1. What evaluative argument is Prichep making in this radio feature and in the accompanying materials from the NPR Web site? What specific problems are discussed, and what possible solutions are proposed? (Note that, importantly, Prichep is not making an actual proposal although she is likely presuming that, after hearing the radio broadcast and/or reading the materials on the Web site, readers will want to take a stance on the issues discussed; that is, they will have proposals they wish to offer.) How are the various proposals for dealing with the problems Prichep discusses evaluated? (See Chapter 10 on criteria of evaluation in evaluative arguments; you may also want to review Chapter 12 so that you can understand clearly why Prichep is not, in fact, making a proposal argument.)

2. Does the information provided in this feature surprise you? Why or why not?

3. How sympathetic are you to the arguments made in this selection that promotional materials for a college must be aspirational, that is, they should represent what the university would like to be like? Can we distinguish such arguments from the argument that promotional materials represent the college as it wishes to be perceived at this time? What is the difference between the two arguments? Are there consequences to these differences?

4. How do the two versions of this feature — the transcript and audio link, on the one hand, and the printed information given on the NPR Web site, on the other — compare? What might account for the similarities? The differences?

5. Take Prichep’s challenge. Examine carefully the promotional materials, whether print or electronic, for your college or university. How do they represent or fail to represent current reality? Do not consider issues of race or ethnicity alone; consider other kinds of diversity as well. (Also spend some time thinking about whether certain important kinds of diversity may not be visible.) You’ll want to compare what you find with the latest available statistics about diversity on your campus. Once you’ve done this research, you have two options: write a factual argument about what you found or write an evaluative argument examining what you found. (Chapter 8 will help you with the first choice, while Chapter 10 will help you with the second.) This activity is also a great opportunity to work with a group. Each group should take a topic like race/ethnicity, sex/gender, or international students as its focus, and share what it finds.