ENG 1213: Composition II                                              BH 201                                    

Dr. Emily Dial-Driver         BH201A                    (918) 343-7747                                       edial-driver@rsu.edu

My schedule is posted on my office door. You may see me before or after class, make an appointment, or call. If you call and do not reach me, please leave a message on the automatic voice mail. If you come by and I am out of the office, please leave a message on the message sheet. Please make an appointment to be sure of catching me since I often attend meetings in other buildings or off-campus. I will help you any time you ask (and often when you don’t!).

           

Composition II is the second course in freshman composition, designed to aid you in honing the writing skills you developed in Composition I. The minimum requirement to pass the course is to be able to write a coherent, logical research essay, using other sources as well as personal experience and discovery, and documenting those sources in accordance with a designated format. Basic mechanical skills are also necessary to pass the course.

This course is designed to prepare you for college-level writing. We will be emphasizing essay organization, development, and style, as well as critical thinking skills.

            Support for writing assignments may come from your own experience as well as from information gathered in class and in print and electronic research. Critical thinking and critical assessment of information will be important aspects of determining what support to use in the assignments. Writing assignments may include reviews, evaluations, essays, research essays, essay question answers, personal reflections, summaries, and reports. Writing assignments will reflect the writing process. You will collect all writing generated through the semester in a portfolio in which to showcase and evaluate the progress you have made in writing.

Areas of emphasis include the following: essay structure (review unit), literary terms (definitions and application), selections from the text (from five areas: social science, natural science, film, pop culture, and literature, including a novel), research and library work, essays with documentation, and special forms (reports, summaries, essay exams, etc.).

Printer paper                                         Blue/black pen                          Two-pocket folder, pocket on bottom

Paperback dictionary (optional)              Loose-leaf notebook paper        Printer paper

 

Phone numbers of classmates  

___________________________________           __________________________________

___________________________________           __________________________________

___________________________________           __________________________________

 

            Grades will reflect the total number of points you obtain in relationship to the total number of points possible.

            Late work: Major assignments turned in late will lose points at 10% per day up to 30%.  NO late work will be accepted more than one week late. In-class assignments cannot be made up.

            Grading standards: Structure, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and logic, as well as content, all count.  Content cannot make up for technique, nor can technique make up for content. NOTICE:  IF YOU MAKE ONE OF THE MISTAKES FOUND IN THE Guide to College Writing IN THE LIST OF MISTAKES NEVER TO MAKE, YOU WILL LOSE POINTS.  SO DO NOT MAKE THOSE MISTAKES!

 

Grades will be based on the following (tentative list):

 

Daily assignments (15 of total)    150 points

Essays  (3 of total)  100 pts. ea.  300 points

50-minute essays    100 pts. ea.  200 points

Revision project                           100 points

Essay questions     50 pts. ea.                150 points

Journal                                         200 points

 

Research point list                      100 points

Research paper                           200 points

Library assignment                      100 points

TV assignment                             100 points

Portfolio                                       300 points

approximate TOTAL                  1900 points

 

NOTE:  You may revise and rewrite any paper (up to the last two weeks of the semester). If the paper is acceptable (if you have made the corrections, followed the guidelines and suggestions for revision noted on the paper, and turned the paper in within one week), you will receive a 10% higher grade. The paper must be clearly labeled. 

            You need to keep track of your grades and not ask “How am I doing?” or “What is my average?” Grades will not be posted. If you want your final grade before grades are issued from the Registrar’s office, please furnish a stamped, self-addressed envelope to me.

 

(100 points possible)

1.         Attend a cultural event and write a critique (25 points possible per event).

2.                   Find a mistake in the Guide (25 points if you’re the first to find a mistake).

3.                   Write a film/video/television review (25 points possible for one).

 

            Composition II includes some lecture elements, some discussion, and much practice work. Since many of the graded writing assignments will be done during class, attendance is MANDATORY. In addition, these exercises provide practice for the major assignments you will be doing.

            It is your responsibility to be in class on time. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what has happened in class and what is due. Absence is not an excuse for not having assignments or for not being aware of what is due or what is required. However, do not ask me to re-teach a class you have missed.

            If you are late, you need to inform me after class that you came in. Otherwise, you might not receive credit for your presence. If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will not receive credit for attendance. It is better to be late than to miss a complete class, but it is better not to be late.

 

Expectations

·         Come to class prepared, having read the material to be discussed, ready to discuss and participate, bringing appropriate supplies, such as texts, paper, pen, etc.

·         If you have a paper due, come to class with your paper assembled and stapled for submission.

·         Most assignments, including all essays and journal entries, should be typed.  Other assignments should be typed or written on the front of loose-leaf notebook paper in ink. (Spiral notebook paper is always unacceptable.)

·         Please do not use ANY tobacco products in the classroom; do not wear hats or caps. 

·         Do not bring pagers or cell phones with audible notifications into the classroom.

·         Failure to comply with these requests will be seen as denoting lack of respect for the class, the instructor, and your classmates.

           

COMPOSITION II JOURNAL ASSIGNMENTS

Report on assigned selections in The Writer’s Presence and on other selections, as designated in the syllabus schedule. Each report will contain three sections.          

            Section 1:  Make a bibliographic entry, using MLA format. 

            Section 2:  Write one paragraph of summary.

Section 3:  In a separate paragraph, react to each article.  Evaluate the article’s worth and/or effectiveness or tell how you feel about the article itself and/or about the subject of the article.

 

NOTE:  Journal entries should not be much more or less than one typed page each.

Grading: Journals are worth 200 points. You will only receive half credit for any entries submitted late.

 

The schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

 

 

COMPOSITION II TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

 

NOTE:  Pages on “Mechanics” from The Guide to College Writing (abbreviated as GCW in this schedule) will pertain to all assignments.  Assignments are due the first day of the week in which they are listed.

 

Week	Activity	Assignment
1	Course introduction and syllabus Diagnostic test (Assessment A) Contract Initial essay	Read/review: GCW 1-86 Read: Start reading Frankenstein
2	Natural Science Unit Review test Review summary and report formats Library assignment assigned Documentation exercises	Read: GCW 87-119, 159-68 Read: “Hiroshima Diary” 29 Read: “The Tipping Point” 389 JA 1: “Hiroshima Diary” 29 JA 2: “The Tipping Point” 389
3	Natural Science/Social Science Unit Due: Library assignment Due: Journal entries 1, 2 Due: Documentation exercises Review essay structures Review manuscript preparation Essay 1 (a person who has influenced you) assigned Pre-writing Essay 1 drafting	Read: GCW 120-46 Read: “Calculated Risks” 327 Read: “On Being a Cripple” 166 JA 3: “Calculated Risks” 327 JA 4: “On Being a Cripple” 166 Essay 1
4	Social Science Unit Due: JA 3, 4 Essay 1 peer consultation Review essay test structures 50-Minute essay Essay test questions	Read: “Throwing like a Girl” 378 Read: “Just Walk on By” 254 JA 5: “Throwing like a Girl” 378 JA 6: “Just Walk on By” 254
5	Due:  Essay 1 Due:  JA 5, 6       Essay test question documentation Essay 2 assigned	Read: “Learning to Read and Write” 112 Read: “Family Values” 636 JA 7: “Learning to Read and Write” 112 JA 8: “Family Values” 636
6	Literary Unit Due: JA 7, 8 Due: Documented essay test question Essay 2 Peer Evaluation	Read: “Aria” 221 Read: “Popular Mechanics” 837 JA 9: “Aria” 221 JA 10: “Popular Mechanics” 837 Essay 2
7	Due: JA 9, 10 Due: Essay 2 Research paper steps Evaluating Internet sources Research paper assigned	Read: Frankenstein JA 11: Frankenstein Limited topic
8	Due: JA 11 Due: Limited topic Define literary terms 50-minute essay Preliminary bibliography	Read: “A Question of Language” 456 JA 12: “A Question of Language” 456 Preliminary bibliography JA 13-14: Report on two articles that will be applicable to the topic of your research paper. In the reaction/evaluation section of the report, discuss how you might use the articles
9	Due: JA 12, 13, 14 Due: Preliminary bibliography Notes and outline Essay test questions	JA 15-16: Report on two articles that will be applicable to the topic of your research paper. In the reaction/evaluation section of the report, discuss how you might use the articles Notes and outline
10	Due: JA 15, 16 Due: Notes and outline Rough draft	Read: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” 692 JA 17: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” 692 Rough draft
11	Pop Culture Unit Due: JA 17 Due: Rough draft Witness for the Prosecution	Read: “Hate Radio” 810 JA 18: “Hate Radio” 810 Typed draft
12	Due: JA 18 Due: Typed draft Essay test questions	Read: “The Joy of Reading and Writing” 61 JA 19: “The Joy of Reading and Writing” 61 Research paper
13	Due: JA 19 Due: Research paper Essay 3 assigned Peer evaluation TV assignment assigned	Read: “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” 817 JA 20: “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” 817 TV assignment Essay 3
14	Due: Essay 3 Due: TV assignment Due: JA 20 Revision project Final in-class essay       Portfolio	Read: Your choice from Writer’s Presence JA: extra credit, up to two entries Portfolio Revision project
15	Due: Revision project Due: Portfolio Due: Journal Portfolio criteria Portfolio assessment Review tests
16	Final	Essay structure and documentation You must have a ticket to enter the final.

 

WARNING:  This schedule is subject to change with little notice!

 

 

 

Ticket to the Final

Bring, as a ticket to the final, to the final a one-page, typed, no name attached, evaluation of the class. Tell what you liked and dislike about the class, what you think should be added, deleted, or changed. Make any suggestions you might have. Remember, if you don’t make suggestions, future students cannot benefit from your insight and experience. I will not see these evaluations until after the grades go to the Registrar’s office.

 

NAME:________________________

CLASS: _______________________

 

 

INITIAL ESSAY

 

Choose one of the following topics and write an essay on it.  You have 50 minutes to complete this task.

 

            Review a film or television series.

 

            Discuss how literature or art has affected your life.

 

 

 

NAME:   __________________________

CLASS:  __________________________

Assignment:  Library

In the Oxford English Dictionary (not the short edition), look up the first use of the word psychic.

   1.  Date of use:

   2.  Sentence of use:

 

In a medical dictionary, find the symptoms of fifth disease.

   3.  Dictionary:

   4.  Symptoms:

 

In a chemistry/physics handbook, find out and make sure you state clearly and understand the meaning of

    5.  title of work, author, publisher and date of publication:

 

    6.  half-life of U₂₃₄:

    7.  half-life of U₂₂₇:

    8.  What conclusion can you draw from these figures? (You can only conclude something about THESE figures, not about isotopes in general.)

 

    9.  What does the Physicians’ Desk Reference say Vioxx is prescribed to alleviate?

 

 

In a business index, find the Vice-President for Marketing of Daimler-Chrysler.

   10.  Index:

   11.  VP Name:

   12.  Address:

 

 

New York Times Index

            article title ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________

information about the article ________________________________________________________________

            date:     _______________       section, page, and column:  _______________

database (tell which one you use): _____________________________

            title:  _______________________________                      author:  ______________________

            periodical:  ___________________________________    issue/volume: ________

            date:     __________________________                           page numbers:  _______________

card catalog (on the computer system)

            author:  _____________________________         title:  ________________________

            editors, if given:  ______________________       publisher:  ____________

            place of publication:  ________________            date of publication:  _________

Internet

            author (if given):  _______________________    title of page:  ___________________________

            periodical (if relevant):  ________________         issue/volume (if relevant):  ___________

            date of posting: _________________                 date searched:  _________________

            page numbers (if relevant): ________________   URL address: __________________________

 

NAME:  __________________________

CLASS:  _________________________

 

Essay    TOPIC:  Frankenstein                         400-1000 words                                  audience:  classmates

 

Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

Remember to have the plan page correspond to the essay.

Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations

Remember to use evidence from the works we have read to support statements you make.

Remember to document the evidence, using               MLA format.

Remember to include a Works Cited page

 

Turn in this sheet on the top, final draft, planning page, rough draft, pre-writing, peer consultation sheet

 

ATTACH A GRADE SHEET FROM GCW.

 

 

CLASS:  _________________________

 

Essay TOPIC:   natural or social science, technology, identity                  400-1000 words                  audience:  classmates

               

Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

Remember to have plan correspond to essay.

Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations.

Remember to use evidence to support statements you make.

Remember to document the evidence, using               MLA format.

Remember to include a Works Cited page

 

Turn in this sheet on the top, final draft, planning page, rough draft, pre-writing, peer consultation sheet.

 

ATTACH A GRADE SHEET FROM THE GCW.

NAME:  __________________________

CLASS:  _________________________

 

Essay    TOPIC:      themes or morals in literature and film        400-1000 words                  audience:  classmates

Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

Remember to have the plan page correspond to the essay.

Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations.

Remember to use evidence to support statements you make.

Remember to document the evidence, using               MLA format.

Remember to include a Works Cited page.

 

Turn in this sheet on the top, final draft, planning page, rough draft, pre-writing, peer consultation sheet.

 

ATTACH A GRADE SHEET FROM THE GCW.

CLASS:  _________________________

 

Essay    TOPIC:      Witness for the Prosecution           400-1000 words                 audience:  classmates

   Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

   Remember to have the plan page correspond to the essay.

   Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

   Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations.

   Remember to use evidence to support statements you make.

   Remember to document the evidence, using MLA format.

   Remember to include a Works Cited page.

 

Turn in this sheet on the top, final draft, planning page, rough draft, pre-writing, peer consultation sheet.

 

ATTACH A GRADE SHEET FROM THE GCW.

 

 

CLASS:  _________________________

 

Essay TOPIC:   natural or social science, technology, identity                  400-1000 words                  audience:  classmates

               

Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

Remember to have plan correspond to essay.

Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations.

Remember to use evidence to support statements you make.

Remember to document the evidence, using               MLA format.

Remember to include a Works Cited page

 

Turn in this sheet on the top, final draft, planning page, rough draft, pre-writing, peer consultation sheet.

 

ATTACH A GRADE SHEET FROM THE GCW.

CLASS:  _________________________

 

Essay

 

TOPIC:      reaction to a TOPIC addressed in one of the pieces we have read       400-1000 words     audience:  classmates

 

   Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

   Remember to have the plan page correspond to the essay.

   Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

   Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations.

   Remember to use evidence to support statements you make.

   Remember to document the evidence, using MLA format.

   Remember to include a Works Cited page.

 

Turn in this sheet on the top, final draft, planning page, rough draft, pre-writing, peer consultation sheet.

 

ATTACH A GRADE SHEET FROM THE GCW.

CLASS:  _________________________

 

Essay    TOPIC:  a person who has had an influence on your life (no religious topics please) 400-1000 words audience:  classmates

                Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

                Remember to have the plan page correspond to the essay.

                Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

                Remember to use specifics in the paragraphs, not just generalizations.

 

Turn in this sheet on the top, final draft, rough draft, planning page, peer consultation, pre-writing.

 

ATTACH A GRADE SHEET FROM THE GCW.

 

 

NAME:  __________________________

CLASS:  _________________________

 

RESEARCH PAPER                              RESEARCH PAPER                              RESEARCH PAPER

    

TOPIC CHOICES:  Frankenstein, social science, natural science, film, pop culture

            3-5 typewritten pages of text

            audience:  classmates

            5 sources required (general encyclopedias do not qualify as a source)

Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

     Remember to have the plan page correspond to the essay.

     Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

     Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations.

     Remember to use evidence from sources to support statements you make about the topic.

                        Use at least two print sources.

                        Use at least one electronic source.

                        Use at least one source from an RSU library database.

You must include copies of each source you use and highlight the information that you have used.

 Remember to document the evidence, using MLA format.

 Remember to include a Works Cited page.

 

Turn in this page as the LAST page of the research paper.

 

Each step that is on time and signed is worth points to you.  If this sheet is not attached to the research paper, you will not receive credit for the steps.

 

1.  LIMITED TOPIC (10 points)  __________________________________________

 

2.  PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY (10 points)  _______________________________

            (7 sources)

 

3.  NOTES (20 points)  __________________________________________________

            (9 “cards”)

 

4.  PLANNING PAGE (20 points)  __________________________________________

formal planning page with an outline, lengthened appropriate to the length of the paper

 

5.  FIRST DRAFT (20 points)  ____________________________________________

Include evidence (support), documentation, and source list.

     Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

     Remember to have the plan page correspond to the essay.

     Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

     Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations.

     Remember to use evidence from sources to support statements you make about the topic.

                        Use at least two print sources.

                        Use at least one electronic source.

                        Use at least one source from an RSU library database.

You must include copies of each source you use and highlight the information that you have used.

     Remember to document the evidence, using MLA format.

     Remember to include a Works Cited page.

 

6.  TYPED DRAFT (20 points)  ____________________________________________

            Include evidence, documentation, and source list. Check for accuracy and format consistency.

 

7.  FINAL DRAFT (200 points)  ___________________________________________

You must include copies of each source you use and highlight the information that you have used.

Include this paper as the LAST PAGE.

Include a grade sheet from the GCW.

            Conform to Manuscript Preparation rules.  (Check the GCW for details.)

 

NAME  _______________________

CLASS  _________________________

 

Assignment:  Documentation

 

1.  Paraphrase “Step Three:  Notes” from GCW.  Use the back of this paper.

2.  Summarize “Step Three:  Notes” from GCW.  Use the back of this paper.

3.  Define plagiarism.  Use the back of this paper.

 

Bibliographic format:  The examples below each follow a different index format.  Decide which type of work each is and put it into the MLA form.

 

1.  Cajun Cooking  James O. Parsons, Jerry P. Quickly

        New York         Oxfax University Press         1992

Type of work:

 

 

 

2.  Doppex, A. X. “The Cookie as a Study in Social Structure”  Social Science, 21: 876-877, 1994. (In this bibliography, the number before the colon is the volume and the number after the colon is the page reference.)

Type of work:

 

 

 

3.  Forest fires in southern Ohio.  P. J. Xanth.  Fire Journal  Vol. 54: 224-255 ‘91

Type of work:

 

 

 

4.  Motel take-

over and foreign involvement. H. Sign. National Property Magazine:  166-70 Ju 6 ‘90

Type of work:

 

 

 

Make a bibliography card for this entry.

 

 

 

 

 

Using Brackets

5.   In the following sentence, add in brackets a definition of elan:  (Look it up!)

          According to Rohtua, the character is “capable of everything and nothing but elan” (67).

 

 

 

6.   In the following sentence, add in brackets the fact that the author is discussing the imaginary world of Euroteria:

          The population is never constant, says Rohtua:  “The people move in and out of the cities of the country as the mood strikes them, never worrying” (56).

 

 

 

7.   In the following sentence use brackets to indicate that The Bun  is a book about cooking that has won international recognition:

          According to James Janes, “Knowing The Bun is an instant passport to the Society of Cooks and Cookery” (887).

 

 

 

Using ellipsis

8.   Omit the transitional words in this sentence: (Use the back of this page for the answer.)

        Studies of the rodeo world show the sociologist a sub-class of population that is unique.  Braand and Spurrs point out that “Most rodeo arenas, for example, serve as gathering places not only for the contestants themselves but also for the rodeo fringe” (94).

 

 

9.   Eliminate the parenthetical statement:

          “A dog with no inbred personality to care what a human thinks,” Ramond L. Ruff explains, “cannot be expected to be responsive (that is, to exhibit signs of desire to please) when it is disciplined” (431).

 

 

 

10.  Eliminate the repetitious information.

          Saeys states that “among the worst aspects of the group is that fact that they are capable of anything, anything at all” (99).

 

 

 

Taking Notes

11.  Make a note card from the following passage written by Harry Karl in Newsday on July 4, 1984, appearing on page 79:

 

The Next Strike:  Hitting Back

     The U. S. forces that would survive a first strike would be a mammoth threat to the attacker, in this scenario the Soviet Union.  What damage could the U. S. do if communications centers are wiped out, the government is in shambles, and the population decimated--in other words, largely wiped out?  It would only take half of the Poseidon warheads, warheads on submarines always at sea, to flatten the 220 major Soviet cities, all the cities with populations exceeding 100,000.  The other 1350 warheads, the other half of the Poseidon, could be targeted on highways, railroads, ports, airports, industrial complexes, mines, oil fields, electrical producers, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Genre Examples:  In each of the genre examples, delete one or more parenthetical items and move them into the text.      

12.  The French Onion Soup begins with a look at Imogene and her relationship with “those desperate, unusual females who are called sisters” (Cheez 2; ch. 1).

 

 

 

13.  At the end of “Peregrine Falcon,” the speaker begins to rant about “another infernal machine / Designed to crush the only human emotion” (Deggs 77).

 

 

 

14.  In the play Spheres the main character, Mr. O. Vale, begins his scene with “Give me the bottle, that lovely cylindrical bottle, / Full of lovely, sloshy bootle” (Coob I.ii.54-55).

 

 

 

Works Cited

15.  Make a Works Cited page including the sources in number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 11.  Assume that these sources are the ones you will be using in an imaginary paper.  Make sure you put a page number (assume you are writing page 8) and a heading on the page.  Use the back of this paper or another sheet to complete this section.

 

Using quotes in the paper 

16.  Now use the note card you have made on Harry Karl’s excerpt to write a portion of this imaginary paper, the first part of which appears already written below.  Use the back of this paper or another sheet to complete this section.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                          You   6

 

                In any study on the effects of nuclear warfare on society, it is necessary to consider what the actual physical effects would be.  The first strike could come from any country, even those we once considered to be non-nuclear.  The effects of that first strike would depend on the initiating country.  We will consider those effects.  Is it also necessary to consider the effects of the second strike?  If the first strike were initiated by the Soviet Union, could even the U. S. retaliate? ________

 

Name__________________________

Date__________________________

 

Assignment:  Television

 

You will be analyzing television shows for two types of content and for how that content is softened or intensified by filming/taping techniques.  Choose one or two programs (total time one hour or more) that you think might have the content to be studied.  You may not choose first-run movies. 

 

TELEVISION ANALYSIS, PART ONE:  AGGRESSION

 

Aggression is defined as any behavior intended to hurt or to destroy someone or something.  

The program(s) you chose that you think contains aggressive behavior is ____________________________.

Check the content of the program(s).  Check any of the following that you observed in the program(s).

    Verbal aggression

     _____ threats or discussion of plans to be aggressive

     _____ insulting names

     _____ screaming or yelling (unless in happy excitement)

     _____ remarks that degrade another person, race, or group

     _____ other ________________________________________________

    Non-verbal aggression (physical)

     _____ pushing or shoving

     _____ smashing or destroying objects

     _____ shooting with gun, bow and arrow, other weapon

     _____ poisoning

     _____ stabbing

     _____ war (approved aggression sanctioned by a country)

     _____ miscellaneous aggression:  tripping, drowning, strangling, etc. Describe: _____________________

     _____ sexual violence:  obscene phone calls, exhibitionism, molestation, rape/other forced acts of sex

    Victim of the aggression

     ___ female child     ___ male child     ___ object     ___ female adult     ___ male adult     ___ animal

    Result of the aggression (death, injury, no harm) ___________

2.  Check the film content of the programs.

Think of two scenes that had particularly aggressive actions.  What techniques did the filmmakers use to emphasize the behavior and the effect of the behavior?

     _____ music     Describe: _________________________________

     _____ close-up  Describe: _________________________________

     _____ lighting  Describe: __________________________________

     _____ editing   Describe: _________________________________

     _____ camera position  Describe: __________________________

Choose one or more of these techniques and describe the effect in one scene in more detail. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Analyze the effect of the film techniques.  How do the film techniques heighten or soften the effect of the aggression?  Do you feel more or less affected by the scene?  Why? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Analyze the significance of the content.  How likely will others be to imitate this aggressive behavior?  (Research shows that aggressive behavior most likely to be imitated is aggression that is rewarded; aggression that is committed by an admired person with high status; aggression that is “justified,” as in self-defense; and aggression by someone similar to the viewer.)  Discuss how the programs you viewed fit the criteria of high risk for imitation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research suggests that we become “desensitized” to television violence.  We see so much of it that we no longer find it shocking or horrifying.  Instead, we react to it less and less.  Do you feel that you or your friends or others react appropriately to the severity of the violence you observe?  Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In many cultures, violence is disapproved.  Thus, it rarely occurs.  In what way might TV violence influence the high crime rate that we see in our society?  Be specific.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some experts feel that expressing aggression makes a person more, not less, angry and our recent emphasis on “letting it out” might be harmful.  What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TELEVISION ANALYSIS, PART II:  SUGGESTIVE OR SEXUAL CONTENT

 

List the program(s) you chose that you think contain suggestive material:  ___________________________

1.  Check the content of the program.  Check any of the following that you observed in the program.

    _____ giggling by characters over sexual suggestion

    _____ dominance by one gender over another (power use)

    _____ verbal put-downs of one gender

    _____ sudden “love” relationship between strangers

    _____ manipulation between characters in love

    _____ relationship manipulation of one gender by the other

    _____ unhealthy relationship between men and women

    _____ implication of casual sex between strangers

    _____ implication that love will make everything all right

    _____ depiction of one gender as less intelligent

    _____ implication that love is due to physical attraction

    _____ remarks about physical appearance

    _____ consistent efforts by characters of one gender to appear stupid

    _____ innuendoes (double meanings of words, bringing laughs because of their sexual implications)

    _____ denying the seriousness of sexual problems (making fun of divorce, extramarital sex, etc.)

    _____ others _______________________________________________

Describe the specific actions or statements by characters that caused you to check any of the above.

 

2.  Check the film content of the program(s).

Think of two scenes that had particularly suggestive or sexual actions.  What techniques did the filmmakers use to emphasize the behavior and the effect of the behavior?

     _____ music     Describe: __________________________________

     _____ close-up  Describe:___________________________________

     _____ lighting  Describe: _________________________________

     _____ editing   Describe: _________________________________

     _____ camera position  Describe: __________________________

Choose one or more of these techniques and describe the effect in one scene in more detail.

 

 

 

3.  Analyze the effect of the film techniques.  How do the film techniques heighten or soften the effect of the suggestion?  Do you feel more or less affected by the scene?  Why?

 

 

 

 

Do you feel that the scenes of sexual suggestion are more or less affected by film technique than scenes of aggression?  Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Analyze the significance of the content.

If a person watched many of these kinds of programs and were easily impressed, what do you think would be the negative beliefs caused by watching the programs?  Would watching cause the person to believe that men are _______  or women are

­­______ or sex is ­­­______, etc?

 

 

 

 

 

Do you think this kind of program could gradually change what our society finds acceptable?  (You cannot answer “It would not.”  Think about what might happen.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studies of television violence suggest that frequent viewers of violence begin to stop responding to certain kinds of violent behaviors and are no longer sensitive to them.  How do you think the kind of program you watched for this assignment (both parts) might desensitize viewers?  Might viewers react to behaviors on television as if those behaviors were acceptable or ordinary?  To what kinds of things could viewers become insensitive?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANSWERS TO DOCUMENTATION EXERCISES

Model paraphrase of “Step Three:  Notes” from GCW.

First a student must look for the sources available.  Then the student must decide which sources he/she can use.  Some sources will not be useful and must be rejected.  Some sources will be useful and the student will take notes from these sources so that the student can use the information later.  A student must be careful to know what it is to plagiarize.  Plagiarism is using information from others and not telling that it came from the others.  To keep from plagiarizing, always mention the author’s name and use quotation marks when quoting exactly.  Always mention the author’s name and use quotation marks when quoting special words or phrases.  Always mention the author’s name when using ideas, paraphrasing or summarizing information from someone else.  Using information that the average person would know and not giving credit to an author is not plagiarism (Dial-Driver 96).

 

Model summary of “Step Three:  Notes” from GCW.

Plagiarism is not telling when a person has used information that came from someone else.  To avoid plagiarism, a student must always use quotation marks and tell the author’s name when quoting exactly or when quoting special words or phrases.  A student must always give an author credit for ideas that the student uses (Dial-Driver 96).

 

DEFINITION:  Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of someone else’s words, phrases, or ideas without giving appropriate credit to that person (Dial-Driver 96).

 

1.  Type of work:  book with two authors

Parsons, James O., and Jerry P. Quickly.  Cajun Cooking. New York:  Oxfax University Press, 1992.

2.  Type of work:  article in a journal

Doppex, A. X.  “The Cookie as a Study in Social Structure.”  Social Science  21 (1994): 876-77.

3.  Type of work:  article in a journal

Xanth, P. J.  “Forest Fires in Southern Ohio.”  Fire Journal  54 (1991):  224

4.  Type of work:  article in a magazine

                                                                                                 

5.   According to Rohtua, the character is “capable of everything and nothing but elan [style]” (67).

6.   The population is never constant, says Rohtua:  “The people move in and out of the cities of the country [Euroteria] as the mood strikes them, never worrying” (56).

 

7.   According to James Janes, “Knowing The Bun [internationally recognized cookbook] is an instant passport to the Society of Cooks and Cookery” (887).

 

8.  Studies of the rodeo world show the sociologist a sub-class of population that is unique.  Braand and Spurrs point out that “Most rodeo arenas . . . serve as gathering places not only for the contestants themselves but also for the rodeo fringe” (94)

 

.9.  “A dog that has no inbred personality to care what a human thinks,” Ramond L. Ruff explains, “cannot be expected to be responsive . . . when it is disciplined” (431).

 

10.  Saeys says one of the “worst aspects of the group is that fact that they are capable of anything. . .” (99).

 

11.

 

12.  Cheez’s The French Onion Soup begins chapter one with a look at Imogene and her relationship with “those desperate, unusual females who are called sisters” (2).

 

13.  At the end of Deggs’ “Peregrine Falcon,” the speaker begins to rant about “another infernal machine / Designed to crush the only human emotion” (77).

 

14.  In the play Spheres the main character, Mr. O. Vale, begins the second scene of the first act with “Give me the bottle, that lovely cylindrical bottle, / Full of lovely, sloshy bootle” (Coobs 54).

15.  [You should have double-spaced this.]

 

16.  [You should have double-spaced this.]

 

 

 

 

Class  ________________________________

 

Essay Revision

Choose the essay that you enjoyed doing most.  Revise the essay: this means to re-VISION it.  Look at the topic again and change the essay substantially.  Make a new essay from this original topic.

450-700 words

audience:  classmates

            Remember to have a strong, focused thesis.

            Remember to have the plan page correspond to the essay.

            Remember to have strong, focused topic sentences for body paragraphs.

            Remember to use specifics in the paragraph, not just generalizations.

Turn in this sheet on the top, final draft, planning page, rough draft, pre-writing, peer consultation sheet

 

 

 Portfolio

 

A writing portfolio is a collection of the products of your creative labor.  For this class, it has several purposes:

·         to show your best, revised writing;

·         to allow self- and teacher assessment of total progress;

·         to allow self- and teacher assessment of final outcome of the program;

·         to increase the number of people who can enjoy your work; to demonstrate the writing process; and

·         to demonstrate the recursive nature of creating text

The presentation of your portfolio (format, cover, etc.) should represent your personality and ability. Your portfolio must contain, clearly labeled,

1.  Self-evaluation (see below for guidelines)

2.  Essay with writing process

3.  Writing product from this class

4.  Writing product from another class or from the community

5.  Artistic writing product (optional) or another writing project from this class

6.  Initial essay

7.  Final in-class essay