Construct a formal argumentative paper to identify Sustainability versus Consumerism Cultures and create an argument via clear tone, purpose, and audience with two counterarguments alongside a minimum of eight sources
Specifics
For many people, the constant hustle and bustle of life keeps them from slowing down enough to truly enjoy the little moments of what they actually want. They are, oftentimes, more concerned with the next thing to do, place to go, or people to meet. They rarely sit down to consider what do I want from my short-term goals? What should my finances go towards at this stage in life? While others spend based on societal expectations and either plan accordingly or put themselves in deep financial troubles. What will you argue about the nature of things in our world (e.g. sustainability v. consumerism)?
This assignment asks that you consider Millennial Culture and millennials and articulate an argument based on your feelings on both using either an argumentative thesis/main claim of fact, value, or policy. Will you argue positively or negatively on behalf of Millennial Culture and use your sources to help you to do so? Or, will you argue neutrality on behalf of Millennial Culture and use your sources to help you to do that? You should start by considering your sub-topic (e.g. positive, negative, or neutral argument); then, you will decide on whom you will write your paper to (i.e. audience).
Thus, for this paper, everyone will chose a creative audience based on your argument. I expect formal language (i.e. no contractions, slang, or expletives) with clear sentence structure and explanation of examples and such. Afterwards, decide on what two of the three articles presented in class you will use and find six more primary sources/articles to use inside of your paper. Remember, you are to paraphrase, summarize, and direct quote all of your sources! In this paper, you will showcase what you have learned during Units 1-3 of our grammar lessons to ensure appropriate, academic collegiate level grammar, mechanics, and punctuation. You will culminate your work in the form of a formal academic paper (minimum of six paragraphs and 4 full pages) with the following format: Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins, double spaced, running header, title, academic header, Works Cited Page (listing all eight sources), two required counterarguments, which you refute, and etc.
Essential Questions
- How do you define Sustainability v. Consumerism Culture? By clothing/trends, by values, by things/gadgets, by intelligence, or etc.?
- How do our authors from the articles that you've chosen define Sustainability v. Consumerism Culture and today's consumers? Negatively, positively, or rather neutrally?
- Do you fit these definitions and characteristics of a hoarder or minimalist? Why or why not? What is the best option?
- Can sustainability be achieved today? Why or why not? How do you know?
- Can consumerism be too widely used? Why or why not? How do you know?
- How do consumers feel about values, morals, and ethics? How do you know?
- How are your or your audience's character traits (dis)similar to the consumers explained in our articles?
- How would your own family, friends, and associates define themselves as consumers? Is this negative or positive?
- What is Sustainability Culture doing right and/or wrong?
- What will you do, think, or believe going forward with this/these articles addressing consumers in mind?
1. The story of stuff by Annei Leonard
Analyzing the Situation
1. Why do you suppose Annie Leonard chose to pres-ent "The Story of Stuff" as an animated video made available online? What does the medium provide her? Could she have delivered the same message in another form other than video with the same re¬sults? Likewise, why do you suppose she chose to animate the video rather than including other kinds of visuals? In what ways does the animation serve the video format and the online distribution?
2. "The Story of Stuff" presents a lot of numbers, sta-tistics, and details. What does the delivery of this kind of information require of the situation, particu¬larly of the audience?
3. What role do institution and power play in the situ-ation in which "The Story of Stuff" participates? Which institutions and power structures are most evidently present in the situation?
Analyzing the Rhetoric
1. How would you describe Annie Leonard's delivery to her audience?
2. In what ways do Annie Leonard's former positions with Essential Information and Greenpeace affect her ethos in "The Story of Stuff"?
3. Early in "The Story of Stuff," Annie Leonard de-scribes the "textbook" story of stuff as being only
2. Effort to trace "Conflict minerals" in Electronics by Martin LaMonica
Analyzing the Situation
1. It would seem that part of Martin LaMonica's pur¬pose in writing "Effort to Trace 'Conflict Minerals' in Electronics" is to create an awareness of a situa¬tion. In what ways is awareness of a situation like this important? How might one become more in¬formed about a situation like this?
2. If you were to participate in this situation by learning more about the situation and sharing information with your peers, what media might you use to best inform your audience and why?
3. In what ways is kairos of particular importance in this situation? How is the importance of kairos tied to the players in this situation?
Discussing
1. As a class, watch the following videos the ENOUGH Project about conflict rr electronics; then discuss the videos in tin LaMonica's "Effort to Trace 'Conflict Electronics."
"I'm a Mac ... and I've Got a Dirty Secret" YouTube
"Conflict Minerals: Stories from the Mine" found on YouTube
"Conflict Minerals 101" found on YouTube
2. Were you aware of the role of conflict the electronics you use? what LaMonica tells us about our own compla-cency in the conflict mineral situation?
1. What minerals are used in making the electronics we commonly use? Learn a bit more about what minerals are needed to make electronics, where those minerals come from, and what purpose they serve in the design of electronics. Then write a re¬port detailing what you have learned about those minerals, their use, and their sources.
2. In 2000, the United Nations published a report-known as the Fowler Report after Robert Fowler, Canada's UN ambassador who headed the commission to write the report-that identified the connection between illegal diamond trade and many third-world conflicts. These diamonds have popu¬larly become known as "blood diamonds." Following the recommendations of the Fowler Report, in 2003 the UN adopted the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to certify diamonds as non-conflict minerals before they can be traded. (Kimberley, by the way, is a city in South Africa where a meeting was held to draft the process certification scheme.) Conduct some research to learn more about how world gov¬ernments have worked to end the trade of blood diamonds and then write about those efforts and how those efforts might be used to inform similar ap¬proaches for ending the trade in conflict minerals for use in electronic devices.
3. There are many websites and online sources through which information about conflict minerals and electronics is circulated. Create a blog or web-site of your own that serves as an aggregate site to pool various discussions together in a comprehen¬sive and unified location.