Blog Post #8: Essay Exam Practice - 2 (Due 11/22)

Starting today, you will intensify your exam preparation.  First, take time to read the SAMPLE ESSAYS written for real exam questions on Blackboard>Course Documents>Essay Exam Documents (29 pages).  From the comments on the essays, identify whether the sample essay is a passing or a failing one.  Pay attention to the introduction, thesis statement, topic statements, paragraph development, conclusion, language use, sentence grammar, and word choice in the passing essays (to get ideas for WHAT TO DO) and failing essays (to understand WHAT NOT TO DO).

Then, choose ONE question from another document, "sample essay questions," also on Blackboard>Course Documents>Essay Exam Documents.

1) Draft a tentative thesis (position) statement for the question with THREE-FOUR points you’d make in the essay-- you may draft this by handwriting, typing in a Word document, etc. Then, time yourself (approx. an hour) and write a full essay (approx. 500 words) as an answer to the question.
2) Post your essay to your blog (as usual, title your post by the number and title of this blog: Blog Post #8, etc ).

*IMPORTANT! Note that the ENGL 110C Essay Exam (Nov 29) questions will be based on the sample questions provided for you on Blackboard. In order to be more prepared for the essay exam, make sure to review all of the sample questions, including the pieces of writing provided with them. Have ideas for a tentative thesis statement and three/four points you would discuss in response to the questions.

Blog Post #7: Essay Exam Practice (Due 11/17)

Create a new post in your blog in which you do the following:

1) Pick THREE questions from the sample essay questions posted on Blackboard (Essay Exam Documents).  Write them down in your post.

2) Write a thesis statement for each question with THREE-FOUR points you’d make in the essay-- you may draft this by handwriting, typing in a Word document, etc.  Then post your points under each question.

3) Write a full INTRODUCTION and CONCLUSION that you'd use in your answer to ONE of the questions. Post it under the respective question.

*Bring a printed copy of your writing to the class for reference during discussion and activities.

Blog Post #6: Position Paper Prewriting - Research (Due 11/1)

Choose your position paper topic.  Using the brainstorming list you've created based on this topic, collect five (5) credible online or print sources that support both (or more other) sides of the argument.  As you look for sources that support your opponents' argument, put yourself in their place-- think how they would build their argument.  What would be their best points?  What kind of sources/evidence would they use to support their points?  Remember-- if you miss your opponents' best reasons for holding their opinion, it will be easy for them to undermine your argument by showing that you have not considered one or more important ideas.

In a saved Word document (always back up your data in more than one place), summarize each source in about one paragraph.  In your summaries, answer these questions for each source:  What is the source about?  What does it say?  How is it related to your position paper?  In your paragraphs, also include a few quotes, facts, statistics, other information, etc that you think you could use to strengthen your position.

*As usual, come to class ready discuss your posts.
**Whatever you use, make sure your sources are credible and not too biased. The arguments in your sources should be backed up with facts, data, and solid sources.


POSSIBLE SOURCES
Online Sources: The Internet can be a great place to look for sources, but you need to be careful. Most blogs or Web sites may offer heavily biased information and may support little support to back up their opinion. You should look for factual sources, and avoid sources that are too biased. You may also keep an eye out for television documentaries and radio broadcasts on your subject (you may find copies online), because they may often address both sides of the issue in a journalistic way. If you are not sure whether an online source is credible, ask the Professor!

Print Sources: Magazines, academic journals, books may be possible reliable sources of factual information.  You can find academic articles through ODU Library's website: http://www.lib.odu.edu/researchresources/finddatabasesandmore.php  Go to "Academic Search Complete."  If you do this off campus, you will need your MIDAS ID and password to access the database. Once you access the database, you can search for sources with various keywords on your topic.

Empirical Sources: To back up your claims, especially if you are writing about a local or campus issue, you may consider generating facts yourself. You may set up an interview with an expert on your topic, or create a survey that will generate some data (there are free online survey tools, such as http://www.surveymonkey.com/) You can do field observation, experiment, etc and share your personal experiences as a result.

Blog Post #5: Position Paper Prewriting - Topic (Due 10/27)

*Identify at least two controversial issues (with two or more sides) for your position paper (for the sake of originality, stay away from topics that have already been discussed to death, such as abortion, gun control, death penalty, euthanasia, legalizing marijuana, etc. If you are not sure, check with the professor).  You can start your search with the sources provided below. You can also do a search on credible news sources to explore currently controversial topics.  Remember to choose topics that you can make clear and fair arguments about based on credible online or print sources.  Also, choose topics suitable for publication in our campus newspaper, Mace & Crown.

*Write down possible topics (at least two), and make a brainstorming list that identifies major points of contention. See Figure 11.1 on p. 226 in Writing Today.  You can do a Google search to identify possible points of contention.  Make a new post in your blog, entitled: Blog Post #5: Position Paper Prewriting, and post your topics and lists. (You don't have to create columns like Figure 11.1 in your blog post, but make sure the positions and their major point of contention are clearly identified in your post.)

*Bring a printed copy of this prewriting to the class on 10/27 for discussion and activities that will help you draft your paper (you can type up your list in MS Word, save, and print a copy for class, before posting to your blog).  Come to the next class ready to discuss your topics with the professor and classmates (you may be asked to briefly present your topic and some of the major points of contention).

Controversial Topics Research Guide

• Best Information on the Net - Hot Paper Topics provides Internet sites on various current topics such as affirmative action, death penalty, and welfare reform compiled by reference librarians at St. Ambrose University (IA): http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Hot/hotindex.htm
• Old Dominion Libraries Idea Generator provides topics ideas under several broad categories such as education, health sciences, and social sciences.REF LB1047.3 .L35 (at third floor Reference Desk), Rates possible research topics in such areas as population, foreign policy, medicine, and education for the amount of information likely to be available in libraries: http://www.lib.odu.edu/researchassistance/ideagenerator/index.htm
• ProCon provides resources for critical thinking: http://www.procon.org

Blog Post #4: Rhetorical Analysis Prewriting (Due 10/06)

1) Choose two recent advertisements (advertisement or public awareness campaigns that include a few related advertisements) as possible subjects for your rhetorical analysis.  Make sure to choose advertisements with accessible texts (written words, visuals or movie files that can be found on the Internet, etc), because you should be able to examine the advertisement in detail.  You need to choose two possible ads. If topics overlap, two classmates can write on the same subject; that way we can see two different students’ approaches to an ad. However, we don’t want to have more than two essays on the same topic, since we’d like originality and variety. 

2) Make a list of examples of logos, ethos, and pathos in the advertisements of your choosing. 

3) Provide a visual image or web link to the advertisements in your blog post (your visual or link doesn't have to be the original text, but we'd like to have an idea from your blog post about your object of analysis).

4) Bring a printed copy of this prewriting to the class (you may complete your prewriting in MS Word, print a copy for class, and copy and paste its content to your blog for presentation in class).

5) Come to Thursday's class ready to briefly present and discuss your blog post with the class.

Blog Post #3: Memoir Prewriting-Setting the Scene (Due 9/20)

Your memoir will be more realistic if you give your audience enough detail to visualize the scene, people, and the events for themselves.  Make a post in your course blog in which you set the scene in rich detail.  Use the following writing prompts to think about and write down as much detail as you can about the scene:

The People.  What were the people in the scene like?  What did they say?  How did they behave?

The Scenes.  What did each scene look like?  How did it feel or smell?  What did you taste or hear?  What is the history of this place-- bots its public history and your personal history?

Dialogue.  Who said what to whom before and after the event?  How did they say it (were they angry, excited, thrilled, scared)?

Note: title your post by the title of this post (for grading/identification purposes).

Blog Post #2: Memoir Prewriting-Complication (Due 9/15)

For your second blog post assignment, you will do some prewriting for your Memoir essay.  "Description of a complication" will consist of a significant portion of this essay.  The complication of your memoir is the problem or challenge that you or others needed to resolve.  So, pick one of the memoir ideas from your brainstorming list created in class on September 13, and respond to the following to start thinking about the complication (write in as much detail as possible):

*What exactly happened?  Who did it and what did they do?  How long did it take for the event to develop?
*What was the essential conflict or complication that caused this story to be something more than an everyday event? How did you or the other people in the story feel about the tension?

Note:  For me to easily locate your blog posts when grading, please title your blogs as I title mine-- for example: Blog Post #2: Memoir Prewriting.

Blog Post #1: Introduction (Due 9/8)

Your first blog post assignment is to post an introduction to your own course blog. Remember that anyone online can stumble on your blog; by making an introductory post, you will be making it clear to your audiences "what" your text is about and "who" the writer is. You can use some of the prompts for introducing yourself on the first day of classes (see the prompts below). Do not copy these questions in your post; rather, write a coherent paragraph about yourself/your blog that will include your answers to the questions.

Writing prompts:
Tell us about yourself.
*What is your name?
*What is your major (if you have declared)? What are your reasons for choosing it (what would you like to do with your degree, etc)? Optionally, you can also tell your readers about where you are from and anything you would like to add about yourself--something interesting, unique, like a hobby, etc.
*Why have you created this blog (for our course, etc)? What would you like to accomplish or what do you expect to accomplish in this course?

P.S. All blog post assignments are due by the beginning of the class period on the due date stated in the blog title.

Welcome to ENGL 110C!

Dear students of ENGL 110C:

Welcome to our course blog! This blog will serve as a medium for us to communicate about our course, which will provide you with extensive guided practice in the types of writing you will need to produce during your college, professional, and social lives.  I am looking forward to working with you this semester.