Read: Super Sad True Love Story, 178-203

Browse: http://www.pechakucha.org and choose a presentation that you find interesting. Come prepared to discuss whether it answers the “so what?” or “who cares?” questions detailed in Chapter Seven of They Say, I Say.

(It may also be helpful to consider the structure of the presentation. Does it use a “sandwich” format—preview what you plan to say; say it; recap what you said—like the Googleglass Pecha Kucha we watched in class? Does it tell a story? Or does it present a problem-and-solution format? Make notes to get ideas for how to structure your own presentation.)

Read: Chapters 6 and 7 of They Say, I Say; Super Sad True Love Story, 143-177.

Blog post (200–300 words; due at 11:59 p.m., Monday, Sept. 21)

Prompt: Choose the artifact* that you’d like to analyze for your Pecha Kucha presentation. In your post, explain what drew you to this artifact and why you’d like to study it in more detail. Briefly describe it to an audience who has never seen it before. Take your time and take notes as you closely observe your artifact. Use the questions below to guide you:
a. Who/What is the author/speaker? (in this case, the artifact’s creator)
b. What is the author’s purpose? Is it effective?
c. Who is the intended audience? What assumptions are made about
the audience?
d. What is the context? When and where was it published? Does the
artifact relate to a historic or cultural event or time period?
e. What is the tone?
f. Genre?
g. What strategies are used? Consider: color, composition, relation of
text to the image, text size and font
h. What rhetorical appeals does it make? (ethos, pathos, logos)

You do not need to have an argument yet. In fact, it might be better if you don’t. For this blog post, your task is to keep an open mind as you “close read” your artifact. Examine, explore, and on Tuesday, we’ll use your blog to pre-write in class.

*If you’re feeling stuck, here are some possible artifacts to choose from:
A poster
A postcard
A flier
Print advertisement (from a magazine or newspaper; a online banner advertisement could work too)
A campaign sign
One page of a comic book or artist’s book
A book or magazine cover
A piece of street art/graffiti (you’d need to take a photo)
Product packaging

Read Super Sad True Love Story, 99-142; Chapter Five of They Say, I Say

Blog post (200–300 words; due at 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16)

What elements of Super Sad True Love Story do you see in our own world? Choose one scene that you find particularly important. Describe the scene and the issues that it raises. How does this scene from a fictional future comment on our present world?

(To get you started, you might want to consider one of these issues: consolidation of wealth, privacy, loneliness/lack of community, longer life span/immortality, diminishing interest in books.)

Letter Assignment due

Read: “Presenting Arguments” excerpt from Everything’s an Argument (on CourseReserves); Super Sad True Love Story, 75-98

Read: Super Sad True Love Story, 44-75;  Chapter Four of They Say, I Say

Class visit to MARBL: Meet on 10th floor on Woodruff Library at 11:30

Read: Super Sad True Love Story, 3–43; Chapter Two of They Say, I Say

Blog post (200–300 words; due at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7)

Prompt: Returning to our discussion of “Eye in the Sky” technology on Tuesday, write a brief summary of your position on the issue. Then, put yourself in the shoes of someone who would strongly disagree with you. Write a summary of your imagined opponent’s argument. What points would he or she make in response to yours?

(Make sure not to tell us which position is yours. Feel free to refer to Chapter Two of They Say, I Say to compose your summaries and to the exercise on p. 40, which this prompt is based on.)

Read: “The Eyes of the Moonfish See Moonfish Pain”; “Semplica-Girl Diaries”; and Chapter One of They Say, I Say

Read: Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 12 “I Take Your Point: Entering Class Discussions” of They Say, I Say.

Listen to RadioLab podcast “Eye in the Sky,” and come ready to talk about the two sides of the debate about surveillance technology. Link: http://www.radiolab.org/story/eye-sky/

No blog post due this week.