I had a lot of A's on the midterm-- congrats! You will get your exams back today. You will have the class period to work on your casebooks and ask questions! Here's an overview of the 2nd half of the semester:
* No written assginment the week before Spring Break.
* Reading "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" over Spring Break-- you can start next week since you have no essay to write!
*Quiz on the story the MONDAY we get back from Spring Break.
*We will be working on our research papers for 3 weeks in March/April.
*You will have reading assignments during that time but no essays-- only the research paper.
*After the paper is done, we will study poetry and create a journal. I will give you specific prompts to respond to in the journal. It is a creative, not a formal, assignment.
*Finally, you will have your skit assignment (but not until we are completely done with the research paper).
*Your final exam will also be take home, like the midterm.
Hang in there!

What have you learned this semester about writing thesis/topic statements??

Midterm is due on FRIDAY. Print it out, circle the answers, and turn it in! That is it!

You can only accomplish what you think you can accomplish, so THINK BIG! YOU CAN!

I was very disappointed that so few of you read your assignments last week. It is very important to read your assignments; future readings will be quizzed.

We only have one more essay; the week before spring break, you will have no written assignments. You will have several weeks like this so that you can devote time to your research paper. After the paper is due, there will be no more essay assignments in this class-- only creative ones. Stay on task, stay focused, and you will be on your way to a successful finish in English 1302.

Most of you have been writing for over 13 years of your lives... you can do this!

The deadline is nearing for the creative writing contest! If you win, you will get extra points in this class!
I'm happy to re

What a difference a decade makes!

When I was in college, nobody had cell phones; there was no facebook, and only rich people had computers.

Our professors strolled in before their first class and strolled out after their last; they didn't send us email updates, post lecture notes online, or ever offer to help in any way. Heck, we were lucky if they knew our names-- by the 3rd consecutive semester of taking their classes! I'm referring to undergrad school, not graduate school, of course. Grad school is different-- it is intimate. In grad school, you call your Professors by their first names (well, if you want to!).

If we were tardy, the door was locked. If we turned in a late paper, it either went into the trash bin or had an "F" across the entire first page. There were no study guides, no take-home tests, and no second and third chances.

Our reading assignments were THICK-- at least a novel a week in freshman English. We wrote an essay a week as well, and trust me, there was no Professor offering to help us with a thesis statement, nor any discussion of what that or a theme is-- we were supposed to know it or know enough to find out what it is. And if our paper didn't meet the criteria, well, it bled red and received a failing grade.

Research papers, well, those were 10-20 pages in length.

Everything is different now. Professors are asked to care whether or not their students succeed (and we do!). However, it does sometimes feel like the more we offer to help, and the more "slack" we give, the less respect we get. Even with more effort and more attention to teaching the writing process, offering outside help, free tutoring, etc., student writing is still not up to par overall. Professors across the disciplines are seeing this.

Are the students lazy? Did the school system let them down? What has changed?

Do they want something for nothing, or deep down, do they want the harsh instructor who treats them like adults and expects a high level of academic achievement?

I am not making judgments; I am just curious as to what students expect from college these days. I have no answers, only questions.

These are my thoughts, and I invite you all to share yours.

Let's simplify the essay instructions so that it doesn't seem so overwhelming! :)

1. Choose one of the themes of the stories (some were mentioned in the lectures), and write a 2 page MLA formatted essay that examines that theme.
2. Cite at least 3 short quotes from the story per body paragraph to support your thesis/topic statements.
3. Use the page numbers provided you on the assignment sheet page, and cite the story as part of the book. An example is on the assignment tab.
4. Submit essay to turnitin.com (log in info. is on the assignment tab).
5. Submit essay to grade results for editing.
6. Create a wordle.
7. Bring my draft to class on Monday.

Due to the school cancellation, some of you may feel rushed to write the draft of your next essay. You will have the weekend to complete the draft. However, it is very important that you complete the draft and bring it to class on Monday for feedback. Submit it to grade results as well; do this by Sunday, and you should have the feedback in time to write the final draft.

We will go over the 2 stories on Friday, as well as get an overview of the assignment. It is a typical "theme" essay, which you have probably done at some point in highschool. I will make myself available to you for online chatting Monday and Tuesday if you need extra help.

Make sure you are prepared for class on Friday and Monday. Have a good day!

Thanks to Mason, we now have the full text article of the media violence article written by Marilyn Manson. You can read it under the "Lottery" tab! Please read the article, and respond here!

I hate that our discussions are so short. I wish we had another 50 minutes to open up the lecture for a discussion. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the stories, ideas, essays, etc. Feel free to post here.

Also, you will get your essays back on Wednesday (if we aren't snowed in... again!). Other schools are asking their professors to meet outside of scheduled class time in order to make up the missed classes-- that has not been told to us yet. We shall see what happens.

Enjoy Kafka and Hemingway.  I hope you enjoyed the "media" today! :)

Media violence paper worth 50 points; paragraph response up to 5 extra credit points...