Toulimin Model: On American Insularity (In-Class)

Insularity is defined as an “ignorance of, or lack, of interest in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience.” As it pertains to Americans, we are often criticized for our resistance to learning of the world outside our borders. This can include everything from our resistance to learning new languages to our general lack of knowledge of international issues and events. The Trump era, many have argued, has exacerbated these tendencies. For this in-class assignment, you will utilize the Toulmin Model to construct two (I & II) rhetorically-sound solution against the American tendency toward insularity.

Use THIS template to present your claim in outline form,

Done in class on 2.17

Week 6: Norway

Flam, Norway

Week 6: Norway
Mon 2.25/Wed 2.27
Class: Reading Discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Infographics 101”
Due: DRAMATISTIC PENTAD

Upcoming:

Week 7: Canada
Mon 3.4/Wed 3.6
Read: eR—“The 100 Best Infographics” (Creative Bloq), “10 Tips for Designing Better Infographics” (DotDash), “12 Warning Signs that Your Infographic Sucks” (Visme)
Class: Reading Discussion; Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: ROGERIAN ARGUMENT (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 HARD COPIES OR AN ELECTRONIC VERSION); REFLECTION 2

 

Week 5: Egypt

Cairo, Egypt

Week 5: Egypt
Mon 2.18/Wed 2.20
Class: TOULMIN METHOD; Reading Discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Inside the Narrative: Burke’s Dramatistic Pentad”

Upcoming:

Week 6: Norway
Mon 2.25/Wed 2.27
Class: Reading Discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Infographics 101”
Due: DRAMATISTIC PENTAD

 

Global News 2.14

• MEXICO: El Chapo convicted in US, but his absence makes little difference in Mexican drug trade (New York Times) 
• INDONESIA: Instagram denies bowing to government pressure in closing of gay Muslim comedian's account (Daily Mail)
• BRAZIL: Was new president's "shoot to kill" policy behind police operation that resulted in 13 dead? (The Guardian)
• FRANCE: French schools to replace “mother” and “father” with “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” under new law (The Telegraph)
• JAPAN: Same-sex couples sue government for right to marry (NPR)

Week 4: China

Hong Kong, China

Week 4: China
Mon 2.11/Wed 2.13
Read: eR—“The True Cost of American Insularity (Wharton Magazine), “‘America First’ Signals Insularity and Smallness” (San Antonio Express-News), “What Does an Insular US Mean for the Rest of the World?” (CNN), “Why Americans Have Come to Worship Their Own Ignorance” (MacLean’s), “How to Fix American Stupidity” (Time)
Class: DIAGNOSTIC; Lecture—“You’re in College Now: The New Rules of University Writing,” “MLA Style 101,” and “MLA Style 101”
Due: REFLECTION 1

Upcoming:

Week 5: Egypt
Mon 2.18/Wed 2.20
Class: TOULMIN METHOD; Reading Discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Inside the Narrative: Burke’s Dramatistic Pentad”

Global News 2.7

• MEXICO: Oscar nomination thrusts Roma's Yalitza Aparicio into international spotlight (Los Angeles Times)
• SAUDI ARABIA: Report says country delivered US-made weapons to extremists groups, including al Qaeda-linked fighters (Reuters)
• ITALY: France withdraws diplomatic envoys after member of Italian cabinet meets with "Yellow Vest" representatives (Reuters)
• INDIA: Oldest known elephant in captivity dies at 88 (BBC News)
• GERMANY: Gov't to Facebook: Change how you collect data (CNN)
• INDONESIA: British traveler gets six months in prison for slapping an immigration officer (Daily Mail)

Multimedia Presentations

This semester, you will be responsible for a 10-minute multimedia presentation.

Requirements:

• The presentation must be no more than 10 minutes in length.
• There should be 10-12 slides (including introduction and conclusion) and should contain least one video clip—absolutely no more than two minutes in length.
• On the day of your presentation, email your presentation (or a link) to me at dhdelao@gmail.com.

Also:

• You must provide your own laptop.
• You may utilize any presentation program you like (e.g PowerPoint, Keynote). However, please sort out any technical issues BEFORE your presentation date (our room's projection system can be found throughout campus).
• Macs will require an Apple-specific adapter to connect to the university’s projection system. Newer model PCs with HDMI-only connections will also require special adapters. 
• You must present from a downloaded version of your presentation (e.g. PowerPoint, Keynote); DO NOT present directly from Google Docs online.
• Presentations without an introduction and/or conclusion cannot score higher than a C You may be docked for a lack of preparedness

Topics:

1. What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? 
2. "One Country, Two Systems": On China and Hong Kong
3. A Culture in Focus: The Maori
4. The Great Barrier Reef: System Collapse 
5. Just a Country Girl (from Aichi Prefecture): The Tomi Fujiyama Story
6. World Cryptids: Orang Pendek, Champ, and Mokèlé-mbèmbé
7. How it Works: The Ivory Trade 
8. Eurovision 101
9. Understanding Blood Diamonds
10. Cricket 101
11. Mind Your Manners: Etiquette Around the World
12. Four Places to Visit—Before They Disappear 
13. Striking Terror: Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, and ISIS
14. Jack the Ripper's London
15. Blood in the Water: Inside the Taiji Dolphin Trade
16. All About Eco-Tourism
17. Divorce Proceedings: The Secession Movements of Quebec, Sicily, and Chiapas
18. Dark Tourism: The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Aokigahara Forest, and La Isla de las Muñecas
19. What to Know About Vladimir Putin
20. If You Have to Ask How Much it Costs ... : Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Resorts 
21. A Brief History of Anime
22. What Happens in Davos?
23. How it Works: The Heroin Trade 
24. Understanding the Arab Spring
25. The Alternative Paris: What Most Tourists Don’t Do or See 
26. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault and Why We Need It
27. In Too Deep: What is the Mariana Trench?
28. Inside Global Sex Tourism 
29. What to Know About Kim Jong-un
30. Lost Cities: Derinkuyu, Angkor, Pompeii, and Palenque
31. All About the FIFA World Cup
32. How it Works: Human Trafficking 
33. Access Forbidden: Snake Island, Poveglia Island, and North Sentinel Island
34. World Festivals: La Tomatina, Holi, Il Palio di Siena, and Burning Man 
35. Hip Hop Goes Global: Three International Acts to Watch
36. Strange Places: Hoia Baciu, The Mapimí Silent Zone, and The Waverly Hills Sanatorium
37. Buyer Wanted: Why Nobody Wants the  Olympics Anymore
38. Take Us to Your Leader: The Plans for Making Alien First Contact
39. The Hunt is On: 21st Century Treasure Hunters
40. The Great Canal Cities of the World
41. Hoof!: All about the English Premier League

Schedule:

Week 6: Mon 2.25/Wed 2.27                                    

1. Shadeh S. - What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? 
2. Isabel O. - Dark Tourism: The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Aokigahara Forest, and La Isla de las Muñecas

Week 7: Mon 3.4/Wed 3.6                          

1. Emily Li - Eurovision 101
2. David C. - World Festivals: La Tomatina, Holi, Polio de Siena and The Electric Daisy Carnival

Week 8: Mon 3.11/Wed 3.13

1. Chien L. - Jack the Ripper's London 
2. James D. - The Svalbard Global Seed Vault and Why We Need It

Week 9: Mon 3.18/Wed 3.20

1. Marco M. - Strange Places: Hoia Baciu, The Mapimí Silent Zone, and The Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Week 10: Mon 3.25/Wed 3.27 

1. Albert T. - World Cryptids: Orang Pendek, Champ, and Mokèlé-mbèmbé
2. Tommy T. - If You Have to Ask How Much it Costs ... : Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Resorts 

Week 12: Mon 4.8/Wed 4.10

1. Alyssiana H. - How it Works: The Heroin Trade

Week 13: Mon 4.15/Wed 4.17

1. Peter L. - All about the FIFA World Cup 
2. Nav D. - Buyer Wanted: Why Nobody Wants the  Olympics Anymore

Week 14: Mon 4.22/Wed 4.24

1. Andrew C. - What to Know About Vladimir Putin
2. Sarah N. - Inside Global Sex Tourism 
3. Michael N. - Striking Terror: Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, and ISIS

Week 15: Mon 4.29/Wed 5.1

1. Ryan R. - Cricket 101
2. Fidel N. - Take Us to Your Leader: The Plans for Making Alien First Contact

Week 16: Mon 5.6/Wed 5.8                        

1. Kelly P. - How it Works: Human Trafficking 
2. Victor N. - In Too Depths: What is the Mariana Trench? 
3. Eric L. - Hoof!: All about the English Premier League

Week 17: Mon 5.13

1. Quang N. - The Hunt is On: 21st Century Treasure Hunters

Reflection 1: This is How We Do It—Sex Education Here and Abroad

Speaking to a United Nations AIDS conference in 1994, then-US Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elders suggested that masturbation was "part of human sexuality and, perhaps, it should be taught." After a quick public outcry, she was fired by President Clinton. Twenty-five years later, masturbation is only one of many topics that remain taboo in the sex education classes of America. Today, fights rage over everything from abstinence-only programs to the presence of contraceptives on campuses, even the mere mentions of abortion and homosexuality are hotly debated. While some Americans favor sex education based on current sexual health information, others insist on abstinence-based approaches—if at all. Thus, sex education here varies widely from state to state, even county to county. But what of the rest of the world? What are some of the approaches other countries are taking to teach (or not teach) their citizens about sexual health? What issues are other countries tackling that aren't mentioned in the American national dialogue. Finally, what, if anything, should we adopt from other countries?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "Sex Education" (Last Week with John Oliver)
• "Swedish Sex Education has Time for Games and Mature Debate" (Guardian)
• "Sex Ed Outside the U.S. Teaches Kids About Masturbation, Consent, and Orgasms—and It's Working (MTV News)
• "These are the States with the Worst Sex Ed" (Vice)
• "Wales is Leading the Way in LGBT-Inclusive Sex Education" (Vice)
• "Seven Problems with the State of Sex Ed in America Today, and How We Can Make it Better" (Bustle)

Required:

• MLA Style
• 375-500 words
• Works cited page

Due: Thu 2.14

Week 3: Brazil

Iguazu Falls, Brazil

Week 3: Brazil
Mon 2.4/Wed 2.6
Read: eR—“American Ignorance” (InsideHigherEd), “Many of Trump’s Supporters Never Left Their Hometowns” (The Atlantic), “Opinion: Americans Need to Consume More Foreign News” (The Daily Northwestern), “Most Young Americans Can't Pass a Test on Global Affairs—Can You?” (National Geographic)
Class: Presentation sign-ups; Lecture—“Building a Better Multimedia Presentation: An Annotated Look,” “You’re in College Now: The New Rules of University Writing”

Upcoming:

Week 4: China
Mon 2.11/Wed 2.13
Read: eR—“The True Cost of American Insularity (Wharton Magazine), “‘America First’ Signals Insularity and Smallness” (San Antonio Express-News), “What Does an Insular US Mean for the Rest of the World?” (CNN), “Why Americans Have Come to Worship Their Own Ignorance” (MacLean’s), “How to Fix American Stupidity” (Time)
Class: DIAGNOSTIC; Lecture—“You’re in College Now: The New Rules of University Writing,” “MLA Style 101,” and “MLA Style 101”
Due: REFLECTION 1