Reading Response 1: "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

I've decided that all future posts will be accompanied by awful clipart.

For your first homework assignment we will be reading Nicholas Carr's popular essay "Is Google Making Us Stupid?". As you read, make sure that you read closely and note the way in which Carr is constructing his points. Does this piece feel argumentative? Or merely informative? What is he trying to argue/inform, and how does he do it? What is his purpose in writing the essay?

Think also about where Carr's essay is published. What type of place is The Atlantic? How would we classify Carr's writing in a certain type of genre? Would it qualify as academic writing, journalism, fiction? Are there certain expectations that the audience of this particular magazine would have that Carr is playing into?

Your job in writing a response to the reading will be relatively simple. Write a 500-word post on the blog that engages directly with Carr's essay - you can agree with him, disagree with him, or even say that the issue isn't actually as important as he's making it out to be. The most important thing to focus on while writing, however, is developing a logic-driven and well-supported claim about the issue at hand.

This post is due by 9:45 AM, Tuesday, January 31st.

P.S. Don't forget that a portion of your participation grade for the course is derived from your interaction with other students' writing on the blog. Try to read a few of your classmates' posts, and write a comment in response to what they are saying!