Cause and Effect Essay

Choose from any of the writing prompts on page 380 of your text and explore the ideas in a cause and effect essay. I recommend questions 4 or 6, as they can be accomplished without extensive reseach and rely on information you should be able to supply with observation and your own experience.

Please keep in mind the advice on page 328 about developing a thesis specific for cause and effect essays.

4- How do you account for the popularity of one of the following: email, blogs, hip-hop, video games, home schooling, reality TV, fast food, or sensationalist tabloids. Write an esay considering remote as well as immediate causes for the success of the phenomenon you choose.

6-Write an essay tracing a series of events in your life that constitutes a causal chain. Indicate clearly both the sequence of events and the causal connections among them, and be careful not to confuse coincidence with causality.
 
Due Sunday night at midnight via email attachment (WORD DOCS ONLY please).

The "Black Table" Is Still There

Please answer the following in fully explained responses:

1. What is Graham's thesis?
2. Are Graham's observations and experiences enough to substantiate his thesis? Explain.
3. How does the personal background information Graham gives in paragraphs 2 and 12 affect your perception of the essay and about the author himself?
4. What is Graham's purpose in writing the essay?
5. Graham asks rhetorical questions throughout his essay-- identify one of them and then explain his intention in asking them (i.e.- the effect or consideration it's meant to cause for the reader).
6. How does the use of first person affect your perception of the essay? Is it an effective choice? 
7. Do you see this matter as being relevant today? Please provide an example and illustration to substantiate your opinion. (Note: this may be in regard to any group of people, not necessarily Blacks.)

Down and Out in Discount America

1. What are Featherstone's most compelling arguments against Wal-Mart? 
2. What do Wal-Mart shoppers and employees have in common? What, according to Featherstone, is the "tremendous debt Wal-Mart owes women?
3. According to the author, why will boycotting Wal-Mart not work? What punitive strategy should be used instead?
4. What is Featherstone's purpose in writing this essay? 
5. Does Featherstone anticipate her audience to be friendly, hostile or neutral? What evidence in the text is there to support your opinion?
6. What is Featherstone's thesis? Is it stated or implied?

Argument Essay

Please choose from any of the following writing assignments for your essay using the rhetorical form of argument:

• Should high school students be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each school day?
• Should college students be required to perform community service?
• Should public school teachers be required to pass periodic competency tests?
• Should the legal drinking age be raised or lowered?
• Should states be required to educate the children of illegal immigrants?

If you feel strongly about another topic, you are encouraged to pursue it with my approval. 

Essay should be a minimum of 5-7 full paragraphs and should acknowledge at least one opposing argument and supply factual evidence when appropriate. Due this Saturday, December 4 at midnight via email. Mail as Word attachments ONLY please, as I will not be able to open other types of files.

Assignment Schedule

December 1

Argument/Cause and Effect
• “The Case of Wall-Mart”-- Coster/Edmonds*
• “Down and Out in Discount America”—Lisa Featherstone*

The Rhetorical Form of Cause and Effect

• Introduction—pg. 327-341

Argument Essay due Saturday Dec 4 via email attachment- WORD DOC ONLY~
Please choose from any of the assignments found in question 10 on page 704.

December 8

Final Exam 

“The ‘Black Table’ is Still There”—Lawrence Graham*

Cause/Effect Essay Due Saturday Dec 10 via email attachment- WORD DOC ONLY~

December 15
Short class-- Exam results disclosed

Announcement: No class Weds, November 24

Hi All,

I decided to cancel class on November 24 to give us all a little break before the holidays. Please check back in a few days for updated assignment schedules and info about the exit exam, and be sure to have any outstanding work in to me by our next class meeting.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

AF

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

This important work of literature is typically studied in light of history and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. However, it underscores the idea that mastering reading, writing and discourse is not a study in isolation, but is a means to convey the ideas and sentiments that are essential to our existence and co-existence as human beings.


Please consider the following questions about King's letter thoughtfully, fully and in regard to an argumentation essay in a minimum of one full paragraph each:

1. Why does King establish his setting (the Birmingham Jail) and define his intended audience in the first paragraph? How does this information impact the reader and his subsequent words?
2.  King begins his letter with a reference to his audience as "men of genuine good will" (1), yet later criticizes those same men. Is this phrase meant in irony? What is his intention in using it, and what effect does it have on you as the reader, and further, what effect might it have on you if you were one of the "men of good will" it refers to?
3. Who is King's intended audience? What evidence do you have of this, both within the text and without?
4. What is King's thesis? Is it directly stated or implied?
5. In argumentation, it's common-- and effective-- to acknowledge the opposing argument and the proceed to discredit it. Where does King do this? Is it effective and why?
6. King cites philosophers from Jewish, Catholic and Protestant religions. He also relies heavily on appeals to authorities such as Augustine, Aquinas, Buber, Tillich, etc. Why does he make both of these choices and how do these strategies work in his argument?
7. King is known for his eloquence and resonant oration-- this is also apparent in his written works. Select one quote you found moving or meaningful and analyze it. 

Updated Assignments List for Nov 17

The Rhetorical Form of Argumentation—Part 1
• Introduction—pg. 555-580
Blogged discussion: “Letter form a Birmingham Jail”—Martin Luther King
pg. 589-601 (no journal due)
Practice Proficiency Exam 2

Process essay draft 2 due

The Embalming of Mr. Jones

The Embalming of Mr. Jones (1963) offers much in the way of analysis of semantics and style. Please consider the following questions fully and answer in a minimum of 6 sentences per post, not including the question you're responding to:

1. What is Mitford's thesis? Does Mitford expect her readers to agree with her viewpoint? Provide textual evidence to support this and analyze that evidence.
2. What is Mitford's tone (the feeling of the piece)? What effect does that tone have on you as the reader? How does it affect your regard for her ideas?
3. How does her choice of framing her ideas as a process essay impact your perception of her ideas? Was it effective? Why?
4. Pick out one quote that was significant to you. Explain it and why it was significant.
5. What biases did you have, for or against the subject, while reading this text? When did you become aware of it and did it hinder your evaluating the text in an objective way?
6. What ideas were you unfamiliar with from the text and how did you approach that information?
7. Pose one question you have about the text. Then, attempt to answer someone else's question.
8. Respond to one other student's post by either adding to it or politely refuting their ideas.

Assignment Update for November 10

• 1st draft of process essay due by email.  (Prompt: Using process analysis, describe something you do regularly)
• For Blogged discussion: The Embalming of Mr. Jones (No journal)
• For class discussion: Get it Right, Privatize Executions (Journal)

My First Conk

Please answer each question with a minimum of 6 sentence paragraphs per post.

1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published in 1964, when many African Americans regularly straightened their hair. Is the thesis of this excerpt still relevant today? 
2. Why do you think Malcolm X includes so many references to pain and discomfort throughout the text? Do modern techniques for straightening, which can be much less painful and damaging, change the message he is trying to get across? Explain.
3. Discuss Malcolm X's choice of telling his story via a process essay. Is it an effective technique? Might another form have been more effective?
4. What behaviors can you identify from your own group (women/men/ethnic, etc.) that you feel is destructive to their identities as members of this group. Why do people continue to engage in it?
5. Comment on another classmate's post to either add to his ideas or intelligently (and politely) refute his logic.  

Process Essay

Hi All,

We didn't go over the process essay, so I will be backlogging the 1st draft of this essay until next week. We will cover this and the prompt tomorrow. I will adust the schedule.

AF

Power Point Presentations: Crafting a Thesis & The Basic 5 Paragraph Essay

Please pre-view these slideshows on The Basic 5-Paragraph Essay & Moving from Topic to Thesis.

(Select "view" to run the program)

Why Marriage is Good for You

Please respond to the following questions in a minimum of one paragraph (six sentences) each:

1. Does Gallagher make a sound case for marriage? Explain why/why not.
2. Gallagher discusses only traditional, heterosexual marriage. What effect might including civil unions or gay marriages have on the essay? Would it have shifted it's focus or strengthened/weakened her essay?
3. What objection does Gallagher have to framing her argument in "exclusively moral, spiritual, and emotional" terms (2)?
4. Why does Gallagher think she has to defend marriage? What preconceptions about marriage does she assume her readers have?
5. What do you believe is the strongest argument that Gallagher makes in her essay? Explain.
6. Respond to at least one of your peers' posts by posing thoughts for further consideration or contributing to their analysis.

Fatwa City

1. How does presenting the definition and the use of the word "fatwa" impact your thinking about Murphy's examples? What imagery is it mean to evoke?
2. What areas of life are being focused on, according to Murphy, by people who want to legislate morality?
3. What is the "creeping moralism" that Murphy refers to in paragraph 5? What is his opinion of it? How do you know? 
4. Select a portion of text with details that strike you as intriguing and analyze why it is effective and what impact it has on you as the reader. 
5. Respond to the content of one other classmate's post-- what can you add or contribute to their analysis? 

Ground Zero

Please respond to each question in a full paragraph and to two of your peer's comments for a total of 6 posts. Please also post each question as you answer them.

1. Explore the statement that Berne's makes that ''nothing' becomes something much more potent, which is absence." (3) 
2. How does Berne stating that this was her first time to Ground Zero/The Financial District affect you as a reader? As a NYC area resident? 
3. Select a portion of text with visual details that strikes you as intriguing and analyze why it is effective and what impact it has on you as the reader. 
4. Compare your experience of visiting Ground Zero or your view as someone who has first-hand experience with the 9/11 tragedy with the author's. Does having this first hand experience influence your reading of the text? 

Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call Police

Please respond to each of the following questions in 4-6 sentences per response. Then, respond specifically to at least  one of your peers' answers for a total of 6 posts. Remember to explain your answers fully and provide evidence when appropriate.

1. Gansburg's article first appeared in 1964-- how do you think the article, and the events it describes, would be received by readers if it were published today? Explain your rationale.
2. How would you explain the witnesses' abstention from action in calling the police, based on the evidence in the text and your understanding of human behavior? 
3. What is Gansburg's purpose in writing the piece and who is his audience? Is he writing towards a bias or opinion? Provide textual evidence.
4. What was your initial reaction to the text? What caused that reaction and how did the author's writing technique influence your feelings about the text. 
5. What effect do the descriptions and dialogue have on the overall message the text delivers?  Are there any words, phrases, ideas that stood out to you while reading the text? Explore why they had an impact.

Introduce yourself

Next class we're going to jump right into our discussions-- both online and in our seminar. To make sure you get off to a good start, begin by posting an introductory paragraph about yourself. This should be about 4-6 sentences. 


Don't worry, we'll get to know each other a little better later on in the afternoon. This is just to make sure that you've gotten an account and understand the basics of posting online. As always, be sure to read the directions and welcome before you begin.


AF

Welcome

Welcome 

Dear students:
Welcome to Spring 2010. We will be using our blog as a forum for written communication and as resource for course-related information. You will find information such as a general outline of what is taking place in class/what will be due in the upcoming weeks, PDFs and links of select handouts and extra materials of interest to you, as well as the course syllabus should you lose it. Please check this site frequently, as it is updated regularly. 

I recommend the following:A Gmail account to make it easier for you to interact with and sign on to our blog, which is powered by Google. That you save your log in and password somewhere accessible so you are not delayed when assignments are given if you forget your information. That you "follow" the blog. It will make it easier for you to find the link.That you write the web address accurately in your notebook for use at home. (Note: http:// without the "www") That you copy, cut and paste information from Word into the comment field of our blog just in case there is a problem. (Students have sometimes run into glitches and lost their carefully thought out responses. Don't let this happen to you!) That you read your comments for coherence, spelling and logic, making sure it applies to the questions asked. 


In addition, you may wish to sign up for a Twitter account and add me to your followers. You will be able to get Tweets from me that may give you more frequent updates and send me tweets to stay in contact with me to ask for help or give feedback. My Twitter SN is AferranteHCCC. You can see Twitter updates on the left hand side of the blog and the link will bring you directly to my page.

Wishing all you a successful semester,
Angela Ferrante

Read These Directions First: Online discourse and discussion

Read These Directions First! Online Discourse & Blogging 

So here is how this will work: I will get the online discussion started by positing a consideration, offering an opinion, or posing a set of questions based on an article.

Each of you will not only respond to me first, but to at least three students after your first comment. We'll keep the language professional and academic, as is the case for your homework and in-class assignments. As for a minimum response, let's begin with an "oversized" paragraph of 5-7 sentences per response per individual.
Be sure you are answering the question fully and completely.

Remember to:Proofread your work before you hit that "Publish" button.Create at the appropriate number comments (each between 5-7 sentences)—to me and to your peers.Keep the language professional, academic, and on-point.Sign your full name at the bottom of each response you make.Comment within the appropriate post.


*Tip- you may find it helpful to work in Word so that you can spell check your response and as a precautionary measure against losing your response should something "happen" during the publishing process.

Reminders:


Do not use IM language (e.g., ";-)," "u r kewl," "lol," "brb," etc.)--this is a college-level discussion, not a private conversation. Do not use slang--again, this is a college environment where people use professional and academic language. Do not state an opinion without stating why you think/feel the way you do. Do not re-phrase someone's comment or just agree with him in order to have something to say--"Think before you type" means exactly that. This is what a typical student comment should look like:


Response to Alba: So in other words you're saying that people who are not beautiful have no opportunity in life to succeed because of the way we judge them. I think that is wrong. Children are very sensitive and they can sense when adults make fun of them or treat them differently because of their look. Those children are the same people, that when the grow up, they also become ugly from inside, as a result of the way they were treated when they were child. That is still one of the biggest taboo that we have, judge someone for their look, before we even give them a chance to talk.-- Yuleina Mac Donald

Lastly, the ideas presented in your responses should be your own, or you should be adding something new to the discussion. Hopefully, this weblog will grow as your skills grow and this will also serve to put a new spin on an old "tried and true" method of collegiate discussion.

Participation on this blog counts as an assignment. Inappropriate, rude, or offensive language is unacceptable and will be removed from our blog. Three such offenses during the semester will result in questionable comments being submitted on paper to me, a NC for each offense, and could also result in failure for the course.

Comments that do not meet the minimum requirements will be deleted.