Monday, October 26, 2009

Monday, October 26

Today, we began class by handing back "logos" paragraphs -- some from your first attempt at using logos, and some from your most recent effort -- two paragraphs that claimed Napoleon was either an effective or an ineffective leader, established three criteria for either term, and went on to prove two of them.

Once that exciting activity was complete, we discussed a key principle of good logos: stating your claim as a fact, rather than an opinion. We used various spinning and flaming words to reinforce the concept, as demonstrated below:




We emphasized that stating your claim as a thought, a feeling, or an opinion automatically undermines its "logos value." Additionally, we noted that words like "obviously" and "clearly" are equally undermining: if an observation is truly obvious or clear, then it doesn't need to be stated.

We then looked at an earthworm, and a claim about its internal organs, as an illustration of the importance of evidence. This was a chance to lay the groundwork for a more thorough discussion of evidence, which we proceeded to begin. Using a handout (see the link below) about evidence and evidentiary terms, we started defining terms -- starting with "context" and "proximity." More will follow on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Evidence Handout

At the end of class, we talked briefly about selecting strength and challenge works for conferences.

No homework was assigned tonight, except for the usual 30 minutes per 5 nights of reading.