Assignment: Persuasive Essay

Same-sex marriage supporters at San Francisco City Hall

Note: If you were not in class this Wednesday or Thursday to receive specific instructions for this assignment, STOP HERE and email me at dhdelao@gmail.com for specific directions.

For those that were in class: 

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Your assignment is to write a persuasive essay about same-sex marriage in California. As you know, you took an either pro or con position on one the issue. Your assignment is to write a concise essay in which you argue the OPPOSITE of the position you took in class. For example, if you took the position that same-sex marriage should not be allowed, you must now argue that it should be allowed.

For this particular essay, do not supplement your argument with outside texts. Instead, the basis of your argument should come from the pro or con articles of the e-reader. Cite at least three of the following articles to support your thesis: 

Pro-same-sex marriage writers should draw their evidence from the following articles only:

• "The Economist Debates: Single-Sex Marriage" (The Economist)
• "An Argument for Same-Sex Marriage: An Interview with Jonathan Rauch" (The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life)
• "Same-Sex Marriage: 'A Basic Civil Right'" by James Rotondi (The Huffington Post)
• "Same-Sex Marriage: Losing a Battle, Winning the War" by Andrew Cohen (Vanity Fair)
• "Stupidity, Gay Marriage, and the Evolution of Religion" by Dan Agin (The Huffington Post)
• "The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage” by Theodore B. Olson (Newsweek)
• "Why I Fought for the Right to Say 'I Do'" by Greta Christina (Alternet)
• "Slippery Slop" by Dahlia Lithwick (Slate)

Anti-same-sex marriage writers should draw their evidence from the following articles only:

• "An Argument Against Same-Sex Marriage: An Interview with Rick Santorum" (The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life)
• "Preserve Traditional Marriage for Benefit of Future Generations" by Roger Crouse (Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel)
• "Sex and Consequences" by Peter Wood (The American Conservative)
• "The Worst Thing about Gay Marriage" by Sam Shulman (The Weekly Standard)
• "We Don't Need Gay Marriage" by Mark Vernon (The Guardian)
• "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage" by Adam Kolasinksi (The Tech)
• "Why One Queer Person is Not Celebrating California's Historic Gay Marriage Decision" by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (Alternet)

When constructing your argument, be conscious of the fallacies of logic we discussed in class. Look for them in the arguments against your position, but also be careful not to use them to propel your thesis.

Points you might consider in your argument:

• What is a civil right?
• Can this debate be framed as a civil rights issue?
• What is the historical role of marriage in societies?
• How does same-sex marriage affect children and families?
• What considerations, if any, should religion be given in this debate?
• What considerations, if any, should science be given in this debate?
• Is it homophobic to be against same-sex marriage?

Requirements:

• MLA format, including parenthetical citation
• 2.5-page minimum

The best papers:

• Stay within the parameters of the subject matter
• Have a concise thesis which clearly outlines a position
• Clearly support the thesis with solid evidence and a logical structure, citing at least three articles from the reader
• Cite a minimum of three articles to support the thesis
• Conclude with a summation of the argument
• Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Are in MLA Style

Due: Mo 2.28 / Tu 3.1 (Draft 1, bring 3 copies)

Vision of California: "Milk" (Focus Features, 2008)

Snow by Saturday? It's 50-50

  
By Joe Rodriguez, San Jose Mercury News
02.22.11

Break out the mittens. Charge up the digital camera. Practice your throw.

It hasn't snowed on the valley floor, at least deep enough to provide ammunition for snowball fights, in 35 years -- since Feb. 5, 1976, to be exact. But we just might make winter history again this weekend.

Another Alaska cold front due here Thursday afternoon has the potential to drop some winter delight on Bay Area sidewalks and backyards by Saturday morning.

"It has to be a cascade of all the right things adding up together," said Jan Null, a consulting meteorologist at Golden Gate Weather Services.

He said the Alaska cold front bearing down on us isn't yet carrying enough rain for a good snow dump when it gets here, but it might pick up more moisture as it loops over the ocean off the Pacific Northwest before arriving.

"There's a 50-50 chance that will happen," said Null, who still remembers driving happily home that February morning 35 years ago. "It's really a rare thing for it to snow at sea level in the Bay Area."

Even if that doesn't happen, Null said, this storm is sure to drop snow on the region's tallest peaks and on the eastern foothills down to about 1,000 feet. Mount Hamilton above San Jose will become even whiter than it has been the past few days.

"It's a sure thing," Null said.

The National Weather Service station in Monterey was watching the same cold front approach, too, but forecasters there weren't giving odds on  palm trees.

"I'm not going to say it's impossible," forecaster Diana Henderson said. "We are going to get a good blast of Arctic air."

Like Null, she said the right snow-building ingredients have to fall in place. However, she said, Friday night and early Saturday morning are shaping up as the coldest hours of this storm. That would be the time for a dramatic snowfall at lower elevations, maybe even sea level.

The first rain showers and colder temperatures should hit the Bay Area on Thursday afternoon, with overnight temperatures in downtown San Jose dipping to the mid- to high 30s and midday temperatures in the 50s. The weather service expects a low of 33 degrees Saturday morning before the storm clears out of the region by Monday.snow falling on palm trees.
"Other than that," Henderson said, "it's a cakewalk."

Options for Our April Field Trip

Below is a list of options, along with brief descriptions, for our optional April field trip. I've also included possible costs ($ = 0 - $10, $$ = $10 - $20, $$$ = $20 and up), though these may not include the cost of gas.

To the left, you'll see a poll. Please vote (only once) for the option you prefer. Again the date is Saturday, April 23rd.

1. Palo Alto: Dish Hike - A hike to the Dish in the foothills west of Palo Alto. $
2. Alameda: USS Hornet - A tour of the (allegedly haunted) decommissioned aircraft carrier docked in Alameda $$
3. Felton: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park & Bigfoot Discovery Museum - A quick tour of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum, then a hike in the redwood forest along the river
4. Carmel: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - A coastal hike to the famous China Cove $
5. San Francisco: Alcatraz - A trip to the notorious former federal prison on San Francisco Bay $$$
6. Pescadero: Harley Farms Goat Diary - A visit to an award-winning organic goat dairy, south of Half Moon Bay, to tour the farm, including milking and cheese making $$$ 

Remember, this field trip is optional and not University-sanctioned in any way.

Poll closes at midnight on February 27th. Don't forget to vote!

UPDATE 02.21.11: Per Sec. 3's suggestion, Alcatraz has been substituted for the de Young and the poll has been rebooted. Please re-vote. 

Week 5: Lodi

The Lodi Mission Arch

 

Just about a year ago,

I set out on the road,

seeking my fame and fortune.

Looking for a pot of gold.

Things got bad, and things got worse,

I guess you will know the tune.

Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again.

—Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Lodi"

Week 5: Lodi
Mo 2.21 / Tu 2.22
Read: eR—“The Economist Debates: Single-Sex Marriage” (The Economist), "An Argument for Same-Sex Marriage: An Interview with Jonathan Rauch" (The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life), "Same-Sex Marriage: 'A Basic Civil Right'" by James Rotondi (The Huffington Post)
In-Class: Reading discussion; Presentations (Sec. 3: Thi V); Preview: Persuasive essay

We 2.23 / Th 2.24
Read: eR—"Same-Sex Marriage: Losing a Battle, Winning the War" by Andrew Cohen (Vanity Fair), "Stupidity, Gay Marriage, and the Evolution of Religion" by Dan Agin (The Huffington Post), "The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage” by Theodore B. Olson (Newsweek), "Why I Fought for the Right to Say 'I Do'" by Greta Christina (Alternet), "Slippery Slop" by Dahlia Lithwick (Slate); MANZ—p. ix - 59
In-Class: Reading discussion; Presentations (Sec. 6: Scott Y and Carol B); Lecture—“Thesis Statement Speed Dates”
Due: Reflection 3

Returned: Literature Analysis / Short Answer Responses

Upcoming:

Week 6: Palo Alto
Mo 2.28 / Tu 3.1
Read: MANZ—p. 60 - 94
In-Class: Writer’s workshop
Due: Persuasive essay (Draft 1, bring 3 copies)

We 3.2 / Th 3.3
Read: MANZ—p. 95 - 132
In-Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“Citing Sources 101”