Monday, May 19, 2014
Thank you for a wonderful semester
I am almost finished with your sections. I hope to start inputting grades by Wednesday. If you emailed me, I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done reading papers.
I'll also email everyone this weekend about a hike on June 1st.
Again, thank you for a great time!
-D
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Week 16: Mo 12
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
News from Around America 04.07.14
- USA - The next generation of theme park rides set to debut across America (Wired)
- INDIANA - Patient with first US case of MERS improving (USA Today)
- FLORIDA - Teen who posted "Me Driving Like an Idiot" video is arrested (Gawker)
- USA - Inside America's virginity obsession (Guardian)
- CALIFORNIA - Bullied girl tells her tormentors that she severed them semen-filled cupcakes (UPI)
- USA - MSNBC apologizes for offensive Cinco de Mayo segment (Huffington Post)
Monday, May 5, 2014
Process Analysis
You are being asked to write a process analysis, or reflection, of how your writing has changed during this course. The goal is to discover something about yourself as a writer and thinker. Along with the process analysis, you will need to embed relevant examples that highlight your process in writing an essay and evaluating, workshopping, editing and revising that same essay. These examples must be included in the paragraphs in your essay, not attached as an appendix. Remember, the focus here is on the process, not the product.
Consider your strengths and weaknesses as a writer when you began English 1B. Think about what you learned over the semester and what skills you will use in future coursework and beyond.
- Write a 1200-1400 word essay that analyzes your writing and yourself as a writer.
- Your response must be in standard essay format, NOT numbered or in Q&A format.
- You can address the topics in any order that helps you make your point.
- Include the word count at the end of your essay.
Address the first item in the table and then two of the three other areas in the chart:
| Area of Reflection | Questions to Prompt Your Thinking |
| Writing Strategies (REQUIRED) | Identify writing habits and practices that work well and that you will continue to use in your future writing. Illustrate with samples from your semester’s writing. Where do you do your best work? What tools are helpful when writing? What writing strategies and practices did you learned in this course that work well for you? Analyze what you think these preferences say about you as a writer and a learner. |
| Research | Include an example of summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation. Why did you choose one method over the other? How did you weave the information into your essay or provide transitions? |
| Feedback | What advice did you receive (from peer review, tutoring, workshop, instructor feedback) that was particularly helpful when revising your work? Illustrate using at least two examples from past assignments, including the comments. How can you apply that advice to future writing? |
| Revision | Analyze how you revised a specific paragraph. Describe the choices you made and why; include the paragraph in your essay. |
You are being graded on the following:
The reflective analysis counts for 10% of your final grade. No late papers.
- Did you answer at least three questions and include appropriate examples?
- Does your reflection demonstrate serious consideration of your writing process?
- Do the examples you include support your reflection?
- Is the overall presentation of the reflection clear and professional?
- Does your writing reflect college-level syntactic variety and diction and demonstrate your fluency with the competencies established in first-year composition (grammar, mechanics, usage, etc.)?
The reflective analysis counts for 10% of your final grade. No late papers.
Due: Mon 05.12
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Week 15: Mo 05/We 07
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
News from Around America 04.30.14
- USA - FLOTUS to young girls: "I believe that girl power is about being the very best version of who you are." (Huffington Post)
- CALIFORNIA - LA Clippers owner banned for life, fined 2.5 million, for racist remarks (CNN)
- FLORIDA - College Hunks mover becomes a human chair to help an elderly woman stuck in an elevator (Huffington Post)
- USA - Americans okay with small surcharges to ensure workers get insurance (FOX Business)
- NEW YORK - Meet the NYC coeds who strip at night to pay for college (New York Post)
- MICHIGAN - Davenport University graduate face plants after failed backflip (CBS Detroit)
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Week 14: Mo 28/We 30
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| Seattle, Washington |
Week 14: Mo 28/We 30
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 8; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Upcoming:
Week 15: Mo 05/We 07
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (FINAL DRAFT)
Week 16: Mo 12
Class: End-of-class review
Due: PROCESS ANALYSIS
Saturday, April 26, 2014
News from Around America 04.25.14
- CALIFORNIA - Up-inspired Victorian upsets neighbors (NBC Bay Area)
- HAWAII - University sued for blocking students from distributing copies of the Constitution (Huffington Post)
- ILLINOIS - Man wins lotto three times in three weeks (Huffington Post)
- NEVADA - Conservative hero Cliven Bundy wonders if the "Negro" was better off under slavery (Washington Post)
- NEW YORK: Is it Pitbull or Amy Poehler? (Entertainment Weekly)
- CALIFORNIA - Clippers owner makes his own shocking racist remarks (Sports Illustrated)
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Week 13: Mo 21/We 23
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| Portland, Oregon |
Week 13: Mo 21/We 23
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 4; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Upcoming:
Week 14: Mo 28/We 30
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 8; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Week 15: Mo 05/We 07
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (FINAL DRAFT)
Week 16: Mo 12
Class: End-of-class review
Due: PROCESS ANALYSIS
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
News from Around America 04.16.14
- USA - Americans and the Problem of Exotic Pets (Huffington Post)
- COLORADO - $98 million: The amount of taxes Colorado expects to bring in from Marijuana sales this year (Reuters)
- USA - Inside today's KKK (Business Insider)
- CALIFORNIA - Witness a college student's epic fail on Wheel of Fortune (Salon)
- NEBRASKA - When prom comes crashing down (CNN)
- TENNESSEE - Student wearing Confederate flag dress denied entrance into her prom (CNN)
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Week 12: Mo 14/We 16
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| Park City, Utah |
Week 12: Mo 14/We 16
Read: SHOUTIN’—“Getting Even with Life”
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTION 06-A/06-B
Upcoming:
Week 13: Mo 21/We 23
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 4; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Week 14: Mo 28/We 30
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 8; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Week 15: Mo 05/We 07
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (FINAL DRAFT)
Week 16: Mo 12
Class: End-of-class review
Due: PROCESS ANALYSIS
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 4; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Week 14: Mo 28/We 30
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 8; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Week 15: Mo 05/We 07
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (FINAL DRAFT)
Week 16: Mo 12
Class: End-of-class review
Due: PROCESS ANALYSIS
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Reflection 06-B: Isn't It Bromantic?—The Rise of Bromances
One interesting phenomenon over the past decade has been the rise of so-called "bromances," intimate, but non-sexual, relationships between American men. Affectionate male bonding has a centuries-long tradition around the world, yet American society has generally drawn rigid lines between two males who are friends—or at least we are lead to believe. Bromances are said to break down many of traditional barriers, allowing a man to be more expressive of both his own feelings and his feelings toward his friend. Just why American male friendships are seemingly more open these days is up to debate. Some argue these bonds have been shaped by everything from feminist mothers raising more emotionally-open sons to the gay rights movement to younger generations of men simply breaking from old societal taboos. If you are a man, have you experienced a bromance? Does it feel any different than any other male friendship? And if you are a female, what do theses relationships look like from the outside looking in? Has a bromance ever made you feel excluded?
Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:
Requirements:
Due: We 04.16
- "Are You in a Bromance? (Or Is It Just a Man Crush?)" (Details)
- "Why I Love Guys Who Hug Other Guys" (New York Magazine)
- "Bromances Aren't Uncommon as Guys Delay Marriage" (Seattle Times)
- "The Joys of Bromance" (Huffington Post)
- "I Love You, Man (as a Friend)" (New York Times)
- "Male-ennials…and the Rise of the Wolf Pack" (MTV News)
- Must be in MLA Style
- Must be one full page in length
- Must include a works cited page
Due: We 04.16
Reflection 06-A: Bosom Buddies—America's Breast Obsession
Note: For your final reflection, you will write about two different topics: America's Breast Obsession (06:A) and The Rise of Bromances (06:B). Each reflection should be only one page long.
It is difficult to argue that we do not live in a breast-obsessed society. From advertising to porn, Americans can't seem to get enough of and so we are inundated daily. Yet, the American relationship with breasts is complicated. On beaches, for instance, American women are encouraged to display as much cleavage as possible, but if a nursing mother takes a breast out in public to feed an infant many of us suddenly become prudish. Why? When did Americans reach the point that we so celebrate, even reward, augmentation? What message are we sending women about embracing their natural selves? And how does all this attention to breasts affect young girls? As for men, how does growing up in a breast-obsessed culture affect their views of women and their bodies?
Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:
- "The Breast of Advertising" (Adweek )
- "Has it Really Come to This? Gal Gadot Defends Breast Size for Wonder Woman Role in Batman vs. Superman" (Indwire)
- "Victoria's Secret Store Bans Mom from Breastfeeding" (NBC News)
- "America's Boob Police" (Daily Beast)
- "Men’s Breast Obsession—and Women’s" (Psychology Today )
- "Women have Boobs—Get over It" (AlterNet)
Requirements:
- Must be in MLA Style
- Must be one full page in length
- Must include a works cited page
Due: We 04.16
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
News from Around America 04.08.14
- WYOMING: No, Yellowstone animals are NOT fleeing (Slate)
- USA: Survey: By a nearly 5-to-1 margin, Americans now say alcohol is worse for you than marijuana (Washington Post)
- CALIFORNIA: Smart cars being tipped over in San Francisco (Huffington Post)
- USA: Why do Americans feed their dogs so well? (Quartz)
- TENNESSEE: Lawmakers propose covering a full ride at two-year colleges for all TN high school graduates (Daily News Journal)
- NEW YORK: Rats descend on a NYC Dunkin' Donuts (New York Daily News)
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Week 11: Mo 07/We 09
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| Austin, Texas |
Week 11: Mo 07/We 09
Read: SHOUTIN’—“2: Lies to My Mother”
Class: CLOSE READING; Reading discussion; Multimedia
presentations;
Due: REFLECTION 05
Upcoming:
Week 12: Mo 14/We 16
Read: SHOUTIN’—“Getting Even with Life”
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: EXPOSITORY; REFLECTION 06
Week 13: Mo 21/We 23
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 4; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Week 14: Mo 28/We 30
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 8; BRING TWO
COPIES)
Week 15: Mo 05/We 07
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (FINAL DRAFT)
Week 16: Mo 12
Class: End-of-class review
Due: PROCESS ANALYSIS
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Close Read: American Pastimes
Below are the photos you may choose from for next week's in-class close read essay. You will be responsible for just one photo. The photos represent various unique pastimes across America. Again, you will be examining the ways in which Americans spend their free time. The goal is to closely analyze a photo in order to reveal new levels of understanding. We will
discuss how this is done in class this week.
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| Wick Beavers, "Saturday Night Bullfights and Bronc Bustin'" (Silver City, New Mexico; Date unknown) |
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| Photographer Unknown, "The Tough Mudder" (West Dover, Vermont; 2012) |
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| Jeff Lautenberger, "The Night Rider" (Tulsa, Oklahoma; 2011) |
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| Chris Favero, "Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman" (Chicago, Illinois; 2012) |
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| Cooper Neill, "Unicycle Football League Playoffs" (San Marcos, Texas; 2012) |
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| Kathleen Conally, "Cavalry Reenactors I" (Bucks County, Pennsylvania; 2005) |
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| Kyle Cassidy, "Scare Force One with the Skate of the Union Trophy" (Washington, D.C.; 2012) |
Thursday, April 3, 2014
News from Around America 04.03.14
- NEW YORK - Mysterious clown slinking around Staten Island terrifies residents
- (Huffington Post) ... UPDATE: Production company admits it was behind the stunt (Staten Island Advance)
- GEORGIA - Bank accidentally deposits $31,000 in teen's account; he spends $25,000 in ten days (Gawker)
- HAWAII: The Aloha State named least affordable for minimum wage earners (Huffington Post)
- COLORADO - Nine-year-old girl shaves her head in solidarity with her friend with cancer, gets suspended from school (NBC News)
- USA: Evangelical group calls gay-friendly Honey Maid Graham Crackers ad "Satanic" (The Raw Story)
Monday, March 31, 2014
Reflection 05: I Feel Pretty—Attractiveness in America
As Americans, we are all told that "beauty is only skin deep," and that "real beauty lies on the inside." We are told that, but the realities of our culture tell quite a different story. Beauty, as it turns out, is not only celebrated in America, but rewarded. Good looks can land a person preferential treatment at restaurants, on airplanes, even in court. It's almost as if beautiful people are allowed to live in a bubble. What do you feel are the benefits of being attractive in American society? Are good looking people treated more favorably than the general population? Finally, what, if any, downsides are there to being beautiful in America?
Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:
- "Study: Attractive Men Fare Best in Gaining Venture Capital" (MIT News)
- "Calling Miss Congeniality: Do Attractive People Have Attractive Traits and Values?" (ScienceDaily)
- "How Much is Being Attractive Worth?" (Smithsonian)
- "Good Looks Will Get You that Job, Promotion, and Raise" (Psychology Today)
- "10 Pleasures and Pains of Being Beautiful" (PsyBlog)
- "You’re Not Beautiful, and There’s Nothing Wrong with That" (Daily Princetonian)
Requirements:
- Must be in MLA Style
- Must be only one full page in length
- Must include a works cited page
Due: We 04.09
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Week 10: Mo 31/We 02
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| New Haven, Connecticut |
Week 10: Mo 31
Cesar Chavez Day—No Class
Week 10: We 02
Readings: SHOUTIN’—“1: The Widow’s Mite” Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lectures—“On the Fringes: Subcultures in America”and “Constructing a Research Paper: A How-To”
Due: REFLECTION 04
Upcoming:
Week 11: Mo 07/We 09
Read: SHOUTIN’—“2: Lies to My Mother”
Class: CLOSE READING; Reading discussion; Multimedia
presentations;
Due: REFLECTION 05
Thursday, March 27, 2014
News from Around America 03.27.14
- CALIFORNIA - Runner in tutu gives Self magazine permission to use her image, then gets mocked in the following issue (KNSD-TV)
- USA - These colleges have the most drug and alcohol-related arrests in the country (Huffington Post) NORTH CAROLINA - Shoddy 146-word essay from a UNC athlete shines spotlight on student athletes after it receives an A- (Slate)
- VIRGINIA - Girl allegedly told by her Christian school that her hairstyle is too masculine (Washington Post)
- CALIFORNIA - LAPD cracking down on hippie drum circles on Venice Beach (Vice)
- ARIZONA - Pastor famous for praying for President Obama's death, now urges females to stay quiet in church (AlterNet)
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