113A Calendar

113A  Calendar Fall 2017

Week 1

August 28, Monday:  Introduction of class members and syllabus/course.

Watch BBC documentary— Next Future Robotics Technology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7eTYT9gJrI

Homework:

  1. Watch the full documentary at home, and write a 300-words response to it. Post your response to Moodle by Tuesday Midnight.
  2. Read and write a precise summary (500 Words) of Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google making Us Stupid? Post Summary to Moodle Forum by Midnight,  Tuesday August 29.

August 30, Wednesday:

  1. Discussion of some student responses.
  2. Class discussion on ““Is Google making Us Stupid?” In-class writing: What is Carr’s argument in the essay or what is his position on technology debate?

Homework:

  1. Write a letter to the author, Nicholas Carr, responding to his position on technological advancements. Post your letter to Moodle by Saturday Midnight, September 2.
  2. Read and write a precise summary (500 Words due by Saturday, September 2)of Clive Thompson’s “Smarter than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better” (PDF in Moodle).

Week 2

Sept 4, Monday: NO CLASS (Labor Day)

Sept 6, Wednesday: 

Group discussion on the article: “Smarter than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better”. Each group will take up an issue from the reading and present in the class.

In-class writing: Compare and Contrast Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” Clive Thompson’s “Smarter than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better,” and the BBC Documentary: Do all of three make the same argument? Where do they agree and disagree? Is there any difference in the point of view or tone or argument/s? If they agree, why do you think they do, and if not, why not?

Next, we will generate a list of potential research topics in the class.

Finally, we will return to the assignment sheet and review the expectations for the essay

Homework:

  1. Write a letter to a friend this time describing your response to Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Post your letter to Moodle by Saturday Midnight, September 9.
  2. Read and write a precise summary (500 Words due by Sunday, Sept. 10) of Kevin Kelly’s “Better than Human: Why Robots will—and Must—Take our Jobs

Week 3

Sept 11, Monday:

  1. Group Discussion on Kevin Kelly’s “Better than Human: Why Robots will—and Must—Take our Jobs”
  2. Workshop on finding, contextualizing and evaluating sources for Progression 1 essay: We will take a quick tour through the library databases to see which ones might best serve our unit inquiry.

Homework:

  1. Access library databases and locate one or two secondary (pref. scholarly) source/s for your unit 1 essay.
  2. Start drafting the essay—at least three paragraphs—for the beginning, middle or end of the essay. While doing that keep in mind that your writing goal in this progression involves deeply engaging with the arguments of the shared texts, and developing a position(s) of your own.

Sept. 13, Wednesday:

  1. 1 min idea sharing on your essay topics
  2. Analyzing the beginning and conclusion of two sample essays (download from Moodle)

Homework:

Read chapter 22 “Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing” (pp. 388-400) from Everyone’s An Author.

Now by using three shared texts and at least one secondary source, compose the first draft for Progression 1 essay. Make sure you keep in mind techniques of “quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing” as you compose the essay.

Week 4

Sept. 18, Monday

Synthesis Heuristic/ Thesis Building Heuristic—(Handouts)

Homework: Further build your paper. Bring the full draft for peer review on Wednesday.

 

Sept. 20, Wednesday

Peer Review/Workshopping the essay. Final questions and solutions related to Progression 1 essay.

Homework: Finalize your essay. Essay is due on Monday, Sept 25.

Week 5

Sept. 25, Monday

Review Essay Due

  1. Distribution of Rhetorical Analysis assignment

2.Watch documentary—Miss Representation, 2011<http://putlocker.io/watch/pxwDo9Gz-miss-representation.html>

  1. Write a quick response to the movie, and discuss some responses.

Homework:

Read and write a precise summary (In 500 Words)of chapter nine ““Let’s Take a Closer Look” Writing Analytically” (pp. 137-154 from Everyone’s An Author)Post Summary to Moodle by Tuesday, September 26.

Sept. 27, Wednesday

In the Class:

  1. Generating key critical/rhetorical concepts together from ““Let’s Take a Closer Look” Writing Analytically”” (pp. 137-154).
  2. Critical/rhetorical concepts and Miss Representation: (Potential Topics for class discussion) media and representation, media and gender, media and capitalism, media and status quo, media and hypervisibility, media and new colonialism, media and appropriation, signs, symbols and ideologies in Miss Representation

Homework: Get online and locate a media artifact for critical and rhetorical analysis. Read the assignment description carefully and look for the appropriate media artifact (music video, movie/documentary clips, digital/video advertisement).

Bring your laptop and media artifact to class on Monday.

Week 6

Oct. 2, Monday:

Initial analysis of your media artifact–

Critically examining your media artifact: What do you see in your artifact? What signs, symbols? What values or ideologies are being communicated? Whose values or ideologies are those? Who is communicating those values or ideologies? Who is benefitting and who is losing? Does your artifact echo any aspect/s of Miss Representation? How?

Homework:

1. Write a one and half page description of your media artifact. Try to be specific, accurate, and attempt to re-create the artifact as closely as possible in and through words. Post the Description to Moodle.

2. Read and summarize “Writing Analytically/A Roadmap” (pp. 160-169 from Everyone’s An Author). Post summary to Moodle by Tuesday, October 3.

3. Bring your laptops and your media artifact to the class.

October 4, Wednesday:

1.Discussion of Rhetorical terms. Rhetorical angle at the artifact.

Homework:

1. Read and summarize (in 500 words) chapter thirteen “Analyzing Arguments: Those You Read and Those You Write” (pp. 275-304 from Everyone’s An Author) (Summary due by Saturday, Oct. 7th).

2. Read and summarize Sika A. Dagbovie-Mullins’ “Pigtails, Ponytails, and Getting Tail: The Infantilization and Hyper-Sexualization of African American Females in Popular Culture” (PDf in Moodle). Post Summary to Moodle by Sunday, October 8th).

Week 7

Oct 9, Monday:

We will discuss the key concepts related to analyzing arguments.

We will also analyze Dagbovie-Mullins’ “Pigtails, Ponytails, and Getting Tail: The Infantilization and Hyper-Sexualization of African American Females in Popular Culture” article.

Then, we will review some sample analysis essays (PDFs in Moodle)

Homework: Read and summarize Keith Hayward’s “Life stage dissolution’ in Anglo-American advertising and popular culture: Kidults, Lil’ Britneys and Middle Youths” (PDf in Moodle). Post Summary to Moodle by Sunday, October 10th).

Oct. 11, Wednesday:

In class:  We will examine advertiser’s key promotion strategies. Also discuss rhetorical and sexual appeals routinely used by advertisers and popular media.

You will work on pairs. You will also look at each other’s media artifact and share your critical observations

Homework:

  1. Read and summarize (in 500 words) Sue Jackson and Tiina Vare’s “‘Perfect skin’, ‘pretty skinny’: girls’ embodied identities and post-feminist popular culture” (PDF in Moodle). Post the summary to Moodle by Saturday, Oct, 14th).

Week 8

Oct. 16, Monday:  

In Class: Group discussion on Sue Jackson and Tiina Vare’s central ideas.

Homework: Keep working on your analysis.

Oct. 18 Wednesday: 

No class

Identify a space or activity, where the idea, process or instance that you are discussing in your essay is manifest. Take copious notes of what you see there. Describe in detail what you saw, where you saw it, how it is related to what you are analyzing in your essay, and in what way is that related to your topic and analysis. (Description Due in Moodle by Saturday, Oct. 21st.)

Week 9

Oct. 23, Monday:

Organization, Transitions, Synthesis Heuristics, thesis heuristics

Homework: Finalize Rhetorical Analysis. Bring the full draft for peer review on Wednesday

Oct. 25, Wednesday: Peer review

Homework: Revise your draft based on peer review feedback and send me the updated draft by Friday, Midnight, 27th October.

Week 10

Oct. 30, Monday: One-on-one Conference with Santosh in his office ST 834

Nov. 1: Wednesday: One-on-one Conference with Santosh in his office ST 834

Week 11

Nov. 6, Monday:

Rhetorical Analysis due

Screening of a video clips related to American Dream:

 

Homework:

  1. Write a response to the movie in 500 words. Post to Moodle by Tuesday, Nov. 7.
  2. Read and post 500 words summary of Paul Krugman’s “Confronting Inequality. Post due in Moodle by Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Nov. 8, Wednesday: 

Review the assignment sheet for argument essay.

Discuss Paul Krugman’s “Confronting Inequality.”

Analysis of some argument essays (PDF in Moodle)

Homework: Read and summarize Tim Roemer’s “America Remains the World’s Beacon of Success”; Shayan Zadeh’s “Bring on More Immigrant Entrepreneurs”; and Gary S. Becker and Kevin M. Murphy’s “The Upside of Income Inequality. Look for instances of claims being made and supported—analytical claims, argumentative claims, explanatory claims. Moodle Posts due by Saturday, November 11.).

Week 12

Nov. 13, Monday: We will unpack issues associated with American Dream based on those readings.

Homework 

Read and Summarize Brandon King’s “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold” (PDF in Moodle)

Everyone please start exploring your essay topic or research question/s. Remember your essay topic or research question/s should or could be on any issues, questions, debates or controversies associated with American Dream. Try to look for something you are interested in and want to research further. Be ready to share your tentative topic/research questions to the class on Wednesday.

Nov. 15, Wednesday:

We will unpack Brandon King’s article.

Your research: What did you find as the associated issues of “American Dream”?

Homework Read and summarize chapter 16: “Finding Sources, Considering Research Methods (pp. 337-361) from Everyone’s An Author. Post summary to Moodle by Saturday, Nov. 18th.

Week 13

Nov. 20, Monday:

We will unpack “Finding Sources, Research Methods.”

We will look at criteria for evaluating print and online sources.

We will discuss the components of research proposal (I will have handouts for you).

Homework: 

Please write a 250-word research essay proposal. (Proposal Due by Wednesday Nov. 22).

Start looking also for primary research data sources (potential interviewees, research sites, survey groups or any other sources to gather first hand data). Also locate at least 2 images related to your research topic.

Nov.22, Wednesday: 

NO CLASS–Identify Interviewees or Primary Research Site; Arrange for interviews or field observation; Draft interview questions; Conduct interviews, if possible. You need to report progress in class on Tuesday.

Homework: Read and Summarize chapter 7: “This is Where I Stand: Arguing a Position” (pp. 61-88 from Everyone’s An Author. Post Summary to Moodle by Saturday Nov. 25.

Week 14

Nov. 27, Monday:

  1. We will share our research proposals in the class: claim/ thesis, sources, research methods etc.
  2. We will look at various elements of argument.
  3. We will also do narrowing the focus exercise.
  4. Evaluation criteria distributed and explained

Homework:

  1. Prepare the first draft (4+pages) of the essay
  2. Print and bring the draft for peer review the next class on Wednesday, Nov 29.

Nov. 29, Wednesday:

  • Peer review (Peer Review sheet distributed)
  • Thesis Building Heuristic

HomeworkComplete the draft and email me and your small group members an attachment (.doc or .docx) by Saturday, Dec. 2. 

Week 15

Dec. 4, Monday

One-on-one Conference in small groups

Homework: Keep working on your essay. Start putting together your entire portfolio.

Remember to bring your Portfolio on Wednesday, December 6

Portfolio is due on Wednesday. It should contain print copies of your three polished essays (Review Essay final draft, Rhetorical Analysis Essay final draft, and Argument Essay final draft) and a 2 double-spaced reflection on the entire semester–what you learned and how, what readings stood out, and what assignments and writing and research activities benefitted you the most. Please put those four pieces in a folder/binder and bring it to the class.

Dec. 6: Wednesday:

Course Evaluation

Essay, Portfolio, and Reflection Due

 

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