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
  

Works Cited

Koski, Elizabeth. “How Worried Should We Be About Radiation from Japan’s Nuclear Plant?” Popular Mechanics. Hearst Communications, 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

Munger, Frank. “Ex-Sandia Engineer Talks About Some of the Worst Things That Could Happen in Japan.” Knoxnews.com. Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group, 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

Tucker, William. “Japan Does Not Face Another Chernobyl.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Co., 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

In-class writing assignment

Write a one- or two-paragraph article answering the following questions:

• What caused the current nuclear situation in Japan?
• What, in layman's terms, has been happening in the reactors?
• What are the biggest dangers from this situation? Is a nuclear explosion possible?
• How dangerous is this situation for the public in Japan and elsewhere (e.g., the U.S.)?
• How many have died from the radiation? How many are expected to die?

Make sure your essay does more than simply list answers to these questions; be sure to include an introduction, conclusion, and appropriate transitional phrases.

Assignments for Thursday, March 24, 2011

• Learn the following vocabulary words: anti-Semitism, atrocity, Auschwitz, catalyst, coerce, cognition, connote, conscript, crematorium, denote, genocide, improvise, latent, pogrom, propaganda
• Be able to pronounce all of the above words correctly
  
• Read the following article: "In Jedwabne"

Assignments for Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Remember, scholars, these readings are intended to give you practice in evaluating real-world arguments in real time. This isn't a physics or engineering class, so you won't be quizzed over the technical terms and processes discussed in these articles. It is important, however, to understand the general thrust of the ideas put forth in these articles. All three articles are from non-technical publications and are the kinds of readings any well-educated adult should be able to follow and understand.

• Know the meanings of these terms: Chernobyl, containment, half-life, trivializing
• Read "Japan Does Not Face Another Chernobyl"
• Read "How Worried Should We Be About Radiation from Japan's Nuclear Plant?"
• Read "Ex-Sandia Engineer..."

In addition to helping you understand and compose argumentation essays, this assignment has a side benefit: if you put a reasonable amount of time into reading and studying these articles, you will become nine of the most knowledgable members of the Motlow community (including faculty) on nuclear accidents and reactors. Whether that prospect is inspiring or frightening (or both) is for you to decide.

Assignments for Thursday, March 17, 2011

• Vocabulary: culmination, explicit, innocuous, paternalism, placate, risque, tangible
• Reading: "Ruining Kids in Order to Save Them"
• Be prepared to discuss and evaulate the quality of sources used in "Doomsday: How BP Gulf Disaster May Have Triggered a 'World-Killing' Event" (Again, this won't be on the quiz)

In-class writing

What have you read or discussed so far in this course that has persuaded you to change your opinion or belief in some way? Why was it persuasive? If nothing you've read has changed your opinions or thinking in any way, then what reading has come closest or missed the most widely? Why?

Assignments for Thursday, March 3, 2011

Here are your assignments for Thursday:

• Vocabulary: markedly, stringent, sea change, zealous
• “Gun Control’s Twisted Outcome”
• Evaulate the quality of sources used in the following article: "Doomsday: How BP Gulf Disaster May Have Triggered a 'World-Killing' Event" (This one won't be on your quiz, but we will discuss it in class Thursday)
  

Starting with Thursday's quiz, we'll have a few more questions on the content of readings and fewer on vocabulary. You'll still benefit greatly from learning and being able to use these vocabulary words, but quiz questions on readings will be more balanced between vocabulary and content.