Week 7: Canada

Crimson Lake Provincial Park, Canada

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: DRAMATISTIC PENTAD; REFLECTION 2

Upcoming:

Week 8: France
Mon 3.11/Wed 3.13
Class: Reading Discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: ROGERIAN ARGUMENT (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 HARD COPIES OR AN ELECTRONIC VERSION)

World News, 2.28

• ISRAEL: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicted on bribery and corruption charges (CNN)
• VIETNAM: Trump believes Kim Jong-un, says the dictator didn't know about the torture of US citizen, Otto Warmbier, who eventually died (Axios)
• INDIA/PAKISTAN: Tensions rise between as nuclear neighbors inch toward war (CNN)
• ARGENTINA: Girl, 11, gives birth to her rapist's baby after authorities refuse her an abortion (Guardian) 
• SOUTH AFRICA: Pastor, who claimed to resurrect a dead man, sued by duped funeral directors (BBC News)
• JAPAN: Inside the country's burgeoning Chicano subculture (New York Times)

Reflection 2: Mind the Gap—Gap Years Explained

While American high school seniors are fretting over admission into their colleges of choice, many international students are preparing to take a 12-month break from school called a "gap year." This practice, originated in Britain, involves young people deferring college for a year to travel or live abroad. So, while most American are experiencing their freshman year of college, students from these countries might be volunteering in Africa, working in Southeast Asia, or touring the United States. Proponents of gap years say these students return to college and work more mature, having gained a year's worth of real-world experience. Assuming you did not have a gap year (if you didn't, you're not alone—only 8% of Americans typically delay college by one year, and only third of those use that time to travel), how might a year of travel/living abroad before college have affected you? Are Americans missing out on opportunities by going straight into college from high school? Should Americans adopt, even mandate, gap years ? Why or why not?

Cite two of the following in your reflection:

• "Why are Gap Years More Common in Europe than the US?" (GoOverseas)
• "Perfect Gap-Year Itineraries" (Guardian)
• "Gap Year Data and Benefits" (American Gap Association)
• "Should You Take a Gap Year?" (Forbes)
• "Why Aren’t Gap Years Normalized American in Society?" (Medium)
• "Ten Reasons Why Taking a Gap Year Before College Might be the Best Choice You Ever Make" (Bustle)
• "Is a Gap Year Good for Your Child’s Mental Health and GPA?" (Psychology Today)

Required:

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

Due: Thu 3.6

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