Jada Bennett Assignment 7/20

  1. Does Elder agree with Kaba (the first reading we did) about the Black Lives Matter movement and what to do about police brutality?

When it comes to the opinions of the Black lives matter movement, Elder and Kaba do not see eye to eye to say the least. Elder does not acknowledge the Black lives matter movement as needed, because he does not believe the facts behind the movement are true to begin with. He goes on to say “There is no epidemic of racist cops killing black suspects, and continues to give his take on the “real reason” black people are dying. Kaba however, fully acknowledges the severity of the Black lives matter movements and his take on what needs to happen to what he believes will cause and end to the brutality. His piece talks about why abolishing the police is a necessary move and giving examples as to why reform doesn’t work.

  1.   Does Bill McCarthy agree with Larry Elder? Why/why not? 

Bill McCarthy’s take on Larry Elder’s stance is that although facts were given, the whole truth was not given therefore his stance is unproven. Elder took facts out of context regarding populous size, he did not take into account people of color being killed by off duty cops and by other lethal weapons other than guns. McCarthy says, “Elder’s claim also omitted important context: that black people in the U.S. are disproportionately killed by police relative to their share of the population.” Larry’s stance on the damages of police brutality does not recognize the picture as a whole and Mccarthy points that out.

  1. Does the final article (by an anonymous author) agree with Bill McCarthy’s view of Larry Elder’s article?

The anonymous author does not agree with Bill McCarthy’s view of Larry Elder’s article.

 

Quoting Using SIgnal Verbs Exercise

Read the following PDF on how to use signal phrases to introduce quotations from an article.  Then, practice using signal phrases using quotes from our assigned readings.  Below, introduce 1 quote that you agree with (use the signal verb phrases for “agreeing”) and 1 quote that you disagree with (use the signal verb phrases for “disagreeing”).

Grammar & Paragraphing Assignment

For those of you looking for extra help with grammar and mechanics (how to build sentences, a paragraph, an essay), I’ve compiled the below assignment.  Please respond with your work as a comment under this post.

1–Read this guide on Subject-Verb agreement; pay particularly close attention to #3-4.  Write 10 sentences modeled on the examples in #3-4 (with abstract nouns—ideas, percentages, etc.–as the subjects of your sentences).  Please do 5 sentences with singular subjects (1 of the thing/idea–e.g. The assumption was limiting…) and 5 sentences with plural subjects (noun phrases designating more than 1 of the thing/idea–e.g., The assumptions were limiting…)

2–Read & do the exercises in this document on linking ideas using transition words.

3–Read this guide on how to form a paragraph using a controlling idea.  Write a well-developed paragraph explaining your thoughts on what you think the 3 main elements of police brutality are (according to YOU.

2. For Monday 7/20, 7p

For Mon 7pm:

  1. I’ve made some changes to the course syllabus. Please carefully read it, especially the “Core Course Assignments & Grading Section” (from the bottom of p. 1 to the top of page 3). In your response below, please list the 10 core assignments and the % of the final grade for each. Also, please post 1 question you have about the syllabus.
  2. Make a tutoring appointment by sending an email to citytechwritingcenter@gmail.com.
  3. Before you begin writing your Essay 2, read: Larry Elder, “Where’s Black Lives Matter When You Need Them?” ;  Bill McCarthy/PolitiFact, “Larry Elder Mislabels Stats on Fatal Shootings…”; “PolitiFact Tags Black Conservative Larry Elder as ‘Mostly False,’ But He’s Not” (activated CUNY library card needed to access). For now, you aren’t required to write anything about these articles. However, I do want you do try to answer as you read these questions: Does Elder agree with Kaba (the first reading we did) about the Black Lives Matter movement and what to do about police brutality?  Does Bill McCarthy agree with Larry Elder?  Why/why not?  Does the final article (by an anonymous author) agree with Bill McCarthy’s view of Larry Elder’s article?
  4. Write your Essay 1 assignment in a Google Doc saved to your Google Drive folder. Post a link to your Google Doc (link contains instructions for how to do this), being sure to categorize it as “Essay 1 Feedback.” To make sure you’ve posted correctly, go to the Essay 1 Feedback part of the website and you should see your post with your essay there.

In terms of organizing your essay, please try to use this format for now:

Paragraph 1: Introduce the topic, why it matters, and summarize 1 of the articles on BLM/Police Brutality that we’ve read.  Then also include YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT ARTICLE and YOUR THESIS (what you think should be done about racism/police brutality)

Paragraph 2: Explain 1 of your reasons why you think your THESIS (what you think should be done about police brutality) is right.  In your paragraph, please include an example (a story from your own life or that you’ve heard told by friends, on the internet, etc.) which helps your reader understand your reason for thinking your THESIS is right.

Paragraph 3: Explain 1 other (different/new) reason why you think your THESIS (what you think should be done about police brutality) is right.  In your paragraph, please include an example (a story from your own life or that you’ve heard told by friends, on the internet, etc.) which helps your reader understand your reason for thinking your THESIS is right.

Paragraph 4: Counterclaim. Here, I want you to explain at least 1 reason why someone might disagree with your thesis.  Then respond to this imaginary person who disagrees with you.  Defend your view!

Paragraph 5: Conclusion.  In this paragraph, I want you to restate your THESIS (don’t copy & paste it; now that you’ve gained new insight from writing the essay, you should have new language for explaining your Point of View).  Also explain the broader outcomes for society that you hope will happen if more people take up your thesis and act on it.

Lastly (optional), you can include any questions about your topic that you want to come back to in a future essay.

1. Due Fri 7/17, 7p

Due Friday 7p.

  1. Read the following two articles (Reading Assignments 1 and 2):
    Mariame Kaba, “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police…”
    Tracey Meares’ “Policing: A Public Good Gone Bad” ? | Does Kaba (#1) accurately represent Meares’ views?
  2. Post a response below as a comment containing two parts. In Part A, I want you to tell me in your own words what you think the thesis of each article (#1, by Mariame Kaba and #2, by Tracey Meares) is. A thesis is a debate-able statement or opinion that an author tries to convince the reader to believe in.  What is Kaba trying to get us to believe in?  What is Meares trying to make us think?  Your responses in part A should answer these questions as best you can.
  3. In Part B of your work, I want you to write a 100-150 word summary for both articles. Place your summaries in your comment below (in the part labeled “B”); also save them in your Google Drive portfolio. Each summary should include the following:

–BEFORE YOUR SUMMARY: a list of 5 vocabulary words from the article (of your choosing); for each word, create your own sentence showing its meaning // THEN… Your summary:
—a sentence introducing the author and title of the article: In “[Title of Article],” [Author Name] writes about…[topic of article]
—discussion of at least 2 different perspectives on the main topic of the article—the author’s perspective as well as an opposing or different viewpoint as well (one that the author mentions or which is implied by the content of the article)
—1 direct quotation with adequate context and introduction: Toward the end of her article, Turkle most clearly conveys her main point, that “____sentence-long quotation here____.”
—discussion of important or confusing ideas/words/phrases in this quotation: The most important thing to notice in this passage is…. Something I find interesting/odd/confusing about this passage is….

The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at City Tech (New York City College of Technology), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.

Support

Help | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Credits

Accessibility

Our goal is to make the OpenLab accessible for all users.

Learn more about accessibility on the OpenLab

Copyright

Creative Commons

  • - Attribution
  • - NonCommercial
  • - ShareAlike
Creative Commons

top