Research Studies: Is the source of the study credible, meaning both are they experts in this field and are they unbiased? Was the study well-designed? How is the study relevant to the claim it supports? Are there other ways to interpret the research findings that have been ignored and that contradict or fail to support the author’s claim? Is the research recent relative to the time the argument was written? Expert Testimony: Is the source credible, that is, are they experts in a relevant and do they seem to be unbiased? Dose the expert’s opinion appear to be itself founded on strong evidence? Anecdotal Evidence and Personal Anecdotes: Is the anecdote detailed enough to persuade a reader that it actually occurred? Does the anecdote appear to be representative of the experiences of a significant number of other people? How is the anecdote relevant to the claim being supported? Over the course of the semester, you will be asked to describe arguments, what they are, and how they are constructed. In order to do so, you will identify and discuss rhetorical concepts. This type of writing is called rhetorical analysis. Rhetorical analysis looks not only at what a text says, but at what it does. It includes consideration of the claims, devices and strategic “moves” an author makes in hopes of persuading an audience. Many claims and arguments within texts are implied rather than explicit; performing rhetorical analyses on texts helps us to get a better sense of how, why, and to what extent an argument is effective. Consider how a text works to convince its audience of the argument at hand. What, besides simply using logic, do authors use to help win a
Research Studies: Is the source of the study credible, meaning both are they experts in this field and are they unbiased? Was the study well-designed? How is the study relevant to the claim it supports? Are there other ways to interpret the research findings that have been ignored and that contradict or fail to support the author’s claim? Is the research recent relative to the time the argument was written? Expert Testimony: Is the source credible, that is, are they experts in a relevant and do they seem to be unbiased? Dose the expert’s opinion appear to be itself founded on strong evidence? Anecdotal Evidence and Personal Anecdotes: Is the anecdote detailed enough to persuade a reader that it actually occurred? Does the anecdote appear to be representative of the experiences of a significant number of other people? How is the anecdote relevant to the claim being supported? Over the course of the semester, you will be asked to describe arguments, what they are, and how they are constructed. In order to do so, you will identify and discuss rhetorical concepts. This type of writing is called rhetorical analysis. Rhetorical analysis looks not only at what a text says, but at what it does. It includes consideration of the claims, devices and strategic “moves” an author makes in hopes of persuading an audience. Many claims and arguments within texts are implied rather than explicit; performing rhetorical analyses on texts helps us to get a better sense of how, why, and to what extent an argument is effective. Consider how a text works to convince its audience of the argument at hand. What, besides simply using logic, do authors use to help win a
RWS100READER_fall2016_4.docx