Purdue CM220 2019 October All Units Discussions Latest

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 1Discussion

Introduce Yourself!

Throughout this course, you will have many opportunities to respond to the opinions and comments of your classmates. Take this opportunity to introduce yourself and to learn about each other. Be sure to include your name, location, and something about yourself that you would like your classmates to know.

Discussion Overview

Topic 1:

Welcome to the first Discussion Board! This week, the readings covered the basics of writing in college and effective persuasive communication. You learned about how writers can use persuasive models like the rhetorical situation to motivate an audience to take action or change the way they think about something. You also looked at how John, Eric, and Alice might apply persuasive communication in their future jobs as a restaurant owner, nurse, and crime scene investigator.

This course will also help you develop your skills in assessing your work based on the grading rubrics provided with each assignment. Please review this short video that introduces you to the concept of self-assessment.

After reviewing the video on self-assessment and completing the Reading and Learning Activities for Unit 1, respond to the following questions in at least two well-developed paragraphs:

Introduce yourself by telling the class about your background with persuasive communication. What are you studying and how do you imagine you will use persuasive writing in your career?

Choose one of the following examples of persuasive writing on the topics of charter schools and food labels. Identify the different parts of the rhetorical situation. Who was the speaker and who was the target audience? What was the purpose of the argument? What setting did the argument take place in and how might the communication have changed if it were in a different context? Analyze how well this example illustrates the qualities of effective persuasive communication from the readings this week, note at least one weakness in the argument and how the author could address that flaw, and discuss whether the article changed your perspective on charter schools or food labeling and why.

Charter Schools:

“Charter Schools Can Help Underserved Students Realize the American Dream”

“Stop Federal Funding of Charter Schools”

“Charter Schools Hurt Traditional Public Schools”

Food Labels:

“A Food Label That Gets Right to the Point”

“Genetically Modified Food Labeling: A ‘Right to Know’?”

“I Run a G.M.O. Company — and I Support G.M.O. Labeling”

Wrap up your post with at least one open-ended question for your classmates to consider as they help you dig deeper into the ideas you shared this week.

To earn full participation credit, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers’ initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the Discussion as described in the grading rubric. These responses should stay on topic and generate further discussion by asking questions, mentioning relevant examples, and referencing concepts from the readings.

 

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s readings, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to [name of reading] . . . ” If you are directly quoting the reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 2 Discussion

In this course, you will be using the tools of intercultural rhetoric to identify a problem in your community that needs solving and propose a way to address that problem.

Steven Johnson’s TED Talk “Where Good Ideas Come From” explores how people can generate ideas through conversations with others. http://www.ted.com/playlists/20/where_do_ideas_come_from

After reviewing Steven Johnson’s TED Talk and this week’s reading “The Rhetoric of Community Engagement,” tell the class what stood out to you as the most important elements of ethical communication and collaborating with others to generate ideas.

Then, find a persuasive TED talk and tell the class about it. Be sure to provide the link to the TED talk that you watched and key identifying details like the author, title, and main argument of the speaker.

Explain why you selected this persuasive TED Talk and how it illustrated effective persuasive communication. How did the TED speaker that you watched convince the audience of his or her position?

Wrap up your post with an open-ended question for your classmates to respond to when they reply to your post.

To earn full participation credit, share your ideas in at least two well-developed paragraphs, respond substantively to at least two peers’ initial Discussion posts, and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric. Responses should stay on topic and generate further discussion by asking questions, mentioning relevant examples, and if possible, referencing concepts from the unit’s Reading and Learning Activities.

 

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 3 Discussion

In this week’s readings and Learning Activities, you focused on choosing a topic, narrowing it down, and crafting a thesis statement. For this week’s Discussion, respond to the following questions in at least two well-developed paragraphs:

Tell the class about a community issue that you have some knowledge of and would like to try and improve. Who are the people in your community most affected by this issue (key stakeholders)? Who in the community is in the best position to bring about a change? What challenges have kept them from solving this problem already?

Share your preliminary thesis statement.

Share the thesis that you created in the “Writing Your Problem-Solution Thesis” Learning Activity.

In your thesis, be sure to identify your target audience, a concrete action the audience can take to solve the problem [solution], and a reason for action [problem/benefit].

Example: The San Antonio School District [target audience] should provide every high school student with an electronic tablet [solution] because this will encourage more learning outside of the classroom, increase mastery of skills, and increase college acceptance rates [benefit].

Don’t worry about getting your thesis perfect this week. At this stage, your thesis is more of a hypothesis that needs to be tested and refined as you dig further into the problem you will attempt to solve.

Finally, wrap your post up with an open-ended question.

For an extra challenge in your peer feedback this week, try to determine the underlying assumption of your classmate’s thesis by using what you learned from the “Enthymeme section” of the Logical Argument Tutorial and then tell the class if you agree with the assumption or if you have some concerns with it. Those concerns can help your peers fine-tune the thesis statement. Hint: To determine the assumption (major premise), you can replace the “action” in the solution part of the thesis with “something” and the word “because” with “if.” The minor premise is the problem statement.

Example: The San Antonio School District should provide every high school student with an electronic tablet because this will encourage more learning outside of the classroom, increase mastery of skills, and increase college acceptance rates.

Major premise: The San Antonio School District should do something if it encourages more learning outside of the classroom, increases mastery of skills, and increase college acceptance rates.

Minor Premise: Tablets encourage learning outside of the classroom, increase mastery of skills, and increase college acceptance rates.

 

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 4 Discussion

As we have talked about, arguments are often shared to benefit a group of people rather than just to prove that we are “right” or “win” a debate. When we engage in persuasive exercises with people who share a community with us, whether at work, in our families, at school, or in our town, we have a greater chance of success when we carefully consider the different stakeholders and how our recommendations may affect them.

For this unit’s Discussion, you will analyze different stakeholders’ positions in your argument and find one source that demonstrates an area of common ground you expect to find among the many stakeholders. Then, respond to the following prompts in at least two well-developed paragraphs:

Share your revised thesis and tell us who the key stakeholders are. Who is affected by this issue that we don’t often hear from? What aspects of the argument do you expect most stakeholders to agree about? Identify three search terms you could use to find evidence that helps to illustrate the common ground between stakeholders. Hint: The Learning Activity “Choosing & Using Keywords” can help you figure out what search terms to use as you seek out common ground sources.

Using the search terms above, find one source in the Purdue Global library that helps to illustrate the problem and establish common ground with stakeholders. Identify one main idea from the source you want to use and why you selected that source.

Ask an open-ended question to classmates based on what help you need either finding common ground or doing the background research on your topic.

Finally, wrap up your post by sharing the author’s name, the title of the source, and the link to the source.

For peer feedback this week, think about what stakeholders may be missing from the post. Offer some other ideas about what the different stakeholders might agree about or answer the open-ended question.

 

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 5 Discussion

As seen in the Reading this week, conducting research requires critical thinking and can be a time-intensive process if not planned properly. However, there are various tools that can help you conduct your research more efficiently. It is ideal to have a research strategy or plan in place before looking for sources. In this Discussion, you will build your research strategy. After completing this week’s Reading and Learning Activities, respond to the following questions in at least two well-developed paragraphs:

Last week, you sought out research that addressed common ground among different stakeholders in your community. This week, you will seek out hidden/underrepresented voices in community conversations about this issue. You are welcome to use a source that you found when you completed the “Research in the Purdue Global Library” Learning Activity or try searching the Web for "experience of X [underrepresented stakeholder]" such as “Experience of homeless veterans” or “Experience of students who have been bullied.” Once you have selected your source, write a discussion post that addresses the following items:

Include the revised version of your thesis statement for an argument for change in your community and identify at least three search terms you can use in the Library or an Internet search engine to find sources that address underrepresented perspectives in your community that will be affected by your argument.

Tell us about the source you selected. Using your own words rather than quoting from the source, explain how the author’s position or experience relates to your argument for change. How has this influenced your thinking about this topic?

What criteria helped you decide if this source is credible and useful for your research?

Wrap up the narrative portion of your post with an open-ended question to foster conversation or help you figure out additional research opportunities.

Finally, watch the video Creating APA Citations and create an APA formatted References page citation for the source.

To earn full participation credit, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers’ initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric. Challenge yourself this week by offering additional search terms or new stakeholders for your classmate to consider as they seek out those underrepresented voices.

 

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 6 Discussion

Plagiarism is often thought of only in the context of academic institutions, but there are many reported situations outside of the classroom where individuals use ideas from other people without giving proper credit. While in school, the consequences may be reflected in a student’s grade. Outside of school, the consequences may tarnish a professional’s reputation and potentially bring legal action. This week’s Reading and Learning Activities included resources to help you avoid plagiarism, and this Discussion will give you an opportunity to practice those skills. For another helpful overview of plagiarism, review the TED Talks Punishable Perils of Plagiarism.

For this week’s Discussion, you will find a credible source that presents a rival perspective to your argument for change, share a key passage from the source, and then paraphrase that information using a signal phrase and in-text citation. Respond to the following prompts in at least two well-developed paragraphs (not including the copied-and-pasted material from your secondary source):

 

Describe the rival source you found and why you selected that source. What makes this a reliable source?

Copy and paste a 1-5 sentence passage from the source and label it as the “Original Passage.”

Paraphrase the short passage you shared. Be sure to use in-text citations with any sentences paraphrasing ideas from the source, e.g., (Doe, 2013) or According to Jane Doe (2013). Remember from your Reading, an effective paraphrase sets up the information and explains it in a way that connects it to your argument (Krause, 2007).

Ask an open-ended question related to how you can effectively address the disagreement in your argument or related to paraphrasing and using sources.

At the end of your post, provide a complete APA 6th Edition style reference page citation for the source.

To earn full participation credit, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers’ initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric. For an extra challenge this week, compare the meaning of the source to the original passage and see if you can identify any minor shifts in meaning that may need to be resolved to ensure an effective paraphrase.

 

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 7 Discussion

Writers often face the challenge of too many ideas swirling around their heads when they sit down to draft an essay or another document. The swirling ideas can lead to writer’s block or a disorganized draft. This Discussion will help you bring order to an argument for change by using a graphic organizer or writing an outline. Your outline or graphic organizer should include at least four key points (not including the introduction and conclusion) that will help you to support your essay’s thesis statement.

Be sure to include your most recent thesis statement in the outline or organizer in addition to the four supporting points.

Begin by reviewing the Unit 8 Assignment instructions, and then respond to all of the following prompts:

Post your most recent thesis revision.

Share an outline or graphic organizer that captures and organizes at least four supporting ideas for your persuasive essay. Include at least one misconception or opposition point to your argument that you will need to rebut in the essay.

Use complete sentences for each of the main points and tell the class what evidence you can use to support that point.

Ask an open-ended question related to something you need help with for your argument or the ideas associated with drafting and organizing essays from the Unit 7 Reading.

For peer feedback this week, challenge yourself to identify gaps in the argument that may need to be filled or to offer suggestions about how to rework the organization to more effectively convey the issue or solution.

 

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 8 Discussion

This Discussion gives you an opportunity to post a draft of your introduction and the first body paragraph of your persuasive essay so that you can receive feedback on their effectiveness from your peers and the instructor. You may find it helpful to post your paragraphs early in the unit so that you have time to revise them for the unit’s Assignment based on the feedback you receive and the insights you find from the Reading and Learning Activities.

Include all of the following in your Discussion post:

A draft of your introduction for your persuasive essay using one of the techniques described in “Crafting Effective Introductions and Conclusions”

A thesis statement as the last sentence of your introduction.

A draft of the first body paragraph for your argument.

Wrap up with an open-ended question about something you need help with, specific feedback you would like to receive, or introductions strategies.

For peer feedback this week, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers’ initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric. Challenge yourself to go beyond grammar and mechanics corrections and instead identify which introduction strategy your classmates used. Offer at least one piece of constructive feedback that can help your classmate revamp their introduction for the essay and consider whether a different introduction strategy may be more effective. Alternatively, provide feedback on the body paragraph and/or the transition between the body paragraph and introduction.

When responding to a peer, exercise tact and be specific in what you say. Take your time and develop your thoughts so that you can help out a fellow writer. Please do not focus on or mark GUM (grammar, usage, and mechanics) issues.

Be sure to address any lingering questions you have about your classmate’s argument for change.

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 9 Discussion

This week’s discussion is going to mix things up a bit by placing a heavier emphasis on peer feedback than on the initial post. A different rubric will be applied for the unit 9 discussion, and your ability to engage as a team member will be assessed for Professional Competency 1.1.

In your initial post for this Discussion, you will provide your first draft of your digital media presentation. This presentation will be based on the argument for change you wrote about in Unit 8. You can create a video or slide presentation to highlight your main message. Then, you will provide a minimum of two thorough, detailed peer responses according to the guidelines below. To earn full credit and demonstrate mastery of Professional Competency 1.1, you will need to go beyond the minimum expectations by responding to feedback on your post and/or providing feedback to more than two classmates.

For this week’s initial post, you will share a draft of your digital media presentation to receive feedback from your classmates and the instructor. You will receive peer feedback on your draft of your digital media presentation, much like you may well receive comments and feedback from your community members or coworkers if they are provided access to the digital media presentation. When you upload your presentation, please post at least one question to your classmates based on what you still need help with in your presentation. This question will give your peer reviewers some direction and help to ensure the feedback you get is based on the feedback you want.

If you are not readily familiar with digital media tools, the WC has resources that you can review, and one of them is “Creating Effective PowerPoints.” If you want to try different tools beyond the basic slide presentation, the Internet has several free tools to consider, such as Animoto®, Prezi®, PowToon®, WeVideo®, or GoAnimate®.

When considering both the tools and visuals to include, keep in mind the requirements of this unit’s digital media Assignment. You can review the Unit 9 Assignment guidelines.

As noted in the Reading, a great deal of thought should be put into the selection and use of visuals and text in digital media presentations. When you engage in a team presentation, whether for work or school, you want to provide support for your teammates, acknowledge their contributions by pointing out strengths in their work, and offer original, thoughtful feedback that will benefit the entire team. The ability to collaborate effectively is a crucial professional skill, and this week's discussion will help you to build those skills.

To earn full participation credit, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers’ initial Discussion posts and show active engagement by responding to feedback about your presentation. Responding in a timely manner is essential this week as students will need time to revise their presentations based on your feedback. These responses should stay on topic and generate further discussion by asking questions, mentioning relevant examples, and referencing concepts from the Reading. Address each of the following questions in your peer feedback responses and offer specific examples to help students revise their presentations effectively.

What is the main message of the digital media presentation?

Who is the target audience and how might they respond to the presentation’s text and visuals?

What are the strengths of the presentation?

What are at least two areas that need improvement?

Identify one visual design strategy from your Reading that your classmate used especially well or could apply to enhance the presentation.

Answer the question(s) your classmate shared with his/her draft.

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.

 

CM220 College Composition II

Unit 10 Discussion

Timothy’s video The inspiration for change can come from unexpected circumstances, yet the idea can then be catapulted into communities through digital media and social networking opportunities. With your digital media presentation, you have the opportunity to share your idea for change with your community or colleagues.

This week is also an opportunity to reflect on what you have accomplished this term and how it has contributed to your growth as a writer. Consider Gilbert’s (2014) video, Success, Failure, and the Drive to Keep Creating and Timothy’s video or Nathan’s videos from your Learning Activities as you explore the opportunity to continue advocating for change and growing as a writer. Then, respond to the questions below:

In the first paragraph, reflect on your presentation by answering one of the questions below and connecting it to this unit’s Reading:

What did you learn about digital media design?

What changes would you make to your digital media presentation, including visual enhancements, if you wanted to disseminate it to a wider audience via social media sites? Revisit Creating Effective PowerPoints from last week to get some specific ideas about what you could improve.

Do you think your presentation could generate change, and do you foresee pursuing this argument for change in the future?

In the second paragraph, reflect on your growth as a persuasive communicator this term by answering at least two questions in a well-developed paragraph. How have your ideas about persuasive communication changed?

How did what you learned about effective persuasion and logical argument in CM 220 help you in your current job or in other classes you have taken? How might it benefit you in your future career?

What did you learn about research that you think will be beneficial in the future?

What improvements did you see in your writing after completing CM 220?

What advice would you like to share with future students in CM 220 about the class?

Do you think you will be more likely to advocate for changes in your community because of this course?

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

 

When you refer to concepts from the unit’s Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . .[name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The PGWC has resources on APA citation formatting.