EXAM OCTOBER 10– and meetings.

Hi everyone. We have an exam on October 10. It will take the entire class. If you cannot make the exam, you must tell me before hand, and you must provide official verifiable proof. You must also take an alternate version of the exam.

There is no official homework, but you will want to prepare for the midterm. But what are some ways you might do that?

1. READ THE ZOMBIE ARTICLE! ANNOTATE! REREAD! (YOU MUST BRING THIS WITH YOU TO THE EXAM)
2. REVIEW THE QUOTATION HANDOUT! (YOU MAY BRING THIS WITH YOU TO THE EXAM.)
3. Think about the kind of questions I will probably ask. You will have a choice of two questions. They will both ask you about 1. The text (Zombie Article) 2. The reader (You) and 3. The World (something about the world outside of the text.)
4. Practice writing thesis statements. What kind of thing could you write about that would be interesting enough that you can write about it for an hour? That you can make multiple points about it? You don’t want something too huge or too small. I know this sounds ridiculous, but this would be VERY helpful.
5. You totally don’t have to do this, but for fun, you could watch a monster movie. Or go down some internet research wormhole looking up monsters!

Remember, I am not looking for the “right answer.” There IS NO RIGHT ANSWER (which is a drag, I know.) I am looking for YOUR answer. I am looking for your thoughtful response to the question (which will have to do with your thoughts on Klostermann and how we as Americans view monstrosity) backed up with Points, Information and Explanation. 

You may bring the following with you: The Zombie article, the quotation handout and the monster story you wrote. However, do not feel obligated to use your previous writing– it could kind of mess you up to try to make it fit. This is just a resource.

You may listen to music while you write if you like as long as no one else can hear it. 

(tips on writing the actual essay are below meeting times)

OFFICE HOURS

My office is in Namm 525. This is on the 5th floor. Once you get off the elevator, you will see some vending machines. Behind the vending machines is a little hallway. Go in and take a left. There is my office! Please note: these are my meetings for both classes.  Please email me if you would like to make an appointment.

OFFICE HOURS WEDS OCT 4

• 10:30 Andy Huang
• 11:15 Cloyde
• 11:30 Giovanni
• 12:00 Michael
• 12:15 Jonathan Alexander
• 12:45 Hend
• 3:30 Kelvin

OFFICE HOURS TUESDAY OCT 9

• 1:30 Omrit
  1:45 Mohammad
  2:15 David

TIPS FOR EXAM DAY BEFORE YOU START THE ESSAY: 

1. Read and re-read the essay question.
2. If it helps you, brainstorm ideas.
3. Write a thesis. Revise it. Make sure it’s “the right size.” Is it a statement? Is it worth discussing? Are YOU interested? Do you have points you can make to support it? This is the key to an in-class exam, finding a thesis that fits.
4. Brainstorm some points that fit your thesis. On scrap paper, put these in order. Leave some space under each
5. Brainstorm some information to back up each point. When you write, you will also EXPLAIN these points and information. Why is it important? What do YOU think? What do you want your reader to think? If it helps you, jot down some ideas about explanations. It’s also okay to wait on this part (as long as you do it in the actual essay.
6. Take a second to make sure that your supporting points back up your thesis. If not, do you need to change a point? Or tweak your thesis a bit?
7. Take a breath. And get started!

I will not be grading the pre-writing you do. But I guarantee you that if you just sit down and spill out everything on your mind, your essay won’t make any sense. If you give a moment to think of your thesis and your main Points (and Info and Explanations,) you will know what your paragraphs will look like. Be willing to let your ideas change as you write. The outline just gives you a place to begin and go back to if you get stuck.