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.