ENG 001: Language & Writing

WP3

2008-12-08T09:26:00.011-06:00

Well, here it is: the last of your 3 major writing projects. For this assignment, you will be asked to write a soundtrack for your life. Each song you choose will contain the following elements: 1 embedded video, the name of the band & song, 250 words that contain an O-O account of the video, a BRIEF narrative strand relating the video to your life, an O-O account of an object that relates to an object in your life AND the video, & 3 relevant hyperlinks for each song (1 of which must be the band's site & another of which must be a place to acquire the song legally).

The soundtrack itself will consist of 8 songs (no more no less) & each video must be engaged directly. By this, I mean that you need to take an aspect of the video, whether it be visual or auditory (music or lyrics), & address how that element speaks to or for your life. To this extent, you will be utilizing the video as an entryway into your life by writing through the object (i.e. O-O approach). But, once you enter that doorway, you are NOT to provide a straight narrative of some event that took place, but instead say something about who you are through another object, thing, idea, etc. As mentioned in class, you will most likely need a BRIEF narrative strand to connect or transition between different objects or thoughts, but this should in no way be the focal point. I would HIGHLY recommend looking toward the essays we have read for class as examples of how to do this (e.g. Sanders' paragraphs on his hammer). Furthermore, the order of your videos MUST be chronological in nature, according to the part of your life it relates to. Finally, your essay will best be served if you have a common theme running throughout.

The final draft of this project is DUE, Friday 18, December 2008 @ midnight.

As a matter of example, here is a sample I wrote myself. Please use the formatting for your project that I have here (i.e. margins, embedding, band/song preface). Notice how the first two sentences address the video directly, then the third sentence transitions into an account of how the "Atari-aesthetic" relates to my life (even so, I defer the use of the first-person "I"). Sentences four and five provide further description of the nature of an "Atari-aesthetic," while sentence six once again relates it to my childhood. Of particular importance is how sentence six utilizes 1) the gaming units as the subject of the sentence, 2) contains SPECIFIC jargon with regard to games, and 3) employs an overloaded prepositional phrase through the use of cataloging. The final sentence returns to the Octopus Project video and provides the vignette with a certain amount of closure, but does NOT attempt to develop an epiphany, meaning, or overt lesson for the reader other than relating the "Atari-aesthetic" back to the video itself.

Octopus Project, “Music is Happiness”: Between cuts of the band playing on what appears to a Saturday Night Fever dance floor, this Octopus Project video splices in clips of a gerbil scurrying through several different retro-video game worlds: Legend of Zelda, Berserker, & Asteroids just to name a few. The gerbil-scenes present the viewer with an Atari-aesthetic that anyone who grew up in the 80s can no doubt recognize. As a child, many of my weekend mornings were spent in front of the television set playing highly-pixilated arcade games on my family’s Atari 5200 gaming unit, &, a few years later, on an original Nintendo Entertainment System. At the time, these ancient games were technological wonders; in retrospect, our amazement appears laughable. The squared-off images were more abstract figuration than mimetic, & the movement of individual entities mimicked the herky-jerky nature of a poorly conceived stop-action film. A far cry from the life-like images & fluid movement today’s systems offer, Atari & early Nintendo games nonetheless enabled my brothers, friends, & I to enter into fantastical worlds in which we could play the roles of a happy-go-lucky star fighter with a penchant for shooting at robots with laser beams, a jungle adventurer attempting to save a distressed maiden (all the while leaping boulders & dodging arrows), or a chivalrous knight in search of golden coins & fire-breathing dragons; & this is to say nothing of classic arcade games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or Frogger. By the look of the video, it would seem that the Octopus Project may have shared similar childhood experiences (Not to mention that the music itself sounds as if it could be used in one of these games).

12.02.08: UPDATE

2008-12-02T18:26:00.005-06:00

READING: For Thursday's class, please read the Masello essay on Blackboard. Per my instructions in class, bring a print out of the essay, along with a scissor and a glue stick or tape.

WRITING: For your next three weekly blog posts, you will write an autobiography via the object-oriented (O-O), or "constellation" method (This is not a narrative, per se.). By this, I mean you will write in-depth about a particular object: describing in detail its materiality, jargon surrounding its discourse or use, and manners in which it connects to other objects in your life. As I mentioned in class, the "hammer section" of the Russell essay should provide you with a decent template. Each post should contain 300 words, 2 hyperlinks, and 1 image or video. For some great reading on constellations, check out Adorno's Negative Dialectics on Google-Books, or Benjamin's "On the Concept of History."

First O-O post DUE Wednesday, December 3rd @ midnight.
Second O-O post DUE Friday, December 5th @ midnight.
Third O-O post DUE Sunday, December 7th @ midnight.

As a reminder, your journals will be due on December 9th during class. If you are not present, or do not have your journal with you, there will be no extensions and no late-acceptances. Make sure you are present and ready to turn in your work. If, for some reason, you know you will not be in class, please turn in your journal early.

I will post WP3 guidelines within the next few days, so keep an eye out of your final assignment.

UPDATE: 11.24.08

2008-11-24T12:48:00.004-06:00

READING: For next Tuesday's class (12.02.08), please read Scott Russel Sander's essay "The Inheritance of Tools." I will post this on Blackboard later tonight

WRITING: In lieu of class tomorrow, please complete the following writing assignments: 1) Write a 300 word observation of your favorite music video. In addition to embedding the video into your post, please include 2 hyperlinks. This is NOT a re-capitulation of the narrative (if there is one) of the video. You are to focus on the manner in which editing, lighting, audio-video interactions, patterns, etc. construction this hybrid text; 2) Write a 300 reflection on or about the video that includes 1 image (or alternative-related video...NOT the same video as the previous post) and 2 hyperlinks. This post should engage the video, and your relation to it, through "extending" practices. Both of these assignments are due on Tuesday, November 25th @ midnight. (That's tomorrow night.)

Additionally, you will need to write a 300 word rhetorical response to the video you chose that will include 1 image and 2 hyperlinks. Given the scope of this assignment, you will mostly likely only be able to focus on 1 strategy or appeal and demonstrate, using SPECIFIC elements from the video, how it functions within this particular context. DUE: Tuesday, December 2nd @ 2:00PM. (That's the day we get back.)

Extra Credit Opportunities

2008-11-09T21:50:00.002-06:00

Before you read this post, please note that the post 2 posts immediately below this one contain information with regard to WP2 guidelines and this week's writing assignment. Do not forget to read them.

For both of the below readings, you will need to write a 300 word response on a phrase, line, or poem that the poet reads during the event, NOT about the logistics of the event itself. Furthermore, responses must be posted no later than 1 week after the event date.

Tuesday, November 11th @ 7:30PM in the Alabaster Lounge (2nd Floor, Old Main): Joanna Klink.

Thursday, November 20th @ 7:30PM in Callen Conference Center (S-C Building): Timothy Liu.

Writing Project 2: Rhetorical Analysis

2008-11-09T21:43:00.002-06:00

ROUGH DRAFT DUE: Tuesday, 18 November 2008.
FINAL DRAFT DUE: Sunday, 23 November 2008.

For your second Writing Project, you will choose a visual or hybrid art-object that you will analyze, paying close attention to the types of rhetorical strategies & appeals utilized. As such, you will want to ask yourself, & then answer, the following questions: “What is the argument of the object?” “In what ways is the argument structured?” “What types of claims are being made?” & “What design elements are employed to forward the argument?”

The rhetorical analysis requires substantial time and thought, so it’s best to find an object you find interesting or feel passionate about. If you know a topic/text well, you’ll have a sense of what arguments are being made about it, and you’ll likely be eager to undertake sustained analysis & brief research.

A rhetorical analysis looks at the way an argument works (NOT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ARGUMENT) and may evaluate its effectiveness. You might think of your analysis as an argument about and argument. Accordingly, rather than simply listing every rhetorical detail you see in the objects, you should focus on some specific thesis, or claim. After examining the arguments closely, generate a claim with supporting reasons that describe or assess the way the object works

If you’ve chosen arguments that interest you, readers will sense your enthusiasm and want to learn more. But remember that won’t necessarily be familiar with the object you’re analyzing. You may need to provide background information and enough examples—quotations and images—to show them how the argument works.

When you write a rhetorical analysis, it’s obviously important to study your chosen object carefully to identify key patterns. It is also important to lay out the basic facts of what is called the rhetorical situation: who is writing about what for which audience. Conduct research in the library or on the internet so that you can accurately identify the argument, where and when it appears, in what medium, and so on. You may need to provide a short paragraph of background information early in your paper to set the context for the argument.

How will you most effectively accomplish this assignment? Examine logical appeals by looking carefully at how well the claims made in a piece are stated, qualified, and supported. Be specific in identifying these appeals, quoting from verbal arguments and describing visual arguments. Examine the emotional appeals by identifying emotions and explain how they are generated. Evaluate their relevance to the claim offered. Again, be specific, quoting or describing the emotional details clearly enough for readers to understand them. Examine ethos and assess the credibility of the writer, artist, or sponsoring institution. Is the argument presented by someone you are moved to trust? Is the appeal honest? Explain why, using specific evidence from the argument you are analyzing.

These analyses will make up the body of your essay. You’ll also need to frame this discussion with an introduction, perhaps outlining your thesis and providing relevant background information, and a conclusion that comments on your focal point and answers the “So what?” question.

Check that the logistical elements of the paper work smoothly: If you’ve incorporated images, are they clear and readable? Have you documented any outside source materials? Does the structure and content of your analysis make sense—can readers move easily from idea to idea as you develop your analysis?

Minimum Criteria: a) 1200 words, b) 4 multi-media elements, c) 7-10 hyperlinks, & e) a works cited section at the end of your post if you utilize secondary sources.

REMEMBER: You will need to construct a clearly articulated thesis statement in your introduction that specifically addresses the argument you will be forwarding about the text you have chosen. Think of this an argument about an argument.

Rhetorical Appeals: How does the author of the text use images to work in conjunction with rhetorical appeals? For instance, does the image reinforce an appeal to reason? Is it designed to produce an emotional effect on the audience? Does the use of a certain style, such as black-&-white authority, contribute to the ethos of the text?

Strategy of Development: What strategy of development does the text rely upon? Narration? Definition? Comparison-contrast? Example & illustration? Classification & division? How do these strategies contribute to the ad’s persuasive appeal?

Finally, refer to your MLA handbook for proper integration of secondary source material.

***************** PEER-REVIEW QUESTIONS ******************

Does the essay begin with an introduction that grabs the audience’s attention? Or, to phrase this statement another way, were you as a reader captivated enough by the introduction that, even if you did not have to read this paper for class, you still would? If not, how could the introduction be improved? Provide specific examples.

Is the thesis a well-articulated, declarative statement that clearly states the purpose of the paper & defines the argument the writer will put forth? If not, how does the thesis fail? Is it purely a statement of fact? Is it a subjective opinion? Is it over-generalized? How could the statement be re-worded so as to make it more effective? What questions do still have about the essay after reading the thesis? How could the answers to these questions be incorporate into the thesis? Be specific.

Has the writer chosen a piece of visual or hybrid rhetoric (i.e. is the text something that can be seen, NOT just text)?

Does the analysis directly engage the images & words found in the primary text? Are there aspects of the primary text that are not dealt with? Should they be? Does the analysis “make sense?” Again, be specific.

Does the writer engage the rhetorical strategies (Read “Envsision2.pdf” page 31 for a list) employed by the primary text? Does the writer discuss how these strategies contribute to the overall argument? If so, are there strategies that are not discussed that are present in the primary text? If the writer does not discuss strategies, what suggestions can you, as reviewer, make?

Does the writer engage the rhetorical appeals (Read “Envision2.pdf” pages 33-49 for the three types of appeals & their uses) employed by the primary text? Does the writer discuss how these appeals contribute to the overall argument? If so, are there appeals that are not discussed that are present in the primary text? If the writer does not discuss appeals, what suggestions can you, as reviewer, make?

Has the writer incorporated secondary sources into the fabric of their essay? If so, is the source properly documented within the essay, as well as at the end in a works cited section? Check the MLA handbook to make sure both in-text & works cited citations are correct.

Suggest 52 places within the text where hyperlink links would be appropriate. It will be helpful to add hyperlinks to words that could provide some additional background information about the subject matter that is not present within the essay.

Outside of the primary text (visual/hybrid rhetoric chosen by the writer as their subject matter), make a suggestion for another multi-media element & where it should be located within the framework of the essay, not at the beginning or end.

UPDATE: 11.06.08

2008-11-06T17:37:00.003-06:00

WRITING: For your second writing assignment of the week, search online for an image of an art-object, preferably something from the 21st-century or from the second half of the 20th-century. Embed the image into a post and write 400 words (including 2 relevant hyperlinks) on the particular culture context of the art-object or the concepts it dialogues with. Make sure to provide proper citations for any material that originates from external sites or books. In many ways, this will serve as a pre-writing exercise for WP2. DUE: Sunday, November 9th @ midnight.

UPDATE: 10.30.08

2008-10-30T08:04:00.007-05:00

READING: I will assign a student essay for you to read over the weekend in class today (Thursday). You will be reading the essay through a critical lens, so be sure to acknowledge when the student-writer both succeeds and does not succeed within his/her essay, suggesting alternatives in either case. Also, ask yourself: Does the student-writer employ the rhetorical terminology from Envision properly? Does (s)he address the terms, vis-a-vis the text they chose, using SPECIFIC examples? Are you convinced by the argument they are making about the rhetorical structure and devices of the text they analyze?

Here is the dedicated link that I promised in Thursday's class: Ryan's Rhetorical Analysis.

WRITING: For this week's writing assignment, you will be asked to compose a 300 word blog-post that contains 2 hyperlinks and 1 image/video on the topic of your choosing. Assignments should be posted to your blog by Sunday, November 2nd @ midnight.

Your first assignment for next week, will follow the same parameters as the writing assignment above. This second post will be due by Wednesday, November 5th @ 7:00PM.

UPDATE: 10.23.08

2008-10-23T21:55:00.008-05:00

For your writing assignment this week, please watch and embed the following Youtube video clip into a post on your blog. You can find the HTML code here.

Each of you will engage the FIRST question (ending around the 5:25 mark) asked by moderator Gwen Ifill through a rhetorical lens, but with a focus on particular aspects. Group 1 (Jeremy, Natasha, and Rachel) will address the manner in which Joe Biden employs logos, while Group 2 (Tim, Ashley, and Hannah) will do the same for Sarah Palin. Group 3 (Travis, Christine, and Stephanie) will analyze JB's use of pathos, while Group 4 (Brandon, Melissa, and Zach) will analyze SP's. Finally, Group 5 (Josh S, John, and Torie) will engage JB's implementation of ethos, while Group 6 (Drew, Josh W, Jennifer, and Alex) will do the same for SP.

A few issues to consider before writing: 1) while you have been given a specific focus that you MUST foreground in your response, remember that most of these appeals overlap with one another, so in all likelihood you will BRIEFLY address one, if not both, of the other appeals, 2) this, as mentioned last week, is to be a rhetorical analysis, so personal political opinions and beliefs should not make their way into your writing, 3) engage SPECIFIC material from the video, whether that be through quotation or highly description observational details (the former when dealing with what a particular VP candidate is saying, the latter if you are dealing w/ the visual rhetoric employed), and 4) include 2 hyperlinks. Posts are to be 500 words in length. DUE: Sunday, October 26th @ midnight.

UPDATE: 10.16.08

2008-10-16T14:40:00.002-05:00

Due to Fall Break, we will not have class on Tuesday, October 21st. Therefore, we will meet in Old Main 308 on Thursday, October 23rd instead of the library computer lab. Also, please check the details of this week's second writing assignment for slight modifications in the parameters and due date.

UPDATE: 10.14.08

2008-10-14T18:44:00.010-05:00

READING: For Thursday's class, please read Envision chapters 1 and 2, which, as always, can be found on Blackboard. For Tuesday's class of next week, read chapter 3.

WRITING: After reading chapter 1, develop three nuanced questions (by "nuanced," I mean one that not only requires more than a "yes-or-no" answer, but also will serve to stimulate class discussion); do the same for chapter 2. Once you have three question for each chapter (6 total) upload them to your blog as a single post. DUE: Thursday, October 16th @ 1:00PM.

For your second writing assignment of the week, embed a video clip from tomorrow's (Wednesday, October 15th) presidential debate; you should be able to find them on Youtube shortly after the debate is over, but watching the entire program will make you (maybe) a better person, and definitely a more informed voter. Select ONE question that was asked of the candidates and, using SPECIFIC examples from the clip, and in a 500 word response that contains 2 hyperlinks, demonstrate how each man employs logos, pathos, and ethos. Furthermore, explain what rhetorical arrangement each of them uses. Finally, think about how the context of the event (I use this term in the broadest manner possible) affects the audience. Keep in mind, this question does not in anyway ask for your personal opinions or political views. You are to analyze the segment you choose rhetorically; in fact, the audience of your blog should not be able to tell from your response which candidate you favor. DUE Tuesday, October 21st @ midnight.

UPDATE: 09.30.08

2008-09-30T18:51:00.007-05:00

READING: For Thursday's class, please read the Brent Staples essay, entitled "Black Men in Public Spaces," as well as the short introduction to reflective writing. Both of these selections are from Reading Critically, Writing Well, and they correspond to pages 158-164 in the PDF file on Blackboard. If you want to further familiarize yourself with reflective writing, I would highly suggest reading the other essay in that cluster as well.

Also, as we did with the Kara's essay today in class, we will write, comment, and critique Zach Beedle's essay, "Railroad Community." While I hope everyone participates in the discussion, I will be particularly interested in hearing form those of you who did not speak much in class today (Hint, hint).

WRITING: For your first writing assignment of the week, please embed an image or video into a post, along with 2 hyperlinks and a 300 word response. DUE: Sunday, October 5th @ midnight.

I would also like you to post the cubing assignment on your blog as well. This will necessarily mean that, to complete the assignment, you must have conducted at least one first-hand observation. Guidelines for this exercise can be found in the WP1 post. DUE: Tuesday, October 7th @ 2:00PM.

UPDATE: 09.26.08

2008-09-26T12:16:00.008-05:00

WRITING: For your second writing assignment of the week, select a music video from Youtube or another video sharing site and embed it in a post. Afterward, write a 300 OBSERVATION that attempts to meld content and form, in that, what you are writing ABOUT mirrors HOW you write about it. Finally, write a 75-100 explanation of how you believe your form parallels your content (i.e. explain how, conceptually, you fulfilled the above assignment). DUE: Sunday, September 28th @ midnight.

READING & REVIEWING: For Tuesday's session, please read Kara Maddox's Observational & Reflective Essay, entitled "Tangles of Forgotten Treasures." When you are finished reading the essay, read it a second time and answer the Peer Review Questions at the end of WP1's Guidelines. You can write these answers in your notebook. DUE: Tuesday, September 30th @ 2:00PM.

Writing Project 1

2008-09-22T19:06:00.003-05:00

For your first project, you will be asked to observe a person, place, or event from the public sphere that deals directly with Lincoln or Nebraska,. As such, the first aspect of your project will be to choose a subject matter & perform a detailed, first-hand observation. THIS IS NOT A REMEMBRANCE; YOU MUST BE ACTIVELY TAKING NOTES WHILE YOU ARE OBSERVING YOUR SUBJECT MATTER. Afterward, you will be required to write a reflection on the observation you wrote. This portion of the essay will contain your thoughts and insights on the subject matter. Furthermore, while it will be beneficial for you to look over some WP1s of students from my previous classes (we will discuss effective elements of some better conceived essays), I do not want you to select subject matter that has already been written about, unless you can develop the subject matter from a DIFFERENT angle (Ask me before deciding on this though). Keeping the following practices in mind will enable you to produce the best results:

1. Set up a tentative schedule for your observation & interview visits. Figure out first the amount of time you have to complete your essay, then determine the scope of your project—a onetime observation, an interview with follow-up, or multiple observations & interviews. Decide what visits you will need to make, whom you will need to interview, & what library or internet work you might want to do to get background information about your subject. Estimate the time necessary for each, knowing you might need to schedule more time than anticipated.

Make phone calls to schedule visits. When you write down your appointment, be sure to include names, addresses, phone numbers, dates & times, & any special arrangements you have made for each visit.

2. During your visit, take notes on what you observe. Do not try to impose order on your notes at this stage; simply record whatever you notice. Pay special attention to visual details & other kinds of sensory perceptions (sounds & smells, etc.) that you can draw on later to describe the place & people.

3. Prepare for the interview by writing out some preliminary questions. But do not be afraid of abandoning your script during the interview. Listen carefully to what is said & ask follow-up questions. Take notes; if you like & your subject agrees, you may also tape-record the interview.

Once you complete you observations, you will need to take some time to reflect upon the thoughts & feelings you have initially developed on or about your subject matter. To explore your ideas about the subject, try an invention called cubing. Based on the six sides of a cube, this activity leads you to turn over your subject as you would a cube, looking at it in six different ways. Complete the following activities in any order, writing for ten minutes on each one (five minutes of thinking, five minutes of writing). Your goal is to invent ways of considering your subject.

1. Generalizing: consider what you have learned from the event or experience that will be the occasion for your reflections. What ideas does it suggest to you? What does it suggest about people in general or about the society in which you live?

2. Giving examples: illustrate your ideas with specific examples. What examples would best help your readers understand your ideas?

3. Comparing & contrasting: think of a subject that could be compared with yours & explore the similarities & the differences.

4. Extending: take your subject to its logical limits & speculate about its implications. Where does it lead?

5. Analyzing: take apart your subject. What is it made of? How are the parts related to one another? Are they all of equal importance?

6. Applying: think about your subject in practical terms. How can you use it or act on it? What difference would it make to you & to others?

After your cubing exercise, you will need to consider your purpose. To do so, ask yourself the following questions: What do I want my readers to think about the subject after reading my essay? Your answer to this question may change as you write, but thinking about your purpose now may help you decide which of your ideas to include in the essay. Use the following questions to clarify your purpose: Which of your ideas are most important? Why? How do your ideas relate to one another? If your ideas seem contradictory, consider how you could use the contradictions to convey to readers the complexity of your ideas & feelings on the subject. Which of your ideas do you think will most surprise your readers? Which are most likely to be familiar? Is the subject matter that is the impetus for your reflections likely to resonate with your readers’ experience & observation? If not, consider how you can make the particular subject matter vivid or dramatic for the readers.

At this juncture, you will want to form a tentative thesis to guide you in the construction of your first draft; it is a tentative thesis because, once you start writing, you may find that some of your ideas may alter as you begin to more concretely organize & write your essay. Your tentative thesis should accomplish two tasks though: it should bring into focus the main person, place, or event on which you are writing, as well as inform the readers of what you think is most important & interesting about the subject matter you observed & how those elements will develop & inform your reflection.

Once your observations & reflections are complete & you have constructed a tentative thesis statement, you will almost be ready to write your first draft. But, before you begin, the following questions MUST be considered if you are to develop an essay that is properly structured & entertaining: How can I help my readers envision the subject? How can I engage my readers? How can I present & distribute the information so that readers do not become either bored or overwhelmed? How should I organize my observations, presenting them vividly & in a way that anticipates my reflections? How can I best develop my reflections? How can I maintain topical coherence? How can I convey the impression I want to leave with my readers?

At this point, you are ready to begin drafting. But, keep in mind all the steps that have led up to this point are not just extraneous to the essay, but ARE INTREGAL PARTS OF THE ESSAY ITSELF & necessarily writing in-&-of-itself.

The minimum requirements for Writing Project 1 are as follows: a 5-page (approximately 1200 word) essay to be posted in an aesthetically pleasing manner on your blog. I will not accept hard-copies or emailed essays. In addition to the word count, you will need to incorporate any combination of the following visual elements—5 images, 4 images & 1 video, or 3 images & 2 videos. Also you will need 7-10 relevant hyperlinks that direct the reader to authoritative, external sites. The project is DUE on Sunday 10.12.08 @ midnight.

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PLEASE BRING A COPY OF THESE QUESTIONS TO CLASS EACH DAY WE ARE CONDUCTING PEER-REVIEWS. YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS IN DETAIL & SHOULD HAVE THEM ON HAND SO THAT YOU MAY REFER TO THEM WHEN NEEDED.

01) Does the essay commence with an observation that utilizes detailed & vivid description? If not, suggest ways in which this can be accomplished. What senses are (not) utilized or developed? Suggest alternative ways of framing &/or describing the observation that may be more beneficial. If the writer chose another way to open the essay, what form did it take? Is it effective or ineffective? Suggest an alternative introductory format.

02) Provide one example of where the writer utilized detailed & vivid description when writing about their subject matter. Why does it work? Provide at least one example of where the writer does not properly employ detailed & vivid descriptions when writing about their subject matter. Why does it not work?

03) Does the essay contain a clear thesis statement or focal point that effectively & logically connects the observation to a general subject &/or reflection? If not, suggest ways in which this can be accomplished. If so, suggest alternative ways of stating the focal point/thesis so as to be more effective/present the argument in a more logically coherent manner.

04) What type of organizational phrasing does the writer choose when structuring their essay? Temporal? Spatial? Other? Does (s)he remain consistent with their choice? Is their choice appropriate? Provide one example of where they could more appropriately incorporate such phrasing into the fabric of their essay. Additionally, does the writer find ways in which to meld content & form? How so? If (s)he does not, suggest ways that the writer could interweave these two aspects.

05) Does the writer incorporate dialogue into the essay? If so, where does it contribute best to the essay? The least? If there is no dialogue in the essay, make some suggestions as to where direct discourse would best serve the essay. What type of person/people should dialogue be attributed to?

06) Does the essay present examples that support the reflection that is presented? If not, suggest ways in which this can be done. If so, suggest ways in which these examples can more clearly demonstrate the subject matter that the writer is reflecting upon. Are the examples descriptive & detailed? Do the examples correlate directly to the material being reflected upon?

07) Does the essay contain a conclusion that effectively answers the “so what” question? In this regard, does the conclusion present for the audience a) some understanding of why this reflection is important & b) a direct connection to the audience so as to make these ideas relevant to the reader?

08) Are there any aspects of the essay that were difficult to understand?

09) What was the best aspect of this essay?

10) What aspect of this essay did you find least effective? Provide specific examples of how you would improve this aspect.

11) Suggest at least five specific places where hyperlinks could be inserted. When suggesting words that could be attached to links, ask yourself the following questions: What is the focal point of the essay? What secondary information would be helpful in understanding elements of the essay more thoroughly?

12) Suggest at least four specific images or videos that would be beneficial to the audience when visualizing the written material. Again, when suggesting multi-media additions, ask yourself the following questions: What is the focal point of the essay? What multi-media elements would make the written text more compelling or unique?

UPDATE: 09.17.08

2008-09-17T17:42:00.004-05:00

As certainly most of you know, we will not have class this Thursday; you will attend NWU's Visions & Ventures and I will be in Vail, CO for a wedding (see image to the left). Therefore, there will be nothing due for Thursday; but, there is a writing assignment for this week, as well as reading and writing assignments scheduled for next week. You can find all the details below.

READING: For Tuesday's class, please read Rudolph Chelminiski's essay "Turning Point" and Annie Dillard's essay "The Stunt Pilot." While reading, attempt to conceptualize how the form of the essays mimik the content. As always, essays can be found on Blackboard.

WRITING: For your writing assignment this week, write a 300 word post that includes an image or video and at least two hyperlinks. While you are free to choose whatever topic you want to write on, do not confuse this with a "freewrite." Responses should be polished and maintain a topical and organizational coherency. DUE: Sunday, September 21st @ midnight.

Actually, since I will be out of town this weekend, I want your first writing assignment for next week to be the same as the one above. This will be DUE: Tuesday, September 23rd @ 2:00PM. The second writing assignment for next week will be more directed and stem from our discussion on the two essays that you are to read between now and then.

UPDATE: 09.12.08

2008-09-12T17:31:00.004-05:00

Please read Beyond Words chapters 1 and 7, which have been uploaded to Blackboard. I would highly suggest reading these before you post the second writing assignment for the week, as they will be extremely helpful in conceptualizing your observations.

UPDATE: 09.09.08

2008-09-09T15:58:00.016-05:00

READING: If you have not already done so, please read the Florey essay. I would also like you to watch the Web 2.0 video at least once more...but watch it "at your own pace," pausing and rewinding whenever necessay so as to grasp the content AND the form fully. Take some additional notes while doing so.

WRITING: The first component of your initial writing assignment for the week is to find a diagram on the world wide web, save it to your photobucket account, and then embedded it into a post. Take, for instance, the cutaway diagram from the DIII-D National Fusion Facility's plasma chamber to the left; fun stuff, indeed (click on image for bigness). Then, write a 300 word response to the diagram you chose that contains at least two hyperlinks. Some points of inquiry you may want to follow with relation to your diagram are: What are the ramifications of diagramming while writing in a virtual environment? How do diagrams function, in general, as well as within the context of writing and on the web? How does the diagram you selected function as a learning device? What was the original context of the diagram? How does the meaning of the diagram alter now that it has been extricated from the original context? What our your responsibilities as a writer when removing a diagram from its original context? What details are important within the diagram? How are they labeled? Are they labeled? How would you have labeled them differently? How could you label them differently? What the heck does any of this have to do with writing anyway? DUE: Thursday, September 11th @ 2:00PM.

For your second writing assignment of the week, select a video from Youtube and embed it into a post. Write a 300 word observation of the video, selecting details that you believe to be important. Remember, the video itself is more than content; while what's happening in the clip is a good piece of information to convey to your reader in some circumstances (i.e. the narrative), one must also be cognizant of (if not more invested in) the visual and auditory elements, as well as the manner in which the creator of the video filmed (recorded) and edited the material. DUE: Sunday, September 14th @ midnight.

Below is an example of how to insert video clips into your posts via embedding. Enjoy Charlie the Unicorn:

And just for chuckles, here is another video of your favorite chum, Salad Fingers:

EXTRA CREDIT: As I mentioned in class, your first extra credit assignment of the semester will be this weekend on Saturday, September 13th @ 7:00PM (NOT Sunday!). To receive 1 extra credit point for this event, you must a) attend the entire reading, b) take some notes during the reading, c) write a 300 word response about 1 of the poems that was read, or a particular phrase you found intriguing, and d) post it on your blog by Saturday, September 20th @ 9:00PM. The information on the reading is as follows:

Please join us this Saturday at 7pm at the Sheldon. Click here for directions from NWU.

The Clean Part Poetry Reading Series, presented in the Ethel S. Abbott auditorium, showcases innovative poets from across the country. The public is invited to this free event in which the poets Laynie Browne and Ange Mlinko will be the readers.

Browne's most recent collections are The Scented Fox, recipient of the 2007 National Poetry Series Award, selected by Alice Notley (Wave Books), Daily Sonnets (Counterpath Books, 2007), and Drawing of a Swan Before Memory, winner of the Contemporary Poetry Series (University of Georgia Press, 2005). With others she helped organize the Ear Inn reading series in New York. She was a member of the Subtext Collective in Seattle, and is now as part of the POG Reading Series Tucson Arizona. She has taught creative writing at The University of Washington, Bothell, at Mills College in Oakland, California, and at the Poetry Center at the University of Arizona, where she is currently developing a new a poetry-in-the-schools program for K-5 schools.

Ange Mlinko is the author of two books, Matinees (Zoland Books, 1999) and Starred Wire (Coffee House Press, 2005) which was a National Poetry Series winner in 2004, and a finalist for the James Laughlin Award. Her poems are about urban life, about language and its failings, about the things we see and do not see. She is often compared to Frank O'Hara. The New Yorker praised her "unique sense of humor and mystery."She has taught poetry at Brown University, the Naropa University Summer Writing Program, and Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.

Image Insertion Practice

2008-09-04T14:19:00.004-05:00

"It is not only that the essay could be about anything. It usually was. The good health of essay writing depends on writers continuing to address eccentric subjects. In contrast to poetry and fiction, the nature of the essay is diversity--diversity of level, subject, tone, diction. Essays on being old and falling in love and the nature of poetry are still being written. And there are also essays on Rita Hayworth's zipper and Mickey Mouse's ears." (Atwan 25)

-Susan Sontag

WRITING: For your first blog post of the semester, you will incorporate a quote, image, and two hyperlinks into a 300 word response (we inserted the quote, hyperlinks, and image in class, so all you have to do is write 300 words). What about the particular quote you chose interested you? Did you agree, or disagree with what was written? Why or why not? What are some of the practical ramifications of the quote and how does it manifests itself in your writing or the writing of others. DUE: Sunday, September 7th @ midnight.

READING: I will post an essay on Blackboard tomorrow. Please, read it actively and be ready to discuss the reading in class on Tuesday.

UPDATE: 09.02.08

2008-09-02T14:30:00.007-05:00

Reading: Please, read "Essayists on the Essay" for class on Thursday. It can be found on Blackboard, per all our readings this semester.

Technology: Tonight, I will create links for each student's blog on the main English page. For Thursday's session, please create replica links on your own page inder the heading "FALL 2008". Be sure to check that all the links are working properly.

Class Discussion: In "Encountering the Essay," Atwan presents us with several points of discussion for what and essay is and is not. Watch the video clip below. Would you consider this an essay? Why or why not? How do the concepts presented in this video clip relate to elements of this class? Or, how could you imagine they could? Where do you think the genre of essay, and writing in general, is headed? What evidence do we have of that direction?

UPDATE: 08.27.08

2008-08-27T14:38:00.000-05:00

If you access the Blackboard page for our class, you will find the initial readings for this course. Please, have them read for our class session on Tuesday, September 2nd. Also, as a reminder, we will meet in the "HP" lab on the first floor of the library. In addition to student introductions, each of you will create your own blog.

Welcome to NWU

2008-08-26T13:50:00.000-05:00

I would like to welcome you all to Nebraska Wesleyan University. This blog will be your primary information hub for ENG 001: Language & Writing. Please, check this site frequently for updates. You will be responsible for any assignments or news I post. Good luck this semester in this course, your other classes, & your time here in Lincoln.

********************************************************************
Fall Semester 2008
Section 09 (TR: 2:00PM-3:15PM)
Instructor: Joshua A Ware
Email:jware@nebrwesleyan.edu
Phone: (402)476-XXXX
URL: http://www.eng001.blogspot.com/
Office: 124 Old Main, Hours: T 3:15PM-4:15PM

********************************************************************

The “A” Project:

The project exhibits abundant evidence of critical, careful thought & analysis and/or insight.
The introduction immediately captures the attention & interest of the audience.
By the end of the introduction (whether a paragraph of pages long), the audience has a good idea what the essay will be about.
The central idea is clearly expressed to the audience.
The central idea is creative and fresh, not trivial or so well-worn as to be uninteresting to the audience.
The central idea is well developed & clarity of purpose is exhibited throughout the essay.
There are smooth, logical transitions between paragraphs & ideas.
Each paragraph has a clear relation to the main idea.
Major points are well developed—supported & illustrated with evidence &examples.
Evidence & examples are vivid and specific, while the focus remains tight.
Essay is logically organized.
Vocabulary is sophisticated & correct, as are sentences, which vary in structure & length.
Writer’s tone is clear, consistent, & appropriate for intended audience.
Mechanical errors are rare.
The conclusion does more than simply end the paper.
Research, if required, is correctly presented & documented.

Incomplete Grades:
An “I” (Incomplete) is given for work left incomplete for reasons that the instructor & department chair consider valid. Students are eligible for an incomplete grade only if they have already completed 75% of the course work. The percentage of completion is determined by the instructor. A student requests an incomplete grade from the instructor.

If the instructor & department approve the request, the student must fill out an Incomplete Agreement form (available from the Registrar’s Office) with the instructor & department chair. The work for an Incomplete must be finished within the time allotted by the instructor (maximum of one year from the close of the term in which the student is enrolled*). The instructor stipulates what the final grade will become if the work is not completed.

If the work is completed in time, the instructor determines the final grade according to the quality of the student’s performance. If the work is not completed, the Registrar assigns the grade stipulated on the Incomplete Agreement form.

A Permanent Incomplete is allowed only in cases resulting from a catastrophic event in the life of a student, such as an incapacitating illness or other problems beyond the control of the student, which prevents the student from completing the work. In such cases, the student, his or her proxy, or the instructor can petition the Executive Committee (or Dean of University College for University College students) for a Permanent Incomplete.

Attendance:
Regular class attendance is expected of all students. Specific requirements vary. Each instructor provides a written statement of his or her attendance policy to each class during the first week of the term. A copy of the statement is also available for examination in the Academic Affairs Office. Members of Section 07 may miss 9 classes & members of Section 09 may miss 6 classes with no effect to their grade. Once you miss more than the allotted amount, you will receive an F for the course.

Students who are unable to attend the first meeting of a class or laboratory for which they are registered should notify the instructor or department chair prior to the first meeting of the class or laboratory. If a notification of the student’s intent is not received, the instructor, at his or her discretion, may cancel the student’s registration. Students who do not plan to attend a course or laboratory for which they are registered must officially drop the course before the drop deadline.

Students who plan to discontinue a course after the drop deadline must officially withdraw from the course before the withdrawal deadline.

In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, faculty members keep attendance records & may report absences deemed excessive to the Student Life Office whenever counseling seems desirable. Each instructor may enforce attendance policies independently.

Students must take responsibility to be in touch with faculty regarding their anticipated absences for curricular & co-curricular activities & to make arrangements to make up work as expected. Students who anticipate absences because of curricular or co-curricular activities should make every effort to avoid other absences from classes. Guidelines regarding student absences for curricular & co-curricular activities are provided in the Student Handbook. For more information about these guidelines, contact the Academic Affairs Office or the Student Life Office.

Academic Ethics & Plagiarism:
The Code of Student Conduct states that students found to have engaged in academic dishonesty, which encompasses such activities as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, misrepresentation, & bribery, are subject to disciplinary sanctions. (See Article V of the Code of Student Conduct for a comprehensive listing of misconduct that is subject to disciplinary sanctions, as well as relevant terms and definitions.)

Faculty members have full authority in determining the action to be taken in cases of academic dishonesty. In addition to implementing the statements of the course syllabus addressing academic dishonesty, faculty may file a Report of Academic Dishonesty, or file a complaint with the University Judiciary. If a Report of Academic Dishonesty is filed, a first report on a student prompts no further action. However, if a second report for a student is filed, a formal complaint is submitted against the student with the University Judiciary. Any report after a second will launch another complaint. Complaints submitted to University Judiciary prompt a formal judicial investigation.

Students should contact the Academic Affairs Office, Student Life Office, or Registrar’s Office for more information.

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s distinctive ideas or words without acknowledgement. The incorporation of another person’s work into one’s own requires appropriate identification and acknowledgement, regardless of the means of appropriation. The following are considered to be forms of plagiarism when the sources are not noted:

-Word-for-word copying of another person’s ideas or words;
-The mosaic (the interspersing of one’s own words here and there while, in essence, copying another’s work);
-The paraphrase (the rewriting of another’s work, yet still using their fundamental idea or theory);
-Fabrication (inventing or counterfeiting sources);
-Submission of another’s work as one’s own;
-Neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged.

Acknowledgement is not necessary when the material used is common knowledge.

Code of Conduct:
All members of the course must commit to creating a place of study where everyone is treated with respect & courtesy. Everyone must share in the commitment to protect the integrity, rights, & personal safety of each member of the physical & virtual class community. This includes helpful, yet courteous, discussion of individual and group writing projects. Additionally, make sure all cell phones, pagers & similar electronic instruments are turned off when in class. These devices are not conducive to a learning environment & will be treated as such.

Students with Disabilities:
Federal law requires that Nebraska Wesleyan University make reasonable accommodations to ensure that persons with disabilities will have equal access to all educational programs, activities & services. Therefore, Nebraska Wesleyan University, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, & with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), recognizes the University’s obligation to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.

A “reasonable accommodation” is defined as any change in an environment or in the way things are customarily done that (1) enables an individual with a disability to enjoy equal opportunities; & (2) does not fundamentally alter the nature of the activity, service, or program.

A “disabled” person is defined as one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially affects one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment.

To facilitate plans for any reasonable accommodations, students with disabilities must identify & document their needs following their admission to Nebraska Wesleyan University. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the University of his/her disability, to document the disability & to request accommodation.

Students should contact the Academic Affairs Office for further information.

Conference Schedule

2008-05-02T09:56:00.001-05:00

Below is the conference schedule for next week. As previously mentioned, please come prepared to share & discuss at least 3 short pieces in which you are writing through an object, specifically music videos for your last writing project.

	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
12:40:	Lance	Samantha	Megan
01:00:		Kara	Katelyn
01:20:		Cady	Kody
01:40:	Scott	Ryan	Wes
02:00:	Adam	Kaley	Drew
02:20:	Bri	Anthony	Matt
02:40:	Gary	Travis	Slyvia

UPDATE: 28 April 2008

2008-04-28T08:27:00.000-05:00

READING: If you have not already read Atwan16.pdf from last week, please do so. This will be the final reading selection for the semester &, as always, can be found on Blackboard.

WRITING: This week, you will be asked to write 3 comments on any post by any 3 students. Each comment should be 100 words in length & in some way correspond to the original post. DO NOT just write: "Nice work. I like what you wrote." Try to add to, or further the conversation your peer already began. After you have posted 100 word comments to 3 different students, email me the URLs to the comment, NOT to other student's blog or original post. You can do this by copying & pasting the URL found in the browser bar of the comment page into an email. Please, send the email to jware@nebrwesleyan.edu by Thursday, 01 May 2008 @ midnight. These will be your last 3 weekly blog assignments. Late assignment will not be accepted.

EXTRA CREDIT: For those of you who completed extra credit assignments this semester, you will need to do the following: copy & paste the URLs of your extra credit posts into an email, then send that email to the aforementioned address. Again, do not just send a URL to your blog; send URLs for each individual extra credit assignment. So, if you completed 3 separate assignments, there should be 3 unique URLs within the email.

WP3: Well, here it is: the last of your 3 major writing projects. For this assignment, you will be asked to make a soundtrack for your life. Each song you choose will contain the following elements: 1 embedded video, the name of the band & song, 250 words relating the video to your life, & a minimum of 4 relevant hyperlinks for each song (1 of which must be the band's site & another of which must be a place to acquire the song legally).

The soundtrack itself will consist of 8 songs (no more no less) & each video must be engaged directly. By this, I mean that you need to take aspects of the video, whether they be visual or auditory (music or lyrics), & address how they speak to or for your life. To this extent, you will be utilizing the video as an entryway into your life by writing through the object. But, once you enter into that doorway, you are NOT to provide a straight narrative of some event that took place, but instead say something about who you are through an object, thing, idea, etc. As mentioned in class, you will most likely need a BRIEF narrative strand to connect or transition different objects or thoughts, but this should in no way be the focal point. I would HIGHLY recommend looking toward the essays we have read for class as examples of how to do this (e.g. Sanders' paragraphs on his hammer). Furthermore, the order of your videos MUST be chronological in nature, according to the part of your life it relates to. Finally, your essay will best be served if you have a common theme running throughout.

The final draft of this project is DUE, Thursday 15 May 2008 @ midnight.

I will schedule individual conferences with students for next week. During these conferences you MUST have a minimum of 3 "shorts" COMPLETED & in relatively polished form. We will go over these pieces & discuss how they function with regard to the assignment guidelines & the trajectory of your individual project. We will create a schedule of conference appointments this week in class.

As a matter of example, here is a sample I wrote myself. Please use the formatting for your project that I have here. IF YOU ALREADY READ THIS POST FROM LAST SEMESTER, PLEASE READ IT AGAIN. IT HAS BEEN NOTICEABLY REVISED:

UPDATE: 20 April 2008

2008-04-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

READING: For Tuesday's class, please read Atwan14.pdf. Additionally, read Atwan16.pdf for Thursday's session. As always, you can download these files from Blackboard. While reading these selections, pay close attention to the manner in which the authors describe specific objects, taking note of their language, & examine how they connect them to their respective selves &/or identities. Jotting down notes on these essays will be beneficial to you when we discuss the pieces in class.

WRITING: This week, both of your blog posts will require you to write about music videos. For the first post, write a 300 word response to your (current) favorite song. In addition to including 2 hyperlinks, you should embed the video directly into your post. While the content of individual posts remains open to interpretation, you might want to formulate your response so that you are writing through an object. In doing so, you will begin to groom your writing style toward the final project's parameters. Furthermore, this will provide a starting point for discussion if you are having difficulty conceptualizing this type of writing & want to discuss it with me during office hours. Your second post of the week will be the same assignment, but you will select your least favorite video to write on. Assignment 1 is DUE: Wednesday, April 23rd @ midnight. Assignment 2 is DUE: Sunday, April 27th @ midnight.

EXTRA CREDIT: On Monday, April 21st @ 3:00PM in the Alabaster Lounge, poet & Nebraska Wesleyan professor Mathias Svalina will give a reading. As always, if you attend the reading & write a 300 word response to a specific phrase or poem within 1 week of the event, you will receive 1 extra credit point.

UPDATE: 16 Apr 2008

2008-04-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

READING: For Thursday's class, please read the PDF entitled Atwan13 on Blackboard. Please, pay close attention to how the writer enters into autobiography, specifically the moments he does so through an object. How does detail/descriptive writing about a material object inform us about the speaker?

WRITING: For Thursday's class, please have a hard copy of the 1/2 page writing assignment I gave in class. For those of you who were not present, I assigned a 1/2 page assignment in which you must write descriptively about a particular scene or element within an autobiographical narrative. DO NOT write an actual narrative. Re-read the portion of Atwan13.pdf that describes the hammer. This might help.

For your weekly blog posting, both of your writing assignments will be 300 word free-writes that contain 2 hyperlinks & 1 image or video. The first post will be due 17 Apr 2008 @ midnight & the second post will be due 20 Apr 2008 @ midnight.

EXTRA CREDIT: As always, if you attend the reading, then write a 300 word response to a particular piece or phrase from a piece within 1 week of the reading, you will receive 1 extra credit point. Below is information from the official press release:

NWU Visiting Writers Series presents a reading from novelist Selah Saterstrom: Thursday, April 17th, 7pm in the Callen Conference Center, Smith Curtis Building on the NWU Campus

This Thursday NWU will be hosting novelist Selah Saterstrom for the final installment of the Visiting Writers Series. Saterstrom is a fascinating and intensely emotional writer – her work is edgy, yet firmly in the Southern Gothic tradition. Her novels not only confront the violence endemic in this literary tradition, their innovative structures & style create a haunting and emotionally intense experience.

Selah Saterstrom is the author of The Meat and Spirit Plan and The Pink Institution (both published by Coffee House Press). She co-curates SLAB PROJECTS, an artist/writer-curator initiative concerned with exploring the gaps between decay and reconstruction in ruined or abandoned landscapes, and is also an editor at TRICKHOUSE, a forthcoming on-line curatorial project. Her work appears in various places, most recently in Bombay Gin, Thuggery & Grace, 14 Hills, and Tarpaulin Sky. She has been the artist and writer-in-residence for various institutions and now teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Denver, The Naropa University Summer Writing Program, and Centrum Writing Program.

Writing Project 2: Rhetorical Analysis

2008-04-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

ROUGH DRAFT DUE: Tuesday, 8 Apr 2008.
FINAL DRAFT DUE: Sunday, 13 Apr 2008.

Here are the groupings for conferences outside of class time. If you volunteered for one of these slots, please have your rough draft emailed to me AND the other student 24 hours before our meeting. Also, each of you should have read the other student's essay BEFORE the scheduled conference. The rest of will meet as a class and perform peer-reviews as per usual.

Tuesday, 8 Apr 2008
1:10PM: Gary & Cady
3:15PM: Samantha & Adam

Thursday, 10 Apr 2008
1:10PM: Scott & Katelynn
3:15PM: Kara & Kody

Writing Project 2: choose a visual or hybrid text that contains an argument (e.g. a political cartoon, television commercial, photograph, or work of art etc). Once you have your primary text selected, analyze the piece by paying close attention to the types of rhetorical strategies (page 31 in “Envision2.pdf”) & appeals (logos, pathos, & ethos) utilized. As such, you will want to ask yourself, & then answer, the following questions: “What is the argument of the text?” “In what ways is the argument structured?” “What types of claims are being made?” & “What design elements are employed to forward the argument?”

The rhetorical analysis requires substantial time and thought, so it’s best to find a text you find interesting or feel passionate about. If you know a topic/text well, you’ll have a sense of what arguments are being made about it, and you’ll likely be eager to undertake sustained analysis & brief research.

A rhetorical analysis looks at the way an argument works (NOT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ARGUMENT) and may evaluate its effectiveness. You might think of your analysis as an argument about and argument. Accordingly, rather than simply listing every rhetorical detail you see in the texts, you should focus on some specific thesis, or claim. After examining the arguments closely, generate a claim with supporting reasons that describe or assess the way the text works

If you’ve chosen arguments that interest you, readers will sense your enthusiasm and want to learn more. But remember that won’t necessarily be familiar with the text you’re analyzing. You may need to provide background information and enough examples—quotations and images—to show them how the argument works.

When you write a rhetorical analysis, it’s obviously important to study your chosen texts carefully to identify key patterns. It is also important to lay out for each text the basic facts of what is called the rhetorical situation: who is writing about what for which audience. Conduct research in the library or on the internet so that you can accurately identify the argument, where and when it appears, in what medium, and so on. You may need to provide a short paragraph of background information early in your paper to set the context for the argument.

How will you most effectively accomplish this assignment? Examine logical appeals by looking carefully at how well the claims made in a piece are stated, qualified, and supported. Be specific in identifying these appeals, quoting from verbal arguments and describing visual arguments. Examine the emotional appeals by identifying emotions and explain how they are generated. Evaluate their relevance to the claim offered. Again, be specific, quoting or describing the emotional details clearly enough for readers to understand them. Examine ethos and assess the credibility of the writer, artist, or sponsoring institution. Is the argument presented by someone you are moved to trust? Is the appeal honest? Explain why, using specific evidence from the argument you are analyzing.

These analyses will make up the body of your essay. You’ll also need to frame this discussion with an introduction, perhaps outlining your thesis and providing relevant background information, and a conclusion that comments on your focal point and answers the “So what?” question.

Check that the logistical elements of the paper work smoothly: If you’ve incorporated images, are they clear and readable? Have you documented any outside source materials? Does the structure and content of your analysis make sense—can readers move easily from idea to idea as you develop your analysis?

Minimum Criteria: a) 1200 words, b) 4 multi-media elements, c) 7-10 hyperlinks, & e) a works cited section at the end of your post if you utilize secondary sources.

REMEMBER: You will need to construct a clearly articulated thesis statement in your introduction that specifically addresses the argument you will be forwarding about the text you have chosen. Think of this an argument about an argument.

Rhetorical Appeals: How does the author of the text use images to work in conjunction with rhetorical appeals? For instance, does the image reinforce an appeal to reason? Is it designed to produce an emotional effect on the audience? Does the use of a certain style, such as black-&-white authority, contribute to the ethos of the text?

Strategy of Development: What strategy of development does the text rely upon? Narration? Definition? Comparison-contrast? Example & illustration? Classification & division? How do these strategies contribute to the ad’s persuasive appeal?

Finally, refer to your MLA handbook for proper integration of secondary source material.

***************** PEER-REVIEW QUESTIONS ******************

Weekly Writing Assignment & Extra Credit

2008-03-27T09:07:00.001-05:00

WRITING: This week, you only have 1 writing assignment. You will be asked to search 1 of the remaining presidential candidates' websites (e.g. Nade r, Obama, Clinton, McCain, etc) & select an issue they have articulated a stance on. Using direct quotation from his/her site, demonstrate how the candidate you have chosen implements 1) rhetorical strategies, 2) rhetorical appeals, & 3) how they address opposing arguments. When engaging these 3 aspects, make sure you use the terminology from Envision chapters 2 & 3. Remember, analyzing rhetoric is NOT about stating your personal opinions on a given issue or text, but examining HOW one constructs an argument. Responses will be 500 word in length, contain 1 video or image, as well as 2 relevant hyperlinks. DUE Sunday, 30 March 2008 @ midnight.

EXTRA CREDIT: On Thursday April 3rd at 7PM, short story writer William Henry Lewis will be visiting the Nebraska Wesleyan University campus. Lewis is the author of two collections of short stories, I Got A Man in Staunton (Amistad/Harper Collins, 2005) & In the Arms of Our Elders (Carolina Wren, 1995). I Got a Man in Staunton was a finalist for the PEN Faulkner Prize for Fiction, was a Fiction Honor Book for 2005 by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and included in Kirkus Reviews listing for Best Books of 2005. Lewis received a 2008 Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is currently teaching in the MFA program at University of Maryland.

As with previous extra credit assignments, if you attend the event, then write a 300 word response to a phrase or passage from the reading within 1 week of the event, you will receive 1 extra credit toward your final grade.

UPDATE: 03.25.08

2008-03-25T10:14:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their spring break & was able relax a bit. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have added some material to the syllabus (which can be found added on as an addendum); specifically, the general criteria for what constitutes an "A" paper. I would like to stress the "general" nature of this information. In addition to meeting these generic standards, individual assignments must also adhere to the requirements I list on the peer-review sheets, & per the original syllabus' course outcomes, demonstrate "later invention & re-thinking" through the creation of "multiple drafts" that incorporate "flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing & proofreading."

As a matter of helping you to conceptualize the upcoming rhetorical analysis you will all be writing, I have selected some well-written student examples from last semester. You will be asked to read all of these & take notes on them. We will discuss these in class on Thursday. Let me make clear a few points though: 1) these are not "perfect" essays, but "well-written" & interestingly conceived, 2) you should not use these as exact templates on how to write a rhetorical analysis, & 3) you are encouraged to read additional rhetorical analyses from last semester. While they vary in quality, you can view different aspects that were both successful & unsuccessful.

A: An analysis of an audio clip.
B: An analysis of a political cartoon.
C: An analysis of a traffic light.
D: An analysis of a commercial (This student did not title his posts, so you have to scroll down to the last post found at this link).

UPDATE: 03.10.07

2008-03-10T22:22:00.000-05:00

READING: We will cover Envision2.pdf (assigned last week) in class tomorrow. During Thursday's session, we will read Envision3.pdf, which has been uploaded to Blackboard for your amusement & consumption. If you would like further information concerning rhetoric, I would like to direct you to Envision's web site; you can find it right here.

WRITING: For this week's first writing assignment, I would like you to find a television commercial on Youtube & write a 300 word observation on it. Remember, you should include not just what you see, but what you hear as well. DO NOT over look elements that you believe to be minor. Try to capture every perceptual aspect of the clip. As part of this assignment, you will be asked to embed the commercial into your post & include at least 2 relevant hyperlinks. DUE: Wednesday, March 12th @ midnight.

For your second writing assignment of the week, you will write a 300 analysis of the rhetorical strategies contained within your video. In addition to mentioning them, explain how they are used by providing SPECIFIC examples as evidence. We will discuss rhetorical strategies in class tomorrow, so don't freak out if you don't know what that means (Read Envision2.pdf, page 31 for more information). DUE: Sunday, March 16th @ midnight.

PS: As a matter of keeping you all informed, I will be adding some of the reference material we discussed on Thursday to blog over break. Additionally, I will make a post sometime over break that contains links to a rhetorical analysis or 2 written by past students. Finally, extra credit assignments for the Ben Marcus event are due Thursday, & the Clean Part Reading extra credit is due Saturday.

PPS: Everyone add Sylvia to your list of blogs!

Another Extra Credit Assignment

2008-03-05T21:12:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, March 8th @ 7:00PM in the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, the Clean Part Reading Series (brought to you by the young chaps @ Octopus) will host their last reading of the year. Poets Adam Clay, Kate Greenstreet, & Lincoln's own Anthony Hawley will provide all in attendance with super-fantastic poetry stuff.

As with previous extra credit assignment, you will be asked to 1) attend the event, 2) take notes at the event, 3) select a phrase or poem from the reading that interested you, 4) write a 300 word response to the phrase or poem (not the event itself), & 5) post the response no later than 1 week after the event.

It will be a swell time.

ZAIREEKA: experiment with multiple sound sources, listener participation, & new dimensions of sound (1997)

2008-03-01T22:46:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Kody, Sylvia, Gary, & Kara for volunteering to bring in their boom-boxes &/or ghetto-blasters to Tuesday's session (PS: If anyone wants to bring in a couple extension cords & a power strip just in case, that would be swell). Due to their generosity, we will be able to conduct a Zaireeka listening party-experiment.

To prepare for the class, please read the extremely short liner notes that act as a primer to the Flaming Lips' LP. They can be found on Blackboard & should provide you with an overview of what to expect, as well as some interesting background information. During class, you will be expected to take observational notes on your experience. Once the experiment concludes, you will write your initial reflections. As such, your 2 writing assignments for the week will be to write a polished 300 word observation & 300 reflection on our Zaireeka class. Each post should contain at least 1 multi-media element & 2 hyperlinks. The observation is DUE Wednesday, March 5th @ midnight; the reflection is DUE Sunday, March 9th @ midnight.

In October of 2007, the Flaming Lips celebrated the 1oth anniversary of Zaireeka's release with several simultaneous listening parties across the country. Wayne Coyne (head Lip) piped himself in via satellite to all the gatherings. Here is an excerpt from his introductory message:

Additionally, I will assign a reading for Thursday from Envision (a different textbook) in PDF format. The material will cover some introductory information about rhetoric & the rhetorical situation. My assumption is that most of you will be unfamiliar with the contents, so please make sure you have read the selection for class.

Finally, I would like to remind you that fiction writer Ben Marcus will be reading on Thursday, March 6th @ 7PM in the Smith-Curtis Building. As previously mentioned, if you attended the reading & write a 300 word response to a specific aspect of the story he reads (not the event itself) & post it by Thursday, March 13th, you will receive 1 bonus point. If you click on the image to the right, you can read additional information about the event.

I got stuck in an empty well & all I have to show for it is this stupid list

2008-02-23T09:41:00.000-06:00

Help! I was chasing a magical pixie through the fields (trying to collect her precious pixie-dust) & she tricked me with a hallucinatory mirage of sorts, causing me to tumble down into this dank, empty well. What's that? You think I'm mad? You won't help me? Curses! Well, could you at least lower down an old-school ghetto-blaster & my 5 favorite cassette tapes? Oh, thank you kind sir. To assist you, I created a brief list of my choices in reverse chronological order according to their recording date:

At Dawn, My Morning Jacket (2001): The natural reverb of this cavernous well will compliment Jim James' reverb-soaked vocals quite nicely. Additionally, the cricket chripping between "Hopefully" & "Bermuda Highway" will add a natural ambiance to my lonely well-dwelling existence. Furthermore, "Lowdown" offers a certain allegorical angle to this whole well scenario.

Kid A, Radiohead (2000): Someone told me these guys were supposed to be good or something. They seem rather British to me, but I really enjoy the wicked beats on "Idioteque," as well as all the electronic noise scattered about the album. & it has a song called "Treefingers," just like that damn pixie who lured me down here.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel (1998): There is much in the way of magic on this cassette tape: the King of Carrot Flowers, Anna's ghost, a two-headed boy, comet flames, the inside's of a stranger's stomach, a pulley & weight driven radio, & a synthetic flying machine. Plus, the songs contain lots & lots of curious instrumentation. Its kind of like the music you'd make in bottom of a well, if you knew how to make music in the bottom of a well.

I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, Yo La Tengo (1997): Ira Kaplan's off-key guitar solos during "Sugarcube" & "Deeper into Movies" are reason enough to be on this list; but songs like "Return to Hot Chicken," "Damage," & "Autumn Sweater" are swell tunes to listen to when trying to relax in the otherwise traumatic situation of being stuck in a well. & since it's too cramped to dance down here, I can still bob my head to "Stockholm Syndrome."

Bitches Brew, Miles Davis (1970): Once Miles Davis stopped trying to be a traditional jazz musician & started to get weird, he became pretty, pretty, pretty cool. There are plenty of Miles cassettes I could have chosen, but since BB is a double-tape collection, I figured I'd get twice the music for the price of one. Additionally, its a fantastic fusion of rock & jazz that will really make a well-victim like myself ask: "What the hell am I doing down here? & how can I get out?"

Writing Project 1

2008-02-21T14:35:00.001-06:00

For your first project, you will be asked to observe a person, place, or event from the public sphere that deals directly with Lincoln or Nebraska. As such, the first aspect of your project will be to choose a subject matter & perform a detailed, first-hand observation (If you selected a subject matter & performed a preliminary observation of it for last week’s assignment, you will probably want to conduct a second observation to more fully develop your original material). THIS IS NOT A REMEMBERANCE; YOU MUST BE ACTIVELY TAKING NOTES WHILE YOU ARE OBSERVING YOUR SUBJECT MATTER. Keeping the following practices in mind will enable you to produce the best results:

1. Set up a tentative schedule for your observation & interview visits. Figure out first the amount of time you have to complete your essay, then determine the scope of your project—a onetime observation, an interview with follow-up, or multiple observations & interviews. Decide what visits you will need to make, whom you will need to interview, & what library or internet work you might want to do to get background information about your subject. Estimate the time necessary for each, knowing you might need to schedule more time than anticipated.

Make phone calls to schedule visits. When you write down your appointment, be sure to include names, addresses, phone numbers, dates & times, & any special arrangements you have made for each visit.

2. During your visit, take notes on what you observe. Do not try to impose order on your notes at this stage; simply record whatever you notice. Pay special attention to visual details & other kinds of sensory perceptions (sounds & smells, etc.) that you can draw on later to describe the place & people.

3. Prepare for the interview by writing out some preliminary questions. But do not be afraid of abandoning your script during the interview. Listen carefully to what is said & ask follow-up questions. Take notes; if you like & your subject agrees, you may also tape-record the interview.

Once you complete you observations, you will need to take some time to reflect upon the thoughts & feelings you have initially developed on or about your subject matter. To explore your ideas about the subject, try an invention called cubing. Based on the six sides of a cube, this activity leads you to turn over your subject as you would a cube, looking at it in six different ways. Complete the following activities in any order, writing for ten minutes on each one (five minutes of thinking, five minutes of writing). Your goal is to invent ways of considering your subject.

1. Generalizing: consider what you have learned from the event or experience that will be the occasion for your reflections. What ideas does it suggest to you? What does it suggest about people in general or about the society in which you live?

2. Giving examples: illustrate your ideas with specific examples. What examples would best help your readers understand your ideas?

3. Comparing & contrasting: think of a subject that could be compared with yours & explore the similarities & the differences.

4. Extending: take your subject to its logical limits & speculate about its implications. Where does it lead?

5. Analyzing: take apart your subject. What is it made of? How are the parts related to one another? Are they all of equal importance?

6. Applying: think about your subject in practical terms. How can you use it or act on it? What difference would it make to you & to others?

After your cubing exercise, you will need to consider your purpose. To do so, ask yourself the following questions: What do I want my readers to think about the subject after reading my essay? Your answer to this question may change as you write, but thinking about your purpose now may help you decide which of your ideas to include in the essay. Use the following questions to clarify your purpose: Which of your ideas are most important? Why? How do your ideas relate to one another? If your ideas seem contradictory, consider how you could use the contradictions to convey to readers the complexity of your ideas & feelings on the subject. Which of your ideas do you think will most surprise your readers? Which are most likely to be familiar? Is the subject matter that is the impetus for your reflections likely to resonate with your readers’ experience & observation? If not, consider how you can make the particular subject matter vivid or dramatic for the readers.

At this juncture, you will want to form a tentative thesis to guide you in the construction of your first draft; it is a tentative thesis because, once you start writing, you may find that some of your ideas may alter as you begin to more concretely organize & write your essay. Your tentative thesis should accomplish two tasks though: it should bring into focus the main person, place, or event on which you are writing, as well as inform the readers of what you think is most important & interesting about the subject matter you observed & how those elements will develop & inform your reflection.

Once your observations & reflections are complete & you have constructed a tentative thesis statement, you will almost be ready to write your first draft. But, before you begin, the following questions MUST be considered if you are to develop an essay that is properly structured & entertaining: How can I help my readers envision the subject? How can I engage my readers? How can I present & distribute the information so that readers do not become either bored or overwhelmed? How should I organize my observations, presenting them vividly & in a way that anticipates my reflections? How can I best develop my reflections? How can I maintain topical coherence? How can I convey the impression I want to leave with my readers?

At this point, you are ready to begin drafting. But, keep in mind all the steps that have led up to this point are not just extraneous to the essay, but ARE INTREGAL PARTS OF THE ESSAY ITSELF & necessarily writing in-&-of-itself.

The minimum requirements for Writing Project 1 are as follows: a 5-page (approximately 1200 word) essay to be posted in an aesthetically pleasing manner on your blog. I will not accept hard-copies or emailed essays. In addition to the word count, you will need to incorporate any combination of the following visual elements—5 images, 4 images & 1 video, or 3 images & 2 videos. Also you will need 7-10 relevant hyperlinks that direct the reader to authoritative, external sites. The project is DUE on Sunay 03.02.07 @ midnight.

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08) Are there any aspects of the essay that were difficult to understand?

09) What was the best aspect of this essay?

10) What aspect of this essay did you find least effective? Provide specific examples of how you would improve this aspect.

UPDATE: 02.19.08

2008-02-19T18:24:00.000-06:00

READING: For Thursday's class, please read Atwan08, which can be found on Blackboard.

WRITING: (1) Your first writing assignment for the week will be, as mentioned in class, to select 5 cassette tapes that you would like to have if you were either a) stranded on a deserted island, or b) stuck at the bottom of a dried up well & all you had was an old-school ghetto-blaster (aka boom-box). In addition to selecting these 5 tapes, you will need to hyperlink to each band's website & a site where you can purchase each album. Afterwards, you are to write 300 words on why you chose these particular selections. Finally, you will want to include an image of either a) a deserted island, or b) an empty well, depending on which scenario you have chosen. DUE: Wednesday, February 20th @ midnight.

(2) For your second writing assignment of the week, I will send each of you a scanned image of one randomly selected diagrams from class (Click on image for bigness). You will write a 300 word response to your diagram, incorporate the image of your diagram into your post, as well as 2 hyperlinks. DUE: Sunday, February, 24th @ midnight.

(3) Finally, you will want to begin working on the rough draft to your first writing project (Observe & Reflect). Of course, before you can begin writing, you must conduct 2 observations. If you haven't already begun doing this, I would start ASAP. Guidelines for the project will be posted tomorrow, but you can safely assume that they will be ALMOST identical to last semester's guidelines for the first writing project. ROUGH DRAFT DUE: Tuesday, February 26th.

UPDATE: 02.13.08

2008-02-13T09:31:00.000-06:00

Reading: Please read Atwan06.pdf, which can be found on Blackboard. Also you need to read the articles located at the following hyperlinks:

What is a hyperlink?
What is an HTML element?
Article on what makes a good hyperlink: 1
Article on what makes a good hyperlink: 2

The Atwan & the hyperlink readings will need to be read for Thursday's session. Don't freak out if some of the information seems a bit technical. I just want you to get an understanding of what is behind the words you are typing & linking. You are not expected to be a computer whiz for this class. If you are, great, but it is not necessary.

Writing: (1) Last week, I asked you to select text from another student's post & incorporate it into your own post with a hyperlink to the original digital-document. You are to follow the same guidelines of this assignment, but I would like you to use ANY post from a student in one of my classes from last semester, NOT someone in our class now. This means that you will have to wade through some older blogs & look for writing that you find interesting. Assignments are to be 300 words, contain 2 hyperlinks, & at least 1 image or video. DUE: Thursday, February 14th @ midnight.

(2) For your second writing assignment this week, you are to write a 300 word post that contains 2 hyplerlinks & at least 1 video or image. While content choice is open, you might want to consider connecting it to your first major writing project. Perhaps a preliminary observation, some background information on a possible object of examination, or random thoughts & miscellanea that might be related to your topic in some way. Of course, these are merely suggestions. DUE: Sunday, February 17th @ midnight.

Extra Credit: On Saturday, February 18th @ 7PM in the Sheldon Art Gallery on UNL's campus, Octopus Magazine/Books will host the Clean Part Reading Series. Poets John Gallaher, Wayne Miller & Betsy Wheeler will read from their work. If you attend the event & write a 300 word response within 1 week of the event, you will receive 1 extra credit point. Responses are NOT to be impressions of the event in general (i.e. "I have never been to a poetry reading before.." or "The Clean Part reading event at Sheldone was sparsely attended..." etc.), but reactions to actual poems, or particular lines of poetry.

Embedded Music Video

2008-02-07T14:09:00.000-06:00

"Peacebone," by Animal Collective from their LP Strawberry Jam

WRITING: Embed (as above) a music video into a post & write a 300 word response. As I mentioned in class, I use the generic term "response" so as to expand the possibilities of your writing. Additionally, you are to incorporate 2 hyperlinks into the post. DUE: Sunday, February 10th @ midnight.

For your second writing assignment, please write a 100 word comment on the post of the person 2 alphabetized spaces below you (i.e. Megan will comment on Bri's post, Bri would comment on Anothny's post). If someone has not posted by the Sunday due date, comment on the next person available. DUE: Monday, February 11th @ midnight.

READING: For your weekend reading assignment, please read Atwan05, located on Blackboard. Also, watch the video essay below & be prepared to discuss the ramifications of technology within writing, reading, academia, & the "business" world.

Additional Super Tuesday Note

2008-02-05T22:03:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, February 9th, the Democratic Party will hold its Nebraska caucuses. On Tuesday, May 13th, the Republican Party will hold its Nebraksa primary. If you belong to one of these parties, make sure to support your candidate. If are an independent or 3rd part-affiliated, congratulate yourself on not falling lock-step into a dominant ideology & don't give up hope. If you are not registered, do so.

Super Tuesday Homework

2008-02-05T21:47:00.000-06:00

READING: For Thursday's session read Atwan04. For those of you who did not read Atwan03, read that as well. Also, do not come to class without the reading assignments. It looks really bad (even if you haven't read) to show up with nothing & just sit there while you are supposed to be discussing the essay. Both readings are located on Blackboard.

WRITING: For your 1st writing assignment, you are to select a sentence from the 1st post of the person who follows you alphabetically in class (i.e. Megan Anderson would select a sentence from Kody Connelly's 1st post). Use the sentence you selected as a free-writing prompt for your 2nd post. The post should be 300 words, contain 2 hyperlinks [1 of which is the selected sentence hyperlinked to the original post (not blog)], & 1 image. For your 2nd writing assignment, you are to write a 50-75 word comment on the 1st post of the person who precedes you alphabetically (i.e. Travis Goes would comment on Samantha Freeze's 1st post). DUE: Thursday, February 7th @ 2:00PM.

REMEMBER, WE WILL BE MEETING IN THE PC COMPUTER LAB IN THE LIBRARY ON THURSDAY.

Homework Assignment

2008-01-31T14:08:00.001-06:00

Reading: For Tuesday's session, please read Atwan03, which can be found on Blackboard.

Writing: For your first blog writing assignment, please write a 300 word response to the quotation you integrated into your blog during Thursday's class period. DUE: Monday, 02.04.08 @ midnight. Example below:

***
"It is not only that the essay could be about anything. It usually was. The good health of essay writing depends on writers continuing to address eccentric subjects. In contrast to poetry and fiction, the nature of the essay is diversity--diversity of level, subject, tone, diction. Essays on being old and falling in love and the nature of poetry are still being written. And there are also essay on Rita Hayworth's zipper and Mickey Mouse's ears." -Susan Sontag.

At this juncture, you will write 300 words in response to the quotation you selected. Do not attribute the material you quoted within the word count. Your response can explore what you found interesting, incorrect, important, or curious. When writing, make sure to engage the material directly. Also, make sure that you have at least 2 active hyperlinks within your post that relate to the essayist you selected. PS: Obviously, this is not 300 words. The example is for formatting purposes only.

***
Technology: In the "Spring 2008" link list you created during Thursday's session, please add the links of each member of the class to your blog. Make sure the list is alphabetical (Last Name, First Name). DUE: Sunday, 02.03.08 @ midnight.

UPDATE: 01.29.08

2008-01-29T13:38:00.000-06:00

Please, read Atwan02 for our next class session on Thursday the 31st. Also, you will want to have at least 1 excerpt selected from the reading to discuss, as well as utilize for an in-class project. As always, the reading is posted on Blackboard.

PS: Remember that we will meet in the library computer room, not OM 208.

UPDATE: 01.27.08

2008-01-27T18:34:00.000-06:00

A few quick notes that I would like to pass along. First, please read the Knepler01 BEFORE you read the Atwan01. I expect you to utilize the critical reading strategies Knepler discusses on every reading we do this semester, including Knepler01 & Atwan01. Secondly, I created links to each of your blogs. While checking for broken links, I noticed that some of you do not have your page formatted properly. If your page does not look exactly like mine, go back & revise. If you are unsure about how to revise your blog, let me know. Finally, just as a reminder, we will meet in in OM 208 on Tuesday. See you then.

Note about Blackboard

2008-01-24T13:33:00.001-06:00

The Blackboard system will be off-line Sunday night from 7PM-11PM for maintenance. You must have Knepler01 & Atwan01 read by Tuesday, so plan accordingly.

Book Ordering

2008-01-23T20:58:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in class, you do NOT have to purchase a textbook for this course. All your reading assignments will be uploaded to Blackboard. But, as an option for those of you who would like the physical artifact, you may find used copies on amazon for about $23. If anyone knows where to find less expensive copies, let me know & I can post a link.

Also, I would like to remind everyone that we will be meeting in the library computer lab on Thursday, & every Thursday afterwards, until further notice. Tuesday classes will continue to be held in OM 208.

BTW: Knepler01 & Atwan01 do not have to be read until Tuesday's class. See you all tomorrow.

Welcome to ENG 001, Spring 08

2008-01-14T20:18:00.000-06:00

I would like to welcome you all to ENG 001: Language & Writing at Nebraska Wesleyan University. This blog will be your primary information hub for the course. Please, check this site frequently for updates. You will be responsible for any assignments or news I post. Good luck this semester in this course, as well as your other classes.

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Spring Semester 2008
Section XX (TR: 2:00pm-3:15pm)
Instructor: Joshua A Ware
Email:jware@nebrwesleyan.edu
Phone: (402)476-7730
URL: http://www.eng001.blogspot.com/
Office: 110 Old Main Hours: T 3:15PM-4:15PM
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Course Description:
ENG 001 is a course designed to help students write with clarity, confidence, & conviction by incorporating both regular practice in writing (argument & exposition, writing as discovery, & personal exploration) & study of language & its social roles.

Course Outcomes:
By the end of first-year composition, students should be fluent in the following areas by demonstrating an understanding & competency of each area’s sub-points.

Rhetorical Knowledge:
-Focus their writing on specific purposes;
-Respond to the needs of different audiences;
-Respond appropriately to a variety of rhetorical situations;
-Use conventions of format, structure & tone appropriate to particular writing tasks;
-Consider how genres shape reading & writing.

Critical Thinking, Reading, & Writing:
-Use writing & reading for inquiry, learning, thinking & communicating;
-Consider how what they bring to a text guides their interpretation of that text;
-Understand a writing assignment as a series of recursive tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing & synthesizing appropriate primary & secondary sources;
-Integrate their own ideas with those of others (“enter into conversations” about various issues);
-Consider the relationship among languages, knowledge & power in their fields.

Process:
-Recognize that it usually takes multiple drafts to create a successful text;
-Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing & proofreading;
-Understand writing as an open process that permits writers to use later invention & re-thinking to revise their work;
-Understand the collaborative & social aspects of writing processes, learning to critique their own & others’ work;
-Learn to balance the advantages of relying on others with the responsibilities of contributing their input & working on their own;
-Use appropriate technologies to do research & communicate ideas.

Knowledge of Conventions:
-Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure & paragraphing to tone & mechanics;
-Practice appropriate means of documenting their work;
-Thinking strategically about such surface features as syntax, usage, punctuation & spelling in the context of their own & others’ work;
-Understand the holistic nature of “good” writing (i.e. that surface correctness alone does not make writing “good”).

Texts & Supplies:
Most of your reading material will be found on Blackboard in the form of PDFs. These files are to be downloaded, read & brought to class as required. Additionally, the following text will be available in the bookstore:

[I will provide a MLA-formatted reference for the Key for Writers handbook soon].

Each of you, as Nebraska Wesleyan University students is required to own this text. Please, purchase it as such.

Assignment Descriptions:
You will be required to invent, draft, & revise 3 major assignments. Each major assignment must be completed in full, or you will receive an F in the course. In addition to your major assignments, you will write weekly posts & complete an in-class journal. Below are the specific assignments & the respective points attributed to each.

-Project 1: The Attentive Mind: Observation, Reflection, Insight. (20)
DUE: 02.21.
-Project 2: The Public Sphere: Advocacy, Argument, Controversy. (20)
DUE: 03.28.
-Project 3: The Personal Voice: Identity, Diversity, Self-Discovery. (20)
DUE: 05.10.
-Weekly Blog Post. (20) DUE: Assigned & Graded Weekly.
-In-class Journal. (20) DUE: Assigned Weekly.
DUE: 05.08.

I will provide specific guidelines for each assignment a few weeks before they are due. All information regarding these assignments will be discussed in class & will be subsequently posted on Blackboard; you can expect them to be roughly 5-6 pages in length.

Grading Scale:
A = 100-94 A- = 93-90 B+ = 89-88 B = 87-84 B- = 83-80 C+ = 79-78
C = 77-74 C- = 73-70 D+ = 69-68 D = 67-64 D- = 63-60 F = 59-0

Incomplete Grades:
An “I” (Incomplete) is given for work left incomplete for reasons that the instructor & department chair consider valid. Students are eligible for an incomplete grade only if they have already completed 75% of the course work. The percentage of completion is determined by the instructor. A student requests an incomplete grade from the instructor.

If the instructor & department approve the request, the student must fill out an Incomplete Agreement form (available from the Registrar’s Office) with the instructor & department chair. The work for an Incomplete must be finished within the time allotted by the instructor (maximum of one year from the close of the term in which the student is enrolled*). The instructor stipulates what the final grade will become if the work is not completed.

If the work is completed in time, the instructor determines the final grade according to the quality of the student’s performance. If the work is not completed, the Registrar assigns the grade stipulated on the Incomplete Agreement form.

A Permanent Incomplete is allowed only in cases resulting from a catastrophic event in the life of a student, such as an incapacitating illness or other problems beyond the control of the student, which prevents the student from completing the work. In such cases, the student, his or her proxy, or the instructor can petition the Executive Committee (or Dean of University College for University College students) for a Permanent Incomplete.

Attendance:
Regular class attendance is expected of all students. Specific requirements vary. Each instructor provides a written statement of his or her attendance policy to each class during the first week of the term. A copy of the statement is also available for examination in the Academic Affairs Office. You may miss 7 classes with no effect to their grade. Once you miss more than the allotted amount, you will receive an F for the course.

Students who are unable to attend the first meeting of a class or laboratory for which they are registered should notify the instructor or department chair prior to the first meeting of the class or laboratory. If a notification of the student’s intent is not received, the instructor, at his or her discretion, may cancel the student’s registration. Students who do not plan to attend a course or laboratory for which they are registered must officially drop the course before the drop deadline.

Students who plan to discontinue a course after the drop deadline must officially withdraw from the course before the withdrawal deadline.

In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, faculty members keep attendance records & may report absences deemed excessive to the Student Life Office whenever counseling seems desirable. Each instructor may enforce attendance policies independently.

Students must take responsibility to be in touch with faculty regarding their anticipated absences for curricular & co-curricular activities & to make arrangements to make up work as expected. Students who anticipate absences because of curricular or co-curricular activities should make every effort to avoid other absences from classes. Guidelines regarding student absences for curricular & co-curricular activities are provided in the Student Handbook. For more information about these guidelines, contact the Academic Affairs Office or the Student Life Office.

Academic Ethics & Plagiarism:
The Code of Student Conduct states that students found to have engaged in academic dishonesty, which encompasses such activities as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, misrepresentation, & bribery, are subject to disciplinary sanctions. (See Article V of the Code of Student Conduct for a comprehensive listing of misconduct that is subject to disciplinary sanctions, as well as relevant terms and definitions.)

Faculty members have full authority in determining the action to be taken in cases of academic dishonesty. In addition to implementing the statements of the course syllabus addressing academic dishonesty, faculty may file a Report of Academic Dishonesty, or file a complaint with the University Judiciary. If a Report of Academic Dishonesty is filed, a first report on a student prompts no further action. However, if a second report for a student is filed, a formal complaint is submitted against the student with the University Judiciary. Any report after a second will launch another complaint. Complaints submitted to University Judiciary prompt a formal judicial investigation.

Students should contact the Academic Affairs Office, Student Life Office, or Registrar’s Office for more information.

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s distinctive ideas or words without acknowledgement. The incorporation of another person’s work into one’s own requires appropriate identification and acknowledgement, regardless of the means of appropriation. The following are considered to be forms of plagiarism when the sources are not noted:

-Word-for-word copying of another person’s ideas or words;
-The mosaic (the interspersing of one’s own words here and there while, in essence, copying another’s work);
-The paraphrase (the rewriting of another’s work, yet still using their fundamental idea or theory);
-Fabrication (inventing or counterfeiting sources);
-Submission of another’s work as one’s own;
-Neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged.

Acknowledgement is not necessary when the material used is common knowledge.

Code of Conduct:
All members of the course must commit to creating a place of study where everyone is treated with respect & courtesy. Everyone must share in the commitment to protect the integrity, rights, & personal safety of each member of the physical & virtual class community. This includes helpful, yet courteous, discussion of individual and group writing projects. Additionally, make sure all cell phones, pagers & similar electronic instruments are turned off when in class. These devices are not conducive to a learning environment & will be treated as such.

Students with Disabilities:
Federal law requires that Nebraska Wesleyan University make reasonable accommodations to ensure that persons with disabilities will have equal access to all educational programs, activities & services. Therefore, Nebraska Wesleyan University, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, & with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), recognizes the University’s obligation to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.

A “reasonable accommodation” is defined as any change in an environment or in the way things are customarily done that (1) enables an individual with a disability to enjoy equal opportunities; & (2) does not fundamentally alter the nature of the activity, service, or program.

A “disabled” person is defined as one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially affects one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment.

To facilitate plans for any reasonable accommodations, students with disabilities must identify & document their needs following their admission to Nebraska Wesleyan University. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the University of his/her disability, to document the disability & to request accommodation.

Students should contact the Academic Affairs Office for further information.

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BELOW MATERIAL ADDED ON 25 MARCH 2008

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The “A” Project:

The project exhibits abundant evidence of critical, careful thought & analysis and/or insight.
The introduction immediately captures the attention & interest of the audience.
By the end of the introduction (whether a paragraph of pages long), the audience has a good idea what the essay will be about.
The central idea is clearly expressed to the audience.
The central idea is creative and fresh, not trivial or so well-worn as to be uninteresting to the audience.
The central idea is well developed & clarity of purpose is exhibited throughout the essay.
There are smooth, logical transitions between paragraphs & ideas.
Each paragraph has a clear relation to the main idea.
Major points are well developed—supported & illustrated with evidence &examples.
Evidence & examples are vivid and specific, while the focus remains tight.
Essay is logically organized.
Vocabulary is sophisticated & correct, as are sentences, which vary in structure & length.
Writer’s tone is clear, consistent, & appropriate for intended audience.
Mechanical errors are rare.
The conclusion does more than simply end the paper.
Research, if required, is correctly presented & documented.

FINAL UPDATE: 12.13.07

2007-12-13T09:10:00.001-06:00

The date for the final project will pushed back to Sunday, 16 December 2007 @ midnight. Again, of you have any questions about the assignment or the course, please contact me before Saturday morning. Have a great break & good luck on finals.

NWU CLOSED: TUESDAY, 12.11.07

2007-12-11T06:10:00.000-06:00

Nebraska Wesleyan University is closed today (Tuesday, December 11) due to winter weather conditions. All classes have been cancelled & administrative offices are closed.

Final Extra Credit Oppotunity

2007-11-27T11:41:00.000-06:00

This Saturday evening, 1 December 2007 @ 7:ooPM, will be your last extra credit opportunity.

The Clean Part Readings Series will host 3 poets (Cynthia Arrieu-King, Jason Bredle, & Jen Tynes) @ the Sheldon Art Gallery on the UNL campus. If you attend this event & post a 300 word response no later than 8 December 2007 @ midnight, you will receive 1 extra credit point.

The 300 word post must be in response to a particular line, phrase, or poem from 1 of the poets. This is not a narrative on the event, nor a commentary on the event. Please, engage the material directly. Most likely, this will mean jotting down some notes during the reading.

PS: I would also like to mention that a due date for this week's writing assignment has been added & the due date for the rough draft of WP3 has been altered. Please, check the below posts for necessary information.

UPDATE: 11.25.07 - 12.01.07

2007-11-23T12:24:00.000-06:00

Section 07:

M: Atwan16.pdf
W: Atwan17.pdf
F: Atwan18.pdf

Section 09:

T: Atwan16.pdf & Atwan17.pdf
R: Atwan17.pdf & Atwan18.pdf

Writing Assignment: For this week's writing assignment you will need to write 3 100 word responses to 3 other student's posts. Like last week's assignment, this means (1 100 word response to 3 different students, NOT 3 100 word responses to 3 different students). Afterward, you are to send me live links of the URLs for the comments you made, NOT the other students' blog site. DUE: Sunday, 2 December 2007 @ midnight.

WP3: Guidelines

2007-11-23T11:12:00.000-06:00

For Writing Project 3, you will be asked to make a soundtrack for your life. Each song you choose will contain the following elements: 1 embedded video, the name of the band & song, 250 words relating the video to your life, & a minimum of 4 relevant hyperlinks for each song (1 of which must be the band's site & another of which must be a place to acquire the song legally).

The soundtrack itself will consist of 8 songs (no more no less) & each video must be engaged directly. By this, I mean that you need to take aspects of the video, whether they be visual or auditory (music or lyrics), & address how they speak to or for your life. To this extent, you will be utilizing the video as an entryway into your life. But, once you enter into that doorway, you are NOT to provide a straight narrative of some event that took place, but instead say something about who you are through an object, thing, idea, etc. I would HIGHLY recommend looking toward the essays we have read for class as examples of how to do this (e.g. Sanders' paragraphs on his hammer &/or level). Furthermore, the order of your videos MUST be chronological in nature, according to the part of your life it relates to.

The final draft of this project is DUE, Friday 14 December 2007 @ midnight. Rough drafts are due the week previous, beginning Monday 10 December 2007.

As a matter of example, here is a sample I wrote myself. Please use the EXACT formatting for your project that I have here:

Octopus Project, “Music is Happiness”: Between cuts of the band playing on what appears to a Saturday Night Fever dance floor, this Octopus Project video splices in clips of a gerbil scurrying through several different retro-video game worlds: Legend of Zelda, Berserker, & Asteroids just to name a few. The gerbil scenes present the viewer with an Atari aesthetic that anyone who grew up in the 80s can no doubt recognize. As a child, many of my weekend mornings were spent in front of the television set playing highly-pixilated arcade games on my family’s Atari 5200 gaming unit, &, a few years later, on an original Nintendo Entertainment System. A far cry from the life-like images today’s systems offer, these ancient games, at the time, were technological wonders that enabled my brothers, friends, & I to enter into fantastical worlds in which we could play the roles of a happy-go-lucky star fighter with a penchant for shooting robots with laser beams, a jungle adventurer attempting to save a distressed maiden (all the while leaping boulders & dodging arrows), or a chivalrous knight in search of golden coins & fire-breathing dragons; & this is to say nothing of classic games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or Frogger. By the look of the video, it would seem that the Octopus Project may have shared similar childhood experiences (Not to mention that the music itself sounds as if it could be used in one of these games). But thinking back, I wonder if my video-gaming compatriots & I were not a bit too mesmerized by these games, & perhaps, metaphorically spinning around on a toy wheel while other, more rewarding pursuits (outdoor games & reading) were passing us by.

UPDATE: 11.18.07

2007-11-18T16:14:00.000-06:00

From the U.S. Department of State website: "The America that greeted the first Europeans was, thus, far from an empty wilderness. It is now thought that as many people lived in the Western Hemisphere as in Western Europe at that time -- about 40 million. Estimates of the number of Native Americans living in what is now the United States at the onset of European colonization range from two to 18 million, with most historians tending toward the lower figure. What is certain is the devastating effect that European disease had on the indigenous population practically from the time of initial contact. Smallpox, in particular, ravaged whole communities."

Classes on Monday & Tuesday will be canceled. Take some time to think about where you & your family came from & where all those who were here before us have now gone before you dig into those turkeys.

Writing Assignment 1: Write 3 100 word comments to 3 different students in your class (3 total comments, NOT 3 comments to 3 students). After you post these comments, send me an email with live URLs linked up those comments. DUE: Wenesday, 21 November @ midnight. Since we will not be meeting for class on these days, you shouldn't have any problem getting the comments done.

UPDATE: 11.12.07 - 11.18.07

2007-11-11T12:38:00.000-06:00

SECTION 07: For Monday's class, read Atwan13.pdf; for Wednesday's class, read Atwan14.pdf; for Friday's class, read Atwan15.pdf. Furthermore, your Modeling Assignment for WP2 is DUE MONDAY in class. Please, turn in a hard-copy at the beginning of class. All PDF files can be found on Blackboard.

SECTION 09: For Tuesday's class, read Atwan13.pdf & Atwan14.pdf; for Thursday's class, read Atwan15.pdf. Furthermore, your Modeling Assignment for WP2 is DUE TUESDAY in class. Please, turn in a hard-copy at the beginning of class. All PDF files can be found on Blackboard.

Writing Assignment 1: For your first writing assignment of the week, you must choose your least favorite music video. After embedding the video into your post, write a 300 word response as to why you do not like it. Do not write a narrative of the video itself. Include 2 relevant hyperlinks. DUE: Wednesday, 14 November @ midnight.

If you happen to be a fan of Whitney Houston, Kevin Costner, or The Bodyguard, I will not apologize for crowning this "The Worst Video Ever." The movie was god-awful as well...although WH does look rather authentic weilding that samuri sword. She probably has had to break that thing out to defend herself against Bobby Brown in one of his drug-induced rages.

Writing Assignment 2: For your second writing assignment of the week, think back to the first music video you can remember ever seeing. After embedding the video into your post, write 300 words about the circumstances surrounding your first viewing. What are your impressions now, as opposed to then? Include 2 relevant hyperlinks. DUE: Sunday, 18 November @ midnight.

I remember seeing this Men Without Hats video on an episode of Captain Kangaroo growing up & thinking C.K. was totally cool. The quality is not all that great, but you get the general feel for what was considered trend-setting in 1982.

UPDATE: 11.05.07 - 11.11.07

2007-11-04T10:16:00.000-06:00

Section 07: For Monday & Wednesday's class, we will continue with peer-reviews. As a reminder, please revise your essays as needed--there is no sense in having the same document reviewed 4 times. In Friday's class, we will cover Atwan12.pdf. It can be found on Blackboard.

Section 09: For Tuesday's class, we will continue with peer-reviews. As a reminder, please revise your essays as needed--there is no sense in having the same document reviewed 4 times. The first half of Thusday's class will be dedicated to peer-reviews, & in the second half we will cover Atwan12.pdf. It can be found on Blackboard.

WP2: Argumentation & the Public Sphere is DUE FOR BOTH SECTIONS @ midnight on Sunday, November 11th.

Assignment 1: Write a 300 word post about your favorite music video. Within the post, you must include 2 relevant hyperlinks & the video clip itself. This post is DUE: Sunday, November 11th @ midnight.

This video has a kitten. Everybody loves kittens, so you know its good:

UPDATE: Sunday, 28 Oct 2007

2007-10-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

Section 07: On Monday the 29th, I will hold office hours during our regularly scheduled class time for 1-on-1 conferences. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone who has questions about the forthcoming assignment (rough draft due Wednesday) to stop by.

Section 09: On Tuesday the 30th, I will hold office hours during our regularly scheduled class time for 1-on-1 conferences. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone who has questions about the forthcoming assignment (rough draft due Thursday) to stop by.

Peer-Review Questions:

Does the essay begin with an introduction that grabs the audience’s attention? Or, to phrase this statement another way, were you as a reader captivated enough by the introduction that, even if you did not have to read this paper for class, you still would? If not, how could the introduction be improved? Provide specific examples.

Is the thesis a well-articulated, declarative statement that clearly states the purpose of the paper & defines the argument the writer will put forth? If not, how does the thesis fail? Is it purely a statement of fact? Is it a subjective opinion? Is it over-generalized? How could the statement be re-worded so as to make it more effective? What questions do still have about the essay after reading the thesis? How could the answers to these questions be incorporate into the thesis? Be specific.

Has the writer chosen a piece of visual or hybrid rhetoric (i.e. is the text something that can be seen, NOT just text)?

Does the analysis directly engage the images & words found in the primary text? Are there aspects of the primary text that are not dealt with? Should they be? Does the analysis “make sense?” Again, be specific.

Does the writer engage the rhetorical strategies (Read “Envsision2.pdf” page 31 for a list) employed by the primary text? Does the writer discuss how these strategies contribute to the overall argument? If so, are there strategies that are not discussed that are present in the primary text? If the writer does not discuss strategies, what suggestions can you, as reviewer, make?

Does the writer engage the rhetorical appeals (Read “Envision2.pdf” pages 33-49 for the three types of appeals & their uses) employed by the primary text? Does the writer discuss how these appeals contribute to the overall argument? If so, are there appeals that are not discussed that are present in the primary text? If the writer does not discuss appeals, what suggestions can you, as reviewer, make?

Has the writer incorporated secondary sources into the fabric of their essay? If so, is the source properly documented within the essay, as well as at the end in a works cited section? Check the MLA handbook to make sure both in-text & works cited citations are correct.

Suggest 52 places within the text where hyperlink links would be appropriate. It will be helpful to add hyperlinks to words that could provide some additional background information about the subject matter that is not present within the essay.

Outside of the primary text (visual/hybrid rhetoric chosen by the writer as their subject matter), make a suggestion for another multi-media element & where it should be located within the framework of the essay, not at the beginning or end.

Writing Project 2: Argumentation & the Public Sphere

2007-10-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

ROUGH DRAFT DUE: Section 07, W 31 Oct; Section 09, R 01 Nov.
FINAL DRAFT DUE: Both sections, Su 11 Nov.
MODELING PAPER DUE: Section 07, M 12 Nov; Section 09, T 13 Nov.

Writing Project 2: choose a visual or hybrid text that contains an argument (e.g. a political cartoon, television commercial, photograph, or work of art etc). Once you have your primary text selected, analyze the piece by paying close attention to the types of rhetorical strategies (page 31 in “Envision2.pdf”) & appeals (logos, pathos, & ethos) utilized. As such, you will want to ask yourself, & then answer, the following questions: “What is the argument of the text?” “In what ways is the argument structured?” “What types of claims are being made?” & “What design elements are employed to forward the argument?”

The rhetorical analysis requires substantial time and thought, so it’s best to find a text you find interesting or feel passionate about. If you know a topic/text well, you’ll have a sense of what arguments are being made about it, and you’ll likely be eager to undertake sustained analysis & brief research.

A rhetorical analysis looks at the way an argument works (NOT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ARGUMENT) and may evaluate its effectiveness. You might think of your analysis as an argument about and argument. Accordingly, rather than simply listing every rhetorical detail you see in the texts, you should focus on some specific thesis, or claim. After examining the arguments closely, generate a claim with supporting reasons that describe or assess the way the text works

If you’ve chosen arguments that interest you, readers will sense your enthusiasm and want to learn more. But remember that won’t necessarily be familiar with the text you’re analyzing. You’ll need to provide background information and enough examples—quotations and images—to show them how the argument works.

When you write a rhetorical analysis, it’s obviously important to study your chosen texts carefully to identify key patterns. It is also important to lay out for each text the basic facts of what is called the rhetorical situation: who is writing about what for which audience. Conduct research in the library or on the internet so that you can accurately identify the argument, where and when it appears, in what medium, and so on. You may need to provide a short paragraph of background information early in your paper to set the context for the argument.

How will you most effectively accomplish this assignment? Examine logical appeals by looking carefully at how well the claims made in a piece are stated, qualified, and supported. Be specific in identifying these appeals, quoting from verbal arguments and describing visual arguments. Examine the emotional appeals by identifying emotions and explain how they are generated. Evaluate their relevance to the claim offered. Again, be specific, quoting or describing the emotional details clearly enough for readers to understand them. Examine ethos and assess the credibility of the writer, artist, or sponsoring institution. Is the argument presented by someone you are moved to trust? Is the appeal honest? Explain why, using specific evidence from the argument you are analyzing.

These analyses will make up the body of your essay. You’ll also need to frame this discussion with an introduction, perhaps outlining your thesis and providing relevant background information, and a conclusion that comments on your focal point and answers the “So what?” question.

Check that the logistical elements of the paper work smoothly: If you’ve incorporated images, are they clear and readable? Have you documented any outside source materials? Does the structure and content of your analysis make sense—can readers move easily from idea to idea as you develop your analysis?

Minimum Criteria: a) 1200 words, b) 4 multi-media elements, c) 7-10 hyperlinks, & e) a works cited section at the end of your post if you utilize secondary sources.

REMEMBER: You will need to construct a clearly articulated thesis statement in your introduction that specifically addresses the argument you will be forwarding about the text you have chosen. Think of this an argument about an argument.

Rhetorical Appeals: How does the author of the text use images to work in conjunction with rhetorical appeals? For instance, does the image reinforce an appeal to reason? Is it designed to produce an emotional effect on the audience? Does the use of a certain style, such as black-&-white authority, contribute to the ethos of the text?

Strategy of Development: What strategy of development does the text rely upon? Narration? Definition? Comparison-contrast? Example & illustration? Classification & division? How do these strategies contribute to the ad’s persuasive appeal?

Finally, refer to your MLA handbook for proper integration of secondary source material.

UPDATE: The TBA Post

2007-10-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

The 2nd writing assignment of the week that was initially announced as TBA will once again be to select a issue concerning Lincoln or Nebraska. Once you have selected an issue, write a 300 word response that contains 2 relevant hyperlinks & 1 aesthetically pleasing & appropriate image or video. DUE: Sunday, October 21st @ midnight.

10.15.07 - 10.21.07

2007-10-14T15:22:00.000-05:00

Reading: Section 07, please read Envision3.pdf for Monday, Atwan10.pdf for Wednesday, & Atwan11.pdf for Friday. Section 09, please read Envision3.pdf & Atwan10.pdf for Tuesday & Atwan11.pdf for Thursday. As always, these files can be found on Blackboard.

Writing: Assignment 1: compose a 300 word free-write that includes 1 image/video & 2 relevant hyperlinks. DUE: Wednesday, 10.17.07 @ midnight. Assignnment 2: TBA. DUE: Sunday, 10.21.07 @ midnight.

10.08.07 - 10.14.07

2007-10-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

Project 1: Remember, you will need to bring the following items to the first day of class this week to receive full credit for Writing Project 1: all 4 peer reviews (4 points), your observational notes (3 points), & your reflection & cubing ntoes (3 points). NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Reading: Section 07, read Envision2.pdf for Monday, Atwan08.pdf for Wednesday & Atwan09.pdf for Friday. Section 09, read Envision2.pdf & Atwan08.pdf for Tuesday & Atwan09.pdf for Thursday. All the readings can be found on Blackboard.

Writing: For your first writing assignment of the week, you are to compose a 300 word free-write. The post should also contain 2 relevant hyperlinks & 1 image or video. DUE: Wednesday, October 10th @ midnight. Your second writing assignment is to compose a 300 word response to a local or state-wide issue. (If you don't know of any, I would suggest reading through the state & local section of the Lincoln or Omaha newspapers.) The post should contains 2 relevant hyperlinks & 1 image of video. DUE: Sunday, October 14th @ midnight.

Extra Credit Assignment

2007-09-27T20:21:00.000-05:00

For your second extra credit opportunity of the semester, you will be asked to attend the Erik Campbell reading on Tuesday, October 2nd @ 7:00PM in the Callen Conference Center in the Smith-Curtis Building of Nebraska Wesleyan University. Afterwards, you will write a 300 word response to the reading. Specifically, you must select a phrase or poem that you found meaningful or interesting & compose a reflection on why those words resonated with you. As such, you should be jotting down a few notes while he reads so as to better remember those aforementioned selections. This is not a narrative of the event. DUE: 10.09.07.

WP1: Peer-Review Form

2007-09-25T16:42:00.000-05:00

08) Are there any aspects of the essay that were difficult to understand?

09) What was the best aspect of this essay?

10) What aspect of this essay did you find least effective? Provide specific examples of how you would improve this aspect.

Update for the Week of 09.24.07 - 09.31.07

2007-09-22T17:49:00.001-05:00

There will be no reading or weekly writing assignments for this week. The first half of the week, we will discuss the guidelines for Writing Project 1 & participate in some invention exercises. The second half of the week, we will discuss proper peer-reviewing procedures. Your time outside of class will be dedicated to planning & writing your rough draft, which is DUE Monday, October 1st for Section 07 & Tuesday, October 2nd for Section 09. The project is worth 20 points, & they will be distributed as such: field notes for observation & interviews (3), cubing & purpose consideration notes for relfection (3), ACTIVE participation in peer-review sessions (4), & final draft (10). Guidelines for the Writing Project 1 are below.

PROJECT 1: Observation & Reflection

2007-09-22T17:39:00.000-05:00

Extra Credit Assignments 1 & 2

2007-09-19T17:34:00.000-05:00

EC 1: For your first extra credit opportunity of the semester, you will be asked to attend the Sawako Nakayasu reading on Thursday, September 2oth @ 7:00PM in the Callen Conference Center in the Smith-Curtis Building of Nebraska Wesleyan University. Afterwards, you will write a 300 word response to the reading. Specifically, you must select a phrase or poem that you found meaningful or interesting & compose a reflection on why those words resonated with you. As such, you should be jotting down a few notes while she reads so as to better remember those aforementioned selections. This is not a narrative of the event. DUE: 09.27.07.

EC 2: For your second extra credit opportunity of the semester, you will be asked to watch David Lynch's most recent cinematic release, Inland Empire. At some point during the movie, one character says to another "In the future you will be dreaming." Reflect upon this phrase within the context of the movie. What do you think the phrase means with regard to the scene? Additionally, how could you interepret this line with regard to your own life. A response about not understanding the phrase or movie will not suffice, nor will a plot synopsis or "explanation" found on the internet. DUE: 12.07.07

Video Interlude

2007-09-19T13:20:00.000-05:00

Here is a fellow whose Big, bright rainbows seem to have been inspired by Sister Bernadette's barking dog. I am as relieved as you that this is no longer a practice required of either one of us:

Reading, Writing, & Technology (III)

2007-09-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

Reading: For this week, please read Atwan06.pdf & Atwan07.pdf. Section 07, we will discuss 06 in Monday's class & 07 in Wednesday's class. Section 09, we will discuss 06 on Tuesday, as well as finish 05; the first half of Thursday's class will be dedicated to 07. As always, these files can be found on Blackboard.

Writing: You will have 2 writing assignments this week. Both are to be 300 words & contain 2 relevant hyperlinks. Assignment 1 is DUE Wednesday, September 19th @ midnight & Assignment 2 is DUE Sunday, September 23rd @ midnight. The specific guidelines are as follows:

Assignment 1: For your first major writing project (due on Friday, October 5th), you will be writing an observational & reflective essay on a place, person, or event related to Lincoln, NE. Your subject matter must be from the public sphere (i.e. you cannot write on a family member, etc.) & will require some first-hand observations. As such, for this week's initial writing assignment you will be asked to choose a subject & write an observation about it. What do you see, hear, or smell; if it pertains to your choice, what do you taste or feel (as in tactile sensations, not emotions)? You are not required to stay with the subject matter you select for this assignment, but it will be quite beneficial for project if you do. In addition to the aforementioned guidelines, you must also incorporate 1 image into your post in an aesthetically appealing & contextually relevant way.

Assignment 2: One advantage writing in a digital medium has over traditional, paper-based writing is the former's ability to utilize moving images & streaming video (&, as the following video demonstrates, become essays or arguments unto themselves):

So, for your second writing assignment, you will be require to embed a video into your post. The video you choose must have something to do with either the state of Nebraska, the city of Lincoln, or Lincoln the former president of the United States. For this assignment, you must write reflectively on your video. Therefore, you do not want to write narratively about what you viewed, but on what the video made you think, how it made you feel, & what the consequences of these thoughts & feelings are.

Technology: Obviously, to accomplish the previous assignment, you will need to know how to embed videos into your post. Section 07, in Friday's class we will discuss how to do this; section 09, the second half of Thursday's class will cover this material, as well as trouble-shooting problems that arose with image incorporation & photobucket accounts from last week.

Reading, Writing, & Technology (II)

2007-09-09T07:55:00.000-05:00

Reading: For this week's classes, please read Atwan05.pdf & Atwan06.pdf. As always, these files are located on Blackboard.

Writing: You will have 2 writing assignments this week. One will be due Wednesday night & the other will be due Sunday night. They are as follows:

Assignment 1: Select a local or state story from the Star Journal website or the Omaha World Herald website. The story cannot be a national, world, or sports story. After reading the article, write a 300 word response that incorporates 2 relevant hyperlinks. DUE: Wednesday, September 12th @ midnight.

Assignment 2: Select a structure or site somewhere in Lincoln that is not located on the Wesleyan campus. Go to the location so that you may observe & reflect upon your choice first-hand. Perhaps, you may want to select a prominent building such as the state capitol or Cornhusker stadium; just as well, you may choose a place not as conspicuous (i.e. Midwest Steel Works, see image). You will be required to write 300 words, as well as incorporate 2 relevant hyperlinks & an image. To this extent you must choose a) a site that has images you can find on-line or b) have access to a camera that takes digital photgraphs. DUE: Sunday, September 16th @ midnight.

Technology: Each of you will be require to start a Photobucket account where you will store the images you incorporate into your posts. Section 07, we will do this in Friday's class. Section 09, since you do not have class on Thursday, you will be asked to do this on your own. The steps a quite basic & shouldn't be too much trouble, but I would recommend you attempt to do this earlier in the week. If you try to set one up Sunday night when your second post is due & are unable to do so, this will not be an adequate excuse for not having the assignment. To start, go to the above link & click the red "Join Now" button. You will need to enter an email account (I highly suggest using the same one you have attached to your blogger account) & a password. From there, it is just a matter of navigating through a few basic start-up screens.

Reading, Writing, & Technology

2007-09-03T12:36:00.001-05:00

You will be required to complete 3 assignments this week. They are as follows:

Reading: Please read Atwan04.pdf, which can be found on Blackboard. Also you need to read the articles located at the following hyperlinks:

What is a hyperlink?
What is an HTML element?
Article on what makes a good hyperlink: 1
Article on what makes a good hyperlink: 2

The Atwan & the hyperlink readings will need to be read for Thursday (Section 09) & Friday (Section 07). Don't freak out if some of the information seems a bit technical. I just want you to get an understanding of what is behind the words you are typing & linking. You are not expected to be a computer whiz for this class. If you are, great, but it is not necessary. Also, remember that you are to have Atwan02.pdf & Atwan03.pdf read for Tuesday (Section 09) & Wednesday (Section 07).

Writing: For your first writing assignment this week, you will need to go to one of the following places & write a 300 word response about your visit & incorporate 2 relevant hyperlinks into your post, per our discuss this Thursday/Friday (The aforemetioned sites on hyperlinks should also provide you with information on this topic). You may choose from: the Tugboat Gallery located here, the Telephone Museum located here, the first Clean Part Reading Series of the semester which will take place here, or the National Museum of Roller Skating which is located here. If you know of another museum, reading series, or art gallery that you would like to visit or attend, please discuss your idea with me first. Also, be aware that several of these locations have limited times & openings so plan accordingly. This assignment is DUE: Sunday, 09.09.07 @ midnight.

Technology: In lieu of writing another post this week, your second assignment will be to add relevant links to the side bar of your blog. For the first part of this assignment, you are required to add links for the Library, the Writing Center, Syllabus, & Blackboard to your "Important Sites" section (this is the area that already contains a link to this page). The final segment of this assignment asks you to add the names of all the students in your section, as well as a corresponding hyperlink to their blog, to the "Students" section we added to our pages in last Friday's class. To receive full credit for this assignment, you must insert all links into your page & have them working properly (i.e. no broken links). This assignment is DUE: Wednesday, 09.05.07 @ midnight.

Quick Note:

2007-08-30T13:54:00.001-05:00

Atwan03.pdf is up on Blackboard. Check the post immediately below for the homework & reading assignments.

Update: 08.30.07

2007-08-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Writing Assignment 1 (Sections 07 & 09): After reading Atwan02.pdf, select one of the quotations that you found compelling, interesting, or relevant; you may also choose a quotation that you disagree with or believe to be misinformed. Once you make your choice, transcribe a particularly salient portion of the quote & designate the author. Proceed to write a 300 word response (The transcribed quotation does NOT count towards your word count). Title your post: "Post I: Discourse Surrounding the Essay." As such, your first post will look something like the following:

"A certain defensiveness now surrounds the notion of the essay. & many of the best essayists today are quick to declare that their best work lies elsewhere: in writing that is more 'creative' (fiction, poetry) or more exacting (scholarship, theory, philosophy)."

-Susan Sontag in "The Essayist's Defensiveness."

Although Sontag's claim about the essayist defensive posture may hold credence, her parallel argument that writer's of poetry & fiction are models of confidence may not be exactly true. In the cultural landscape of contemporary America, much of what is considered literary, whether essay, fiction, or poetry, has been marginalized to the extent that any of these creators have become trepidacious about assigning their respective genre to the object of their "to be," as in "I am a..." & then you would continue on until you reach the 300 word mark.

DUE: Monday, 09.03.07 @ midnight.

Reading Assignment (Section 09): Please have Atwan02 & 03 read for Tuesday's class.
Reading Assignment (Section 07): Please have Atwan02 & 03 read for Wednesday's class.

Reading Assignment

2007-08-29T13:32:00.000-05:00

Both sections: Please read Atwan02.pdf on Blackboard. Your first writing assignment, which will be assign in class Thursday/Friday, will be based on this selection.

As a reminder, Section 09 will meet in the computer classroom in the library for the second half of Thursday's class & Section 07 will meet in the library on Friday. We will be creating our individual blogs during this period & I will guide you through the process step-by-step.

Blackboard Files Update

2007-08-28T14:27:00.000-05:00

Due to some sizing errors, I re-posted both of the Atwan files (o1 & 02) on Blackboard. Hopefully, this will enable you all to read these documents with less eye-strain/headaches/annoyance. I apologize for anyone who waded through the material already with a tiny periscope & large oars.

First Assignment

2007-08-25T14:49:00.000-05:00

Please read Knepler01 & Atwan01. Both these articles can be found on Blackboard. Utilize the critical reading strategies found in Knepler on both pieces.

Welcome to NWU

2007-08-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

********************************************************************
Fall Semester 2007
Section 07 (MWF: 2:00pm-2:50pm) & Section 09 (TR: 8:30am-9:45am)
Instructor: Joshua A Ware
Email:jware@nebrwesleyan.edu
Phone: (402)476-7730
URL: http://www.eng001.blogspot.com/
Office: 110 Old Main Hours: M 2:50P-3:50P, T 9:45A-10:45A
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Course Description:
ENG 001 is a course designed to help students write with clarity, confidence, & conviction by incorporating both regular practice in writing (argument & exposition, writing as discovery, & personal exploration) & study of language & its social roles.

Course Outcomes:
By the end of first-year composition, students should be fluent in the following areas by demonstrating an understanding & competency of each area’s sub-points.

Rhetorical Knowledge:
-Focus their writing on specific purposes;
-Respond to the needs of different audiences;
-Respond appropriately to a variety of rhetorical situations;
-Use conventions of format, structure & tone appropriate to particular writing tasks;
-Consider how genres shape reading & writing.

Critical Thinking, Reading, & Writing:
-Use writing & reading for inquiry, learning, thinking & communicating;
-Consider how what they bring to a text guides their interpretation of that text;
-Understand a writing assignment as a series of recursive tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing & synthesizing appropriate primary & secondary sources;
-Integrate their own ideas with those of others (“enter into conversations” about various issues);
-Consider the relationship among languages, knowledge & power in their fields.

Process:
-Recognize that it usually takes multiple drafts to create a successful text;
-Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing & proofreading;
-Understand writing as an open process that permits writers to use later invention & re-thinking to revise their work;
-Understand the collaborative & social aspects of writing processes, learning to critique their own & others’ work;
-Learn to balance the advantages of relying on others with the responsibilities of contributing their input & working on their own;
-Use appropriate technologies to do research & communicate ideas.

Knowledge of Conventions:
-Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure & paragraphing to tone & mechanics;
-Practice appropriate means of documenting their work;
-Thinking strategically about such surface features as syntax, usage, punctuation & spelling in the context of their own & others’ work;
-Understand the holistic nature of “good” writing (i.e. that surface correctness alone does not make writing “good”).

Texts & Supplies:
Most of your reading material will be found on Blackboard in the form of PDFs. These files are to be downloaded, read & brought to class as required. Additionally, the following text will be available in the bookstore:

[I will provide a MLA-formatted reference for the Key for Writers handbook soon].

Each of you, as Nebraska Wesleyan University students is required to own this text. Please, purchase it as such.

Assignment Descriptions:
You will be required to invent, draft, & revise 3 major assignments. Each major assignment must be completed in full, or you will receive an F in the course. In addition to your major assignments, you will write weekly posts & complete an in-class journal. Below are the specific assignments & the respective points attributed to each.

-Project 1: The Attentive Mind: Observation, Reflection, Insight. (20)
DUE: 10.05.
-Project 2: The Public Sphere: Advocacy, Argument, Controversy. (20)
DUE: 11.09.
-Project 3: The Personal Voice: Identity, Diversity, Self-Discovery. (20)
DUE: 12.15.
-Weekly Blog Post. (20) DUE: Assigned & Graded Weekly.
-In-class Journal. (20) DUE: Assigned Weekly.
DUE: 12.06 & 12.07.

I will provide specific guidelines for each assignment a few weeks before they are due. All information regarding these assignments will be discussed in class & will be subsequently posted on Blackboard; you can expect them to be roughly 5-6 pages in length.

Grading Scale:
A = 100-94 A- = 93-90 B+ = 89-88 B = 87-84 B- = 83-80 C+ = 79-78
C = 77-74 C- = 73-70 D+ = 69-68 D = 67-64 D- = 63-60 F = 59-0

Incomplete Grades:
An “I” (Incomplete) is given for work left incomplete for reasons that the instructor & department chair consider valid. Students are eligible for an incomplete grade only if they have already completed 75% of the course work. The percentage of completion is determined by the instructor. A student requests an incomplete grade from the instructor.

If the instructor & department approve the request, the student must fill out an Incomplete Agreement form (available from the Registrar’s Office) with the instructor & department chair. The work for an Incomplete must be finished within the time allotted by the instructor (maximum of one year from the close of the term in which the student is enrolled*). The instructor stipulates what the final grade will become if the work is not completed.

If the work is completed in time, the instructor determines the final grade according to the quality of the student’s performance. If the work is not completed, the Registrar assigns the grade stipulated on the Incomplete Agreement form.

A Permanent Incomplete is allowed only in cases resulting from a catastrophic event in the life of a student, such as an incapacitating illness or other problems beyond the control of the student, which prevents the student from completing the work. In such cases, the student, his or her proxy, or the instructor can petition the Executive Committee (or Dean of University College for University College students) for a Permanent Incomplete.

Attendance:
Regular class attendance is expected of all students. Specific requirements vary. Each instructor provides a written statement of his or her attendance policy to each class during the first week of the term. A copy of the statement is also available for examination in the Academic Affairs Office. Members of Section 07 may miss 9 classes & members of Section 09 may miss 6 classes with no effect to their grade. Once you miss more than the allotted amount, you will receive an F for the course.

Students who are unable to attend the first meeting of a class or laboratory for which they are registered should notify the instructor or department chair prior to the first meeting of the class or laboratory. If a notification of the student’s intent is not received, the instructor, at his or her discretion, may cancel the student’s registration. Students who do not plan to attend a course or laboratory for which they are registered must officially drop the course before the drop deadline.

Students who plan to discontinue a course after the drop deadline must officially withdraw from the course before the withdrawal deadline.

In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, faculty members keep attendance records & may report absences deemed excessive to the Student Life Office whenever counseling seems desirable. Each instructor may enforce attendance policies independently.

Students must take responsibility to be in touch with faculty regarding their anticipated absences for curricular & co-curricular activities & to make arrangements to make up work as expected. Students who anticipate absences because of curricular or co-curricular activities should make every effort to avoid other absences from classes. Guidelines regarding student absences for curricular & co-curricular activities are provided in the Student Handbook. For more information about these guidelines, contact the Academic Affairs Office or the Student Life Office.

Academic Ethics & Plagiarism:
The Code of Student Conduct states that students found to have engaged in academic dishonesty, which encompasses such activities as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, misrepresentation, & bribery, are subject to disciplinary sanctions. (See Article V of the Code of Student Conduct for a comprehensive listing of misconduct that is subject to disciplinary sanctions, as well as relevant terms and definitions.)

Faculty members have full authority in determining the action to be taken in cases of academic dishonesty. In addition to implementing the statements of the course syllabus addressing academic dishonesty, faculty may file a Report of Academic Dishonesty, or file a complaint with the University Judiciary. If a Report of Academic Dishonesty is filed, a first report on a student prompts no further action. However, if a second report for a student is filed, a formal complaint is submitted against the student with the University Judiciary. Any report after a second will launch another complaint. Complaints submitted to University Judiciary prompt a formal judicial investigation.

Students should contact the Academic Affairs Office, Student Life Office, or Registrar’s Office for more information.

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s distinctive ideas or words without acknowledgement. The incorporation of another person’s work into one’s own requires appropriate identification and acknowledgement, regardless of the means of appropriation. The following are considered to be forms of plagiarism when the sources are not noted:

-Word-for-word copying of another person’s ideas or words;
-The mosaic (the interspersing of one’s own words here and there while, in essence, copying another’s work);
-The paraphrase (the rewriting of another’s work, yet still using their fundamental idea or theory);
-Fabrication (inventing or counterfeiting sources);
-Submission of another’s work as one’s own;
-Neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged.

Acknowledgement is not necessary when the material used is common knowledge.

Code of Conduct:
All members of the course must commit to creating a place of study where everyone is treated with respect & courtesy. Everyone must share in the commitment to protect the integrity, rights, & personal safety of each member of the physical & virtual class community. This includes helpful, yet courteous, discussion of individual and group writing projects. Additionally, make sure all cell phones, pagers & similar electronic instruments are turned off when in class. These devices are not conducive to a learning environment & will be treated as such.

Students with Disabilities:
Federal law requires that Nebraska Wesleyan University make reasonable accommodations to ensure that persons with disabilities will have equal access to all educational programs, activities & services. Therefore, Nebraska Wesleyan University, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, & with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), recognizes the University’s obligation to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.

A “reasonable accommodation” is defined as any change in an environment or in the way things are customarily done that (1) enables an individual with a disability to enjoy equal opportunities; & (2) does not fundamentally alter the nature of the activity, service, or program.

A “disabled” person is defined as one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially affects one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment.

To facilitate plans for any reasonable accommodations, students with disabilities must identify & document their needs following their admission to Nebraska Wesleyan University. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the University of his/her disability, to document the disability & to request accommodation.

Students should contact the Academic Affairs Office for further information.