Category Archives: Professor Posts

I Wish She Hadn’t, 01

Posted on March 9, 2012 by davidbdale

On-camera reporter Rachel Canelli, covering a Town Hall Meeting in Roebling for Calkins Media, delivered a sentence that meant either that Governor Chris Christie favors gay marriage in New Jersey or opposes it. There’s just no way to tell which … Continue reading →

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Schedule Reminders

Posted on March 8, 2012 by davidbdale

Just a few things to remember as we go off to spring break. TUE MAR 20 Definition Essay Feedback This is your professor’s deadline to provide substantial feedback on your Definition essays. I’ll be starting soon, working in the order … Continue reading →

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Evaluating Arguments

Posted on March 6, 2012 by davidbdale

The criteria we use to evaluate evidence are in large part the same criteria we use to evaluate arguments. If mnemonic devices help you remember things, remind yourself that Sufficiency, Typicality, Accuracy, and Relevance spell STAR. Briefly, we’re not likely … Continue reading →

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For-Profit Prisons 2

Posted on March 3, 2012 by davidbdale

Remember my rant about for-profit prisons? No? I said in print and in class that “The very phrase ‘for-profit prison’ should raise a red flag for anyone on the lookout for counterintuitivity. Prison populations have increased seven-fold since the 1970s. … Continue reading →

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Sample Definition Argument

Posted on March 1, 2012 by davidbdale

No, I didn’t write an actual sample for you, but you may recall one day I came to class claiming to have heard a very heated Definition argument on the radio on my way to school that equated doctor visits … Continue reading →

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A08: Definition Essay

Posted on March 1, 2012 by davidbdale

Your first paper is due THU MAR 08. It will make an argument essential to your Research Paper, which is not due until late April. You’ll write three short papers in total this semester, each proving something essential about your … Continue reading →

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Quotation Skills

Posted on February 23, 2012 by davidbdale

Rarely does the perfect quotation offer itself up for us to use right “out of the box.” Sources are notorious for phrasing their remarks awkwardly, or in ways that don’t fit into the sentences we had planned for them, or … Continue reading →

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Tips for Better Proposals

Posted on February 22, 2012 by davidbdale

Your classmate Brett Lang was smart. He published his Proposal, 5 Sources post early, to benefit from feedback before the deadline so his revised draft will be as good as it can be. His willingness to invite scrutiny early will … Continue reading →

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A06: Proposals, 5 Sources

Posted on February 21, 2012 by davidbdale

The oral presentations you’ve been making are essentially pitches. If you make a strong enough case that I can feel confident you have a narrow topic and a good plan, I’m happy for you to proceed to do your research … Continue reading →

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Does Fame Kill?

Posted on February 19, 2012 by davidbdale

Those who claim, such as Kathleen Parker, that fame killed Whitney Houston, must mean that if her first album had bombed she would be alive today. How provable is that thesis? How sufficient is the evidence? How relevant, how accurate, … Continue reading →

Posted in Counterintuitivity, David Hodges, Professor Posts | 2 Comments