Agenda:
Silent Reading
REHUGO Evidence Quiz
Reminder of thesis instruction
Get back with groups from last class, and create an implicit and explicit thesis statement for the Horace prompt!
Determine First Argumentative Blog Topic- talk with Carnes about ideas. We will determine the topic(s) as a class!
Possible Topics:
Art & the Artist: In recent years, there has been a public call for consumers to evaluate the manner in which they consume art given the ethical and moral failures of many of the artists. While some suggest that the consumer should differentiate one's appreciation of an artist's work from their disdain for the artist's actions, others, such as music critic Rob Harvilla suggest that “There is no true, clean, definitive way to separate the art from the artist. Art fully separated from the artist ceases, in a fundamental way, to be art at all. The artist gives the art meaning.” In a well-developed essay, agree, disagree, or qualify Harvilla's perspective on the relationship between art and the artist.
Celebrity Culture: In an article for Medium Magazine, journalist Rebecca Rijsdijk claims that "Celebrity culture is a contagion that distorts values and prioritizes superficiality over substance." In a well-developed essay, develop a position on the extent to which celebrity culture is valuable to our society.
In Malcom Gladwell's Podcast Revisionist History episode "Burden of Proof," he describes the importance of taking action when enough anecdotal evidence is available in the absence of definitive proof. For instance, he rhetorically asks "What level of proof do we need about the harmfulness of an activity before we act?" In an essay, agree, disagree, or qualify Gladwell's assertion about proof.
Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant. —Horace Consider this quotation about adversity from the Roman poet Horace. Then write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies Horace’s assertion about the role that adversity (financial or political hardship, danger, misfortune, etc.) plays in developing a person’s character. Support your argument with appropriate evidence from your reading, observation, or experience.
Homework:
Work on Argumentative Blog- Prompt selection and tentative thesis due next class