As I am going to upstate New York this weekend, I am currently in the process of re-organizing Angel online for you as I will be unavailable until Monday night.
What's Wrong With This Sentence PowerPoint (we'll do this Wednesday)
Values Neutral PowerPoint - The Meaning of Words
Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum picture (I mentioned that TAPS - ghost hunters - would be there October 30; I also referred to "hysteria" in connection with this).
Rather than have you search these out (they're in the APA persuasive essay section), the links I mentioned in class are here. Peruse them AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. They deal with free speech and hate speech as well as issues with wording in writing. I think you can figure out which 1 is which.
The Right Word is in the grammar section.
Issues in Your Paper (we did 22+23, you do the rest) is in The First Essay section.
If you have questions on any of these, YOU MUST ASK! DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK. I GET PAID TO ANSWER. YOU PAY TO LEARN.
http://www.snopes.com/
http://www.factcheck.org/
http://www.apastyle.org/race.html
http://www.apastyle.org/sexuality.html
http://www.apastyle.org/disabilities.html
http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/menu.htm
http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/KFYI.McGregorLetter.pdf
http://www.billoreilly.com/blog;jsessionid=D871409678262997591B6B1DDE52AE56?action=viewBlog&blogID=88083313171143568
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Setting%20the%20Record%20Straight%204-25%202007.pdf
http://www.dinocrat.com/archives/2006/08/06/msm-paints-a-false-picture-of-the-israel-hezbollah-war/
http://www.iwchildren.org/
http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~nunberg/redskin.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/platform.asp
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200805/cosby
http://www.patriotguard.org/
www.godhatesfags.com/
Friday, September 4, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Final Exam Topics
Final Exam Questions.
If you passed the midterm, you must do one of the following as a 7 paragraph persuasive essay. If you had a score of close, you must do this as a 10 paragraph persuasive essay. You will have 2 days to do this.
You can use a note card for any of these topics. You may want to research various sites to gain enough information to write academically about any of these topics.
I will need prewriting, an outline, and an essay.
1. Many people read commercially popular magazines and believe that they too can hike into the remote places that are in them and not experience troubles DESPITE not having the ability to seriously hike or the understanding of the local terrain. This happened to Bryce Gillies at the Grand Canyon last week. Persuade your reader on what is the appropriate behavior for a hike of this kind.
2. In recent months, North Korea resumed its nuclear program, which included a 4th of July missile launch towards Hawaii (it didn’t quite get there). This has been going on for many years with stoppages in between when the US and the world paid them to not utilize nuclear weapons. Now, the US is faced with the same decision again as the North Koreans threaten massive retaliation against anyone that tries to stop them. As the world’s leader, what should Obama direct the US to do in this situation?
3. President Obama weighed in against the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police who arrested Henry Louis Gates, an African American professor at Harvard, when he was taken into custody after disorderly conduct that stemmed from him trying to “break into his own home.” The police who arrested Gates were alerted to the house by neighbors who saw 2 black men trying to enter the house. As a result, the police are being accused of racial profiling. Based on facts only, is this racial profiling, or is this the police doing their work to protect the homeowner? Persuade your reader of the dangers of racial profiling or tell your reader about the dangers of calling everything racial profiling. In addition, you can persuade Obama to stay out of affairs that he self-admittedly states that he knows nothing about. If you do that, it’s an essay all to itself.
4. Manuel Zelaya, the former leader of Honduras, was overthrown for corruption. Now, the socialist leaning leader is threatening to come back to the border of his home country in order to resume power. What should the United States do to support this situation?
5. Since the elections in Iran, there has been a lot of tension within the country. This is now escalating as the opposition is looking to mourn the victims of this crackdown with a memorial for slain activist Neda Sollani. Should the Iranian government allow this situation as a good will gesture or should they continue to ban it as a threat to the stability of their country?
6. Some parents (such as Christian Scientists) do not believe in the use of medicine to treat their ill children. In a recent case, a father decided to pray for the recovery of his 11-year old daughter instead of allowing her to get treatment. The daughter died, and he is facing charges that his actions killed her. In this, is it right for the state to weigh in against someone’s religious beliefs when they endanger a minor?
7. Iran, like North Korea, is seeking to create nuclear weapons, which it is feared that they would use on Israel, a country that they hate. Last month, it was reported by a Joe Biden mis-speech that the US would step back and allow Israel to protect itself (this was quickly “corrected” by the powers that be). As a result, Israel started to prepare for the strike on these nuclear facilities before they could become operational. Now, Iran has threatened to strike back at Israel’s nukes if they try to do anything to the Iranian facilities. What can be done to de-escalate this situation?
8. I told you that you could write a persuasive essay in defense of Octomom, but you can’t write one against her. If you want to do this, I am fine with telling me why she is being unfairly singled out for manipulating the welfare system with having 14 children that she can’t afford to take care of on her own.
9. In light of the Iranian Revolution (this final exam may as well be called what we are learning from Iran), which broadcasted everything live on the Internet as it was happening, what are the benefits or drawbacks of a 24/7 news service of anonymous comment from the people?
10. Should the use of Myspace and Facebook be held against potential employees and college students based on what they do legally in their own time? See the case of Stacy Snyder, the Myspace “drunken pirate.”
11. What should people be able to do if they are unfairly and anonymously “revenged” on the Internet with slanderous and unsubstantiated comments? As this is something that you all can and will face in your life, this is a good topic for you to ponder as you become leaders in the business world.
12. What should the U.S. do with the terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay? Think of this in light of wear to try them, wear to hold them, and how to prevent them from returning to the battlefield.
13. Barack Obama is currently touting a new health care system in America that would provide GOVERNMENT health care as a right to all Americans. Is this the right way to fix America’s health care system or is giving people the right to a better privatized system a better way to fix the system?
14. As they are a country with a large Muslim population and no reason to help America in their war on terror, should the United States leverage Pakistan to further support American in our quest to root out the remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda elements that are based in their country?
15. Just over 101 years ago, the Tunguska Event occurred. This was an explosion over Siberia that has been claimed to be an alien spaceship crashing. In honor of this event, do you believe in aliens? Why or why not?
16. In honor of the most famous writer still living in Berks County (Charles Adams), do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not. Also, you can read this article and determine if the principal of the school district acted accordingly in not allowing Charles Adams to do his ghost story thing.
17. Many magazines that specialize in tabloid sales have complained about the media loving tendency of Kate (of Jon and Kate Plus Eight) while constantly making money from her antics and her estranged husband’s affairs. OR After Michael Jackson’s death, a largely forgotten pop star in the midst of a potential comeback was elevated to the status of Elvis with the mix of his music career’s influence, his weird life, and his early death. Looking at these celebrities, make a case that people should care more about the real news events that I have listed above instead of celebrity news.
18. You can argue against my position on banning slasher movies. You can’t argue for it.
19. Defend the censorship of any OTHER cultural medium or defend freedom of speech as an ABSOLUTE value that cannot be censored in any case.
20. After watching Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, EITHER attack outsourcing as unfair and economy crippling or defend it as a cost-cutting necessity that will strengthen our economy.
21. Should Americans pay tax dollars to help rebuild Gulf Coast cities after hurricanes?
22. Based on our discussion of Global Warming, is it a real situation that needs to be addressed immediately to prevent catastrophe, or is it a politically influenced hoax designed to forward liberal ideas?
If you passed the midterm, you must do one of the following as a 7 paragraph persuasive essay. If you had a score of close, you must do this as a 10 paragraph persuasive essay. You will have 2 days to do this.
You can use a note card for any of these topics. You may want to research various sites to gain enough information to write academically about any of these topics.
I will need prewriting, an outline, and an essay.
1. Many people read commercially popular magazines and believe that they too can hike into the remote places that are in them and not experience troubles DESPITE not having the ability to seriously hike or the understanding of the local terrain. This happened to Bryce Gillies at the Grand Canyon last week. Persuade your reader on what is the appropriate behavior for a hike of this kind.
2. In recent months, North Korea resumed its nuclear program, which included a 4th of July missile launch towards Hawaii (it didn’t quite get there). This has been going on for many years with stoppages in between when the US and the world paid them to not utilize nuclear weapons. Now, the US is faced with the same decision again as the North Koreans threaten massive retaliation against anyone that tries to stop them. As the world’s leader, what should Obama direct the US to do in this situation?
3. President Obama weighed in against the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police who arrested Henry Louis Gates, an African American professor at Harvard, when he was taken into custody after disorderly conduct that stemmed from him trying to “break into his own home.” The police who arrested Gates were alerted to the house by neighbors who saw 2 black men trying to enter the house. As a result, the police are being accused of racial profiling. Based on facts only, is this racial profiling, or is this the police doing their work to protect the homeowner? Persuade your reader of the dangers of racial profiling or tell your reader about the dangers of calling everything racial profiling. In addition, you can persuade Obama to stay out of affairs that he self-admittedly states that he knows nothing about. If you do that, it’s an essay all to itself.
4. Manuel Zelaya, the former leader of Honduras, was overthrown for corruption. Now, the socialist leaning leader is threatening to come back to the border of his home country in order to resume power. What should the United States do to support this situation?
5. Since the elections in Iran, there has been a lot of tension within the country. This is now escalating as the opposition is looking to mourn the victims of this crackdown with a memorial for slain activist Neda Sollani. Should the Iranian government allow this situation as a good will gesture or should they continue to ban it as a threat to the stability of their country?
6. Some parents (such as Christian Scientists) do not believe in the use of medicine to treat their ill children. In a recent case, a father decided to pray for the recovery of his 11-year old daughter instead of allowing her to get treatment. The daughter died, and he is facing charges that his actions killed her. In this, is it right for the state to weigh in against someone’s religious beliefs when they endanger a minor?
7. Iran, like North Korea, is seeking to create nuclear weapons, which it is feared that they would use on Israel, a country that they hate. Last month, it was reported by a Joe Biden mis-speech that the US would step back and allow Israel to protect itself (this was quickly “corrected” by the powers that be). As a result, Israel started to prepare for the strike on these nuclear facilities before they could become operational. Now, Iran has threatened to strike back at Israel’s nukes if they try to do anything to the Iranian facilities. What can be done to de-escalate this situation?
8. I told you that you could write a persuasive essay in defense of Octomom, but you can’t write one against her. If you want to do this, I am fine with telling me why she is being unfairly singled out for manipulating the welfare system with having 14 children that she can’t afford to take care of on her own.
9. In light of the Iranian Revolution (this final exam may as well be called what we are learning from Iran), which broadcasted everything live on the Internet as it was happening, what are the benefits or drawbacks of a 24/7 news service of anonymous comment from the people?
10. Should the use of Myspace and Facebook be held against potential employees and college students based on what they do legally in their own time? See the case of Stacy Snyder, the Myspace “drunken pirate.”
11. What should people be able to do if they are unfairly and anonymously “revenged” on the Internet with slanderous and unsubstantiated comments? As this is something that you all can and will face in your life, this is a good topic for you to ponder as you become leaders in the business world.
12. What should the U.S. do with the terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay? Think of this in light of wear to try them, wear to hold them, and how to prevent them from returning to the battlefield.
13. Barack Obama is currently touting a new health care system in America that would provide GOVERNMENT health care as a right to all Americans. Is this the right way to fix America’s health care system or is giving people the right to a better privatized system a better way to fix the system?
14. As they are a country with a large Muslim population and no reason to help America in their war on terror, should the United States leverage Pakistan to further support American in our quest to root out the remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda elements that are based in their country?
15. Just over 101 years ago, the Tunguska Event occurred. This was an explosion over Siberia that has been claimed to be an alien spaceship crashing. In honor of this event, do you believe in aliens? Why or why not?
16. In honor of the most famous writer still living in Berks County (Charles Adams), do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not. Also, you can read this article and determine if the principal of the school district acted accordingly in not allowing Charles Adams to do his ghost story thing.
17. Many magazines that specialize in tabloid sales have complained about the media loving tendency of Kate (of Jon and Kate Plus Eight) while constantly making money from her antics and her estranged husband’s affairs. OR After Michael Jackson’s death, a largely forgotten pop star in the midst of a potential comeback was elevated to the status of Elvis with the mix of his music career’s influence, his weird life, and his early death. Looking at these celebrities, make a case that people should care more about the real news events that I have listed above instead of celebrity news.
18. You can argue against my position on banning slasher movies. You can’t argue for it.
19. Defend the censorship of any OTHER cultural medium or defend freedom of speech as an ABSOLUTE value that cannot be censored in any case.
20. After watching Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, EITHER attack outsourcing as unfair and economy crippling or defend it as a cost-cutting necessity that will strengthen our economy.
21. Should Americans pay tax dollars to help rebuild Gulf Coast cities after hurricanes?
22. Based on our discussion of Global Warming, is it a real situation that needs to be addressed immediately to prevent catastrophe, or is it a politically influenced hoax designed to forward liberal ideas?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
MLA Handout
Researching the MLA paper - SQ3R is your friend. Really.
SURVEY What do you know about the topic?
QUESTION What do you need to know about the topic to complete the paper?
RULE #2: “YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO BE LAZY”
Remember, this means that you are not writing a book. You are writing about a single defined aspect of this topic. This has nothing to do with procrastination or a half-hearted attempt at writing a paper. That stuff is anathema.
READ Now find your research material and create either 50 note cards or 8-10 pages of handwritten research.
WHAT ARE SOME GOOD WEBSITES TO USE?
Sites that end in .edu or .gov are as absolute and perfect as they come. If your site is a .org, that means it could be good (if you know the organization), but it might be not so good if it belongs to people who are just looking to push their bizarre nature onto other people (http://www.rael.org/)
Also, be careful that you don’t use sites that are commercial (for instance, sell steroids). There are many sites like this online. Stick with the above the boards stuff.
MLA DOCUMENTATION All research (except common knowledge) is cited. Your paper is cited in MLA. While APA is also a way to cite, it’s not what we’re doing here. Don’t ask me what CMS is. I’ve never used. You most likely won’t either.
You can get directions in your Blair Handbook, or you can also go here:
http://www.studyguide.org/MLAdocumentation.htm
http://citationmachine.net/
You are required to have at least 5 sources. Two of these sources must be from the Internet. One must be in print (magazine, book, etc.). After that, you can use whatever you want. You may use more than 5 sources. You will have 1-2 primary sources (Main sources of information) and the rest will be secondary sources (1 to a few pieces of information that back up the claims of your primary source).
BOOK ONE AUTHOR
Gorman, Elizabeth. Prairie Women. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.
CLASS NOTES
Smith, John. "Beowulf: Archetypal Hero." English 102 Class. Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, AL. March 28, 2003.
MAGAZINE
Cannon, Angie. "Just Saying No to Tests." U.S. News & World Report. Oct. 1999: 34.
INTERVIEW
Whitehurst, Daniel, former mayor of Fresno. Personal interview. 5 Mar. 2003.
THE LIBRARY HAS INFORMATION FOR HOW TO CITE GALE NET AND EBSCO HOST – I don’t require their use, but if you use them, know how.
WEBSITES
Last Name, First Name. Title. Date Created. Date Accessed. URL.
While there are a million little ways that you may cite websites, this way will work for the purpose of this class. NOTE: You will not always have a date created (if you don’t have day, month, and year, you also don’t have a date), and you won’t always have an author, but you will have the other 3. Improvise accordingly.
I DO WANT ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION TO BE CURRENT. FOR EXAMPLE, STEROIDS AND SPACE MATERIAL IS TIME SENSITIVE WITH NEW INFORMATION AND CHANGES REGARDING NEW DISCOVERIES.
RECITE This is where you take your notes. You can underline handouts or printouts. You can copy notes (whatever it takes to get to your required amount of stuff). Just find the info.
REVIEW Organize and outline. Reassess your thesis and go back to the library or computer to research some more. Make sure you understand what you are researching. Just because you have the material doesn’t mean that it makes sense. Ask me!!
OH YEAH Send all of your URLs so that I can check their validity.
IN PARAGRAPH CITATIONS You must cite everything. Every fact, every name, number, bit of information or external opinion about the topic has to come from somewhere (except common knowledge stuff). This is 1 of the reasons that we do topics that I choose. Ever since I had a student know everything about Jeff Gordon and think that he didn’t have to cite his facts, I realized that it’s best to have students research teacher-acceptable topics.
As a result, this paper is here to help you.
QUOTES It is very important to understand your information in your own words. Some information can only come across in sentences written a certain way (“John Daniel. Glass Jr. was born on August 26, 1971”). It’s not plagiarism to take this information and use it the only way it really can be written. Most information (99.9999999999999%) must be put into your own words. In some instances (Comp and Lit papers), it becomes necessary to take big hunks of sentences and use them word for word in a book or really long paper.
YOU WILL NOT DO THIS IN THIS PAPER. THE LONGEST QUOTE YOU MAY USE IS A SINGLE SENTENCE, AND YOU MUST INCORPORATE IT INTO THE PAPER. IN THIS, WHILE YOU ARE “TECHNICALLY CORRECT” IN BEING ALLOWED TO USE IT, YOU MAY NOT USE IT. YOU MUST PARAPHRASE IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS. IF YOU DO THIS, I WILL CONSIDER YOUR PAPER SHORT DUE TO HEAVILY BORROWING FROM THE WORKS OF OTHER PEOPLE AND I WILL DEDUCT SENTENCE SENSE POINTS AS WELL FOR YOU NOT UNDERSTANDING YOUR RESEARCH. NO EXCEPTIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE (the quote is in black): Steroids have created a variety of new injuries. While the athletes pay the price, there is a different person who is doing the collecting: Dr. James Andrews, wonder surgeon to sports injuries. Noted sports columnist A. Cynic summarized Andrews multi-million dollar business by stating, “Andrews owes his homes, cars, and vacations to the fact that sports stars aren’t smart enough to realize when they aren’t exercising, but are tearing muscle off of the bones.” (Cynic)
THE ABOVE IS GOOD (incorporated).
THE BELOW IS BAD (no flow and should have been paraphrased).
Sports injuries are bad. They affect many players and teams. This year, they affected the Yankees. Carl Pavano is a perfect example of a bad sports injury. “The Pavano news is bad. He had been throwing on the side, and got up on the mound on Sunday, but though the team kept saying he was getting better, he didn't seem so optimistic. He is going to see Dr. James Andrews in Alabama and may, in fact, need Tommy John surgery, which would finish him for this season and probably next season, too, possibly ending is career.” (Amore)
PRINT SOURCES
(Author’s last name Page # (IF AVAILABLE))
(If no Author or you use the author multiple times, then switch to first important word of the title underlined or in quotes appropriately Page #)
NOTE: there is no comma between these items and there is no word “page”, “p.,” “para” or “paragraph” either.
If the paraphrase includes where the source is from (“In his book Now I Can Die in Peace, Bill Simmons expresses how Boston….”), then you can just use the page number. INTERNET SOURCES
(Author’s last name (IF AVAILABLE))
(First important word of title underlined or quoted appropriately (OTHERWISE))
WHEN IN DOUBT, SEE ME!! DON’T ASSUME!!!!!
IF YOU ASSUME OR DEVIATE FROM THESE RULES, THEN YOUR BAD GRADE IS YOUR FAULT. I DON’T CARE IF WE ARE USING CHANGES SINCE THE BLAIR HANDBOOK CAME OUT; YOU PAID $65 FOR THIS BOOK, SO WE’RE USING ITS RULES. IF YOU ARE USING RULES FROM BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED, THEN IT IS ALSO ON YOU. I DON’T MAKE EXCEPTIONS FOR BEING GIVEN MISINFORMATION FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES.
E-MAIL ME FOR SAMPLE ESSAYS!!
SURVEY What do you know about the topic?
QUESTION What do you need to know about the topic to complete the paper?
RULE #2: “YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO BE LAZY”
Remember, this means that you are not writing a book. You are writing about a single defined aspect of this topic. This has nothing to do with procrastination or a half-hearted attempt at writing a paper. That stuff is anathema.
READ Now find your research material and create either 50 note cards or 8-10 pages of handwritten research.
WHAT ARE SOME GOOD WEBSITES TO USE?
Sites that end in .edu or .gov are as absolute and perfect as they come. If your site is a .org, that means it could be good (if you know the organization), but it might be not so good if it belongs to people who are just looking to push their bizarre nature onto other people (http://www.rael.org/)
Also, be careful that you don’t use sites that are commercial (for instance, sell steroids). There are many sites like this online. Stick with the above the boards stuff.
MLA DOCUMENTATION All research (except common knowledge) is cited. Your paper is cited in MLA. While APA is also a way to cite, it’s not what we’re doing here. Don’t ask me what CMS is. I’ve never used. You most likely won’t either.
You can get directions in your Blair Handbook, or you can also go here:
http://www.studyguide.org/MLAdocumentation.htm
http://citationmachine.net/
You are required to have at least 5 sources. Two of these sources must be from the Internet. One must be in print (magazine, book, etc.). After that, you can use whatever you want. You may use more than 5 sources. You will have 1-2 primary sources (Main sources of information) and the rest will be secondary sources (1 to a few pieces of information that back up the claims of your primary source).
BOOK ONE AUTHOR
Gorman, Elizabeth. Prairie Women. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.
CLASS NOTES
Smith, John. "Beowulf: Archetypal Hero." English 102 Class. Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, AL. March 28, 2003.
MAGAZINE
Cannon, Angie. "Just Saying No to Tests." U.S. News & World Report. Oct. 1999: 34.
INTERVIEW
Whitehurst, Daniel, former mayor of Fresno. Personal interview. 5 Mar. 2003.
THE LIBRARY HAS INFORMATION FOR HOW TO CITE GALE NET AND EBSCO HOST – I don’t require their use, but if you use them, know how.
WEBSITES
Last Name, First Name. Title. Date Created. Date Accessed. URL.
While there are a million little ways that you may cite websites, this way will work for the purpose of this class. NOTE: You will not always have a date created (if you don’t have day, month, and year, you also don’t have a date), and you won’t always have an author, but you will have the other 3. Improvise accordingly.
I DO WANT ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION TO BE CURRENT. FOR EXAMPLE, STEROIDS AND SPACE MATERIAL IS TIME SENSITIVE WITH NEW INFORMATION AND CHANGES REGARDING NEW DISCOVERIES.
RECITE This is where you take your notes. You can underline handouts or printouts. You can copy notes (whatever it takes to get to your required amount of stuff). Just find the info.
REVIEW Organize and outline. Reassess your thesis and go back to the library or computer to research some more. Make sure you understand what you are researching. Just because you have the material doesn’t mean that it makes sense. Ask me!!
OH YEAH Send all of your URLs so that I can check their validity.
IN PARAGRAPH CITATIONS You must cite everything. Every fact, every name, number, bit of information or external opinion about the topic has to come from somewhere (except common knowledge stuff). This is 1 of the reasons that we do topics that I choose. Ever since I had a student know everything about Jeff Gordon and think that he didn’t have to cite his facts, I realized that it’s best to have students research teacher-acceptable topics.
As a result, this paper is here to help you.
QUOTES It is very important to understand your information in your own words. Some information can only come across in sentences written a certain way (“John Daniel. Glass Jr. was born on August 26, 1971”). It’s not plagiarism to take this information and use it the only way it really can be written. Most information (99.9999999999999%) must be put into your own words. In some instances (Comp and Lit papers), it becomes necessary to take big hunks of sentences and use them word for word in a book or really long paper.
YOU WILL NOT DO THIS IN THIS PAPER. THE LONGEST QUOTE YOU MAY USE IS A SINGLE SENTENCE, AND YOU MUST INCORPORATE IT INTO THE PAPER. IN THIS, WHILE YOU ARE “TECHNICALLY CORRECT” IN BEING ALLOWED TO USE IT, YOU MAY NOT USE IT. YOU MUST PARAPHRASE IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS. IF YOU DO THIS, I WILL CONSIDER YOUR PAPER SHORT DUE TO HEAVILY BORROWING FROM THE WORKS OF OTHER PEOPLE AND I WILL DEDUCT SENTENCE SENSE POINTS AS WELL FOR YOU NOT UNDERSTANDING YOUR RESEARCH. NO EXCEPTIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE (the quote is in black): Steroids have created a variety of new injuries. While the athletes pay the price, there is a different person who is doing the collecting: Dr. James Andrews, wonder surgeon to sports injuries. Noted sports columnist A. Cynic summarized Andrews multi-million dollar business by stating, “Andrews owes his homes, cars, and vacations to the fact that sports stars aren’t smart enough to realize when they aren’t exercising, but are tearing muscle off of the bones.” (Cynic)
THE ABOVE IS GOOD (incorporated).
THE BELOW IS BAD (no flow and should have been paraphrased).
Sports injuries are bad. They affect many players and teams. This year, they affected the Yankees. Carl Pavano is a perfect example of a bad sports injury. “The Pavano news is bad. He had been throwing on the side, and got up on the mound on Sunday, but though the team kept saying he was getting better, he didn't seem so optimistic. He is going to see Dr. James Andrews in Alabama and may, in fact, need Tommy John surgery, which would finish him for this season and probably next season, too, possibly ending is career.” (Amore)
PRINT SOURCES
(Author’s last name Page # (IF AVAILABLE))
(If no Author or you use the author multiple times, then switch to first important word of the title underlined or in quotes appropriately Page #)
NOTE: there is no comma between these items and there is no word “page”, “p.,” “para” or “paragraph” either.
If the paraphrase includes where the source is from (“In his book Now I Can Die in Peace, Bill Simmons expresses how Boston….”), then you can just use the page number. INTERNET SOURCES
(Author’s last name (IF AVAILABLE))
(First important word of title underlined or quoted appropriately (OTHERWISE))
WHEN IN DOUBT, SEE ME!! DON’T ASSUME!!!!!
IF YOU ASSUME OR DEVIATE FROM THESE RULES, THEN YOUR BAD GRADE IS YOUR FAULT. I DON’T CARE IF WE ARE USING CHANGES SINCE THE BLAIR HANDBOOK CAME OUT; YOU PAID $65 FOR THIS BOOK, SO WE’RE USING ITS RULES. IF YOU ARE USING RULES FROM BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED, THEN IT IS ALSO ON YOU. I DON’T MAKE EXCEPTIONS FOR BEING GIVEN MISINFORMATION FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES.
E-MAIL ME FOR SAMPLE ESSAYS!!
Monday, June 29, 2009
THOMAS FRIEDMAN'S THE WORLD IS FLAT
We are watching the WORLD IS FLAT VIDEO in class (see above).
Obviously, through the power of hyperlinks, you can go back in and view it again or you can buy the book at Amazon Dot Com.
You will need to take notes on this as we will be doing a group assignment with writing a sample essay after you take a brief quiz. This is worth 50 points. You must be here for this.
The World is Flat handout needs to be read for the Wednesday class as well since we will be doing statistics and paraphrasing. Make notes for this on a note card. You will be able to use these notes (and any you have from the video) for the quiz.
Read Internet and Phishing handouts on your own. We don't have time to do them in here. If you have questions, you may e-mail me.
HOMEWORK for your final class of this week:
List 20 websites that you go to and tell me what is there.
For example, www.espn.com sports news.
Check out http://www.rael.org/ and tell me what is there for next class.
These are for a 20 point assignment.
Other things to consider:
Thursday, June 11, 2009
3 changes + Plagiarism Definition From Astronomer Michael Brown
1 - Father's Day is June 21st. Barnes and Nobles Day will be 12-8 (a Saturday instead of a Sunday).
2 - In the 1675 points for the semester, I didn't include attendance. Thus, there are 1775 points and the class is out of 1700.
3 - You can do journals on news events. News can include sports, but if Britney Spears is getting featured on TMZ for being herself, this isn't news. However, if she gets arrested, that's different.
From Michael Brown's personal website - the standards of scientific ethics are also clear: any information used from another source must be acknowledged and cited. One is not allowed to go to a library, find out about a discovery in a book, and then claim that discovery as your own with no mention of having read it in a book. One is not even allowed to first make a discovery and then go to the library and realize that someone else independently made the same discovery and then not acknowledge what you learned in the library. Such actions would be considered scientifically dishonesty.
2 - In the 1675 points for the semester, I didn't include attendance. Thus, there are 1775 points and the class is out of 1700.
3 - You can do journals on news events. News can include sports, but if Britney Spears is getting featured on TMZ for being herself, this isn't news. However, if she gets arrested, that's different.
From Michael Brown's personal website - the standards of scientific ethics are also clear: any information used from another source must be acknowledged and cited. One is not allowed to go to a library, find out about a discovery in a book, and then claim that discovery as your own with no mention of having read it in a book. One is not even allowed to first make a discovery and then go to the library and realize that someone else independently made the same discovery and then not acknowledge what you learned in the library. Such actions would be considered scientifically dishonesty.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Jack Kerouac's Belief and Technique of Modern Prose
Jack Kerouac was a Beat Generation writer from the 50's and 60's. He wrote in what is called stream of conscious technique. William Faulkner, the great Lost Generation writer, wrote like this as well. For those people looking to write journals and wanting to improve their technique, following some of these rules could be a good thing. That said, not all of them apply and perhaps Kerouac could have listened to his own rules (esp. #3) better and then his life wouldn't have turned out as it did, but that notwithstanding, being able to get inside oneself and express life is what writing is all about. I provide this for inspiration or entertainment value.
BELIEF AND TECHNIQUE FOR MODERN PROSE
LIST OF ESSENTIALS (by JACK KEROUAC)
1. Scribble secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy
2. Submissive to everything, open, listening
3. Try never get drunk outside yr own home
4. Be in love with yr life
5. Something that you feel will find its own form
6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind
7. Blow as deep as you want to blow
8. Write what you want bottomless from the bottom of the mind
9. The unspeakable visions of the individual
10. No time for poetry but exactly what is
11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest
12. In traced fixation dreaming upon object before you
13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time
15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monologue
16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye
17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself
18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea
19. Accept loss forever
20. Believe in the holy contour of life
21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind
22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better
23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning
24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge
25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it
26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form
27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness
28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better
29. You’re a Genius all the time
30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven
BELIEF AND TECHNIQUE FOR MODERN PROSE
LIST OF ESSENTIALS (by JACK KEROUAC)
1. Scribble secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy
2. Submissive to everything, open, listening
3. Try never get drunk outside yr own home
4. Be in love with yr life
5. Something that you feel will find its own form
6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind
7. Blow as deep as you want to blow
8. Write what you want bottomless from the bottom of the mind
9. The unspeakable visions of the individual
10. No time for poetry but exactly what is
11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest
12. In traced fixation dreaming upon object before you
13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time
15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monologue
16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye
17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself
18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea
19. Accept loss forever
20. Believe in the holy contour of life
21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind
22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better
23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning
24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge
25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it
26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form
27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness
28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better
29. You’re a Genius all the time
30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven
Monday, May 25, 2009
RANDY PAUSCH ASSIGNMENT
You should read about it here, and then watch it as well.If you write 2 full pages on Randy Pausch's positive attributes as a teacher and a motivational speaker, then I will give you credit for 3 journals.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
English Comp Final
1) This is not for COM050 - by division standards, I am not allowed to show them their final.
2) As this is a persuasive essay on a topic that most likely involves research, you may have 1 notecard for the final.
3) This is 7 paragraphs WITH pre-writing and outline.
4) You must pass it to pass the class
5) Intro / Your point 1 / Your point 2 / Your point 3 / Their point / Why wrong / Conclusion
6) While I provide a sample URL, you can use any resources on the topic.
7) More postings will be made for all class - see this site for further details
Mr. Glass Final Exam for English class
Choose 1 of the following topics to write a 7-paragraph persuasive essay on:
With regard to the Reading Eagle’s downsizing, was the decision that was made to eliminate position and to offer no severance fair in an economy that is already hurting and consistently eliminating their need for printed newspapers?
In light of dealership cuts from GM and the continued failure of certain parts of the American automobile industry, should the US government continue to fund businesses that are running at a low, but still representing a huge sector of the American economy?
For the early part of the Obama administration and the 2008 presidential campaign, Democrats have vowed to put an end to waterboarding, going so far as to openly look to prosecute those who condoned its use. Recently, Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader, has been implicated as knowing as early as 2003 that waterboarding was happening. In light of this situation, should the Democrats discontinue these prosecutions, prosecute Pelosi for allowing this to happen, or should they believe her denials of these accusations and prosecute only Bush administration members?
For the early part of the Obama administration and the 2008 presidential campaign, Democrats looked to distance themselves from what the Bush administration was doing at Guantanamo Bay with regards to military tribunals and holding prisoners of war. Recently, Obama has decided to open up the military tribunals again. Is this a good idea or a bad reversal of politics?
Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have become commonplace in many sports, and so has the test for them. Recently, Jeremy Mayfield, a NASCAR driver, failed a test for a substance other than steroids. However, he was allowed to drive his racecar again the week afterwards. Is this policy fair or too lenient with regards to the drug and sports in general?
If a star player such as Manny Ramirez has been found to be using PEDs, should the team be allowed to violate his contract if he doesn’t come clean about the use of these drugs, or should the player be allowed to continue on after the sports organization imposed penalty?
The 2010 census is a highly-politicized issue as the Whitehouse will seek to personally control the counting of citizens. The Obama administration looks to ensure accurate counts of “hard to reach minorities” and undocumented / illegal immigrants. However, various issues have come up challenging the impartiality of a political party controlling population counts, which will in effect change the amounts and boundaries of elected officials. What is the best way to handle the 2010 census?
In light of the swine flu outbreak, public health officials have to decide how to handle and contain the sickness (and other sicknesses as well) so that it doesn’t spread to other citizens. With regard to this, some countries have closed their borders to citizens from where these outbreaks occur while other countries and businesses warn people against going to these countries. What is the best way to contain these outbreaks without seeming to isolate countries unfairly or can the isolation be justified as fair?
As commencement nears, many schools look to get major speakers for their ceremonies. The U.S. President is always at the top of the list, and this year, Notre Dame secured Obama to this coveted position. Nevertheless, his positions on abortion are contrary to everything that this religious group stands for. Should Notre Dame have withdrawn this offer to him, or is his speech in keeping with the spirit of listening to different voices and / or to hear a man of his prominence speak to the students?
In light of Miss California’s statement of opposition to gay marriage at the Miss America contest, is she (Carrie Prejean) being treated fairly by the media for her words?
OJ Mayo, an NBA star, was allegedly recruited to USC after the coach paid an associate of his $1000 to help get Mayo on the team. In light of this, is the collegiate policy of not paying athletes unfair to “minor league” sports stars or is this in keeping with the academic institution that a college is supposed to represent?
Anna Weitz, the President of Reading Area Community College, has contacted you because she is tired of having students grossly violate the smoking policy on campus. She does not want to end it, but she wants you to persuade students to enforce it and to create a fair system of punishments for those violating it. Do this.
2) As this is a persuasive essay on a topic that most likely involves research, you may have 1 notecard for the final.
3) This is 7 paragraphs WITH pre-writing and outline.
4) You must pass it to pass the class
5) Intro / Your point 1 / Your point 2 / Your point 3 / Their point / Why wrong / Conclusion
6) While I provide a sample URL, you can use any resources on the topic.
7) More postings will be made for all class - see this site for further details
Mr. Glass Final Exam for English class
Choose 1 of the following topics to write a 7-paragraph persuasive essay on:
With regard to the Reading Eagle’s downsizing, was the decision that was made to eliminate position and to offer no severance fair in an economy that is already hurting and consistently eliminating their need for printed newspapers?
In light of dealership cuts from GM and the continued failure of certain parts of the American automobile industry, should the US government continue to fund businesses that are running at a low, but still representing a huge sector of the American economy?
For the early part of the Obama administration and the 2008 presidential campaign, Democrats have vowed to put an end to waterboarding, going so far as to openly look to prosecute those who condoned its use. Recently, Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader, has been implicated as knowing as early as 2003 that waterboarding was happening. In light of this situation, should the Democrats discontinue these prosecutions, prosecute Pelosi for allowing this to happen, or should they believe her denials of these accusations and prosecute only Bush administration members?
For the early part of the Obama administration and the 2008 presidential campaign, Democrats looked to distance themselves from what the Bush administration was doing at Guantanamo Bay with regards to military tribunals and holding prisoners of war. Recently, Obama has decided to open up the military tribunals again. Is this a good idea or a bad reversal of politics?
Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have become commonplace in many sports, and so has the test for them. Recently, Jeremy Mayfield, a NASCAR driver, failed a test for a substance other than steroids. However, he was allowed to drive his racecar again the week afterwards. Is this policy fair or too lenient with regards to the drug and sports in general?
If a star player such as Manny Ramirez has been found to be using PEDs, should the team be allowed to violate his contract if he doesn’t come clean about the use of these drugs, or should the player be allowed to continue on after the sports organization imposed penalty?
The 2010 census is a highly-politicized issue as the Whitehouse will seek to personally control the counting of citizens. The Obama administration looks to ensure accurate counts of “hard to reach minorities” and undocumented / illegal immigrants. However, various issues have come up challenging the impartiality of a political party controlling population counts, which will in effect change the amounts and boundaries of elected officials. What is the best way to handle the 2010 census?
In light of the swine flu outbreak, public health officials have to decide how to handle and contain the sickness (and other sicknesses as well) so that it doesn’t spread to other citizens. With regard to this, some countries have closed their borders to citizens from where these outbreaks occur while other countries and businesses warn people against going to these countries. What is the best way to contain these outbreaks without seeming to isolate countries unfairly or can the isolation be justified as fair?
As commencement nears, many schools look to get major speakers for their ceremonies. The U.S. President is always at the top of the list, and this year, Notre Dame secured Obama to this coveted position. Nevertheless, his positions on abortion are contrary to everything that this religious group stands for. Should Notre Dame have withdrawn this offer to him, or is his speech in keeping with the spirit of listening to different voices and / or to hear a man of his prominence speak to the students?
In light of Miss California’s statement of opposition to gay marriage at the Miss America contest, is she (Carrie Prejean) being treated fairly by the media for her words?
OJ Mayo, an NBA star, was allegedly recruited to USC after the coach paid an associate of his $1000 to help get Mayo on the team. In light of this, is the collegiate policy of not paying athletes unfair to “minor league” sports stars or is this in keeping with the academic institution that a college is supposed to represent?
Anna Weitz, the President of Reading Area Community College, has contacted you because she is tired of having students grossly violate the smoking policy on campus. She does not want to end it, but she wants you to persuade students to enforce it and to create a fair system of punishments for those violating it. Do this.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
YOU ARE HERE - In class reaction
In class questions that were answered for You Are Here.
1. What is the meaning of life (your answer - not a book answer)?
2. What things from your life are too important to sell for any price?
3. Should we divulge everything personal regarding our histories to those people around us?
4. How does the reality TV generation affect who we are?
5. How does the flat world of communications affect who we are and what we are willing to reveal about ourselves?
6. What is "bestand" and how does Palahniuk express its meaning within the confines of his essay?
If you weren't in class, answer these for Thursday.
1. What is the meaning of life (your answer - not a book answer)?
2. What things from your life are too important to sell for any price?
3. Should we divulge everything personal regarding our histories to those people around us?
4. How does the reality TV generation affect who we are?
5. How does the flat world of communications affect who we are and what we are willing to reveal about ourselves?
6. What is "bestand" and how does Palahniuk express its meaning within the confines of his essay?
If you weren't in class, answer these for Thursday.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
SAMPLE HAPPY HOBBY / PLACE PAPER
Here is a sample essay for you to peruse.
The real paper would be double spaced.
The title would be centered.
Note how it explains rather than tells stories.
Note also how it proves its point, flows logically, transitions, uses solid grammar, and doesn't repeat itself or ramble about things that don't need to be there.
++++++++
Student
Teacher
English Composition
August 26, 1971
Traveling in the Great Outdoors for Photographic Glory
For many people, hobbies are about accumulating things, and in this, I am no different. Nevertheless, the things that I like to accumulate aren’t able to be brought back to my house and sat on a shelf in the same way that antiques and collectibles are. Instead, my hobby of going to unique and beautiful spots for the purpose of accumulating pictures is my way of “perfectly” collecting the images of canyon formations, cascading waterfalls, vast forests, and endless fields in a way that will ensure that they are forever immortalized for myself and others to see in that pristine state.
In my life, photography is not just the action of having a camera and taking a picture. Sure, different cameras have different abilities, and with these abilities, it might make it possible to capture the flight of a bird or to expose the details of a faraway bear as he looks back at me. Nevertheless, to me, photography is an expression of creativity and seeing things in my own unique way. My knowing how to see colors, shapes, and angles is what makes these pictures stand out. For this, knowing that I have to get out and take a myriad of different shots in different locales is not just practice, but it is also an excuse to continue to have more opportunities to do things that I love. Whether I go to the same place ten times or if I go to a new and exotic location, I am constantly trying to find ways to experiment and take that elusive picture that I can truly define as perfect. This isn’t repetitive practice; rather, it is an expression of my motivation to be the best photographer that I can be.
Outdoor photography is also exciting to me because it allows me to daydream of possible trips that I might one day take. Whether I am reading National Geographic Adventure or surfing the World Wide Web and partaking in the cyber grandeur of the Pacific Northwest, the Colorado Plateau, the New England forests, or the Rocky Mountains, I am constantly immersing myself in the perfection of other people’s photography. In this, I am not only fantasizing of places that I hope to see, but I am getting ready to mimic or improve upon the digital relics of journeys that I would like to follow in the footsteps of. In this, staring at the new issue of Backpacker Magazine isn’t that different than a small child going through the Christmas wish books.
When I get to these places that I spent months dreaming about, I find myself exhilarated in the presence of extreme natural beauty. I am also visually hyperaware of everything that could possibly be around the corner. All the while, my camera is on alert as I get ready to “hunt” for the subjects that will stand out as the treasures I return home with. Be it the surprising waterfall that appears out of nowhere or the enormous elk on the side of the road, I can bring out the magic of any moment. For this artistic success, I am truly in my element while I am capturing these instances.
Taking the pictures is only one part of this hobby. The other part is sharing the pictures when I return home. If I was to keep all of my photography to myself, it would be very selfish. Granted, there is a feeling inside of me that likes to be alone when I am in nature, but to know that I have inspired other people to see the same spectacular images that I did makes this hobby all the more special. On a much larger scale than just showing people who know me these images at my house, I can also share them with the world on my Internet site. This allows me to brag about what I have seen and done. That said, when I get compliments, I am a truly happy person.
In all of this, it is clear to see that photography is an outlook for a variety of my interests. Be they in the cathedrals of nature, the pages of a book or magazine, or even in the corners of cyberspace, these outlets for the expression of who I am make me truly happy as a person. As long as I can continue to venture into these places and bring a little big of the magic back, I will always know that I have a hobby that makes me truly happy.
Teacher
English Composition
August 26, 1971
Traveling in the Great Outdoors for Photographic Glory
For many people, hobbies are about accumulating things, and in this, I am no different. Nevertheless, the things that I like to accumulate aren’t able to be brought back to my house and sat on a shelf in the same way that antiques and collectibles are. Instead, my hobby of going to unique and beautiful spots for the purpose of accumulating pictures is my way of “perfectly” collecting the images of canyon formations, cascading waterfalls, vast forests, and endless fields in a way that will ensure that they are forever immortalized for myself and others to see in that pristine state.
In my life, photography is not just the action of having a camera and taking a picture. Sure, different cameras have different abilities, and with these abilities, it might make it possible to capture the flight of a bird or to expose the details of a faraway bear as he looks back at me. Nevertheless, to me, photography is an expression of creativity and seeing things in my own unique way. My knowing how to see colors, shapes, and angles is what makes these pictures stand out. For this, knowing that I have to get out and take a myriad of different shots in different locales is not just practice, but it is also an excuse to continue to have more opportunities to do things that I love. Whether I go to the same place ten times or if I go to a new and exotic location, I am constantly trying to find ways to experiment and take that elusive picture that I can truly define as perfect. This isn’t repetitive practice; rather, it is an expression of my motivation to be the best photographer that I can be.
Outdoor photography is also exciting to me because it allows me to daydream of possible trips that I might one day take. Whether I am reading National Geographic Adventure or surfing the World Wide Web and partaking in the cyber grandeur of the Pacific Northwest, the Colorado Plateau, the New England forests, or the Rocky Mountains, I am constantly immersing myself in the perfection of other people’s photography. In this, I am not only fantasizing of places that I hope to see, but I am getting ready to mimic or improve upon the digital relics of journeys that I would like to follow in the footsteps of. In this, staring at the new issue of Backpacker Magazine isn’t that different than a small child going through the Christmas wish books.
When I get to these places that I spent months dreaming about, I find myself exhilarated in the presence of extreme natural beauty. I am also visually hyperaware of everything that could possibly be around the corner. All the while, my camera is on alert as I get ready to “hunt” for the subjects that will stand out as the treasures I return home with. Be it the surprising waterfall that appears out of nowhere or the enormous elk on the side of the road, I can bring out the magic of any moment. For this artistic success, I am truly in my element while I am capturing these instances.
Taking the pictures is only one part of this hobby. The other part is sharing the pictures when I return home. If I was to keep all of my photography to myself, it would be very selfish. Granted, there is a feeling inside of me that likes to be alone when I am in nature, but to know that I have inspired other people to see the same spectacular images that I did makes this hobby all the more special. On a much larger scale than just showing people who know me these images at my house, I can also share them with the world on my Internet site. This allows me to brag about what I have seen and done. That said, when I get compliments, I am a truly happy person.
In all of this, it is clear to see that photography is an outlook for a variety of my interests. Be they in the cathedrals of nature, the pages of a book or magazine, or even in the corners of cyberspace, these outlets for the expression of who I am make me truly happy as a person. As long as I can continue to venture into these places and bring a little big of the magic back, I will always know that I have a hobby that makes me truly happy.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
ESSAY WRITING OVERVIEW FOR INCLASS PEER REVIEW PREPAREDNESS!!
If you haven't brought a flash drive for the important files (MLA powerpoint and other stuff), you really want to do that for Tuesday.
Here is a site to learn how not to make common errors in the English language.
Further citations link from my website (only for paper 2+3).
Further MLA directions link from my website (only for paper 2).
What will we look for?
We're trying to figure out if you have a good paper or not.
Essentially, there are 4 things that I look for:
Transition / Flow
Grammar
Organization
Do you prove your point (thesis)?
If you don't have those things, you won't do well. You most likely won't pass the paper and will have to redo it.
Yes, there is a redo on this paper, but if you don't use spell and grammar check on Word, I will LITERALLY STOP correcting your essay. If I find any word that does not exist in the English language or if I find that there are OBVIOUS errors that should have been picked up by a grammatical check (but were not corrected), I MAY CHOOSE to stop correcting your paper. If this is the case, you will be on your own for suggestions when it comes to a redo paper.
Also, please note that I don't give help on papers that I've already corrected.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL with outside assistance. You have had plagiarism explained to you. I don't play games with plagiarism. Also, you have to write your final exam on your own. Students who were passing the class have failed the final because they could not meet its pass or fail requirements (as mandated by the division). This happens more often than not because students thought that they were getting ahead when in reality someone else was doing their work.
With that, please note that I give personal help to students so that they see what errors that they are making IN THE HOPES THAT THEY learn how to correct these things on an individual basis. Not everyone who comes for help gets A grades. Not everyone who comes for help passes this class. You don't get extra credit because you come. You get individualized help to assure that you can do what you have to do in order to succeed in college and in life. It's up to you to make this help work.
Most likely, if you come, we will start with reading your paper out loud so that you can hear if your paper makes sense. Just as most first paragraphs sounded awkward and flat when read in class, many papers sound equally jumbled when they are read out loud.
In the effort of time, you should note that I don't correct handwritten papers. This is because these papers can be very different in how they are typed out, and in my knowledge, it is best to look at a paper that is in its final stages as opposed to one that still has to be interpreted while it is typed out (however, you can come for direction in how to start out, but don't expect me to take over the writing of your paper). In the past, students who were still typing papers at Barnes and Nobles were not happy because they did not get their papers thoroughly corrected.
Clearly understand, I'm not here to hand you a grade. If you're not working for this, then you're really not doing your share of the work.
Thus, here are some corrections for you to see if you need to make them.
1. Is your paper typed in 12 point type, Times New Roman lettering, and is it double spaced from the top to the bottom? See the Blair Handbook for a sample essay (page 412).
2. While you DO NOT HAVE TO have a header, if you do, it must be in the header. If it is not, then you already have a formatting error. This is how you set up the first page. The first page is not a title page. I don't require that since it is optional and because too many trees have already died for this class.
3. Line 1 of the paper begins with your name. This is followed by my name, the class, and the date. These must be written in this order.
4. Double spacing begins after your name. If you leave those 4 things single spaced, you are not following the directions of the Blair Handbook in the MLA research section. If you don't know how to double space, please ask. This is not hitting enter at the end of each line as if you were using a typewriter.
5. The next line down is a title that is centered. It does not have to be the cleverest thing, but it has to be there. All the same, it should be something more exciting than "a hobby that makes me happy."
6. Remember the rules of the first paragraph. Your thesis is the last sentence. There are 2-3 sentences before it. There are no facts. The whole thing flows through.
7. Remember the rules of the last paragraph. This begins with the understood "It is clear to see that." You do not have to write this out, but technically, you can. There are 3-4 sentences within it. There are no facts or new ideas. There is no repetition. It is a generalized summary of everything that you have stated. The whole thing flows through to a conclusive ending.
8. There can be no use of the word "I." (except in paper 1). There can't be any use of the word you (in any paper). If you use the words we, our, and us, they must clearly refer to you and the people who are with you at this place. If they don't, you will lose points.
9. THAT SAID, this paper is an explanation of why this place makes you happy. It it not about a trip there in a story telling fashion. It does concern your opinion. It is not researched. It is how you see this place as wonderful and how you prove it.
10. There is NO Works Cited Page on this assignment as it is not researched. There are no quotes from other people, so you will only have 0 citations.
11. These papers are straight forward. I don't want to see any question marks or exclamation points.
12. If your paper is not 2.5 pages, you will lose length points and effort points. If your paper stops short, you can lose effort points as well. While you will only have to give 2.5 pages of reasons for why you feel this, you have to detail them thoroughly.
13. If you don't convince me that you are passionate about this topic, then you will not do as well as someone who does. Remember that the thesis of this paper is to tell me about a place that makes you happy in this paper. It doesn't matter if I agree that it's a great place. All that matters is that you write about why it is.
14. Your thesis promised me something. Did you deliver through with it or did you get lost along the way?
15. See Issues in Your Paper for other rules.
16. See The Right Word for other frequently messed up words.
17. Please e-mail me with questions you might have. All the same, don't e-mail your paper for proofreading. If you can't make it in person, I won't correct your paper so that you can just change errors and GET a grade. That's not learning - that's being spoonfed. I don't do that.
18. Please hand in all of the pre-writings with the essay. If you don't hand these in with the essay, then they don't come in. I don't make accomodations for people writing pre-writings as after the fact points (See below). Dresser Drawer Method, Outline, Notes, Typed Rough Draft.
19. This may sound like a lot, but you're here to learn to write the best essay possible. Knowing how to edit your paper will help you do this.
The Final Essay is graded based on the following categories to the corresponding percentages:
Length (10)
Format (10)
Effort (10)
Sentence Sense (30)
Transition Cohesion (20)
Grammar (20)
Pre-writing (50 points on top of the 200 you already had on top).
Here is a site to learn how not to make common errors in the English language.
Further citations link from my website (only for paper 2+3).
Further MLA directions link from my website (only for paper 2).
What will we look for?
We're trying to figure out if you have a good paper or not.
Essentially, there are 4 things that I look for:
Transition / Flow
Grammar
Organization
Do you prove your point (thesis)?
If you don't have those things, you won't do well. You most likely won't pass the paper and will have to redo it.
Yes, there is a redo on this paper, but if you don't use spell and grammar check on Word, I will LITERALLY STOP correcting your essay. If I find any word that does not exist in the English language or if I find that there are OBVIOUS errors that should have been picked up by a grammatical check (but were not corrected), I MAY CHOOSE to stop correcting your paper. If this is the case, you will be on your own for suggestions when it comes to a redo paper.
Also, please note that I don't give help on papers that I've already corrected.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL with outside assistance. You have had plagiarism explained to you. I don't play games with plagiarism. Also, you have to write your final exam on your own. Students who were passing the class have failed the final because they could not meet its pass or fail requirements (as mandated by the division). This happens more often than not because students thought that they were getting ahead when in reality someone else was doing their work.
With that, please note that I give personal help to students so that they see what errors that they are making IN THE HOPES THAT THEY learn how to correct these things on an individual basis. Not everyone who comes for help gets A grades. Not everyone who comes for help passes this class. You don't get extra credit because you come. You get individualized help to assure that you can do what you have to do in order to succeed in college and in life. It's up to you to make this help work.
Most likely, if you come, we will start with reading your paper out loud so that you can hear if your paper makes sense. Just as most first paragraphs sounded awkward and flat when read in class, many papers sound equally jumbled when they are read out loud.
In the effort of time, you should note that I don't correct handwritten papers. This is because these papers can be very different in how they are typed out, and in my knowledge, it is best to look at a paper that is in its final stages as opposed to one that still has to be interpreted while it is typed out (however, you can come for direction in how to start out, but don't expect me to take over the writing of your paper). In the past, students who were still typing papers at Barnes and Nobles were not happy because they did not get their papers thoroughly corrected.
Clearly understand, I'm not here to hand you a grade. If you're not working for this, then you're really not doing your share of the work.
Thus, here are some corrections for you to see if you need to make them.
1. Is your paper typed in 12 point type, Times New Roman lettering, and is it double spaced from the top to the bottom? See the Blair Handbook for a sample essay (page 412).
2. While you DO NOT HAVE TO have a header, if you do, it must be in the header. If it is not, then you already have a formatting error. This is how you set up the first page. The first page is not a title page. I don't require that since it is optional and because too many trees have already died for this class.
3. Line 1 of the paper begins with your name. This is followed by my name, the class, and the date. These must be written in this order.
4. Double spacing begins after your name. If you leave those 4 things single spaced, you are not following the directions of the Blair Handbook in the MLA research section. If you don't know how to double space, please ask. This is not hitting enter at the end of each line as if you were using a typewriter.
5. The next line down is a title that is centered. It does not have to be the cleverest thing, but it has to be there. All the same, it should be something more exciting than "a hobby that makes me happy."
6. Remember the rules of the first paragraph. Your thesis is the last sentence. There are 2-3 sentences before it. There are no facts. The whole thing flows through.
7. Remember the rules of the last paragraph. This begins with the understood "It is clear to see that." You do not have to write this out, but technically, you can. There are 3-4 sentences within it. There are no facts or new ideas. There is no repetition. It is a generalized summary of everything that you have stated. The whole thing flows through to a conclusive ending.
8. There can be no use of the word "I." (except in paper 1). There can't be any use of the word you (in any paper). If you use the words we, our, and us, they must clearly refer to you and the people who are with you at this place. If they don't, you will lose points.
9. THAT SAID, this paper is an explanation of why this place makes you happy. It it not about a trip there in a story telling fashion. It does concern your opinion. It is not researched. It is how you see this place as wonderful and how you prove it.
10. There is NO Works Cited Page on this assignment as it is not researched. There are no quotes from other people, so you will only have 0 citations.
11. These papers are straight forward. I don't want to see any question marks or exclamation points.
12. If your paper is not 2.5 pages, you will lose length points and effort points. If your paper stops short, you can lose effort points as well. While you will only have to give 2.5 pages of reasons for why you feel this, you have to detail them thoroughly.
13. If you don't convince me that you are passionate about this topic, then you will not do as well as someone who does. Remember that the thesis of this paper is to tell me about a place that makes you happy in this paper. It doesn't matter if I agree that it's a great place. All that matters is that you write about why it is.
14. Your thesis promised me something. Did you deliver through with it or did you get lost along the way?
15. See Issues in Your Paper for other rules.
16. See The Right Word for other frequently messed up words.
17. Please e-mail me with questions you might have. All the same, don't e-mail your paper for proofreading. If you can't make it in person, I won't correct your paper so that you can just change errors and GET a grade. That's not learning - that's being spoonfed. I don't do that.
18. Please hand in all of the pre-writings with the essay. If you don't hand these in with the essay, then they don't come in. I don't make accomodations for people writing pre-writings as after the fact points (See below). Dresser Drawer Method, Outline, Notes, Typed Rough Draft.
19. This may sound like a lot, but you're here to learn to write the best essay possible. Knowing how to edit your paper will help you do this.
The Final Essay is graded based on the following categories to the corresponding percentages:
Length (10)
Format (10)
Effort (10)
Sentence Sense (30)
Transition Cohesion (20)
Grammar (20)
Pre-writing (50 points on top of the 200 you already had on top).
Monday, March 2, 2009
COMPLETE LIST of Links for COM050's In Class Project
Many of these have additional hyperlinks that should be accessed and read if you are going to do the 2nd and 3rd papers on these topics.
When you get to the later parts of the papers (the 2nd and 3rd essays), you can go here for a variety of articles to help you with SOME issues in SOME papers.
As you will find, most of this is the reactions of the US and the world to 9/11. It is based in objective fact and the emotions of those present - not conspiracy theory, which goes against the grain of writing an objective research paper (your ultimate goal in a 3 step process to prepare you for COM121). Nevertheless, at the end of this entry, I have a few articles that you can read for your own personal interest detailing the problems with conspiracy theory.
You need to write a FULL 1-PAGE JOURNAL on 1 of the articles beneath the +++++ for Thursday. You also need to print out the article. If you want to work ahead, you can do the same thing for BOTH of the articles directly below these words for next Tuesday (and 2 other articles as well). At this stage, these do not have to be typed. However, your articles will be printed out. You pay a technology fee to the school. You have access to computers to do this.
September 11th by the Numbers (NY MAG)
Casualties of the Wars (Afghanistan and Iraq)
When you get to the later parts of the papers (the 2nd and 3rd essays), you can go here for a variety of articles to help you with SOME issues in SOME papers.
As you will find, most of this is the reactions of the US and the world to 9/11. It is based in objective fact and the emotions of those present - not conspiracy theory, which goes against the grain of writing an objective research paper (your ultimate goal in a 3 step process to prepare you for COM121). Nevertheless, at the end of this entry, I have a few articles that you can read for your own personal interest detailing the problems with conspiracy theory.
You need to write a FULL 1-PAGE JOURNAL on 1 of the articles beneath the +++++ for Thursday. You also need to print out the article. If you want to work ahead, you can do the same thing for BOTH of the articles directly below these words for next Tuesday (and 2 other articles as well). At this stage, these do not have to be typed. However, your articles will be printed out. You pay a technology fee to the school. You have access to computers to do this.
September 11th by the Numbers (NY MAG)
Casualties of the Wars (Afghanistan and Iraq)
+++++
Terrorized by the War on Terror (WASHINGTON POST)
Rudy Giuliani - Person of the Year (TIME)
Growing up Giuliani (NEWSWEEK)
Hutning Bin Laden (PBS)
Exposing the Truth of Abu Ghraib (CBS)
Liquidating Bombers (NEWSWEEK)
Believe Me It's Torture (VANITY FAIR)
FBI Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause (NY TIMES)
Taking Todd Beamer's Call from United 93 Changed My Life (CHRISTIANITY TODAY)
Al Qaeda Chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Confesses to Planning Sept. 11, Gitmo Transcript Shows (FOX NEWS)
Three arrested on terrorism charges after buying cell phones (ABC)
Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
Marcus Luttrell on Michael Murphy (FOX - O' Reilly)
Additional choices:
Obama's 2002 Anti-War with Iraq Speech
Before September 11th - the History (TIME)
Lost at Tora Bora (NEW YORK TIMES)
Bush's 16 Words on Iraq and Uranium (FACT CHECK DOT ORG)
Cities Say No to the Patriot Act (WIRED)
The Truth About Jessica (Lynch) (THE GUARDIAN UK)
What Really Happened to Pat Tillman (CBS)
The Shoe Bomber's World (TIME)
Jurors Reject Death Penalty for Moussaoui (WASHINGTON POST)
Padilla Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison (NY TIMES)
Former (GITMO) Prison Guard Tells All (HARPERS)
Ex Detainees Returning to Fight (CNN)
Insurgent Leader Al-Zarqawi Killed in Iraq (WASHINGTON POST)
Hussein Executed With Fear in His Face (CNN)
Kristen Breitweiser's Response to Ann Coulter's (HUFFINGTON POST)
The Lies of Michael Moore (SLATE)
These 2 can only be read for your own interest - can't be done for credit!!
Tinfoil Nation (PAJAMASMEDIA - far right politics)
Stephen Shalom and Michael Albert of ZMAG (far left politics) on the lack of credibility in conspiracy theories as a whole with the 2nd half of the article dedicated to 9/11
Terrorized by the War on Terror (WASHINGTON POST)
Rudy Giuliani - Person of the Year (TIME)
Growing up Giuliani (NEWSWEEK)
Hutning Bin Laden (PBS)
Exposing the Truth of Abu Ghraib (CBS)
Liquidating Bombers (NEWSWEEK)
Believe Me It's Torture (VANITY FAIR)
FBI Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause (NY TIMES)
Taking Todd Beamer's Call from United 93 Changed My Life (CHRISTIANITY TODAY)
Al Qaeda Chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Confesses to Planning Sept. 11, Gitmo Transcript Shows (FOX NEWS)
Three arrested on terrorism charges after buying cell phones (ABC)
Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
Marcus Luttrell on Michael Murphy (FOX - O' Reilly)
Additional choices:
Obama's 2002 Anti-War with Iraq Speech
Before September 11th - the History (TIME)
Lost at Tora Bora (NEW YORK TIMES)
Bush's 16 Words on Iraq and Uranium (FACT CHECK DOT ORG)
Cities Say No to the Patriot Act (WIRED)
The Truth About Jessica (Lynch) (THE GUARDIAN UK)
What Really Happened to Pat Tillman (CBS)
The Shoe Bomber's World (TIME)
Jurors Reject Death Penalty for Moussaoui (WASHINGTON POST)
Padilla Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison (NY TIMES)
Former (GITMO) Prison Guard Tells All (HARPERS)
Ex Detainees Returning to Fight (CNN)
Insurgent Leader Al-Zarqawi Killed in Iraq (WASHINGTON POST)
Hussein Executed With Fear in His Face (CNN)
Kristen Breitweiser's Response to Ann Coulter's (HUFFINGTON POST)
The Lies of Michael Moore (SLATE)
These 2 can only be read for your own interest - can't be done for credit!!
Tinfoil Nation (PAJAMASMEDIA - far right politics)
Stephen Shalom and Michael Albert of ZMAG (far left politics) on the lack of credibility in conspiracy theories as a whole with the 2nd half of the article dedicated to 9/11
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