Week 6: Developing Research Topics and Questions
Class Info
- Dates: Tuesday, 3/7-Monday, 3/13
- Meeting Info: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-11:15am in room N618;
Objectives
- To read together and brainstorm research topics for Project 2
- To consider revision
- To complete any unfinished work, especially Project 1: Discourse Communities and the reflection post
For Tuesday, 3/7
Reading
- Spoken Word Video: “Unlearning My Name” by Mohammed Hassan
- Podcast/Interview: “On Passing” (both audio and written transcript available)
- Novel: Passing by Nella Larsen
Writing
- take notes and annotate while reading Passing
- Choose a word and contribute to our Glossary, following the instructions about what to include and how to post.
In Class Tuesday, 3/7
- How do we revise? what do we pay attention to?
- revision is never-ending, or ends when we say it ends. it’s not simply about correcting, but something all writers do.
- look at the grading criteria/checklist
- make sure you refer to one of our course texts
- adding/subtracting/refocusing details
- when we refocus, we can tell better what needs to go–it was useful but served its purpose and is gone
- get feedback (from me, from the writing center, from a friend, from a classmate)–the challenge is understanding how to use it
- re-outline your work: make an outline that will help you see where you focus, what you need to add, what needs to be reordered.
- look at your paragraphs–are they all about the same size? should some be split? should some be expanded?
- check the length–if it’s much shorter or much longer, what needs to change?
- rephrasing, better sentence structure, or more precise vocabulary that lets the sentence flow better. (polishing)
- Write an bulleted list of the paragraphs in your Project 1, . Add any notes to guide your next revision.
- ENG department reflection
- Reading and researching Passing
For Thursday, 3/9
Reading
- Novel: Passing by Nella Larsen
- Readings from our in-class research
Writing
- take notes and annotate while reading Passing
- Choose a word and contribute to our Glossary, following the instructions about what to include and how to post.
- Share your thoughts about a research topic or question in our discussion
In Class Thursday, 3/9
- Podcast/Interview: “On Passing” (both audio and written transcript available)
- Reading Passing: what stands out to you? what details do you want to call our attention to? any thoughts about discourse communities? any thoughts about something you want to know more about?
- p18, “Again she looked up…” to 20 “She couldn’t prove it.”
- p20, “Suddenly her small fright increased” to bottom of 22
- p36 “The truth was” to bottom of 38
- p 43 “But you’ve never answered my question” to 44 “fascination, strange and compelling”
- p44 “Clare Kendry was still leaning back” to 46 “there was about them something exotic.”
- and researching Passing
- What is an opinion essay? why write one?
What really stood out for me was Clare’s unfathomed beauty as described by Irene. Clare’s loveliness was absolute, beyond challenge (pg 46). Often, for many people of color, we unconsciously have an unflattering opinion when it comes to our looks. Compounded with the lack of money we can never even afford to “buy beauty” continuously.
However, seen as a gift from her grandmother, mother and father, Clare’s eyes where the most beautiful, they were Negro eyes, mysterious and concealing. Her ivory skin had a peculiar soft luster and the eyes were magnificent arresting eyes, warm, slow and mesmeric and yet with something withdrawn and secret.
On top of her mesmerizing beauty, Clare has an aura of polite insolence associated with birth right or acquired from riches or importance and did not need to pretend or pass herself off as white which Irene secretly admires and wishes that she had more money to help her attain the same.