Semester Schedule (Subject to Revision)
Week 1:
| Unit: Audience Awareness | The next three to four weeks, we will be looking at different advertisements and different texts. Think about what is being advertised or what the text is intended for. Please bring in examples of texts such as different magazines, web links to www.youtube.com or the Wall Street Journal, lyrics and we will work together to identify the audience and talk about why this is the intended demographic. |
| Writing Issue | We will be examining audience awareness of Twenge’s GenMe. Before we begin reading GenMe, who do you assume the audience will be and why? Let’s examine the front cover. If we remove the text, what does the image suggest? |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| Writing for Other Media | 38 – 40 |
| A Writer’s Choices | 12 – 14 |
| Thinking Critically About Visuals | 26 – 28 |
January 18, 2011
Discussion of the syllabus, email etiquette and class blog.
Introduce the first paper.
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | Introduction Focused questions for the reading: Think about what Twenge has to say about GenMe. In what ways is she accurate? Wrong? Think about your generation, what evidence can you find that either disrupts or furthers her findings? | 1 - 15 |
Assignment: Create an account with Blogger. Before Thursday, email me the link to your blog. My email address is amichelechastain@yahoo.com (which can also be found on the syllabus).
Writing Assignment: Construct a writerly biography. Who are you? Where do you come from? What have been your experiences with reading and writing? What do your classmates and I need to know about you as a reader and writer? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a reader and writer? How do these practices intimidate or excite you? (This assignment should be posted to your blog.)
January 20, 2011
| Unit: Audience Awareness | Examine ads that are saved to the O/P drive. We will examine how advertisements objectify male and female counterparts. Begin thinking about advertisements that you would like to use for the first paper. |
| Writing Issue | After reading the intro of GenMe, how has (or has not) your assumption of the target audience changed? |
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | “You Don’t Need Their Approval: The Decline of Social Rules” Focused questions for the reading: Examine the images that Twenge includes in this section. What has changed? What hasn’t? In what ways has societal expectations of male and female counterparts changed? In what ways has it not changed? | 17 - 43 |
Writing Assignment: The project proposal for the first paper is due. For this assignment, you will email me the project proposal, so that I can respond immediately. This project will need to be written in memo format. I have provided a template below listed with categories that will be included in your project proposal.
TO Ms. Chastain
FROM John Smith
SUBJECT Project Proposal, Objectification of Single, Young African American Women
** Include the advertisement that you have chosen for the first paper. This will need to be included in the project proposal as a link (e.g. if there is not a link available, make an additional copy and turn it in ON CLASS TIME).
Categories that need to be listed and discussed in your project proposal:
Why have you chosen this advertisement?
What is being sold?
Who is responsible for the produce (e.g. Nautica, PETA, etc.)
What do you see going on in the advertisement?
How does the advertisement objectify one or two participants?
Who is the target demographic? Briefly, explain to me how and why you feel this advertisement is targeting this demographic?
What is the message this advertisement sends to the target demographic (e.g. in terms of objectification)?
What problems may arise when writing this paper? What questions do you have?
Week 2
| Writing Issue | With a peer, brainstorm what you think you may find in an intro paragraph. Put yourself in the audience’s shoes for a second – after all, we have all been there. What would you expect to read about in the first paragraph? What should the intro paragraph do? After reading the intro, what details suggest what GenMe will be about? What does Twenge discuss in the intro that you believe she will revisit in later sections of the book? |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| Exploring a Topic | 17 – 18 |
| Planning and Drafting | 19 – 20 |
| Developing Paragraphs | 20 – 22 |
January 25, 2011
Project proposals are due
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | “An Army of One: Me” Look at the list that Twenge includes on page 51, “The Self Across the Generations,” would you conclude that this is an accurate list. Talk to your parents and grandparents. What differences do they find in their generation and GenMe? | 44 – 71 |
Writing Assignment: To the blog, post a journal entry. You have three options that you can write about.
1) Tell us about the ad you have chosen. Spend some time describing the ad in detail. How does it objectify a male or female? Next briefly identify the intended audience. Go further than identifying young, white women. Use the example that I have provided you with for the writing assignment for the first essay. Discuss how and why that ad targets this audience. Use supporting details from the ad to support your claim.
2) Revisit our conversation about audience awareness and Twenge’s GenMe. Based on your first held assumption looking only at the cover, ignore the text, who would you identify as the target audience and why? After reading the first three sections of GenMe, how has or has not your first assumptions changed? Draw supporting evidence from either the cover and/or details from the book to support your argument.
3) This should be written in regard to this week’s reading (e.g. “You Don’t Need Their Approval: The Decline of Social Rules” and/or “An Army of One”). Write about something you found interesting. I want to hear what you have to say in response to the reading. Analyze it. Remember to write about one theme you found interesting or shocking in this week’s reading in regard to your life. There should be an even balance between the author’s ideas and your own. I have provided an example of what I expect to read written below.
Jean M. Twenge, author of Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before, writes that long ago in the 40s, 50s and 60s, young Americans were seen as outsiders if they did not comply with society’s rules. For instance, if I were 25 years old and unmarried during the 50s, I would not be accepted in that time. The expected role that women played at this time was the role of a wife and mother. After high school graduation, young women got married and for the few who did pursue higher education, the expected thing to do upon college graduation was to get married. Twenge writes, “Male or female, you were considered strange if you did not marry by age 25 and even stranger if you married outside your race or religion. It was expected that you would have children—it was not considered a choice. Your race and sex dictated your fate and behavior” (19). Decades later, Twenge writes that this has changed. No longer does our “race and sex dictate” our “fate and behavior” (Twenge, 19). Young Americans now follow their own dreams.
I don’t necessarily agree with Twenge’s opinion about GenMe. While I certainly understand societal expectations of the time (especially those toward women), I would argue that not much has changed in our generation. I am a 25-year-old young woman living in a predominantly conservative region in the Midwest. I come from a conservative family. Time and time again, my paternal grandparents have asked me, “When are you getting married?” When I held my niece for the first time, my grandmother said to me, “You know you aren’t getting any younger.” While I want children one day, my grandparents feel that this is the age I should be having children, but not while I remain unwed. My brother had a child out of wedlock and while he is engaged, he is still unmarried. A year later, my grandmother always ask, “Do you have a wedding date set?” While they respect my desire to receive higher education, I don’t think that they realize how important it is to me. Because of societal expectations in my grandparents’ day, I understand that not many women in my grandmother’s day did not earn master’s degrees or PhDs; this was considered a male’s role.
As a woman, I believe that it is more difficult not to buy into societal expectations. It is 2011, not 1950, and while many of us young females are pursuing education, prolonging marriage and the decision to have children, society is still pressuring us to conform to age-old expectations. Twenge writes, “It’s OK to be different, and you should do what’s right for you” (19). I absolutely agree; however, I know from firsthand experience that it is difficult. Because of the family I was born into, a traditional conservative family, I continue to question myself and what I am doing. Someday, I want to have children, but at the back of my mind, I feel that each day, this won’t happen. The sad truth is I am getting old, but like Twenge says, “It’s OK to be different…” (19). While, she does admit that few of the rules that once were in place in the 50s do apply, I would suggest that it is still difficult for women not to give into societal expectations. These expectations still exist and it will take many years to work against these expectations.
January 27, 2011
| Writing Issue | With a peer, discuss what a claim should do. Like you did the day before, place yourself in the audience’s shoes, what would you expect to read in the claim? Let’s revisit the intro, what would the claim be for this book? What ideas come to mind? With a peer, outline key ideas or phrases that you believe supports the claim? |
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | “You Can Be Anything You Want to Be”. Focused questions about the reading: Think closely about the title of this section, “You Can Be Anything That You Want to Be.” What does Twenge have to say about it? Based on your experiences, how does this disrupt or further her argument? | 72 – 103 |
Writing Assignment: Prepare the rough draft for peer critique.
Week 3
| Writing Issue | Examine the sentences that Twenge uses to begin, also known as topic sentences. How does this set the tone for the paragraph? What idea do you think this paragraph will be about and why? With a peer, even after you have read this section, choose one paragraph to revisit. Read only the topic sentence. Write down or talk with your peer about what this paragraph will be about. Next read the remainder of the paragraph. Were your assumptions correct? Why? |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| 2f) Reviewing, Revising and Editing | 22 – 23 |
| 2d) Find It. Fix It. | 1 – 10 |
| 30) Language That Builds Common Ground | 145 – 147 |
February 1, 2011
Rough drafts are due for peer critique
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | “The Age of Anxiety (and Depression, and Loneliness): Generation Stressed” Focused questions for the reading: Look at the visual images that Twenge includes in this section. Why does she include them? What value do they add to her argument? | 104 - 136 |
February 3, 2011
| Writing Issue | Let’s continue the exercise we began on Tuesday. Instead of looking closely only at the topic sentence, let’s look at the structure of the paragraph. Look at the same paragraph you looked at on Tuesday. Outline the supporting details that Twenge uses in this paragraph. How do these supporting details support the topic sentence or does it not? Why? Look specifically at the supporting paragraph. Does Twenge provide an example? Support from another person or study? If so, what value does this add to her argument? |
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | “Yeah, Right: The Belief That There’s No Point in Trying” Focused questions about the reading: Based on our discussion of ethos, pathos and logos, what appeals does Twenge employ in “Yeah, Right: The Belief That There’s No Point In Trying?” in her book? How and which appeal furthers her argument more? | 137 - 158 |
Writing Assignment: Prepare the final draft for critique.
Week 4:
| Unit: Ethos, Pathos and Logos | The next three to four weeks, we will be looking at different texts. Bring in something that you are interested in analyzing. We will talk about how ethos, pathos and/or logos is employed in the text. |
| Writing Issue | What appeals does Twenge employ in GenMe? How does she establish her ethos? What emotional response does she wish to illicit? What logical appeals does she employ? How are these appeals used effectively (or not effectively)? Think of these appeals in terms of a persuasive argument. |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| 2i) Reflecting | 23 – 24 |
| 3c) Identifying Basic Appeals in an Argument | 28 – 33 |
February 8, 2011
Final drafts are due for critique
Introduce the second paper
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | “Sex: Generation Prude Meets Generation Crude” Focused questions about the reading: What has changed from Generation Prude as opposed to Generation Crude? What differences do you see in GenMe? What language does GenMe employ to reference having sex? How do societal double standards affect men and women differently? | 159 - 179 |
Writing Assignment: To the blog, post a journal entry. You have two options for what you can write about.
1) Analyze the author’s ethos, pathos or logos. For instance, how has or has not Twenge’s ethos been established with you as the audience. Whichever three you choose to write about, use support from Twenge’s argument.
2) Use this space to develop some of your ideas for your second essay. For instance, if you are interested in examining pathos in the January issue of Cosmopolitan’s cover, list the highlighted issues. Who is on the cover? How is he or she packaged? What do the colors of the magazine suggest? What about the font choice? Next identify the audience. Based on the person featured on the magazine and the highlighted issues, who would read Cosmo? How and why did you reach this target audience? Analyze the pathos that Cosmo employs. Ask yourself and answer what is the emotional response they are attempting to illicit and why?
February 10, 2011
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | “The Equality Revolution: Minorities, Women and Gays and Lesbians” Focused questions for the reading: What has changed in the way of Minorities, Women, and Gays and Lesbians? Who is the minority? How do these communities, once considered marginalized voices (e.g. and today, in some communities, they still are), find their voice? | 180 - 211 |
Writing Assignment: The project proposal for the second paper is due. For this assignment, you will email me the project proposal, so that I can respond immediately. This project will need to be written in memo format. I have provided a template below listed with categories that should be included in your project proposal.
TO Ms. Chastain
FROM John Smith
SUBJECT Project Proposal, Analyzing Pathos in Cosmopolitan’s January Issue
** Include the text that you have chosen for the second paper. This will need to be included in the project proposal as a link (e.g. if there is not a link available, make an additional copy and turn it in ON CLASS TIME).
Categories that need to be listed and discussed in your project proposal:
Why and what text have you chosen?
What interests you about this text?
How does this text employ pathos (e.g. ethos, pathos or logos)?
Who is the target demographic? Briefly, explain to me how and why you feel this text is targeting this demographic?
Is the text effective in using pathos (e.g. ethos, pathos or logos) when targeting the demographic?
What problems may arise when writing this paper? What questions do you have?
Week 5:
| Writing Issue | With a peer, brainstorm ideas that a conclusion should include? Think about your own writing assignments. How have you concluded? Is there something you forgot to do? How do you assume the audience might respond if something is missing? |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference, revisiting: | Pages |
| Exploring a Topic | 17 – 18 |
| Developing a Working Thesis | 18 |
February 15, 2011
Project proposals are due
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before | “Applying Our Knowledge: The Future of Business and the Future of the Young” Focused questions for the reading: What have we learned from Twenge’s argument? Based on her argument and your experiences, would you agree or disagree? This novel was published in 2006, now five years later, what has changed? | 212 - 242 |
February 17, 2011
| Writing Issue | How does Twenge conclude her argument? Are there questions that Twenge leaves unanswered? How does she make you feel in regard to the conclusion? |
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| The Hip-Hop Reader | Preface Chapter 1: Back in the Day: Origins and Definitions of Hip-Hop “The Roots and Stylistic Foundations of the Rap Music Tradition” by Cheryl L. Keyes Focused questions about the reading: Keyes points out that rap music derives from what she refers to as the “West Africcan bardic tradition.” What is this tradition? What is the role of the griot in this tradition? What parellels do you see between the griot and a hip hop MC (e.g. the rapper, often the main writer of lyrics for a group)? | vii – xi 1 – 3 3 - 16 |
Writing Assignment: Prepare the rough draft for peer critique.
Week 6:
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference, revisiting | Pages |
| 2f) Reviewing, Revising and Editing | 22 – 23 |
| 7) Sentence Grammar | 60 – 90 |
February 22, 2011
Rough drafts are due for peer critique
This is the last day that you can turn in a letter to Twenge for critique
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| The Hip-Hop Reader | “Rap Music” by Tricia Rose Focused questions for the reading: Rose argues that women “are not major players in the use of sampling technology nore have they made a significant impact in rap music production.” Make a list of some of the reasons why Rose makes this claim. Does Rose provide evidence that counters or complicates her argument? in order words, how have women been, despite being clearly marginalized, essential to the development and production of hip hop? | 17 – 30 |
Writing Assignment: To the blog, post a journal entry. You have some options that you can write about for this entry.
1) Select a hip-hop artist (e.g. If you do not listen to hip-hop, any other music genre will do) to investigate. How does h/she establish ethos with his/her audience?
2) Select pathos to analyze to any lyrics. What emotional response does the artist wish to illicit. A great artist for this exercise is to look at Tupac Shakur or Matisyahu.
3) What logical appeals does the author employ in his/her article (e.g. You may chose to look at either Keyes or Rose). For this assignment, focus on logos.
4) This should be written in regard to this week’s reading. Write about something you found interesting. I want to hear what you have to say in response to the reading. Analyze it. Remember to write about one theme you found interesting or shocking in this week’s reading in regard to your life. There should be an even balance between the author’s ideas and your own.
February 24, 2011
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| The Hip-Hop Reader | Chapter 2: Crossing the Color Line: Hip Hop Negotiates the Complexities of Race “Elvis, Wiggers, and Crossing Over to Nonwhiteness” by David R. Roediger Focused questions for the reading: Highlighting complexity, Roediger shows the myriad and contradictory ways the word wigger is used by both black and white youth. Delineate the ways in which the word is used. What conclusions can you draw from these multifarious and often contradictory meanings? Do you think the word can still be meaningful despite its many uses? | 52 – 56 84 - 93 |
Writing Assignment: Prepare the final draft for critique.
Week 7:
| Unit: Incorporating Voices | For this unit, we will examine what value research has to original arguments. For this unit, we will examine what research Twenge employed in GenMe and what various authors have cited in their articles. I would recommend revisiting one or two essays, or GenMe, and locating sections or passages where the author(s) has used outside research. What I mean by outside research is research that is not the author(s). Has the author(s) introduced and explained an outside study or survey? Think about the value that it has for the original argument. |
| Writing Issue | See above (research). |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| Reflecting | 23 – 24 |
| Conducting Research | 176 - 182 |
| Evaluating Sources and Taking Notes | 184 – 193 |
March 1, 2011
Final drafts are due for critique
Introduce the third paper
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| The Hip-Hop Reader | “Rap’s Embrace of ‘Nigger’ Fires Bitter Debate” by Michel Marriott “The Hip-Hop Nation: Whose Is It? In the End, Black Men Must Lead” by Toure Focused questions about the reading: How dos Toure define the Hip-Hop Nation? To answer this question, go through his essay, and look for particular terms and images that he uses to develop his theme of Nation. About what kind of nation is he writing? | 93 - 99 99 - 106 |
March 3, 2011
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| The Hip-Hop Reader | Chapter 3: Your Momma’s a Mack Daddy: Gender Construction in Hip-Hop “Hip-Hop Women Shredding the Veil: Race and Class in Popular Feminist Identity” by Marcyliena Morgan Focused questions about the reading: Regarding the expressive practices of women, Morgan also discusses white women’s speech in a context of patriarchal control. How were white women affected by the “cult of the good woman”? How do hip hop women construct a discourse style that differentiates them from the “good woman”? | 107 - 110 110 - 117 |
Writing Assignment: The project proposal for the third paper is due. For this assignment, you will email me the project proposal, so that I can respond immediately. This project will need to be written in memo format. I have provided a template below listed with categories that should be included in your project proposal.
TO Ms. Chastain
FROM John Smith
SUBJECT Project Proposal, What’s in a name? Examining the Language to Refer to Women Used in “The Other Guys”
Categories that need to be listed and discussed in your project proposal:
What is the issue or theme you have chosen to investigate? (E.g. If you have chosen to examine a movie like “The Other Guys,” I expect that you will inform me of the situation. For instance how do they refer to women? What is the intended connotation of the insult? Furthermore, I would provide support from Jessica Valenti’s Full Frontal Feminism: A Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters regarding language that is offensive to women. See page 5 of the book for more information.)
What interests you about this issue or theme?
What do you hope to learn when you investigate this issue or theme?
What research have you found? How will this research inform your argument?
What problems may arise when writing this paper? What questions do you have?
Week 8:
| Writing Issue | Because this unit concentrates on incorporating voices, we will be emphasizing on outside research. Let’s look online. I want you to search for “scholarly” research. You will not find “scholarly” research on Google’s search engine. With a peer, determine what “scholarly” research implies. This week, come to class with three to five search words. I would recommend relating this to your research paper. |
| Annotated Bibliography | For this activity, you will be assigned to a small group of your peers. We will be working together to create an annotated bibliography. This group activity is geared to help you create your own annotated bibliography for your research paper. Each group will be assigned a research question and will receive one article. It is your duty to determine what value this article has to your original argument. To make it easier, each group has the choice to use GenMe, The Hip-Hop Reader or Full Frontal Feminism. Then, your group will determine a research question and locate one section of the text(s) that you will use. Remember, your group needs to address what value this has to your argument. |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| Integrating Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism | 197 – 202 |
| MLA Style | 206 – 245 |
March 8, 2011
Project proposal due
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| The Hip-Hop Reader | “Beyond Racisim and Misogyny: Black Feminism and 2 Live Crew” by Kimberle Crenshaw Focused questions about the reading: Crenshaw discusses both racism and misogyny. How are these related? How do these two discourses conspire to silence black women and obscure their interests and needs? What is a “black feminist sensibility” and how does it change the terms of the debate about race and gender? | 117 - 130 |
Writing Assignment: To the blog, post a journal entry. You have some options of what to write about.
1) Choose either audience awareness or ethos, pathos or logos to write about for this journal entry. Remember to draw support from the author’s argument. If you choose to examine ethos, you may choose to research the author. How does this author establish ethos with the intended demographic? For this question, you will need to address who the intended demographic is. How and why is this demographic the intended audience?
2) This should be written in regard to this week’s reading. Write about something you found interesting. I want to hear what you have to say in response to the reading. Analyze it. Remember to write about one theme you found interesting or shocking in this week’s reading in regard to your life. There should be an even balance between the author’s ideas and your own.
3) Use this space to explore more of your own claim. How did you arrive at your research question? What is it that interests you? What do you wish to explore and why? Spend this space developing your argument.
March 10, 2011
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| The Hip-Hop Reader | Chapter 4: Growing Up Gangsta: Gangsta Rap and the Politics of Identity “Gangsta Rap and American Culture” by Michael Eric Dyson Focused questions about the reading: Look at the introduction of Dyson’s essay. What rhetorical strategies does he use to set up his piece? Can you identify his essay’s argument? If so, how does he set up this argument? List the main claims his essay makes. | 156 – 159 172 – 181 |
Writing Assignment: Prepare the annotated bibliography for critique.
Week 9:
March 13 – 19, 2011 Spring Break – No Classes
Week 10:
| Writing Issue | As a group, we will be looking at the essay written by David Craig. I would encourage you to read this before you come to class. As you are reading, make notes of how Craig incorporates outside research. Locate his claim. What is his argument? What value does the outside research have on his argument? |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| Sample Student Research Essay, MLA Style | 245 – 252 |
| Organizing an Argument | 34 |
March 22, 2011
Annotated bibliography due
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| The Hip-Hop Reader | “Gangsta Culture” by bell hooks | 185 - 192 |
Writing Assignment: To the blog, post a journal entry. This should be written in regard to this week’s reading. Think about using the blog space at this time to expand on your argument. Or examine how the authors we have read at this point have incorporated other voices. What value would you suggest adds to the article’s argument? Think about your own argument for the third paper. What research will you draw on? What value will it add to your argument?
March 24, 2011 – Watch the video footage of the Rodney King beating that occurred in Los Angeles on March 3, 1991. How might the King beating help us understand the anti-social stance of gangsta rap, particularly gangsta rap’s hostility toward law enforcement (as exemplified in expressions such as “fuck tha police)?
This is the last day that you can turn in a letter to one of the author’s in The Hip-Hop Reader for critique
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters | Introduction “You’re a Hardcore Feminist. I Swear.” Focused questions about the reading: What insults have you heard that describe a woman? In what context were they used? Before reading “You’re a Hardcore Feminist. I Swear,” had you considered what implications these insults suggested? | 1 – 3 5 – 17 |
Writing Assignment: Prepare the rough draft for peer critique.
Week 11:
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| Reviewing, Revising and Editing | 22 -23 |
| Punctuation and Mechanics | 106 – 155 |
March 29, 2011
Rough draft due for peer critique
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters | “Feminists Do It Better (And Other Sex Tips)” “Pop Culture Gone Wild” Focused questions about the reading: Valenti begins with, “I’m better in bed than you are. And I have feminism to thank for it,” (19). What is she implying here? | 19 - 40 41 - 59 |
March 31, 2011
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters | “The Blame (And Shame) Game” Focused questions about the reading: Think about kairos in terms of context. What appears to be the context that Valenti establishes in “The Blame (And Shame) Game?” | 61 - 80 |
Writing Assignment: Prepare the final drafts for critique.
Week 12:
| Unit: Kairos | Kairos, like ethos, pathos and logos, is an appeal used in persuasive arguments. Ethos pertains to someone’s credibility as pathos refers to our emotional state or an emotional appeal as logos is similar to the argument’s structure (e.g. or support). Kairos pertains to the context of the argument. Instead of dissecting an argument, when we examine kairos, we examine the entire argument. When we begin with the final written assignment, you will be asked to create a text all on your own. For instance, if you create a poster with images of young women who are not “skin and bones,” who are not blonde and big-busted, the question that the audience will have (e.g. you will have to determine a target demographic), is what is the purpose for this text. Why did you create it? This is a question that you will need to ask yourself and explore in the rationale. |
| Writing Issue | We will examine the author’s argument as a whole, which will beg us to revisit Twenge’s GenMe. Recall our conversations on claim. The question that I want all of you to answer is why did she write this book? The same goes with the articles we read in The Hip-Hop Reader. We will also be viewing other texts, which may include newspaper articles, short YouTube videos and/or lyrics. |
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference | Pages |
| Reflecting | 23 – 24 |
| Critical Thinking and Argument | 25 – 28 |
April 5, 2011
Final draft due for critique
Introduce the final paper
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters | “If These Uterine Walls Could Talk” “Material World” Focused questions about the reading: Many of the GenMe population were born with rights that our sisters have had to fight for, what have you had to fight for? Now that you have read “If These Uterine Walls Could Talk,” what are your thoughts in regard to reproductive rights? How does it make you feel as a woman? As a man? | 81 – 109 111 - 129 |
Writing Assignment: To the blog, post a journal entry. This should be written in regard to this week’s reading. Write about something you found interesting. I want to hear what you have to say in response to the reading. Analyze it. Remember to write about one theme you found interesting or shocking in this week’s reading in regard to your life. There should be an even balance between the author’s ideas and your own.
April 7, 2011
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters | “My Big Fat Unnecessary Wedding and Other Dating Diseases” ““Real” Women Have Babies” Focused questions about the reading: What does Valenti mean by “real” women? What is society’s definition of a “real” woman? Examine logos. What logical appeals does Valenti employ in her argument? | 131 – 150 151 - 164 |
Writing Assignment: The project proposal for the fourth paper is due. For this assignment, you will email me the project proposal, so that I can respond immediately. This project will need to be written in memo format. I have provided a template below listed with categories that should be included in your project proposal.
TO Ms. Chastain
FROM John Smith
SUBJECT Project Proposal, Constructing a Slam Poem That Empowers My Reproductive Choices
Categories that need to be listed and discussed in your project proposal:
What is the text you have chosen to recreate or construct?
What is the rationale behind this text?
Who is the target demographic? Briefly, explain to me how and why you feel this text is targeting this demographic?
What do you hope to achieve when creating this text?
How do you intend to achieve this?
What problems may arise when writing this paper? What questions do you have?
Week 13
| Writing Issue | We will examine the author’s argument as a whole, which will beg us to revisit Twenge’s GenMe. Recall our conversations on claim. The question that I want all of you to answer is why did she write this book? The same goes with the articles we read in The Hip-Hop Reader. We will also be viewing other texts, which may include newspaper articles, short YouTube videos and/or lyrics. |
April 12, 2011
Project proposal due
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters | “I Promise I Won’t Say “HERSTORY”” “Boys Do Cry” Focused questions about the reading: Think about the phrase, “Be a man.” What does this phrase suggest? What does it imply? Compare it to the term, “Mangina.” How are these terms/phrases different? | 165 – 181 183 - 196 |
April 14, 2011
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters | “Beauty Cult” “Sex and the City Voters, My Ass” Focused questions about the reading: Think about the adjectives used to describe Hillary Clinton during the campaign trail. Whether you agree with her politics or not, what do these phrases and/or terms imply? | 197 - 212 213 - 226 |
Writing Assignment: Prepare the rationale and text for peer critique.
Week 14:
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference, revisiting | Pages |
| Find It. Fix. It. | 1 – 10 |
| Sentence Grammar | 60 – 90 |
April 19, 2011
Rough draft due of rationale and text for peer critique - Workshopping themes and texts
| Reading assignment | Section | Pages |
| Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters | “A Quick Academic Side” “Get To It” Focused questions about the reading: What is Valenti’s argument? Before reading this novel, what was your opinion of feminism? Whether you are a male or female, did you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not? How have your opinions changed? | 227 - 235 237 - 248 |
Writing Assignment: To the blog, post a journal entry. This should be written in regard to this week’s reading. Write about something you found interesting. I want to hear what you have to say in response to the reading. Analyze it. Remember to write about one theme you found interesting or shocking in this week’s reading in regard to your life. There should be an even balance between the author’s ideas and your own.
April 21, 2011
Week 15:
| Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference, revisiting | Pages |
| Find It. Fix. It. | 1 - 10 |
| Sentence Grammar | 60 - 90 |
April 26, 2011
We will be working on the revision of the final written assignment and portfolio. You have the choice of submitting the portfolio (and revisions) on the final day of class or the day of finals.
April 28, 2011
This is the last day that you can turn in a letter to Valenti
Final draft due (including rationale and text) with the portfolio
The portfolio should include:
· Writer Critique
· Essay 1: Audience Awareness
· Essay 2: Analyzing Ethos, Pathos or Logos
· Essay 3: Incorporating Voices
· Essay 4: Kairos (Include the text you create and rationale)
Week 16:
Community Critique due
Final Exam Schedule
2 p.m. class meets on Tuesday, May 10 from 2 p.m. until 3:50 p.m.
3:30 p.m. class meets on Thursday, May 5 from 2 p.m. until 3:50 p.m.
Attendance is required at this time and date. Failure to attend means automatic failure in the course, even if you have a passing grade at the time of the final.
