What is she trying to persuade her readers to believe about writing? The professor wants to tell the students that writing requires critical thinking to construct knowledge. She also mentions how writing always has a slant even if we don’t realize it.
What is the ethos the professor builds for herself? The ethos that she has built for herself is that while she cares about providing detailed descriptions, she also expects that these students are experienced. Overall she has high expectations, but is also reasonable. Therefore, I think she starts off presenting herself as someone to trust and someone who is down to earth.
How does her ethos support or negate her attempt at persuasion? Her ethos of high standards and trustworthiness helps support her attempt to persuade the students because her students should realize that she is credible and likely have no particular reason to question the accuracy of her statements.