ENG 102 (Stermer) Spring 2020 Assignment: They Say / I Say Analysis Due date: Tuesday, March 24 by 11:59pm Required length: 800 words. (Yes, 795 is fine. No, 735 is not.) In They Say / I Say, Birkenstein and Graff give you templates for arguments. They’re helpful learning tools, but let’s see if we can identify these parts of an argument in a real writing situation. For this paper, you will choose a chapter in Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath — any chapter, including the introduction, will work — and explain how Gladwell uses the They Say / I Say format to forward his argument. You are not creating your own argument here, nor are you summarizing, agreeing, or disagreeing with Gladwell’s argument. Your task is to analyze how Gladwell’s argument works. Things you will want to address in your paper: • They Say: How does Gladwell bring us up to speed on the current discussion regarding the chapter’s topic? What arguments does he summarize, which experts does he quote, and how does he get us current on the conversation? • I Say: How does Gladwell respond to the current thinking? What evidence does he offer to support his argument? Does he plant a naysayer in his text? And how does he answer WHO CARES and SO WHAT to demonstrate that his topic is important to his audience? What’s the bigger meaning here? • Tying it All Together: Gladwell often gives us some very different examples; how does he show their connections? Does he use any metacommentary in his argument? You will earn an A and all 100 points for this assignment if you: • Can identify Gladwell’s thesis or main point for the chapter. • Can effectively analyze how Gladwell explains and argues his point, using some specific examples from the chapter. • Address how They Say, I Say, and Connections are all used in the chapter. • Have a well-structured paper with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Your intro will probably be a quick summary of the chapter, including the thesis, and a statement or two about how Gladwell carefully constructs his arguments. Your conclusion will probably speak to the importance of conducting an argument analysis: why is this type of exercise important? What do we learn from this? • Use proper grammar, mechanics, and word choice. • Follow MLA formatting. No citations are required for this paper, though if you do refer to any sources, you will need to cite them appropriately. If you have any questions or concerns about this assignment, please get in touch with me. I am happy to discuss possible approaches to this assignment, look over outlines, and read early drafts. (Please give me a 24-hour turnaround time on drafts.) I encourage you to utilize USC Sumter’s tutoring center if you are able to do so and want some good feedback on an early draft. Please proofread carefully! Turn in your paper using the link that will be provided in that day’s content area. what they’re saying about “they say / i say” “The best book that’s happened to teaching composition— ever!” —Karen Gaffney, Raritan Valley Community College “This book demystifies rhetorical moves, tricks of the trade that many students are unsure about. It’s reasonable, helpful, nicely written … and hey, it’s true. I would have found it immensely helpful myself in high school and college.” —Mike Rose, University of California, Los Angeles “The argument of this book is important—that there are ‘moves’ to academic writing … and that knowledge of them can be generative. The template format is a good way to teach and demystify the moves that matter. I like this book a lot.” —David Bartholomae, University of Pittsburgh “My students are from diverse backgrounds and the topics in this book help them to empathize with others who are different from them.” —Steven Bailey, Central Michigan University “A beautifully lucid way to approach argument—different from any rhetoric I’ve ever seen.” —Anne-Marie Thomas, Austin Community College,