Category: Class Notes

Today we discussed how to write the body paragraph. A handout was distributed that detailed the different components that must be included, and the order in which those components should appear. A sample body paragraph was first discussed before students then had the opportunity to begin drafting their own body paragraphs.

Homework:

1. Read the handouts on Quoting secondary sources distributed in class.
2. Finalize 2 sources (located via the CityTech databases) that you will use in your paper.
3. Select 2 quotes or pieces of evidence (1 from each article) that you will use as support in your paper. Decide if you should directly quote or paraphrase them and explain why. Finish by writing 2 sample body paragraphs (see “Body Paragraphs” handout from class for format) that uses your secondary sources to support both the topic sentence of the individual paragraph AND the larger thesis of your Research Project. Type for collection on Wednesday.
4. Prepare a bibliography of the two sources.
5. Review Topic 6 “MLA Documentation” from our Grammar Guide. Prepare for the quiz to be held next Monday, 11/19.
6. REMINDER: Only 3 people posted the final drafts of their Open Letter essays to our Discussion board. To everyone who hasn’t done so, it is well past the due date. Remember that every late/missed post negatively affects your grade, so get this done ASAP!

Today, Open Letter essays were collected. Students also worked on analyzing one of their two secondary sources that they found for hw.

Homework

1) Finalize your Research Proposal, which is due in class on Monday, November 12. Late proposals will not be awarded any of the allotted 5% credit, so please ensure you submit your proposal on time! Everyone must submit a proposal in order to proceed with the next parts of the Research Project. Remember that your topic cannot be changed once you submit your proposal. Review the Research Project handout for requirements and information on proper formatting. Proposals that are missing any of the requirements or that do not conform to the proper format will be returned to you, and your grade will be penalized.

2) Print, read, and annotate the following from Unit 5, Part 1 Readings:

• Logical Argumentation (In Conversation)
• Errors in Logic (In Conversation)

3) Read the following from Unit 5, Part 2 Readings:

Dear Students,

So far I have only received one group’s final open letter via email. You were supposed to both email me your group’s letter AND post a copy onto our OpenLab Discussion page, under “Group Open Letters: Cultural Appropriation” before class on 11/5. There’s not much time left, so please ensure you email/post your letters ASAP.

Best,
Prof. Choi

Today we went over the assignment handout for the Research Project and began discussing the first two readings on Argumentation.

Homework:

1)  REMINDER: On Monday, November 5, we will be having our library research and instruction session from 8:30-9:45am. Hence, our class will meet outside of the library entrance (located on the 4th floor). If you arrive late, ask the library reception to direct you to where we are (the second floor classroom). Afterwards, we will meet in our regular classroom (L-633) for our lab class from 10:00-10:50am.

2) Groups must finish their Open Letters and: (1) bring the final printed version to class on 11/5; (2) email a digital copy of the final letter to Prof. Choi at cchoi@citytech.cuny.edu.; and (3) post to our OpenLab site under “Discussion” then “Group Open Letters: Cultural Appropriation” before class on 11/5. *The group who writes the best letter will receive extra credit.

3) Finish revising your Open Letter essays. The final drafts will be collected on Wednesday, November 7. Your essay must include in-text citations and a Bibliography or Works Cited page (with at least 3 secondary sources). Your entire paper must conform to the MLA format (see syllabus). Papers that do not conform to this format will not be accepted.

Students must also post their final drafts to our Open Lab site, under “Discussions” then “Open Letter Final Drafts.” This allows everyone to read each other’s finished product. Deadline for posting is November 9 before 12pm.

4) Review for the next grammar quiz on “Parallelism & Dangling Modifiers” to be held 11/5.

Today we had our Peer Review workshop on the Open Letter.

Homework:

1) Please revise your Open Letter essays according to the rubric and the feedback that you received in class today. Essays are due on Wednesday, 11/7.

2) PRINT out and read through the assignment sheet for the Research Project. This can be found under Essay Assignments. Select one of the research topics. If you would like to choose a topic not listed, then you must discuss it with me first for approval. Bring any questions you have about the research project to class on Wednesday, 10/31.

3) PRINT, read, and annotate the following from the UNIT 5 (Part 1) Readings:

• Persuasion (Writing for Success)
• Writing an Argumentative Essay (In Conversation)

4) Groups must finish their Open Letters and: (1) bring the final printed version to class on 11/5; (2) email a digital copy of the final letter to Prof. Choi at cchoi@citytech.cuny.edu. Letters will be shared (orally) in class and posted on our OpenLab site. *The group who writes the best letter will receive extra credit.

 

Today we discussed the topic of Cultural Appropriation/Appreciation

Homework:

1) Complete the full draft, including the preliminary bibliography, of your Open Letter and print 3 copies, which you must bring to class on Monday, October 29, for our Peer Review Workshop. DO NOT BE LATE. If you are excessively late (more than 15 minutes) or you arrive without your copies, you will not be able to participate.

• Please review this handout before writing your bibliography: MLA Documentation
• Please review the Open Letter rubric here: Open Letter Rubric

2) Looking ahead: Begin reviewing for the next grammar quiz on Parallelism and Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers to be held during Week 11. The readings can be found in our Grammar Guide.

Today, we reviewed and critiqued various students’ Open Letter introductions. We also discussed choosing secondary sources and how to incorporate them properly into our essays.

In our Lab session, the next grammar quiz on “Capitalization and Quotes” was held. Midterm exams were returned and reviewed. Midterm progress grades were also handed out.

Homework:

1) Continue drafting the body paragraphs of your Open Letter. Please also revise your introductions based on today’s lessons.

2) Do the 4 readings in Unit 4: Open Letter under the topic of “Cultural Appropriation/Appreciation.”

• “Is Cultural Appropriation Always Wrong” (Parul Sehgal, The New York Times)
• “Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation” (Bianca Fragoso, Odyssey Online)
• “The Difference Between Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriation” (Jarune Uwujaren, Everyday Feminism)
• “To the New Culture Cops, Everything is Appropriation” (Cathy Young, The Washington Post)

2) Based on the readings above, answer the following questions (please type).

(a) Drawing from your own personal experiences as well as the readings, what is your understanding of cultural appreciation? Be specific. Give examples.

(b) In “Is Cultural Appropriation Always Wrong,” what does Parul Sehgal mean by America’s “outrage culture”?

(c) In “Is Cultural Appropriation Always Wrong,” Parul Sehgal asks: Can some kinds of appropriation shatter stereotypes? What do you think? Explain why or why not.

(d) Based on “Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation” by Bianca Fragoso and “The Difference Between Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriation” by Jarune Uwujaren, what is the difference between appropriation and appreciation? Use examples, be specific, and elaborate.

(e) According to Cathy Young in “To the New Culture Cops, Everything is Appropriation,” what are the dangers posed by the cultural appropriation police?

Today was devoted to our Midterm Exam.

Homework:

1. Begin drafting the introduction to your Open Letter and post to Open Lab (under Discussion) before 12pm on Sunday, 10/21. Please read and offer constructive criticism to at leastrespond to at least two other students’ The introduction should adhere to the following guidelines:

• Uses an effective lead-in that pulls readers into the essay
• Provides sufficient exposition (summary of issue and the different perspectives on it)
• Contains a clear thesis (what is your informed opinion on the issue, including a preview of your main points of support)

2. Read and comment on the introductions of at least 3 your classmates. Please post detailed feedback/comments to each other’s introductions by replying to the individual post. If a particular introduction has already received a few comments and you have nothing new/unique to add, please choose another student’s work to comment on. The deadline for comments is before class on October 22.

3. Find two secondary source (a books, news article, journal, etc.) that you can use as support in your Open Letter essay. Do not use Wikipedia or other Internet sources (unless approved).

On a separate sheet of paper to be collected, summarize the main points of both secondary sources, and then discuss how you will specifically use these sources to support points in your Open Letter. Please type your response for collection on Monday, 10/22.

We are already halfway through the semester and I am STILL getting assignments that are incorrectly formatted. From here on, if I receive an incorrectly formatted paper, I will immediately return it to you.

You must format your assignments according to MLA guidelines. Please check our course syllabus under “formatting papers” for more information. Here are some basic reminders:

1. You must use Times New Roman 12-pt. font.
2. You must double space everything, except the heading.
3. You must use 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right).
4. You must use page numbers for longer assignments (your last name and the page number go in the top right corner of each page, starting on the second page).
5. You must staple/clip your own work.
6. Your heading must be as follows (no spaces):

John Doe
Prof. Choi
ENG 1101 (DXXX)
Personal Narrative Essay

Today we discussed the readings from Unit 4 under “Ethical Dilemmas,” which will help students draft the practical solutions part of their Open Letter essays.

Homework

1. Prepare for the Midterm Exam by following the preparing guidelines on the Midterm Exam page. Remember that only small/marginal notes are acceptable on your article. If you have more, you will be given a fresh copy of the article to work with. Do not arrive late! Ensure you have your article with you (extras will not be provided) and a working pen/pencil. We will start the exam immediately at 8:30am.

2. Write a 1-2 page typed proposal for the topic of your Open Letter essay. To be collected on Wednesday, 10/17.

a) In the proposal, you should fully explain the issue on which your letter will focus. Oftentimes there will be a smaller story that speaks to a larger issue. For example, Jennifer Lawrence’s open letter about being paid less than her male costars in Hollywood speaks to the larger national issue of the gender pay wage gap. Similarly, if your focus is on a smaller/local problem, you must also identify the broader issue at hand. Again, your chosen topic/issue must be current and widely under debate.

b) You must also outline to whom your letter will be addressed (i.e., your audience). Be specific – do not just simply say, “My letter is for everyone.” What is your goal in appealing to this audience? What tone do you feel is best in appealing to the audience? What methods/techniques would be best employed?

c) Discuss what support you will need to write your letter. In terms of secondary sources, what do you need to read to better familiarize yourself with the issues? What kinds of sources will you draw from? What are the best sources to use in addressing the issue and your particular audience? How will you establish your own credibility?

d) Discuss your potential solution to the issue. What do you see as the cause of the problem and how can we best approach fixing it?

3. Prepare for Grammar Quiz on Topic 4: Capitalization & Quotes to be held during Week 9.