Today in class we are going to:



1. fine tune blogger

2. sign up for presentation groups

3. discuss chapters three and four

4. do some informal writing

5. read each other's stuff

6. discuss assignment #2: believing and doubting

7. go home



Assignment #2: The Believing and Doubting Game



Your assignment is to choose an interesting engaging, problematic statement, preferably taken from an actual newspaper or editorial, and hopefully connected with a local issue or concern, and play "the believing and doubting game" described in our text in chapter two. In essence, you will write approximately a page stating why you believe the claim and provide supporting evidence. Then you will spend approximately a page (250 words per page) writing as if you don't believe the statement, and arguing against it using clear examples. For the remaining half to full page you will explore the issue at greater length without passing judgement either for or against it. I should not be able to tell what your real opinion is by reading the paper, at least not until I get to the last section. In the last section you can describe if your opinions changed, remained the same, were called into question, etc. You may also wish to answer the question, "How is this issue connected to my identity? How is my identity connected to what I believe?"



This is somewhere between "open" and "closed" writing. Have fun with it. Include pictures if you'd like. Double space the entire thing. Use a legible font.



First draft due: 5/17/04 (Wednesday) by 5pm. Bring an electronic version to class.