Writing Across the Disciplines
Reading/Writing for February 26-8
For Monday, February 26
Read: “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” (handout)
Write:
“Body Ritual” is an example of anthroplogical writing as it was largely practiced prior to the work of people like Cliifford Geertz. When you read it, of course, you’ll notice that it’s different from Geertz’s article in many ways. Write a little bit about what makes this writing different. Consider everything that seems important: word choice, tone, attitudue, length, the “person” of the writer, the relationship between the writer and the subjects being studied, etc. There’s no right answer – or, rather, there are a number of them. Just write until you feel you’ve said something true about this article.
For Wednesday, February 28
Read: Cioffi, pp. 135-148; “On Nation and Race,” Hitler (handout); “A Reasonable Life,” Ferenc Mate (handout)
Write:
Cioffi lays out an extensive (but not exhaustive) list of the ways a writer can “cheat” in an argument: some of these involve manipulations of language, but others involve manipulations of logic, and are usually referred to as “logical fallacies.” After you’ve read both the Hitler and the Mate pieces, try to find as many examples of each of the logical fallacies Cioffi lists in each piece. Try at least to come to class with one good example of each one – and try, also, to choose a few of your personal favorites. No formal writing is required here, but do make a good list.