens. This lens is based on several factors that we will unpack over the next seven weeks. This discussion forum is going to focus on current events (example: climate change, mass shootings, #metoo movement). Your job is to focus on a single current event topic and to find one source that has covered it. The source should be a news article (public discourse) or video (example: NPR, Fox, NBC, New York Times, Washington Post). After you select the source, you will share the link within your initial post to the discussion forum. After the link, you will lead your classmates through a conversation about the topic, which will be based on the source that you selected. Note, your classmates are allowed to and encouraged to make intellectual connections to other things that have been written or spoken about to move the conversation forward and to open new angles. The conversation that you have should bring in rhetorical analysis and evaluation.  Your post should contain the following:  the link to the article or video a summary of the current event topic 2-3 discussion questions based on the article or video (you can select your discussion questions from the “evaluation” and “analysis” questions that are listed below.) Different papers, magazines, and websites treat the news differently, which is why it is important to analyze what you are reading (in additional to evaluating). When you analyze, you look beyond what is readily apparent. You can also provide your interpretation of what is being said. Rhetorical Analysis: explore the use of logos, ethos, and pathos.  Visual Analysis: What is going on in the picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find? (examples: https://www.nytimes.com/column/learning-whats-going-on-in-this-picture)  Ask questions to reveal “facts” versus “opinions”: https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/13/skills-practice-distinguishing-between-fact-and-opinion/ The Norton Field Guide to Writing “Decide what you want to analyze (p. 116):  Does the argument interest you?  Does the logic interest you? Does its attempt to create an emotional response interest you? Does its reliance on the writer’s credibility or reputation interest you? What about its use of design to achieve its aims? What about its context? Does the text’s language, imagery, or structure intrigue you?   “Think about the larger context” (p. 116-117) Who else cares about this topic? Ideas? Terms? Citations? “Analyze the argument” (p. 118) What is the claim? What support does the writer offer for the claim? How does the writer appeal to readers? How evenhandedly does the writer present the argument? Does the writer use any logical fallacies? What authorities or other sources of outside information does the writer use?  How does the writer address you as a reader?