PROOF AND PERSUASION:
The Rhetoric of Scientific Integrity
FALL 2022
© 2022 by Cynthia Shearer
CYNTHIA SHEARER
419-H REED HALL
BOX 297700
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
PHONE EXT: 817.257.6593
ENGLISH 20803 - WRITING AS ARGUMENT
Section 50:MWF @ 1 p.m. in Bailey 102
Cynthia Shearer, Instructor
OFFICE HOURS: 2- 3 p.m. MW in Reed 419_H
EVIDENCE MAPPING
Evidence Mapping Quiz (100 points)
This quiz will take place during class. You will be asked to define the types and then mark up a printed handout of an essay you are seeing for the first time, labeling the types of evidence and appeals the writer uses.
TYPES OF EVIDENCE:
Anecdotal
Analogous
Testimonial
Eyewitness
Expert
Quantitative
Determinative
Stochastic
Qualitative
TYPES OF APPEALS:
Ethos
Pathos
Logos
Meta-analysis or Documentary Film Evidence Mapping (100 points)
Part 1: You may choose a published meta-analysis, white paper, or systematice review OR you may prefer to choose a feature-length (50 minutes at least) documentary on your research topic. Read the essay you chose carefully or view the film and map the evidence presented in the film by making notes to yourself about the type of evidence used in the source.
TYPES OF EVIDENCE
Anecdotal
Analogous
Testimonial/Eyewitness
Testimonial/Expert
Quantitative/Determinative
Quantitative/Stochastic
Qualitative
Part 2: Write a short 2- or 3-page review, typed and single-spaced, of the source you selected. Explain whether you think the documentary is a persuasive, successful argument, or whether you think it fails to persuade.
Analyze the pattern of evidence you see; remark on which types of evidence are most prevalent and how this affects the persuasive quality of the film. Does the film fit the criteria for ethical leadership or scientific integrity?
Explain your position by using at least 3 examples of evidence from the source and cite the examples appropriately, like this:
Use the APA reference list citation as the title to your review. Here is an example:
The expert testimony in Fed Up serves as a good balance for the pathos case histories of the three obese children. Maggie (15:00) and her futile attempts to lose weight are fully understandable in the context of Dr. Robert Lustig's caution (1:23:10) that the real enemy of American children is hidden sugar in food marketed to their parents as "healthy."
David, L. (2015). Fed Up. Atlas Films.