Comp Prose

Final Revision Assignment

daveindenverco — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:25:25 +0000

Before I even begin to explain this assignment, please first remember that this final revision, simple as it may seem, is worth a whopping 200 points of your final grade, and should therefore NOT be underestimated. It’s a rather simple assignment. Pick your single favorite paragraph from your entire blog site (posts AND papers), copy it into a new post, skip a space, and then completely 100% rewrite that paragraph, from scratch. Skip another space, and, yes, rewrite it again, from scratch. Skip another space, and now TRANSITION into a second paragraph of original composition, continuing on a theme from the first, or embarking on a new, related one. Finally, skip one last space, and then completely 100% rewrite that paragraph, from scratch. So that’s 1 old, copied paragraph plus 4 new paragraphs. The only requirement is that all 5 paragraphs must be at least 150 words, so watch your word counts!!! Your grade on this assignment will depend almost entirely on how well you follow these instructions and, most importantly, how well you show a functional competence of the core instruction of this course: that writing is re-writing, that the best writing comes from a rigorously disciplined process, and that they can always be better (both the writing and the process). For those of you concerned about length, note, for reference, that this paragraph is precisely 245 words. Please email me at davidthorn@comcast.net if you have any questions or would like to brainstorm together.

Conference sign-up sheet

daveindenverco — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:59:36 +0000

Conferences will take place next Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and we’ll meet in our classroom. If already in use, or if locked, we’ll meet in the Writing Center of the LARC (down the main hall about 100 yards and on the left, right side of the big room). Be sure to bring a hard copy of your final draft of the final revision assignment, and of course any brainstorms, notes, or other drafts that led to it. Bring any other work you’d like to discuss as well, and be prepared to review your blog site. To pick a time slot, simply make a comment to this post with your choice. First come, first served. Don’t forget to email me at davidthorn@comcast.net if you have any specific questions.

Tues. 5/12

5:30/40 Michelle

Wed. 5/13

5:40 (may be running late) Drew

6:00 Ryan

6:20 Hannah

6:40 TJ

7:00 Alaina

7:20 John Mackey

Thurs. 5/14

5:40 (may be running late)

6:00 John Lazanas

6:20 Jeremy

6:40 Andy

7:00 Kristina

7:20 Frank

7:40 Jess

8:00 Todd

8:20 Marshall

8:40

9:00

Last Class

daveindenverco — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:54:40 +0000

6:00 – 6:15 Submit final drafts of Paper 3

6:15 – 6:40 BA11: What did you learn this semester? (Intentionally open-ended; write about anything you want!)

6:40 – 7:00 Review final revision assignment and choose appropriate post for revision

7:00 – 7:30 Instructor evaluations; conference sign-up; and continue above

7:30 – 7:40 BREAK

7:40 – 8:00 Semester review; what have we learned in comp 1? Discuss BA11 as well

8:00 – 8:05 Discuss E.B. White, “Once More to the Lake”

8:05 – 8:15 Read and discuss Robert Frost poems, “A Drummlin Woodchuck,” “The Road Not Taken,” and “Two Tramps in Mud Time”

8:15 – 8:45 Read and discuss Annie Dillard, “Living Like Weasels”

HW:

Final revision (hard copy & post) due in conference. Please clean up your blog site as well, since we’ll be discussing it in conference, at which point we’ll also be determining your final grade.

NOTE:

Final conferences should take between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on how much we have to discuss. Ideally, I’d like to help students highlight the strengths they’ve exhibited this past semester, and clearly identify areas for improvement as well. Please be sure to contact me well in advance of your appointment if you cannot make it.

MLA-Style In-Text Citations (The Parenthetical Citation Method)

daveindenverco — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:30:32 +0000

Hey y’all. First off, please remember that there is NO CLASS THIS WEEK and that Paper 3 final drafts are due next week in class. Sorry for posting this information a few days late, but please be sure to thoroughly read and study this post, and please also be sure to make every effort to correctly cite at least FIVE outside sources (whether directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized) in your Paper 3 final drafts. Since this is a mostly informal assignment, the real challenge will be incorporating your sources without any awkwardness or other hiccups. Use transitional signal phrases that are appropriate for the tone of your paper, and puh-lease try NOT to simply plop your outside sources into your paper without any transitions whatsoever (a very common mistake). Of course, we’re not really supposed to study this material in 121, and so I won’t be grading you too harshly on it, but I do think it’s very important that you at least review this material before jumping into 122. Finally, and this is contrary to what I’ve told some of you in separate email discussions, please review the MLA in-text (or parenthetical) citation method guidelines in your Writing @ RRCC text as well, and then use the Writing @ RRCC text to formulate a Works Cited page, to be submitted on a separate, labeled page at the end of your final draft. All the various formats are in the text, so please review it carefully before emailing me at davidthorn@comcast.net should you have any questions.

MLA-style In-text Citations

Writers use in-text citations, also called parenthetical citations, to give credit to other writers for borrowed words and/or ideas. Generally referred to as parenthetical documentation, there are several important rules you must observe when using this system:

1. To integrate your sources, use direct quotes, paraphrases, or summaries. Direct quotes are self-explanatory, but they should be used only in certain situations (more on that below). When you paraphrase, you rewrite a chunk of information in your own words, but you cover the same material in the original chunk; you don’t cut anything. Summarizing, on the other hand, reduces large chunks of information, sometimes as large as books, into relatively few statements of original composition. Like paraphrases, summaries should be written in your own words, only they are much, much shorter than the originals.

2. Favor paraphrases and summaries over direct quotes. A good researcher wants to highlight his or her own ideas and writing. Direct quotes in an academic research paper, therefore, should be used only in certain situations:

When the language is especially vivid or expressive.
When exact wording is needed for technically accuracy.
When it is important to let the debaters of an issue express their points in their own words.
When words of an important authority lend weight to an argument.
When the language of a source is the topic of your discussion (as in a textual analysis).

3. When integrating your sources, use signal phrases, with correct grammar, to alert your reader that you are transitioning from your own ideas or writing and into the ideas or writing of another writer. Understand that parenthetical documentation functions as a system. Effective signal phrases open the system; in-text citations close it down. This is important, again, because a good writer wants to highlight his or her own ideas and writing. No one wants to read a paper of words and ideas just strung together from other writers. It is very important to know, however, that signal phrases are not always necessary and that they can be repetitive if not carefully crafted.

4. Place in-text citations at the end of your quote, paraphrase, or summary, but before the period that ends the last sentence. There is only one exception to this rule, the block form. If you directly quote a passage of five lines or more, indent the material, single space it (your choice), leave off the quotation marks, and put the parenthetical citation after the period ending the last sentence.

Examples:

Direct quote: According to Joe Montclair, a researcher at the FBI, “Shady foreign intelligence is less important than secure domestic security” (21).

Direct quote, block format: According to Joe Montclair, a researcher at the FBI:

Shady foreign intelligence is less important than secure domestic security. Enemies abroad are not as dangerous as enemies within our own borders. While surveillance of enemies abroad should continue, I argue that the security of our borders should be a priority in the next Congress. The US government needs to invest in technology that can identify and track hazardous materials near our borders. We also need to develop technology to identify and track hazardous people. (21)

Paraphrase: According to Joe Montclair, a researcher at the FBI, spending on domestic security is more important than investing in unreliable foreign intelligence. He believes that surveillance of enemies abroad should continue but also that security at our borders should be prioritized, especially in the technology we use to track hazardous materials and people (21).

Summary: Joe Montclair argues in his recent book that maintaining domestic security is the most important job of the US government (21-37).

As with most research, there are countless variables that may confound the simplicity of the above examples. What happens, for example, if the source you’re citing doesn’t have page numbers? What do you put in the parentheses? Or what happens if you want to quote information from a source that’s quoting information from a third source? Below are some additional rules you should know about MLA-style in-text citations.

List the title of the work (or the web address) in the parenthetical citation if no page numbers are available.
Essay and article titles receive quotation marks.
Books, films, albums, and magazine titles should be underlined or italicized.
Whatever information you provide in an in-text citation, it must be sufficient enough to direct your reader to your Works Cited page where he can see the proper Works Cited entry for the source.
Refrain from repeating an author’s name or a source’s title too often. Use a good mix of pronouns, etc., to avoid repetition. For example, after you’ve introduced Joe Montclair for the first time, you do not have to repeat his credentials. Refer to him simply as Montclair. If you do not use his name in your signal phrase at all, be sure to include it in the in-text citation, like this: According to expert testimony at the FBI, there are no known nuclear threats within US borders (Montclair 29).

Research is often difficult because there are so many variables that may arise depending on the type of information with which you’re dealing. Many more variables are covered in Part VI of Writing @ RRCC, pp. 299-353. You MUST consult this resource to get your research in perfect order (and also if you want to know how to do a quote within a quote). Research is the backbone of academics. There are many standards to which we must conform, but conform we must, especially if we intend to avoid plagiarism. Don’t forget that you can also walk in to the Writing Center with your draft and ask a tutor to check your in-text citations and review, with you, your works cited entries. This is a good idea, but don’t wait until the day before your draft is due to visit the Writing Center. Finally, if you’ve read this post down to this last sentence, I know you don’t need it, but I’ll say it anyway: good luck!

Paper 3 – The Elements

daveindenverco — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:16:57 +0000

Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire… They are the oldest and most common “elements” on earth, and we simply wouldn’t (and couldn’t) exist without any one of them. Your assignment for our third major paper is to explore any single ONE of these elements in as much depth as possible, discussing your element’s role on earth (in nature and in society) in the past, present, and future. How has our understanding of your chosen element changed over the course of time, and what role will it play in the future, especially with regard to renewable energy?

Please understand that this is an intentionally open-ended assignment. Your challenge, therefore, is to carefully select what interesting and engaging information to discuss, and, just as importantly, how to organize it all. In other words, there are countless things you could write about fire. So, what do you say? Where do you begin? How do you find interesting statistics and facts about fire? How do you correctly cite them without plagiarizing? How do you narrow down the information? What do you focus on? Needless to say, only a sincere “process” effort will successfully help you through this assignment, and it will be very obvious if a student does not make such an effort. Outlines (pre and post) and lists will prove especially helpful in organizing your information, as will multiple drafts spread out over the next two weeks.

IMPORTANTLY, there will be no rubric for this paper. Your final grade will be determined simply by how well you use your own personal process (the development of which has been our primary focus all throughout this past semester) and how well you make substantial changes between drafts. Obviously, I’ll need to see evidence of all this work in order to evaluate your final submissions, so please keep careful track of all drafts, notes, brainstorms, etc., and submit them with your final draft. IMPORTANTLY, failure to show evidence of your process work will result in an “F” on the assignment. And folks, let’s try to avoid the BS this time around. It’s more than obvious when a student hasn’t processed her writing. Not only do the last minute notes and brainstorms and print-outs look completely contrived, but the final writing is clearly not as good as it could have been, because it’s not final; it’s rough, and it’s very obvious from my perspective. Finally, keep in mind that my expectations of your work are naturally higher now at the end of the semester than at the beginning, so please take this assignment very seriously, and, as always, please email me at davidthorn@comcast.net if you have any questions or would like to brainstorm together. So finish strong! Go out with a bang! And good luck!

RESEARCH REQUIREMENT:As preparation for ENG 122, you are required to cite at least 5 outside sources in this paper, using correct research mechanics and parenthetical citation techniques, which we’ll briefly review in class on 4/23 (though they are in your Writing @ RRCC text as well).

LENGTH: 4-6 pages (not a single word less than 4 FULL pages, and not a single word more than 8 pages)

DUE: In-class 5/7

Class 13

daveindenverco — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:37:37 +0000

6:00 – 6:30 Discuss Thoreau and other readings

6:30 – 7:00 Watch “Energy for a Developing World”

7:00 – 7:30 Rotating Blog Assignment (group brainstorm) on Sun/Solar/Fire

7:30 – 7:40 BREAK

7:40 – 8:30 BA10: Spend some time reading online about WATER (google it; check out wikipedia.org, etc.) and then compose 3-5 paragraphs outlining anything and everything you can about WATER, from humanity’s earliest understanding of it, to our present, to the future. Take your time, and have fun with this. You’ll have the option of expanding it for your final major paper.

8:30 – 8:45 Discuss Paper 3 and return Paper 2

HW:

Read WHITE pp. 728-734
Read DILLARD pp. 207-212
Brainstorm, draft, compose, write, revise, rewrite, and proof Paper 3

NOTE:

Remember, we’re not meeting next week, so Paper 3 will be due the following week, our last official class meeting. You’re completely on your own for this one, but I urge you to use the process, write in stages, and do your best!

Class 12

daveindenverco — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:23:36 +0000

6:00 – 6:10 “Quiz”

6:10 – 6:30 Review Marx & Engels and discuss BA8

6:30 - 7:00 Review Plato

7:oo - 7:30 Discuss Emerson, Thoreau, Twain, Woolf, and Doyle

7:30 – 7:40 BREAK

7:45 – 8:45 View E-squared documentaries “Harvesting the Wind” and “Energy for a Developing World”

HW:

BA9: Spend some time reading online about WIND (google it; check out wikipedia.org, etc.) and then compose 4-7 paragraphs outlining anything and everything you can about WIND, from humanity’s earliest understanding of it, to our present, to the future. Take your time, and have fun with this. You’ll have the option of expanding it for your final major paper.
Read CHIEF SEATTLE pp. 618-621
Read DONNE pp. 213-215
Read MOMADAY pp. 503-509
Read LOPEZ pp. 446-456

NOTE:

Needless to say, the end of the semester is nearly upon us, so please don’t let it fizzle away, in this class or any other. End with determination; go out with a bang! In other words, please continue to put serious effort into both your reading and writing assignments. Write early and often! Write in chunks! Read in chunks! And reread and rewrite as often as you can. After all, if there’s one single thing that I’d like students to take away from this class, it’s this: good writing is rereading and rewriting… So good luck, and please don’t forget to email me at davidthorn@comcast.net if you have any questions or suggestions.

BA8 Update

daveindenverco — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:51:04 +0000

Hey y’all! For BA8, please try to compose a MINIMUM of 3 paragraphs, one in response to each question, plus one or more of your own design, either continuing from a previous paragraph, or branching into a new topic. Perhaps, for example, you want to explore the strengths and positive attributes of competition. Whatever you decide, I know it’s a challenging assignment, but it’s a very relevant one as well. You need merely to search the Internet for blog and news sites covering economics. Rereading Marx will give you additional insight as well. As a small brainstorm, I’m curious to know if anyone has any ideas about why, at this point in history, we are experiencingg a GLOBAL economic crisis. Good luck on the assignment, and enjoy the readings, and please remember to email me at davidthorn@comcast.net (as opposed to contacting me through this site) if you have any questions or suggestions.

Class 11

daveindenverco — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:48:37 +0000

6:00 – 6:45 Grammar Post-Test and grade

6:45 – 7:30 Read and discuss Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”

7:30 – 7:45 BREAK

7:45 – 8:00 Discuss and apply Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection

8:00 – 8:15 Discuss Marx & Engel’s “Communist Manifesto”

What is communism?
What is capitalism?
What is socialism?

8:15 – 8:45 Begin BA8: What are the specific dangers of unregulated free market capitalism? Use as many examples from the current global economic crisis as you see fit. Second, what role, if any, DO YOU THINK the government should have in preventing the collapse of certain so-called “free” markets?

HW:

Read EMERSON pp. 257-260
Read THOREAU pp. 702-708
Read TWAIN pp. 718-720
Read WOOLF pp. 745-748
Read DOYLE pp. 223-226
Finish BA8

NOTE:

There will be no class on 4/30; please mark your calendars.

Back on Track

daveindenverco — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:48:16 +0000

Hey y’all. So I’m hoping this rather extended respite from our weekly routine will give us (myself included) all the energy and motivation we need to power through the rest of the semester (and learn a little more, to boot). This is just a friendly reminder that your Paper 2 Final Drafts are due first thing in class this week. The submission instructions are below, so there should be absolutely no hang-ups in this process.

IMPORTANT:Don’t forget to study and review the four grammar issues we investigated over the course of this past unit. We’re still taking the “post-test” this week, and if you remember the “pre-test” at all, you know it won’t be easy. In addition to studying for the test, please also be sure to read PLATO, DARWIN, and MARX & ENGELS from our anthology. Thursday’s class will no doubt be a dense one, but we’ll certainly have some fun with this material before moving onto our unit on nature. To that end, I should have this third and final unit planned and outlined on the syllabus by this week’s class. Please email me at davidthorn@comcast.net if you have any questions or suggestions. See you Thursday!