unit overview slides

1. Discussing a Community Issue
Unit 3 Overview

2. Purpose of Unit
• To understand how to rhetorically use source material to make an argument
• To understand the importance of angle of vision and the ways in which it
influences what source material you use and how you use it to inform your
argument
• To hone your ability to write an academic research essay to communicate
your knowledge on a given issue of your choosing
• To learn how to effectively incorporate and synthesize outside source
material to write a cohesive, informative, and engaging essay

3. Projects and Assignments
all work assigned builds toward your ability to complete the Unit 1 major assignment, as well as your ability to
demonstrate your understanding of the overall purpose of Unit 3
• Writing Journals
• Purpose: to highlight and process important information from textbook and supplemental readings
• Discussion Board posts
• Purpose: to process lessons gleaned from readings and build on your knowledge through productive discussion with
classmates
• Process Assignment: Outlining an Essay
• Purpose: to practice structuring your essay so that you produce a cohesive and logically-developed argument
• Process Assignment: Synthesis Paragraph
• Purpose: to practice and demonstrate your ability to effectively synthesize multiple voices to inform a single
thesis/argument and to practice methods of incorporating outside source material
• Macro-Micro-Response Essay
• Purpose: to produce a cohesive and engaging research essay that provides outside readers with an in-depth understanding
of your chosen social issue, in addition to your personal connection and response to this issue

4. Readings
keep these purposes in mind when reading the following for Unit 1:
• Becoming Rhetorical Chapter 7, part 1 and “Argument as War” video
• Purpose: to understand what a rhetorical argument is, how it is different from the common conception
of argumentation, and how to make a rhetorical argument in response to your research question from
Unit 2
• Becoming Rhetorical Chapter 11, part 2
• Purpose: to learn how best to incorporate outside source material into your own writing

5. Lecture Slides
• “Starting an Academic Essay”
• Purpose: to understand the importance of the title and thesis statement of an
academic essay and to understand why it is essential to outline an extended
research essay
• Also available: “Quoting Source Material Tips and Tricks”
• Purpose: to be aware of a few rules and techniques regarding the often-tricky
task of incorporating outside perspectives into your research essay

6. Learning Outcomes Addressed
• Comprehend college-level and professional prose and analyze how authors present their ideas in
view of their probable purposes, audiences, and occasions.
• Be able to make the connection between questions and problems in your life both within and
outside of college.
• Gather and evaluate information and use it for a rhetorical purpose in writing a research paper.
• Present ideas as related to, but clearly distinguished from, the ideas of others (including the ability
to paraphrase, summarize, and correctly cite and document borrowed material).
• Focus on, articulate, and sustain a purpose that meets the needs of specific writing situations.
• Attend to and productively incorporate a variety of perspectives.
• Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading.
• Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation and practice
appropriate means of documenting their work

7. Major Assignment Deadlines
• Rough Draft Due: Sunday, July 16th at 11:59 pm
• Submit via the link below the Unit 2 folder and as an attachment to the “Unit 3 Peer Review” Discussion
Board
• Final Draft Due: Sunday, July 23rd at 11:59 pm
• Submit via the link below the “Rough Draft” turn-in on the BbLearn Course Site