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Paper # 2

Topics for Paper # 2: Violence and Media
Length: 2-4 pages or 5-7 paragraphs
In-class draft (in preparation for the department essay exam)

The topic for paper #2 is given below. Spend 75 minutes writing an essay in response. Budget your time: spend about 5-10 minutes planning, about sixty minutes writing the essay, and five minutes proofreading.

Write in pen, on one side of the page.

In “Watch and Learn,” Gregg Easterbrook argues that there is a correlation between on-screen violence and violence in real life. How does he make this argument (what is his evidence and how does he explain it)? Do you agree with his argument? Why or why not? Write an essay in which you explain the extent to which you agree or disagree with Easterbrook’s position, drawing upon evidence from the article and from personal experience and observation. Be sure to explore the significance or implication of Easterbrook’s argument.

Course Calendar Update

WEEK 5

T 9/23: Revision of Paper # 1 Due

Sign-up for conferences

Discussion: Preparing for the In-Class Essay

Read and Annotate “Watch and Learn” by Gregg Easterbrook on p. 467 in LS

Read PH Ch. 6 “Critical Reading and Viewing” p71-81

R 9/25 Draft Paper # 2 in class

Read PH Ch. 7 “Analyzing Verbal and Visual Texts” p81-94

HW: Analyze a visual text and write a one page response in your journal

WEEK 6

Your draft of paper 2 will be returned at the conference. Please bring your journal to the conference!

T 9/30: conferences

R 10/3: conferences

WEEK 7

T 10/7 Revision of Paper # 2 due

Assign Paper # 3

R 10/9 Plan for Paper # 3 due

WEEK 8

T 10/14 Draft of Paper # 3 due; Please bring an extra draft for peer review.

R 10/16 Draft of Paper # 3 returned

WEEK 9

T 10/21 Revision of Paper # 3 due

Preparing for paper # 4: In-class essay

Read and Annotate: WORK AND POWER p. 377 in LS

R 10/23

Draft Paper # 4 in class

WEEK 10

T 10/28: Draft of Paper # 4 returned

R 10/30: TBA

WEEK 11

T 11/4 Paper # 4 revision due

Assign Paper # 5

R 11/6: Class meets at 4:30 (30 minutes later than we usually meet)

Distribute Handout

WEEK 12

T 11/11 VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY (CLASS DOES NOT MEET)

R 11/13 Paper # 5 due

Discuss Department Essay Exam

WEEK 13

T 11/18 Return Paper # 5

Department Essay Exam. Do not miss this day!

R 11/20 Workshop and Revision Strategies

WEEK 14

T 11/25 PORTFOLIO DUE

R 11/27 THANKSGIVING (CLASS DOES NOT MEET)

WEEK 15

T 12/2 PORTFOLIO READING (CLASS DOES NOT MEET)

R 12/4 CONFERENCES FOR PORTFOLIO RESULTS

Discussion Notes 9/23

Here is a list of fallacies. Let me know if you find discover/encounter any fallacies in your daily adventures.

Here is a link to some resources that explore the question of violence from the Life Studies webpage.

Here is a brief but useful article on gun politics in different countries.

Here is a clip from the movie Bowling for Columbine. In this fist part of this clip, subjects discuss the difference between American and Canadian attitudes toward violence.





If you are interested in watching Bowling for Columbine in its entirety, it is available at google video.

What do you think? Drop a note in the comments!

Writing the In-Class Essay

On Thursday you will draft your second essay of the semester. For this essay, you will respond to George Easterbrook's "Watch and Learn."

Here is a list of things that you should bring to class on Thursday:

1.) Annotated article (LS p. 467)
2.) one page of prewriting (only use one side of the page)
3.) PH (optional)
4.) dictionary (optional)

Here are some questions to focus your prewriting:

1.) What is Easterbrook's argument?
2.) What is his evidence?
3.) What is his analysis/explanation (in other words, how does he *use* his evidence to support his argument)?
4.) Do you agree? Why or why not?

Tomorrow

Please be ready to submit your revision of Paper # 1 at the beginning of class tomorrow. You should also hand in your rough draft with my comments, your rough draft with your peer's comments, your plan with my comments, and any other prewriting. PLEASE STAPLE your revision and bind all the pieces together with a clip or place them in a folder.

Tomorrow we will also be preparing for the first in-class essay/draft. Please be sure to bring your Life Studies text book as we will be reading an annotating an article together.You may want to bring a highlighter and a dictionary.

Also, please send your links! Our community link list is still incomplete. This is a REQUIREMENT and is part of your class participation grade. The absolute last day to send me your link is THIS THURSDAY.

Questions? Please ask me. Also, due to the large volume of questions I've been receiving during break, I would like to remind you that my office hours are the appropriate time and place to discuss any issue at length with me. IF you have a question and can not attend my office hours, please make an appointment.

I'm looking forward to reading your revisions!

Good Luck!

I'm really looking forward to reading your revisions next week. As you revise this weekend, consider using some of the strategies we've practiced in the writing prompts to make your points more vivid and powerful. Don't forget to explain why these examples are significant.

One way of thinking about this is called P.I.E.

P = make a point
I = illustrate the point with examples/evidence
E = explain why the point is important

I also encourage you to refer to your handbook frequently. It can be especially helpful to re-read sections as you move through the writing process.

If you decide to include this essay in your portfolio, you'll have an opportunity to revise it again.

The handout (pdf) on coordinating independent and dependent clauses is available here. There are all sorts of useful handouts on the Writing Center website, so I encourage you to check it out.

Have a great weekend!

Glossing Paragraphs to Organize your Paper and Develop your Thesis

guided activity from the Writing Center here.

Vocab from Week 3

Vocabulary:

bi·na·ry

(bī'nə-rē) Pronunciation Key adj. Characterized by or consisting of two parts or components; twofold. Of or relating to a system of numeration having 2 as its base. Chemistry Consisting of or containing only molecules consisting of two kinds of atoms. Of or employing two comparatively nontoxic chemicals that combine to produce a deadly poison: binary weapons; a binary nerve gas. Music Having two sections or subjects.

tan·gi·ble

(tān'jə-bəl) Pronunciation Key adj. Discernible by the touch; palpable: a tangible roughness of the skin. Possible to touch. Possible to be treated as fact; real or concrete: tangible evidence. Possible to understand or realize: the tangible benefits of the plan. Law That can be valued monetarily: tangible property. n. Something palpable or concrete. tangibles Material assets.

ab·stract

(āb-strākt', āb'strākt') Pronunciation Key adj. Considered apart from concrete existence: an abstract concept. Not applied or practical; theoretical. See Synonyms at theoretical. Difficult to understand; abstruse: abstract philosophical problems. Thought of or stated without reference to a specific instance: abstract words like truth and justice. Impersonal, as in attitude or views. Having an intellectual and affective artistic content that depends solely on intrinsic form rather than on narrative content or pictorial representation: abstract painting and sculpture. n. (āb'strākt') A statement summarizing the important points of a text. Something abstract.

concrete

con·crete

(kŏn-krēt', kŏng-, kŏn'krēt', kŏng'-) Pronunciation Key adj. Of or relating to an actual, specific thing or instance; particular: had the concrete evidence needed to convict. Existing in reality or in real experience; perceptible by the senses; real: concrete objects such as trees. Formed by the coalescence of separate particles or parts into one mass; solid. Made of hard, strong, conglomerate construction material.

"Show don't tell"

language and media (food for thought)

Amy Goodman on grassroots, open access, and media in the time of war



Bill Moyers on "big media"





Noam Chomsky on "concision" in the media



And a brief clip on gender and advertising from Jean Kilbourne

Paper # 1

Paper # 1: Writing to Reflect

Paper Schedule:

R 9/4: Paper Assigned

T 9/9: Prewriting / Plan / Working Thesis

R: 9/11: Draft (clean, typed copy)

T: 9/23: Revised Paper due

Your purpose in this essay is to reflect on a relationship, space, or experience and to explain and illustrate its significance. You will base your paper on one of the topics given below. You should first explore the topic (you may use some of the methods suggested in PH ch. 3 & 8). Your exploration should lead you to a working thesis (3c) and a plan to develop that thesis (3d). Please bring your working thesis and plan to class on 9/9. After we review these plans in class, you will write a first draft. Your first draft is due on 9/11. I will return your draft the following week. The final draft, revised in light of the feedback you get from me and from your own careful review (ch. 5), is due on 9/23.

Length: 2.5-4 pages, proofread, double spaced and stapled

Introduction stating your main point (thesis)

Body Paragraph presenting evidence that supports, illustrates, and explains your main point

Conclusion that restates your main point

Backing up your ideas with examples rather than summarizing

Specifics – not generalizations

Consideration of the issues covered in your PH

Attention to language, grammar, and mechanics

Original thought / Independent intellectual effort

Essay Title

Choose one of the following topics:

1.) In “Inspired Eccentricity” bell hooks considers her relationship with her grandparents and reflects on the influence of these relationships. In her reflection, hooks identifies and analyzes her grandparents’ “eccentricities” and claims that their life together taught her that “it was possible for women and men to fashion households around their own needs.” Reflect on the role of a friend or family member (or a similar figure) in your development. Why is his or her influence significant? Be sure to use analysis to illustrate and support your thesis.

2.) In “The Ghetto Cityscape,” Camilo José Vergara considers urban spaces and reflects on the “spatial restructuring of their ghettos.” In his reflection, Vergara identifies and analyzes three types of ghettos and claims their existence illustrates persisting societal injustices. He also argues that if people wish to abolish the ghetto “we must go beyond the statistics and into the streets, alleys, and buildings.” Reflect on a space you know well. Have you seen it change? What is the effect of this space? What are the politics? Be sure to use analysis to illustrate and support your thesis.

3.) In “My Sister and Me on Grandma’s Lap,” Melissa Dodd considers a family photograph and reflects on the photograph’s occasion. In her reflection, Dodd identifies and analyzes the dynamics of the photograph and argues that the picture is also about what is left out or disruptive. Reflect on a childhood photograph. Why is this photograph significant? Does it confirm of conflict with your impressions and memories? Be sure to use analysis to illustrate and support your thesis.

Discussion Notes (9/4)

Wikipedia entry for "ghetto."
~

Main Entry:

se·man·tics

Pronunciation:

\si-ˈman-tiks\

Function:

noun plural but singular or plural in construction

Date:

1893

1: the study of meanings: a: the historical and psychological study and the classification of changes in the signification of words or forms viewed as factors in linguistic development b (1): semiotic (2): a branch of semiotic dealing with the relations between signs and what they refer to and including theories of denotation, extension, naming, and truth 2: general semantics3 a: the meaning or relationship of meanings of a sign or set of signs; especially : connotative meaning b: the language used (as in advertising or political propaganda) to achieve a desired effect on an audience especially through the use of words with novel or dual meanings

~

cool video of bell hooks discussing the relevance of pop culture and the value of critical thinking:

Discussion Notes (9/02)

Read about Amy Goodman's arrest here.

~~

etymology of "eccentric"

eccentric

1398 as a term in Ptolemaic astronomy, from M.L. eccentricus, from Gk. ekkentros "out of the center" (as opposed to concentric), from ek "out" + kentron "center" (see center). Figurative sense of "odd, whimsical" (adj.) first recorded 1685. Noun meaning person with such qualities first attested 1832.

~~

For more information about how we look at pictures, check out this *amazing* series developed by John Berger.

Course Calendar Update

WEEK 2

T 9/2

Review Course Calendar

Discussion: What is Composition?

Read “The Ghetto Cityscape” by Camilo Jose Vergara. p231 in LS and “Writing to Reflect” (Ch. 8) in PH p94

R 9/4

Assign Paper # 1

Discussion: What are the parts of an essay?

Planning your essay

Read: “Planning and Drafting” (Ch.3) in PH p.27

WEEK 3

T 9/9: Plan for Paper # 1 due

Discussion: Sentences and Paragraphs

Grammar Boot-camp: Coordinating independent and dependent clauses

R 9/11: Draft of Paper # 1 due

Discussion: Rewriting, Editing, and Proofreading

Grammar Boot-camp: Active and passive voice

Read: “Rewriting, Editing, and Proofreading” (Ch. 5) in PH p.60

WEEK 4

T 9/16

Read “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

R 9/18

Read “Public and Private Language” by Richard Rodriguez

WEEK 5

T 9/23: Revision of Paper # 1 Due

Discussion: Preparing for the In-Class Essay

Read and Annotate “Watch and Learn” by Gregg Easterbrook on p. 467 in LS

R 9/25 Draft Paper # 2 in class

WEEK 6

T 9/30: conferences

R 10/3: conferences

WEEK 7

T 10/7 Revision of Paper # 2 due

Assign Paper # 3

R 10/9 Plan for Paper # 3 due

WEEK 8

T 10/14 Draft of Paper # 3 due

R 10/16 Draft of Paper # 3 returned

WEEK 9

T 10/21 Revision of Paper # 3 due

Preparing for paper # 4: In-class essay

Read and Annotate: WORK AND POWER p. 377 in LS

R 10/23

Draft Paper # 4 in class

WEEK 10

T 10/28: Draft of Paper # 4 returned

R 10/30:

WEEK 11

T 11/4 Paper # 4 revision due

Assign Paper # 5

R 11/6: Class meets at 4:30 (30 minutes later than we usually meet)

WEEK 12

T 11/11 VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY (CLASS DOES NOT MEET)

R 11/13 Paper # 5 due

WEEK 13

T 11/18 Return Paper # 5

R 11/20

WEEK 14

T 11/25 PORTFOLIO DUE

R 11/27 THANKSGIVING (CLASS DOES NOT MEET)

WEEK 15

T 12/2 PORTFOLIO READING (CLASS DOES NOT MEET)

R 12/4 CONFERENCES FOR PORTFOLIO RESULTS