Course Objectives

1. Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations. We have done this objective multiple times through the analysis of rhetorical situations provided in class and our own observations in society. 

  • In Class :
  • In Society : “Scarcity appeal;
  • 1. A form of scarcity appeal that we always see towards the end of the year comes from Walmart offering limited time sales for up to 40% off during Black Friday. Because this deal only lasts for 4 days, Friday to Monday, many people rush out to buy them before the weekend is over or before stores run out of stock. Black Friday has a normal association with crazy shoppers fighting over the last flat screen T.V.
  • 2. Another form of scarcity appeal comes from Popeyes where they do limited celebrity combos at a low price like the Megan Thee stallion sauce. Because this was a limited time sauce, many people wanted to go out and try it before times up, especially fans of her.
  • Cognitive Bias;
  • 1. An example of cognitive bias that we all have is whenever news channels first report on an emotional story, for example an African American being shot by a white police. People then immediately start calling the police officer racist and add it to the list of the anchoring effect. Most times this tactic is very beneficial to promote propaganda and get the support of the citizens without giving full details on what happened. This specific tactic was used to gain support of defunding the police and creating more gun laws.
  • 2. Another example of a cognitive bias we contribute to is ignoring politicians because we don’t agree with them and see them as biased, known as the blind spot bias. Some people would often ignore political statements made by Donald Trump (his warnings regarding China spying through TikTok) because he is associated with the opposing party, so all of his statements are biased in their eyes. This tactic benefited the Democratic Party in gaining more support from independent voters and democratic voters.”
  • Why did I choose these components : Both of these activities required an analysis based on our observations. As a class we observed the first image in a subway, criticizing the fare through humor. These in class activities were the building blocks for the analysi needed for our rhetorical analysis essay. Additionally the societal examples relied on our ability to look back on past or analyze ads we see daily.

 

2. Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing. – We did this during our peer review sessions for the drafts of our first and last essays during this semester. 

  • Example of feedback given to me “I feel like a couple parts could have been shorter, such as the introduction the trip to America. A couple of the sentenced could have been put together to make a denser sentence in detail. 2) To expand your writing you could go more into detail about the conflicted involved with discovering how hard it is for an immigrant to gain opportunities in America. I’m sure the experience was how it was, but I’ll discuss this more in the answers below. 1) Belief: Original: America is the land of opportunity New: It is actually hard for people of color and immigrants to get opportunities because of citizenship status. I have questions more about your life after your belief changed. 2) Key events: Plane ride, School in America, Rejection letter. Each of these describe a different time and a similar hope for america except for when it changes with the Rejection letter. 3) The center of gravity on the essay is on the right thing, the living in America with the belief that it has massive opportunities. This is really good, but what you should expand on is discussed below. 4) I like your story in the beginning, the plane ride and seeing your mom afterward allows me to see from your point of view and what you may have experienced. I think it’s important to know so I know how to read the rest of your essay with that knowledge. 5) You be more descriptive on the application process and your rejection of it, where were you when it happened, and how did your feel as it happened step by step. 6) I wish I heard more about the hardship of discovering that you could not apply to military scholarships. Like how it affected your future plans, your current plans, your family, etc. What you did afterward to, what your plans are now in resolution to this opportunity closing on you. What other things are keeping your hope to make the best of your situation? 7) The sensory descriptions I picture the most is the living and moving, like the plane ride and then the travel.”
  • My draft at the time; “    Note: Feel free to criticize my writing as you see fit. Also, is there anyway you see I could expand on my writing?
  • It was a Sunday night. I think, I dont really remember. The fear of missing my plane flight was real, looming over me as I wait. I was nine years old, watching cartoons in the middle of the night, tired and about to fall asleep. I was so sure that I would stay awake. I was probably dreaming about food and the cartoons I was watching. I feel someone shake me, being very load, “Hurry up and get your stuff cause we late”, it was my father waking me up. To be honest I felt like it was my fault because I said I would be staying up so that we could be early. In all my life up until this point I’ve never felt my heart beating so fast. We rush to get in the car and we drive off, possibly obeying the traffic laws or not. After about a 20 minute drive we make it on time. We board the plane and start to get comfortable. The plane ride from my home country to Miami was a blur for me because I was asleep the whole time. My father and I land in Miami, and I was confused at first because I thought we finally made it to New York. I never knew what a connecting flight was until that point. The wait for our next flight was about 2-3 hours, and I don’t know how my father kept a nine year old entertained for that long, nor do I remember what I did during that wait. The next thing I remember was arriving at New York and wondering, “why is it so cold? What is that white powder falling like rain?”. It was my first time experiencing winter and seeing snow. Never could I imagine how cold it was. Coming from a Caribbean island where it’s always hot, I never knew that it could even be this cold. What made it worse was that I was slightly underdressed and we had to wait for my mom to get home and let us inside. After another long wait, I see someone walking up the block in a bright red jacket, “Is that mommy” I said and I ran to hug her. She took us inside so that we could warm up and thus started my journey in America. 
  •     In the days leading up to coming to America, I was never told the reason as to why we were leaving our old life behind. Initially my father told me that we were just staying for about two weeks, convincing me it was just like a vacation but not during summer. During the first two weeks I was just relaxing, watching T.V., sleeping, eating, feeling very relaxed. About two days before the two weeks were over I was asking if I should pack my stuff back in my bag so that we could be ready for our flight back home. My parents give me a look of confusion, and that’s when I found out we were not going back to our home country. I then learn that my parents have been looking for a school to enroll me in. I felt in a way devastated because I really wanted to go back and see my old friends. They found a school that was accept me after I took a placement test evaluating my current skills. After I took the test I was placed into the C class which was referred to as the “smartest/gifted” class. Thankfully though this time gifted meant smart and not special needs. Transitioning into a new school was rough but I had to get used to America. I was eventually told that the real reason we came to America was “for a better life”, the common reason all if not most immigrants say. I still never believed that our lives in our home country was in anyway bad. To this day I don’t understand why I wasn’t told at first so that I could’ve had a real fair well from my old friends. As my years here continued, I kept learning more and more about the different opportunities in America, being fed information supporting the idea that America is the country people come to and create new, better lives for themselves. Even my long time dream of becoming a police officer like my father or my childish idea of being a scientist that will cure cancer chained. I started to get interested in technology and astronomy by the sixth grade. I kept getting more and more interested in science, putting most of my focus into science and figuring out what career I may want. Being in America I thought “there are a lot of jobs here so I have a lot of options”. I thought that by the time I finish high school everything should be easier and welcoming to me. Even up until eighth grade, I was still in the dark about the truth of being an immigrant in America. 
  •     It was finally time for me to move onto my next chapter in life, Highschool. I originally had a plan for the next four years, knowing what my major will be during college and my job field that I want. Even up until this point, I was convinced that America was the land of opportunity and I have to take advantage of it. I was advised to start looking into colleges early, with a brief introduction to scholarships and the different pathways I can take even right after highschool. I was told that I could go to college, earn my degree and get a job with a tech company. I could even join the military because they had the job I wanted. At this point I was overwhelmed with how many different routes I could take, making me even more positive about my future. Fast forward to the just after the pandemic, when it was getting closer and closer to college applications along with scholarship/grant applications. My stress was building and I still didn’t know everything about being an immigrant and what that truly meant for me. I had a plan to apply for a military scholarship for college and then commission into the air force or army after I graduate. There I was with the tab open, applications just opened that day. I try to apply, and the happiness and excitement I felt faded. I wasn’t able to apply because I was not a citizen. I felt as if my whole entire world view and life plan was shattered on their spot, but I continued to look into other ways I may be able to get what I want. Time after time, the same thing kept coming up, “I’m not a citizen”. I kept getting discouraged and started to think, “what was the point of coming here for a better life if I am in a worse position than I would have been if I stayed in my home country?”. My confusion turned into anger and was mixed together with sadness about the truth of my immigrant situation. “I should have never came here”. These thoughts constantly went through my mind as I continued through my senior year of highschool. I got many of my college responses back during this time, and one after another, “we regret to inform you” for a majority of my applications, even for scholarships. This opened my eyes to the fact that America isn’t what they advertise. It is a lot harder for immigrants and people of color. Even so I didn’t let this stop me from my goal, and even though I no longer believe that america is the land of opportunity for all, a place where immigrants achieve better lives than they had in their home country, I still will try to make the best out of my situation.”
  • Why did I choose these components : I chose these components because this essays development means a lot to me. Even though this essay had more freedom, I was still worried about the best way to write it. These examples illustrate the objective by showing that I was engaged in the peer review though it was anonymous to the other students. 

 

3. Recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations. We met this objective when we completed our rhetorical activities from the textbook and posted it on the class website. 

  • Example of Rhetorical activity; “Hypophora, Exercise 1;
  • “Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.”

  • “I think I should indicate why I am here In Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against “outsiders coming in.”
  • “So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here.But more basically, i am in Birmingham because injustice is here.”
  • “Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches, and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path? You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action.”
  • Exercise 2;
  • 1. Values that are important to Americans such as liberty, freedom, and justice for all.
  • 2. Elect people that have similar values.
  • 3. So that the people in this land would have more money.
  • 4. Loving someone genuinely is very fulfilling.
  • 5. Just look at our society, what animal could create a store for selling food that slowly kills their own species? Clearly humans are more intelligent, we can even fly with no wings.
  • Rhetorical Question
  • Exercise 1;
  • 1. Why else would we be meeting here?
  • 2. It’s not like anyone knew we wouldn’t pass the test, right?
  • 3. Do you want to be an idiot for the rest of your life?
  • 4. Why bother to study when the questions are random?
  • 5. How can you expect so much from someone who does nothing for you?”
  • Why did I choose these components : I chose these components because the activities took a considerable amount of time to complete. This component shows that we both had to recognize and practice creating our own uses of rhetoric based on a specific topic. These activities were used as my examples for what to do and how to analyze the rhetorical situation in my second and third essays.

 

4. Engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes. To me, this objective was more of an individual experience when writing essays. During my writing process, including the “Myself as a reader” essay, I asked for advice from my mother. My mother found the points I made in my research paper to be interesting, however she suggested that I add more points with evidence from credible sources because she did not see any quotations. I explained to her why at first I had no quotations due to my use of the MLA format and analyzing each specific quote.

  • Why did I choose these components : I chose this instance because it was one of the few times I seeked advice from people other than my peers. This illustrates the learning objective of collaborating in the social aspects of the writing process because I had engaged in conversations to improve my draft. 

 

5. Understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences. This objective was achieved when students, including myself, posted comments for different activities on our class site. 

  • Example; Fear Appeal;
  • 1- A common fear appeal that I normally see in the American school system is teachers telling kids that if they don’t go to college, they wont be able to get a good job and live the “American dream”. I have personally experienced this because for all my life my parents told me that I have to go to college and if I don’t I may end up as a bum on the street (in American terms). I think adults and teachers use this fear appeal because they believe that making children have a fear of missing out on their dream job or house/lifestyle will encourage them to go to college and not drop out.
  • 2- Another fear appeal tactic I have observed is through banking/investment ads where the company is informing the consumer about saving their money or investing in case of a financial disaster like the Great Depression and the fall of the stock market. Yesterday I got an ad on YouTube talking about using bankonyourself.com to secure your financial future. Companies like this use fear appeal because they know that people fear losing their financial security.
  • Humor Appeal;
  • 1- A humorous ad I have been getting recently is where a woman is in the shower and is wearing a suit that has a hairy male figure. As she stands in the shower she looks at the camera and is using a bar of soap for men. This company used humor appeal to target people in a less conventional sense. Funny things normally come off positive and they wanted its consumers to be encouraged to use their product that way.
  • 2- Another Humorous ad I have seen is with gorilla tape/glue. In these ads, they have a gorilla bring the glue to fix a table and then try to break it, showing how strong the glue is. This company uses humor to influence people to start using their glue when fixing large objects like tables, chairs, etc. I think they use this style of ad because it is different from what companies normally do, and companies know that sometimes different is better.
  • Why did I choose these components : I chose this example because we had to constantly create posts responding to questions or inputting the activities form the textbook into the website. This shows that we were able to understand how to utilize our class site by navigation and posting responses weekly.

 

6. Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias. This objective was specifically achieved during the drafting process for our research paper. 

  • Research paper; Are Electric Vehicles Better Than Gas Vehicles On The Basis Of Climate Change?

Introduction;

    Firstly, climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns. Over the years, our society has constantly been talking about climate change in terms of global warming being a topic 95% of people know about. Climate change is a very important topic that affects every living creature on the planet. We are unsure of the logistics of moving to other planets, so we are told that we must work together and protect our planet.

    Some of the main causes we hear about are transportation, powering buildings, cutting down forests and manufacturing goods. Focusing on transportation is significant because vehicle emissions are one of the highest sources of air pollution. Greenhouse gas emissions have more than doubled since the 1970’s, with 80% of this increase coming from road vehicles. (“Diesel vs. Gas Engines.”)

General Mitigations; 

    When thinking of ways to lower our emissions, we are told to either walk, bike, use public transportation, or use electric vehicles. Electric vehicles have been advancing a lot over the past few years, and the leading electric car company is Tesla. It is commonly said that switching to an electric car can help reduce emissions, and improve air quality, as long as the electricity isn’t powered by fossil fuels (“Diesel vs. Gas Engines.”). On average electric vehicles produce less than half the emissions when compared to gasoline vehicles, but I wonder, are there other ways to lessen global emissions through vehicles? 

    I recently heard that diesel (a fuel commonly referred to as terrible for the environment and less efficient) is a better fuel for our environment than gasoline. So throughout my investigation, I learned that diesel engines are typically more fuel efficient, less energy dense, and have a longer life expectancy. Diesel engines must be built more sturdily to handle the extremely high compression forces of its engine cycle — which explains their life expectancy. Gas engines tend to need major repairs when they reach around 100,000 miles while these diesel engines can reach 200,000 without needing a major repair yet (“Diesel vs. Gas Engines.”). 

    What about creating sustainable fuels? Formula 1, one of the world’s leading motorsports, is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030 by relying only on sustainable fuels. Major car companies like Porsche have started testing on how to create synthetic fuels by using wind turbines to generate electricity used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. The hydrogen is then combined with carbon dioxide from the air to produce synthetic, carbon neutral methanol that can be used to then create synthetic versions of gasoline, diesel, and kerosene (“F1 developing 100% sustainable fuel in time for 2026 season,” KXAN Austin, Aug. 23, 2022). These synthetic fuels have the potential to keep internal combustion engines alive with zero carbon emissions along with the use of electric vehicles, the best of both worlds. 

    Even so, governments across the world are planning to ban gas powered vehicles. In America, the U.S. government is planning to ban the purchases of gas vehicles by 2035. The reasoning behind this is to lower emissions and promote electric cars (D. Shepardson and B. Klayman, “U.S. government to end gas-powered vehicle purchases by 2035 under Biden order,” Reuters, Dec. 08, 2021. Accessed: Dec. 11, 2022). Similarly, the European Union reached a deal to ban new combustion engine cars from 2035 (“EU Reaches Deal for Ban on New Combustion-Engine Cars as of 2035”). Both of these actions are stated to be setting us on the path of a carbon neutral grid and society.

Benefits; 

    Many have had concerns of an EV’s efficiency with battery life and driving over a distance. Studies show that over the past decade, the range gap between EVs and gasoline vehicles have lessened due to improved batteries and the constant improvements introduced with newer models of EVs. “ The median range of non-Tesla EVs was only about 75 miles in 2012 but rose to almost 225 miles—a 200 percent increase—by 2021, while the Tesla median range increased from 265 miles to 326 miles during the period. Meanwhile, the typical gasoline vehicle still goes further on a tank of gasoline, about 395 miles.” Even though there is still a 70 mile range difference, it is clear that EV’s will continue to develop and be more efficient than gas powered cars.  (“Electric Vehicles Gain Ground but Still Face Price, Range, Charging Constraints.”)  

    Teslas have reported to be much safer on the road due to less accidents when compared to gas cars, “Model S, Model X and Model 3 have achieved the lowest overall probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by the U.S. government’s New Car Assessment Program”, and this is all due to the rigid, fortified structure of the battery pack mounted to the cars floor. Teslas specifically are a much safer car to drive due to all of the safety features that come standard. “we’re able to use the billions of miles of real-world data from our global fleet – of which more than 1 billion have been driven with Autopilot engaged – to understand the different ways accidents happen. We then develop features that can help Tesla drivers mitigate or avoid accidents”(“Tesla Vehicle Safety Report,” Jan. 08, 2019) showing Tesla’s intent to continue developing their infrastructure, making teslas safer while encouraging more people to drive their cars to be safe. 

Limitations; 

    Since diesel vehicles are better than gas cars, are we going to see them more? Diesel isn’t the best option for many people that live in cities and have to go through stop and go traffic. Diesel cars tend to cost more, servicing them are more expensive, diesel fuel costs significantly more than gasoline, and these engines tend to also be noisier than gas cars (think of how loud yellow school buses are compared to normal cars) (“Diesel vs petrol: the pros and cons,” Rias, Feb. 20, 2018). 

    There is another aspect of EVs that must be considered when purchasing one. Similarly to gas powered vehicles, EVs have to be electrically refueled. Electric Vehicles have charging stations, however, rather than taking 5 minutes to refuel and get back on the road, it takes a considerable amount of time to charge depending on the type of station. The level 1 station charges the slowest at 4 miles of range per hour, level 2 charges at 10 to 20 miles of range per hour, and finally the DC chargers can charge a large EV battery from 20% to 80%. When driving an EV, drivers must always factor in charging stations into their commute. (“Electric Vehicles Gain Ground but Still Face Price, Range, Charging Constraints.”)

EV emissions;

    The amount of emissions electric vehicles produce is dependent on when and where the vehicles are charged. “A scenario that allows drivers to charge electric vehicles at the workplace yields the lowest level of emissions for the majority of electricity grid profiles.” (Emissions Associated with Electric Vehicle Charging: Impact of Electricity Generation Mix, Charging Infrastructure Availability, and Vehicle Type. NREL). These studies have been trying to investigate the best time to charge EVs with a smaller impact on emissions. They found that day charging with solar-powered charging stations in Ohio could reduce CO2 emissions of up to 90% compared to home charging during the evening. 

    Other sources continue to emphasize EVs being better for the environment over time, especially due to our advancing technology, “Currently, the electric vehicle in the U.S., on average, would emit about 200 grams of CO2 per mile,” he said. “We are projecting that with cleaning up the grid, we can reduce emissions from electric vehicles by 75%, from about 200 (grams) today to about 50 grams of CO2 per mile in 2050” (S. R. Choudhury, “Are electric cars ‘green’? The answer is yes, but it’s complicated,” CNBC). 

    The other emitter of greenhouse gasses related to EVs are their batteries. The resources for these batteries come from mining raw materials like cobalt and lithium, followed by their production and transportation in and from factories. These processes consume a lot of energy and is the biggest source of carbon emissions from EV’s. “Producing electric vehicles leads to significantly more emissions than producing petrol cars. Depending on the country of production, that’s between 30% to 40% extra in production emissions, which is mostly from the battery production”. (S. R. Choudhury, “Are electric cars ‘green’? The answer is yes, but it’s complicated,” CNBC). These emissions however, are also seen as an “initial investment” that pays off over the lifetime of EVs. 

Dangers of EV;   

Electric vehicles are less likely to catch on fire compared to a gas vehicle, however there still remains the possibility for them to catch on fire. One situation where there was a crashed tesla that caught on fire caused firefighters to spend about five hours trying to put it out, and yet, after five days the same tesla reignited inside an impound lot. “A recent study published by an auto insurance company found that although electric vehicles often burn longer, gas and hybrid vehicles are significantly more likely to catch fire. The insurance company estimated that, for every 100,000 hybrid and gas vehicles sold, roughly 1,500 to 3,400 caught fire, respectively. In comparison, only 25 electric vehicles have caught fire for every 100,000 sold.” (T. R. Review, “Electric Vehicle Fires Spark Firefighter Safety Concerns | The Regulatory Review,” Aug. 11, 2022.) Even though based on these statistics it is less likely for an EV to be set on fire, consumers must still be aware of the possibility. 

Cost of EV; 

    When reviewing the supply and demand for products, price is a large factor in the demand of products. “In inflation-adjusted terms, the median EV costs $554 per mile of range in 2012 compared with $214 in 2021, a 61 percent change. Tesla reached $173 per mile in 2021, down from $352 in 2012. Still, even the EV with the lowest MSRP/range in 2021—at $133 per mile—exceeded the gas-powered median of $104 per mile.” Even though studies show that EV’s are more expensive than Gas vehicles, over time they will start to come down as manufacturing costs go down also. (“High Inflation is Affecting the Electric Vehicle Market | GetJerry.com.”)

        In stark contrast to the ten years before 2022 where the price of EV’s have gone down considerably, inflation observed during 2022 has shown how much the prices of EV’s have increased. “If you’re in the market for buying a new electric vehicle, you’re looking at $61,000 on average. Yikes. In fact, inflation has affected the asking prices of all types of cars to an average vehicle price of $46,000” (“High Inflation is Affecting the Electric Vehicle Market | GetJerry.com.”) 

Conclusion;

    Overall, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation, and a long list of supporting measures to increase electric vehicle adaptation, EV’s are set to be better for the environment compared to gas vehicles over time. This inquiry is important for the future of our civilization and the preservation of our planet. We should all consider buying an EV while understanding their benefits and limitations. Our society must continue to promote the use of public transportation along with the use of “greener” ways of traveling, possibly adding incentives for more people to travel this way.”

 

  • Why did I choose these components : I chose this component because it served as a real test on whether I understood how to find academic sources rather than only random articles anyone can find. My research paper illustrates that I learned how to differentiate between academic and non academic articles. 

 

7. Compose texts that integrate your stance with appropriate sources using strategies such as summary, critical analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and argumentation.This objective was also achieved during the drafting process of our final research paper. 

  • Excerpt from research paper; “Since diesel vehicles are better than gas cars, are we going to see them more? Diesel isn’t the best option for many people that live in cities and have to go through stop and go traffic. Diesel cars tend to cost more, servicing them are more expensive, diesel fuel costs significantly more than gasoline, and these engines tend to also be noisier than gas cars (think of how loud yellow school buses are compared to normal cars) (“Diesel vs petrol: the pros and cons,” Rias, Feb. 20, 2018). ”
  • Second Excerpt; “The other emitter of greenhouse gasses related to EVs are their batteries. The resources for these batteries come from mining raw materials like cobalt and lithium, followed by their production and transportation in and from factories. These processes consume a lot of energy and is the biggest source of carbon emissions from EV’s. “Producing electric vehicles leads to significantly more emissions than producing petrol cars. Depending on the country of production, that’s between 30% to 40% extra in production emissions, which is mostly from the battery production”. (S. R. Choudhury, “Are electric cars ‘green’? The answer is yes, but it’s complicated,” CNBC). These emissions however, are also seen as an “initial investment” that pays off over the lifetime of EVs.”
  • Why did I choose these components : I chose these components because I felt that my research paper was the most reasonable text where this objective was achieved. These two excerpts demonstrate both analysis and argumentation. For the first excerpt, I placed the quote into my own words and formatted it that way into my argument about diesel. While in the second excerpt I used a direct quote because I thought the words coming from the source itself would be more impactful for the reader. I also included my own interpretation to help guide the reader towards understanding my point. 

 

8. Practice systematic application of citation conventions. This application was explained and developed specifically for our final draft of the research paper.

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