Rebecca Moore Howard
Office: 237 HB Crouse
Office hours: Mondays 1-3; Thursdays 2:30-4; and by appointment
Telephone: 443-1620
E-mail: rehoward@syr.edu
Home page http://wrt-howard.syr.edu

Assignment #3

In a 3- to 5-page paper, answer one of the following questions generated in class on October 21:

1. How are poliblogs affecting the mainstream media coverage of the Presidential debates?
2. What's a blog?
3. What are the differences in coverage between the mainstream media and blogs?
4. How does the media cover the conventions & debates?
5. How do you analyze a specific blog--what the blogger's goals are; why the material in the blog couldn't (or doesn't?) appear in the mainstream media?
6. Right-wing and left-wing blogs; right-wing and left-wing media: blogs will say things that even the partisan mainstream media won't say. What's the difference in what they'll talk about, even though they're both partisan?
7. How does a single blog of your choice compare to a single media source of your choice on a single event of your choice ?

Follow guidelines in Howard, Writing Matters, Chapter 7, "Formatting," sections 7b, 7c, 7d, and 7g (sent to you in PDF).

Use automatic formatting (rather than tabs) to set paragraph indentations: in Microsoft Word, go to the Format/Paragraph menu.

Timetable:

First draft due in class on October 26.

Second draft due in class on October 28.

Final draft due at 10 a.m. on November 4.

1. Hand in a print copy at 239 HB Crouse Hall (the main office of the Writing Program). The print copy should be accompanied by your preliminary work. Clip these all together, with the final draft on top and the earliest work on the bottom. Put it in the drop box provided there; a secretary can direct you to it. Sign the clipboard beside the box.
2. Also send me an electronic copy of the final draft: attach your file to an email.

1. How insightful, fair, and persuasive the argument is;
2. How accessible the style and editing are;
3. Whether the final draft is formatted according to specifications in Howard, Chapter 7;
4. How well you deal with complex material without oversimplifying it. Invite your reader to join you in intellectual exploration of a challenging topic, instead of writing instructions for how to assemble a paper cup or offering a simple claim with three examples.
5. How well-developed your preliminary written work (due on 10/26 and 10/28) is, and whether you prepared it on schedule.

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