Essay 2 is due by 12 midnight, Friday, July 1, 2011. Be sure to attach and paste the entire portfolio which includes: The first draft written in class today, the completed draft with peer comments and the final draft with planning (Initial Planning Sheet and Outline). It is okay if the planning changed between today's draft and the final draft. Write a note for me.
Everyone should also have a bibliography including your book review and author profile.
The essay should be about 750 words or three pages. The fourth page is the works cited and the fifth page is the bibliography.
For this essay I will be looking at how will you integrate the text into your analysis. We have been looking at motifs and symbols, myths and characters who are bigger than the contemporary story that houses them. Kim we agreed is a heroine. She is flawed, but a heroine nonetheless.
Several students were concerned about their thesis sentences. Don't worry. Write the paper, sometimes the act of composition helps the writer clarify his or her thoughts.
Events this weekend:
Visual Word: Poetry through Photography, curated by TaSin Sabir, at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street, Downtown Oakland, CA, (510) 465-8928. The reception Friday, July 1, 2011, 5:30 to 9 p.m. is free. The exhibit is up through August 29, 2011.
SF Mime Troupe at Delores Park in San Francisco this weekend. Visit http://www.sfmt.org/index.php
The Tony Award-winning SF Mime Troupe opens July 4th in Dolores Park with its 52nd season premiering "2012 - The Musical!"
A small political theater company, Theater BAM!, finds itself at a crossroads: should they keep telling the stories they feel can change the world (and starve while telling them), or feed at the corporate trough, sell out, and be the mouthpiece for The Man. Tough decision. But before having to make it, they are offered an artistic commission that may save the company; all they have to do is create a new play, "2012 - The Musical!" But is it political? Will it keep with the company's original mission? What's the true purpose of this frivolous production, and who's really bankrolling the thing?
July 15, 2011
Persepolis, Texas
Maryam Farnaz Rostami
Presented as part of CounterPULSE’s Summer Special
http://counterpulse.org/category/events/upcoming/
JUL 15-17, FRI-SUN at 8PM
$20 General Admission ($15 CounterPULSE Members)
Persepolis, Texas is the story of how a little girl born to Iranian parents and raised in the suburbs of Texas came to become a drag queen in San Francisco, California. Using narrative, devised movement and drag, Maryam Farnaz Rostami will take us to the Wild West, a nouveau-traditional Iranian living room, a suburban public school, and at Persepolis itself and explore how where we’re from makes who we are.
Next week at the San Francisco International Arts Festival:
http://www.sfiaf.org/
Their is more theatre at Marsh Theatre in both Berkeley and San Francisco. Visit http://www.themarsh.org/
I have seen Don Reed's E-14th, Brian Copeland's Not a Genuine Black Man, and Dan Hoyle's The Real Americans. I want to see Dan's father's piece, Old Geezer ,the Marsh Youth and Marga Gomez. I also want to see Tales of the City at ACT-SF.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Drift Away
Today the freewrite is based on the song "Drift Away," (made popular by Dobie Gray)rearranged by Rene Marie on her latest album Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema).
Oh, today is the Last Day to Drop Summer Session Classes Without “W” Appearing on Transcripts.
Reflect on the lyrics. You can think about Ma and Kim or yourself (smile).
Drift Away
(composers Williams, Warren and Heidi Williams)
Day after day I'm more confused
So I look for the light in the pouring rain
You know that's a game that I hate to lose
I'm feelin' the strain, ain't it a shame
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Beginning to think that I'm wastin' time
I don't understand the things I do
The world outside looks so unkind
I'm countin' on you to carry me through
And when my mind is free
You know a melody can move me
And when I'm feelin' blue
The guitar's comin' through to soothe me
Thanks for the joy that you've given me
I want you to know I believe in your song
Rhythm and rhyme and harmony
You help me along makin' me strong
Oh, today is the Last Day to Drop Summer Session Classes Without “W” Appearing on Transcripts.
Reflect on the lyrics. You can think about Ma and Kim or yourself (smile).
Drift Away
(composers Williams, Warren and Heidi Williams)
Day after day I'm more confused
So I look for the light in the pouring rain
You know that's a game that I hate to lose
I'm feelin' the strain, ain't it a shame
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Beginning to think that I'm wastin' time
I don't understand the things I do
The world outside looks so unkind
I'm countin' on you to carry me through
And when my mind is free
You know a melody can move me
And when I'm feelin' blue
The guitar's comin' through to soothe me
Thanks for the joy that you've given me
I want you to know I believe in your song
Rhythm and rhyme and harmony
You help me along makin' me strong
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Day 3, Week 2 Freewrite
Respond to the Ise Lyfe's poem (poetry) beginning with "We Exist" from Pistols and Prayers the CD. We also listened to Prayer, Chyldhood, Just a Thought, Oakland Stand UP, and Pride.
In class today we:
2. Continued the group discussions.
3. Reviewed thesis sentences, organization, support; MLA --in-text citations, parentheticals; Verb tense when writing about literature
Sample thesis (handout--Three-Part Thesis sentence)
Although novelist JK uses her (life) experience as an immigrant as a basis for her character, Kimberly Chang, there the two diverge, as Girl in Translation is a hero's journey, where instead of scaling tall buildings, she slays dragons in sweat shops, rescues mute damsels in drag, and then takes her knight and rides off on her Ducati.
Notes continued
Introduction:
Background on Kim. How did she get to America. Other key characters in the saga: Ma, Aunt Paula (the ogre), Pa-ghost, Matt, (Annette).
Character profile of the superhero:
She's flawed or damaged, a product of her environment. . . (think about her fatherless son). There could be a sequel.
How does she fix other people's lives when she can't fix her own?
Problems she resolves. Each problem could be a paragraph:
Housing, language, culture: American & Chinese, generational gaps between Kim and her mom. The gaps elasticity: grows and shrinks. Look at the use of translation to bridge this bridge they keep repairing.
Super Hero Profile:
Self-sacrificing, sacrifices personal happiness for others, doesn't have many friends, secretive, protective of weak and vulnerable, brave. Believes in her mission. Is dishonest, yet genuine. (What she might lack in idealism, she makes compensates in actions.
A superhero has super power, Kim's is her math & science skills. The superhero might always be well-intentioned, but the outcome might not always be favorable or helpful.
In Kim's case, one could say, a superhero is not more mature than her age-mates, so she often makes mistakes based on her limited life experiences, and in this case limited English language fluency.
A superhero is self-reflective and respectful (most of the time).
Problems connected to heroism like loneliness.
Conclusion:
Takeaways:
What are the tangible takeaways? Is she successful? In what way? What does she have to show for her work? Is the world safer because of her?
We also looked at the larger story here that of America and its large immigrant population, people who have nothing yet achieve greatness as they translate their lives into marketable currency.
Homework:
Prepare for the essay on the novel, Girl in Translation. Bring in a detailed outline with an Initial Planning Sheet. You will have 1 1/2 hours to write and we will spend 20 minutes on a peer review and the rest of the time in revision. I hope you can turn the essays in tomorrow. We shall see.
We are going to see Pistols and Prayers on Friday, July 1, 2011, 8 PM at 408 14th Street. I will be next door at an artist reception at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street, Oakland, 5:30 p.m. until 7:45 p.m., where I have ten photographs from my trip to Senegal in 2009. The exhibit is called: The Visual Word: Poetry through Photography. The reception is free.
In class today we:
2. Continued the group discussions.
3. Reviewed thesis sentences, organization, support; MLA --in-text citations, parentheticals; Verb tense when writing about literature
Sample thesis (handout--Three-Part Thesis sentence)
Although novelist JK uses her (life) experience as an immigrant as a basis for her character, Kimberly Chang, there the two diverge, as Girl in Translation is a hero's journey, where instead of scaling tall buildings, she slays dragons in sweat shops, rescues mute damsels in drag, and then takes her knight and rides off on her Ducati.
Notes continued
Introduction:
Background on Kim. How did she get to America. Other key characters in the saga: Ma, Aunt Paula (the ogre), Pa-ghost, Matt, (Annette).
Character profile of the superhero:
She's flawed or damaged, a product of her environment. . . (think about her fatherless son). There could be a sequel.
How does she fix other people's lives when she can't fix her own?
Problems she resolves. Each problem could be a paragraph:
Housing, language, culture: American & Chinese, generational gaps between Kim and her mom. The gaps elasticity: grows and shrinks. Look at the use of translation to bridge this bridge they keep repairing.
Super Hero Profile:
Self-sacrificing, sacrifices personal happiness for others, doesn't have many friends, secretive, protective of weak and vulnerable, brave. Believes in her mission. Is dishonest, yet genuine. (What she might lack in idealism, she makes compensates in actions.
A superhero has super power, Kim's is her math & science skills. The superhero might always be well-intentioned, but the outcome might not always be favorable or helpful.
In Kim's case, one could say, a superhero is not more mature than her age-mates, so she often makes mistakes based on her limited life experiences, and in this case limited English language fluency.
A superhero is self-reflective and respectful (most of the time).
Problems connected to heroism like loneliness.
Conclusion:
Takeaways:
What are the tangible takeaways? Is she successful? In what way? What does she have to show for her work? Is the world safer because of her?
We also looked at the larger story here that of America and its large immigrant population, people who have nothing yet achieve greatness as they translate their lives into marketable currency.
Homework:
Prepare for the essay on the novel, Girl in Translation. Bring in a detailed outline with an Initial Planning Sheet. You will have 1 1/2 hours to write and we will spend 20 minutes on a peer review and the rest of the time in revision. I hope you can turn the essays in tomorrow. We shall see.
We are going to see Pistols and Prayers on Friday, July 1, 2011, 8 PM at 408 14th Street. I will be next door at an artist reception at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street, Oakland, 5:30 p.m. until 7:45 p.m., where I have ten photographs from my trip to Senegal in 2009. The exhibit is called: The Visual Word: Poetry through Photography. The reception is free.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Class Discourse Day 2, Week 2: Homework
Today we are going to discuss the readings looking at all the elements: protagonist/antagonist, plot, character, setting, point of view, symbolism, style.
Life in Translation is a hero's journey. Look at Kim as that hero. Who is the damsel? What demons does she have to slay to reach nirvana? Who's in her posse of knights? How does the author, Jean Kwok juxtapose these very good and very bad characters to create a tale that is both fantastical yet realistic?
How does this tale fit into Feminist and Gender Criticism? Give this a womanist or feminist reading (Gardner 144). Also look at Psychological Theories, specifically archetypes (149).
"An archetype is a universal symbolic pattern. Examples of archetypal characters are the femme fatale, the trickster, the great mother and father, and the dying god. There are archetypal stories as well. Examples are stories of great floods, virgin births, creation, paradise, the underworld, and a final apocalypse. True to their universal nature, archetypal characters and stories appear again and again in myths across many diverse cultures" http://www.pbs.org/mythsandheroes/myths_archetypes.html.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype
In each group write a three paragraph response.
Post here drafts. We will complete the essays tomorrow.
Homework
Post three thesis sentences that look at Kim Chang and the "heroes journey." In one of the thesis sentences incorporate text from the novel.
Revisions
If you received your essay back, revise it if required and get back in by the date requested. Also complete the book, Girl in Translation.
Life in Translation is a hero's journey. Look at Kim as that hero. Who is the damsel? What demons does she have to slay to reach nirvana? Who's in her posse of knights? How does the author, Jean Kwok juxtapose these very good and very bad characters to create a tale that is both fantastical yet realistic?
How does this tale fit into Feminist and Gender Criticism? Give this a womanist or feminist reading (Gardner 144). Also look at Psychological Theories, specifically archetypes (149).
"An archetype is a universal symbolic pattern. Examples of archetypal characters are the femme fatale, the trickster, the great mother and father, and the dying god. There are archetypal stories as well. Examples are stories of great floods, virgin births, creation, paradise, the underworld, and a final apocalypse. True to their universal nature, archetypal characters and stories appear again and again in myths across many diverse cultures" http://www.pbs.org/mythsandheroes/myths_archetypes.html.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype
In each group write a three paragraph response.
Post here drafts. We will complete the essays tomorrow.
Homework
Post three thesis sentences that look at Kim Chang and the "heroes journey." In one of the thesis sentences incorporate text from the novel.
Revisions
If you received your essay back, revise it if required and get back in by the date requested. Also complete the book, Girl in Translation.
Reflection on Freedom
We listened to Kim Nalley sing the standard, "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," from She Put a Spell on Me: Kim Nalley Sings Nina Simone (writers Richard Lamb and William Taylor).
Reflect on freedom through the eyes of Kim Chang, the protagonist in Girl in Translation.
Reflect on freedom through the eyes of Kim Chang, the protagonist in Girl in Translation.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Reflection on Girl in Translation; homework and class plan
Reflect on the story so far: the protagonist, An-kim, her mom. . . themes like child labor, immigration, slum lords. . . Cinderella--where's the prince?
Comment on at least one classmate's post here as well.
2. Peer Review for Essay 1--Rubric
3. COA Library
4. Published reviews, author bio (Jean Kwok)
5. Homework is to read the next 100 pages in Kwok and the handouts on Revision.
Comment on at least one classmate's post here as well.
2. Peer Review for Essay 1--Rubric
3. COA Library
4. Published reviews, author bio (Jean Kwok)
5. Homework is to read the next 100 pages in Kwok and the handouts on Revision.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Recap of Day 4, Week 1
Today we started our essays for the short story assignment. There were several handouts: two from the Literary Handbook and one about the COA library database for use off campus. I also gave students the handout: "Questions for Discussing Essays."
We began the class with an overview of the week. I played Carmen Lundy's "Come Home," as an introduction to the theme of "home," as illustrated in the short story collection The Dance Boots. By the way, the book is in the college bookstore. The manager told me she couldn't get it (smile).
We decided that we would start the essays in class on Thursdays for the first few weeks and complete them for homework over the weekend. The entire package is due Monday, June 27, 2011. We'll start the class with a peer review and then students will email their essay portfolio to me.
Homework
1. Homework is to start the novel, Girl in Translation. Read 100 pages for Monday, another 100 pages for Tuesday and Tuesday night complete the book for Wednesday.
2. Bring in a copy of a published review of the book and information about the author. Use the Library Database to find an article if you like and to see if she is in the author database (I gave students the access code for off campus use).
3. Students exchanged email addresses with classmates to get a peer review prior to turning in the final draft of the in-class essay due Monday, June 27, 2011. I want to see the draft written today, Thursday, June 23, 2011.
Students will turn in the June 23, 2011 draft and a final draft on Monday, June 27, 2011, an in-class electronic peer review, planning sheet, and outline. All this makes up the Short Story essay portfolio.
Thursday, June 30, 2011, we will write the essay taking its topic from Girl in Translation.
Other Readings
Skim the chapter on Writing a Literary Research Paperand read the chapter we reviewed on Common Writing Assignments.
Field Trip
I thought a good day for me to go to the Ise Lyfe play is July 1, 2011. I'll have more information about this on Monday, June 27, 2011.
We began the class with an overview of the week. I played Carmen Lundy's "Come Home," as an introduction to the theme of "home," as illustrated in the short story collection The Dance Boots. By the way, the book is in the college bookstore. The manager told me she couldn't get it (smile).
We decided that we would start the essays in class on Thursdays for the first few weeks and complete them for homework over the weekend. The entire package is due Monday, June 27, 2011. We'll start the class with a peer review and then students will email their essay portfolio to me.
Homework
1. Homework is to start the novel, Girl in Translation. Read 100 pages for Monday, another 100 pages for Tuesday and Tuesday night complete the book for Wednesday.
2. Bring in a copy of a published review of the book and information about the author. Use the Library Database to find an article if you like and to see if she is in the author database (I gave students the access code for off campus use).
3. Students exchanged email addresses with classmates to get a peer review prior to turning in the final draft of the in-class essay due Monday, June 27, 2011. I want to see the draft written today, Thursday, June 23, 2011.
Students will turn in the June 23, 2011 draft and a final draft on Monday, June 27, 2011, an in-class electronic peer review, planning sheet, and outline. All this makes up the Short Story essay portfolio.
Thursday, June 30, 2011, we will write the essay taking its topic from Girl in Translation.
Other Readings
Skim the chapter on Writing a Literary Research Paperand read the chapter we reviewed on Common Writing Assignments.
Field Trip
I thought a good day for me to go to the Ise Lyfe play is July 1, 2011. I'll have more information about this on Monday, June 27, 2011.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
A Note from a Classmate
There are two films in the "On Demand" section of Comcast which are related to the stories that we are reading. The films are in the independent movies category. The films deal with Indian boarding schools.
The titles are: "The Only Good Indian," and "Older than America." Unlike the stories we are reading, the movies actually deal with rape that also occurred in the schools as well as the beatings.
The titles are: "The Only Good Indian," and "Older than America." Unlike the stories we are reading, the movies actually deal with rape that also occurred in the schools as well as the beatings.
Walls Freewrite
Post here. The theme is taken from Meklit Hadero's "Walls," on her compact disk, On a Day like This.
Look at walls as a symbol. Reflect on the theme of barriers --personal or societal. You can also look at the short stories we've been reading and the walls in the characters' lives.
For the freewrites, students have the option of posting anonymously. If you do post anonymously, send me a copy with your name so you can have credit (coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com).
MLA
Hadero, Meklit. "Walls." On a Day like This. . . . Porto Franco Records, 2010.
2. W@L: Chapter 4--Review pp. 57-60. Read pp. 61-77 (again). Complete p. 77. Review pp. 79-81.
3. "Maggie & Louis, 1914." (short story).
4. Homework is to catch up on the reading. I have given students the Preface and four (4) stories from The Dance Boots.
Handouts today included one on thesis sentences (from COA library carousel) and another handout called The Initial Planning Sheet.
For the essay due tomorrow, on The Story:
Here is an example of an opening paragraph looking at character and a second paragraph or third looking at how themes tie into character:
In The Dance Boots , author Linda Legrade Grover uses characters to populate the landscape that is her "mythical Mozhay Point Indian Reservation and allotment lands of tribe Objbwe extended families. . . in the heart of the six reservations of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, a few hours' drive north of Duluth, Minnesota, . . . on a hill on the shores of Lake Superior" (Preface 1). We meet several memorable characters in the first several chapters, some more striking than others; however, all of their lives, dreams and unrequited wishes resonate long after their demise or the chapter ends. One such character is (two such characters are). . . .
Loss, disappointment and shame haunt these (same or other) characters in Grover's stories "The Dance Boots" and "Maggie and Louis, 1914."
The Assignment
The assignment is to use 1-3 literary devices such as theme and character, plot, style, setting, or symbolism to show how these devices move the story forward.
Characters
Characters are often born of themes or the themes are their mission in the text--they exist as a vehicle for the event. Themes or reoccurring topics are not necessarily the plot.
Other literary devices again are: plot, point of view, setting, symbolism, style (57-60).
The Writing Assignment re: citations
Use examples from the text to illustrate your point; however this does not mean you can have more than 1 direct citation per page. For each essay use: free paraphrase, short citations, and a block quote.
Use only 1 direct citation per page.
Thursday In-class Essay Assignments, beginning Week 1, June 23, 2011
Bring in a completed Initial Planning Sheet electronically, that is on a flash drive and emailed to yourself. The Thursday essays will be a manageable 4-6 paragraphs (750-1250 words) or 3-4 pages. This can include the works cited page.
Bring in an outline for the essay, a detailed outline with a thesis and the sources or evidence one wants to use in the argument.
Tomorrow, we will talk about the essay, perhaps share thesis sentences. Look at research on-line on the topic, if such exists (smile). Write the essay, have a peer review and then email everything to ourselves. I will let you have the weekend for the first essay. You can turn it in Monday, June 27, 2011, via Internet.
Each essay will be a separate portfolio. We will talk about this more tomorrow.
Organization
Since I am giving you copies from a book (2-3), I suggest students invest in a notebook where you can put the various books together by chapter.
Look at walls as a symbol. Reflect on the theme of barriers --personal or societal. You can also look at the short stories we've been reading and the walls in the characters' lives.
For the freewrites, students have the option of posting anonymously. If you do post anonymously, send me a copy with your name so you can have credit (coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com).
MLA
Hadero, Meklit. "Walls." On a Day like This. . . . Porto Franco Records, 2010.
2. W@L: Chapter 4--Review pp. 57-60. Read pp. 61-77 (again). Complete p. 77. Review pp. 79-81.
3. "Maggie & Louis, 1914." (short story).
4. Homework is to catch up on the reading. I have given students the Preface and four (4) stories from The Dance Boots.
Handouts today included one on thesis sentences (from COA library carousel) and another handout called The Initial Planning Sheet.
For the essay due tomorrow, on The Story:
Here is an example of an opening paragraph looking at character and a second paragraph or third looking at how themes tie into character:
In The Dance Boots , author Linda Legrade Grover uses characters to populate the landscape that is her "mythical Mozhay Point Indian Reservation and allotment lands of tribe Objbwe extended families. . . in the heart of the six reservations of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, a few hours' drive north of Duluth, Minnesota, . . . on a hill on the shores of Lake Superior" (Preface 1). We meet several memorable characters in the first several chapters, some more striking than others; however, all of their lives, dreams and unrequited wishes resonate long after their demise or the chapter ends. One such character is (two such characters are). . . .
Loss, disappointment and shame haunt these (same or other) characters in Grover's stories "The Dance Boots" and "Maggie and Louis, 1914."
The Assignment
The assignment is to use 1-3 literary devices such as theme and character, plot, style, setting, or symbolism to show how these devices move the story forward.
Characters
Characters are often born of themes or the themes are their mission in the text--they exist as a vehicle for the event. Themes or reoccurring topics are not necessarily the plot.
Other literary devices again are: plot, point of view, setting, symbolism, style (57-60).
The Writing Assignment re: citations
Use examples from the text to illustrate your point; however this does not mean you can have more than 1 direct citation per page. For each essay use: free paraphrase, short citations, and a block quote.
Use only 1 direct citation per page.
Thursday In-class Essay Assignments, beginning Week 1, June 23, 2011
Bring in a completed Initial Planning Sheet electronically, that is on a flash drive and emailed to yourself. The Thursday essays will be a manageable 4-6 paragraphs (750-1250 words) or 3-4 pages. This can include the works cited page.
Bring in an outline for the essay, a detailed outline with a thesis and the sources or evidence one wants to use in the argument.
Tomorrow, we will talk about the essay, perhaps share thesis sentences. Look at research on-line on the topic, if such exists (smile). Write the essay, have a peer review and then email everything to ourselves. I will let you have the weekend for the first essay. You can turn it in Monday, June 27, 2011, via Internet.
Each essay will be a separate portfolio. We will talk about this more tomorrow.
Organization
Since I am giving you copies from a book (2-3), I suggest students invest in a notebook where you can put the various books together by chapter.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day 2 Homework and Cyber-Assignment
Write a 250 word summary of "Three Seasons." In your introduction, site the name of the story, its author and the section you wish to delve into more deeply. Talk about the episodic style of the story and why the author might have decided to use this way to tell Maggie's story. If you like, you can talk about thematic overlap between "The Dance Boots" and "Three Seasons."
Why three seasons? What happened to the fourth? What season is left out?
Keep reading. The next chapter "Maggie and Louis, 1914" was handed out along with another chapter from Writing about Literature, "Writing about Stories" (57).
Post your summary/analysis here.
Why three seasons? What happened to the fourth? What season is left out?
Keep reading. The next chapter "Maggie and Louis, 1914" was handed out along with another chapter from Writing about Literature, "Writing about Stories" (57).
Post your summary/analysis here.
Character Profiles: Protagonist & Antogonist
Post your character profiles here. Include the names of all parties involved in the composition.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Cyber-Assignment 1 and Recap for Day 1 Week 1
Today we covered a lot in a short time. I noticed a typo in the syllabus. I say, "Students are to attend a literacy event," when what I meant to write is a "literary event." We talked about Ise Lyfe's Pistols and Prayers as a possible field trip. It is at a new theatre space in downtown Oakland; I think 408 14th Street, Friday-Sundays, through July 17, 2011. More later.
Many students are completing university requirements for their undergraduate degrees. This is exciting. Good luck! Only one student missed the entire class and another student was absent. I gave students my mobile phone number. Students let me know if the information on their registration forms re: phone number and email address are correct.
You do not have to email me contact information if I have it already. I think you have a couple of days to drop the course. I don't take anything personally, so if this is not the time or the teacher or the campus for you--be well and so long (smile).
Recap
We completed Homework Assignment 1 & 2 (in the syllabus) combined with an assignment here. If students didn't finish, they were instructed to email it to themselves to post later. Make sure you always post your assignments where instructed. If you ever have trouble posting, email the assignment to me by the due date and we can address the problem in class. Always save a copy in your own email account and on your flash drive (do both).
Fiction
We looked at fiction --Someone said, "It's fake" not factual (smile), as a genre of literature. Even though fiction might be imaginative or not real, in that it didn't happen, it could have happened-- that's why it works for us as a story.
Some fiction is also historic, in that, the events or the time the story takes place is based on a true account. This is true in the first story we are reading. Linda LeGarde Grover's The Dance Boots evokes themes about Indigenous people's lives which are entirely plausible.
In small groups, students read aloud the title story and discussed its themes, point of view (first, second, third), narrator(s) (reliable vs. unreliable), (limited view vs. all knowing or omniscient -- like god (smile).
Students identified the protagonist (main character) and/or the antagonist (minor character), plot --what happens in the story or the point of the story, not to be confused with themes or reoccurring ideas, symbolism, style-tone, language.
We only got to page 9 or 10, which means homework is to read the rest of the story. Students were also given two chapters from The Portable Literature Guide to read. It is a refresher.
Homework con't.
I gave students: "Three Seasons," the next story from The Dance Boots,to read.
Cyber-Homework Assignment for June 20, 2011. Due June 20, 2011
Please post a response to the process for day 1. How did the class go for you?
Talk about your literature discussion group and what you discovered about the story and about yourself as a reader.
Respond to at least two other posts. The comments can be short: 50-100 words. You can respond to two students with the students named in one post.
Many students are completing university requirements for their undergraduate degrees. This is exciting. Good luck! Only one student missed the entire class and another student was absent. I gave students my mobile phone number. Students let me know if the information on their registration forms re: phone number and email address are correct.
You do not have to email me contact information if I have it already. I think you have a couple of days to drop the course. I don't take anything personally, so if this is not the time or the teacher or the campus for you--be well and so long (smile).
Recap
We completed Homework Assignment 1 & 2 (in the syllabus) combined with an assignment here. If students didn't finish, they were instructed to email it to themselves to post later. Make sure you always post your assignments where instructed. If you ever have trouble posting, email the assignment to me by the due date and we can address the problem in class. Always save a copy in your own email account and on your flash drive (do both).
Fiction
We looked at fiction --Someone said, "It's fake" not factual (smile), as a genre of literature. Even though fiction might be imaginative or not real, in that it didn't happen, it could have happened-- that's why it works for us as a story.
Some fiction is also historic, in that, the events or the time the story takes place is based on a true account. This is true in the first story we are reading. Linda LeGarde Grover's The Dance Boots evokes themes about Indigenous people's lives which are entirely plausible.
In small groups, students read aloud the title story and discussed its themes, point of view (first, second, third), narrator(s) (reliable vs. unreliable), (limited view vs. all knowing or omniscient -- like god (smile).
Students identified the protagonist (main character) and/or the antagonist (minor character), plot --what happens in the story or the point of the story, not to be confused with themes or reoccurring ideas, symbolism, style-tone, language.
We only got to page 9 or 10, which means homework is to read the rest of the story. Students were also given two chapters from The Portable Literature Guide to read. It is a refresher.
Homework con't.
I gave students: "Three Seasons," the next story from The Dance Boots,to read.
Cyber-Homework Assignment for June 20, 2011. Due June 20, 2011
Please post a response to the process for day 1. How did the class go for you?
Talk about your literature discussion group and what you discovered about the story and about yourself as a reader.
Respond to at least two other posts. The comments can be short: 50-100 words. You can respond to two students with the students named in one post.
Group Work
Getting to know each other. Class introductions and Discussions on Writing and Process.
Interview each other. Take notes.
Questions:
Is this your first course at COA? What brings you to the class? Where are you from? What languages do you speak besides English? What books have you read lately that take your breath away? What are you reading now? What are your career goals? What are some of your hobbies? What strengths do you bring to the class?
In groups introduce one another to the others. We will have report backs from the groups to the entire class. For this one needs synthesize the information gleaned from the presentations.
Interview each other. Take notes.
Questions:
Is this your first course at COA? What brings you to the class? Where are you from? What languages do you speak besides English? What books have you read lately that take your breath away? What are you reading now? What are your career goals? What are some of your hobbies? What strengths do you bring to the class?
In groups introduce one another to the others. We will have report backs from the groups to the entire class. For this one needs synthesize the information gleaned from the presentations.
Letter to Students
June 20, 2011
Dear Students:
I am going to try to make this class as painless as possible, but extractions are sometimes necessary if one hasn't taken care of one's teeth (smile).
How many of you love the dentist and look forward to the twice yearly check-ups? I do, and if I have to get as shot, the dentist rubs a local on my gums were the injection is to occur to lessen the pain from the needle's insertion--I hope to spread a little local pain relief on the class so that you get through surgery with out too many difficulties.
The process is often still painful nonetheless.
I like short sessions--I think the 18-week model is a waste of time. I have taught ENG 1A in 6-8 weeks; ENG 5 in 3 weeks and 6 weeks and ENG 201 in 3 weeks. The secret to all college courses is to stay on top of the reading. You cannot bluff your way through. We are serious scholars and if you haven't done the reading, I am not interested in anything you have to say on the topic no matter what rich perspective you might have re: your life and experiences because you cannot tie it to the text and everything is tied or connected to the text here.
We are not reading for pleasure, watching films for fun or getting together in literature circles to become friends. If we have fun, make friends and enjoy the process, that's great, but we are here to work and sometimes work is not pleasant.
Such uneducated perspectives--that is, students who want to talk but haven't completed the assignments, take the discussion on tangents we cannot afford to visit here; outside discussions are great, but we have to get through this and to do so efficiently we have to be disciplined.
If you are in a discussion group where students are not focused, let me know and I will move you. In fact, we will move to new groups for each genre or type of writing discussed. It might keep you awake if you have to get to know another group of people each week--maybe not.
Good luck this summer. I hope all of you get As (smile).
Peace and Blessings,
Wanda Sabir
Professor of English
Peralta Community College District,
College of Alameda
Office: D-219
Dear Students:
I am going to try to make this class as painless as possible, but extractions are sometimes necessary if one hasn't taken care of one's teeth (smile).
How many of you love the dentist and look forward to the twice yearly check-ups? I do, and if I have to get as shot, the dentist rubs a local on my gums were the injection is to occur to lessen the pain from the needle's insertion--I hope to spread a little local pain relief on the class so that you get through surgery with out too many difficulties.
The process is often still painful nonetheless.
I like short sessions--I think the 18-week model is a waste of time. I have taught ENG 1A in 6-8 weeks; ENG 5 in 3 weeks and 6 weeks and ENG 201 in 3 weeks. The secret to all college courses is to stay on top of the reading. You cannot bluff your way through. We are serious scholars and if you haven't done the reading, I am not interested in anything you have to say on the topic no matter what rich perspective you might have re: your life and experiences because you cannot tie it to the text and everything is tied or connected to the text here.
We are not reading for pleasure, watching films for fun or getting together in literature circles to become friends. If we have fun, make friends and enjoy the process, that's great, but we are here to work and sometimes work is not pleasant.
Such uneducated perspectives--that is, students who want to talk but haven't completed the assignments, take the discussion on tangents we cannot afford to visit here; outside discussions are great, but we have to get through this and to do so efficiently we have to be disciplined.
If you are in a discussion group where students are not focused, let me know and I will move you. In fact, we will move to new groups for each genre or type of writing discussed. It might keep you awake if you have to get to know another group of people each week--maybe not.
Good luck this summer. I hope all of you get As (smile).
Peace and Blessings,
Wanda Sabir
Professor of English
Peralta Community College District,
College of Alameda
Office: D-219
Assignment 1 In-class and Tips on the Process
Full Name
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
20 June 2011
Summarize the themes. What do you know about the teacher based on the syllabus? How do you get an "A"? What important information should you note? How does this class fit into your overall academic and life plan? What do you plan to do differently this tie in an English course? What lessons do you bring from prior courses to help this course proceed more smoothly for you?
Is this your first summer course? First course in a junior college?
What preconceptions hang over JCs?
If you didn't have to be here for six weeks, what would you be doing? No one spends their summer inside a classroom cramming, if at all possible.
Post your response to these questions and anything else you'd like to share in the comment section of the syllabus.
Don't forget to fill out your goals and objectives. Email me your contact information and anything I need to know to help you reach these goals. My email address is: coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
20 June 2011
Summarize the themes. What do you know about the teacher based on the syllabus? How do you get an "A"? What important information should you note? How does this class fit into your overall academic and life plan? What do you plan to do differently this tie in an English course? What lessons do you bring from prior courses to help this course proceed more smoothly for you?
Is this your first summer course? First course in a junior college?
What preconceptions hang over JCs?
If you didn't have to be here for six weeks, what would you be doing? No one spends their summer inside a classroom cramming, if at all possible.
Post your response to these questions and anything else you'd like to share in the comment section of the syllabus.
Don't forget to fill out your goals and objectives. Email me your contact information and anything I need to know to help you reach these goals. My email address is: coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Process: A Work in Progress
Draft of the Process
Readings and Texts
Most Thursdays we will write an in-class research essay. Students will do the planning in advance.
June 20-24
The Short Story: What is Writing about Literature? Genres . . . genres are more than simple categories they are world within themselves where to belong one must understand the language--philosophical and explicit.
Texts:
The Dance Boots
Writing about Literature: “The Role of Good Reading;” “The Writing Process;” “Common Writing Assignments;” “Writing about Stories” 57-79
June 27-30
The novel-- Is it just a longer story?
Texts:
Girl in Translation
Persepolis (start)
“Writing about Stories” 57-79 con’t. “Writing about Poems” 82-89 (start)
July 4 (holiday) July 5-7
Persepolis (finish)
Poetry--easy or difficult?
Text:
Indivisible
“Writing about Poems” 82-89 con’t.
Two essays:
Argumentative essay on a theme (250-500 words).
Themes or images in poetry (250-500 words).
July 11-14 Poetry con't.
Text:
Graphic novels, plus books into film.
Indivisible con’t.
The literary research essay 1 rehearsal. Students have a choice re: genres: poetry or fiction
“Writing a Literary Research Paper” 110-138 (includes examples); “Literary Criticism and Literary Theory” (143-153)
July 18-21 theatre . . . the language of theatre.
Texts:
“Writing about Plays” 92-107
Ruined by Lynn Nottage (handout)
Writing Assignment:
Literary research essay 2 rehearsal.
Final week: Wrapping it up: July 25-28
Students will chose a genre and write a literary research essay – polished and sophisticated.
We'll write the essay on Tuesday, July 26.
Readings and Texts
Most Thursdays we will write an in-class research essay. Students will do the planning in advance.
June 20-24
The Short Story: What is Writing about Literature? Genres . . . genres are more than simple categories they are world within themselves where to belong one must understand the language--philosophical and explicit.
Texts:
The Dance Boots
Writing about Literature: “The Role of Good Reading;” “The Writing Process;” “Common Writing Assignments;” “Writing about Stories” 57-79
June 27-30
The novel-- Is it just a longer story?
Texts:
Girl in Translation
Persepolis (start)
“Writing about Stories” 57-79 con’t. “Writing about Poems” 82-89 (start)
July 4 (holiday) July 5-7
Persepolis (finish)
Poetry--easy or difficult?
Text:
Indivisible
“Writing about Poems” 82-89 con’t.
Two essays:
Argumentative essay on a theme (250-500 words).
Themes or images in poetry (250-500 words).
July 11-14 Poetry con't.
Text:
Graphic novels, plus books into film.
Indivisible con’t.
The literary research essay 1 rehearsal. Students have a choice re: genres: poetry or fiction
“Writing a Literary Research Paper” 110-138 (includes examples); “Literary Criticism and Literary Theory” (143-153)
July 18-21 theatre . . . the language of theatre.
Texts:
“Writing about Plays” 92-107
Ruined by Lynn Nottage (handout)
Writing Assignment:
Literary research essay 2 rehearsal.
Final week: Wrapping it up: July 25-28
Students will chose a genre and write a literary research essay – polished and sophisticated.
We'll write the essay on Tuesday, July 26.
Syllabus Summer 2011
English 1B Summer 2011 College of Alameda
Professor Wanda Sabir
Course code 30775, Room CV200 7:30 AM to 10:20 AM
Class Meetings: Monday, June 20-Thursday, July 28; No class: Monday, July 4
Final Exam: (Portfolios due via e-mail): Friday, July 29, 2011, by 12 noon.
Drop dates: June 22 (w/refund), June 30 (w/out a W), July 19 (w/W).
Syllabus for English 1B: College Composition and Reading
http://poeticsrapandtothersocialdiscourses.blogspot.com/ (class blog)
English 1B is a transferable college writing course. It builds on the competencies gained in English 1A with a more careful and studied analysis of expository writing based on careful reading of selected plays, poems, novels, and short fiction.
Writing is a social activity, especially the type of writing you’ll be doing here. We always consider our audience, have purpose or reason to write, and use research to substantiate our claims, even those we are considered experts in.
We’re supposed to write about 8000 words or so at this level course. Yes, even in the summer (smile). The 8000 words include drafts. What this amounts to is time at home writing, time in the public library (as the COA library is closed this summer.) Students will be researching, and reading documents to increase his or facility with the ideas or themes your are contemplating, before you once again sit at your desk writing, revising, and writing some more.
Writing is a lonely process. No one can write for you. The social aspect comes into play once you are finished and you have an opportunity to share.
We are practicing skills which you developed in English 1A. The difference is we are looking at literature and analyzing other genres, in our case: poetry, fiction, music, theatre, visual arts, and dance. Since this is hip hop culture the political is always a consideration as the genre emerged from a political context, but then this is not unusual—aesthetics plus politics. In order to do justice to the topics you chose to explore, the writer cannot ignore the history of the genre nor its current discourses or new roots.
I will be looking at the writing, but more than this I will be paying attention to the scholarship, which is why each essay has to include a citation from a scholarly article—4-10+ pages.
Your essays can use multiple styles . . . be creative. However, I need to know that you know how to write an essay, so save the creative work for last (smile). And if you plan to deviate from the norm, don’t surprise me, share the idea with me first.
We are going to read a book or play a week. We start with short fiction and then move into a novel, poetry and another novel. I am going to show you a film. We finish with students selecting writing outside of the assigned readings and writing a research analysis based on the work. The selection can be two short poems or a longer one, a novel, another play or a short story.
I am flexible here, since students could always choose another poem from our anthology or collection of stories. We will write most of the essays in class. I will give you Thursdays to write. We will practice writing research analyses mid-semester. Students will grade each other based on a rubric.
We will end class a bit early so office hours can take place at the end of class. I am thinking twice a week from 9:30 to 10 AM. I am a phone person, so when I give you my telephone number, use it. My office is D-219, but I probably won’t be hanging out there often. Come on time, awake and prepared and you’ll get through the class.
If you are a poor writer, you will not pass the class. We will have minimal revisions, like none unless the essay is horrible—students only get one BAD ESSAY DAY (and the penalty is writing a correction essay, plus revising the essay). You will write your essays on Thursday. We will do peer reviews. I want to see polished work.
Student Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes include a better facility with written communication which includes critical thinking, analysis and of course comprehension. Such tools help us make better choices and decisions about our lives and the lives of those persons we are responsible for. Hopefully students will gain an appreciation for the literary arts beyond what is due for the course. Education is not limited to the classroom; rather an implicit goal is always to trigger a desire in students to continue the cultural pursuit after transfer, after graduation, after career goals are met. Reading and writing are skills one does have to practice to prevent dullness, so another goal and SLO for this course is for students to know how to keep their tools ready for use which might translate into keeping a journal once the semester ends, reading more for pleasure, going to literary events, and/or hanging onto some of the course reference books like Diana Hacker's Rules for Writer.
Methodology
We will use Writing about Literature: A Portable Guide, Second Edition by Janet E. Gardner in the class. There is a chapter for each genre of literature we will examine. I will make the material available to you beginning June 20, 2011. We will review a chapter a week, except for week one, we will read 4 chapters. The first three are reviews of the writing process.
Keep a reading log/journal/notes containing key ideas outlined for each discussion section, along with vocabulary and key arguments listed, along with primary writing strategies employed: description, process analysis, narration, argument, cause and effect, compare and contrast, definition, problem solving. I will collect these notes with the essays on Thursday. The essays will be submitted electronically. Type all your notes and in-class writing assignments.
I repeat: each book or play will have a corresponding essay. There will also be a series of short 250 word essay responses posted on the class blog pertaining to each piece of literature. Students have a choice of writing a new paper or expanding the cyber-assignment into a longer work. Each research paper will be between 3-4 pages long. This includes a works cited page.
Again, the final is an oral presentation of one’s paper or a defense of one’s thesis. The student portfolio is the FINAL for the class. We will talk about this more. If any students are creative writers and wants to lead a workshop, let me know (smile).
Each student will have to attend a literacy event of his or her choosing: lecture or author event, play or film. We can attend an event together or separately. The writing assignment will be an analysis/critique, like a review . . . but a bit deeper. I suggest students read published reviews beforehand to prepare for the task. This essay will be minimally two (2) pages or 500 words, not including a works cited page with minimally two (2) sources. All essays have to have 1 citation per page, so in the case of a two page essay, that is two citations (period).
Essay research requirements
Each essay needs to use at least 2-3 outside sources which should include at least one (1) scholarly article along with other material (taken from the COA on-line Library Database (if possible). Each essay should also include One (1) direct quote, one (1) free-paraphrase and one (1) block quote—one citation per page—no more, no less. Each essay also needs to include a works cited page and a bibliography. It needs to be perfect. We will practice this in class. We will write many of the shorter essays in class or for homework. The task should be simple once students decide which four (4) elements they’d like to respond to in depth.
I am making an assumption that students know how to correctly document their sources using MLA. Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers or an acceptable. At this level, I expect students to know how to write passing essays at the first submission. Submit your best work the first time. Don’t submit drafts, masquerading as polished work. I am serious.
Midterm
There will not be a midterm.
Jot down briefly what your goals are this summer and action steps to get there. Separate into what you can do alone or have control over and what you might not have control over and why.
List them in order of importance.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Homework Assignment 1: E-mail introduction due June 20, 2011. Send to coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com.
Please send me an email and introduce yourself to me. Besides the usual: where are you from? What languages do you speak besides English? What child are you in the family? What are your hobbies and why are you taking this class?
Include: your contact information: Name, Address, phone number, best e-mail address, best time to call and answers to these questions as well: What strengths do you bring to the class? What do you hope to obtain from the course – any particular exit skills? What do I need to know about you to help you meet your goals?
Homework Assignment 2:
Respond on the blog to the syllabus, so I have a record of your reading it. Make sure you include examples from the syllabus to support your points. The response is due by June 21, 2011, 12 noon.
Write a comment to me regarding the syllabus: your impressions, whether you think it is reasonable, questions, suggestions. This is our contract, I need to know you read it and understand the agreement.
Grading
Essays: 55 percent of grade
Short Story
1. The Dance Boots by Linda Legarde Grover is the text for the short story unit. Each unit includes the definitive essay, plus in-class writing, group writing and blog assignments.
The Novel
2-3. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok and The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is the text for the fiction unit (2 essays), plus a film.
Dramatic Literature:
4. Ruined or some other selection (handout).
Poetry Unit
5. Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian Poetry edited by Neelanjana Bannerjee, Summi Kaipa, and Pireeni Sundaralingam
6. Final essay –student choice
Portfolio: 25 percent
Participation: 20 percent
What do I mean by participation? This includes preparation and active participation in group assignments, blog responses and posted comments; discussion group preparedness, attitude and leadership. To post comments select “ANONYMOUS” and then type your name in the post. Students do not need to get Gmail accounts.
To encourage participation, and for this, students have to be prepared, I weighed the preparedness and participation strongly which means I will be taking notes when students do not do their homework. If you are in a group where students are pretending to be prepared when they are not, drop me an anonymous note. If a student is absent, he or she cannot make up in-class assignments such as group work, freewrites, presentations, etc. If a student misses a class he or she should drop the course—two classes definitely. Each meeting is equivalent to about a week of class during the regular semester.
Portfolio Suggestion
I suggest students start a personal blog for the class and send me the link for your portfolio at the end of the course.
Quizzes
I am not above pop quizzes on readings. Remember, this plan can change in a twinkling of the eye, if we find it isn’t working.
Writing Center
Not available this summer. Students will have to help each other (smile). Summer courses are not for the weak in skills, no matter how strong in commitment and attitude. Students have to know how to read and write already and just need the additional practice.
English language fluency in writing and reading; a certain comfort and ease with the language; confidence and skillful application of literary skills associated with academic writing. Familiarity if not mastery of the rhetorical styles used in argumentation, exposition and narration will be addressed in this class and is a key student learning outcome (SLO).
We will be evaluating what we know and how we came to know what we know, a field called epistemology or the study of knowledge. Granted, the perspective is western culture which eliminates the values of the majority populations, so-called underdeveloped or undeveloped countries or cultures. Let us not fall into typical superiority traps. Try to maintain a mental elasticity and a willingness to let go of concepts which not only limit your growth as an intelligent being, but put you at a distinct disadvantage as a species.
This is a highly charged and potentially revolutionary process - critical thinking. The process of evaluating all that you swallowed without chewing up to now is possibly even dangerous. This is one of the problems with bigotry; it’s easier to go with tradition than toss it, and create a new, more just, alternative protocol.
Last words on Grades
We will be honest with one another. Grades are not necessarily an honest response to work; grades do not take into consideration the effort or time spent, only whether or not students can demonstrate mastery of a skill - in this case: essay writing. Grades are an approximation, arbitrary at best, no matter how many safeguards one tries to put in place to avoid such ambiguity. Suffice it to say, your portfolio will illustrate your competence. It will represent your progress, your success or failure this summer session in meeting your goal.
Office Hours
None scheduled this summer, so catch me on those in-class office hours or by phone.
I’d like to wish everyone good luck. (Jot my cell number down in this section.) My office number is (510) 748-2131 (right now, but it is changing).
My email address is: coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com
I really am more a phone person than an email person, so you can call me if I don’t respond to an email. I do read your blog posts.
I’d encourage students to exchange phone numbers with classmates (2), so if you have a concern, it can be addressed more expediently between classes. The summer will fly, if you don’t buckle up (smile). Study groups are recommended, especially for those students finding the readings difficult.
Keep a vocabulary log for the semester and an error chart (taken from comments on essay assignments). List the words you need to look up in the dictionary, also list where you first encountered them: page, book and definition, also use the word in a sentence. You will turn this in with your portfolio.
I do not expect students to confuse literal with free paraphrase (a literal paraphrase is plagiarism). Students should also not make confused word errors, sentence fragment errors, comma splice errors, subject verb agreement errors, errors in parallel structure, subject verb agreement errors, MLA citations errors, errors with ellipses, formatting an essays—margins, headings, etc. If you are not clear on what I mean, again I suggest drop the class and take it over the 18 week semester at a more leisurely pace.
Students are expected to complete work on time. If you need more time on an assignment, discuss this with me in advance to keep full credit. Again certain assignments, such as in-class essays cannot be made up. All assignments are to be typed, 12-pt. font, double-spaced lines, indentations on paragraphs, 1-inch margins around the written work (see Hacker: The Writing Process; Document Design.)
In class writing is to be written in ink—blue or black, then typed for inclusion in portfolio or posting on blog: http://poeticsrapandtothersocialdiscourses.blogspot.com/.
Cheating
Plagiarism is ethically abhorrent, and if any student tries to take credit for work authored by another person the result will be a failed grade on the assignment and possibly a failed grade in the course if this is attempted again. This is a graded course.
Homework
If you do not identify the assignment, I cannot grade it. If you do not return the original assignment you revised, I cannot compare what changed. If you accidentally toss out or lose the original assignment, you get a zero on the assignment to be revised. I will not look at revisions without the original attached – no exceptions. Some student essays will be posted on-line at the website. Students will also have the option of submitting assignments via email: coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com.
Textbooks Recap:
Gardner, Janet E. Writing about Literature: A Portable Guide. Second Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. Print.
Grover, Linda Legarde. The Dance Boots. Athens, Georgia and London: The University of Georgia Press, 2010. Print.
Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead Books, 2010. Print.
Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis.
Bannerjee, Neelanjana and Summi Kaipa, Pireeni Sundaralingam. Ed. Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian Poetry. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2010. Print.
Recommended
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. Fourth or Fifth edition. Bedford/St. Martins. (If you don’t already have such a book.)
A college dictionary. I recommend American Heritage.
Additional Items
Along with a college dictionary, the prepared student needs pens with blue or black ink, along with a pencil for annotating texts, paper, a stapler or paper clips, floppy disks, a notebook, three hole punch, a folder for work-in-progress, and a divided binder to keep materials together.
Stay abreast of the news. Buy a daily paper. Listen to alternative radio:
KPFA 94.1 FM (Hardknock), KQED 88.5, KALW 91.7. Visit news websites: AllAfrica.com, Al Jazeera, CNN.com, AlterNet.org, Democracy Now.org, FlashPoints.org, CBS 60 Minutes.
Professor Wanda Sabir
Course code 30775, Room CV200 7:30 AM to 10:20 AM
Class Meetings: Monday, June 20-Thursday, July 28; No class: Monday, July 4
Final Exam: (Portfolios due via e-mail): Friday, July 29, 2011, by 12 noon.
Drop dates: June 22 (w/refund), June 30 (w/out a W), July 19 (w/W).
Syllabus for English 1B: College Composition and Reading
http://poeticsrapandtothersocialdiscourses.blogspot.com/ (class blog)
English 1B is a transferable college writing course. It builds on the competencies gained in English 1A with a more careful and studied analysis of expository writing based on careful reading of selected plays, poems, novels, and short fiction.
Writing is a social activity, especially the type of writing you’ll be doing here. We always consider our audience, have purpose or reason to write, and use research to substantiate our claims, even those we are considered experts in.
We’re supposed to write about 8000 words or so at this level course. Yes, even in the summer (smile). The 8000 words include drafts. What this amounts to is time at home writing, time in the public library (as the COA library is closed this summer.) Students will be researching, and reading documents to increase his or facility with the ideas or themes your are contemplating, before you once again sit at your desk writing, revising, and writing some more.
Writing is a lonely process. No one can write for you. The social aspect comes into play once you are finished and you have an opportunity to share.
We are practicing skills which you developed in English 1A. The difference is we are looking at literature and analyzing other genres, in our case: poetry, fiction, music, theatre, visual arts, and dance. Since this is hip hop culture the political is always a consideration as the genre emerged from a political context, but then this is not unusual—aesthetics plus politics. In order to do justice to the topics you chose to explore, the writer cannot ignore the history of the genre nor its current discourses or new roots.
I will be looking at the writing, but more than this I will be paying attention to the scholarship, which is why each essay has to include a citation from a scholarly article—4-10+ pages.
Your essays can use multiple styles . . . be creative. However, I need to know that you know how to write an essay, so save the creative work for last (smile). And if you plan to deviate from the norm, don’t surprise me, share the idea with me first.
We are going to read a book or play a week. We start with short fiction and then move into a novel, poetry and another novel. I am going to show you a film. We finish with students selecting writing outside of the assigned readings and writing a research analysis based on the work. The selection can be two short poems or a longer one, a novel, another play or a short story.
I am flexible here, since students could always choose another poem from our anthology or collection of stories. We will write most of the essays in class. I will give you Thursdays to write. We will practice writing research analyses mid-semester. Students will grade each other based on a rubric.
We will end class a bit early so office hours can take place at the end of class. I am thinking twice a week from 9:30 to 10 AM. I am a phone person, so when I give you my telephone number, use it. My office is D-219, but I probably won’t be hanging out there often. Come on time, awake and prepared and you’ll get through the class.
If you are a poor writer, you will not pass the class. We will have minimal revisions, like none unless the essay is horrible—students only get one BAD ESSAY DAY (and the penalty is writing a correction essay, plus revising the essay). You will write your essays on Thursday. We will do peer reviews. I want to see polished work.
Student Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes include a better facility with written communication which includes critical thinking, analysis and of course comprehension. Such tools help us make better choices and decisions about our lives and the lives of those persons we are responsible for. Hopefully students will gain an appreciation for the literary arts beyond what is due for the course. Education is not limited to the classroom; rather an implicit goal is always to trigger a desire in students to continue the cultural pursuit after transfer, after graduation, after career goals are met. Reading and writing are skills one does have to practice to prevent dullness, so another goal and SLO for this course is for students to know how to keep their tools ready for use which might translate into keeping a journal once the semester ends, reading more for pleasure, going to literary events, and/or hanging onto some of the course reference books like Diana Hacker's Rules for Writer.
Methodology
We will use Writing about Literature: A Portable Guide, Second Edition by Janet E. Gardner in the class. There is a chapter for each genre of literature we will examine. I will make the material available to you beginning June 20, 2011. We will review a chapter a week, except for week one, we will read 4 chapters. The first three are reviews of the writing process.
Keep a reading log/journal/notes containing key ideas outlined for each discussion section, along with vocabulary and key arguments listed, along with primary writing strategies employed: description, process analysis, narration, argument, cause and effect, compare and contrast, definition, problem solving. I will collect these notes with the essays on Thursday. The essays will be submitted electronically. Type all your notes and in-class writing assignments.
I repeat: each book or play will have a corresponding essay. There will also be a series of short 250 word essay responses posted on the class blog pertaining to each piece of literature. Students have a choice of writing a new paper or expanding the cyber-assignment into a longer work. Each research paper will be between 3-4 pages long. This includes a works cited page.
Again, the final is an oral presentation of one’s paper or a defense of one’s thesis. The student portfolio is the FINAL for the class. We will talk about this more. If any students are creative writers and wants to lead a workshop, let me know (smile).
Each student will have to attend a literacy event of his or her choosing: lecture or author event, play or film. We can attend an event together or separately. The writing assignment will be an analysis/critique, like a review . . . but a bit deeper. I suggest students read published reviews beforehand to prepare for the task. This essay will be minimally two (2) pages or 500 words, not including a works cited page with minimally two (2) sources. All essays have to have 1 citation per page, so in the case of a two page essay, that is two citations (period).
Essay research requirements
Each essay needs to use at least 2-3 outside sources which should include at least one (1) scholarly article along with other material (taken from the COA on-line Library Database (if possible). Each essay should also include One (1) direct quote, one (1) free-paraphrase and one (1) block quote—one citation per page—no more, no less. Each essay also needs to include a works cited page and a bibliography. It needs to be perfect. We will practice this in class. We will write many of the shorter essays in class or for homework. The task should be simple once students decide which four (4) elements they’d like to respond to in depth.
I am making an assumption that students know how to correctly document their sources using MLA. Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers or an acceptable. At this level, I expect students to know how to write passing essays at the first submission. Submit your best work the first time. Don’t submit drafts, masquerading as polished work. I am serious.
Midterm
There will not be a midterm.
Jot down briefly what your goals are this summer and action steps to get there. Separate into what you can do alone or have control over and what you might not have control over and why.
List them in order of importance.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Homework Assignment 1: E-mail introduction due June 20, 2011. Send to coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com.
Please send me an email and introduce yourself to me. Besides the usual: where are you from? What languages do you speak besides English? What child are you in the family? What are your hobbies and why are you taking this class?
Include: your contact information: Name, Address, phone number, best e-mail address, best time to call and answers to these questions as well: What strengths do you bring to the class? What do you hope to obtain from the course – any particular exit skills? What do I need to know about you to help you meet your goals?
Homework Assignment 2:
Respond on the blog to the syllabus, so I have a record of your reading it. Make sure you include examples from the syllabus to support your points. The response is due by June 21, 2011, 12 noon.
Write a comment to me regarding the syllabus: your impressions, whether you think it is reasonable, questions, suggestions. This is our contract, I need to know you read it and understand the agreement.
Grading
Essays: 55 percent of grade
Short Story
1. The Dance Boots by Linda Legarde Grover is the text for the short story unit. Each unit includes the definitive essay, plus in-class writing, group writing and blog assignments.
The Novel
2-3. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok and The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is the text for the fiction unit (2 essays), plus a film.
Dramatic Literature:
4. Ruined or some other selection (handout).
Poetry Unit
5. Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian Poetry edited by Neelanjana Bannerjee, Summi Kaipa, and Pireeni Sundaralingam
6. Final essay –student choice
Portfolio: 25 percent
Participation: 20 percent
What do I mean by participation? This includes preparation and active participation in group assignments, blog responses and posted comments; discussion group preparedness, attitude and leadership. To post comments select “ANONYMOUS” and then type your name in the post. Students do not need to get Gmail accounts.
To encourage participation, and for this, students have to be prepared, I weighed the preparedness and participation strongly which means I will be taking notes when students do not do their homework. If you are in a group where students are pretending to be prepared when they are not, drop me an anonymous note. If a student is absent, he or she cannot make up in-class assignments such as group work, freewrites, presentations, etc. If a student misses a class he or she should drop the course—two classes definitely. Each meeting is equivalent to about a week of class during the regular semester.
Portfolio Suggestion
I suggest students start a personal blog for the class and send me the link for your portfolio at the end of the course.
Quizzes
I am not above pop quizzes on readings. Remember, this plan can change in a twinkling of the eye, if we find it isn’t working.
Writing Center
Not available this summer. Students will have to help each other (smile). Summer courses are not for the weak in skills, no matter how strong in commitment and attitude. Students have to know how to read and write already and just need the additional practice.
English language fluency in writing and reading; a certain comfort and ease with the language; confidence and skillful application of literary skills associated with academic writing. Familiarity if not mastery of the rhetorical styles used in argumentation, exposition and narration will be addressed in this class and is a key student learning outcome (SLO).
We will be evaluating what we know and how we came to know what we know, a field called epistemology or the study of knowledge. Granted, the perspective is western culture which eliminates the values of the majority populations, so-called underdeveloped or undeveloped countries or cultures. Let us not fall into typical superiority traps. Try to maintain a mental elasticity and a willingness to let go of concepts which not only limit your growth as an intelligent being, but put you at a distinct disadvantage as a species.
This is a highly charged and potentially revolutionary process - critical thinking. The process of evaluating all that you swallowed without chewing up to now is possibly even dangerous. This is one of the problems with bigotry; it’s easier to go with tradition than toss it, and create a new, more just, alternative protocol.
Last words on Grades
We will be honest with one another. Grades are not necessarily an honest response to work; grades do not take into consideration the effort or time spent, only whether or not students can demonstrate mastery of a skill - in this case: essay writing. Grades are an approximation, arbitrary at best, no matter how many safeguards one tries to put in place to avoid such ambiguity. Suffice it to say, your portfolio will illustrate your competence. It will represent your progress, your success or failure this summer session in meeting your goal.
Office Hours
None scheduled this summer, so catch me on those in-class office hours or by phone.
I’d like to wish everyone good luck. (Jot my cell number down in this section.) My office number is (510) 748-2131 (right now, but it is changing).
My email address is: coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com
I really am more a phone person than an email person, so you can call me if I don’t respond to an email. I do read your blog posts.
I’d encourage students to exchange phone numbers with classmates (2), so if you have a concern, it can be addressed more expediently between classes. The summer will fly, if you don’t buckle up (smile). Study groups are recommended, especially for those students finding the readings difficult.
Keep a vocabulary log for the semester and an error chart (taken from comments on essay assignments). List the words you need to look up in the dictionary, also list where you first encountered them: page, book and definition, also use the word in a sentence. You will turn this in with your portfolio.
I do not expect students to confuse literal with free paraphrase (a literal paraphrase is plagiarism). Students should also not make confused word errors, sentence fragment errors, comma splice errors, subject verb agreement errors, errors in parallel structure, subject verb agreement errors, MLA citations errors, errors with ellipses, formatting an essays—margins, headings, etc. If you are not clear on what I mean, again I suggest drop the class and take it over the 18 week semester at a more leisurely pace.
Students are expected to complete work on time. If you need more time on an assignment, discuss this with me in advance to keep full credit. Again certain assignments, such as in-class essays cannot be made up. All assignments are to be typed, 12-pt. font, double-spaced lines, indentations on paragraphs, 1-inch margins around the written work (see Hacker: The Writing Process; Document Design.)
In class writing is to be written in ink—blue or black, then typed for inclusion in portfolio or posting on blog: http://poeticsrapandtothersocialdiscourses.blogspot.com/.
Cheating
Plagiarism is ethically abhorrent, and if any student tries to take credit for work authored by another person the result will be a failed grade on the assignment and possibly a failed grade in the course if this is attempted again. This is a graded course.
Homework
If you do not identify the assignment, I cannot grade it. If you do not return the original assignment you revised, I cannot compare what changed. If you accidentally toss out or lose the original assignment, you get a zero on the assignment to be revised. I will not look at revisions without the original attached – no exceptions. Some student essays will be posted on-line at the website. Students will also have the option of submitting assignments via email: coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com.
Textbooks Recap:
Gardner, Janet E. Writing about Literature: A Portable Guide. Second Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. Print.
Grover, Linda Legarde. The Dance Boots. Athens, Georgia and London: The University of Georgia Press, 2010. Print.
Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead Books, 2010. Print.
Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis.
Bannerjee, Neelanjana and Summi Kaipa, Pireeni Sundaralingam. Ed. Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian Poetry. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2010. Print.
Recommended
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. Fourth or Fifth edition. Bedford/St. Martins. (If you don’t already have such a book.)
A college dictionary. I recommend American Heritage.
Additional Items
Along with a college dictionary, the prepared student needs pens with blue or black ink, along with a pencil for annotating texts, paper, a stapler or paper clips, floppy disks, a notebook, three hole punch, a folder for work-in-progress, and a divided binder to keep materials together.
Stay abreast of the news. Buy a daily paper. Listen to alternative radio:
KPFA 94.1 FM (Hardknock), KQED 88.5, KALW 91.7. Visit news websites: AllAfrica.com, Al Jazeera, CNN.com, AlterNet.org, Democracy Now.org, FlashPoints.org, CBS 60 Minutes.
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