Final Exam and Research Paper Pick-Up

You may pick up your graded final exams and final research papers on Thursday, May 20, from 8:00 to 9:00pm. I will have them for you in our regular classroom.

Note: Let me know If you cannot pick up your final research paper and exam this day. If I don't hear from you or see you on the 25th, I will discard your orphaned papers.

Assignments for Thursday May 12th

For our last class, remember to bring:

1. A copy of either WP #1: Creative Nonfiction or WP #6: Final Research Paper
2. Your Weekly Moments Journal
   

See you Thursday!

Assignments for Tuesday May 11th

For Tuesday's class, read "Swimming with Canoes" by John McPhee (handout).

Discussion Board:

What three characteristics of writing stand out the most in McPhee's essay? How does the essay use these characteristics as a strategy for effective writing?

Assignments for Thursday May 6th

Prepare Final Research Paper. Please review the assignment sheet and remember to include your first draft as well as the grading rubric as your cover page.

Remember, late papers will be docked a full letter grade. I will not accept any papers after Thursday May 13th.

As a final reminder, I will not accept revisions of your final research paper; therefore, make sure you've proofread thoroughly. I suggest visiting the Writing Center. They are incredibly helpful, and I guarantee they will help you improve the quality of your writing. (Every writer needs a second pair of eyes!)

Good luck with your final drafts--I look forward to reading them!

Assignments for Tuesday May 4th

There are no reading assignments for Tuesday's class; just be sure to begin revising your research paper, which is due Thursday May 6th.

In other news, I have decided not to give a final exam during finals week. Instead, we're going to have a final project and accompanying in-class writing assignment. The first part of this final project is a portfolio. You'll need to collect all of your writing from the semester into a single folder and bring it with you to our last class on Thursday May 13th. In class, you will have one hour to write an analysis of your work over the course of the semester. For now, you should begin collecting all drafts of everything you've written this semester. I'll answer questions in class on Tuesday.

Discussion Board:
Read the following definitions of a "good" reader. Choose the four that you believe to be true. Briefly, explain why.

1. The reader should belong to a book club.
2. The reader should identify himself or herself with the hero or heroine.
3. The reader should concentrate on the social-economic angle.
4. The reader should prefer a story with action and dialogue to one with none.
5. The reader should have seen the book in a movie.
6. The reader should be a budding author.
7. The reader should have imagination.
8. The reader should have memory.
9. The reader should have a dictionary.
10. The reader should have some artistic sense.

Assignments for Thursday April 29th

For Thursday's class, remember to bring three copies of WP #6: The Research Paper (draft 1).

Extra Credit Opportunity

Wednesday, May 5th, 7:00pm

Close Observations: The Poetics of Flora and Fauna

A Reading and Conversation with Diane Ackerman and Kimiko Hahn

$7 for students

(Poets House is located at 10 River Terrace in Battery Park City)

Assignments for Tuesday April 27th

For Tuesday's class, please read the following articles from the textbook:

1. "In Groups We Shrink" by Carol Tavris (pg. 261)
2. "The Rights of the Born" by Anne Lamott (pg. 271)
   

Discussion Board:
In what way(s) are these two articles in dialogue with one another? Can you apply the ideas expressed in "In Groups We Shrink" with the situation described by Anne Lamott in "The Rights of the Born"?

Assignments for Thursday April 22nd

For Thursday's class, find and print an image that relates to your research topic. (You can use Google image search, or make a photocopy from one of your sources.)

You'll be using your image in class on Thursday to spur analytical thinking, so be sure to bring it with you.

Assignments for Tuesday April 20th

For Tuesday's class, please familiarize yourselves with analytical thinking and writing by reading the following chapter from our textbook:

• Chapter 12: Analysis (pgs. 461 - 508)

On Tuesday, we'll be analyzing poems, so please ready yourselves by studying this chapter thoroughly.

Extra Credit Opportunity

Extra participation points will be given to anyone who attends this creative writing reading tomorrow at 6:30pm. Be there!

APRIL 15th, 2010 TURNSTYLE READING SERIES Turnstyle, a cross-genre MFA reading series, features the faculty and students of four CUNY graduate creative writing programs. Each evening, two faculty readers and eight second-year MFA creative writing students will read a mix of non-fiction, plays, fiction, and poems.

FEATURING: Faculty readers: Pamela Laskin, Julie Agoos, Adam Berlin MFA student readers: Curtis Jensen, Danielle Davidson, Deonne Kahler,Stefanie Lipsey, Sunil Yapa, Maria Dilorenzo, Kevin MacDonald, Mardi Jaskot

LOCATION: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Room 630, 899 Tenth Avenue (at 60th Street). Readings start at 6:30pm and are free and open to the public.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs, MFA in CreativeWriting Affiliation Group and Center for the Humanities.

Assignments for Thursday April 15

Please bring your completed interview to Thursday's class.

Also, answer one of the questions below about the film Man on Wire.
(Please post your answers in the comments section.)

1. What is the effect of the film’s opening scene? What kind of tone does it establish?
   
2. How does the fact that some of the film was shot in black and white contribute to the overall effect of the film?
   
3. When does Phillipe Petit get the idea for what he calls his “great dream”? How does this event relate or foreshadow his process for achieving this dream?
   
4. How would you characterize Phillipe Petit? What specific aspects of the film’s portrayal of him cause you to form this viewpoint?
   
5. How does the film’s cinematography complement its script? (Name examples.)
   
6. Cite specific examples of how the film maintains the exhilarating pace of a thriller, a “nail-biting” suspense even though the audience knows from the beginning that the central character is going to succeed in his goal. What specific events and scenes contribute to the
   suspense?
   
7. The director decided to exclude all mention of the September 11, 2001, fate of the World Trade Center Towers. Why do you think Marsh made this decision? What is your response to his decision?

Assignments for Tuesday April 13th

For Tuesday's class, please read the following from our textbook:

1. Chapter 6: Between Screens (pgs. 283 - 287)
2. Reviews of Man on Wire (pgs. 320 - 325)

Please also begin working on your interview, which is due next week Thursday, April 15th.

Assignments for Thursday April 8th

For Thursday's class, please read the following:

1. Interviews from the New York Times Magazine (handout)
2. Gathering Additional Information: The Interview (pgs. 522-524 in your textbooks)
   

Discussion Board:
Choose one of the interviews from the packet to analyze. What do you think is the interviewer's agenda? (In other words, what truth is she trying to uncover?) Does she succeed in bringing this issue to light? How, or why not?

(Please post your response in the comments section below.)

Assignments for Thursday March 25th

For Thursday's class, please read

• Chapter 8: Organizing and Drafting an Essay (351 - 379)
• King Curtis's Echo by Max Thayer (191 - 194)

Also, come to class prepared to begin working on your research paper outline and introduction. (You might want to bring some of your source material with you.)

Discussion Board
Analyze the way in which ideas are organized in the essay by Max Thayer. How would you describe the structure? Is it effective? If the ideas were ordered differently, could the overall impact be stronger? How? Be sure to read Chapter 8, as well as King Kurtis's Echo, before attempting to answer this question.

Assignments for Tuesday March 23rd

Please finish WP #3: Bibliography.

Also, please read the following articles from our texbook:

1. On Teenagers and Tattoos by Andres Martin (24 - 28)
2. Under My Skin by Jon Bowen (29 - 32)
   

Discussion Board:
Based on the two articles, do you think teenagers should be able to make their own decisions to get a tattoo? Use details from both articles to support your response.

(post response in comments section below before Tuesday's class)

Recommended Poetry Event...

One of my favorite poets, Rae Armantrout, will be discussing the art of the lyric next week Tuesday at Poets House. The event starts at 7:00pm and costs $7 for students. See details here: Lyric Persuasions: A Conversation with Rae Armantrout & Norman Fischer

I hope to see some of there! (Extra credit will be given.)

Assignments for Thursday March 11th

In preparation for Thursday's in-class midterm exam, please read

1. When Reality TV Gets Too Real by Jeremy W. Peters (pg. 239)
2. Evaluative Response (pgs. 438 - 443)

For Discussion:
What is Peters' argument in "When Reality TV Gets Too Real"? What key points does he make?

Assignments for Tuesday March 9th

Read Chapter 13: Writing the Research Paper (pgs. 509 - 559).

Complete final draft of Writing Project #2: Research Proposal.

For Discussion:
1. What are the pros and cons of online sources?
2. Even better than 2nd-degree sources (like books and articles) are 1st-degree sources (first-hand knowledge from an expert in the field). If you could interview anyone for your research topic, who would you choose and how would the experience enhance your paper?

Assignment for Thursday March 4th

For Thursday, please read Discrimination at Large by Jennifer A. Coleman (pgs. 198 - 200). Be prepared to engage in group discussion during class.

Also, be prepared to share your research topic and thesis statement with the class. (It'll be interesting to discover what people are covering.)

Discussion Board:
Do you agree with the author's assertion that jokes and slurs about overweight people are "as wrong and damaging as any racial or ethnic slur"? Why or why not?

Assignments for Tuesday March 2nd and Thursday March 4th

Your rought draft of Writing Project #2: Research Proposal is due next week Tuesday. Please bring 3 copies.

If you missed Thursday's class, email me and I'll send you the assignment electronically.

On Tuesday we will discuss Race is a Four-Letter Word by Teja Arboleda (pgs. 120 - 124) and Three Ways of Meeting Oppression by Martin Luther King Jr. (279 - 282). Please make sure you have read these articles by then.

Lastly, bear in mind you will be assigned to read Discrimination at Large by Jennifer A. Coleman (pgs. 199 - 201) for next Thursday's class.

Assignments for Thursday February 25th

For Thursday's class, we're going to depart from food politics and transition into another societal realm: race vs. culture. How much does where we come from contribute to who we are? I want you to consider this question while reading the following articles from our book:

1. Race is a Four-Letter Word by Teja Arboleda (pgs. 120 - 124)
2. Three Ways of Meeting Oppression by Martin Luther King Jr. (279 - 282)

On Thursday, we're also going to engage in a Grammar Hotspots Challenge. Prepare for it by reviewing pages 561 - 601 in our book.

For Discussion:

1. How would you describe Teja Arboleda's racial ethnic identity? How is this different from his cultural identity? How does he distinguish between the two? Finally, how would you describe your own racial ethnic identity, and does this identity differ from your cultural identity? In what ways?

2. Martin Luther King Jr writes, "To accept passively an unjust system is to cooperate with that system; thereby the oppressed become as evil as the oppressor" (281). Give an example of an "unjust system" that we (as Americans, as people) or you personally have come to accept. What is the danger in accepting this system?

Assignments for Tuesday February 23rd

***REMINDER: WE WILL NOT HAVE CLASS THIS THURSDAY SINCE JOHN JAY WILL BE RUNNING ON A MONDAY SCHEDULE.


For next Tuesday, please read...

• Chapter 10: Writing to Persuade (pgs. 404 - 422)
  

Up for Discussion:
1. Describe, in detail, an image (or "shot") from the first half of "Food, Inc." that you found striking. Why was it effective?
2. Using the information gleaned from Chapter 10, write a paragraph in which you critique the persuasive power of the film "Food, Inc." What elements of persuasive writing, according to Chapter 10, does the film utilize? Which could it have used to make its argument stronger--and how?

Assignments for Tuesday February 16th

1. Read "Chapter 9: Revising an Essay" in Between Worlds (pgs. 381 - 403).

2. Complete revision of Writing Project 1: Creative Nonfiction. Make sure to attach your first draft and your peer reviews when submitting on Tuesday.

3. Read "Diabesity: A Crisis in an Expanding Country" by Jane E. Brody (204 -208).

Up for Discussion:
One of the main skills you should already possess upon entering this class is the ability to cull important information from a text. I can't help but notice, however, that we're a bit rusty at this. To practice this skill, I'd like you to post a comment in which you examine the thesis, tone, main points, and support that Jane E. Brody uses in her essay "Diabesity." You can simply list them like this:

Thesis: ...
Tone: ...
Main Points:
1 - ...
2 - ...
3 - ...
Support: ...

Assignments for Thursday February 11th

1. Complete your first draft of Writing Project 1: Creative Nonfiction. Bring 3 copies to class.

2. Flip through Chapter 8 from Between Worlds. Some of the topics (such as "finding a focus," "ordering ideas," and "developing a paragraph") may be useful to you in writing your first draft.

3. Read "Six Rules for Eating Wisely" by Michael Pollan (pgs. 214 - 217).

Care to Comment?
Which of Michael Pollan's six rules for eating wisely is most persuasive? Which idea is least convincing or appealing to you? Which of these rules do you incorporate into your own eating habits already? Which would you consider?

Assignments for Tuesdsay February 9th

1. Read the following articles from Between Worlds:

• "Active Reading" (2-6)
• "My Son, My Compass" (8-11)
• "Narration" (429-437)

2. Begin brainstorming for Writing Project #1: Creative Nonfiction Essay. Bring your notes to class.

Discussion: Post a comment describing your brainstorming process for WP #1. What strategy did you decide to use (prewriting, clustering, listing)? What was your experience? How do you think this strategy will aid you in writing your first draft? What, if any, are the drawbacks of this strategy?

Weekly Moments Journal

After watching the short film, "Moments," by Will Hoffman, think back over the last week. Now freeze, in your mind, a single moment. What makes it stand out from the millions of other moments you've experienced this week? What colors, textures, and sounds define this moment for you? Try to describe every detail, paying special attention to the infinitesimal (the very small): What did the ground feel like beneath your feet? What did his voice sound like when he said that thing that hurt, made you smile, or made you turn and walk away? Your moment might be something monumental or very simple. It's your choice. Don't get bogged down by explanation. Try to capture the moment as you felt it.Each week, I'd like you to capture at least one moment from your life to portray in your journals. At midterm, I'll collect your journals to ensure that you've been keeping up, and at the end of the semester I'll collect them again to configure your grades (journals are worth 10% of your final grades).For a participation point, I'd like all of you to post your first journal entries in the comments section of this post. I've already posted one of mine to be referenced as an example. Please add yours by next Tuesday, February 9th by noon. As a rule, weekly journal entries will be expected each Tuesday.

So ... what do you do?

What is that thing that you participate in and contribute to that makes you you?

Welcome to English 101!

The syllabus for this course can be found on Blackboard under Course Documents.

Stay tuned for more posts in the near future!