Author Archives: Dr. Ayers

The Dauntless Oracle

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Dr. Ayers

Recently, former student Austin Anderson e-mailed me to say hello, and to let me know about a new blog he started, called The Dauntless Oracle. On it, he writes about a range of topics, but all of them seem to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Author Study Panel Schedule

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Dr. Ayers
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Rhetorical Triangle

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Dr. Ayers

For future reference, some questions to ask when you’re beginning a piece of rhetorical analysis.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Aristotle, Joshua Bell, and Persuasion

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Dr. Ayers

Watch the video. Then I’ll have a few words about this after the jump.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Credible Hulk

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Dr. Ayers
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Join Us for ICAPLCPE4

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Dr. Ayers

As you all know, I’ll be holding the Fourth Annual Iowa City AP Language and Composition Practice Exam (ICAPLCPE) on the University of Iowa campus a week from tomorrow. That is, Saturday, May 3, at 8:00 AM. It will be at … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Essayists for Author Study 3

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Dr. Ayers

Anthony Bourdain   Bill Bryson   Ta-Nehisi Coates   Nora Ephron   Henry Louis Gates, Jr.   Malcolm Gladwell   Christopher Hitchens   Michael Pollan   Anna Quindlen   Oliver Sacks   David Sedaris   Peter Singer   Neil deGrasse … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Book Review Essays, Spring 2014

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Dr. Ayers

This term we’ll talk about book review essays a lot. I insist on tacking the word “essays” on the back end of that phrase to help differentiate between those we’ll be reading, and those which might first come to mind. … Continue reading →

Posted in Required Readings | Tagged | Leave a comment

Okay Kids, Time for the In-Class Essay

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Dr. Ayers

And so on.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Finding Lit Crit: EBSCOhost

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Dr. Ayers

So, one of the things students have sometimes struggled to find is discussion and analysis of an author’s works by literary critics. In this post, I’ll offer some suggestions for finding literary criticism using EBSCOhost. First of all, it’s important … Continue reading →

Posted in Required Readings | Tagged , | Leave a comment