Hall 1121 Spring 2021

Hi everyone– for Tuesday, post an update (and some work, if possible) on your Unit 3 project. If you did not post your homework for today please do that as well.  Also, here is the comic we made together in class!

Remember, I showed you this just so we could think about design and so I could show you Canva, especially since many people are doing comics.  I’m equally excited about all your projects– from podcasts to videos to comics, etc!!

Your homework for Tuesday is just to post evidence you’ve been working on unit 3– it’s up to you what that evidence is– a sketch? some sources? a brief description of what you did? Just show us you’ve been working on the unit!

Hi everyone!  for Thursday, please:

1. Find an example of the genre of piece you would like to make for Unit Three.  This is your mentor text.  That is, if you would like to make a podcast, find a podcast you like. If you want to make a comic, find a short comic you like, etc.. THIS DOES NOT NEED TO BE (and probably should not be) ON YOUR TOPIC– it just has to be something you like.  You are just looking at this for tips about the ingredients of a good podcast, or a good photo essay, a good TED Talk, a good video, etc… To find examples, look at the resources in the UNIT THREE ASSIGNMENT SHEET  (end of the page). You can look elsewhere as well! This is just a starting place
2. Write a brief analysis of this mentor text (250 words or so). Here are some things to consider:
   • • Language/Vocabulary: Examine why certain words and phrases were used to make specific points.
     • Tone: How does the author express his/her attitude through writing/speaking? Sarcastic, humorous, inquisitive, anxious, critical, etc.?
     • Organization/Structure: What does the author includes in the beginning, middle, and end. Why do you think it is organized in this way?
     • Audience: What techniques does the author use to draw in the audience’s attention?
     • Development: What methods does the writer use to develop his/her ideas? Narration, description, definition, comparison, analogy, cause and effect, example, etc.?
     • Research: How does this writer use research (if at all)?

Hi everyone! Before I list the homework, I want to remind you of the Literary Arts Festival on Tuesday– your one and only chance to get extra credit in this class!  And how can you GET that credit? Just write a 150 word paragraph (posted on OL) about what you saw (liked, didn’t like, thought, learned, whatever) at the festival!  HERE is the link to register for the event.

Remember that the student writers will be writing about life during the Covid era, which may help you with Unit 3. Also, HERE is the link to the poem we watched in class.

Now, for Tuesday’s Homework (due by 8 am, natch)

If you haven’t already, please post the in-class writing we did on Thursday.  An uploaded photo is fine

WRITE: some ideas for Unit 3.  You’ll need to answer all of the following questions:

1. The prompt for this unit asks you to answer one or both of the following questions: “How has the past year challenged or changed you?” or “What have you learned in the past year that you would like to share with others?”  But remember, you may have learned something surprising and not at all covid-related!  What do you think you would like to write about in this unit?
2. The assignment also asks you to be specific– to talk about a particular aspect of the year that only you can talk about (or to tweak it in your own particular way!) How do you intend to get specific? 
3.  What kind of document are you thinking about  making? A video essay with interviews? A video of you reciting a poem? A series of infographics? A comic book? Look at the Unit Three assignment for ideas, but you can branch out from there if you like.  Remember, the requirement is that you use words and images  OR words and sounds OR words, images and sounds.
4. What are your concerns about this assignment?  That is, maybe you want to make a podcast, but you really have no idea how to do that (see THIS handout– maybe it will help). Or you want to do a comic but you can’t draw (THIS might help)

Post on open lab!  Category: Unit 3

First things first: remember, your topic needs to be in question form.  Something like “women’s rights” is too broad, but “How are young women defining feminism (and womanhood) differently than their mothers and grandmothers did?” If you’re having trouble with this, send me an email!

Second things second: You will need at least three (but probably more) sources.  We’ve found a few in class, but you’ll also need to find some on your own. Remember, interviews count as sources too!  You could interview your mother or your best friend about women’s rights (or about corruption in the Dominican Republic or Haiti!)  You need SOME print sources, but don’t be afraid to use interviews, YouTube videos, songs, etc…  You are writing a magazine article.

HERE is the link to the library page for help with sources

HERE is the link to sign up for meetings with me if you have any questions

Okay, now the homework: 

For Thursday:

Write a summary of at least one source that relates to your essay (this can be the source you found in class on Tuesday).  The summary should be at least 250 words.  Tell us what the article says, how it relates to your research question, whether you agree with the author and why the source is useful to you.  Please note: you don’t have to agree with the author for the source to be useful!

Also (this doesn’t count toward word count) pick out 2 or so quotes from this article you find particularly interesting or useful.  You don’t have to comment on them.

I suggest you start working on your rough drafts.  They’re due on March 23!

HERE is a calendar to sign up for one-on-one conferences with me (we will use our Zoom link). Please sign up if I told you you needed to or if you have any questions about Unit One, Unit Two or the course in general!

Hi guys, the homework for Tuesday, March 16 is:

1. Finish the “reverse outline” that you started on your mentor articles last week (Marriage, NCAA, Coronavirus or Activism). Remember to focus on what the article DOES (“In this paragraph, the author uses their own experience to draw the reader in” or “in this paragraph, the author brings in an outside source and explains it in relatable language so regular people can understand”) instead of what is SAYS (“the author tells us he was a football player and is now a senator”).  We are trying to get to a kind of generic outline that you can use as a guide– for writing form only– if you want!

As an example, HERE is the one we did in class!  You may have to revise the part you did already to make it about what the article DOES (not says)

Post to Open Lab

2. Finish the “quote sandwich” paragraph we started in class on Thursday.  In this paragraph, you will take a quote from an article about your research topic (you do not need to agree with this quote– but you might!) Use the guidelines in THIS POSTER.  That is, introduce the quote (and author,)  summarize the quote in your own words, and then analyze (explain) the quote by telling the reader what you think about it, why it is important and/ or how it relates to your central question!

Also post this to OL.  Please post these two assignments separately! 

Your homework for Thursday will be to start annotating an article like we did in class on Tuesday, outlining the rhetorical moves the writer makes in every paragraph.  We will spend the week on this.  This is a huge part of Unit Two and will count toward your final paper grade (not your homework grade,) though all you have to do to get these points is complete the assignment.

As an example, HERE is the example of the document we annotated together in class.

You will be using these articles as guides to help us learn how to write an article– for tips on style.  You will use this knowledge when you write your own article! You should not be looking for an article that is on the same topic as you are writing on, but one whose tone you like– or might best fit your topic.

We will NOT be doing this on Perusall.  Please use the documents below.  Choose ONE.  You will notice that three of these are the articles we already read last week. You don’t need to choose the one you chose before, but you may.

You will download this document as a word or google docs document and edit on that document, then post that document on Open Lab. You can also cut and paste the whole thing as a blog post to Open Lab, but that will be very long!

YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT TO EDIT IT– and you’ll need to edit it to do the assignment. HERE is a short video about how to download if you get stuck.  

CORONAVIRUS STRESS MAY BE SCRAMBLING OUR BRAINS

WHY I’M BEHIND THE ATHLETE’S BILL OF RIGHTS

IS MARRIAGE OBSOLETE? 

“YOUNG ACTIVISTS” LABEL CAN BE A BURDEN FOR YOUTH ORGANIZERS

I sent everyone an email about the essay topics from the form you filled out in class.  If you didn’t hear from me, or if you have questions, please send an email (chall@citytech.cuny.edu )  If you missed class or did not finish the form, please complete it HERE and then send me an email to tell me you finished it and I will send you comments.  Remember, your topic must be approved by me by next week!

1. Write a 2-3 sentence proposal for your topic for unit 2 (again, please see the assignment sheet under “Major Assignments”) and post to Open Lab
2. Please ALSO attach a source you might use for your research to this post– that is, an article or a youtube video, etc…  You can do this either by using the “Add Media” button or by adding a link.    Make sure this is a good source– something you think is going to be useful to you. Please read (or watch) this source!

Use category: Unit Two 

Below is a video that might be helpful for finding articles (there is a link to our own library on the right side of this web page.)  Also, see below the video for instructions for accessing a free subscription to the New York Times, if you would like to use this resource!

To register for a free subscription to the NYT using your CUNY email address:

1. Click on “Register” to create a NYTimes.comaccount using your CUNY e-mail address.
2. At the bottom of the Welcome page, click “Continue.”
3. If your email address is from an eligible school, you will then see “Check your email.” Look for a “Confirm Your Email Address” message, which should arrive to your CUNY e-mail within 15 minutes.
4. Click on the link in our confirmation email. This will simultaneously verify your eligibility and

grant your Academic Pass, which will provide access to NYTimes.com for your campus designated period.

5. If you don’t get our confirmation email, check your spam filter.  If you still do not receive it, send an email from your school email account to edu@nytimes.com

WRITE: Write a blog post (at least 400 words) in which you describe 2 or 3 possible problems/issues that you want to research and write an article on for your Unit 2 project. Make sure to double check the Unit 2 assignment sheet (under Major Assignments) if you’re confused.

You’ll narrow it down to just one topic, but for now you’re brainstorming ideas. Think about things you disagree with or want to change other people’s minds about. Explain why each is important to you and your community. For instance, you can discuss who the problem impacts, why it is important to address now, and/or who you can appeal to so as to help implement change.  Don’t try to think of solutions yet!

End by discussing which problem you will most likely choose and why. You may perform Internet research as you go about brainstorming topics.

Category: Unit 2

Hi everyone!  The rough drafts for Unit One are due on Tuesday by 8 AM.  Please upload to OpenLab. Category: Unit One. Please double-check the category.

Look at the Unit One assignment sheet (under Major Assignments)  for guidelines.

The Rough draft should be at least 800 words.  The final draft (at least 1000 words) will be due Thursday, so it will help to write as much as you can over the weekend.

Remember, it’s important here to just get started.  You can use the scenes we wrote in class on Thursday if you like, but you do not have to.  The most important thing now is getting anything down on the page!  If you have questions, feel free to contact me at chall@citytech.cuny.edu.  If you would like to meet with a writing tutor, contact Juanita But, Writing Center Director, at jbut@citytech.cuny.edu

Here is the reading we read in class on Thursday, in case you want to review how to start SH$%ty First Drafts! 

1. Read and Annotate “Tell ‘Em All to Come Get Me” on Perusall.com
2. Read and Annotate “Who You Callin’ Bitch?” on Perusall.com

Directions for both are on Perusall!

3.Come to Thursday’s class with an idea of the word or phrase you will want to write about for Unit One.  Remember that you want to write about a word that is important and specific to your discourse community, an “insider” word– not something generic like “love,” or “family.”  You’ll notice that the word “alright” (which Abdurraqib writes about) is used by a lot of groups, but the WAY people use it includes them in a certain group!

For more information, see the assignment sheet for Unit One under “Major Assignments” (It’s also linked here!)