Outstanding work, scholars

Well, the grades are in, and they are truly exceptional. As a class you have performed as well or better than any group of Comp. 2 students I've ever had the privilege of instructing. Grades aside, you have all risen to the occasion, improved your writing, and added to the discussions in class. I hope this course has prepared you in many ways for an enriching life as a citizen of the United States.

Thanks, too, for the course evaluations. I've waited to read them till the grades (and this blog entry) were posted, but I'll be reading them in a moment.

May your summer be restful and enriching. Please keep in touch.

Readings for Thursday, April 28, 2011

Your final reading assignment for the semester is four short poems. They are indeed short but may take some work to understand and appreciate. I hope you find these poems reward the time you put into them.

"The Daffodils"
"John Anderson, My Jo"
"Pied Beauty"
"God's Grandeur"

Remember: it helps to look up any words you don't understand. It helps even more to take advantage of the textual notes.

Final graded essay

Your final essay of the semester is a 500-word essay on the following topic:

Using specific examples from at least three literary works we've studied this semester, show how literature serves to shed light on some aspect of truth about ourselves, others, the universe, or God.

Include a works cited page in MLA format. Among your three or more citations, be sure to cite at least one short story and one poem we've studied in this course.

Essays are due Thursday, April 28, 2011.

Assignments for Tuesday, April 26, 2011

"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning

Assignment for Tuesday, April 19, 2011

• Learn the meaning of rosary
• Read "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"

Assignments for Tuesday, April 12, 2011

• Bring the outline, draft essay, and Works Cited page of your research paper to class. Your research paper should be almost ready to turn in.
• Be prepared to workshop your paper in class.

Policies for rewrites

You can rewrite any one of the first three out-of-class essays for a new grade. Here are the stipulations for rewrites:

1. To get credit for the rewrite, you need to turn in your original, graded copy of the essay along with the rewrite. This applies to whatever essay you choose to rewrite.
2. If you choose to rewrite your research paper, you will receive full credit on the rewrite only if you made an A, B, or C on the original paper. If you make a D or F on the original paper, you can still rewrite it, but your rewrite grade will be lowered one letter grade for your not having taken more care on your paper the first time.

Rewrites are due Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

Assignments for Tuesday, April 5, 2011

• Keep working on your research paper. You should be well into your rough draft at this point.
• Learn the following vocabulary words: Big Brother, mitigate, persistence, snippet
  
• Read "In the 'Info' Age, Everything Gets a Little Shorter"
• Read "Persistence"
• Read "Yes, They Are Watching You"
• Answer, in writing, the following questions on your readings; bring your responses to class Tuesday:
  

1. Do you agree that attention spans are declining among Americans? Give evidence to support your answer.
2. If you agree that attention spans are declining, do you think educational institutions have kept up with these changes in attention spans? Give an example or two to support your answer.
   
3. Has your educational experience at Motlow encouraged you to deal more with “long-form” content?
4. Have you come across an example of what appears to be unwise revealing of personal information online? What action, if any, did you take in response?
5. To what degree is it government's responsibility to help users erase embarassing or incriminating digital information from the web?
   
6. What is your reaction to the idea of employers keeping track of employees through personal computers and other technologies?
   

In-class writing assignment

Read the following articles:

• "ATF Fact Sheet: Project Gunrunner”


• “Gunrunning Scandal Uncovered at the ATF”


• “ATF, DOJ Launch Damage Control Effort”


• “ATF Gunwalker Scandal Explained”

Write a one-page (1-3 paragraph) research paper explaining the current Project Gunrunner to fellow members of the Motlow community. Cite at least the first three articles in your paper, and create a separate works cited page in MLA format.

Assignments for Tuesday, 3/29

• Complete mini-research paper if not completed in class
• Read LBH 620-25 (Integrating sources into your text)
• Read LBH 635-43 (Writing the paper)
• Understand LBH 644-55 (Using MLA in-text citations)
• Be on time for conferences on Tuesday with mini-research paper and prewriting for major research paper