Final portfolios and cover letters due via our course website on December 15 by 11:59 p.m.

Researched argument final paper due

Last day of class: express presentations of final papers and wrap-up

Happy Thanksgiving!

No class Tuesday, December 1, or Thursday, December 3. Individual conferences throughout week.

Meet in Peet’s Coffee in the basement of the Woodruff Library.
Schedule:
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No class. Individual conferences throughout the week.

Final blog post (due Monday at 11:59 p.m.; approx. 300 words; please include your name and the post number [#12] in your subject line):

Imagine that you are asked to guest lecture in the next section of this 181 course, Writing about Science Fiction Literature and Film. What skill or concept that we’ve covered in our class would you feel most confident to teach to incoming freshman? Why? Describe how you might approach teaching or explaining this skill and any activities you might plan.

(Some examples of topics we’ve covered include: entering class discussion, reading with a purpose, evaluating sources, asking closed and open questions, integrating quotes, constructing a thesis using a They Say/I Say structure, nuancing your argument, etc.)

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For ESL students, drop-in tutoring hours are available:

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Watch: Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, available through Course Reserves, HBO Go, or online for $2.99. (If you prefer not to watch in the library, I encourage you to watch with classmates and split the rental cost.)

Watch: Cronenberg’s The Fly, available through Course Reserves, HBO Go, or online for $2.99. (If you prefer not to watch in the library, I encourage you to watch with classmates and split the rental cost.)

Blog post (due Monday at 11:59 p.m.; approx. 300 words; please include your name and the post number [#11] in your subject line):

Carefully read over the Final Portfolio assignment sheet. Start to reflect on your writing over the course of the semester and consider which four to six artifacts you’d like to showcase in your cover letter.

Next, choose one of the three learning outcomes (on pp. 3-4 of the assignment sheet) that you’d like to focus on for this blog post. In your post, respond to the “getting started” prompt for that outcome. For example, if you choose Outcome Two, write about the assignment(s) that showcase your ability to summarize and evaluate the arguments of others. How have you integrated the writing of others into your own writing? Which assignment(s) best shows your ability to construct your own argument? Cite specific examples and feel free to draw quotes from your own writing.

Read: “Chekov and Zulu” by Salman Rushdie, on Course Reserves

Researched argument rough drafts due
Peer review in class: Reverse outlining

Read: “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler, on Course Reserves

Blog post (due Monday at 11:59 p.m.; 200-300 words; please include your name and the post number [#10] in your subject line):

First, reflect on your past writing and consider:
1) What do you try to do in an introduction?
2) What do you try to do in a conclusion?

Next, choose a piece of writing—a magazine or newspaper article, an essay, a work of fiction, a book from one of your other classes, a piece of junk mail, etc. Is the introduction effective? What about the conclusion? Why or why not?

In your blog post, choose to focus on either the introduction or conclusion of your chosen piece. Describe the passage in detail, breaking down each step that the author takes. (Make sure to include the title of piece and the author, if known.) Explain what makes it strong or what makes it fall flat. If it’s an introduction, does it hook your attention and provide necessary information? If it’s a conclusion, does it leave you satisfied as a reader? Start to consider how you might incorporate some of the strategies that the author uses into your own introduction and/or conclusion.

Read:
“My God, It’s Full of Stars” by Tracy K. Smith: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/243880 and “Systematic Patterns of Thought” from Critical Thinking, Thoughtful Writing on Course Reserves. Start from the middle of p. 59, “Choosing a Systematic Organization.”

Watch: Truffaut’s Fahrenheit 451 (1966), available on YouTube or via Library Course Reserves. Read: “Memory in the Technological World”

Blog post (due Monday at 11:59 p.m.; please include your name and the post number [#9] in your subject line):

Using your proposal and annotated bibliography, draft a rough outline for your paper. This draft will likely change significantly as you get deeper into researching and writing, but the purpose of this blog post is to start thinking about structure/organization. Consider how you will build to your thesis in your introduction and how you will support and expand on your thesis in your body paragraphs. What information needs to come first? Are there terms that you need to define? What passages from your primary text will you focus on, and what quotes do you plan to use from your secondary sources? We will peer review outlines in class.