Assignments for Friday, November 1

• Read PA 275-311, 343-49
• Do Exercise 8.2 for one of the three articles
• Continue gathering sources and infomation for your upcoming paper
• Keep good bibliographic info for each source
• Bring your research and notes to class

Assignments for Friday, October 25

• Learn and be able to use these vocabulary words: brandish, collateral, consensual, discordant, euphemism, eviscerate, exacerbate, existential, monotony, mundane, proximity, symptomatic
• Read "The Drug War's Collateral Damage"
• Read "The Trouble With Wikpedia"
• Read PA pp. 241-72

In-class exercise

In one or two sentences each, answer the following questions about Glenn Reynolds's essay, "The Parent Trap."

1. What is the main idea of "The Parent Trap"?

2. Why are children no longer an economic boost to families?

3. Who is Vladamir Putin?

4. What are some of the "social costs" of parenting in the U.S.?

5. What is evidence that parenting has declined in prestige in recent decades?

6. What recommendations does Reynolds suggest to remedy the parent trap?

Reminder

To receive a grade on an essay, you're required to give or send me an electronic copy of that essay. You can do so by sending it to the email address I gave you in class.

Assignments for Friday, October 18, 2013

• Turn in plagiarism essay, if required
• Email electronic copy of first rhetorical analysis
• Review "The Parent Trap" and be prepared for a quiz and class discussion about the essay

Instructions for plagiarism essay

If you scored less than 80 on the plagiarism quiz, you're required to write a 300- to 500-word essay demonstrating that you understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Your essay must include the following information:

• Definition of plagiarism and why it's considered a serious academic offense,
• Standards in this course for determining sloppy and flagrant plagiarism,
• The penalties in this course for either sloppy or flagrant plagiarism,
• Difference between a direct and indirect quote and what is required to keep each from being plagiarism,
• Specific information on exactly when quotation marks or indentations are required in referencing a source.

In addition to providing good information on plagiarism, please pay careful attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar, as they will be factored into your essay grade. It should go without saying that if you reference any source (including this blog post) in writing your paper, you must attribute that source properly (in MLA format, as best you're able to decipher it from LBH, Chapter 46). Please keep in mind that the purpose of this essay is to show you understand the rules of plagiarism and how to avoid it; don't worry about whether or not the essay is especially entertaining.