Here's where we stand:
1. Anyone who didn't attend tonight's information literacy session at the library needs to talk to me (in person or via e-mail or phone) about making that up.
2. Anyone who attended the session at the library but didn't find his or her way back to the classroom afterward will be marked as absent. It is clearly stated on the course syllabus and I have repeated in class that missing more than one class session will negatively affect your course grade.
3. Anyone who has not yet turned in Essay #1, which was due tonight, must do so ASAP. I will not accept any late papers after next Wednesday. You may e-mail me papers, but I would prefer to get them in hard-copy form in my mailbox in C-209.
4. The readings due for next week are the short story "Neon Tetra" by Eric Puchner, which I handed out in class tonight, and two poems: "A Bird at the Leather Mill" by Joshua Mehigan and "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins. (click the links to read the poems online). I did not have the "Literary Analyses" handout available in class tonight, so I'll distribute that next week and it will be due the following Wednesday, March 11.
5. March 11 is also the date of the mid-term test.
6. I have a suprise writing exercise in store for next week (March 4), so be sure to bring a pen and paper. See you then.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
An update
Several students called me last night to say they wouldn't be able to come to class because of the weather, but we carried on with only half the group in attendance.
In order to keep us all on the same page as far as the assigned readings, I decided to postpone the reading listed on the syllabus for next week. I will hand out the Debra Dickeron essay "Racist Like Me" next week, and I've decided to eliminate the Wendell Berry piece altogether.
This means the only thing you need to be concerned about for next week's class (Feb. 25) is Essay #1. I've pasted the instructions below for anyone who might have misplaced them.
Reminder: We will start next week's class at the library instead of the regular classroom.
Instructions for Essay #1
Choose one of the following options. Your essay should be 2 to 3 typed, double-spaced pages long. The pages should be stapled together. At the top of your first page, include your name, my name, the course title (EN103) and the date you’re turning it in. The essay will be due in class Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Option A: Preaching vs. Teaching
In his essay “Conspiracy Theories 101,” Stanley Fish argues that the principles of academic freedom do not grant teachers the right to try to convince students to adopt their personal opinions and beliefs. Do you agree, or disagree? Write an essay either supporting or disputing Fish’s general thesis, using at least one specific example of a topic on which a professor should or should not, in your opinion, discuss his personal beliefs with students.
You are welcome (but not required) to discuss the ideas brought up by Lewis Lapham in his essay “Time Lines” or Clive Thompson in “Manufacturing Confusion” if you feel they are relevant to Fish’s argument or to yours.
Option B: The Same Old Story
In his essay “Time Lines,” Lewis Lapham acknowledges that teaching history as a series of stories (or narratives) is problematic, but it is better than not teaching history at all –- or teaching it in such a way that students won’t find it interesting and therefore valuable. Do you agree or disagree? Write an essay either supporting or disputing Lapham’s position on this matter, using at least one specific example of a historical event, development or subject that either should or should not be taught in the form of narrative(s).
You are welcome (but not required) to discuss the ideas brought up by Lewis Lapham in his essay “Time Lines” or Clive Thompson in “Manufacturing Confusion” if you feel they are relevant to Fish’s argument or to yours.
In order to keep us all on the same page as far as the assigned readings, I decided to postpone the reading listed on the syllabus for next week. I will hand out the Debra Dickeron essay "Racist Like Me" next week, and I've decided to eliminate the Wendell Berry piece altogether.
This means the only thing you need to be concerned about for next week's class (Feb. 25) is Essay #1. I've pasted the instructions below for anyone who might have misplaced them.
Reminder: We will start next week's class at the library instead of the regular classroom.
Instructions for Essay #1
Choose one of the following options. Your essay should be 2 to 3 typed, double-spaced pages long. The pages should be stapled together. At the top of your first page, include your name, my name, the course title (EN103) and the date you’re turning it in. The essay will be due in class Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Option A: Preaching vs. Teaching
In his essay “Conspiracy Theories 101,” Stanley Fish argues that the principles of academic freedom do not grant teachers the right to try to convince students to adopt their personal opinions and beliefs. Do you agree, or disagree? Write an essay either supporting or disputing Fish’s general thesis, using at least one specific example of a topic on which a professor should or should not, in your opinion, discuss his personal beliefs with students.
You are welcome (but not required) to discuss the ideas brought up by Lewis Lapham in his essay “Time Lines” or Clive Thompson in “Manufacturing Confusion” if you feel they are relevant to Fish’s argument or to yours.
Option B: The Same Old Story
In his essay “Time Lines,” Lewis Lapham acknowledges that teaching history as a series of stories (or narratives) is problematic, but it is better than not teaching history at all –- or teaching it in such a way that students won’t find it interesting and therefore valuable. Do you agree or disagree? Write an essay either supporting or disputing Lapham’s position on this matter, using at least one specific example of a historical event, development or subject that either should or should not be taught in the form of narrative(s).
You are welcome (but not required) to discuss the ideas brought up by Lewis Lapham in his essay “Time Lines” or Clive Thompson in “Manufacturing Confusion” if you feel they are relevant to Fish’s argument or to yours.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
In class tonight ...
Here's the plan for tonight's class (Feb. 18, 2009):
We'll talk briefly about grammar and style, specifically "Deadly Sin #3." We'll recap last week's discussion of commas and semi-colons if necessary.
We'll talk about several of the assigned readings, so make sure you're up to date according to the course syllabus.
Reminder: Next week, Feb. 25, the class will meet at the library at 6 p.m. for a mandatory information literacy program. When that is over, we will reconvene at the class room, where I will collect your first essay assignment.
We'll talk briefly about grammar and style, specifically "Deadly Sin #3." We'll recap last week's discussion of commas and semi-colons if necessary.
We'll talk about several of the assigned readings, so make sure you're up to date according to the course syllabus.
Reminder: Next week, Feb. 25, the class will meet at the library at 6 p.m. for a mandatory information literacy program. When that is over, we will reconvene at the class room, where I will collect your first essay assignment.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Welcome to the course!
If you're reading this, you're probably one of the students in my Spring 2009 section of English I (EN103X) at FMCC.
In case you're entering the course late or you've forgotten, here's what's happening next Wednesday, Feb. 11:
1. We'll talk a bit more about "Turkey Day in the Clink" and your responses to that article. If you need a refresher, the text is available online here.
2. We'll talk about the three assigned readings. Click for links to online versions of two of them: "Manufacturing Confusion," "Conspiracy Theories 101" and "Time Lines."
If you need a copy of the course syllabus, let me know in class next week or e-mail me at bill.ackerbauer@fmcc.suny.edu. Or you can download a fresh copy here.
See you Wednesday.
In case you're entering the course late or you've forgotten, here's what's happening next Wednesday, Feb. 11:
1. We'll talk a bit more about "Turkey Day in the Clink" and your responses to that article. If you need a refresher, the text is available online here.
2. We'll talk about the three assigned readings. Click for links to online versions of two of them: "Manufacturing Confusion," "Conspiracy Theories 101" and "Time Lines."
If you need a copy of the course syllabus, let me know in class next week or e-mail me at bill.ackerbauer@fmcc.suny.edu. Or you can download a fresh copy here.
See you Wednesday.
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