December 4, 2004
Final Portfolio Guidelines now available
November 22, 2004
In class today we will discuss requirements for the Visual Argument Project Proposal, which is due on Monday, November 29, the day we return from Thanksgiving break.
Please remember that conferences are cancelled this Tuesday, November 23, and project team conferences will begin on Tuesday, November 30.
Visual Argument Project Proposal
Project Team Conference Schedule
November 15, 2004
Ok. Getting back on track. Remember that Wednesday, November 17 is a quote day, so be sure to send me a quote by 10 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16.
I've also finalized the assignment guidelines for Project Four, so check them out. There are a lot of components to this final project, so it's important that you're in class and paying attention so you don't miss relevant information.
We'll be talking about this more in class on Tuesday, and we'll also decide groups so you can start working on your invention strategies. I've also updated the course syllabus for the rest of the semester, so you'll have an idea of the plan.
October 27, 2004
Today we're going to use the photographs you took in class on Monday to make some visual posters that should be in a genre you're familiar with. Successories. We'll use the links below to analyze the genre and develop a plan for what to do.
October 13, 2004
Ok. We've got a change of plans. The first draft of your paper will be due a week from today, Wednesday, October 20. People have been saying some interesting things on the blog about feminism, so I thought we'd talk about that in class of Thursday.
That means that on Monday of next week (October 18), we'll talk about drafting plans for Project 2, and your first draft will be due at the beginning of class on Wednesday. Sound like a plan?
October 6, 2004
I've posted a detailed description of Project Two here. Check it out. Your typed paper proposal will be due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, October 13.
September 30, 2004
Just a reminder about the two announcements I made in class today:
1) Before Sunday at 5 p.m., please send me a quote from some source that you find meaningful and effective for some particular reason. It can come from a book, a poem, a song, whatever. Just send me something that you think represents good writing, and we'll discuss it in class on Monday.
2) Extra Credit Opportunity: The presidential debates are tonight. Watch them, and write a short response explaining how one of the candidates used ethos, pathos, logos, or delivery to engage with his audience. Type it up, print it out, bring it to class on Monday, and you've got yourself 5 points.
September 29, 2004
Just a reminder that I've scratched the post-conference reflection form from your responsibilities for the class. It seemed like it was more hassle than it was worth for all involved. I'd still like you to complete a pre-conference worksheet and bring it with you to conferences, but there is no need to do the post-conference form anymore.
September 27, 2004
This week we'll be revisiting our discussions of rhetorical theory, this time using documents that were written specifically to advocate for some sort of change, including readings from Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and some feminists. Very interesting reading...
September 23, 2004
I promised a writing assignment after watching The Weather Underground, and I know you've been anxiously waiting to know what it is. (Right.) Anyway, here's what I'd like you to do for class on Monday:
1) Explain, from your point of view, what beliefs the Weathermen held about the U.S., the world, and their role as citizens of both.
2) Examine those beliefs, and make an argument (with support from the movie or from your own knowledge) that those beliefs were either justified or unjustified.
3) Finally, consider whether the Weathermen's actions and methods of protest were an appropriate and/or effective means to express their ideas to the U.S. government and its citizens.
Be sure to bring a copy of this assignment with you to class on Monday. It should be typed and printed and ready to turn in at the beginning of class. (No exceptions...no running out to print, either!)
This short writing assignment is worth 20 points, so please spend some time thinking and writing about the film.
September 15, 2004
A couple of announcements:
First, a reminder that your first drafts of project one are due on Monday, September 20. Make sure you bring two copies of a completed draft, whatever form it takes. One of the copies will be for peer review, the others will be for me to read and respond to. So don't forget. Two copies.
Second. I've changed my office hours to Monday and Tuesday from 10:30 to 11:30. If those times don't work for you and you need to see me in addition to your conference time, please let me know and we can figure out another time.
September 13, 2004
Only one more strategy to go! Today you'll consider who makes up your audience for this assignment, and you'll also think about what the best medium is for communicating with this audience. Click here for an electronic copy of this strategy.
Get ready for Wednesday, too, because it will be a work/drafting day in the computer lab. And remember, your first draft for Project One is due Monday, September 20.
September 8, 2004
We'll continue to work on our invention strategies today in class. Our focus will be the Three Perspectives exercise, which you can download and complete online.
For Thursday: Bring your first two completed exercises--Questioning Strategies and Three Perspectives. It's okay if they're not completely finished. Just do your best and bring what you have.
September 1, 2004
We're first going to talk about the readings for today, and then we'll start the invention strategies for Project One. You can find the questioning strategies document here, which will be the basis of the work that we do today.
August 30, 2004
This week we're going to talk more about personal change narratives, and you'll do a lot of thinking about changes that you've gone through that you might be able to write about for the first project. We're also going to start working on the invention strategies we talked about last week, so get set for that.
And a clarification on the post-conference reflection forms. On the bottom of the page it says that you should e-mail me a copy of your completed reflection form one class day after your conference. I didn't mention it during conferences, but I would like you to do that starting this week. (This is different from what I told you Monday, Russell. Sorry for the mixup!)
August 26, 2004 Course Assignments
In class today I handed out brief description of each of the projects you will complete for English 106. To get a copy of it, click here.
August 23, 2004 Welcome to English 106
You've found your way to the course web site, which will be the hub of information for our class. The daily log will keep you posted on what's going on each day in class. By using the links above, you can also find important information about your assignments, conference schedule, and the course policies. We've also got links to resources you'll be using a lot in this class--Purdue's librararies and the Purdue Writing Lab.
So what's in store this week?
Lots of information. On Monday we'll review the course policies and spend a little time getting to know each other. You'll also do your first writing assignment in class. But it's impromptu and ungraded; nothing to get worried about!
On Wednesday, August 25, we'll meet in the class computer lab, WTHR 214, where we'll go over introductory technology information, and you'll get your first peek at the course e-book, too.
Thursday will be a discussion about our expectations about the class, how it will be different from other English classes you've taken, and how people who study composition talk about it. This should give you a good sense about what it is we talk about when we talk about composition.
On either Tuesday and Friday, you'll meet for your assigned conferences. Check out the conference schedule to see when you should arrive.