Due Thursday, December 13
Thanks for being in the class. It has been a pleasure reading your essays and spending time with you this semester.
If you are missing an old essay, get it in before the date of the final along with the last essay. Failure to get all essays in will result in something less than a passing grade. Late assignments and absences may affect your grade or keep you from passing, as described in the syllabus on page 2 (and on the blog via "where to find it" menu).
Checklist for final essay:
1. If your final essay is a "Speculating about Causes" essay, be sure you follow the "Basic Features" of that essay as described in SMGW. If you write an essay in some other form, be sure to use the "basic features" of that form as described in SMGW If you use a combination of forms, include a statement describing which forms you're combining, and how you made use of their basic features.
2. Be sure you hand in a hard copy, including a list of works cited.
3. Also put a copy in the drop box.
4. Make sure that the essay is 2 full pages, single spaced, or 4 full pages, double spaced, not counting graphs, illustrations, or your list of works cited.
5. Make sure you use all your sources properly:
(a) Integrate your quotes. See "Integrated quotes" exercise for examples via the "Where to find it" menu.
(b) You must include some integrated quotes in your essay. An essay without integrated quotes does not fulfill the minimum requirements needed for a passing grade on the assignment.
(c) If you quote a source, use quotation marks and provide a citation, and list the source in your list of works cited.
(d) If you paraphrase the source, change both the wording and the sentence structure significantly, include a citation, and also list the source in your list of works cited.
(e) Failure to use your sources properly (b,c,d) could result in something less than a passing grade. Failure to paraphrase correctly (d) or to use quote marks with quoted material (c) could result in an "F" for the assignment.
(f) Therefore, use sources with care and give credit to your sources both in citations and in your list of works cited.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
In-class activities, Thursday, December 6
In-class activities, Thursday, December 6
Tonight we will discuss and give feedback on some rough drafts of the last essay.
We also have three other activities, the first two of them shorter and simpler, and the third, slightly longer. We'll do them in this order:
1. End-of-Course Questionnaire
2. Unit Themes Questionnaire
3. End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Evaluation
Tonight we will discuss and give feedback on some rough drafts of the last essay.
We also have three other activities, the first two of them shorter and simpler, and the third, slightly longer. We'll do them in this order:
1. End-of-Course Questionnaire
2. Unit Themes Questionnaire
3. End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Evaluation
End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Evaluation
End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Evaluation
Do the following 2-part self-evaluation.
The first part asks you to reflect on what you learned about your writing habits, how your writing may have improved, and what skills you may have identified that you need to improve, but need more work on.
The second part asks you to describe what you learned from the unit reading, sources and research. What was surprising, or disturbing? What was fresh? What affirmed what you already knew or suspected? What did you disagree with?
1. Consider the wide range of skills used in academic writing: Research, brainstorming, narrowing your topic, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, grammar, punctuation, etc. Consider the practice of writing regular assignments such as summaries, responses, and integrating quotes. Consider exercises related to research and Google searches. Consider the comments/feedback you received on your writing this semester.
(a) In preparation for this very brief, informal essay, list a few things you learned about your writing habits, new skills you learned, old skills you strengthened, and skills that will need more work beyond this class.
(b) Organize the list into an informal plan for paragraphs.
(c) Write an informal essay, organized into a few paragraphs, about what you learned about research, writing, and your writing habits.
2. Consider what you learned about the topics of the units and all the assignmed research, readings and films. As with #1 above, make an informal list that organizes what you learned. What was surprising, or disturbing? What was fresh? What affirmed what you already knew or suspected? What did you disagree with? You can refer to the list of units/themes below.
Write up your two-part self-evaluation, and then turn it in to the drop box titled "End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Eval." Write at least an informal outline or rough draft before you leave tonight and turn it in to the drop box. If you like, you can write the final draft and get it done tonight (and turn it in to the drop box). Otherwise, get it in by next Thursday (the night of the final).
Themes:
1. Environment and Global warming
- IPCC Report
- Inconvenient Truth
- Exxon Disinformation Campaign
- Crude Impact (Peak Oil)
- Economics of climate change mitigation
- etc.
2. Who Controls Public Opinion and Policy, and How
- Sex, Lies and Advertising
- Propaganda under a Dictatorship
- 9-11: Press for Truth
- OutFOXed
- Iraqi Babies story
- Campaign finance reform
- etc.
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Injustice
- How Wealth Creates Poverty
- Luckiest Peanut in the World (structural adjustment and the IMF/World Bank)
- Who Pays Taxes
- Tax Equity
- Rich Man Warren Buffett on taxes and how the rich are winning the class war
- Death Penalty
- Inequity in Schools
- Resurgence of Nooses
- Etc.
4. The Military-Industrial Complex and War Profiteering
- Why We Fight
- Iraq for Sale
- Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
- The Lysistrata of Aristophanes
- Strategies for keeping the peace
- Strategies for victory
- Etc.
Do the following 2-part self-evaluation.
The first part asks you to reflect on what you learned about your writing habits, how your writing may have improved, and what skills you may have identified that you need to improve, but need more work on.
The second part asks you to describe what you learned from the unit reading, sources and research. What was surprising, or disturbing? What was fresh? What affirmed what you already knew or suspected? What did you disagree with?
1. Consider the wide range of skills used in academic writing: Research, brainstorming, narrowing your topic, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, grammar, punctuation, etc. Consider the practice of writing regular assignments such as summaries, responses, and integrating quotes. Consider exercises related to research and Google searches. Consider the comments/feedback you received on your writing this semester.
(a) In preparation for this very brief, informal essay, list a few things you learned about your writing habits, new skills you learned, old skills you strengthened, and skills that will need more work beyond this class.
(b) Organize the list into an informal plan for paragraphs.
(c) Write an informal essay, organized into a few paragraphs, about what you learned about research, writing, and your writing habits.
2. Consider what you learned about the topics of the units and all the assignmed research, readings and films. As with #1 above, make an informal list that organizes what you learned. What was surprising, or disturbing? What was fresh? What affirmed what you already knew or suspected? What did you disagree with? You can refer to the list of units/themes below.
Write up your two-part self-evaluation, and then turn it in to the drop box titled "End-of-Course 2-Part Self-Eval." Write at least an informal outline or rough draft before you leave tonight and turn it in to the drop box. If you like, you can write the final draft and get it done tonight (and turn it in to the drop box). Otherwise, get it in by next Thursday (the night of the final).
Themes:
1. Environment and Global warming
- IPCC Report
- Inconvenient Truth
- Exxon Disinformation Campaign
- Crude Impact (Peak Oil)
- Economics of climate change mitigation
- etc.
2. Who Controls Public Opinion and Policy, and How
- Sex, Lies and Advertising
- Propaganda under a Dictatorship
- 9-11: Press for Truth
- OutFOXed
- Iraqi Babies story
- Campaign finance reform
- etc.
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Injustice
- How Wealth Creates Poverty
- Luckiest Peanut in the World (structural adjustment and the IMF/World Bank)
- Who Pays Taxes
- Tax Equity
- Rich Man Warren Buffett on taxes and how the rich are winning the class war
- Death Penalty
- Inequity in Schools
- Resurgence of Nooses
- Etc.
4. The Military-Industrial Complex and War Profiteering
- Why We Fight
- Iraq for Sale
- Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
- The Lysistrata of Aristophanes
- Strategies for keeping the peace
- Strategies for victory
- Etc.
Unit Themes Questionnaire
Unit Themes Questionnaire
Introduction:
One of my department chairs often reminds instructors that students who read a lot tend to write better, so she asks us to be sure to have students read and respond to reading in summaries, responses, extra research, and essays. She also advises us to assign sources for reading that may include stories and information students that might be interesting, fresh, or useful in terms of the changing world into which students will move and work after they receive their degrees.
At the end of each semester, I ask students for feedback related to favorite assignments and research. The feedback I get from students at the end of one semester often influences the structure of the course for the next semester, as I often try new things in light of student feedback. Here is your chance to influence some of the structure of units for the next semester.
Last spring, I had shown the following films:
"9-11: Press for Truth"
"Why We Fight"
"The End of Suburbia"
"An Inconvenient Truth."
I showed these, in part, because of earlier feedback from students requesting topics dealing with global warming, the war in Iraq, and peak oil. Of these, students expressed interest in peak oil, but didn't care for some elements of "End of Suburbia." A few students suggested the topic of propaganda, so we tried "OutFOXed."
But interests change, and one group of students might suggest good ideas that another group might not.
CONSIDER UNIT THEMES:
Consider the themes for the unit, listed below, and then read the two questions below the list. Paste the questions into an MS-Word file, answer the questions, and submit this to the drop box titled "Unit Themes Questionnaire."
Themes:
1. Environment and Global warming
- IPCC Report
- Inconvenient Truth
- Exxon Disinformation Campaign
- Crude Impact (Peak Oil)
- Economics of climate change mitigation
- etc.
2. Who Controls Public Opinion and Policy, and How
- Sex, Lies and Advertising
- Propaganda under a Dictatorship
- 9-11: Press for Truth
- OutFOXed
- Iraqi Babies story
- Campaign finance reform
- etc.
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Injustice
- How Wealth Creates Poverty
- Luckiest Peanut in the World (structural adjustment and the IMF/World Bank)
- Who Pays Taxes
- Tax Equity
- Rich Man Warren Buffett on taxes and how the rich are winning the class war
- Death Penalty
- Inequity in Schools
- Resurgence of Nooses
- Etc.
4. The Military-Industrial Complex and War Profiteering
- Why We Fight
- Iraq for Sale
- Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
- The Lysistrata of Aristophanes
- Strategies for keeping the peace
- Strategies for victory
- Etc.
Questions:
1. If you had to choose one, which of these units was most interesting, or surprising, or eye-opening, to you? Explain your choice.
2. If you had to get rid on one of these units and replace it with something else, which would you get rid of first? Explain your choice.
3. If you had to design a class with brand new themes and readings, and if you could include NONE of the themes listed above, what would you include that might appeal to a diverse group of students? List four suggested units (A,B,C,D). Explain your choices.
Introduction:
One of my department chairs often reminds instructors that students who read a lot tend to write better, so she asks us to be sure to have students read and respond to reading in summaries, responses, extra research, and essays. She also advises us to assign sources for reading that may include stories and information students that might be interesting, fresh, or useful in terms of the changing world into which students will move and work after they receive their degrees.
At the end of each semester, I ask students for feedback related to favorite assignments and research. The feedback I get from students at the end of one semester often influences the structure of the course for the next semester, as I often try new things in light of student feedback. Here is your chance to influence some of the structure of units for the next semester.
Last spring, I had shown the following films:
"9-11: Press for Truth"
"Why We Fight"
"The End of Suburbia"
"An Inconvenient Truth."
I showed these, in part, because of earlier feedback from students requesting topics dealing with global warming, the war in Iraq, and peak oil. Of these, students expressed interest in peak oil, but didn't care for some elements of "End of Suburbia." A few students suggested the topic of propaganda, so we tried "OutFOXed."
But interests change, and one group of students might suggest good ideas that another group might not.
CONSIDER UNIT THEMES:
Consider the themes for the unit, listed below, and then read the two questions below the list. Paste the questions into an MS-Word file, answer the questions, and submit this to the drop box titled "Unit Themes Questionnaire."
Themes:
1. Environment and Global warming
- IPCC Report
- Inconvenient Truth
- Exxon Disinformation Campaign
- Crude Impact (Peak Oil)
- Economics of climate change mitigation
- etc.
2. Who Controls Public Opinion and Policy, and How
- Sex, Lies and Advertising
- Propaganda under a Dictatorship
- 9-11: Press for Truth
- OutFOXed
- Iraqi Babies story
- Campaign finance reform
- etc.
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Injustice
- How Wealth Creates Poverty
- Luckiest Peanut in the World (structural adjustment and the IMF/World Bank)
- Who Pays Taxes
- Tax Equity
- Rich Man Warren Buffett on taxes and how the rich are winning the class war
- Death Penalty
- Inequity in Schools
- Resurgence of Nooses
- Etc.
4. The Military-Industrial Complex and War Profiteering
- Why We Fight
- Iraq for Sale
- Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
- The Lysistrata of Aristophanes
- Strategies for keeping the peace
- Strategies for victory
- Etc.
Questions:
1. If you had to choose one, which of these units was most interesting, or surprising, or eye-opening, to you? Explain your choice.
2. If you had to get rid on one of these units and replace it with something else, which would you get rid of first? Explain your choice.
3. If you had to design a class with brand new themes and readings, and if you could include NONE of the themes listed above, what would you include that might appeal to a diverse group of students? List four suggested units (A,B,C,D). Explain your choices.
End-of-Course Questionnaire
End-of-Course Questionnaire
Copy the following questions into an MS-Word document, read each question or group of questions (and in some cases the introduction), respond to the questions, and submit to the drop box titled "End-of-Course Questionnaire."
1. Was this your first night course, or not? What do you think in general of a night course that meets a number of hours in a row, with brief breaks? Is it a great opportunity to fit a class in your schedule? Is it too late in the day, when much of your energy is gone? Is it too many hours in a row? Is it just right? Comment briefly.
2. Was this your first course in which you turn in assignments via D2L, or not? What did you think of the format (drop box for grading, discussion forums for sharing, content for some of the content)? Was it helpful, easy to use, or frustrating, or mixed, or - ? Was it helpful to see, in the discussion forums, what other students were doing on assignments? Comment briefly.
3. What did you think of the essays assigned from Blair Reader? Were they interesting, helpful, boring, strange, or - ? Comment briefly.
4. How helpful was SMGW? We used mostly the basic features sections, refered to a few samples essays, and used chapter 22 on "Use of sources." Was this helpful? Comment briefly.
5. How helpful/useful was CWH? We used this for various general things related to the writing process, and also for information on MLA formatting of citations and the list of works cited. It also contained resources related to punctuation and other various writing issues. Comment briefly.
Copy the following questions into an MS-Word document, read each question or group of questions (and in some cases the introduction), respond to the questions, and submit to the drop box titled "End-of-Course Questionnaire."
1. Was this your first night course, or not? What do you think in general of a night course that meets a number of hours in a row, with brief breaks? Is it a great opportunity to fit a class in your schedule? Is it too late in the day, when much of your energy is gone? Is it too many hours in a row? Is it just right? Comment briefly.
2. Was this your first course in which you turn in assignments via D2L, or not? What did you think of the format (drop box for grading, discussion forums for sharing, content for some of the content)? Was it helpful, easy to use, or frustrating, or mixed, or - ? Was it helpful to see, in the discussion forums, what other students were doing on assignments? Comment briefly.
3. What did you think of the essays assigned from Blair Reader? Were they interesting, helpful, boring, strange, or - ? Comment briefly.
4. How helpful was SMGW? We used mostly the basic features sections, refered to a few samples essays, and used chapter 22 on "Use of sources." Was this helpful? Comment briefly.
5. How helpful/useful was CWH? We used this for various general things related to the writing process, and also for information on MLA formatting of citations and the list of works cited. It also contained resources related to punctuation and other various writing issues. Comment briefly.
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