Announcements We've been off to a great start so far! Just as a reminder to anyone that has not yet submitted a discussion post to the 1-3 discussion area in Mindedge, please do so by Thursday night.

Announcements

We've been off to a great start so far! Just as a reminder to anyone that has not yet submitted a discussion post to the 1-3 discussion area in Mindedge, please do so by Thursday night. While all other assignments will be due on Sundays, initial discussion board posts in relevant weeks are due by the Thursday in each of these weeks. Even if you miss the Thursday deadline, still submit anyway. Doing this just comes with a small penalty, but it is much better than having nothing at all.

For the 1-6 Journal activity, be sure to read the instructions carefully. One of the easiest ways to lose points here is to explore only one potential topic. Make sure that you create two distinct potential topics, with the further focus on the one you will most likely choose. The second topic should not simply be a side topic of the first argument or the counterargument to it. It can be within the same field, but must be distinct. For example, if using the earlier example of resheduling a drug, it would not work to have one topic be that a drug should be rescheduled for financial reasons and the second topic be that it should be rescheduled for health reasons, as these are effectively making the same basic argument but in different ways. The second topic would need to focus on a different controversy.

Regarding the subject of the project, while this should be on something concerning your interests, career, or degree, it should not be about you or something specific to your circumstances. For example, if you are going into pharmacy tech, think about the controversies related to prescription drug costs, insurance, the scheduling of certain drugs, etc., and take a side on one of the controversies within these areas. Also consider how relevant this will be to a wider audience. If the essay is trying to convince other people to choose one major over another, for example, or why you chose your major, the project will not work out well since it would require considerations for your audience that you will simply not possess. Think about what will be likely to have research available to you for this project. If you would like to resubmit the 1-6 activity with this new advice in mind, you can do so up until the Sunday night deadline.

I hope everyone is having a good week so far! Let me know if you have any questions or if you find that you need any help.

Complete the assignment as follows:

Discussion: Persuasion in Everyday Life (GRADED)

For this GRADED discussion, you will work with your peers. In your initial post, think about a time in your life where you tried to persuade someone to do something. Keep in mind that this doesn't have to be a situation that was a full-blown argument—it can be something as simple as convincing a friend to go to a specific restaurant for lunch—and it doesn't have to be a situation where you "won" the other person over either.

Before you begin writing, please review the discussion rubric (click here) to make sure you fulfill all of the required tasks. You can also download/print the rubric by clicking here.

When you've come up with the moment, write two fully developed paragraphs explaining it to your classmates. In the first paragraph, describe the moment of persuasion so that your instructor and peers can "see" it. In the second paragraph, explain why you felt like that moment of persuasion was either successful or unsuccessful. What strategies or techniques did you use to try to get the person to side with you?

When you've finished, read over your peers' posts and respond to at least two of them with at least one fully developed paragraph. What is your reaction to their moment of persuasion? Would you have done the same thing, or would you have approached the situation differently? Why or why not? Remember, your approach can be completely different from your peer's approach, as you can bring your own unique perspectives and life experiences to the situation.

Keep an eye out for responses on your original thread throughout the week and be sure to respond to them as well. Try to keep the conversation going throughout the module.

In response to your classmates, discuss the new marketing strategy they are proposing.

For more information, view the following documents:

• Final Project Part I Guidelines and Rubric
• Final Project Part I Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric

For your response posts (2), you must do the following: 

•   Reply to at least two different classmates outside of your own initial post thread. 
•   Demonstrate more depth and thought than simply stating that “I agree” or “You are wrong.” Guidance is provided for you in each discussion prompt. 

classmates Post #1:

A Persuasion situation I had has been recently in the workplace with my supervisor. My supervisor is a very cool person to get along with but we had a persuasive argument about her role as a supervisor. She talks about other employees with employees. She gossips way to much about everything and everyone. Conversations that are suppose to be private end up being shared with other people, which is not their business. I discussed with the supervisor how unprofessional that is of her and how that can cause her to lose her job. She argued with me that I was just jealous because she can do what she want and say what she want and how I couldn't because of my role. I explained that it had nothing to do with my role on why I feel a certain way about that. I am potentially on my way to become a CEO and I know that I wouldn't want my supervisors to gossip consistently, and especially not talk about other employees with employees. I explained her how her co workers are not going to trust her and that she needs some dignity. I told her to put herself in other co workers shoes and how she will feel about the situation. 

 I think that this moment of persuasion was successful. After I discussed how I felt about her behavior, I gradually noticed how she started changing for the better. I think what also played the part is that she felt herself getting caught up in so much drama at the workplace about her gossiping. She came to me one day and told me how right I was about the discussion that we had. She explained how she has been called in front of her manager about her excessive gossip with other employees and how it almost caused her to lose her job. I told her I don't need to be in a supervisor role to know how to conduct myself in a professional manner. I didn't have to use techniques to get the supervisor to side with me. She fell in the trap that I was trying to help her prevent by her unprofessional ways. Now she understands her behavior and has learned from her poor actions. 

classmates Post #2:

Ten years ago I decided that I wanted to home school my children for various reasons. I came up with a pro and con list to go over with my children's father. He was not so gung ho about the idea and was worried that they would not get the social activity that they needed or would't learn what they needed to like in a public school. We went back and forth for awhile and came to a happy medium. Half way through the first year they would be tested to make sure they were learning the things that they needed to be and they were also involved with social activities. And as of today my oldest is in his second year at JMU and my second oldest graduated high school at !6 and is getting ready to head to JMU for her first year of college. My younger three are still home schooled and they love it.

Complete the assignment as follows:

Journal: From Problem to Persuasion (GRADED)

Now that you've spent some time writing down some potential problems for your project, it's time to narrow the focus. Reviewing your brainstorming activity, select two potential problems that 1) have two logical sides to the issue (your viewpoint and an opposing viewpoint), 2) are researchable, and 3) are related to your career or degree.

In your journal, write a fully developed paragraph for each problem (5-8 sentences each) explaining two sides to the issue (how is it argumentative?), how you plan to approach it in your project (what side are you going to take?), and why you're personally interested in it (of all the potential problems in your field or degree, why did you choose this?).

When writing the paragraphs, feel free to express any other thoughts or concerns you may have about the topic choices.

After exploring the argumentativeness of your problems, take a moment to consider the bigger picture. Then, in one to two paragraphs, briefly reflect on the importance of persuasion with the potential topic you're most likely to write about. Why is it important that people consider your side with your selected topic? Who is your audience, and why is it important to convince them that your view on your topic is the better (or more correct) view? Remember to try to be specific in your entry: this information will help guide you as you work on your project in the coming weeks.

Use the following checklist to make sure that you are covering all of the key points mentioned above:

In the first paragraph (5-8 sentences), explain:

• Two sides of the first issue
• Your approach/side
• Why you're interested in the topic

In the second paragraph (5-8 sentences), explain:

• Two sides of the second issue
• Your approach/side
• Why you're interested in the topic

In the third and fourth paragraphs (5-8 sentences each), reflect on:

• The importance of persuasion for the topic you're most likely to write about
  • Why is it important for people to consider your side?
  • Who is your audience?
  • Why is it important to convince them that your view is best?

Activity: Brainstorming Ideas (UNGRADED)

Now it's time to put into practice one of the brainstorming exercises discussed in the previous page. Please select one of the two UNGRADED brainstorming activities below.

You may want to choose a topic that is related to your career or degree, since you will be completing a journal assignment on the next page with that focus.

Option 1: Freewriting Activity

You should keep them open as you write to remind you of the steps for freewriting. You can begin a five-minute timer, and you may hide it if you prefer.

Choose a topic and begin freewriting.

Option 2: Clustering Activity

You may have already chosen a topic, but it's a good idea to use these generative techniques for several topics to make sure you don't settle too quickly on one without thinking about other possibilities. Following the clustering instructions, make your own cluster.

Remember that it's generally easiest to let the ideas flow if you are writing by hand on paper, but you may choose to use Word or some other software as well. You can download this file as a cluster example and a template. However, you should remember that clustering is a way to generate the flow of ideas. Usually, it's easier to go with the flow if you're writing rather than using a word processor.

Clustering instructions

Be sure to save your cluster after you finish! If you choose to pursue that topic, you might hang it up on your wall to remind you of all the enthusiasm you have for the topic.