Practice Final Exam #1 - Article A1 and Reminders

Hello All,

I hope that you each had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. In case you need a copy, here you can find a PDF of the Kohn article, "No Contest: Play, Fun, and Competition." This is the first article for Practice Exam #1.

Be sure that you have thoroughly read and annotated this article for Tuesday's class. Upon entering the classroom you will receive a copy of the second article for the Practice Exam. You will then compose a five-paragraph essay (intro, body, conclusion) that compares and/or contrasts these two pieces. You may devote one paragraph to your opinion (this may also be simply included in the conclusion), but be sure that it appears at the end of your essay and that it is connected in some way to the readings!

Therefore, to take this exam you will need the following:

1. about five sheets of loose leaf paper (I do not want paper ripped from spiral notebooks)
2. two writing implements (preferably pencil so that you can neatly correct mistakes)
3. a fed body and an alert mind

I ask that you double-space your documents so that I can easily provide comments to you directly. You will be given the entire period to complete this in-class assignment, a total of nearly 110 minutes. Be on time so that you can utilize every second! Remember the breakdown: 15 minutes to read, 80 minutes to write, 15 minutes to proofread and revise. The Final Exam period is 120 minutes long, giving you an extra 10 minutes to compose your essay.

I plan on copying your pieces in pairs so that we can perform a peer-edit on Thursday. Furthermore, you will be called up to my desk to speak with me where we will go over your essay one-on-one.

Should you have any questions I encourage you to email me. I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can. Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend everyone.

Best,
s.

Slight Change in the Schedule

Hello all. Please make note of the following small changes to the schedule.

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T 11/9:

~ Field Trip: Using the Library the Internet: Vital Academic and Scholarly Resources (Meeting Room CL205) 
~ Discussion of Braden’s essay

~ Handout – Proper Citation in a Works Cited Page and Annotated Bibliography

Reading – BH, p.379-387, 392-400

Th 11/11:

~ Proper usage of the semi-colon, colon, and quotation marks

~ Continuation of discussions on Westlake and Braden's texts 
~Review of e-journal #10

T 11/16:

~ Review of Braden, Hempel with Lehman, and Westlake
~ In-class activity: selections from BH, p.382ff, Ex. 34-1 & 34-2; p.386f, Ex. 35-1; p.398ff, Ex. 37-1 & 37-2
No additional reading or writing assignments… work on your paper and revision!

Th 11/18:

Essay #3 Due – bring two extra copies of your document to class to perform a peer-edit!
Revision #2 Due – be sure to staple the original draft copy behind the revision copy in order to receive credit!

Essay #3 Rubric; Westlake, Braden, and Bedford Handbook Readings

This post contains the next round of readings for the upcoming few class periods. So be sure to download and print any relevant materials that you do not yet have in your possession.

But before beginning these readings you should first view the Rubric for Essay #3. You will receive a copy of this document as a handout in class, so there is no need to print a copy unless you lose your original. Remember that it is here for reference.

Here is the link for the Westlake article, to be read for Thursday 11/4. VIP -- Read only the following sections, indicated by a bold type heading: News Feed, Understanding Facebook, The Performativity of Social Networking {only pages 25-27 (stop after reading the second-to-last paragraph on p.27), 30f}, Performative Surveillance, Epilogue). This article can be dense at times with its mentioning of philosophy and social theory. Absorb this information through a surface-level reading. I do not expect everyone to understand all the contents of this piece; however, I encourage you to look up information and terms that are foreign to you so that you may better comprehend this text. Our in-class discussion will undoubtedly shed some light as to the meaning and argumentative purpose of Westlake's article.

Here is the link for Braden's essay. Have this read for Tuesday 11/9.

Lastly, here you can find a link for the in-class reading of Hacker's text: BH - p.482-487. Be sure to bring this for Tuesday 11/9 also.

Upcoming Readings and Schedule Updates

Hello Everyone,

Be sure to double check the schedule of readings and written assignments, as there are many specific readings in The Bedford Handbook which we will encounter during this third segment of the course that you need to be aware of so that you can plan ahead accordingly. As I mentioned in class today, we are but seven short weeks away from finals and these seven weeks are going to go by quickly. Therefore, stay on top of your game and keep a close watch on your time management, balancing your coursework accordingly, as this semester begins its final descent. 

Here you can find the upcoming in-class reading from Hacker's text for Thursday, p.486f, 442-458. Please preview these pages, printing them if necessary, so that you are adequately prepared for class. The subsequent reading, p.462-475, can be found here as well, come early Tuesday afternoon.

Also, here is the Hempel with Lehman article, titled, "The MySpace Generation." You are to have this article read for Tues, 11/2. This text is also found in the Mercury Reader on pages 12-22.

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The major change to the schedule that I need to mention concerns one date:

1. Tuesday, November 9th -- This day is our tentative field trip, hooray! I will let you know how we will proceed closer to the date, but in the meantime please keep your ears open for the meeting room and time.

Subsequent Update to Schedule, Reading, and e-Journal #8

Immediately below you will see the updates and changes I have made for next week.

For the 19th and 21th, be sure to bring all the articles we have read thus far in the second segment of the course so that we can discuss potential paper topics throughout the week's meetings.

I have yet to scan Thursday's reading (p.35-51 from the Hacker text) as I do not have access to the proper technology over the weekend. Therefore, early Monday morning (roughly 11am) I will have this reading appear as an added link to this very posting... thus, please revisit this post, locate the link, then download and print the reading, if need be. Having this reading prepared for class on the 21th is essential for our discussions that day.

Enjoy your weekend,
s.

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T 10/19:

~ Discussion of e-journal #7 (post your journal entry, but bring a hard copy to class too) and Essay #2 ideas
~ Be sure to bring Gladwell, Gore, and Winn texts to class
Reading: BH, p.35-51
e-journal #8: After reading from the Hacker text, take one of your paragraphs from e-journal #7 and revise accordingly. Then, as a second requirement, offer a draft thesis statement which you would consider using for your upcoming essay assignment. We will review these anonymously (as can be, after all) in class in order to identify key issues, lines of argumentation, and textual support. 

Th 10/21:

~ Making global revisions, then revising sentences before proofreading
~ Further discussion of possible essay topics, developing thesis statements, and, vitally, the use of quotation and proper citation to support one's thesis 
No additional reading or writing assignments… work on your paper and revision!

Gore, Bedford, and Winn Readings

Here are the next few readings that are coming up. Please download, print, and read them if you haven't done so yet. Please complete the entire Gore text for our next class meeting. In addition, bringing it to class is vital.

Gore, "Introduction from The Assault on Reason"

BH, p.504-516

Winn, "TV Addiction"

In-class Reading, Gladwell's Text, and HW#5 for Tue (10/5)

Before coming to class Tuesday (10/5), please have previewed the following reading in The Bedford Reader: p.498-503.

For this next Thursday (10/7) please read and bring to class Gladwell's article, "The Tipping Point".

As a last reminder, do not forget that HW#5 is due a week from today. Please post your comments below before we meet for class next Tuesday. Thank you. Here is the prompt:

Why do you think it is important that one needs to give due credit to those whom they draw information from and reference? What are some ways that plagiarism may be avoided?

Bedford Reading for 9/28

For the next class meeting, this Tuesday, please have read the following excerpt from the Hacker text: pages 118-129. This section, Section 6, deals with how one must evaluate another's argument for, as the text states, "logic and fairness" (Hacker 118).

Be sure to read this section closely, looking for key terms and headings as you make your way through the text. Much like there are many Rhetorical Devices which help us formulate and structure our writing, there are numerous aspects of writing (especially expository and argumentative writing) that demand to be evaluated for rationality, accuracy, and so on. We will be doing Exercise 6-1 in class Tuesday, so you may wish to look over this closely before we meet as well.

I am providing today's in-class handout of pages 86-103 a second time because I cannot stress enough the importance of this section of The Bedford Reader. Here you will find detailed descriptions of the following important skills needed to succeed in your writing for this class and many (if not most or all) of your academic courses:

1. Guidelines for active reading (cf. p.87)
2. Annotating the text as you read it (cf. p. 86, 88)
3. Outlining the examined text's thesis and main points in your own words (cf. p.90f)
4. Summarizing the text (cf. p.93)
5. Analyzing the text (cf. p.95)

Furthermore, I highly encourage you to read over the sample student essay by Emilia Sanchez. This appears on pages ninety-eight through one-hundred. This example will undoubtedly prove helpful as you begin to draft your first paper which is due next Thursday.

Happy reading.

Ellison Reading

I have scanned the Ellison text in full and am providing it here. Please download this short story and print it so that you can annotate the text as you read it. It is mandatory that you bring this to class on Thursday.

Remember to try to think and read actively as we discussed in class. Hacker offers her readers some excellent advice regarding active reading skills on page eighty-seven of The Bedford Handbook.

Should you wish to perform a timing at home to see how many words per minute you average when you read, here's how:

1. Count the number of words per line of text. Do this for the first three or four lines so that you can establish a rough average (e.g., twelve words per line).
2. Mark your beginning point, set a timer for one minute, and start reading!
3. When the timer signals a minute has expired, mark your ending point. Even if you have read only one or two words on a new line, you should count this as your last line read. 
4. Count the number of lines you read and multiply the result by the average you obtained earlier (e.g., sixteen lines read, times twelve words per line, equals one-hundred ninety-two; 16 x 12 = 192).
5. Your goal is to achieve a higher score each time you perform this activity. Three-hundred to three-hundred and fifty words per minute is the speed at which the average adult reads; therefore, you should strive to reach this benchmark. This may indeed take time, but remember that active reading is a skill like any other: it must be learned, honed, and perfected through continual practice. Recall that you may use your hand or pencil to perform the "underlining technique" as you read. This helps you remain focused and will therefore aid in your ability to both read quickly and to absorb and retain the information you encounter. 

Enjoy the strange and grotesque, yet meaningful, short story you will be reading. Have a good weekend. See you in class Thursday.

Rehtorical Strategy (HW #4 for 9/23)

Since the Bedford Handbook seems to be as rare as the dodo at the College Bookstore, I've included the reading as links below. Please visit them so that you may complete your reading (Section 3c) for this Tuesday, 9/21. I ask that you print these pages and bring them to class, if at all possible. You will need to save them to your computer and then open them with Adobe Acrobat. Here is the link.

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After doing the reading in the Bedford Handbook (p.67-75), answer the following prompt by commenting to this posting below to complete the homework for 9/23.

Argue for or against the use of cellphones in two paragraphs, using a different paragraph strategy/rhetorical device in each. Be sure of head each paragraph with a label that identifies which strategy/device you are employing to argue your point.

Guernsey's Article, First Reading in Hacker's Text, and Our "Spy" Games (HW#3 for 9/16)

Over the weekend I would like all of you to read the following pages in Hacker's text The Bedford Reader: p.67-75.

I would also like you to review both the Rowe and Guernsey articles. Print the former if you haven't already so that you can bring it to class on Thursday 9/16, our next class meeting. Annotate these texts as you are reading them. Attempt to locate his and her thesis statements and the supporting points and evidence they utilize to make their arguments. Also, highlight or mark any passages that you deem to be important, significant, outlandish, etc.

Consider how Guernsey's article compares and contrasts to Rowe's text. Remember that a contrast seeks only differences, while a comparison seeks both similarities and differences. We will be performing this activity in our next class.

For your journal writing I would like you to do the following... and remember do not do anything overzealous! I want you to be detectives, yes, but responsible, courteous ones at that!

Thus, the prompt:

Observe people in a public space such as a shopping center, a subway station or platform, a park, or a busy street. Spend one-half to one-full hour taking notes on those individuals that use cellphones. Describe the users' appearance, gestures, tones of voice, volume of speaking, and anything else that seems interesting and important about their use of their phone.

I would like you to observe two (2) people during this activity, providing a paragraph-length description of each. Post your observations below and have fun with this activity. 

Mercury Reader and the Rowe Article (HW#2 for 9/7)

It has come to my attention that the Mercury Reader is out of stock at the College Bookstore. Therefore, some students in the class have been unable to read this article and thus been unable to complete the homework.

I have also been informed that this Friday (9/4) there should be more copies of this text coming into stock. So please check the bookstore ASAP so that you can purchase this text. Beginning this upcoming week each student in the class will be responsible for owning a copy of the Mercury Reader. 


For those of you who have not yet obtained the book, the Rowe article can be found here. Please read it.


I would like every one to post their responses to the Rowe article below as a comment. Here are the two questions I would like you to answer, with a full paragraph devoted to each:

1)How do you feel when you hear other people's cellphone conversations in public spaces? Why?

2) In your view, what is Rowe's strongest argument against cell phones? What is his weakest? Why?

I hope you all enjoy the long weekend. Have a safe Labor Day!