Blog Prompt for THURSDAY

Hello alls,

You have a blog post due THURSDAY AT MIDNIGHT (even though we will have no official class on that day because of conferences).  Your assignment is to analyze a piece of rhetoric (it can be whatever you want--a TV show, a speech, an article, a blog post, even the article you analyzed for your RA, whatever) and then attempt to make an OUTLINE of the piece--the intro, the main points, the conclusion, whether there are pathetic appeals, counterarguments, etc.  Good outlining!

And you DO have to comment this week!

-cbh

IP conference schedule

Hello class,

Here's the schedule for IP con fences with me, this Wednesday and Thursday in 3004 JKB (same place as always).

Wednesday:
11:00 Ashlyn
11:15 Sidney
11:30 Abby
11:45 Liz
12:00 Madi
12:15 Molly
12:30 Sara
12:45 Taylor
1:00
1:15
1:30 Connor

Thursday:
9:00 Candace
9:15 Kim
9:30 Megan B
9:45 Nick
10:00 Meghan S
10:15 Andrew
10:30 Natalie
10:45 Kendall

This of course means that there will be no official class on Thursday--just conferences. Also, remember that Friday is a Research/Writing day--it will be IN THE LIBRARY, 2232 (the same room we've been meeting in).

Also, Punctuation 5 will be due on Friday, so be sure to bring the to class (Claire and Sydney--I gave Ashlyn new copies of the exercise, so be sure to get them from her and complete them before Friday).

As always, if one of those times doesn't work for you, email me and we'll set something up.

Penguin Handbooks

Hello class,

It is important that you bring your Penguin Handbooks to class tomorrow.  Please do so.  Thanks.

-cbh

5 Background Sources

Hello alls,

As you should be aware, you have an assignment due by midnight tomorrow--5 background sources.  While I think the syllabus says to email them to me, please post them to your blog instead (it makes things much easier).  Repeat:  do not email the 5 background sources to me--instead, post them on your blog (if you've already emailed them to me, which some of you have, that is fine, but I would like you to post it to your blog as well).

However, you are not required to comment on these posts.  And, since no other posts were assigned this week, you are not required to comment at all on any blogs this week (so this is a week off from commenting, as it were).

Now, about the sources.  I don't want anything fancy--not even MLA format in this case.  Just give me the name of the article/entry/whatever, along with the name of the author (if there is one), and the URL (if there is one).  Thats really all I'm looking for.  No summary, no analysis, just the source itself.

And I'm looking for BACKGROUND sources here--which means you probably won't cite them explicitly in your paper.  Background sources are more for broadening your knowledge of the topic you are researching in preparation for writing.  Examples of background sources include nearly everything Rita showed you on Friday in the library, as well as encyclopedia entries, and even Wikipedia (that said, I don't want ALL your background sources to be Wikipedia articles--I'll accept a maximum of two Wikipedia entries, the others have to be from other places).  The idea behind background research is, in addition to broadening your knowledge of the topic, to also point you in the direction of more specific and/or useful and/or credible sources--as was mentioned on Friday, the bibliographies of these articles are usually great places to find real sources to use (including Wikipedia entries--they usually have fairly credible bibliographies).

So--that's the idea.  5 background sources, posted to your blog by midnight tomorrow (Thursday).  No summary, no fluff, just the sources themselves.

Happy Information Hunting!

-cbh

IP Group Topic Conferences and Blog Prompt

Hello class,

Here is the schedule for Group Topic Conferences.  Remember, we will NOT be having class on Tuesday (instead I will be meeting with those who signed up for those slots).  Also note that while the Tuesday conferences are IN OUR REGULAR CLASSROOM, the Wednesday conferences are IN (OR NEAR) MY OFFICE.

Tuesday 8 March:

10:00  Nick, Taylor, Madi
10:15  Meghan S., Michelle, Candace
10:30  Natalie, Kendall, Megan B.


Wednesday 9 March:

11:00  Ashlyn, Sydney
11:15  Abby, Kimberly
11:30  Liz, Molly, Sara


For those of you who weren't able to sign up for a time, or who couldn't meet me at any of the specified times, please email me and we'll work something out.  I would prefer to meet with all of you at once, to retain to "collaborative" feel of the conference.

Also, remember your blog post due TOMORROW at NOON.  This post should simply be a tentative thesis for your Issues Paper (you may use the thesis generator we used in class on Thursday--you can find that under Course Materials on Blackboard).  I just want to get a gist of where each of you are going in your research.

Have a great weekend!  Good luck researching, and I'll see you all next week.  Let me know if you have any questions, as always.

-cbh

Blog Prompt: Issues Paper Invention

Hello alls,

So I know I'm posting this rather late (technically you have 10 minutes to get your blog post up...sorry!), and it looks like most of you have already posted yours, but here is the prompt anyway just in case you were wondering/had forgotten/whatever:

Write, essentially, a brainstorm post on a potential topic (or potential topics, plural) for your Issues Paper, relating them in some useful/meaningful way to globalization.  You can do this in whatever way works best for you--webbing, brainstorming, freewriting, lists, whatever.  Good luck with invention, and I'll see you all on Thursday (where, incidentally, we'll talk more about invention...!).

-cbh

Blog Prompt: RA Reflection

Hello class,

Just a reminder:  Rhetorical Analysis due on TUESDAY, hard copy, stapled, with rubric from Supplemental Guide attached.  Also, feel free to go to the writing center anytime between now and when it is due for some extra help on your paper AND 10 points of extra credit (redeemable once only for the RA, of course).

Also:  Blog post due tomorrow at NOON.  This should be a reflection on the RA process.  How did it go? Good/bad?  What worked well, what didn't?  More or less difficult than the OpEd?  What could you have done better?  What could I have done better, or the department, or whatever?  What would you change about it?  And so forth.

Word.  Keep it real this weekend and I'll see you all on Tuesday!

-cbh

Peer Review for RA

Hello class,

As you know, we'll be conducting a peer review class on Thursday.  Your presence is REQUIRED--it is absolutely essential that you attend class on peer review day.  You should all have received an email from me outlining the instructions, but just to reiterate, here they are again:

1)  Read the rubric for the RA before you start to read your classmates' essays.  This will be helpful in looking for the more GLOBAL issues, which are all illuminated in the rubric. (However, please do NOT give your classmates a "grade" of any sort.)

2)  You will be giving a marked-up version of each of your classmates' RAs back to them--you can either print this out, write on it, and give it back to them by hand, or use the "track changes" and "comments" features of Microsoft Word and email it back to them.  Either way, all of you should receive a marked-up copy of your manuscript back from each one of your classmates in your group.  Ergo, be sure to take notes of what you think of you classmates' RAs as you read them.

2)  When looking at your classmates' RAs, first look for things they do WELL.  Come up with a list of them.  Be sure to write them down so you can remember to mention them during the workshop.

3)  Answer the question of "If this were your paper, what changes would you make?"  Be as specific as possible.

4)  Point out any other global issues that you think the author might want to be aware of (again, if you are wondering what issues to look for, refer to the RA rubric).

5)  You want to be helpful to your classmates, but you want to be kind as well.  Hopefully they will do the same for you.

6)  If you have any questions about the review process, or if any of the attachments don't work, please email me.  I'll be glad to clarify anything!  I know this will probably take a lot of you out of your comfort zone, but that's okay, guys--it can definitely be worth it!  (And, like punctuation, it builds character!)

Happy Peer Reviewing, and I'll see you all on Thursday.

-cbh

Blog Prompt: Diction, Tone, and Figurative Language

Hello class,

Your blog prompt for this week, due this Saturday (tomorrow) at noon, is to look through the article you are analyzing for your rhetorical analysis and find ways the author uses diction, tone, and figurative language (and, of course, how those decisions affect the reader).  You may list a number of examples or focus on one or two.

Also, we will be peer-reviewing this coming Thursday.  We will be doing this in groups, probably of 4-5.  I will send out an email this weekend letting each of you know whose papers you will be reviewing, and with specific instructions as to how the peer review will be run.

Have a great three-day weekend!

-cbh

RA Conference Times

Hello class,

As you know, you should have turned in a first draft of your RA (Rhetorical Analysis) to me by midnight on Friday, and I'll be conferencing with you about said drafts over the next two days (and, consequently, there will be no class tomorrow).  Here are the conference times I have scheduled so far:

Tuesday 15 Feb:

10:00  Madi
10:10  Molly
10:20  Abby
10:30  Andrew
10:40  Meghan S.
10:50  Nick

12:00  Kendall
12:10
12:20
12:30
12:40
12:50
1:00  Connor
1:10  Natalie
1:20  Candace

Wednesday 16 Feb:


9:30
9:40  Taylor
9:50  Michelle
10:00
10:10
10:20
10:30
10:40
10:50  Sara
11:00  Ashlyn
11:10  Sidney
11:20  Megan B.
11:30  Kimberly
11:40  Liz
11:50

So, there you have it.  Same drill as before:  if you haven't signed up for a time, yet, or if none of the scheduled or remaining times work for you, send me an email or reply to this post and we'll work something out.  I also should have your OpEds for you to pick up at your conference (and I should be getting your scores up on Blackboard either later tonight or sometime tomorrow).

Enjoy your (partial) day off!  I'll see you at conferences...

-cbh

P.S.  HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Schedule Changes

Hey alls,

As requested, here are the schedule changes for the following week or so:

F 11 Feb - RA Grading (Bring SG)

T 15 Feb - Conferences with me (no regular class)

Th 17 Feb - Rhetorical Fallacies (review WR ch. 4)

F 18 Feb - The Power of the Word (read WR 85-103; RA Polished Draft due)

Also, there is no official blog post for this week.  As always, you can post one about anything whenever you want, but there is no prompt on which you will be graded for this week.  Good luck with your RA first drafts!

-cbh

OpEd Blog Post

Hello class,

Sorry this is late in the posting--I know some of you have already posted and that is fine, but here is the official prompt in case you were wondering:

Write a blog post reflecting on the OpEd process.  How did it go?  What went well?  What didn't go well?  How do you think it could have gone better?  What could you/I have done differently to make it easier?  How did this compare to other papers you've written?  And so forth . . .

And remember, this post is due at NOON tomorrow (Saturday).  Good luck!

-cbh

Blog Prompt for Tonight!

Hello alls,

Great peer review today--I think it went well enough, at least!  Now, for your blog post tonight:

What are your first impressions of the peer review process?  Was it useful to you?  If so, how?  In what ways do you think it could be better?

That's it!  Don't forget your reading for Thursday, (from all three books!).

-cbh