Another Meme I Was Too Late For:
- 38% of Americans recently polled declared they would not buy Corona beer “under any circumstances.”
- A generation earlier, Americans stopped buying the “appetite suppressant” diet candy Ayds for a similar reason, because of the name resemblance to a disease.
- Thought about that. Found this.
Two-Week Spring Break
Brief discussion and poll of students regarding how to conduct class business in the event of a lockdown of campus buildings for the rest of the semester.
a1175
aeks123
alyse816
bmdpiano
chancetoremember
chippy1313
dancestar10
davidbdale
dunkindonuts10
dupreeh79
Cleo
gossipgirl3801
greeneggsandham234
harp03
j6128
killerbeanforever
kingoflizards
krustykrabpizza7
nayr79
nickalodeansallthat
omgmafia
romanhsantiago
rose1029
samtheman1448
shaquilleoatmeal2250
Shiloh Vasko
sixers103
starbucks732
stripedsweater21
studentwriter1212
taxmanmaxwell
tenere84
More Money Maintenance
therealjohnsanchez
torthey
walmaarts
wentzwagon11
Counterintuitive 
What happened
Another Meme I was late for
Two week spring break
quick look at defineiton arugmemnts
opposite of a black sneaker
Profolio task- causal arugment
What I learned
Corona beer meme
An epidemic is centered around an individual spot while a pandemic is global
The flu kills more people everyday than the the coronavirus
During spring break, we will continue to online blog format- make sure to check agenda everyday and handwork on time
Your proposal must be related to your definition essay
Need a title for definition essay
Add a permalink to references citations
Don’t put spaces between words and periods
References need to be centered
There is no opposite for a black sneaker
We should be looking for the real solution
Don’t be in the grey area
Don’t start with a compromise position
We are looking for an actual point of view
“No grey on grey thinking”
Need “color on color thinking”- because you know what the point of view is
Don’t hide our point of view, craft something vivid and color, that can’t be ignored
We need premises
The causal argument paper will identify one or more cause-and-effect relationships essential to proving your thesis.
We make causation statements all the time, without necessarily realizing that we’re engaged in argument and proof.
writing causal arguments will often be to identify the most important of the several causes for one effect (or the several effects of a single cause).
A pandemic is worldwide, but an epidemic is in a specific spot
The flu will kill more people everyday than the corona virus does
Over spring break, we will continue to post agendas and work on the blog like we do in class
Make sure you use references, have a title that is centered, and your APA citations are correct
Your definition essay should reflect your proposal and hypothesis that you picked
Link the URL behind the title, instead of the long URL being shown in the reference
There isn’t always an opposite of something, there can be a different viewpoint but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the opposite
Just because something is coincidental does not mean that it is causal
Today we looked over memes pertaining to the coronavirus. Americans are likely to avoid the names of products that share names with illnesses. For example, Corona, coronavirus, and aids, Ayds. We also talked about why side vs side arguments really don’t work and most of the time the answer is in the middle of the two. We then talked about the causation essay that is due on March 28th. We then learned that we make causation statements every day. The example given in class was “The Sixers lost because Ben Simmons won’t take a jump shot.” Based on these statements we will create an argument and provide proof.
NOTES
3/11
UPDATE
– We may not have class in person after break
– Be aware of any updates regarding change in classes
DEFINITION ARGUMENT
– Professor Hodges took a look at some writings posted in definition argument and gave some quick comments during class
– Fixed any minor mistakes he noticed throughout the observation of any posts
– Reminded students of simple mistakes we were making and corrected them once again so that we can get full hang of it
WHAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF A BLACK SNEAKER?
– What is the opposite of a black sneaker?
– Technically anything could be the opposite of a black sneaker
– Never attempt a “yes vs no” argument as it will always end with the reader confused
– Trying a “Yes vs No” argument will have the author trying to end in a compromise that wouldn’t work and has a favor to one side
CAUSAL ARGUMENT
– The cause is always the formation of multiple things not just one thing
– Always lots of reasons and causes
– Many different forms of causes that can be used differently
NOTES:
Definition Essay:
– For revisions make sure to use said language when defining the words needed.
– References should include bibliographic titles and their links
– Links dropped at the bottom of each reference, you can link them to the actual title.
The Opposite of a Black Sneaker:
– There is no opposite for a black sneaker. White sneaker? It’s still a sneaker, so no.
– Many things do not have opposites. Colors cannot have opposites. They’re just a spectrum.
– The goal in arguing is to not to join the “black sneaker” and the “white sneaker” options. The grey area is even worse because there is no distinctive choice.
– The answer is never black and white, it can be another color that goes off on a new idea that can further explain the original idea.
– One side never wins a black and white argument
Causal Argument:
– Uses cause and effect
– What will be the results? How did something come to be?
– Ex. Because parents are voters, their children will see that and be voters too.
– Cause and effect feed into each other to new ideas but it could circle back to the original idea.
– Types of causation statements: 1. Immediate Cause, 2. Remote Cause (Divorce and relationship example), 3. Precipitating Cause (Sudden change), 4. Contributing Cause (not having what is needed)
Class Notes 03/11/2020
Two-Week Spring Break Ideas:
-Video chat/class meetings
-Continue with class discussion online (this is what we’re doing*)
Definition Essay:
-Topic and terms should correspond with hypothesis
-Link URL behind the title in references (make sure to click “open in new tab”)
-Need a title/header, centered, not bold or italicized (does not have to be in bold, quotes, etc)
-Need references, centered, not bold or italicized
The Opposite of a Black Sneaker:
-Opposite of a black sneaker can’t be a white sneaker because the opposite of something can’t be itself
-Probably should not involve color
-There really aren’t many opposites of anything!!
Goal in arguing is not to join a black/white debate
-Also should not end up creating a “gray” conversation, you do not have to compromise
-Usually one of the two extremes are more correct than the middle option (than both)
COLOR ON COLOR!
-Begin with bold and colorful premises
-Memorable, interesting, strong thoughts, vivid
-Not just trying to find the opposite side of someone else’s argument
-If Black and Gray argue + compromise, Black wins by default because Black made the outrageous claim
Causal Argument:
-Cause and effect cycle and/or relationship
-Should be able to use all or most of your causation argument in your final paper to very good effect
(should fit in with research assignments)
-Can decide which of the 3 short essays you want to include in portfolio
Different Types of Causes:
*Immediate Cause
-An immediate cause and a persistent conflict create an episodic effect
*Remote Cause
-Lingering effects of something days, years, decades later
*Precipitating Cause
-Sudden change that allows an underlying cause to have its way with objects/events
*Contributing Cause
-example: someone doesn’t do something, which contributes to a seemingly bigger cause
Correlation DOES NOT EQUAL Causation!
-The best refutation usually derives from a correlation, rather than a causation
3/11/20- Today in class we talked about the fact that after spring break we might have to switch to online classes. We decided we would just continue to work on the blog and be responsible to check for due dates. We then looked at some people definition arguments and fixed them up if they needed editing on formatting. Our next task was to look at “The Opposite of a Black Sneaker” and we had to take the opposite side from the professor and argue it. You never want to end up with a “grey” argument which is in the middle of black and white, when writing our paper. We then answered some questions on the topic of black and white arguments. Professor introduced the 1,000 words causal argument essay which is due on March 30th. He showed us the immediate, remote, precipitating, and the contributing cause to your essay. Just because they appear in sequence does not mean they are cause and effects.
Today Professor started the class with a meme about the coronavirus. This meme shows that people are less likely to purchase the alcoholic beverage “corona” because of the name being similar to the virus. Professor then said he believes that we will continue our blog over spring break without a video chat. We then learned about causation statements.
Notes 3/11
Another Meme I Was Too Late For:
– 38% of Americans recently polled declared they would not buy Corona beer “under any circumstances.”
– A generation earlier, Americans stopped buying the “appetite suppressant” diet candy Ayds for a similar reason. Unfortunate circumstances for both brands.
Two-Week Spring Break
– Spring break has been extended by a week, and this may be the last time we see each other in person.
– We may be just relying on the good ol’ forum lectures, or we may have video lectures with students using laptop cams.
Quick Look at Definition Arguments
– You MUST write a definition argument related to your 3000-word research paper in order to not waste time and have a chance at a good grade.
– Sources must be clearly indicated at the end, in AP form, and under the name “References.”
The Opposite of a Black Sneaker
– What’s the opposite of a black sneaker?
– The opposite of black could be white (maybe) but that has nothing to do with a black sneaker.
– There’s no opposite of a black sneaker, but there’s no real reason to choose between a black sneaker and a white sneaker. We’re severely restricted here.
– No one wants a grey sneaker.
– This can be analogous to arguments and essays; there’s nothing logical or meaningful in choosing between black and white positions when there are many possibilities. Compromising and choosing a middle-ground position that isn’t compelling doesn’t really provide much of an answer at all.
– Happiness is given more meaning than it actually contains. Happiness is just a measure of one’s degree of self-content; the definition has no bearing on one’s purpose, even though happiness has been championed as the holy grail of fulfilling one’s purpose.
– Main idea: black-and-white conclusions may be more certain, but the pursuit of other outcomes will most likely be more insightful and compelling.
– One side inevitably loses any black-and-white argument.
– If you suggest that “some teachers” should have guns and “some teachers” shouldn’t, the anti-gun crowd has already lost.
Portfolio Task: Causal Argument
Types of Causation Statements
1.) Immediate Cause – A directly caused B.
2.) Remote Cause – Event A from a long time ago had long-term effects that eventually led to B.
3.) Precipitating Cause – a sudden change that allows a cause to happen (e.g gravity allows a car that has faulty breaks to roll off an inclined surface into a river).
4.) Contributing Cause – an event that contributed to a bigger cause. The Sixers have always lost to the Raptors because of a mismatch, but Ben Simmons’ refusal to shoot certainly may have contributed to that mismatch.
– Correlation does not imply causation.
In class today we discussed not writing a grey topic. To put it another way instead of attempting to compromise between two extremes we should write a detailed and purposeful paper. We are meant to have our readers know exactly where we stand in our argument or opinions regardless of whether our readers agree with us or not. We went over the in-class assignment where we discussed the opposite of a black sneaker. Following the in-class assignment we discussed the next required writing which will be our causal argument. In preparation for our assignment our professor went over the definitions for different types of cause. The four primary differing types of cause we were given are: immediate, remote, precipitating, and contributing cause. Cause can be more complex than this, but these are the most important types for us to consider.
-if we have to do online classes, we will continue to use the blog and replies to do the work
-black and white is much more likely to be an answer than grey
-the opposite of a black sneaker isn’t a white sneaker because the opposite of a sneaker can’t be another sneaker
-making outrageous claims leads to compromise, so in the end, the person who made the outrageous claim wins because the compromise gives them close to what they want
-there is immediate causes, remote causes, precipitating causes, and contributing causes