If you are in my section 376 which meets in Namm 519 and G-208:

Next Assignment, Due Nov. 22: “The First Three Questions”

Write a few paragraphs (no more than four, no less than two) that sketch out each the following:

1. Your Research Paper Topic and Issue.

Example: “global warming/the problem of increased drought in India.”

2. Your Personal Position Statement.

This is where you get to vent about right and wrong (if you so choose). What do you think about the issue right now? Why? What connects you to the issue personally, or how can you make it connect to yourself and your life personally? What do you think about other perspectives?

3.     Create Questions: Now, brainstorm a whole series of questions to ask about the topic and issue. For our example, you might ask things like: What’s happening in India? Why is it happening? Is anybody doing anything about it? What? What kinds of politics are in play here? Who are the people who are most affected? What possible solutions are people proposing? Why or why aren’t those solutions being implemented? Again, these are just examples.

 

Turn this in to me, typed, double spaced, on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at the adjunct office at Namm 529. Yes, Tuesday. We can discuss any issues you are having in class on Monday before you hand it in.

 

What happens after this? Once you complete this exercise (remember you also have a list and an outline) you will have a very good sense of how to read up on your topic. Okay, maybe you don’t have a thesis statement yet, but you are on your way to working independently. Research and Read All You Can on your Topic and Issues! Start Now, and don’t stop.

 

Notes: Don’t hand in your only copy!! You will need one for yourself. I will not grade this for punctuation, etc. I want to see where you are and what you are thinking. And again, it is On You to begin researching and reading up all you can. Go!!

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Q: Okay, Professor, what comes next, after we do this?

A: Before and over Thanksgiving, you will start a very rough draft of your research paper. It will be due Nov. 29. It will take the 3-pronged structure outlined below. (Please don’t start this until you have completed the above assignment and done some good research.)

 

“The Next Three Questions: A Rough Draft”:

1. Write a paragraph or so of background information on the issue/topic and why you chose to dig into it.
2. Write as many paragraphs as you need to show us what you found from your sources. These will look a lot like brief versions of the summary, evaluation, analysis work we’ll be doing together in class. You won’t agree or disagree at this point – save that for question 3, below – just a “this is what the author says, this is what’s good/bad about it in terms of my evaluation and analysis.”
3. Write a final section where you give us a “so what?” Tell us where you agreed or disagreed with any of the authors, what you learned, what surprised you, what new insights you gained, what you now know about the “conversation” that you didn’t before, etc. Also tell us why you think this kind of analysis is important to you as a part of today’s society.

 

Once this above rough draft is done, you will arrive at a good thesis statement. Section 3, above, will help you find it. 

Eventually, that thesis statement will appear in the introductory paragraph of your final paper.  🙂

 

I will give you a worksheet to take home over break that will help you with your rough draft. It is called “Claim, Reason, Evidence.”

Remember Class: Writing is a Process.

And writing can change minds and change the world around you. You are on your way.

PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENTS:

For Monday, Nov 14: Please remember to make your Topics List: List Your Top Five Topics of Interest. 

Think the game show “Jeopardy” if that helps you pick categories.

Say briefly what your experience is with these topics.

Also make a “What I Want to Know More About” List. The concepts on this list can relate to the topics you already mentioned, but they don’t have to at this point.

Let’s cull the data on Monday when I give you some parameters for narrowing your ideas. After that, you will write me a more formal, typed Outline. For now, typing is not necessary.

Thanks. See you.

Nov 7 reminder: We are meeting at the Library on this day, not the classroom. It is Library Instruction Day and a Librarian will discuss research tools with us. We will take roll outside the Library. 4th FL, Atrium Building, 1:00PM. Don’t come to the classroom.

Congratulations on handing in your Inner/Outer Dialogues! We have been studying for our Midterm, which is on Monday, October 31st. Hopefully, it will not be scary.

First of all, a quick congratulations to you on your united effort on “Silence Score,” transcribed Oct. 5 and scored Oct. 6, 2016!

Now, on to your next paper assignment. Length: 500 words. Double-spaced, typed. Due: Oct 24. Record inner and outer dialogues. Do this on public transportation (bus, subway). You can ride many times, of course, (It will be good for future reference if you keep some track in your notebooks of when you recorded your inner/outer info — dates, locations.) Type these aural impressions up and, at the start or at various points in your paper, let the reader know where these impressions were recorded. For instance, “No. 5 Train to the Bronx, boarded at 14th Street Union Square, Sunday, October 16.” Note to those students who do not commute or ride the trains: you may use an open public space like a Starbucks or a busy city park or the Cafeteria.

Your First typed paper is due Oct 6. Write a movie review. 400 to 500 words in length, typed, double spaced. Please see my recent post on the HOME PAGE, link here, if you are having trouble.

If you have not already done so: write a review of a movie you have seen (see below)**. If you have begun to write one, continue! These will go in your journal for Monday, Sept. 26.

Remember: Journal Check day is Monday, Sept. 26.

You have two things to do before Wed. Sept 21: Send (or post) a photo and complete a writing assignment. See below.

Posting photo: If we can’t figure out how to post to the new OpenLab site, please send the picture of your object to my email and I will post it for you: sschmerler@citytech.cuny.edu or sarahschmerler55@gmail.com. I will post it to the shared project site. Thanks. I’m sorry for the tech trouble.

**Writing Assignment: Write a review of a movie you have seen — one that you like or dislike, it does not matter. Handwritten is fine. Length: anywhere between 350 and 500 words. Due: Sept. 21.

Supplies: You will also need to start bringing your highlighting pens to class!: Yellow, Blue, Pink and another color of your choice. (Below are just examples; you only need four.)

Take a photograph of the object you recently wrote about in your “naked eye” description exercise. There is a new site created for posting images (I hope it works!). So please join the OpenLab Community if you have not already done so, and post your photo here:

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/schmerlerrtwh/

I’ve invited those class members who have already reached out to me to join our class community on OpenLab. Translation: only three students. The rest of you have to join OpenLab and request to join our new site which is called Real Time Writers’ Hour. Here are some step-by-step instructions on how to join OpenLab copied below. If you have problems please write to me but do try to follow the instructions. Thanks! Here you go:

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/blog/help/signing-up-on-the-openlab/

And here are instruction on how to join a group on OpenLab:

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/blog/help/joining-a-course/

You also have a short reading assignment: a one-page short story by Franz Kafka. It may seem a bit confusing; but that said, it is only one page. Here is the link to a pdf of the story.

Do the same description exercise you already did — one more time. Any object of your choice. Any length. Handwritten. Due: Sept. 14 (See description below.)**

**Writing Assignment — Description: Pick an object — any object you wish — in the room around you. Describe that object as it appears to your naked eye. Do not use the object’s name; do not say what this object is used for. (Hint: make no assumptions about this object; if you came down to Earth for the first time and had no knowledge of humankind, you might be in the right frame of mind to complete this assignment.) Please be prepared to share in class, and to take notes. No length limit. Handwritten. Due Sept. 12.

your assignments for Wed. Sept 7 are:

•Pick two new words you learned in class while unpacking the word “exceptional” and use them each in a sentence. Try to write your sentence(s) in a way that really give a sense of the word.

•Writing Assignment. No length. Handwritten: Tell me about your family. Don’t use the indefinite article in your writing — namely, don’t use the word “a” or “an.”  An example of use of the indefinite article would be something like, “Hey, did you see an elephant walking down the street?” “No, I didn’t see an elephant walking down the street, I saw a cat walking down the street.” Hence, you couldn’t write the words in bold. You can, however, use “the” this time. As in, “I saw the elephant I saw yesterday just walking down the street….” Good luck! Once again, the topic is: tell me about your family. Any way you like.

•Reading Assignment: Here is a link to an article on Albert Einstein and how he got his ideas. Just quickly read the article. Be prepared to discuss in class whether or not you agree with ideas like this one that they quote: “Imagination is more important than knowledge” and this “I very rarely think in words at all. A thought comes, and I may try to express it in words afterwards…” and also about the concept of “associative play.”