Category: Class Notes

Today we discussed two argumentative articles on GMOs. Also, the graded Open Letter essays were returned.

Homework:

1) Continue drafting your Research Project Outline. Bring a draft of your outline to class on 11/21. (The final draft is due in class on 11/26; however, I will be meeting with students individually on 11/21 to look at the progress of your outlines.)

2) Continue researching/preparing/practicing for your group debates. The final debate will be held on Monday, 11/26.

3) Print, read, and annotate the following reading from Unit 5 (Part 2):
MLA Style & Ethical Citation

4) Prepare for Grammar Quiz on MLA documentation to be held on 11/21.

5) Bring back the two articles we read on GMOs.

 

Today we discussed a handout on “How to Debate.” Students were separated into groups and assigned a topic on which to prepare a debate.

Homework:

1. Continue your search for secondary sources (you will need a minimum of 5 for the Research Project).
2. Review Claim, Reasons, and Evidence (In Conversation) AND Structure and Organization (In Conversation). Then, begin drafting your Research Project Outline – due in class on 11/26
3. Continue working on your group debates. The final debate will be held the Monday after Thanksgiving, 11/26.
4. Print, read, and annotate the following readings from Unit 5 (Part 2):
   Writing a Research Paper in Steps (In Conversation)
   Guide to Conducting Research (In Conversation)
5. Review Topic 6 “MLA Documentation” from our Grammar Guide. Prepare for the quiz to be held next Monday, 11/19.

 

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. (Please type as this will be collected)
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 8 people have 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!

Congratulations to Cat, Waqas, and Yasmin for their group’s open letter on the issue of blackface. Their group wrote a compelling letter that clearly explains why wearing blackface is a form of cultural appropriation in its perpetuation of offensive stereotypes that go back to the times of slavery in America.

Some highlights from their letter:

“…the blackface tradition . . . impose[s] stereotypes of black people. Dressing up in blackface invokes representations of unflattering images of blacks as lazy, unintelligent and criminal in nature” (par. 3).

“…the very need to use black makeup as part of the process of portraying black people reveals an attempt to establish an essential difference between black and white individuals” (par. 3).

Great job!

Please remember to visit our “Discussion” to read all the groups’ fantastic letters on different forms of cultural appropriation.

 

Open Letter essays were collected. Students worked on analyzing one of their potential secondary sources.

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:

Remember that letters must be posted on our OpenLab site under “Discussion” then “Group Open Letters: Cultural Appropriation” before class TODAY. The group who writes the best letter will receive extra credit. Groups who do not post on time will not receive credit for this assignment.

Today we had our Library Workshop session led by a CityTech librarian. In addition to having a quick tour of the library, we were shown the various library databases that would be useful towards finding sources for the Research Project. You may start posting AFTER class on Wednesday, November 7. The deadline for posting is BEFORE 12pm on Friday, November 9.

Homework:

1) Finalize your research topic and work on your research proposal, which is due in class on Monday, November 12.

2) Based on the tips/advice given in our Library Workshop session, please use the suggested search engines/databases to find 2 secondary sources for your chosen research topic. Print these sources and bring them to class on Wednesday, Nov. 7. We will use them for an in-class activity.

3) Print, read, and annotate the next set of readings in Unit 5 (Part 1):

• Claim, Reasons, and Evidence (In Conversation)
• Modes of Persuasion (Writing Through Rhetorical Modes)

4) Open Letter essay due in class on Wednesday, November 7. Please review the Open Letter assignment sheet to make sure you’ve included everything necessary. Your essay must include a Bibliography or Works Cited page. Your entire paper must conform to the MLA format. 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. You may start posting AFTER class on Wednesday, November 7. The deadline for posting is BEFORE 12pm on Friday, November 9.

Notes to come…

Homework:

1)  REMINDER: On Monday, November 5, we will be having our library research and instruction session from 11:30am-12:45pm. 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).

2) Groups must finish their Open Letters and: (1) bring the final printed version to class on 11/7; (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 11/7. *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 11/7.

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) Looking ahead: You will be given time to work on your group’s open letter during Wednesday’s lab class. Communicate with members ahead of this class to coordinate and distribute responsibilities/work. 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.

 

Topic: Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation

Notes to come…

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) Group Open Letter: Continue working on your drafts and bring copies and any source material (in addition to the handouts distributed in class) back to class on Wednesday, 10/31.

3) 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.