Agenda - Week 1: Decoding Visual Arguments - Updated

Practical Argument Readings:

• Introduction: “Understanding Argument” (3-9)
• Chapter 1: “The Structure of Argument” (9-16)
• Chapter 2: “Thinking and Reading Critically” (33-51)
• Chapter 3: “Decoding Visual Arguments” (53-65)

Presentations:

Check frequently for added links

• Constructing Arguments (Purdue OWL)
• Understanding Visual Arguments (Texas Collaborative for Teaching Excellence)
• Using MLA Format (Purdue OWL)

Additional Readings:

“Bound to Buy: The Ten Types of Consumers that Overspend”

Resources:

“Objectification of Women in Comic Books” video

Stanford University index of alcohol advertisements

Discussion Questions:

• Watch the “Objectification of Women in Comic Books" video.  Find an image of a contemporary superhero, male or female.  Post that image here and analyze the physical feasibility and logical purpose for the pose, body shape, and costume.
• Find a screencap from one of your favorite shows, films or video games.  Using the “Template for Responding to Visual Arguments” on page 65 of Practical Argument as a loose model, explain what messages the image sends.
• Perform a critical analysis of Gerard Jones’s “Is Violent Media Good for Kids” (PA 36-9) using the “Questions for Critical Reading" on page 49 of Practical Argument.
• Choose one of the advertising images from the Stanford University index of alcohol advertisements.  Include it in your post, and explain its subject, audience and purpose as well as how it appeals to ethos, pathos and/or logos.
• Read “Bound to Buy: The Ten Types of Consumers that Overspend.”  Do any of these categories describe you?  Have you ever made a purchase that falls into one of these types of consumer behavior?  What motivated it?

Assignment:

Essay 1, due Sunday, May 20th at 11:59 pm.  The assignment sheet is posted to the Lessons page of Angel, or you can follow the link here.