in chapter 7 of they say i say birkenstein and graff talk about answering two pretty big questions

In chapter 7 of They Say / I Say, Birkenstein and Graff talk about answering two pretty big questions: WHO CARES and SO WHAT? The most eloquent argument in the world is useless, they argue, if we fail to grasp the overall importance of the topic.

For today’s forum, I would like you to apply this thinking to your academic major or chosen career path. No matter what you’re studying or what you’re preparing to do in your career, why should we care? Why is this important? What’s the overall impact of what you’ll be doing on the rest of the world and on our individual lives? You’ll want to write an argument of at least a full paragraph explaining your field of study and/or the career you hope to have and conveying its importance. Be sure to use metacommentary to remove your audience’s doubt and confusion. If it helps, think of your reader as someone who is interested in a completely different field. How would you convince that person of the importance of your major or intended career?

You’ll also want to consider your voice, as Birkenstein and Graff discussed in chapter 9. Does your writing sound like you? (Read it out loud, and you’ll be able to answer that question very easily!) Or does it sound like a stiffer, more reserved, less natural version of you? As the authors pointed out, your writing should sound like you.