Assignment # 1: Analyzing An Argument (Length 6 pages)
Due date: October 01
In “We Need to Talk about an Injustice,” Bryan Stevenson critically examines America’s criminal justice system. He argues that this system
is characterized by racial bias and inequality, and that reform is needed. Stevenson suggests there are connections between the history
of slavery and the current era of mass incarceration, in which a disproportionate number of black Americans are incarcerated. “We Need
to Talk about an Injustice” is a TED talk Stevenson gave in March 2012.

Bryan Stevenson is the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). Operating on a shoestring budget, this organization has
taken on the cases of poor and marginalized people, and reversed death penalties for dozens of prisoners. Stevenson is the recipient of
the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant, and was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People for 2015. Stevenson is a law
professor at New York University School of Law. His memoir, Just Mercy, was recently turned into a popular movie.

In this essay you will analyze and evaluate Stevenson’s argument. Your paper should do the following: 

1. Describe Stevenson’s project and argument, and his most important or interesting claims.
2. Analyze and evaluate Stevenson’s use of evidence and reasoning to support his argument.
3. Analyze how Stevenson appeals to his audience’s emotions, establishes credibility, and deals with opposing views.
4. Use an effective structure that carefully guides the reader from one idea to the next, and be thoroughly edited so
   that sentences are readable and appropriate for an academic audience.

Assignment # 2: Analyzing Strategies (Length 6-7 pages)
Due date: November 03 

For this assignment, you will read two texts that make arguments about who we are, how we represent our history, and how we could
reimagine both. You will examine and compare strategies these two authors use to persuade their audiences.

Nikole Hannah-Jones’ text, from the 1619 Project, invites us to reconsider how we think about our history, and how we understand the
contributions of black Americans to U.S democracy. Hannah-Jones’ text won the Pulitzer Prize in 2019, and has had a significant cultural
impact.

Mitch Landrieu’s text is a speech he gave explaining why he decided to remove Confederate statues from the center of New Orleans.
Landrieu is the mayor of New Orleans, and the question of what to do with Confederate statues has been a long-running debate in
the city. Landrieu’s speech, which was given in May, 2017, is about race, history, and American identity.

Your paper should do the following: 

1. Describe the authors’ main claims and support for those claims.
2. Identify rhetorical strategies used to support each author’s argument, and analyze how these strategies work to persuade their
   audience.
3. Evaluate the extent to which these strategies effectively persuade the intended audiences, and analyze assumptions the authors
   make about those audiences. 

Assignment # 3: Analyzing and Evaluating Multiple Texts (7-8 pages)
Due date: December 12

In this assignment you will present an argument of your own. Your paper will describe the question, issue, or problem you wish to address.
It will describe how some other authors have approached the issue (what Graff and Birkenstein call the “they say” move in academic
writing) and then present your contribution to it. Your contribution may extend, complicate, illustrate, challenge or qualify the arguments
that other authors have made. 

Your paper may use texts and topics we have discussed earlier in the class. Or, it can explore one of the other “crises” and debates that
are currently occurring (examples: a) the pandemic, b) police reform, c) race and racial justice, d) confederate monuments, e) social media
and democracy.)

Your paper will focus on two or three texts that take different positions on the issue/problem. You will describe points of connection,
difference, and disagreement, and evaluate relative strengths and weaknesses. You will present your own argument. Your argument
should contribute to the conversation in some way – by extending, illustrating, complicating, or challenging what the other authors say.

Your paper should conclude by addressing the significance of the issue, discussing its implications, proposing a solution, or suggesting
what can be learned from examining this issue. 

Note: In class we will discuss ways of customizing this assignment, including projects that students can work on both individually
and in groups.