Thursday, December 3, 2009
Congratulations to all of you who completed the course! We are finished! Grades will be ready in a week. If you'd like to know your grade you can call me or ask me next week. I can drop students up to Dec. 5, 2009. All students should be proud of their accomplishments this semester. Remember, writing is a process which varies from person to person, so keep reading and writing and reflecting and you will improve in your thinking, analytical and writing skills. I know, it isn't parallel structure, but I didn't mean analyzing (smile).
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Finals
Today four students presented their essays on fiction: Erica, Nicole, Amy, and Itzel. Tuesday, Dec. 1--World AIDS Day, we will finish with Ilene and Doris. I really liked how Amy weaved her narrative into a presentation that covered the topics: graffiti, women in hip hop, DJing, and fiction. She used multimedia: projector, images of how graffiti is perceived by difference audiences, footage on Queen Latifah (the woman she profiled in her Women in Hip Hop); video footage from the concert she attended on DJing and Smashing or technological sampling vs.scratching. With notes Amy briefly surveyed the history of DJing in a couple of sentences--I saw a couple of nods from Erica and Jermaine who also presented this semester on this topic and from other students know a little something more now that the semester is over about hip hop culture and could appreciate the presenters facility with the material.
Amy's posters were also great. Itzel is the poster diva and for the past two presentation had no visuals, but Amy tried her hand at doing a tag very successfuly with her new motto: BOUNCE BACK. She also had these lovely posters of women --big women, full-sized black women whom historically not seen as beautiful have been empowered by the bold persona of a Queen Latifah.
There seemed to be a thread running through the entire presentation today and that was life is a journey and this journey is bumpy and ugly and hard, but art can make it, the ugly parts, beautiful too--though maybe only when one is on the other side.
Scars heal and injuries are sometimes preventable, especially if one lets oneself live vicariously through the personas created by artists for our consumption. But if surprised or caught off guard, we should remember that life does go on and art often is the way through which we find the space to smile again when we thought that impossible.
Nicole also weaved her personal narrative into her presentation on "The Dying Ground." It was great seeing how well she and Erica chose the same novel, yet developed such different claims. For Erica the novel was personal in that it took place where she lived as a child --the protagoinist went to her high school, and she knew people just like the fictional characters.
One of the qualities of good writing is honesty. Obviously Nichelle Tramble created honest characters, characters readers not only cared about, they believed in them.
Nicole spoke about how well the author, a woman, used a male voice. She also spoke about why she chose the book she did. She wanted to experience a life she had not lived and knew nothing about.
I didn't get a chance to ask Amy if the insertion of the author, Sister Soulja, into the narrative as a character was jarring. I thought that whole section artificial and preachy, certainly contrived, and could be taken out completely. The only good it did was give the audience background on the character Midnight, and I think this is one reason why the author did this, but there might have been a better way....Winter wasn't hearing it and for all intents and purposes it was just a digression along the path into Dante's hell.
Itzel's presentation was fun. I loved the way she talked about the protagonist and criticized the author (Omar Tyree) for his irresponsibility in creating a character so attractive she might become a role model or perhaps is a role model for gullible youngsters, girls who have no guidance. I loved it when Itzel said she was thinking about giving the book to her cousin and then when she got to the end of the book, all she wanted to do was burn it. Itzel also shared that most, if not all of Tyree's very popular books have similar themes and characters.
I agree, artists, are responsible for the life their work takes on after it leaves the printer, studio, stage, radio airwaves, concert halls, easels. Just like store owners are liable for the actions of clients they sell alcohol too if they knowingly sell alcohol to someone who is drunk, the same is true for artists. There is an ethical responsibility if not legal one.
So after Ilene and Doris wrap it up...we will work on the narratives for the portfolio and students can give each other feedback. I will show you the Revision Strategies video. I have copies of Diana Hacker's Rules for Writers you can use for material to talk about the revision process. Sometimes our work is intuitive, which means we don't know how we do what we do. However, in order to repeat a successful move, one needs to be able to articulate the process.
Bring all of your essays digitized so you can put the portfolio together as a blog or as a Word Document (per the example.) It really is as simple as it looks. If you have not been keeping a blog this semester for the class, do not create one just for the portfolio, I think it is easier to just put the work in a word doc. You will email me the portfolio by Wednesday, Dec. 2. Look for a confirmation.
Portfolio Help
I will be reading portfolios all day Wednesday, Dec. 2-Thursday, Dec. 3, 8-3 the first day, 8-12 the second. At least this is the plan, come by the lab and work if you like.
Amy's posters were also great. Itzel is the poster diva and for the past two presentation had no visuals, but Amy tried her hand at doing a tag very successfuly with her new motto: BOUNCE BACK. She also had these lovely posters of women --big women, full-sized black women whom historically not seen as beautiful have been empowered by the bold persona of a Queen Latifah.
There seemed to be a thread running through the entire presentation today and that was life is a journey and this journey is bumpy and ugly and hard, but art can make it, the ugly parts, beautiful too--though maybe only when one is on the other side.
Scars heal and injuries are sometimes preventable, especially if one lets oneself live vicariously through the personas created by artists for our consumption. But if surprised or caught off guard, we should remember that life does go on and art often is the way through which we find the space to smile again when we thought that impossible.
Nicole also weaved her personal narrative into her presentation on "The Dying Ground." It was great seeing how well she and Erica chose the same novel, yet developed such different claims. For Erica the novel was personal in that it took place where she lived as a child --the protagoinist went to her high school, and she knew people just like the fictional characters.
One of the qualities of good writing is honesty. Obviously Nichelle Tramble created honest characters, characters readers not only cared about, they believed in them.
Nicole spoke about how well the author, a woman, used a male voice. She also spoke about why she chose the book she did. She wanted to experience a life she had not lived and knew nothing about.
I didn't get a chance to ask Amy if the insertion of the author, Sister Soulja, into the narrative as a character was jarring. I thought that whole section artificial and preachy, certainly contrived, and could be taken out completely. The only good it did was give the audience background on the character Midnight, and I think this is one reason why the author did this, but there might have been a better way....Winter wasn't hearing it and for all intents and purposes it was just a digression along the path into Dante's hell.
Itzel's presentation was fun. I loved the way she talked about the protagonist and criticized the author (Omar Tyree) for his irresponsibility in creating a character so attractive she might become a role model or perhaps is a role model for gullible youngsters, girls who have no guidance. I loved it when Itzel said she was thinking about giving the book to her cousin and then when she got to the end of the book, all she wanted to do was burn it. Itzel also shared that most, if not all of Tyree's very popular books have similar themes and characters.
I agree, artists, are responsible for the life their work takes on after it leaves the printer, studio, stage, radio airwaves, concert halls, easels. Just like store owners are liable for the actions of clients they sell alcohol too if they knowingly sell alcohol to someone who is drunk, the same is true for artists. There is an ethical responsibility if not legal one.
So after Ilene and Doris wrap it up...we will work on the narratives for the portfolio and students can give each other feedback. I will show you the Revision Strategies video. I have copies of Diana Hacker's Rules for Writers you can use for material to talk about the revision process. Sometimes our work is intuitive, which means we don't know how we do what we do. However, in order to repeat a successful move, one needs to be able to articulate the process.
Bring all of your essays digitized so you can put the portfolio together as a blog or as a Word Document (per the example.) It really is as simple as it looks. If you have not been keeping a blog this semester for the class, do not create one just for the portfolio, I think it is easier to just put the work in a word doc. You will email me the portfolio by Wednesday, Dec. 2. Look for a confirmation.
Portfolio Help
I will be reading portfolios all day Wednesday, Dec. 2-Thursday, Dec. 3, 8-3 the first day, 8-12 the second. At least this is the plan, come by the lab and work if you like.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
My narratives
If you'd like me to email you my narratives on your graded essays this semester, namely, the final essays which I will put outside my office on Monday, Nov. 23, send me an email and I will forward it to you.
If any students want to meet with me after class at 3 PM Monday, Nov. 23 or at 12 noon or later, Tuesday, Nov. 24, let me know, I will be around.
If any students want to meet with me after class at 3 PM Monday, Nov. 23 or at 12 noon or later, Tuesday, Nov. 24, let me know, I will be around.
Portfolio Checklist English 1B Fall 2009
Portfolio Check-list
Major Assignments:
professorwandasposse@gmail.com
Name______________________________________________
Section___________________________________________
Mailing Address___________________________________
Phone number______________________________________
Email address _______________________
Put the grade next to the assignment. Your average is your course grade so far. Remember, your grade is based on writing passing essays – C and above. A C- is not a passing grade. Fill this out and give to me with your CD or disk on or before the day of the final completed. I will add your course grade.
The major essays are the ones based on “Total Chaos,” plus the final essay and midterm. Check this against the blog. Also check the blog for cyber-assignments. The more detailed description of the narrative essays is posted separately.
Essays:
James Baldwin on "Creativity" ______________
Felicia Pride's The Message_________________ (how many, which ones?
Cyber Assignments
How many and which ones: List freewrites separate from cyber-essays ______________
Artifacts Presentation:
Hip Hop as American Culture (include a brief narrative explaining your selection)
Class Essays
1. Women in Hip Hop with a side-bar on Hyper-Masculinity: October 1
2. The Graf or Writing Movement, October 6 essay is due for peer review, Oct. 8 presentation
3. Dance or Bi-boying, Bi-Girling, October 13/15
4. DJing, Oct. 20/22—
5. MC or Poet/Rapper Oct. 27/29, Nov. 3 presentation
6. Extra credit: Hip Hop as a Global Movement, Hip Hop Theatre, Hip Hop Spirituality (turn in by or before Nov. 12).
7. Extra Credit graded essay from another discipline this semester (with permission).
Presentations: Next to each essay you also presented respond to the following: Include the date and comments from classmates, if any. The comments should be posted on the blog. Also include your own reflection on the process, also on the blog. If you did the presentation you got at least a C.
Note: For the final presentations, Tuesday, Dec. 1, we will hopefully get through them in 60 minutes as I have a video on Revision Strategies which I think will help you on the second narrative. I also want to show students examples of portfolios. Please rehearse your presentation, each student will have no more than 10 minutes. Don't forget your abstracts. We will start on time.
Midterm: First Draft _________ Final Grade___________
Final: First Draft _____________ Final Grade __________
Be certain to include narratives for all revisions.
Portfolio Grade__________
Course Grade____________
Major Assignments:
professorwandasposse@gmail.com
Name______________________________________________
Section___________________________________________
Mailing Address___________________________________
Phone number______________________________________
Email address _______________________
Put the grade next to the assignment. Your average is your course grade so far. Remember, your grade is based on writing passing essays – C and above. A C- is not a passing grade. Fill this out and give to me with your CD or disk on or before the day of the final completed. I will add your course grade.
The major essays are the ones based on “Total Chaos,” plus the final essay and midterm. Check this against the blog. Also check the blog for cyber-assignments. The more detailed description of the narrative essays is posted separately.
Essays:
James Baldwin on "Creativity" ______________
Felicia Pride's The Message_________________ (how many, which ones?
Cyber Assignments
How many and which ones: List freewrites separate from cyber-essays ______________
Artifacts Presentation:
Hip Hop as American Culture (include a brief narrative explaining your selection)
Class Essays
1. Women in Hip Hop with a side-bar on Hyper-Masculinity: October 1
2. The Graf or Writing Movement, October 6 essay is due for peer review, Oct. 8 presentation
3. Dance or Bi-boying, Bi-Girling, October 13/15
4. DJing, Oct. 20/22—
5. MC or Poet/Rapper Oct. 27/29, Nov. 3 presentation
6. Extra credit: Hip Hop as a Global Movement, Hip Hop Theatre, Hip Hop Spirituality (turn in by or before Nov. 12).
7. Extra Credit graded essay from another discipline this semester (with permission).
Presentations: Next to each essay you also presented respond to the following: Include the date and comments from classmates, if any. The comments should be posted on the blog. Also include your own reflection on the process, also on the blog. If you did the presentation you got at least a C.
Note: For the final presentations, Tuesday, Dec. 1, we will hopefully get through them in 60 minutes as I have a video on Revision Strategies which I think will help you on the second narrative. I also want to show students examples of portfolios. Please rehearse your presentation, each student will have no more than 10 minutes. Don't forget your abstracts. We will start on time.
Midterm: First Draft _________ Final Grade___________
Final: First Draft _____________ Final Grade __________
Be certain to include narratives for all revisions.
Portfolio Grade__________
Course Grade____________
Sample Portfolio
I couldn't post the sample as a comment, so here it is.
Portfolio Table of Contents
Student Name
Course and Term
Contact information: Mailing address, phone number, email address
• Portfolio Essay #1
• Portfolio Essay #2
• President Bush’s State of the Union Address
• Byron Hurt film: Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes
• Initial Planning Sheet
• Midterm Paper
• Social Entrepreneur Essay
• Work Sited page for Social
Entrepreneur Essay
Student Name
Portfolio Essay #1
25 May, 2007
During this semester we the students of English 1a had to type a couple essays, and every time I started a new essay, I followed the writing process. Pre-writing is the first step out of four, in the writing process. When a person starts the pre-writing process they should start by thinking and talking to them self about the subject that is on hand. It always helps to think and talk out loud. After that one should do some research like go to the library and check out some books or if there is access to a computer one should go online and check some search engines. One should at least do something that helps get information on the subject. Now one should make a list of at least twenty-five ideas. From that one should take out the most important ideas and make a cluster. Now one should start to freewrite from beginning to end. One should now make an outline. An outline is kind of like a map, it helps one with the paper with out getting lost.
Drafting is the second step in the writing process. When a person enters the drafting phase of the process, that person should have an outline finished and sitting next to them on the computer. Now that a person is on the computer, they should start typing from the beginning to the end without stopping. No corrections or anything just start to finish by then it should be shitty and that is what one wants. After the shitty paper is done, one should save it and put it away for the day. This is the fastest step in the writing process and the one I like the most.
Like drafting this is also one of the fastest steps in the process. First one should start with the global/structural. Look over the paper and make sure that all the paragraphs are following the format guidelines. One should save it and put it away for twenty-four hours. This is when one should check the paragraphs to make sure that they are all indented and the right number of sentences. Now one should save it and put it away for twenty-four hours. Now it is time for sentences. All one has to do is check all the topic sentences and make sure they are short and simple. Also one should check the supporting sentences and make sure that they are on subject with the topic sentence. Once again one should save it and take a twenty-four hour brake.
Last but not least is edits the fourth part and last of the writing process. By now the paper is practically all done, except a couple of things. Now comes the time when punctuation can be added or taken away. A period here, a comma there or parenthesis there. This is where stuff like that gets changed or added. Now that the punctuation is done it is time for the grammar. One should now go through the paper again and make sure that the right words are being used and that there is no slang or stuff that a reader could not understand. Now that the punctuation and grammar is done one should spell check it. Also one should read through it with a dictionary and make sure everything is ok. Now there is one last step in edits and that is proof read the whole paper. By now the paper should be done and perfected. Practice these steps and they will make it easier.
Student Name
Portfolio Essay #2
25 May, 2007
This semester’s writing experience was one not to forget, and for all my hard work and preservation, I think I deserve a B for the semester. This semester’s English experience was not like any other, the class at times seemed to be unorganized and students were all ways unprepared, thus making this class, a non-educational experience. Our class had so much potential of being a fun and interesting learning experience, not that it wasn’t. We were reading excellent material, books such as Alice Walkers We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, and Spark Notes No Fear Shakespeare Hamlet. In addition to that we also read some great articles like The Making of a Criminal and Stephen Jay Gould’s Women’s brains. Because so many students didn’t either have their book, read the story, or plain just didn’t show up to class, it made this class almost a failure.
When our class first met in the begging of the semester, there was almost fifteen students enrolled in the class, but day by day, and week by week less students began to show up to class. I can’t lie. I my self missed more than my fare share of classes, but I always knew when to show up, or when I could miss a day without jeopardizing my self.
As students it was our responsibility to stay on top of our class work, and in the begging of the semester Mrs. Sabir told us to always check her blog, because it would be our source of what’s going on, and what is to come in our class. But when it came time to come to class on a certain day with a certain book, come to class with extra credit, or even come to class prepared for a mock trail.
When we were done reading Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, we had a mock trail to determine if Dr. Victor Frankenstein was to be held accountable for his creations actions. There were two teams, one team was the prosecutors, the other team was the defense team, and I was on the prosecutors. My team decided to gather information and evidence on things we could use against Dr. Victor Frankenstein on our own time, and not as a group: I knew that wasn’t such a great idea, but I went with it anyway. When it came time to gather all our findings and information, I was the only one to come prepared with my share of the work. Something told me the night before to not count on my class mates and to go ahead, and type out an opening argument. Thank God I did that, because no one had sufficient evidence to prosecute Dr. Frankenstein. I don’t want to come off sounding like this class was a total failure, because it wasn’t by any means.
Because students came unprepared or just plain didn’t show up, this class did not live up to it’s full potential. When a student puts his/hers hard time into something and their class mates don’t do their share, it robs that person of their education. I was not the perfect student this semester, but at least I tired to do what was expected of me, and for that I think, deserve at least a B for the semester. All in all I did enjoy this class for what it had to offer. I just wish that everyone was on the same page, because if we were, this class would have been one to remember for some time to come.
Student Name
State of the Union Response paper
24 January, 2007
With a grand introduction George W. Bush walked into the room of the white house for the seventh time to address the state and with just a few words he drew an easy pop from the crowd. Those words “thank you very much and tonight I have the high privilege and distinct honnor of my own as the first president to begin the state of the union message with these words, Madam Speaker.” When he said that, the air filled with thunderous applauses, a cheap pop is what I call it.
The purpose of his speech was to address some very important issues. Issues such as domestic issues, energy consumption, education reform, immigration concerns and health care deficiency. His speech was well organized, so well organized; one can not help but think that he did not write it. There have been times that George W get’s all choked up when talking but tonight was different, he was clam and quick. When it came down to evidence he didn’t have any but some of his claims, I found myself agreeing with. Like when he talked about health insurance. Not all of us can afford insurance and I would be one of those people, so by his purposesul of cheaper tax cut’s for those that pay for insurance , I like that idea. But just like Democrat Senator Reed said “this president is very good at pointing out problems but he is not good on the follow through and finding the solutions.”
Student Name
Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes response
01 March, 2007
"Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" directed by Byron Hurt, is a documentary on how commercial rap promotes misogynistic, violence and gives black males negative stereotypes. Bryon Hurt grew up a fan of hip hop and he still is. Hurt’s arguments are not hard to disagree with and just incase one is to argue that today’s rap/hip hop music is not blatantly promoting sex, violence and misogynistic towards women, just listen to any current popular rap c.d.
Rap/hip hop has not always been about “bust’n caps” and “break’n hoes”. Back in the golden era of hip hop (1987-1992), it was all about who had the dopest rhyme and sickest dance steps. I know because I grew up in this so called “golden era of hip hop”. The music that was coming out in that time was new and different. When a person heard a song that they liked it made them want to get up and dance. That’s not the case in today’s day of age as to when a person hears one of their favorite songs, they transform into this hardcore gangster that is not to be messed with. Hurt interviewed a couple of well known rap artist; one of them was Fat Joe. Fat Joe even said that because of the image that rap displays, it makes every young male thinks he has to be hard. When it comes down to Hurts arguments of how today’s rap music promotes blatantly disrespect for women and promotes violence against each other, I would have to agree with him.
Student Name
Initial Planning Sheet
12 March, 2007
Initial Planning Sheet for MIDTERM ESSAY
1. I am going to write about Walker and how she came to use meditation in her life. What is its role, and why is it included at the end of every chapter.
2. I wanted to write about this subject because the meditation practices she uses in this book are very interesting to me.
3. The target audience I will be writing for will be a uninformed audience.
4. I want my research paper to answer the following questions. The how’s, what’s, and why’s of meditation.
5. The main writing strategy I will be using is descriptive writing. I will be describing the meditation method that Walker uses during her life and the effects that it has on her.
Student Name
Midterm
12 March, 2007
The first book we read in my English 1A class, was by Alice Walker and called We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For. In this book, Walker talks about her life and tribulations that she has encountered in her time. One thing Walker talks about is meditation and how it helps her in life. In this essay I will be responding to such question as how did Walker come to meditation and what role does it play in her life?
Meditation is a powerful, relaxing practice; one that Walker herself uses and encourages her readers, friends and family to practice.Walker first came to meditation by intensity of pain, loss, confusion, sadness, anxiety attacks, depression, suicidal inclinations and insomnia just like everybody else in this world. Meditation was first brought to her attention by a good friend of hers and Walker almost didn’t listen to her. But the pain that she was going through was too much to deal with, so she gave it a shot. Just like me, when Walker first tried meditation, she thought to herself that this was not going to work. “I remember sitting on my cushion thinking this will never work, and then gradually, later in the night, realizing that I wasn’t quite so jumpy, and that mornings no longer made me want to draw the covers over my head” (157).
Meditation has played a major role in Walker’s life. When she first started meditation it used to bring her to her favorite place in her childhood. “Gazing out into the landscapes, merging with it and disappearing” (157). But latter in life she used it for other reasons like writing her books, raising her child, and it has also made many of her losses, some personal and some material, bearable and easy to deal with. Walker confesses that she could not have written such books as Possessing the Secret of Joy, The Temple of My Familiar and The Color Purple. Walker say’s that “The Color Purple owes much of its humor and playfulness to the equanimity of my mind as I committed myself to a routine, daily practice” (158). When it came to raising a child, she said without meditation she would have not to been able to overcome the challenge of being a single parent.
In We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For, Walker includes a meditation practice in each chapter. I’m not to sure as to why she does this, but I think it’s to get us readers to try her methods and see if we like them or not. The first meditation practice that I remember her doing is one where we sit in our seat and imagine erasing ourselves. We tried it in class; it was working for minute until somebody came late to class and disrupted my meditation. Another one I remember but did not get to do until just last week was the meditation where we interviewed a child while observing them eating a fruit. I did this meditation with my little niece. I asked her questions like: Where do fruits come from and how does it taste? She replied by saying that mommy got them from the store, and it tasted good. I don’t know what type of answer Walker thought we were going to get in return, because the answers I got were short and simple, but the quality time I got to spend with my niece was something that I’ll never forget.
Alice Walker has lived a long and interesting life. I think through all of her hardships and wonderful moments in her life, she is trying to pass on some valuable information. Information like love the earth we live on, respect your elders, don’t let the way you were raised prevent you from making friends with the lesser/higher class, and love one another. Also she is telling us; her audience to be strong in the moments of despair and loneliness.
“When life descends into the pit
I must become my own candle
Willingly burning myself
To light up the darkness
around me” (39).
This message of no matter how bad things get in life, there is only one person to motivate one self, and that is one’s self. Alice Walker’s methods of meditation, after each chapter is purely relaxing, and is made for her readers to reflect on the issues she and the world present. I intend to use these methods of meditation, for it has helped me in my life.
Works Cited
Walker, A. (2006) We Are the One We Have Been Waiting For. The New Press
RESEARCH ESSAY
Student Name
Social Entrepreneur Essay
30 April, 2007
Although Bill Gates is labeled a philanthropist, he should also be recognized as a social entrepreneur, because a social entrepreneur works, manages, organizes and creates a solution for a social change within a social problem and Gates does all of the above. William Henry Gates III is the cofounder and chief executive officer of the computer software giant, Microsoft. Gates founded Microsoft with long time classmate Paul Allen in Richmond, Washington, in 1975. Gates created Microsoft with one thing in mind, he wanted to design and develop innovative software for the personal computer, making pc’s user friendly, and also universally popular. Microsoft is now a multi-billion dollar empire, and Bill Gates is one of the most famous men in recent history along with the wealthiest man in America.
William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington, on October 28, 1955. His parents were William H. Gates II, and his late mother, Mary Maxwell Gates (1929-1994). Mary Maxwell Gates was a school teacher for the University of Washington and chairwoman of United Way International, a global network of nonprofit organizations. William H. Gates II is a retired attorney, and currently he serves on the Board of Regents for the University of Washington and is co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which his son Bill along with his wife Melinda founded. Gates II has adopted the suffix "Sr." to distinguish himself from his more famous son William H. Gates III. Bill was not the only child of William and Mary, for they had two other children: Kristi and Libby, but that made him the only son of Mary and William. Mary and William had big plans of making their son Bill a lawyer but come the seventh grade, he got introduced to computer science.
Gates attended public elementary school, and the private school of Lakeside. It was there at Lakeside School when he discovered his friend: and future business partner Paul Allen, and his interest in computer software. Bill began programming computers at the age of 13, and while he was in high school, Allen and Gates formed a small firm called Traf-o-Data. Traf-o-Data earned them twenty thousand dollars for analyzing local traffic patterns. After that he discovered that the machine he and Paul built was connected to a national network of computers called cybernet. Bill invaded the network and installed a program on the main computer that then sent it to the rest of the networks computers, and from there they all crashed. Bill Gates was responsible for the world’s first computer virus. In 1970 when he was caught, he was severely reprimanded, and he kept away form computers for his entire junior year at Lakeside. He then made plans for college and law school, but in 1971 he was back helping Allen write a class scheduling program for their school’s computer.
In 1973, Gates was accepted to Harvard University and pursued his studies for the next year and a half. During Gates freshman year at Harvard, he developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer: the MITS Altair. H. W. Brand author of The Change Makers says out that “He [Bill] impressed his instructors in a variety of ways. “He was a hell of a good programmer,” said the director of Harvard’s computer lab.” (317). Then in his junior year, Gates left Harvard University to devote all of his time to Microsoft, the same company he had begun in 1975 with Paul Allen. Gates and Allen both firmly believed that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop, and in every home, so they began developing software for personal computers fulltime.
In the year 2000, Bill along with his wife, co-chair holder Melinda Gates, formed The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF). Bill Gates first initially funded B&MGF with one hundred and six million US dollars, but in the foundation’s first two years, funding grew to two billion US dollars. Today The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the biggest charitable foundation in the world today. Part of the reason why it is so big is because in 2006 Warren Buffett (at the time was the second richest, after Gates) donated to the foundation ten million Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares valued at 30.7 billion us dollars at the time. The goals of the B&MGF are, globally to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information in the United States.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has put it’s footprint upon global health issues with their Global Health Program. The B&MGF gives approximately $800 million us dollars every year to help solve global health issues. That is almost as much money as the United Nation’s World Health Organization gives away annual, and the $800 million a year can also be compared to the United States Agency for International Development and the funds they give to fight against infectious disease. The foundation also provides seventeen percent of the world’s budget towards the eradication of poliomyelitis (polio). The Global Health Program also awarded grant’s to the following, The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, The Institute for One World Health, Children’s Vaccine Program, University of Washington Department of Global Health, and to HIV research. As if that was not enough, The B&MGF also has two other divisions’ the United States Program, and the Global Development Program.
The United States Program division focuses on problems that are currently with in the United States. The B&MGF provide their help to such problems as, help to the minority youth of America, full scholarships to both students and administrators. Not all people can afford to put them selves or their children through schooling, and Bill Gates is aware of this, so that is why he likes to help the needy. In a letter that Bill Gates wrote on his web site, gatesfoundation.com he say’s “We [Bill and Melinda] benefited from great schools, great health care, and a vibrant economic system. That is why we feel a tremendous responsibility to give back to society.” (Gates). Bill Gates saw that there was a problem with underachieving students due to overcrowded classrooms, and he wanted to change that.
Bill Gates came up with a solution to help fix some of the problems within our schools here in America. One of them was The New Schools Venture fund, and according to wikipedia.com “The foundation [The B&MGF] contributed US$30 million to help New Schools to manage more charter schools, which aim to prepare students in historically underserved areas for college and careers.” The B&MGF also donated one billion US dollars to the United Negro College, so that they can give scholarships to high achieving minority students. Wikipedia also states that “The Bill and Melinda Foundation announced on March 22, 2007 a million initiative to send hundreds of the Districts of Columbia’s poorest students to college.” Schooling and global health is not the only thing that Bill Gates is interested in, he also likes to help combat extreme poverty.
To help fight the war on poverty, Bill Gates incorporates science and technology to improve people’s lives. Bill Gates states in a letter that he and his wife wrote on their web site “Our goal is to help apply science and technology to the problems of the neediest people.” (gatesfoundation.com). The B&MGF awarded a 1.5 million dollar grant to the Grameen Foundation, so that they can make more micro loans (a very small loan to people living in poverty) to help millions of families overcome poverty. Micro loans enables a person who is poor, unemployed, and is not considered bankable, to receive money (micro loans) from everyday people, and start up an entrepreneurship to help lift themselves out of poverty. The micro loan plan is very successful, and it has a one hundred percent return rate, so the money a person lends out will be returned in full to the lender. In most cases the money the lender gets back, goes right back into the micro loan circulation, so that another person will have the same opportunity to further them selves in life.
Bill Gates is a philanthropist, but he is also an entrepreneur, because of all the hands on work he has done with many different foundations. Bill saw problems in today’s world and he wanted to help solve them, so he helped the only way he knew, with money. He would put his money towards scholarships for the poor, vaccines for children, charter schools to help prepare students for college and new careers, and to HIV research. Most critics say that a majority of today’s philanthropist donate their money for selfish motivations (to evade paying taxes or making a name for oneself). That might be true, but in William Henry Gates III case he didn’t do it for fame or tax evasion. He did it because he knew there were problems in today’s world, and he wanted to eliminate them. Also in the letter on www.gatesfoundation.com, he wrote “Our foundation and our partners are trying to solve these problems because we believe that all lives have equal value, no matter where they are being lived”.
Portfolio Table of Contents
Student Name
Course and Term
Contact information: Mailing address, phone number, email address
• Portfolio Essay #1
• Portfolio Essay #2
• President Bush’s State of the Union Address
• Byron Hurt film: Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes
• Initial Planning Sheet
• Midterm Paper
• Social Entrepreneur Essay
• Work Sited page for Social
Entrepreneur Essay
Student Name
Portfolio Essay #1
25 May, 2007
During this semester we the students of English 1a had to type a couple essays, and every time I started a new essay, I followed the writing process. Pre-writing is the first step out of four, in the writing process. When a person starts the pre-writing process they should start by thinking and talking to them self about the subject that is on hand. It always helps to think and talk out loud. After that one should do some research like go to the library and check out some books or if there is access to a computer one should go online and check some search engines. One should at least do something that helps get information on the subject. Now one should make a list of at least twenty-five ideas. From that one should take out the most important ideas and make a cluster. Now one should start to freewrite from beginning to end. One should now make an outline. An outline is kind of like a map, it helps one with the paper with out getting lost.
Drafting is the second step in the writing process. When a person enters the drafting phase of the process, that person should have an outline finished and sitting next to them on the computer. Now that a person is on the computer, they should start typing from the beginning to the end without stopping. No corrections or anything just start to finish by then it should be shitty and that is what one wants. After the shitty paper is done, one should save it and put it away for the day. This is the fastest step in the writing process and the one I like the most.
Like drafting this is also one of the fastest steps in the process. First one should start with the global/structural. Look over the paper and make sure that all the paragraphs are following the format guidelines. One should save it and put it away for twenty-four hours. This is when one should check the paragraphs to make sure that they are all indented and the right number of sentences. Now one should save it and put it away for twenty-four hours. Now it is time for sentences. All one has to do is check all the topic sentences and make sure they are short and simple. Also one should check the supporting sentences and make sure that they are on subject with the topic sentence. Once again one should save it and take a twenty-four hour brake.
Last but not least is edits the fourth part and last of the writing process. By now the paper is practically all done, except a couple of things. Now comes the time when punctuation can be added or taken away. A period here, a comma there or parenthesis there. This is where stuff like that gets changed or added. Now that the punctuation is done it is time for the grammar. One should now go through the paper again and make sure that the right words are being used and that there is no slang or stuff that a reader could not understand. Now that the punctuation and grammar is done one should spell check it. Also one should read through it with a dictionary and make sure everything is ok. Now there is one last step in edits and that is proof read the whole paper. By now the paper should be done and perfected. Practice these steps and they will make it easier.
Student Name
Portfolio Essay #2
25 May, 2007
This semester’s writing experience was one not to forget, and for all my hard work and preservation, I think I deserve a B for the semester. This semester’s English experience was not like any other, the class at times seemed to be unorganized and students were all ways unprepared, thus making this class, a non-educational experience. Our class had so much potential of being a fun and interesting learning experience, not that it wasn’t. We were reading excellent material, books such as Alice Walkers We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, and Spark Notes No Fear Shakespeare Hamlet. In addition to that we also read some great articles like The Making of a Criminal and Stephen Jay Gould’s Women’s brains. Because so many students didn’t either have their book, read the story, or plain just didn’t show up to class, it made this class almost a failure.
When our class first met in the begging of the semester, there was almost fifteen students enrolled in the class, but day by day, and week by week less students began to show up to class. I can’t lie. I my self missed more than my fare share of classes, but I always knew when to show up, or when I could miss a day without jeopardizing my self.
As students it was our responsibility to stay on top of our class work, and in the begging of the semester Mrs. Sabir told us to always check her blog, because it would be our source of what’s going on, and what is to come in our class. But when it came time to come to class on a certain day with a certain book, come to class with extra credit, or even come to class prepared for a mock trail.
When we were done reading Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, we had a mock trail to determine if Dr. Victor Frankenstein was to be held accountable for his creations actions. There were two teams, one team was the prosecutors, the other team was the defense team, and I was on the prosecutors. My team decided to gather information and evidence on things we could use against Dr. Victor Frankenstein on our own time, and not as a group: I knew that wasn’t such a great idea, but I went with it anyway. When it came time to gather all our findings and information, I was the only one to come prepared with my share of the work. Something told me the night before to not count on my class mates and to go ahead, and type out an opening argument. Thank God I did that, because no one had sufficient evidence to prosecute Dr. Frankenstein. I don’t want to come off sounding like this class was a total failure, because it wasn’t by any means.
Because students came unprepared or just plain didn’t show up, this class did not live up to it’s full potential. When a student puts his/hers hard time into something and their class mates don’t do their share, it robs that person of their education. I was not the perfect student this semester, but at least I tired to do what was expected of me, and for that I think, deserve at least a B for the semester. All in all I did enjoy this class for what it had to offer. I just wish that everyone was on the same page, because if we were, this class would have been one to remember for some time to come.
Student Name
State of the Union Response paper
24 January, 2007
With a grand introduction George W. Bush walked into the room of the white house for the seventh time to address the state and with just a few words he drew an easy pop from the crowd. Those words “thank you very much and tonight I have the high privilege and distinct honnor of my own as the first president to begin the state of the union message with these words, Madam Speaker.” When he said that, the air filled with thunderous applauses, a cheap pop is what I call it.
The purpose of his speech was to address some very important issues. Issues such as domestic issues, energy consumption, education reform, immigration concerns and health care deficiency. His speech was well organized, so well organized; one can not help but think that he did not write it. There have been times that George W get’s all choked up when talking but tonight was different, he was clam and quick. When it came down to evidence he didn’t have any but some of his claims, I found myself agreeing with. Like when he talked about health insurance. Not all of us can afford insurance and I would be one of those people, so by his purposesul of cheaper tax cut’s for those that pay for insurance , I like that idea. But just like Democrat Senator Reed said “this president is very good at pointing out problems but he is not good on the follow through and finding the solutions.”
Student Name
Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes response
01 March, 2007
"Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" directed by Byron Hurt, is a documentary on how commercial rap promotes misogynistic, violence and gives black males negative stereotypes. Bryon Hurt grew up a fan of hip hop and he still is. Hurt’s arguments are not hard to disagree with and just incase one is to argue that today’s rap/hip hop music is not blatantly promoting sex, violence and misogynistic towards women, just listen to any current popular rap c.d.
Rap/hip hop has not always been about “bust’n caps” and “break’n hoes”. Back in the golden era of hip hop (1987-1992), it was all about who had the dopest rhyme and sickest dance steps. I know because I grew up in this so called “golden era of hip hop”. The music that was coming out in that time was new and different. When a person heard a song that they liked it made them want to get up and dance. That’s not the case in today’s day of age as to when a person hears one of their favorite songs, they transform into this hardcore gangster that is not to be messed with. Hurt interviewed a couple of well known rap artist; one of them was Fat Joe. Fat Joe even said that because of the image that rap displays, it makes every young male thinks he has to be hard. When it comes down to Hurts arguments of how today’s rap music promotes blatantly disrespect for women and promotes violence against each other, I would have to agree with him.
Student Name
Initial Planning Sheet
12 March, 2007
Initial Planning Sheet for MIDTERM ESSAY
1. I am going to write about Walker and how she came to use meditation in her life. What is its role, and why is it included at the end of every chapter.
2. I wanted to write about this subject because the meditation practices she uses in this book are very interesting to me.
3. The target audience I will be writing for will be a uninformed audience.
4. I want my research paper to answer the following questions. The how’s, what’s, and why’s of meditation.
5. The main writing strategy I will be using is descriptive writing. I will be describing the meditation method that Walker uses during her life and the effects that it has on her.
Student Name
Midterm
12 March, 2007
The first book we read in my English 1A class, was by Alice Walker and called We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For. In this book, Walker talks about her life and tribulations that she has encountered in her time. One thing Walker talks about is meditation and how it helps her in life. In this essay I will be responding to such question as how did Walker come to meditation and what role does it play in her life?
Meditation is a powerful, relaxing practice; one that Walker herself uses and encourages her readers, friends and family to practice.Walker first came to meditation by intensity of pain, loss, confusion, sadness, anxiety attacks, depression, suicidal inclinations and insomnia just like everybody else in this world. Meditation was first brought to her attention by a good friend of hers and Walker almost didn’t listen to her. But the pain that she was going through was too much to deal with, so she gave it a shot. Just like me, when Walker first tried meditation, she thought to herself that this was not going to work. “I remember sitting on my cushion thinking this will never work, and then gradually, later in the night, realizing that I wasn’t quite so jumpy, and that mornings no longer made me want to draw the covers over my head” (157).
Meditation has played a major role in Walker’s life. When she first started meditation it used to bring her to her favorite place in her childhood. “Gazing out into the landscapes, merging with it and disappearing” (157). But latter in life she used it for other reasons like writing her books, raising her child, and it has also made many of her losses, some personal and some material, bearable and easy to deal with. Walker confesses that she could not have written such books as Possessing the Secret of Joy, The Temple of My Familiar and The Color Purple. Walker say’s that “The Color Purple owes much of its humor and playfulness to the equanimity of my mind as I committed myself to a routine, daily practice” (158). When it came to raising a child, she said without meditation she would have not to been able to overcome the challenge of being a single parent.
In We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For, Walker includes a meditation practice in each chapter. I’m not to sure as to why she does this, but I think it’s to get us readers to try her methods and see if we like them or not. The first meditation practice that I remember her doing is one where we sit in our seat and imagine erasing ourselves. We tried it in class; it was working for minute until somebody came late to class and disrupted my meditation. Another one I remember but did not get to do until just last week was the meditation where we interviewed a child while observing them eating a fruit. I did this meditation with my little niece. I asked her questions like: Where do fruits come from and how does it taste? She replied by saying that mommy got them from the store, and it tasted good. I don’t know what type of answer Walker thought we were going to get in return, because the answers I got were short and simple, but the quality time I got to spend with my niece was something that I’ll never forget.
Alice Walker has lived a long and interesting life. I think through all of her hardships and wonderful moments in her life, she is trying to pass on some valuable information. Information like love the earth we live on, respect your elders, don’t let the way you were raised prevent you from making friends with the lesser/higher class, and love one another. Also she is telling us; her audience to be strong in the moments of despair and loneliness.
“When life descends into the pit
I must become my own candle
Willingly burning myself
To light up the darkness
around me” (39).
This message of no matter how bad things get in life, there is only one person to motivate one self, and that is one’s self. Alice Walker’s methods of meditation, after each chapter is purely relaxing, and is made for her readers to reflect on the issues she and the world present. I intend to use these methods of meditation, for it has helped me in my life.
Works Cited
Walker, A. (2006) We Are the One We Have Been Waiting For. The New Press
RESEARCH ESSAY
Student Name
Social Entrepreneur Essay
30 April, 2007
Although Bill Gates is labeled a philanthropist, he should also be recognized as a social entrepreneur, because a social entrepreneur works, manages, organizes and creates a solution for a social change within a social problem and Gates does all of the above. William Henry Gates III is the cofounder and chief executive officer of the computer software giant, Microsoft. Gates founded Microsoft with long time classmate Paul Allen in Richmond, Washington, in 1975. Gates created Microsoft with one thing in mind, he wanted to design and develop innovative software for the personal computer, making pc’s user friendly, and also universally popular. Microsoft is now a multi-billion dollar empire, and Bill Gates is one of the most famous men in recent history along with the wealthiest man in America.
William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington, on October 28, 1955. His parents were William H. Gates II, and his late mother, Mary Maxwell Gates (1929-1994). Mary Maxwell Gates was a school teacher for the University of Washington and chairwoman of United Way International, a global network of nonprofit organizations. William H. Gates II is a retired attorney, and currently he serves on the Board of Regents for the University of Washington and is co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which his son Bill along with his wife Melinda founded. Gates II has adopted the suffix "Sr." to distinguish himself from his more famous son William H. Gates III. Bill was not the only child of William and Mary, for they had two other children: Kristi and Libby, but that made him the only son of Mary and William. Mary and William had big plans of making their son Bill a lawyer but come the seventh grade, he got introduced to computer science.
Gates attended public elementary school, and the private school of Lakeside. It was there at Lakeside School when he discovered his friend: and future business partner Paul Allen, and his interest in computer software. Bill began programming computers at the age of 13, and while he was in high school, Allen and Gates formed a small firm called Traf-o-Data. Traf-o-Data earned them twenty thousand dollars for analyzing local traffic patterns. After that he discovered that the machine he and Paul built was connected to a national network of computers called cybernet. Bill invaded the network and installed a program on the main computer that then sent it to the rest of the networks computers, and from there they all crashed. Bill Gates was responsible for the world’s first computer virus. In 1970 when he was caught, he was severely reprimanded, and he kept away form computers for his entire junior year at Lakeside. He then made plans for college and law school, but in 1971 he was back helping Allen write a class scheduling program for their school’s computer.
In 1973, Gates was accepted to Harvard University and pursued his studies for the next year and a half. During Gates freshman year at Harvard, he developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer: the MITS Altair. H. W. Brand author of The Change Makers says out that “He [Bill] impressed his instructors in a variety of ways. “He was a hell of a good programmer,” said the director of Harvard’s computer lab.” (317). Then in his junior year, Gates left Harvard University to devote all of his time to Microsoft, the same company he had begun in 1975 with Paul Allen. Gates and Allen both firmly believed that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop, and in every home, so they began developing software for personal computers fulltime.
In the year 2000, Bill along with his wife, co-chair holder Melinda Gates, formed The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF). Bill Gates first initially funded B&MGF with one hundred and six million US dollars, but in the foundation’s first two years, funding grew to two billion US dollars. Today The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the biggest charitable foundation in the world today. Part of the reason why it is so big is because in 2006 Warren Buffett (at the time was the second richest, after Gates) donated to the foundation ten million Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares valued at 30.7 billion us dollars at the time. The goals of the B&MGF are, globally to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information in the United States.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has put it’s footprint upon global health issues with their Global Health Program. The B&MGF gives approximately $800 million us dollars every year to help solve global health issues. That is almost as much money as the United Nation’s World Health Organization gives away annual, and the $800 million a year can also be compared to the United States Agency for International Development and the funds they give to fight against infectious disease. The foundation also provides seventeen percent of the world’s budget towards the eradication of poliomyelitis (polio). The Global Health Program also awarded grant’s to the following, The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, The Institute for One World Health, Children’s Vaccine Program, University of Washington Department of Global Health, and to HIV research. As if that was not enough, The B&MGF also has two other divisions’ the United States Program, and the Global Development Program.
The United States Program division focuses on problems that are currently with in the United States. The B&MGF provide their help to such problems as, help to the minority youth of America, full scholarships to both students and administrators. Not all people can afford to put them selves or their children through schooling, and Bill Gates is aware of this, so that is why he likes to help the needy. In a letter that Bill Gates wrote on his web site, gatesfoundation.com he say’s “We [Bill and Melinda] benefited from great schools, great health care, and a vibrant economic system. That is why we feel a tremendous responsibility to give back to society.” (Gates). Bill Gates saw that there was a problem with underachieving students due to overcrowded classrooms, and he wanted to change that.
Bill Gates came up with a solution to help fix some of the problems within our schools here in America. One of them was The New Schools Venture fund, and according to wikipedia.com “The foundation [The B&MGF] contributed US$30 million to help New Schools to manage more charter schools, which aim to prepare students in historically underserved areas for college and careers.” The B&MGF also donated one billion US dollars to the United Negro College, so that they can give scholarships to high achieving minority students. Wikipedia also states that “The Bill and Melinda Foundation announced on March 22, 2007 a million initiative to send hundreds of the Districts of Columbia’s poorest students to college.” Schooling and global health is not the only thing that Bill Gates is interested in, he also likes to help combat extreme poverty.
To help fight the war on poverty, Bill Gates incorporates science and technology to improve people’s lives. Bill Gates states in a letter that he and his wife wrote on their web site “Our goal is to help apply science and technology to the problems of the neediest people.” (gatesfoundation.com). The B&MGF awarded a 1.5 million dollar grant to the Grameen Foundation, so that they can make more micro loans (a very small loan to people living in poverty) to help millions of families overcome poverty. Micro loans enables a person who is poor, unemployed, and is not considered bankable, to receive money (micro loans) from everyday people, and start up an entrepreneurship to help lift themselves out of poverty. The micro loan plan is very successful, and it has a one hundred percent return rate, so the money a person lends out will be returned in full to the lender. In most cases the money the lender gets back, goes right back into the micro loan circulation, so that another person will have the same opportunity to further them selves in life.
Bill Gates is a philanthropist, but he is also an entrepreneur, because of all the hands on work he has done with many different foundations. Bill saw problems in today’s world and he wanted to help solve them, so he helped the only way he knew, with money. He would put his money towards scholarships for the poor, vaccines for children, charter schools to help prepare students for college and new careers, and to HIV research. Most critics say that a majority of today’s philanthropist donate their money for selfish motivations (to evade paying taxes or making a name for oneself). That might be true, but in William Henry Gates III case he didn’t do it for fame or tax evasion. He did it because he knew there were problems in today’s world, and he wanted to eliminate them. Also in the letter on www.gatesfoundation.com, he wrote “Our foundation and our partners are trying to solve these problems because we believe that all lives have equal value, no matter where they are being lived”.
Portfolio Narrative Questions and Sample Portfolio
Each portfolio has a table of contents. The table of contents is a list of all your work, the narrative essays are your introduction to the portfolio, please include your name, address, email address and phone number, course and course code.
I will post a portfolio check list to help you with the table of contents. I have included a sample portfolio in the comment section of this post. It is a word document. If you want to include scanned documents, you can submit a CD with your portfolio.
The portfolio narratives (These are essays each minimally 250-500 words or 1 typed page plus a works cited or bibliography. Use your written work as evidence in Essay 2.)
1. The narrative will look at the entire semester, the theme(s) we looked at this semester: hip hop culture and its impact on American society and the global community. Talk about what you've learned and discovered this semester about writing and yourself, college and life, which have transformed or changed you.
What have you learned about the discipline you are studying here: reading and writing that you plan to carry forth into your lifelong pursuit of learning?
Please also comment on the texts and whether or not they were helpful in this process. You can also talk about the instruction, culture of the class and the teacher.
2. The second narrative essay looks at the writing process and what you have been learning about yourself as a writer. Take two essays and talk about the planning, research and revision strategies you used. It helps to choose an early paper and compare to a later paper. Often you can more easily see the differences in your writing and a better example of mastery of certain concepts. Also discuss skills you need to improve and how you plan to address that. As I stated already, use a scholarly source to discuss the writing and revision process.
Other considerations for essay two: besides students looking at the writing process and discussing their own writing process: the topics chosen, the information used, revision strategies, writing as a process, the essay needs to include a definition of the difference between editing and revising and a value statement on the place for both in composition.
I am really interested in discourse or discussion about audience and how one’s audience shapes or determines how the writer approaches her topic.
I am also interested in discussion of the revision process, and whether or not seeing writing as a work in progress or a draft, liberates or stagnates the creative process. (Students are to use examples from their writing to illustrate these points.)
I'd like students to think about and give at three specific ways how they have grown as writers and thinkers this semester. Each essay should be minimally 1-2 pages (250-500 words).
Separate:
What grade do you think you earned in the course______________________________________________
Your essay and the attached copy of a completed grading sheet are the evidence.
Do you have any questions about writing or anything else?
Teacher Research
Can I use you writing in teacher research projects? I will give you full credit and inform you of its use. Indicate Yes or No. Please circle one.
Evaluation
In a third short response evaluate the semester: teacher, textbooks, assignments, methodology, etc. Please be frank and feel free to offer suggestions.
I will post a portfolio check list to help you with the table of contents. I have included a sample portfolio in the comment section of this post. It is a word document. If you want to include scanned documents, you can submit a CD with your portfolio.
The portfolio narratives (These are essays each minimally 250-500 words or 1 typed page plus a works cited or bibliography. Use your written work as evidence in Essay 2.)
1. The narrative will look at the entire semester, the theme(s) we looked at this semester: hip hop culture and its impact on American society and the global community. Talk about what you've learned and discovered this semester about writing and yourself, college and life, which have transformed or changed you.
What have you learned about the discipline you are studying here: reading and writing that you plan to carry forth into your lifelong pursuit of learning?
Please also comment on the texts and whether or not they were helpful in this process. You can also talk about the instruction, culture of the class and the teacher.
2. The second narrative essay looks at the writing process and what you have been learning about yourself as a writer. Take two essays and talk about the planning, research and revision strategies you used. It helps to choose an early paper and compare to a later paper. Often you can more easily see the differences in your writing and a better example of mastery of certain concepts. Also discuss skills you need to improve and how you plan to address that. As I stated already, use a scholarly source to discuss the writing and revision process.
Other considerations for essay two: besides students looking at the writing process and discussing their own writing process: the topics chosen, the information used, revision strategies, writing as a process, the essay needs to include a definition of the difference between editing and revising and a value statement on the place for both in composition.
I am really interested in discourse or discussion about audience and how one’s audience shapes or determines how the writer approaches her topic.
I am also interested in discussion of the revision process, and whether or not seeing writing as a work in progress or a draft, liberates or stagnates the creative process. (Students are to use examples from their writing to illustrate these points.)
I'd like students to think about and give at three specific ways how they have grown as writers and thinkers this semester. Each essay should be minimally 1-2 pages (250-500 words).
Separate:
What grade do you think you earned in the course______________________________________________
Your essay and the attached copy of a completed grading sheet are the evidence.
Do you have any questions about writing or anything else?
Teacher Research
Can I use you writing in teacher research projects? I will give you full credit and inform you of its use. Indicate Yes or No. Please circle one.
Evaluation
In a third short response evaluate the semester: teacher, textbooks, assignments, methodology, etc. Please be frank and feel free to offer suggestions.
Finals and Portfolio Questions
I read all the final essays and I am going to give students an opportunity to revise them for a passing grade in the portfolio which is due by Dec.1. Many students have not taken advantage of the academic services on campus this semester and it shows in the writing, even those students who have spoken to me have not internalized the lessons which would then reflect in the writing. Some students make the same mistakes essay after essay when a quick review of the work would raise the grade a level or two.
It's never to late to become a better writer because writing is a process; however, it is too late for many of you to pass this class. I suggest those students who have not written their 3-4 essays on the topics given at the beginning of the semester and who did not complete the midterm and the final or get passing grades on both and passing grades on 3 out of the 4 essays for the semester, drop the class. You will not pass and even if you are now writing 2-4 essays to catch up over the weekend to make the Monday, Nov. 23 deadline for late work, given the quality of the finals of said students, I am not hopeful that your late essays will get passing grades and you have passed all the deadlines, which means you cannot revise them.
Most students did not follow instructions and cite two scholarly sources along with their novel. The sources didn't need to be quoted just listed in a bibliography. One of the sources was to be Adam Mansbach's essay in Total Chaos. His was an essay assigned many weeks ago, and was a great example of a well-written essay on the genre of hip-lit.
Most students did not have an outline which stated the question, nor were there many Initial Planning Sheets. I invited students to meet with me and set aside multiple classes to help students on this final essay. Many of you wrote great first drafts. In the future write these drafts in advance and get feedback from the instructor or from a writing coach (tutor/teacher).
Many students think they have a grasp of essay writing and structure, and grammar and mechanics, most students could have benefited from the refresher I offered you. I think I was available this semester. I am still available, but this class is one of four. Below you will find the questions for the portfolio.
The portfolio is a word document with the narratives acting as the introductions. One essay looks at your writing process and revision process, the other is a reflection on the course and what you have gained and learned this semester. These are essays and they do count. You will send me these portfolios via email no later than Dec. 3. We can review them on Dec. 1 and 3. Come to class with all your writing digitized with the grades posted on each narrative. Within your revised narratives include my comments and your response. Read your grammar style book or look at the handout I gave you regarding the revision process. It is not intuitive and much have been written about it. Cite a scholarly source to support your essay on such in the portfolio. In the revision process narrative, chose an essay written at the beginning of the semester and one written later on in the course.
If you have written an essay for another class this semester which you have received a passing grade and the other teacher does not mind your including it in your portfolio, I will accept it to augment the essays assigned this semester.
It's never to late to become a better writer because writing is a process; however, it is too late for many of you to pass this class. I suggest those students who have not written their 3-4 essays on the topics given at the beginning of the semester and who did not complete the midterm and the final or get passing grades on both and passing grades on 3 out of the 4 essays for the semester, drop the class. You will not pass and even if you are now writing 2-4 essays to catch up over the weekend to make the Monday, Nov. 23 deadline for late work, given the quality of the finals of said students, I am not hopeful that your late essays will get passing grades and you have passed all the deadlines, which means you cannot revise them.
Most students did not follow instructions and cite two scholarly sources along with their novel. The sources didn't need to be quoted just listed in a bibliography. One of the sources was to be Adam Mansbach's essay in Total Chaos. His was an essay assigned many weeks ago, and was a great example of a well-written essay on the genre of hip-lit.
Most students did not have an outline which stated the question, nor were there many Initial Planning Sheets. I invited students to meet with me and set aside multiple classes to help students on this final essay. Many of you wrote great first drafts. In the future write these drafts in advance and get feedback from the instructor or from a writing coach (tutor/teacher).
Many students think they have a grasp of essay writing and structure, and grammar and mechanics, most students could have benefited from the refresher I offered you. I think I was available this semester. I am still available, but this class is one of four. Below you will find the questions for the portfolio.
The portfolio is a word document with the narratives acting as the introductions. One essay looks at your writing process and revision process, the other is a reflection on the course and what you have gained and learned this semester. These are essays and they do count. You will send me these portfolios via email no later than Dec. 3. We can review them on Dec. 1 and 3. Come to class with all your writing digitized with the grades posted on each narrative. Within your revised narratives include my comments and your response. Read your grammar style book or look at the handout I gave you regarding the revision process. It is not intuitive and much have been written about it. Cite a scholarly source to support your essay on such in the portfolio. In the revision process narrative, chose an essay written at the beginning of the semester and one written later on in the course.
If you have written an essay for another class this semester which you have received a passing grade and the other teacher does not mind your including it in your portfolio, I will accept it to augment the essays assigned this semester.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Fiction essay tomorrow
If students want to run their thesis sentence by me for feedback, you are welcome to do so. Two students, Jose and Ilene came by or stayed after class to get clarification and feedback and help on their essay questions. You can call me if you are away. I have actually been checking my email and haven't noticed any emails of this nature.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Revisions of the midterm took all the class time. Come prepared Thursday with your outlines, initial planning sheets, and prepared to write your essay. You will have 90minutes to write a 3-4 page essay.
You will be graded on how well you answer your question, also on how you tie the themes of your book to the on-going narrative that is hip hop culture, in this case, hip hop literature.
You will not be able to revise this essay, so come prepared. I will be walking around, so if you write a sample essay, you will not be able to use it. The essay needs to be written in class.
If you miss class, I don't know what to tell you. This is your final. Students will present their essays next week for an additional grade. Don't forget the abstracts. It is unfortuate that students were not able to spend time developing questions together. If anyone has a question he or she would like feedback on I encourage you to go to the Writing Center and talk to a teacher/tutor. Students can also speak to a librarian.
You will be graded on how well you answer your question, also on how you tie the themes of your book to the on-going narrative that is hip hop culture, in this case, hip hop literature.
You will not be able to revise this essay, so come prepared. I will be walking around, so if you write a sample essay, you will not be able to use it. The essay needs to be written in class.
If you miss class, I don't know what to tell you. This is your final. Students will present their essays next week for an additional grade. Don't forget the abstracts. It is unfortuate that students were not able to spend time developing questions together. If anyone has a question he or she would like feedback on I encourage you to go to the Writing Center and talk to a teacher/tutor. Students can also speak to a librarian.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Plan for Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
Tomorrow in class first thing students will revise their midterm essays after watching a short video called: Revision Strategies. I noticed the envelop was still full this afternoon, which means some students did not pick their essays up.
Secondly, after I give students about 20 minutes to revise their essays, we will take a poll and see how many students have not made a presentation this semester. I want to let students write their final essay this week, Thursday, Nov. 19, on their novel. Next Tuesday we will complete our presentations--on the novel, and start the portfolios. If you have missed all the presentations, this is your final opportunity. If there is time, I will consider other presentations. Students who have the same novel can present together. We will devote the entire class period to these presentations. I'd like abstract prepared and enough copies for each student. The earlier presentations were practices. This one gets a grade.
I will give you the narrative questions by Thursday, Nov. 19. Next week students will assemble their portfolios and turn them in.
For students who are behind you will probably not be able to complete this task by Nov. 25, so I am extending the deadline to Monday, Nov. 30. Come to class Dec. 1 so that we can review all work and you can revise anything which is not acceptable.
Email the portfolios to: professorwandasposse@gmail.com
In the title line identify yourself and the course with code and semester: Wanda Sabir, English 1B Fall 2009 Class Code...
Everyone needs to come to class on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and maybe Thursday, Dec. 3. I am not reading any new assignments after Nov. 23/24.
Assignments this semester recap posted 9/09/2009 and 9/22/2009: You cannot revise your midterm or final, which is the Hip Hop Fiction essay. I have let students revise the midterm twice and now three times. For those students who complete the final on Nov. 19, I might consider a revision with the portfolio. Remember, all revisions have to include a narrative.
1. Women in Hip Hop with a side-bar on Hyper-Masculinity: October 1
2. The Graf or Writing Movement, October 6 essay is due for peer review, Oct. 8 presentation
3. Dance or Bi-boying, Bi-Girling, October 13/15
4. DJing, Oct. 20/22—
5. MC or Poet/Rapper Oct. 27/29, Nov. 3 presentation
6. Nov. 5/10 Project reports in small groups
7. Nov. 12/17 Fiction presentations (all)
8. Extra credit: Hip Hop as a Global Movement, Hip Hop Theatre, Hip Hop Spirituality (turn in by or before Nov. 12).
Assignment:
Start with an artist who exemplifies the genre you wish to talk about. This person will provide the frame for you to tell the story of the development of the genre. This person will help you illustrate your point as well as focus the essay which is just a reflection on a larger topic.
Choose 3-4 key points you wish to develop. Give us a brief bio of the person, why they decided or how they found themselves using hip hop culture as their lens, include a sample of their work, compare and contrast it with both historic and contemporary examples….
Within each essay give a definition of hip hop culture and how the element emerges, reflects, fits into and expands this philosophical landscape.
If you are speaking of women in hip hop—the topic is broad so your introduction could be a historic overview and then you can focus your paper on the artist of your choice who illustrates attributes you’d like to consider in the paper.
Even though you are focusing on one artist, place your artist within the context of the work…which means you have to center the person within her genre surrounded by her peers…show how the work the artist produces expands and enlarges the scope of the discipline.
You can look both nationally and internally. In at least one paper, I want the focus to be on an artist who is from Northern California. The person has to be alive. If you chose to write about graffiti or writing I’d encourage students to borrow Style Wars, it is a great history of the Graffiti movement. You can also use material from Piece by Piece and the essay I gave you to read.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop is a great resource and of course so is Total Chaos, both are by Jeff Chang.
Secondly, after I give students about 20 minutes to revise their essays, we will take a poll and see how many students have not made a presentation this semester. I want to let students write their final essay this week, Thursday, Nov. 19, on their novel. Next Tuesday we will complete our presentations--on the novel, and start the portfolios. If you have missed all the presentations, this is your final opportunity. If there is time, I will consider other presentations. Students who have the same novel can present together. We will devote the entire class period to these presentations. I'd like abstract prepared and enough copies for each student. The earlier presentations were practices. This one gets a grade.
I will give you the narrative questions by Thursday, Nov. 19. Next week students will assemble their portfolios and turn them in.
For students who are behind you will probably not be able to complete this task by Nov. 25, so I am extending the deadline to Monday, Nov. 30. Come to class Dec. 1 so that we can review all work and you can revise anything which is not acceptable.
Email the portfolios to: professorwandasposse@gmail.com
In the title line identify yourself and the course with code and semester: Wanda Sabir, English 1B Fall 2009 Class Code...
Everyone needs to come to class on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and maybe Thursday, Dec. 3. I am not reading any new assignments after Nov. 23/24.
Assignments this semester recap posted 9/09/2009 and 9/22/2009: You cannot revise your midterm or final, which is the Hip Hop Fiction essay. I have let students revise the midterm twice and now three times. For those students who complete the final on Nov. 19, I might consider a revision with the portfolio. Remember, all revisions have to include a narrative.
1. Women in Hip Hop with a side-bar on Hyper-Masculinity: October 1
2. The Graf or Writing Movement, October 6 essay is due for peer review, Oct. 8 presentation
3. Dance or Bi-boying, Bi-Girling, October 13/15
4. DJing, Oct. 20/22—
5. MC or Poet/Rapper Oct. 27/29, Nov. 3 presentation
6. Nov. 5/10 Project reports in small groups
7. Nov. 12/17 Fiction presentations (all)
8. Extra credit: Hip Hop as a Global Movement, Hip Hop Theatre, Hip Hop Spirituality (turn in by or before Nov. 12).
Assignment:
Start with an artist who exemplifies the genre you wish to talk about. This person will provide the frame for you to tell the story of the development of the genre. This person will help you illustrate your point as well as focus the essay which is just a reflection on a larger topic.
Choose 3-4 key points you wish to develop. Give us a brief bio of the person, why they decided or how they found themselves using hip hop culture as their lens, include a sample of their work, compare and contrast it with both historic and contemporary examples….
Within each essay give a definition of hip hop culture and how the element emerges, reflects, fits into and expands this philosophical landscape.
If you are speaking of women in hip hop—the topic is broad so your introduction could be a historic overview and then you can focus your paper on the artist of your choice who illustrates attributes you’d like to consider in the paper.
Even though you are focusing on one artist, place your artist within the context of the work…which means you have to center the person within her genre surrounded by her peers…show how the work the artist produces expands and enlarges the scope of the discipline.
You can look both nationally and internally. In at least one paper, I want the focus to be on an artist who is from Northern California. The person has to be alive. If you chose to write about graffiti or writing I’d encourage students to borrow Style Wars, it is a great history of the Graffiti movement. You can also use material from Piece by Piece and the essay I gave you to read.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop is a great resource and of course so is Total Chaos, both are by Jeff Chang.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Digging In-class Essay
English 1A In-class Essay Exam Part 1
November 10, 2009
Write a two page essay (6-8 paragraphs) in response to the question. Include a works cited page.
Question: How is hip hop poetry -- rap or spoken word, a continuation of the djali tradition according to Amiri Baraka? Do you agree?
Use 3 citations from three sources--the first Amiri Baraka, the other two, Spoken Word Revolution and a scholarly source from the Library Database. Everyone should have handouts from SWR to cite from. If, for whatever reasons, you do not have the copies with you, use two scholarly sources.
This essay cannot be made up if you were absent.
This is a midterm. Give me your first draft. Thursday, you will have an opportunity to revise the essay during the first 20 minutes of the class.
I am not accepting late work--I will accept your portfolio up to the final week of classes--not ungraded essays will be accepted.
What I read so far from most students shows that you grasp the main idea or key point Baraka is making re: the griot/djali. Please call me if you were not able to complete the paper and plan to email me sometime between this afternoon and tomorrow. You will have an opportunity to revise the paper on Thursday. I will give you 20 minutes to do so. I plan to let you watch a video entitled Revision Strategies (The Write Course).
Who plans to present on Thursday? Students only have one week to revise essays which are C-/R or anything grade over R. Some students have not given me any essays yet, or they have all been unsatisfactory.
Poetry
We began the class listening to poetry from our textbook: Jerry Quickley's "Hip Hop Hollers" (43). Read pp. 46-50. "Disclaimer" (168) was another track we listened to, along with "How to Write a Poem" (174-175).
If you'd like to respond to the selections, please do so here.
November 10, 2009
Write a two page essay (6-8 paragraphs) in response to the question. Include a works cited page.
Question: How is hip hop poetry -- rap or spoken word, a continuation of the djali tradition according to Amiri Baraka? Do you agree?
Use 3 citations from three sources--the first Amiri Baraka, the other two, Spoken Word Revolution and a scholarly source from the Library Database. Everyone should have handouts from SWR to cite from. If, for whatever reasons, you do not have the copies with you, use two scholarly sources.
This essay cannot be made up if you were absent.
This is a midterm. Give me your first draft. Thursday, you will have an opportunity to revise the essay during the first 20 minutes of the class.
I am not accepting late work--I will accept your portfolio up to the final week of classes--not ungraded essays will be accepted.
What I read so far from most students shows that you grasp the main idea or key point Baraka is making re: the griot/djali. Please call me if you were not able to complete the paper and plan to email me sometime between this afternoon and tomorrow. You will have an opportunity to revise the paper on Thursday. I will give you 20 minutes to do so. I plan to let you watch a video entitled Revision Strategies (The Write Course).
Who plans to present on Thursday? Students only have one week to revise essays which are C-/R or anything grade over R. Some students have not given me any essays yet, or they have all been unsatisfactory.
Poetry
We began the class listening to poetry from our textbook: Jerry Quickley's "Hip Hop Hollers" (43). Read pp. 46-50. "Disclaimer" (168) was another track we listened to, along with "How to Write a Poem" (174-175).
If you'd like to respond to the selections, please do so here.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Howl
Today we read Allen Ginsberg's monumental work, Howl, and Beau Sia's response Howl in our textbook. Post your poems, reflections here.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Presentations
5 students told me they are presenting Thursday, so come on time and we will do the presentations first. Post your freewrites from today, also no one has responded to the poetry homework assignment from last week.
Erica read her essay on Women in Hip Hop, it was excellent. If we have time, Itzel and Ilene will read theirs. I will return your essays on Thursday, if not sooner. Check outside L-235. Please give me your best work. Go see a tutor and get professional feedback before turning the essays in. I am not your editor.
If you give me work with lots of errors, I don't know what you are capable of and I wonder how you got into this level college course. At the English 1B level, students know how to write an essay and how to do research. Errors like: SV Agr., sentence fragments, pronoun antecedent and pronoun case agreement, confused words, parallel structure, verb tense, to name a few, are easily identified in the final edit and corrected at the English 1B composition level.
Everyone should have at least one, one on one workshop critique of your writing. It doesn't take long, but after this one on one, you know what I expect and how I read your work and what I am looking for in the writing.
If you are having trouble, go to the tutoring center in the LRC and get help, this in addition to seeing me at my office hours or by appointment.
Some of you are behind and if you would like to complete the course, make an appointment with me and bring your proposal. I have met with a few students who are already in breach of their verbal contract with me.
Believe it or not, there are students who have not completed one written assignment in this class. This is a writing class and if you are said students, please be in touch. I am here Monday-Thursday starting at 8 AM.
Erica read her essay on Women in Hip Hop, it was excellent. If we have time, Itzel and Ilene will read theirs. I will return your essays on Thursday, if not sooner. Check outside L-235. Please give me your best work. Go see a tutor and get professional feedback before turning the essays in. I am not your editor.
If you give me work with lots of errors, I don't know what you are capable of and I wonder how you got into this level college course. At the English 1B level, students know how to write an essay and how to do research. Errors like: SV Agr., sentence fragments, pronoun antecedent and pronoun case agreement, confused words, parallel structure, verb tense, to name a few, are easily identified in the final edit and corrected at the English 1B composition level.
Everyone should have at least one, one on one workshop critique of your writing. It doesn't take long, but after this one on one, you know what I expect and how I read your work and what I am looking for in the writing.
If you are having trouble, go to the tutoring center in the LRC and get help, this in addition to seeing me at my office hours or by appointment.
Some of you are behind and if you would like to complete the course, make an appointment with me and bring your proposal. I have met with a few students who are already in breach of their verbal contract with me.
Believe it or not, there are students who have not completed one written assignment in this class. This is a writing class and if you are said students, please be in touch. I am here Monday-Thursday starting at 8 AM.
Song of Myself
Today we read a few poems from The Spoken Word Revolution (pp. 194, 104-108). We then read Walt Whitman's Song of Myself, or started it. We discussed the poet and his life and the America reflected in this poem, one of our greatest in literary history for the forms he broke and the images evoked.
Students were encouraged to write their own "Song of Myself," as Sherman Alexie did in his "Song of Ourself" after "Defending Walt Whitman" (104-105).
Post your poems and/or reflections here. We will look at Howl, by Alan Ginsberg, another famous poem during the period known for the Beat Poets. These young poets took their work to the streets, into the cafes, collaborating with musicians and other poets. Again Howl like Whitman in his Leaves of Grass where Song of Myself appears, breaks form.
Webistes for
http://www.internal.org/list_poems.phtml?authorID=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Myself
http://www.internal.org/list_poems.phtml?authorID=2
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/whitman/section2.rhtml
Poet Beau Sia titles his poem, Howl, also (179).
Homework, continue working on your essays. Thursday, let's talk about the novels you are reading. Prepare to do a book talk.
Students were encouraged to write their own "Song of Myself," as Sherman Alexie did in his "Song of Ourself" after "Defending Walt Whitman" (104-105).
Post your poems and/or reflections here. We will look at Howl, by Alan Ginsberg, another famous poem during the period known for the Beat Poets. These young poets took their work to the streets, into the cafes, collaborating with musicians and other poets. Again Howl like Whitman in his Leaves of Grass where Song of Myself appears, breaks form.
Webistes for
http://www.internal.org/list_poems.phtml?authorID=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Myself
http://www.internal.org/list_poems.phtml?authorID=2
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/whitman/section2.rhtml
Poet Beau Sia titles his poem, Howl, also (179).
Homework, continue working on your essays. Thursday, let's talk about the novels you are reading. Prepare to do a book talk.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Bay Area Cypher: A Freestyle Documentary by Idris Hassan
Today we watched a film about freestyling. Students were then asked to write a 3-paragraph essay about the film using paraphrase, direct quotes (if possible). We are practicing signal phrases.
Themes or ideas generated from the discussion were: The cypher is not just for lyricists, it's a way to find yourself.
Community--
Spirituality
hip hop culture
Connection between genres: spoken word, dance, music...
African culture & tradition
Ancient or old practices
from the board
1. Bay Area Cypher: A Freestyle Documentary by Idris Hassan
2. Dev. thesis sentences--signal phrases
3. 3 paragraphs
signal phrase
More notes from the board on assignment
Practice paraphrasing and direct citation
Each paragraph should be minimally 5 sentences --send your essay to the printer and post it on the blog
Homework
Homework, continue working on essays, reading Total Chaos, reading your novel and developing an outline for your paper. I want to see an outline for your novel in two weeks, November 10.
The Spoken World
I will see some of you at the Berkeley Rep on Monday, Nov. 2, for the Marc Bamuthi Joseph event at 7 PM. I reserved 10 tickets at $7. If you wanted to go and have decided late you can still attend. Call me and I might be able to add a few extra names to the group reservation.
Themes or ideas generated from the discussion were: The cypher is not just for lyricists, it's a way to find yourself.
Community--
Spirituality
hip hop culture
Connection between genres: spoken word, dance, music...
African culture & tradition
Ancient or old practices
from the board
1. Bay Area Cypher: A Freestyle Documentary by Idris Hassan
2. Dev. thesis sentences--signal phrases
3. 3 paragraphs
signal phrase
More notes from the board on assignment
Practice paraphrasing and direct citation
Each paragraph should be minimally 5 sentences --send your essay to the printer and post it on the blog
Homework
Homework, continue working on essays, reading Total Chaos, reading your novel and developing an outline for your paper. I want to see an outline for your novel in two weeks, November 10.
The Spoken World
I will see some of you at the Berkeley Rep on Monday, Nov. 2, for the Marc Bamuthi Joseph event at 7 PM. I reserved 10 tickets at $7. If you wanted to go and have decided late you can still attend. Call me and I might be able to add a few extra names to the group reservation.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Notes from the board and homework
1. Frewrite related to film short: "Procrastination." Freestyle a response to the video. It is cautionary and intentional.
2. The Spoken Word Revolution selections:
"Regie Gibson" pp. 133-138
"Taylor Mali" pp. 174-177
"Beau Sia" pp. 178-183
"Patricia Smith" pp. 184-193
"Roger Bonair-Sgard" pp. 194-197
3. Essays Comments
4. Homework, Next presentations, Announcements
Homework is to chose a poet from our textbook and reflect on the poet's style, themes, lines you like (and why), the writer's poetic devices like form, rhyme skeem--internal, end rhythms. Write a 250 word, minimally response to the author's work.
You should have minimally 3 poems to compare and contrast. Sherman Alexie is another poet whose work is phenomenal, you might want to compare his response to Howl by Allen Ginsberg to that of Beau Sia's response and his poem, Howl. I'd suggest that you read Ginsberg's poem also if you choose to read either or both of these poets.
2. The Spoken Word Revolution selections:
"Regie Gibson" pp. 133-138
"Taylor Mali" pp. 174-177
"Beau Sia" pp. 178-183
"Patricia Smith" pp. 184-193
"Roger Bonair-Sgard" pp. 194-197
3. Essays Comments
4. Homework, Next presentations, Announcements
Homework is to chose a poet from our textbook and reflect on the poet's style, themes, lines you like (and why), the writer's poetic devices like form, rhyme skeem--internal, end rhythms. Write a 250 word, minimally response to the author's work.
You should have minimally 3 poems to compare and contrast. Sherman Alexie is another poet whose work is phenomenal, you might want to compare his response to Howl by Allen Ginsberg to that of Beau Sia's response and his poem, Howl. I'd suggest that you read Ginsberg's poem also if you choose to read either or both of these poets.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Precious: The Film
I have access to free passes to the film, "Precious," this Thursday, October 29, at the Metreon (4th at Mission Street) in San Francisco.
Please indicate in your response: how many tickets and leave your email address. I have posted a description of the film.
Liquid Soul Media will be conducting an advance screening of the highly anticipated film “Precious” Starring Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe in Houston on Thursday, October 29th at 7:00PM at the AMC Metreon.
Lee Daniels’ PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome.
Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She’s pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo’Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write.
Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One.
Precious doesn’t know the meaning of “alternative,” but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.
I have access to free passes to the film, "Precious," this Thursday, October 29, at the Metreon (4th at Mission Street) in San Francisco.
Please indicate in your response: how many tickets and leave your email address. I have posted a description of the film.
Liquid Soul Media will be conducting an advance screening of the highly anticipated film “Precious” Starring Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe in Houston on Thursday, October 29th at 7:00PM at the AMC Metreon.
Lee Daniels’ PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome.
Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She’s pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo’Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write.
Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One.
Precious doesn’t know the meaning of “alternative,” but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.
Marc Bamuthi Joseph @ Berkeley Rep Monday, Nov. 2
I have spoken to Speak Out, the organization hosting Marc Bamuthi Joseph: The Spoken World, next week, Nov. 2, 2009, 8 PM (doors 7 PM). Tickets for students are $7 and I would like to reserve seats. Let me know tomorrow, Oct. 27, if you would like to go and how many tickets.
You can post your name and how many tickets here as well. We can meet together at 7 PM at the venue and sit together. I live in East Oakland and if anyone wants to carpool let me know. BART stops up the street from the theatre. We could meet at Lake Merritt BART and catch a Richmond train together. I am open to both scenarios. BART means I don't have to look for parking which is hard to find.
You can post your name and how many tickets here as well. We can meet together at 7 PM at the venue and sit together. I live in East Oakland and if anyone wants to carpool let me know. BART stops up the street from the theatre. We could meet at Lake Merritt BART and catch a Richmond train together. I am open to both scenarios. BART means I don't have to look for parking which is hard to find.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Cyber-Response to Brave New Voice Writing Workshop
Share what occurred for you this workshop? What is free now that you have written? How does writing save lives?
Lauren Whitehead
Brave Voices in English 1B
Much thanks to Lauren Whitehead, Program Director of Youth Development at Youth Speaks, who took the class through a writing workshop. Lauren will have a performance piece at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco in December.
Much thanks to Lauren Whitehead, Program Director of Youth Development at Youth Speaks, who took the class through a writing workshop. Lauren will have a performance piece at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco in December.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Poetry
For Thursday's class, October 22, read pages 62-78 from The Spoken Word Revolution. You can read on if you like. Listen to the CD tracks 14-16 also. The author is looking at performance poetry. How to the poetry reflect the period discussed? Are their thematic differences or formal ones? Do you have any personal preferences?
What do you like about the poetry you've read so far? How does this poetry expand your taste buds? Are there any poets you've been inspired to seek out?
Respond to the questions.
What do you like about the poetry you've read so far? How does this poetry expand your taste buds? Are there any poets you've been inspired to seek out?
Respond to the questions.
Total Chaos
These readings were assigned almost 20 days ago, and no one has responded.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Total Chaos Assignments Posts
Post your summaries to the essays assigned here. For each essay have a separate post: Minimally three paragraphs with three citations and a works cited page.
On Pure Movement (59), From Dope Spot to Broadway (78), On Lit Hop (92), The City in Public (149), Black Talk and Hot Sex (178), Native Tongues (278), Inventos (255), Toward a Hip Hop Aesthetics (349) and perhaps others.
We have already read three essays and their corresponding introductions: Cape Flats Alchemy (262), Got Next (33), A Brand New Feminism (233), plus an essay on Graffiti Arts and Hyper-masculinity
I wanted to add a few more readings for the next week: (October 20-26) read the essays: Found in Translation: The Emergence of Hip Hop Theatre by Eisa Davis (70), as I mentioned in an earlier post she is in the film, Passing Strange. Also read another essay not assigned. You can read a scholarly article from one of the many books in COA library or from a scholarly publication on-line from the database or a database. I would suggest you read an article which ties into your essay topic(s).
Post the essay responses here. Again this is a rehearsal on signal phrases, transitions, citations: direct and paraphrase and MLA for works cited. Each response needs to be minimally three paragraphs--show them. Students should also be responding to each other. I am not seeing enough responses.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Total Chaos Assignments Posts
Post your summaries to the essays assigned here. For each essay have a separate post: Minimally three paragraphs with three citations and a works cited page.
On Pure Movement (59), From Dope Spot to Broadway (78), On Lit Hop (92), The City in Public (149), Black Talk and Hot Sex (178), Native Tongues (278), Inventos (255), Toward a Hip Hop Aesthetics (349) and perhaps others.
We have already read three essays and their corresponding introductions: Cape Flats Alchemy (262), Got Next (33), A Brand New Feminism (233), plus an essay on Graffiti Arts and Hyper-masculinity
I wanted to add a few more readings for the next week: (October 20-26) read the essays: Found in Translation: The Emergence of Hip Hop Theatre by Eisa Davis (70), as I mentioned in an earlier post she is in the film, Passing Strange. Also read another essay not assigned. You can read a scholarly article from one of the many books in COA library or from a scholarly publication on-line from the database or a database. I would suggest you read an article which ties into your essay topic(s).
Post the essay responses here. Again this is a rehearsal on signal phrases, transitions, citations: direct and paraphrase and MLA for works cited. Each response needs to be minimally three paragraphs--show them. Students should also be responding to each other. I am not seeing enough responses.
Checking In
I was happy to see Itzel yesterday at my office hour. We reviewed her second essay, on Graffiti, which was much better than her first and she gave me a revised copy of her essay, Women in Hip Hop. Itzel is a great student; she turns in her work on time, she schedules appointments with Writing Tutors to help her with her essays and then she called (rather texted) me to see if I was on campus and met with me. She is on her way to an A in the class.
On all her presentations, she has gotten an A. She prepares visuals to augment her discussion and illustrate her key points. The way you earn an A in this class is by demonstrating growth in your writing, research and documentation. At this level, you are scholars, scholars synthesize material to develop new or innovative interpretations or ideas on familiar topics. Scholar seek to challenge the norms, and with hip hop as a theme, there are many directions you can take your arguments. We are looking at hip hop culture which has a lot to recommend it, but then again, it has its detractors.
I hope you like the theme this semester, but at this point, whether you like the theme or not, you are here and I hope there is something that grabs your attention and motivates you to complete the tasks.
Itzel, I hope you don't mind my using you as an example, but I don't have many other students, sadly to talk about regarding their writing process. In Itzel's first paper she didn't use enough scholarly sources, so for her second essay she made certain she used scholarly articles, one I gave everyone. What I hope she learned yesterday at my office hours was how to check her sources, to read her paper aloud in its final revision stage, to pay attention to details when siting sources and doing MLA, to use signal phrases and transitions and to check the logical progression of one idea to the next.
Another great writer whose papers I have read is Eugene, who also presented last Thursday. He arrived late the week before and couldn't present his essay on Graffiti and Advertising. I spoke about Eugene already in earlier posts. These two students met with me, Eugene caught me late one evening, I think it was about 5 or 6 PM and we spoke about poetry and hip hop. He ran some ideas by me before he wrote his paper on Graffiti.
Each essay has shown improvement, which means when I look at his body of work at the end of the semester, we can measure his development. Ilene is another student whose revision was a marked improvement over her first draft. She wasn't able to present her paper, Women in Hip Hop...she was sick I think that day. But she got her assignment in and then met with me in my office to review it. We also spoke about the paper in its planning stages.
Jose ran by my office yesterday also and asked about the hip hop dance paper. I told him it was due last week. I don't hold the dates in my mind but a successful student is organized and plans. Don't let the dates slip up on you. Bring your essays to class for the peer reviews. Keep up with the reading. We will be writing an essay in class next week, if my memory serves me correctly on Poetry and Hip Hop.
This English 1B class is set up like a lab, that is, students take responsibility for their work, everyone is not doing the same thing at the same time, which means assignments come in when they are due, which varies. Other assignments, like the cyber-essays are for everyone and are due when stated. Only two students did last week's assignment from Total Chaos. Assignments aren't due when students feel like getting them in, they are due when assigned.
If you are behind we need to have a conversation. I have let many of you have extensions, this does not mean that my answer will be yes, each time you ask. Many students have not turned in any work, not one essay. Does this mean that the essays you are writing haven't been assigned or does this mean that you are procrastinating?
Remember, we meet in A-205 on Thursdays, and this Thursday, October 22, we have a guest. Come on time.
On all her presentations, she has gotten an A. She prepares visuals to augment her discussion and illustrate her key points. The way you earn an A in this class is by demonstrating growth in your writing, research and documentation. At this level, you are scholars, scholars synthesize material to develop new or innovative interpretations or ideas on familiar topics. Scholar seek to challenge the norms, and with hip hop as a theme, there are many directions you can take your arguments. We are looking at hip hop culture which has a lot to recommend it, but then again, it has its detractors.
I hope you like the theme this semester, but at this point, whether you like the theme or not, you are here and I hope there is something that grabs your attention and motivates you to complete the tasks.
Itzel, I hope you don't mind my using you as an example, but I don't have many other students, sadly to talk about regarding their writing process. In Itzel's first paper she didn't use enough scholarly sources, so for her second essay she made certain she used scholarly articles, one I gave everyone. What I hope she learned yesterday at my office hours was how to check her sources, to read her paper aloud in its final revision stage, to pay attention to details when siting sources and doing MLA, to use signal phrases and transitions and to check the logical progression of one idea to the next.
Another great writer whose papers I have read is Eugene, who also presented last Thursday. He arrived late the week before and couldn't present his essay on Graffiti and Advertising. I spoke about Eugene already in earlier posts. These two students met with me, Eugene caught me late one evening, I think it was about 5 or 6 PM and we spoke about poetry and hip hop. He ran some ideas by me before he wrote his paper on Graffiti.
Each essay has shown improvement, which means when I look at his body of work at the end of the semester, we can measure his development. Ilene is another student whose revision was a marked improvement over her first draft. She wasn't able to present her paper, Women in Hip Hop...she was sick I think that day. But she got her assignment in and then met with me in my office to review it. We also spoke about the paper in its planning stages.
Jose ran by my office yesterday also and asked about the hip hop dance paper. I told him it was due last week. I don't hold the dates in my mind but a successful student is organized and plans. Don't let the dates slip up on you. Bring your essays to class for the peer reviews. Keep up with the reading. We will be writing an essay in class next week, if my memory serves me correctly on Poetry and Hip Hop.
This English 1B class is set up like a lab, that is, students take responsibility for their work, everyone is not doing the same thing at the same time, which means assignments come in when they are due, which varies. Other assignments, like the cyber-essays are for everyone and are due when stated. Only two students did last week's assignment from Total Chaos. Assignments aren't due when students feel like getting them in, they are due when assigned.
If you are behind we need to have a conversation. I have let many of you have extensions, this does not mean that my answer will be yes, each time you ask. Many students have not turned in any work, not one essay. Does this mean that the essays you are writing haven't been assigned or does this mean that you are procrastinating?
Remember, we meet in A-205 on Thursdays, and this Thursday, October 22, we have a guest. Come on time.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, Robert Hillary King, author of From the Bottom of the Heap: The Story of Black Panther Robert Hillary King will present to students in a few of my classes: English 201, 8-8:50 AM, L-202E, English 1A, 11-11:50 AM, B-205, and English 201, A-200, 1-2:50 PM (we'll show a short film about King in this class). You are welcome to join us at any or all the presentations. He knows Afeni Shakur and is active in the Prison Abolition Movement, particularly re: the Angola 3. He will speak about literary, and also share his experiences in the Black Panther Party which he joined behind bars at Angola State Prison where he served 31 years, 29 in solitary confinement.
He is visiting from Austin, Texas, for the Black Panther Party Book Fair, Saturday, October 24, and other events next week.
He is visiting from Austin, Texas, for the Black Panther Party Book Fair, Saturday, October 24, and other events next week.
Thursday, October 15
Today we had a few students trickle in. First there was one and then two and then five (?). I heard that some of you thought I wasn't present because one of the doors to the A-building was locked (?) We meet in A-205 on Thursdays. There are two doors, the one by the elevator is unlocked, students/staff press the disabled person's lever to enter.
Eugene presented two essays: Graf Writing and B-Boying or Hip Hop Dance. Students were to respond to his presentations at the link where we responded last week. What I liked about his Graf Writing presentation was how Eugene chose an artist who doesn't see himself as hip hop but applied those principles to his work. I also liked his references to advertising and how advertising art is nothing more than socially sanctioned graffiti which often is not even what one would call beautiful.
Eugene's hip hop dance presentation was a survey of the genre looking back at its origins. He showed us clips of how the dance has moved from Crazy Legs (the artist he profiled) to international crews from Korea (I think) and another country.
There is no class Tuesday, October 20. Thursday, October 22, we meet again in A-205. We will have a guest.
The freewrite was to respond to a poem from our textbook and post it at the same link you used before. Homework is to respond to another essay from Total Chaos and post the essay response at the same link as before.
Your essays for the next presentations are due October 22. You will present the following week, I think we said, October 29. Correct me Erica, Jermaine, Eugene or others present, if I am not remembering correctly.
The event: Women of the Black Panther Party and Beyond was great. There was a photo of a young Afeni holding Tupac as a baby after she was acquitted after the Panther 21 Trials.
Students only have a week to revise essays, unless other arrangements were made. Some students have not turned in any essays yet. Thursday, October 22, give me your semester plan, which should include a written summary of all the cyber-assignments completed, all the essays you plan to submit and if already submitted, the grades, plus what event you have attended or plan to attend and what work of fiction you are reading. I'd like a summary of the book, plus themes which make it a hip hop novel.
This Narrative should be no less than two-typed pages. Please bring your grammar-style books to class meetings.
Eugene presented two essays: Graf Writing and B-Boying or Hip Hop Dance. Students were to respond to his presentations at the link where we responded last week. What I liked about his Graf Writing presentation was how Eugene chose an artist who doesn't see himself as hip hop but applied those principles to his work. I also liked his references to advertising and how advertising art is nothing more than socially sanctioned graffiti which often is not even what one would call beautiful.
Eugene's hip hop dance presentation was a survey of the genre looking back at its origins. He showed us clips of how the dance has moved from Crazy Legs (the artist he profiled) to international crews from Korea (I think) and another country.
There is no class Tuesday, October 20. Thursday, October 22, we meet again in A-205. We will have a guest.
The freewrite was to respond to a poem from our textbook and post it at the same link you used before. Homework is to respond to another essay from Total Chaos and post the essay response at the same link as before.
Your essays for the next presentations are due October 22. You will present the following week, I think we said, October 29. Correct me Erica, Jermaine, Eugene or others present, if I am not remembering correctly.
The event: Women of the Black Panther Party and Beyond was great. There was a photo of a young Afeni holding Tupac as a baby after she was acquitted after the Panther 21 Trials.
Students only have a week to revise essays, unless other arrangements were made. Some students have not turned in any essays yet. Thursday, October 22, give me your semester plan, which should include a written summary of all the cyber-assignments completed, all the essays you plan to submit and if already submitted, the grades, plus what event you have attended or plan to attend and what work of fiction you are reading. I'd like a summary of the book, plus themes which make it a hip hop novel.
This Narrative should be no less than two-typed pages. Please bring your grammar-style books to class meetings.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Total Chaos
Post your essay response to an essay of choice from Total Chaos. Remember, it cannot be one of those essays assigned. My suggestion was to read an essay which can help you with a paper.
Today in class we watched Brave New Voices after reading aloud two poems from the poetry textbook. We read three poems. Post your responses here. Students were asked to respond to one of the three.
A second response is also requested for the Brave New Voices. Talk about the National poetry writing program which releases or frees these young voices, and why this is important to the youth served. Why is it--a youth who write, also important to American society? How is art healing? How is art revolutionary? Why is art, specifically poetry important?
Homework was to chose an essay not assigned in Total Chaos to respond to in the usual 250 work minimally response. Post it here and bring me a copy, you can print it in A-205 (where we meet on Thursdays).
If you have a presentation, arrive on time. If you'd like to make up your presentation come on time. I am only allowing one hour or less for presentations and comments. So far, we have 3 presentations, two on hip hop dance, and one make up. If this is your second presentation, we should see growth. The comments I made on the first were to be taken into consideration for this presentation, unless your first presentation was perfect (smile).
The essays, some of them need a lot of editing. Please get a peer review from a teacher or tutor in the Writing Center before turning your work in. If you essay needs revision, make certain you include the narrative essay on top explaining what changed between the two drafts. If anyone needs guidance on revision bring in Hacker and I can show you where it is. I also have handouts.
Check the syllabus for the narrative guidelines, Ilene did a great job on hers. Ask her to see it.
As mentioned today, I will be moderating a panel on Women in the Black Panther Party at the Oakland Main Library on Thursday, October 15, 5 PM. We start with a film and there is a art exhibit there as well.
If people are behind on posts catch up. I will allow you to continue to post up to the end of this month. After October 31, if you have not caught up, you will get a zero for that assignment.
These posts count as essays, so don't post sloppy work, or unedited work, or work that is not reviewed for spacing or formatting. It should be polished. I hope you are enjoying your novels and at the beginning of November prepare to share your book with the class. I would also like an outline to accompany the oral presentation. The essays will be due later.
You have 1 week to get your essays back to me with corrections. Each person can revise the essay once. I would hope the second time the essay will get a passing grade, if not then you will have to revise it again. You cannot make the same mistakes paper after paper.
Many students don't seem to remember: SV Agr., confused words, wrong words, pronoun antecedent agreement, parallel structure, consistent point of view, VT agreement or how to conjugate verbs. I mentioned at the beginning of the class that I wanted to have a grammar boot camp. The offer is still there. You have to come to Study Hour on Thursdays to start or make arrangements in advance. Students whom I had last semester in English 1A, your papers should have none of the mistakes listed above in your final drafts (the ones I see). Please read your essays aloud before posting and before submitting. I don't have time to be your editor.
These are scholarly essays. Use the library database and/or Total Chaos or any one of the many essays I have given you. If you want to break form and write a magazine type piece for one of the essays, I am okay with this.
Remember, October 22, come to class on time. We have a guest. The essay on Poetry will be written in class Tuesday, October 27.
I hope everyone stays well and dry.
If ever I offend any of you it is not my intention. I get frustrated when students come to class unprepared, and see time as a commodity with infinite parameter when our time together is measurable and as such should not be wasted.
I value your time and effort to get to class and be prepared. I take your commitment to show up in the rain, when ill or when you'd rather be anywhere but here. I also respect the fact that you chose the College of Alameda and even if you do not like me or the class are committed to complete it. I appreciate your professionalism and seriousness. I just wish everyone had such high standards for their eduction and this class.
I see us as a writing family and as challenge the fourth wall...actually break it. So there is no space between the audience and the stage. In my classrooms to the extend you allow, we are each a part of the narrative unfolding in the classroom. In fact, we write it together. The final production is only as good as the sum of all its parts--you.
A second response is also requested for the Brave New Voices. Talk about the National poetry writing program which releases or frees these young voices, and why this is important to the youth served. Why is it--a youth who write, also important to American society? How is art healing? How is art revolutionary? Why is art, specifically poetry important?
Homework was to chose an essay not assigned in Total Chaos to respond to in the usual 250 work minimally response. Post it here and bring me a copy, you can print it in A-205 (where we meet on Thursdays).
If you have a presentation, arrive on time. If you'd like to make up your presentation come on time. I am only allowing one hour or less for presentations and comments. So far, we have 3 presentations, two on hip hop dance, and one make up. If this is your second presentation, we should see growth. The comments I made on the first were to be taken into consideration for this presentation, unless your first presentation was perfect (smile).
The essays, some of them need a lot of editing. Please get a peer review from a teacher or tutor in the Writing Center before turning your work in. If you essay needs revision, make certain you include the narrative essay on top explaining what changed between the two drafts. If anyone needs guidance on revision bring in Hacker and I can show you where it is. I also have handouts.
Check the syllabus for the narrative guidelines, Ilene did a great job on hers. Ask her to see it.
As mentioned today, I will be moderating a panel on Women in the Black Panther Party at the Oakland Main Library on Thursday, October 15, 5 PM. We start with a film and there is a art exhibit there as well.
If people are behind on posts catch up. I will allow you to continue to post up to the end of this month. After October 31, if you have not caught up, you will get a zero for that assignment.
These posts count as essays, so don't post sloppy work, or unedited work, or work that is not reviewed for spacing or formatting. It should be polished. I hope you are enjoying your novels and at the beginning of November prepare to share your book with the class. I would also like an outline to accompany the oral presentation. The essays will be due later.
You have 1 week to get your essays back to me with corrections. Each person can revise the essay once. I would hope the second time the essay will get a passing grade, if not then you will have to revise it again. You cannot make the same mistakes paper after paper.
Many students don't seem to remember: SV Agr., confused words, wrong words, pronoun antecedent agreement, parallel structure, consistent point of view, VT agreement or how to conjugate verbs. I mentioned at the beginning of the class that I wanted to have a grammar boot camp. The offer is still there. You have to come to Study Hour on Thursdays to start or make arrangements in advance. Students whom I had last semester in English 1A, your papers should have none of the mistakes listed above in your final drafts (the ones I see). Please read your essays aloud before posting and before submitting. I don't have time to be your editor.
These are scholarly essays. Use the library database and/or Total Chaos or any one of the many essays I have given you. If you want to break form and write a magazine type piece for one of the essays, I am okay with this.
Remember, October 22, come to class on time. We have a guest. The essay on Poetry will be written in class Tuesday, October 27.
I hope everyone stays well and dry.
If ever I offend any of you it is not my intention. I get frustrated when students come to class unprepared, and see time as a commodity with infinite parameter when our time together is measurable and as such should not be wasted.
I value your time and effort to get to class and be prepared. I take your commitment to show up in the rain, when ill or when you'd rather be anywhere but here. I also respect the fact that you chose the College of Alameda and even if you do not like me or the class are committed to complete it. I appreciate your professionalism and seriousness. I just wish everyone had such high standards for their eduction and this class.
I see us as a writing family and as challenge the fourth wall...actually break it. So there is no space between the audience and the stage. In my classrooms to the extend you allow, we are each a part of the narrative unfolding in the classroom. In fact, we write it together. The final production is only as good as the sum of all its parts--you.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Spoken Word Revolution Cyber Assignment
Today we read from the Prologue "Chicago--for Howlin Wolf" by Qunicy Troupe (14-15), "Hip Hop Poetry" by Jerry Quickley (38-42), Saul Williams (55-60). We spoke of the Beat Poets and how politics gives rise to a new aesthetics, but not really. It's just "new" to those who hold onto the status quo, those who shape policy or those content to let the boat float and not tip it over.
Hip Hop Culture not only tipped the boat over, it drowned the captain. I was reading another essay in Total Chaos, and what I suggest again is that to increase your knowledge base, especially on those topics you plan to write about, read other articles and chapters in Chaos. The chapter, "Found in Translation: the Emergence of Hip-Hop Theatre" by Eisa Davis (70-91) was excellent. Besides a great discussion on the topic what is hip hop theatre, she explained or defined the genre--theatre and hip hop and how the collision or union of the two was often not embraced by the cultural gatekeepers. This is an excellent essay and a great model for your papers on the various genres.
I hadn't noticed her essay before and because I am familar with her work and she is currently one of the stars in the film, (which just opened), "Passing Strange," her words have currency. I also know her mother and have met her aunt on a number of occasions, Angela Davis.
Finish reading the Quickley essay and post a response. Also comment and respond to Saul Williams's essay. Also respond to the poetry we listened to today and to others in the chapters (2-3).
Look at my responses to student's work to gage how I'd like you to respond in the future, I'd like the comments to be substantive and to expand the discourse. You are graded on these responses, and I found out that if you have a gmail account your html is accepted in the comments (smile).
Hip Hop Culture not only tipped the boat over, it drowned the captain. I was reading another essay in Total Chaos, and what I suggest again is that to increase your knowledge base, especially on those topics you plan to write about, read other articles and chapters in Chaos. The chapter, "Found in Translation: the Emergence of Hip-Hop Theatre" by Eisa Davis (70-91) was excellent. Besides a great discussion on the topic what is hip hop theatre, she explained or defined the genre--theatre and hip hop and how the collision or union of the two was often not embraced by the cultural gatekeepers. This is an excellent essay and a great model for your papers on the various genres.
I hadn't noticed her essay before and because I am familar with her work and she is currently one of the stars in the film, (which just opened), "Passing Strange," her words have currency. I also know her mother and have met her aunt on a number of occasions, Angela Davis.
Finish reading the Quickley essay and post a response. Also comment and respond to Saul Williams's essay. Also respond to the poetry we listened to today and to others in the chapters (2-3).
Look at my responses to student's work to gage how I'd like you to respond in the future, I'd like the comments to be substantive and to expand the discourse. You are graded on these responses, and I found out that if you have a gmail account your html is accepted in the comments (smile).
Responses to Student Presentations
Give the name of student, topic, and list minimally three aspects of their presentation you liked or were impressed with, plus paraphrase their thesis or key argument.
Presenter, responding in a self-reflection on the process--writing to oral presentation. Share your process and what you learned.
This is a recap of the assignment posted last week re: Women in Hip Hop.
Presenter, responding in a self-reflection on the process--writing to oral presentation. Share your process and what you learned.
This is a recap of the assignment posted last week re: Women in Hip Hop.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Responses
No one posted a response to the presentations last week. Only one person posted a response to Ladies First, no one posted a response to Me, Myself and I. We are going to start going to A-205 on Thursdays so you can post your work. We will meet there Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 9 AM. Students will make presentations there as well.
More Activities: Poetry, Dance, Critical Theory
Some of the information is repeated, but it's late and I'm tired.
The Can Film Festival: "Don't Sweat the Technique: The Can Film Festival" Graffiti Film Festival (with Graffiti Panel moderated by Jeff Chang)
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle, Jeff Chang, Film Festival, 1:AM Gallery
Thursday, October 8, 2009, 6:00pm - 9:30pm at the 1:AM Gallery, 1000 Howard Street,in San Francisco, CA. Free event, limited seating
For information: estria@estriabattle.com
Hosted by Jeff Chang, author of 'Can't Stop Won't Stop'
Panel discussion with: Kevin Epps, Dr. Susie Lundy, Erin Yoshi, Estria
Featured Films: Style Wars and Bomb It!
6:00PM- Bomb It
7:30PM- Panel discussion
8:00PM- Style Wars
EVENT: PART IV Finals: Oakland, Saturday October 10
We are looking for the best of the best writers who can rock both letters and concepts. The winner of each battle will be flown to Oakland to compete in the finals!
Women are highly encouraged to submit their work. Holler with pictures or links to your work to submissions@estria.net.
Also Featuring:
• Free outdoor performances
• Bamboo Architecture
• Green Living Workshops
• Skateboard Demonstration presented by Hood Games
Samurai Graphix & The Living Word Project Presents:
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle
A part of the Living Word Festival
Curated by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
About the Living Word Festival
The Living Word Festival is an annual community gathering of artists, educators, presenters and performers focusing on literary performance and literacy education. Founded by Youth Speaks and the Living Word Project, under the direction of Marc Bamuthi Joseph, the Living Word Festival is committed to exploring new modes of literary performance, and to engaging and supporting artists who are breaking the boundaries of hip-hop theater and spoken word theater. www.lifeisliving.org
About Estria
Estria began spray painting in Hawai'i in 1984 and has since painted hundreds of murals. As an influential leader of San Francisco's "Golden Age" of graffiti (1980s), he pioneered painting techniques of characters and scenes. He is one of the originators of the stencil tip, used by graffiti writers to create thin airbrush-like lines. Estria co-founded Visual Element, the EastSide Arts Alliance´s free mural workshop that develops youth into the voice of the people. www.estria.com
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle
The USA's 1st Nationwide Graffiti Battle!
Life Is Living Festival, Saturday, October 10, 2009, 11:00am - 5:00pm, de Fremery Park, 1651 Adeline St., Oakland, CA, mike@estriabattle.com
The Graffiti Series 2009 Calendar of Events
September 10-October 10
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Ode to the Spray Can" art show
1:AM Gallery, San Francisco
1000 Howard St, SF, CA 94127
Featuring 26 artists of the Estria Invitationals
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Friday, October 9, 7:00-10:30PM
Pecha Kucha Night Oakland
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Graffiti for Social Change" Slide Show
Eastside Arts Cultural Center, Oakland
2277 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94606
$5 cover, limited seating
All ages welcome. Beer and wine bar open to over 21.
10 presenters, 20 slides each, 20 seconds per slide
Confirmed presenters (out of 10 slots):
1. Jim Prigoff, co-author of Spraycan Art, Walls of Heritage Walls of Pride, and Graffiti New York
2. Brett Cook Dizney, nationally renown community artist
3. Marc Bamuthi Joseph & Bethanie Hines, presenting Life Is Living
4. Spie TDK
5. Nancy Hernandez, San Francisco community activist
6. John "Prime" Hina, founder of 808urban.org
7. Steve Grody, author of Graffiti LA
8. Erin Yoshioka, of Trust Your Struggle Collective
9. Estria
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 10, 11:00AM-5:00PM
at the Life Is Living Festival
Curated by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle featuring 24 contestants!!
Mighty 4 Break Battle, hosted by Paulskeee
Pharaoh Monch performing live
Black Book Battles by Visual Element
Stencil T-shirt workshop by Nancy Hernandez
FREE Family Event
deFremery Park (Little Bobby Hutton)
1651 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94607
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 10, 10:00PM-1:00AM
After Party at Farmer Brown
45 Mason St. (at Market St.), SF, CA 94102
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 31, 11:00AM-5:00PM
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Kicks & Cans" Custom Painted Shoe Auction
Estria Invitational x Shoebiz x Adidas
Shoebiz SF
1422 Haight St., SF, CA 94117
Auctioning 20 pairs of Adidas shell toes and Stan Smiths, custom painted by artists of the Estria Invitationals
All of the following events are at La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley, 3105 Shattuck (near Ashby BART)
Poetry Slam
poets from around the globe
Thursday, October 08, 2009 & Friday, October 09, 2009
$15 gen. - 7pm
Join seventy-two of the world's top performance poets representing slam venues from around the globe as they converge at La Peña and electrify audiences with their talents. Plus a fantastic array of free day events. ANYONE can participate! There will also be rree daytime events and open mics in the café from 10am to 5pm. For more information click here.
* www.berkeleypoetryslam.com
* www.myspace.com/oaklandslam
* www.myspace.com/thecityslam
* www.myspace.com/calpoetryslam
* www.youthspeaks.org
* www.myspace.com/poetryforthepeople
* www.poetryflash.org
* www.epicarts.org
* www.myspace.org/sanjoseslam
* www.myspace.com/3rdeyecollective
* www.myspace.com/touretteswithoutregrets
* www.chicopoetryslam.com
* www.myspace.com/mahoganyurbanpoetryseries
October 11
ENDdependence!
headRush, Paul Flores, Cesar A. Cruz & more
Honoring Indigenous Raza Day.
$3 HS students, $5 college, $10 adults, $15 incl. free book
6pm
October 11
Community Dialogue
Mind Power Collective Sunday Salon: Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy
Using Hip Hop as a vehicle for social justice.
FREE
3-5pm
Cypher
The Rebirth
Monday October 12, 2009
FREE - 9-11pm
Every Monday join us for an open and inclusive environment for dancers of all levels to cypher, build community, & improvise with live musicians. We got an open freestyle practice sessions for street dancers of all styles including, House, B-boying/B-girling, Hip-Hop Proper, Popping, Waaking, Locking, and dances of the African Diaspora. Two resident DJ's will spin mostly deep soulful house & hip-hop. Each week there will be guest local MC's, vocalists, or percussionists. Click here for more information about a writing workshop for Hip Hop emcees with Rico Pabón.
The Can Film Festival: "Don't Sweat the Technique: The Can Film Festival" Graffiti Film Festival (with Graffiti Panel moderated by Jeff Chang)
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle, Jeff Chang, Film Festival, 1:AM Gallery
Thursday, October 8, 2009, 6:00pm - 9:30pm at the 1:AM Gallery, 1000 Howard Street,in San Francisco, CA. Free event, limited seating
For information: estria@estriabattle.com
Hosted by Jeff Chang, author of 'Can't Stop Won't Stop'
Panel discussion with: Kevin Epps, Dr. Susie Lundy, Erin Yoshi, Estria
Featured Films: Style Wars and Bomb It!
6:00PM- Bomb It
7:30PM- Panel discussion
8:00PM- Style Wars
EVENT: PART IV Finals: Oakland, Saturday October 10
We are looking for the best of the best writers who can rock both letters and concepts. The winner of each battle will be flown to Oakland to compete in the finals!
Women are highly encouraged to submit their work. Holler with pictures or links to your work to submissions@estria.net.
Also Featuring:
• Free outdoor performances
• Bamboo Architecture
• Green Living Workshops
• Skateboard Demonstration presented by Hood Games
Samurai Graphix & The Living Word Project Presents:
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle
A part of the Living Word Festival
Curated by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
About the Living Word Festival
The Living Word Festival is an annual community gathering of artists, educators, presenters and performers focusing on literary performance and literacy education. Founded by Youth Speaks and the Living Word Project, under the direction of Marc Bamuthi Joseph, the Living Word Festival is committed to exploring new modes of literary performance, and to engaging and supporting artists who are breaking the boundaries of hip-hop theater and spoken word theater. www.lifeisliving.org
About Estria
Estria began spray painting in Hawai'i in 1984 and has since painted hundreds of murals. As an influential leader of San Francisco's "Golden Age" of graffiti (1980s), he pioneered painting techniques of characters and scenes. He is one of the originators of the stencil tip, used by graffiti writers to create thin airbrush-like lines. Estria co-founded Visual Element, the EastSide Arts Alliance´s free mural workshop that develops youth into the voice of the people. www.estria.com
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle
The USA's 1st Nationwide Graffiti Battle!
Life Is Living Festival, Saturday, October 10, 2009, 11:00am - 5:00pm, de Fremery Park, 1651 Adeline St., Oakland, CA, mike@estriabattle.com
The Graffiti Series 2009 Calendar of Events
September 10-October 10
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Ode to the Spray Can" art show
1:AM Gallery, San Francisco
1000 Howard St, SF, CA 94127
Featuring 26 artists of the Estria Invitationals
-------------------------------------------
Friday, October 9, 7:00-10:30PM
Pecha Kucha Night Oakland
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Graffiti for Social Change" Slide Show
Eastside Arts Cultural Center, Oakland
2277 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94606
$5 cover, limited seating
All ages welcome. Beer and wine bar open to over 21.
10 presenters, 20 slides each, 20 seconds per slide
Confirmed presenters (out of 10 slots):
1. Jim Prigoff, co-author of Spraycan Art, Walls of Heritage Walls of Pride, and Graffiti New York
2. Brett Cook Dizney, nationally renown community artist
3. Marc Bamuthi Joseph & Bethanie Hines, presenting Life Is Living
4. Spie TDK
5. Nancy Hernandez, San Francisco community activist
6. John "Prime" Hina, founder of 808urban.org
7. Steve Grody, author of Graffiti LA
8. Erin Yoshioka, of Trust Your Struggle Collective
9. Estria
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 10, 11:00AM-5:00PM
at the Life Is Living Festival
Curated by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle featuring 24 contestants!!
Mighty 4 Break Battle, hosted by Paulskeee
Pharaoh Monch performing live
Black Book Battles by Visual Element
Stencil T-shirt workshop by Nancy Hernandez
FREE Family Event
deFremery Park (Little Bobby Hutton)
1651 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94607
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 10, 10:00PM-1:00AM
After Party at Farmer Brown
45 Mason St. (at Market St.), SF, CA 94102
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 31, 11:00AM-5:00PM
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Kicks & Cans" Custom Painted Shoe Auction
Estria Invitational x Shoebiz x Adidas
Shoebiz SF
1422 Haight St., SF, CA 94117
Auctioning 20 pairs of Adidas shell toes and Stan Smiths, custom painted by artists of the Estria Invitationals
All of the following events are at La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley, 3105 Shattuck (near Ashby BART)
Poetry Slam
poets from around the globe
Thursday, October 08, 2009 & Friday, October 09, 2009
$15 gen. - 7pm
Join seventy-two of the world's top performance poets representing slam venues from around the globe as they converge at La Peña and electrify audiences with their talents. Plus a fantastic array of free day events. ANYONE can participate! There will also be rree daytime events and open mics in the café from 10am to 5pm. For more information click here.
* www.berkeleypoetryslam.com
* www.myspace.com/oaklandslam
* www.myspace.com/thecityslam
* www.myspace.com/calpoetryslam
* www.youthspeaks.org
* www.myspace.com/poetryforthepeople
* www.poetryflash.org
* www.epicarts.org
* www.myspace.org/sanjoseslam
* www.myspace.com/3rdeyecollective
* www.myspace.com/touretteswithoutregrets
* www.chicopoetryslam.com
* www.myspace.com/mahoganyurbanpoetryseries
October 11
ENDdependence!
headRush, Paul Flores, Cesar A. Cruz & more
Honoring Indigenous Raza Day.
$3 HS students, $5 college, $10 adults, $15 incl. free book
6pm
October 11
Community Dialogue
Mind Power Collective Sunday Salon: Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy
Using Hip Hop as a vehicle for social justice.
FREE
3-5pm
Cypher
The Rebirth
Monday October 12, 2009
FREE - 9-11pm
Every Monday join us for an open and inclusive environment for dancers of all levels to cypher, build community, & improvise with live musicians. We got an open freestyle practice sessions for street dancers of all styles including, House, B-boying/B-girling, Hip-Hop Proper, Popping, Waaking, Locking, and dances of the African Diaspora. Two resident DJ's will spin mostly deep soulful house & hip-hop. Each week there will be guest local MC's, vocalists, or percussionists. Click here for more information about a writing workshop for Hip Hop emcees with Rico Pabón.
Graffiti Events
The Graffiti Series 2009 Calendar of Events
September 10-October 10
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Ode to the Spray Can" art show
1:AM Gallery, San Francisco
1000 Howard St, SF, CA 94127
Featuring 26 artists of the Estria Invitationals
-------------------------------------------
Thursday, October 8, 6:00-9:30PM
"Don't Sweat the Technique: The Can Film Festival" Graffiti Film Festival
1:AM Gallery, San Francisco
1000 Howard St, SF, CA 94127
Free event, limited seating
Hosted by Jeff Chang, author of 'Can't Stop Won't Stop'
Panel discussion with: Kevin Epps, Dr. Susie Lundy, Erin Yoshi, Estria
Featured Films: Style Wars and Bomb It!
-------------------------------------------
Friday, October 9, 7:00-10:30PM
Pecha Kucha Night Oakland
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Graffiti for Social Change" Slide Show
Eastside Arts Cultural Center, Oakland
2277 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94606
$5 cover, limited seating
All ages welcome. Beer and wine bar open to over 21.
10 presenters, 20 slides each, 20 seconds per slide
Confirmed presenters (out of 10 slots):
1. Jim Prigoff, co-author of Spraycan Art, Walls of Heritage Walls of Pride, and Graffiti New York
2. Brett Cook Dizney, nationally renown community artist
3. Marc Bamuthi Joseph & Bethanie Hines, presenting Life Is Living
4. Spie TDK
5. Nancy Hernandez, San Francisco community activist
6. John "Prime" Hina, founder of 808urban.org
7. Steve Grody, author of Graffiti LA
8. Erin Yoshioka, of Trust Your Struggle Collective
9. Estria
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 10, 11:00AM-5:00PM
at the Life Is Living Festival
Curated by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle featuring 24 contestants!!
Mighty 4 Break Battle, hosted by Paulskeee
Pharaoh Monch performing live
Black Book Battles by Visual Element
Stencil T-shirt workshop by Nancy Hernandez
FREE Family Event
deFremery Park (Little Bobby Hutton)
1651 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94607
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 10, 10:00PM-1:00AM
After Party at Farmer Brown
45 Mason St. (at Market St.), SF, CA 94102
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 31, 11:00AM-5:00PM
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Kicks & Cans" Custom Painted Shoe Auction
Estria Invitational x Shoebiz x Adidas
Shoebiz SF
1422 Haight St., SF, CA 94117
Auctioning 20 pairs of Adidas shell toes and Stan Smiths, custom painted by artists of the Estria Invitationals
September 10-October 10
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Ode to the Spray Can" art show
1:AM Gallery, San Francisco
1000 Howard St, SF, CA 94127
Featuring 26 artists of the Estria Invitationals
-------------------------------------------
Thursday, October 8, 6:00-9:30PM
"Don't Sweat the Technique: The Can Film Festival" Graffiti Film Festival
1:AM Gallery, San Francisco
1000 Howard St, SF, CA 94127
Free event, limited seating
Hosted by Jeff Chang, author of 'Can't Stop Won't Stop'
Panel discussion with: Kevin Epps, Dr. Susie Lundy, Erin Yoshi, Estria
Featured Films: Style Wars and Bomb It!
-------------------------------------------
Friday, October 9, 7:00-10:30PM
Pecha Kucha Night Oakland
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Graffiti for Social Change" Slide Show
Eastside Arts Cultural Center, Oakland
2277 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94606
$5 cover, limited seating
All ages welcome. Beer and wine bar open to over 21.
10 presenters, 20 slides each, 20 seconds per slide
Confirmed presenters (out of 10 slots):
1. Jim Prigoff, co-author of Spraycan Art, Walls of Heritage Walls of Pride, and Graffiti New York
2. Brett Cook Dizney, nationally renown community artist
3. Marc Bamuthi Joseph & Bethanie Hines, presenting Life Is Living
4. Spie TDK
5. Nancy Hernandez, San Francisco community activist
6. John "Prime" Hina, founder of 808urban.org
7. Steve Grody, author of Graffiti LA
8. Erin Yoshioka, of Trust Your Struggle Collective
9. Estria
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 10, 11:00AM-5:00PM
at the Life Is Living Festival
Curated by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle featuring 24 contestants!!
Mighty 4 Break Battle, hosted by Paulskeee
Pharaoh Monch performing live
Black Book Battles by Visual Element
Stencil T-shirt workshop by Nancy Hernandez
FREE Family Event
deFremery Park (Little Bobby Hutton)
1651 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94607
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 10, 10:00PM-1:00AM
After Party at Farmer Brown
45 Mason St. (at Market St.), SF, CA 94102
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, October 31, 11:00AM-5:00PM
"Don't Sweat the Technique: Kicks & Cans" Custom Painted Shoe Auction
Estria Invitational x Shoebiz x Adidas
Shoebiz SF
1422 Haight St., SF, CA 94117
Auctioning 20 pairs of Adidas shell toes and Stan Smiths, custom painted by artists of the Estria Invitationals
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Me, Myself and I
Students were instructed to write a three paragraph response to Felicia Pride's narrative from The Message: "Me, Myself and I." Some students gave me their responses, others needed more time and can post them here with a works cited section of the short essay.
Bring your books: The Spoken Word Revolution to class on Thursday, October 8. We will spend the first part of the class reading and discussing poetry, followed by the three students who will present their essays on "writers" or "graffiti artists." Each essay needs to be about four pages, excluding the works cited. I am finding the essays I have read so far, with one exception, Ilene's, to be lacking in depth and scholarship.
Only one student brought his essay to class for a peer review, so I gave him feedback. The essays are due the day of the presentation; if you come late and miss the presentation, we can try to squeeze you in on another day, but the moment might not come back around. The paper is still due with the planning sheets the day stated on the assignment sheet unless other arrangements have been made in advance.
Unfortunately, you are not graded solely on the presentations, rather on the writing as well. Some of you are not demonstrating your ability to do research and use the information gleaned to support and prove the thesis. All papers need to use minimally three sources, one needs to be from the databases or library resources. Idf your computer won't allow you to format your paper correctly, go to the writing center and get help. Student papers which do not have proper MLA will not get passing grades. I am interested in content and this is the most important part of the writing process, but the form has to be correct too.
All revisions need to be completed with a narrative stating what you did to the essays in question--step-by-step revision process or rewriting. These essays need to be in within the week and if you think you might need extra help, then get back to me by the next class meeting.
You will only get from this class what you put into it. I was surprised that no one who is presenting on graffitti watch Style Wars, a classic.
Since we are writing about art description is certainly one of the writing modes students should consider using. Many students do not know proper MLA formatting for an essay. I stated at the beginning of the class and it is in the syllabus, if you need help come to my office hours or make an appointment with me. Also, students need to bring a grammar style book to class (Diana Hacker Rules for Writers is recommended and it is in the bookstore.)
For homework in The Spoken Word Revolution (2004), read: the Introduction (10-11; 32-33), Hip Hop Poetry (38-41, 55-59). You can skim the poetry between the sections if you like.
Oh, I gave students a copy of another Dyson essay from Know What I Mean, Track 3 looks at the language of the genre, specifically its poets and the place language has in black culture. It ties in well to the reading from The Spoken Word Revolution which also looks at the oral tradition.
Bring your books: The Spoken Word Revolution to class on Thursday, October 8. We will spend the first part of the class reading and discussing poetry, followed by the three students who will present their essays on "writers" or "graffiti artists." Each essay needs to be about four pages, excluding the works cited. I am finding the essays I have read so far, with one exception, Ilene's, to be lacking in depth and scholarship.
Only one student brought his essay to class for a peer review, so I gave him feedback. The essays are due the day of the presentation; if you come late and miss the presentation, we can try to squeeze you in on another day, but the moment might not come back around. The paper is still due with the planning sheets the day stated on the assignment sheet unless other arrangements have been made in advance.
Unfortunately, you are not graded solely on the presentations, rather on the writing as well. Some of you are not demonstrating your ability to do research and use the information gleaned to support and prove the thesis. All papers need to use minimally three sources, one needs to be from the databases or library resources. Idf your computer won't allow you to format your paper correctly, go to the writing center and get help. Student papers which do not have proper MLA will not get passing grades. I am interested in content and this is the most important part of the writing process, but the form has to be correct too.
All revisions need to be completed with a narrative stating what you did to the essays in question--step-by-step revision process or rewriting. These essays need to be in within the week and if you think you might need extra help, then get back to me by the next class meeting.
You will only get from this class what you put into it. I was surprised that no one who is presenting on graffitti watch Style Wars, a classic.
Since we are writing about art description is certainly one of the writing modes students should consider using. Many students do not know proper MLA formatting for an essay. I stated at the beginning of the class and it is in the syllabus, if you need help come to my office hours or make an appointment with me. Also, students need to bring a grammar style book to class (Diana Hacker Rules for Writers is recommended and it is in the bookstore.)
For homework in The Spoken Word Revolution (2004), read: the Introduction (10-11; 32-33), Hip Hop Poetry (38-41, 55-59). You can skim the poetry between the sections if you like.
Oh, I gave students a copy of another Dyson essay from Know What I Mean, Track 3 looks at the language of the genre, specifically its poets and the place language has in black culture. It ties in well to the reading from The Spoken Word Revolution which also looks at the oral tradition.
Style Wars
Today in class we watched about an hour of the film, "Style Wars." Take a moment to anaylze the structure of the film--write a treatment which is a narrative plan for a film. Style Wars is a great work depicting the rise of the movement called hip hop culture and the "writers" or grafitti artists. The director puts "writers" in the context of the movement. Style Wars is a template for academic research and writing. Both sides of the argument are presented, even though, at this point some of the evidence is outdated. It is here that films like Piece by Piece augment the documents and expand it regionally, as Style Wars looks at graffiti in New York.
Post you comments and response to my query here.
Post you comments and response to my query here.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Total Chaos Assignments Posts
Post your summaries to the essays assigned here. For each essay have a separate post: Minimally three paragraphs with three citations and a works cited page.
On Pure Movement (59), From Dope Spot to Broadway (78), On Lit Hop (92), The City in Public (149), Black Talk and Hot Sex (178), Native Tongues (278), Inventos (255), Toward a Hip Hop Aesthetics (349) and perhaps others.
We have already read three essays and their corresponding introductions: Cape Flats Alchemy (262), Got Next (33), A Brand New Feminism (233), plus an essay on Graffiti Arts and Hyper-masculinity
On Pure Movement (59), From Dope Spot to Broadway (78), On Lit Hop (92), The City in Public (149), Black Talk and Hot Sex (178), Native Tongues (278), Inventos (255), Toward a Hip Hop Aesthetics (349) and perhaps others.
We have already read three essays and their corresponding introductions: Cape Flats Alchemy (262), Got Next (33), A Brand New Feminism (233), plus an essay on Graffiti Arts and Hyper-masculinity
Presentations and Cyber-Post Responses
Today the presentations were generally great with props to Tatiana, Erica, Itzel for their preparation. Dexter's presentation was also good, as was Forrest's on American culture.
Students who presented write a self-reflection on the process from essay to presentation (250 words) minimum.
What separated the excellent work from satisfactory was the three women students' attention to the assignment specifications: bring in visuals, music, lyrics and become an expert on your topic. misogyny was the thesis in many of the presentations, along with women's tacit participation in their objectification and exploitation for a variety of reasons. We looked at the intersection between objectification and pornography. We also looked at how American norms around a women's sexuality and her ability to celebrate her sexuality was not some present in all cultures, but with cyber communication and globalization this window is closing and the mores merging in both negative and positive ways.
A friend of mine, Rhodessa Jones, Artistic Director, Medea Project, Theatre for Incarcerated Women, said when she was in South Africa, the kids called her a "bitch and a ho," not out of disrespect, but because they learned to speak English from hip hop videos and they though woman equals ho and bitch, that this is what the words mean. She straightened them out (smile).
I appreciated and enjoyed Erica's call to action. She along with Itzel and Tatiana and Dexter left their audience with a choice, while admitting that success and fame sometimes means going along with a program one did not produce or audition for.
The women surveyed were one's most students knew and I can certainly say that many of you are experts, but as budding scholars, you do not have a published body of work yet, so you have to look to other published work of scholars who support your arguments.
Keep this in mind. Hip Hop didn't jump out of a vacuum, it is an art which is a part of American culture, specifically rooted in African Diaspora culture so dig deeply to find historic evidence to support your claims.
If you are talking about money and American culture and this materialism evident in popular culture, or body adornment and how it is showing up in the younger generations...look at trends and periods in American history like the the radical '60s which was a look that had several soundtracks.
I read the essays and many do not use scholarly sources from a library database, not one, also the MLA is not correct on many papers and others are too short. I will return them to you with comments and Dexter I will email yours back to you with comments. If you want comments sooner than Tuesday, October 6, Erica, Itzel and Tatiana, send me your work.
Students escaped without handouts I'd had for you. Darn it! I will give you the articles on Tuesday. I'd like you to read the other essays I listed from Total Chaos in the assignment post (I also gave students handouts) for this coming week which includes today. I will post links for responses.
We are scholars so even if the language in the work we are studying is full of cliches and profanity and other non-standard language, when we critique the work--one paper and in oral discussion, we use Standard English.
Please post your comments here. Be constructive and use examples from the presentations.
Students who presented write a self-reflection on the process from essay to presentation (250 words) minimum.
What separated the excellent work from satisfactory was the three women students' attention to the assignment specifications: bring in visuals, music, lyrics and become an expert on your topic. misogyny was the thesis in many of the presentations, along with women's tacit participation in their objectification and exploitation for a variety of reasons. We looked at the intersection between objectification and pornography. We also looked at how American norms around a women's sexuality and her ability to celebrate her sexuality was not some present in all cultures, but with cyber communication and globalization this window is closing and the mores merging in both negative and positive ways.
A friend of mine, Rhodessa Jones, Artistic Director, Medea Project, Theatre for Incarcerated Women, said when she was in South Africa, the kids called her a "bitch and a ho," not out of disrespect, but because they learned to speak English from hip hop videos and they though woman equals ho and bitch, that this is what the words mean. She straightened them out (smile).
I appreciated and enjoyed Erica's call to action. She along with Itzel and Tatiana and Dexter left their audience with a choice, while admitting that success and fame sometimes means going along with a program one did not produce or audition for.
The women surveyed were one's most students knew and I can certainly say that many of you are experts, but as budding scholars, you do not have a published body of work yet, so you have to look to other published work of scholars who support your arguments.
Keep this in mind. Hip Hop didn't jump out of a vacuum, it is an art which is a part of American culture, specifically rooted in African Diaspora culture so dig deeply to find historic evidence to support your claims.
If you are talking about money and American culture and this materialism evident in popular culture, or body adornment and how it is showing up in the younger generations...look at trends and periods in American history like the the radical '60s which was a look that had several soundtracks.
I read the essays and many do not use scholarly sources from a library database, not one, also the MLA is not correct on many papers and others are too short. I will return them to you with comments and Dexter I will email yours back to you with comments. If you want comments sooner than Tuesday, October 6, Erica, Itzel and Tatiana, send me your work.
Students escaped without handouts I'd had for you. Darn it! I will give you the articles on Tuesday. I'd like you to read the other essays I listed from Total Chaos in the assignment post (I also gave students handouts) for this coming week which includes today. I will post links for responses.
We are scholars so even if the language in the work we are studying is full of cliches and profanity and other non-standard language, when we critique the work--one paper and in oral discussion, we use Standard English.
Please post your comments here. Be constructive and use examples from the presentations.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
"Ladies First" Free Write
Post the three paragraph essay response to Felicia Pride's "Ladies First" here. Remember, use a block quote from the song by Queen Latifah, a paraphrase and another citation from Pride's narrative. Include a works cited section of the paper.
American Culture Cyber-Posts
Today the presentations went very well. Please post your narratives here. They will certainly be more in depth than the presentations for some of you. Remember DEEP was the tag line.... The 100 words was a minimum.
In the future, please complete your homework, at home. I could tell the difference. Oh, and for students presenting essays on Thursday, October 1 re: Women in Hip Hop, Relax and have fun, if you need another couple of days to get the essay in to me or you'd like me to look at it, give you feedback and then allow you to turn it in later, come to the study hour 12-1 10/01 in L-235 with your paper or make arrangements in advance.
You can also email the essay to me today and I can look at it before 10/01 and give you comments. Call me and tell me you sent it, just in case.
Again, post your narratives here. If you didn't present, still post the narrative here. You can present on Thursday, October 1, before papers are presented. Be prompt. So far, Forrest is the only one I know who is presenting.
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