Eugene Ortiz is a freelance writer, rhetorician, and technical communicator currently living in Lockport, IL. He began teaching undergraduate writing in 1993, has presented papers on the subject at academic conferences, and was a pioneer in using online communication as a heuristic for undergraduate writing students.
Before he began teaching undergraduate writing, Ortiz was Editor and Publisher of The Writer's Nook News, a nationally circulated, quarterly newsletter for freelance writers.
Trivia: Ortiz has a black belt in Aikido and occasionally does background acting (a.k.a. 'extra' work). While living in Texas, he had a recurring non-speaking role as a Houston police officer on the hit NBC show, "Chase".
"Who Speaks for the Working Poor?" is written by a big box employee exploring the title question while illustrating what life is like behind the scenes. These essays reflect a point of view from a segment of society misunderstood, demonized, and invisible; making minimum wage while shareholders and top executives earn scandalous incomes and live lavish lifestyles unheard of just a generation ago.
In This Is Still Not Your High School English Class, you will discover the roles of formal and practical reasoning in the creation of a strong argumentative essay; learn the pitfalls of logical fallacies; revisit audience appeals (pathos, ethos, and logos); and discuss why plagiarism, although a very serious pitfall and academic offense, is not nearly as hard to avoid as you might think.
This is Not Your High School English Class seeks
1. to dispel the myth that Comp I is the same as high school English;
2. to help students avoid making the mistake of writing like they did in high school only to be shocked at the grade they receive on that first essay; and
3. to help instructors help their students build a strong foundational understanding of the mission of the academy.