Exercise 15.7

The traditional lecture method of education has a number of problems. For example the lecture method does not usually keep the students involved and students may miss, or misinterpret certain notes. In addition, being present is crucial for the professors, so if something happens for professors and he/she cannot make it to class students would miss one complete section which makes professor to do a makeup section for students, and not to mention that makeup sections are always hard to be arranged.Making a lecture available as podcasts, however, will give students extra study notes just in case they left out something important that would be on the exam.There are three reason this teaching method should be adopted.One reason is that freshman students or students who need to listen to lectures more than once would be able to do that.Another reason is that some students just do not take good notes.Finally, it makes the whole experience easier and more convenient for students overall. For these reasons I believe podcasts should be utilized throughout all colleges and even for High schools.

Exercise 15.1 Obesity

Thesis: Because many Americans are obese, the government should require warning labels on all sugared cereals.

Works Cited: "Doctor's Orders." Time 166.4 (2005): 73. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.

Much like cereal, especially children's cereal, sodas are loaded with sugar to make them more appealing to the taste. The extremity of these sodas are compared to cigarettes in the way that the need warning labels because they are very harmful to the health. Sodas and sugared cereals both contain many sugars and sugar consumption has been scientifically proven to have a strong correlation with cancer, just like cigarettes and people need to be aware.

Proposal Argument

            In today’s America, society has many issues involving obesity, which is essentially leading to a general downfall in every aspect. For example, when people become obese, they generally start to become lazier whether they are at work or at home.  Moreover, this leads to a negative effect for America because if they are getting lazier and slower at work, we will be less efficient as a country. Speaking out against obesity and trying to improve it, however, may cause issues because people may feel offended or they just won’t be willing to fix it because they are happy with the way they are. There are reasons that these changes should take place in society. One reason is that America is known as the “fattest” country because America has a higher percentage of obese people in the population in the entire world. Secondly, America is trying to become more economically and industrially independent, requiring more workers that are quick and agile and not slow and obese. Finally, following obesity, are extreme health risks that are quick killers for people who do not care to watch their weight. Some people blame genetics for obesity, but it has to start somewhere. For these reasons, I believe that obesity is a huge issue in society and should be helped and noticed as a big deal.

Structuring a Proposal Argument

Currently, there is a parking shortage on the northwest campus of Santa Fe  College campus, a problem that can be solved with a few blueprints and a local construction company. Santa Fe enrolls nearly 24,000 degree seeking students yearly; imagine all 24,000 of those students trying to cram into one tiny parking lot. In society today, everyone is trying to find the fastest way possible to get to places, including classes. Most students drive to school, meaning they need a place to park their car. Obviously, there are not enough parking spots for all the students who attend the college. There is, however, a solution to this troubling situation; construct another parking lot on the land that Santa Fe is not using for anything at the moment. Some might say that implementing the solution suggested is a bad idea because Santa Fe does not possess the funding for such a project at the current time. One might also suggest that the land could be put to better use. While both negative ideas are understandable, the parking lot is simply a necessity in order to accommodate those who attend the school. The benefits of the proposed plan are: 1. Students will spend less time searching for a parking spot and more time in class. 2. The parking lot will add convenience to students lives and with all the stress put on them in this day in age, convenience is most definitely a necessity. In modern day society, convenience is something that everyone strives for. Santa Fe should help their students feel more comfortable by providing another convenient parking lot for the otherwise stressed out students.

Exercise 15.7

The subject of underage drinking is a very complicated and controversial topic. A number of problems arise during the discussion of underage drinking. For example, some believe since at the age of 18 one can join the military that at the same age, one should be allowed to consume alcohol. In addition, the younger generation sees drinking as a social activity that should be allowed at social gatherings. However, underage drinking is an issue that should be viewed in a different light and be taken very seriously. The risk of alcohol abuse increases as the beginning age for drinking decrease. Another reason is younger drinkers are less experienced in all aspects of life and therefore, tend to make unwise decisions while under the influence of alcohol. Also, underage drinkers tend to binge drink, meaning that they drink more than four cups of alcohol in one evening. They also seem to exhibit higher risks for alcohol poisoning because they drink so much in one sitting. Finally, underage drinking leads to unreasonable and destructive activity. For these reasons, I believe that underage drinking should taken more seriously and the consequences should be strongly enforced. 

"Structuring a Proposal Argument"

There are very many students that attend Sante Fe college, but there isn't enough parking spots to support them all. If we open another overflow of parking spots, then students won't waste their time looking for a spot all morning. This makes students late to class and is just very irritating to deal with. Their is another area next to Sante Fe in which we could set up another parking lot, in doing so there would be much more spaces for students and this problem would diminish. Many students would agree that this is a major problem and would support the problem being fixed. The lot next to the school could be made into another area in which students could park, this way students wouldn't have to deal with this constant problem of finding a parking spot. Student drivers would be more careful driving at school and not so angry to waste time looking for a spot. It was also let students arrive on time for class and reduce any problems in the parking lot. However this may cause a money issue, it could be said we don't have the money to build a parking lot at this time. Building a new lot would save time for students and decrease the amount of angry drivers. This way students arrive on time for class and are prepared to learn for the day.

Excercise 15.7

The traditional lecture method of education has a number of problems. For example, not everyone shows up for class to see the lecture. In addition, You could miss certain information that will not be repeated and won't have another chance to note it. Making lectures available as podcast, however, would make it more possible for students to see this lecture multiple times, and be able to study it more. There are three reasons that this teaching method should be adopted. One reason is that it will help students with their grades being able to view the lecture multiple times and get to study the information. Another reason, is that you wont miss anything. Because it will be easier to access since its not a one time lecture in person. Finally, You can watch the lecture on your own time so you are not late to class or if your sick or tired and not paying attention you have a chance to watch it when you are ready. For theses reasons,i believe that lectures should be made available on podcasts.

Week 15: Proposal Arguments

Practical Argument Readings:

• Chapter 15: “Proposal Arguments” (417-51) - Complete the "Template for Writing Proposal Arguments" on page 450 using your essay subject as the topic.  Bring the completed Template to class with you on Wednesday.

Presentations:

Writing Proposal Arguments

View another webinar from Alisa Cooper

(Obviously you should ignore the last couple of slides that describe the assignment - those are not pertinent to our class.)

Resources:

"Evaluating Sources" (Lakeland Community College)
Tyree Library - "Finding Articles"
Tyree Library - "Is It a Popular Magazine or a Scholarly Journal"

Discussion Questions:

• Complete exercise 15.7 on page 450 of PA and post it here.
• Read Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" on page 670 of PA.  What is Marvell proposing?  What kinds of appeals does he use to make his proposal more persuasive (give examples)?  Is his proposal convincing?  Why or why not?
• Choose one of the thesis statements from Exercise 15.1 (PA 423-24) and find one article from the library databases that you could use to support it.  Provide a link to the article here as well as an MLA citation for it.  Summarize the article and explain how you could use it to support the thesis statement.
• Using the "Structuring a Proposal Argument" on page 427 of PA, write a mini-proposal for a solution to the parking shortage on the northwest campus of Santa Fe College.
• The video below is an adaptation of the Hunsford proposal from Pride and Prejudice, one of the most famous marriage proposals in the history of English literature.  Why does it fail so miserably?  What could Mr. Darcy have done to make his point more persuasively?

Assignment:

Essay 5, due Wednesday, December 5 at 11:59 pm.
The assignment sheet is posted to the Lessons page of Angel as Essay 5: Causal Argument/Proposal..
Remember to bring at least two sources (preferably all four if you have them) to class on Wednesday along with your Bedford Handbook and Practical Argument.