Last Class WED DEC 06
Stephen Hawking Was Wrong
We will meet one more time on MON DEC 11 for a Portfolio Doublecheck, but today is the final curriculum day of the semester.
Polishing your Work
Wonderful essays can go unread if they fail to command the reader’s attention in the first paragraph.
Open Strong—The Lecture Demo
Open Strong—A Model
When I get specific feedback requests about the Visual Rhetoric assignment, students usually ask, “How much detail is enough?”
“How Much Detail, and what Kind?”
At the sentence level, the best way to improve your writing is to take command of the primary elements of every simple claim: the subject and the verb.
Robust Subjects and Verbs
A common sentence structure that troubles many writers begins with a problematic introductory phrase of the “By verbing” type.
Beware of “By verbing”
Strong writing is marred by wordiness. Omit needless words. Your goal is Zero Percent Body Fat.
Zero Percent Body Fat
Link to GoZeroG.com
Link to OKGO “Upside Down and Inside Out“
Grading Process
On MON DEC 11, when your Portfolio is Verified Complete, the Final Grading process will begin, starting with the portfolio of the earliest-scheduled student.
- Students desperate to improve their grades EVEN AFTER MON DEC 11 can continue to improve their posts.
- Latest-scheduled students will be graded last.
- No guarantee is offered for HOW LONG that last improvement opportunity will last.
- Regrading can still occur until the time your Portfolio is graded.
- Regrades are not automatic upon the improvement of your post.
- Drop a Reply to alert your beloved professor to your improvements.
- Ask for a Regrade.
- Put the post in the Grade Please category.
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
notes for 12/6/2023:
Last Class today
we went over some points to improv it:
removing (you) and removing (there is).
the grading process will begin on 12/11/2023.
Class notes 12/6
We look at the video and took a look at Stephen Hawking being wrong. We are less wrong than those before us, but never completely right.
we contemplate the logic between banning self driving cars in contrast to regular cars. We connect this to Stephen abut how easily things can be overturned.
We discuss that an argument cant be won in the first sentence but it can be lost.
Look at repetitive motions, and how they can contribute to rhetorical value of a text.
We look over text examples and discuss ways to revise, and add a better lure to introductions.
Also eliminated the term “there is”
Signal the end of introductory phrases
We discussed being aware of By verbing- using the word by alter a text greatly
Class notes
Discussed how to command a reader’s attention in our writings
Went over different ways to improve and polish assignments
Discussed open strong assignment and how to improve it
Went over an example of the visual rewrite assignment as a reminder of the required level of detail
Went over grading process for portfolio
Class Notes 12/6
– We began class discussing how Albert Einstein gave an identical exam to the exact same class one year later, the whole point of this was that, yes the questions are the exact same, but the answers have changed.
– We should probably worry that we are always operating on the basis of error.
– Things change a lot so if something is right today, it could be wrong tomorrow.
– We looked at the open strong lecture demo and it showed us how important our opening sentence can be and how it can either provoke a good argument or make you lose the argument immediately.
– LAST MEETING MON DEC 11
December 6 Class Notes
– Come up with a creative title for 3,000 words
– it can take just 1 day to be outdated in the science world
– While revising paper, remember an argument can be lost in the first sentence of paragraph.
– it has to persuade, state a premise, clear, truthful.
– We talked about making our 3,000 words as robust as possible.
– never too many details
– below is a good example of a visual rhetoric.
– 0.0-5.0 we watched a video with Obama, Bush, and Clinton standing from right to left, from the covid times. It was on Inauguration day. 3 presidents from 3 parties standing together for the same goal. this goal is to protect our country from the pandemic.
– the use of the second person absolutely kills the power of the writing.
– be absolutely sure to use ing verbs right after “By” if starting with a sentence with it then saying who the object is right after. -> By wearing a mask, the robber was unable to be identified.
12/6/2023
Science changes, every scientist is wrong later.
Stephen Hawking’s theories are preventing right answers from emerging from the planet.
OK Go Upside down and inside out music video. Shot in a Zero G flight.
Take a look at “Open Strong”
The more Robust our verbs are the more our readers FEEL the power of the argument
Former Presidents and Covid Vaccine
Visual Rhetoric
You, Your, This is, There is, and so much more needs to be erased from essays.
Be aware of “By Verbing”
Regrades are not automatic, reply to your post requesting regrade after progress has been made, and add it to the “Grade Please” category.
Rewrite everything.
Monday: We will meet, put our names on the board and review our portfolio items.
. We are always improving our work and every day we learn something new that invalidates what we’ve learned previously. We are growing as a species every day even if
. Even the most subtle choice by the director is something deliberate and calculated to make you feel how they want
Class Notes: 12/6/23
– We began with talking about giving our research paper a title, and I learned how to use a title to interest people with my topic.
– I then learned from the “Open Strong” portion of today’s class, that the first sentence is very important to the argument as it can make or break your topic.
– I learned that during our visual rhetoric we can include much more details. And you can never say to many things.
– I then learned on how to replace “there is” and “you” in our writing. We then talked about how to use by correctly so I don’t have any future problems
– We then go over the grading process and the order we arrive to the next class is order we get our pro-folio gone over.
Zero-G can be achieved on Earth when airplanes take a special flight pattern similar to the arc of a roller coaster. This zero-g plane was used to give Stephen Hawking a feeling of weightlessness for the longest time that the plane could provide. Stephen Hawking was wrong because he knew more than anybody else in his field at the time, but that also comes with being wrong. As right as we are today, we can be equally wrong tomorrow.
Open Strong
An argument cannot be won in the first sentence but, it can be lost. Truth is different than proof, truth is multifaceted and ambiguous, and we also need to convince our reader of something in particular.
Deconstructing a very long paragraph about the negative effects of lockdown, we then reconstructed the paragraph into much more digestible and compact sentences that pact just as much if not more punch.
There can never be enough details present in our rhetoric as we can spend an infinite amount of time going over what we see. The visuals are little arguments that command our attention span. The emotional components of these 30 seconds contribute heavily to the rhetorical value as there is plenty to say about what is on the screen.
An example is; When do three former presidents gather together outside in long coats, on inauguration day. The uniformity of their dress is that they are standing together for the same front. The first second of this video is massive and we can spend more time on it than we have available to us in the semester.
Professor Hodges then spent some time looking through essays to help illustrate his meaning about the importance of word placement and how to avoid There is and such. If using a verbing phrase, then the first thing in the next sentence mentioned must be the thing that took the action. If the phrase flipped makes no sense, then the correct way of doing the grammar has not been done.
Of the given Problems and solutions
3. is correct
3. is correct
We went over the first two given problems to introduce us to the technique.
Grading Process
the eight assignments must be in our portfolio
we can edit after the 11th, but no guarantee for how long the period will last
the latest scheduled student will be graded last
Last Class Notes 12/6
– Visual Proposal Argument of a fly in a toilet
– Cleaners got tired of cleaning the men’s restroom so they didn’t clean it.
– The proposal is to aim for the center where the fly.
– Last meeting on 12/11 for Portfolio Doublecheck, but today is the final curriculum day of the semester.
Stephen Hawking was Wrong
– Wrote his books by breathing in a straw for each letter.
– YouTube video of Why the majority is always wrong | Paul Rulkens | TEDxMaastricht44
o How to Demand Your Readers’ Attention.
o The professor had interaction with a student named 3G last semester, whose research topic was black holes.
1) Causal Rewrite–3g
Polishing your Work
– Wonderful essays can go unread if they fail to command the reader’s attention in the first paragraph.
o Open Strong – The Lecture Demo
1) Choose the Only Good Opening Sentence
2) What’s so good about it?
3) Notice I didn’t say it’s true?
+ It might not be, but it could be, which is what engages readers. If they have
any interest in argument at all, they’ll want to know whether the essay contains
convincing proof of this premise.
4) Start Again
+ Persuasion: We will not prove anything in our essays. Proofs are for mathematicians, not essay writers. We will persuade our readers by being reasonable but firm. We’ll appeal to their logic (logos), their emotions (pathos), and their humanity (ethos). Any hint of illogic, cheap sentimentality, or prejudice, even in the first sentence, can make readers wary of our intentions. We don’t want them defensive; we want them receptive. If they dig in to protect a cherished belief before we get them to listen, WE LOSE the argument.
+ Truth: Truth is different than proof. While what we say will probably be provocative, it must always be possible. To be caught in a lie would completely destroy our credibility, without which WE LOSE the argument.
+ Clarity: Because the truth is multifaceted, true declarations can be richly ambiguous, but that’s no excuse to be unclear. Even as they describe nuanced opinions, our claims, to persuade, must be clear. The quickest way to lose an argument is to keep the reader wondering what we mean by what we say. If we can’t be understood, WE LOSE the argument.
+ Premise: It goes without saying that we need to convince our readers of something in particular. The premises cannot be false, but neither can they be obvious. They are premises because they require evidence and persuasion. Without them, WE LOSE the argument.
5) Just 4 sentences; many many claims
+ Makes a provocative claim that is not just bold but also central to the author’s argument. We seem to be one type or another, but our experiences and environment can change us.
+ Uses an analogy to make a provocative claim: that the addicts have a job to do and are on the city payroll.
+ Makes a provocative claim that is not just bold but also central to the author’s argument. Margaret Bentley is clearly suffering in a particularly thorny legal limbo. It’s probably truer to say that young Margaret Bentley wants to kill old Margaret Bentley, but that paradox will become clear.
+ Makes a definition claim that has nothing to do with the dictionary definition.
+ For the purposes of this argument, the author claims that our true age is not how long since we’ve been born but how long before we die. That makes terminally ill kids old enough to make their own choices.
o Open Strong: A Model
1) ABSTRACTIONS ELIMINATED:
+ has effects / were not able / for an indefinite amount of time / many people to experience / negative effects / such as / they could not leave / had to be / they are unable to receive / the benefits of traveling / as a result of depriving / becomes
2) EMPHASIS ADDED:
+ Undermined / shut down / imprisoned / depressed / lost / lifts / suffering.
+ The more robust our verbs, the more our readers FEEL the power of our arguments.
3) PERSONALIZATION:
+ You may have been told in other writing classes to avoid the first person (I, we, us, our, etc), and for many types of writing, that is good advice. Here, where our product is the persuasive essay, the more we emphasize our unity with our readers the better. Travel deprivation doesn’t happen to “those people”; it happens to US when we’re locked down.
4) While the original paragraph was strong, and you may want to stand on the merits of such paragraphs, you should at least consider revising them if the examples of these changes impress you as worthwhile.
– When I get specific feedback requests about the Visual Rhetoric assignment, students usually ask, “How much detail is enough?”
“How Much Detail, and What Kind?”
– At the sentence level, the best way to improve your writing is to take command of the primary elements of every simple claim: the subject and the verb.
– As you describe the visuals in depth, use your rhetorical skills to encourage an interpretation in the minds of your readers. They are putty in your hands since they depend on you for both your report on the images—their speed and sequence, the mood they cast—and your analysis of what the images mean.
– Spend a short paragraph after the time-stamped material to draw any overall conclusions you can after considering the impact of the entire 30-second spot. You may discuss its particular effectiveness or its shortcomings as the visual argument.
– You may also (following your visual analysis) report on any dialog or soundtrack elements that influence your reactions to the argument when you combine the audio with the video.
Robust Subjects and Verbs
– A common sentence structure that troubles many writers begins with a problematic introductory phrase of the “By verbing” type.
Beware of “By verbing”
– Strong writing is marred by wordiness. Omit needless words. Your goal is Zero Percent Body Fat
Zero Percent Body Fat
– In feedback, I often remark that students overuse “it,” or “that,” or “there is,” or “there are,” or, worst of all, “that means.” Pressed to explain why you should avoid these simple, seemingly essential constructions, I stammer something about their vagueness or how tired your readers will get of reading them. Neither of these explanations proves much. So, instead of trying to prove that these cheap little fillers are weak, let’s do an exercise that demonstrates the vitality of the alternatives to the innocuous fillers that cost your work its strength.
– As you examine the samples, notice how often they are improved by substituting robust subject-verb pairs for weak phrases using the verb “to be.”
– The examples below are from “Evolution and Bad Boyfriends,” by Piet van den Berg and Tim Fawcett, New York Times, October 11, 2013
Link to GoZeroG.com
– You can feel what it’s like to be in space and floating in zero gravity
Link to OkGO “Upside Down and Inside Out“
– A band called Ok Go made a video in Zero Gravity
Grade Process:
– The portfolio will be Complete by Dec 11 as the Final Grading process will begin, starting with the portfolio of the earliest scheduled student.
– Students desperate to improve their grades EVEN AFTER MON DEC 11 can continue to improve their posts.
– The latest-scheduled students will be graded last.
– No guarantee is offered for HOW LONG that last improvement opportunity will last.
– Regrading can still occur until the time your Portfolio is graded.
– Regrades are not automatic upon the improvement of your post.
– Drop a Reply to alert your beloved professor to your improvements.
– Ask for a Regrade.
– Put the post in the Grade Please category.
Class Notes Wednesday 12/06:
-A good first sentence doesn’t always have to be explicitly true. It can’t be an outright lie but it needs to keep your reader’s attention, and a basic fact will not do that.
-Avoid “you” language in your essay. The goal of your essay isn’t to call someone to action, it is to argue something. You language should be saved for directions.
-As long as whatever detail you give is backed up by the ‘why’ or the rhetoric, you don’t have to worry about giving too much. Once the detail you give has no significance to the argument, then you have too much.
Class Notes 12/6/23:
– Real life persuasions and proposal arguments are everywhere, even as a blue dot in the urinal in the men’s room.
– Even scientists that we consider to be correct can be proven wrong by more recent scientists. Students should never be afraid to confront the points made by professionals or experts, as we have the ability to prove them wrong in our arguments as things continue to change.
– When introducing a topic, students must give it proper introduction in order for readers to completely understand and believe what is said.
– The first sentence of an essay is most important, as it is what draws the reader into the essay and makes them read the rest of the paper. When continuing the writing, it is important for each sentence to be bold and content heavy without so many words.
– Finding words that can improve the writing and add emphasis are critical to allowing the readers to feel the argument which is being made.
– Sometimes certain amounts of detail is too much, but it should be just enough that the posts provide a basic description of the scene so the reader can get an understanding, but not too much to the point where they are overwhelmed and confused.
– Students should not use “you” in their writing, it makes the writing WEAK.
– There should be no use of “by phrases” in any writing. They make no sense and make sentences difficult to follow.
Last class 😦
– Start with an attention-grabbing claim. Make outrageous claims.
– Went over ways you can improve or polish up your essays
– We went over how we don’t use “you” in our essays and that type of writing in the second person is only in manuals, recipes, or conversations.
– We watched a video of three former presidents on inauguration day all socially distanced, talking about the pandemic. I think it trying to show how three former presidents from three parties are coming together to give a message that they are united as they want the US to be during this time.
– Eliminate “there is” and “there are” in your essay
– Eliminate “it is”
– Rewrite.
class notes:
Last Class
I learned about Zero-G and where to experience that feeling
The Professor went over the grading process for next week
Learned ways to improve essays
Adding more detail is always encouraged
An attention-grabbing opener is the key to having a good research paper
Eliminating by phrases
12/06
I liked the way he described the video with the former presidents. I’ve never seen it before. You start to wonder why the latest president wasn’t there. Maybe he didn’t believe in the covid vaccine.
Today was basically a catch up day to see where everyone is at with a couple assignments. Our last class is on the 11th. I’m gonna miss my guy Mr. Hodges.
We also dug deep into verbs that we don’t need to include in our sentences.
– Visual rhetoric tips included detailed visuals, robust verbs, and emotional impact.
– Effective argumentation strategies emphasized attention-grabbing openers and avoiding “by verbing.”
– Portfolio completion is crucial as grading starts on 12/11/2023, with post-improvement opportunities.
– Reflection highlighted challenging established ideas and connecting lessons to real-world examples like former presidents during the pandemic.
-Looked at argument strategies to grab a readers attention and not waste their time
-Portfolio must be completed by the 11th but can still be revised some time after that date
-Focused on connecting lessons with real life examples going on
-Spoke on verbs that may not be necessary to put into your essays
-Have to have a title on your research paper is important