This is the last discussion question of the semester! Comments will be closed on Sunday, November 25. I suggest doing it earlier than that, though, since it’s good process work for your synthesis essay.
For this discussion, write as much as you can about your image. Describe what’s in it. Explain what it means and how you know. Who made the image? For whom? Why? Where did the image first appear? What limitations did the creator have in making the image? How do these constraints impact the image?
If you can, include the image in your comment or provide a link to it.
For one extra point, respond to other people’s comments. If they provided a link to the image, do you see things to describe they left out?
Comments will be closed after class Thursday.
Think about how LeGuin’s piece “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” ties in with other things we have read this semester. Type up a few points of comparison or major themes that carry through.
Comments will be closed after class Thursday.
Think about how Coben’s piece “The Key to My Father” or Alexie’s “The Unauthorized Autobiography of Me” tie in with other essays (or Maus) we have read this semester. Type up a few points of comparison or major themes that carry through.
This is a bit late, but will still count as week 10’s discussion question. Comments will be open on this post until after class Tuesday.
After visiting with Josh Been and participating in the GIS activity, do you have a stronger sense of how to approach research and the development of research questions? If so, what did you learn and how will you apply this information? If not, what research processes do you go through and why do you think they are more effective?
On Thursday, the day your Maus essays are due, we will meet in the Central Library in the 5th floor computer lab. I will post a reminder on the door, but please don’t be late! Your papers are due at 8am and 9:30am respectively, anything handed to me after that point will be considered late and receive 10 points off.
Here’s the rubric I will be using when I grade your essays:
PROCESS – 40 points
- Includes any outside pre-writing activities, such as notes on theme, thesis, supporting evidence, and/or the in-class citations we did in groups (3 pts)
- Includes 1st draft (10/16) with reflection memo (9 pts; 3 pts)
- First draft’s peer review and teacher comments (5 pts)
- Includes revised 2nd draft (10/25) with reflection memo (9 pts; 3 pts)
- Notes from second draft’s peer workshop (5 pts)
- Final draft with reflection memo (3 pts)
CRITICAL THINKING – 120 points
5: consistently exceeds expectations
4: frequently exceeds expectations
3: consistently meets expectations
2: is beginning to meet expectations
1: consistently fails to meet expectations
0: student’s progress cannot be assessed based upon this sample
- Identifies, summarizes and appropriately reformulates the problem/question/issue.
- Connects and applies information to create a new, insightful claim or position about the issues or themes.
- Identifies and analyzes differing points of view, relationships, inconsistencies, complexities, conflicts or tensions regarding the issues presented (remember Graff and Birkenstein’s “naysayer”?). Allows thesis to be informed by these complexities and directly addresses the conflicting viewpoints when appropriate.
- Critically assesses the validity, accuracy, assumptions, conclusions, possible bias and ethical implications of own claim. Identifies problematic areas and locates sources to provide support where needed.
- Presents, assesses, and analyzes appropriate supporting evidence.
- Questions and assesses the validity, accuracy, assumptions, conclusions, possible bias and ethical implications of conflicting viewpoints and evidence – provides support for these critiques when applicable.
- Identifies and assesses conclusions, implications, and consequences, possibly by analyzing, comparing, evaluating and synthesizing key issues or themes from research with other pertinent contexts (i.e. class discussion, cultural/social/political issues, or personal experience).
- Avoids bias or faulty reasoning – such as asserting opinion as fact, making faulty cause/effect associations, or ignoring relevant evidence that contradicts the claim.
Critical Thinking Score _______ x 3 = Total Critical Thinking Pts: ________
Critical Writing – 90 points
- Introduces and concludes paper in an appropriate manner: introduction should capture reader’s attention and prepare reader for organizational structure that follows; conclusion should provide a sense of closure and application. (5 pts)
- Connects and smoothly integrates quotes into essay. (10 pts)
- Provides sufficient analysis of quotes and textual evidence presented in sources; avoids simple summary. (10 pts)
- Makes purpose and focus clear to the audience by specifically connecting a clearly stated thesis with logically organized, well-developed content. (15 pts)
- Transitions smoothly from one idea to the next. (7 pts)
- Combines clear and readable prose with convincing, thoughtful arguments. (3 pts)
- Employs appropriate academic conventions, language and style. (5 pts)
- Sentences and paragraphs are well-structured and coherent. (5 pts)
- Free from spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. (5 pts)
- Uses proper conventions of MLA style in citing and documenting all information in the text. (10 pts)
- Attaches properly formatted MLA style Works Cited Page. (10 pts)
- Meets mechanical requirements of assignment: length, margins, font, spacing, etc. (5 pts)
Subtotal ______
TOTAL GRADE: _________
If you have any questions, feel free to email me or visit me during my office hours.
Alright, it’s been over a month since the due date and I am still missing plagiarism essays from:
Ylyana G
Cass H
Matt H
Chris O
Marty S
I am completely embarrassed that it has taken so long to get these essays to Gretchen. My plan is to bring all essays with me when we visit Gretchen Trkay in the library this Thursday, November 1. If you do not get the essays to me by Thursday, I will NOT be happy.
Here’s the problem:
I’m citing from both Maus I and Maus II in my paper, but I don’t know how to distinguish between each volume in my citations!
Here’s the solution:
Your Maus I citation would look like this if you had not mentioned Spiegelman’s name in the sentence (Spiegelman I: 12). A quote from Maus II would look like this (Spiegelman II: 46). But remember, if you do mention that your quote is from Spiegelman in your own sentence, simply leave his name off in the citation: (I: 12) or (II: 46).
This is what you would do for all multivolume works.
If you’re still having difficulties formulating a strong thesis for your papers, maybe these online resources about literature theses can help:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/litthesis/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/618/01/
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/litweb05/writing/33-2.asp (This one is really good)
I am incredibly happy to announce that I was wrong in class today when I mentioned that the OneBook contest is only for visual arguments this semester. In fact, there are two categories: 1) the essay and 2) the visual argument.
This means that the work you are doing for this class can actually count as a submission! Yay! Work extra hard on your papers and make them worthy of a $500 scholarship!
Here’s a link to the OneBook website with information about each category: http://www.uta.edu/uac/one-book/contests-2007-08
