Hi everyone,
For the blog post this week, please respond to the two questions below. (And include a mention of which essays from the class readings this semester are informing your answers to the questions).
1) Do photographers of persons who are victims have a special (perhaps ethical) obligation to get out from behind the camera and become directly involved in promoting the comfort or safety of a victimized person whom they photograph?
2) Do photographers or their editors have an ethical responsibility to publicly inform viewers that a photo has been modified digitally or altered with Photoshop?
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
11/5
Greetings,
For the blog entry this weekend: post a link to an altered photo; explain what has been altered in the photo, what the purpose of this alteration is, and argue whether or not the alteration is benign or poses an ethical problem.
For the blog entry this weekend: post a link to an altered photo; explain what has been altered in the photo, what the purpose of this alteration is, and argue whether or not the alteration is benign or poses an ethical problem.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
10/30
Hi everyone,
For the blog entry this weekend, please write and post an approximately 10 word summary of the 100 word text that is on the back of the handout I distributed last time in class. Best, Paul Holchak
For the blog entry this weekend, please write and post an approximately 10 word summary of the 100 word text that is on the back of the handout I distributed last time in class. Best, Paul Holchak
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
10/13
Hi All,
Here are suggested topics for the research paper.
Research Paper Topics
(1) How does one define children's right to privacy? (Search "right to privacy children," examine and assess different views.)
(2) Explain the nature and appeal of superheroes by tracing changes in the popularity of one or more superheroes over time. How do changes in the popularity and character of superheroes relate to shifts that have occurred in social attitudes and values from one decade to the next?
(3) Question number 1 on page 686-Argue for or against the assertion that visual and verbal material should be held to the same standards of evidence in journalism.
(4) Question 1 on page 366 under “Writing” relates to the He/She series of photos by Nancy Burson on pages 360-365. What cultural assumptions does androgyny challenge? (Research, select, analyze and discuss representative reactions to unconventional examples of gender identity in the U.S.)
(5) Question 2 under “Writing” on page 269. Dorothy Allison writes that “art should surprise and astonish, and hopefully make you think something you had not thought until you saw it” (paragraph 1). Choose several pieces of art-a visual image, an essay, or some other works- that surprised and astonished you and use them to support or refute Allison’s claim about what art should do. If you disagree with Allison, make sure you start with your own definition of the purpose of art.
(6) How does wearing a uniform change behavior? Discuss the nature of uniforms and their impact on those who wear them. (Research the history and rationale for using uniforms in certain institutions, for example, the NYC fire, police, U.S. military services or in case studies of schools that have required uniforms.)
(7) Question 2 under “Writing” on page 302. “Use Bill McKibben’s information to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide that has been released in the atmosphere by you” or your friends, then argue why awareness of these calculations should or should not prompt changes of lifestyle and consumption patterns. Is awareness of a social problem enough to create social change?
(8) Question 2 under “Writing” on page 626 about privacy.
(9) Question number 2 on page 686, agree or disagree with the ethical rules that Michael Stephens proposes for the use of digitally manipulated photos.
Public Affairs questions-
(10) A controversial method for extracting natural gas that is called hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking” for short) has been used for a number of years in Wyoming where its critics charge that “fracking” contaminates drinking water. Relatively soon, fracking is set to begin in upstate New York including some areas not far from the reservoirs from which New York City draws its drinking water. Should hydraulic fracturing be the subject to further environmental regulation or further study before it begins in New York state? Here’s a link to get started http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0913/Fracking-for-natural-gas-EPA-hearings-bring-protests
11) Explain what the Supreme Court’s decision was, in the case known as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and take a position on what its likely effects will be on campaign finance and on future elections. Here’s a link http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575016942930090152.html
12) Is criticism of the size of Wall Street bonuses that were paid out in 2009 justified? Are the bonuses defensible? Here’s a link http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2324181420100223
(13) New financial reforms were signed into law in 2010 that created a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard professor of law, has been appointed to manage. Explain the different points of view about what it is that the Bureau will do then take a position on whether creating the Bureau was a good idea.
(14) Define an economic bubble by discussing the dot.com bubble in the U.S. of the late 1990’s and the South Sea Bubble of the 1720’s in England. Then research the causes and remedies for the recent real estate bubble in the U.S.
(15) Describe the economic stimulus that was enacted by Congress in 2009 and argue whether or not it has worked.
Here are suggested topics for the research paper.
Research Paper Topics
(1) How does one define children's right to privacy? (Search "right to privacy children," examine and assess different views.)
(2) Explain the nature and appeal of superheroes by tracing changes in the popularity of one or more superheroes over time. How do changes in the popularity and character of superheroes relate to shifts that have occurred in social attitudes and values from one decade to the next?
(3) Question number 1 on page 686-Argue for or against the assertion that visual and verbal material should be held to the same standards of evidence in journalism.
(4) Question 1 on page 366 under “Writing” relates to the He/She series of photos by Nancy Burson on pages 360-365. What cultural assumptions does androgyny challenge? (Research, select, analyze and discuss representative reactions to unconventional examples of gender identity in the U.S.)
(5) Question 2 under “Writing” on page 269. Dorothy Allison writes that “art should surprise and astonish, and hopefully make you think something you had not thought until you saw it” (paragraph 1). Choose several pieces of art-a visual image, an essay, or some other works- that surprised and astonished you and use them to support or refute Allison’s claim about what art should do. If you disagree with Allison, make sure you start with your own definition of the purpose of art.
(6) How does wearing a uniform change behavior? Discuss the nature of uniforms and their impact on those who wear them. (Research the history and rationale for using uniforms in certain institutions, for example, the NYC fire, police, U.S. military services or in case studies of schools that have required uniforms.)
(7) Question 2 under “Writing” on page 302. “Use Bill McKibben’s information to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide that has been released in the atmosphere by you” or your friends, then argue why awareness of these calculations should or should not prompt changes of lifestyle and consumption patterns. Is awareness of a social problem enough to create social change?
(8) Question 2 under “Writing” on page 626 about privacy.
(9) Question number 2 on page 686, agree or disagree with the ethical rules that Michael Stephens proposes for the use of digitally manipulated photos.
Public Affairs questions-
(10) A controversial method for extracting natural gas that is called hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking” for short) has been used for a number of years in Wyoming where its critics charge that “fracking” contaminates drinking water. Relatively soon, fracking is set to begin in upstate New York including some areas not far from the reservoirs from which New York City draws its drinking water. Should hydraulic fracturing be the subject to further environmental regulation or further study before it begins in New York state? Here’s a link to get started http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0913/Fracking-for-natural-gas-EPA-hearings-bring-protests
11) Explain what the Supreme Court’s decision was, in the case known as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and take a position on what its likely effects will be on campaign finance and on future elections. Here’s a link http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575016942930090152.html
12) Is criticism of the size of Wall Street bonuses that were paid out in 2009 justified? Are the bonuses defensible? Here’s a link http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2324181420100223
(13) New financial reforms were signed into law in 2010 that created a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard professor of law, has been appointed to manage. Explain the different points of view about what it is that the Bureau will do then take a position on whether creating the Bureau was a good idea.
(14) Define an economic bubble by discussing the dot.com bubble in the U.S. of the late 1990’s and the South Sea Bubble of the 1720’s in England. Then research the causes and remedies for the recent real estate bubble in the U.S.
(15) Describe the economic stimulus that was enacted by Congress in 2009 and argue whether or not it has worked.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
10/05
Hi all,
Just a reminder, the deadline for submitting essay two was moved to Tuesday, October 12th. Also, over the weekend please select one or more images from the textbook and put up a post commenting on the meaning, the questions raised,the way the artist is using his or her medium or some other aspect of the picture(s) that you find significant. Best, Paul Holchak
Just a reminder, the deadline for submitting essay two was moved to Tuesday, October 12th. Also, over the weekend please select one or more images from the textbook and put up a post commenting on the meaning, the questions raised,the way the artist is using his or her medium or some other aspect of the picture(s) that you find significant. Best, Paul Holchak
Thursday, September 30, 2010
9/30/10
Hi everyone,
I'd like you to work on your draft for essay two over this weekend. Please bring three copies of it with you to class Tuesday for peer review. On reflection, I've decided not to give a blog assignment over this weekend because I would like you to focus your time on writing the draft of essay number two. See you Tuesday. Best, Paul Holchak
I'd like you to work on your draft for essay two over this weekend. Please bring three copies of it with you to class Tuesday for peer review. On reflection, I've decided not to give a blog assignment over this weekend because I would like you to focus your time on writing the draft of essay number two. See you Tuesday. Best, Paul Holchak
Friday, September 24, 2010
essay two topics
Hi everyone,
Here are the essay two topics:
(1)
Present your own view of how family members relate to one another during the holidays. To support your argument discuss elements of one or both of the following: “The First Thanksgiving” by Sarah Vowell, “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan or your own holiday experiences.
(2)
Agree or disagree with the position taken about photography in one or more of the following: Susan Sonntag’s “On Photography,” James Nachtwey’s“Ground Zero,” or Ethan Canin’s “Vivian, Fort Barnwell.”
(3)
Explain what makes childhood, youth (or, if you wish, innocence) important for the way of seeing explored by one or more of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin or “The Streets Change, But Memories Endure” by Kenji Jasper.
(4)
Develop an argument in which you agree or disagree with David Guterson’s criticism of planned communties in “No Place Like Home”.
(5)
Define and explain how memory adds or subtracts to the meaning that things have for the writer in one or more of the following: “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “The Streets Change, But Memories Endure” by Kenji Jasper or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(6)
In paragraph nine of “Homeplace,” Scott Russell Sanders writes that “many of the worst abuses” in this hemisphere have come about through “the habit of our industry and commerce…to force identical schemes onto differing locales”. In paragraph nineteen, Sanders gives an example of this practice near where he lives. Think about why Sanders considers the practice to be a form of abuse. (Specifically, what or who does he imply is being abused?) Then, based on your own observations, think of an example in which a franchise or corporation has established the same store floor plan, or same product lines, advertising campaigns or… to do business in different communities. Do you agree or disagree with Sanders that this corporate practice is a problem? What difference does it make if businesses approach one community in the same way that they approach another? If there is a leveling effect, in which places lose their authentic character, and, if so, why is this a bad thing? What benefits do national chains offer a community? The point (your thesis) is to agree or disagree with Sanders that the proliferation of national chains is one of “the worst abuses” of industry or commerce.
(7)
Compare and contrast Guterson’s criticism of suburbia to Sanders’s criticism of the corporate practice of selling the same products in stores that look the same in different communities. Are the planning principles, mechanisms of control or social consequences that each writer criticizes similar or different? What are some of the possible explanations for these similarities or differences? Discuss relevant examples of the practices that these writers dislike and use the examples to identify what Guterson and Sanders agree on and what they disagree about.
(8)
Compare and contrast ideas of what home is and what it is not in two of the following: “At Home. For Now” by Richard Ford, “The Streets Change, But Memories Endure” by Kenji Jasper, “Homeplace” by Scott Russell Sanders or David Guterson’s “No Place Like Home”.
(9)
Argue for the relative importance or unimportance of things that are invisible (including things that are seen indirectly or indistinctly) for our experience of the visible world. In your argument, be specific about what sort of invisible things you are discussing. To help you be specific about this, refer to and discuss the significance of relevant points and passages from one or two of the following texts: “The Streets Change, But Memories Endure” by Kenji Jasper, “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, or “A Matter of Scale” by K.C. Cole.
Two other suggestions are the topics given as number 1 and number 2 under the section labeled “Writing” on page 269 of the textbook.
Here are the essay two topics:
(1)
Present your own view of how family members relate to one another during the holidays. To support your argument discuss elements of one or both of the following: “The First Thanksgiving” by Sarah Vowell, “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan or your own holiday experiences.
(2)
Agree or disagree with the position taken about photography in one or more of the following: Susan Sonntag’s “On Photography,” James Nachtwey’s“Ground Zero,” or Ethan Canin’s “Vivian, Fort Barnwell.”
(3)
Explain what makes childhood, youth (or, if you wish, innocence) important for the way of seeing explored by one or more of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin or “The Streets Change, But Memories Endure” by Kenji Jasper.
(4)
Develop an argument in which you agree or disagree with David Guterson’s criticism of planned communties in “No Place Like Home”.
(5)
Define and explain how memory adds or subtracts to the meaning that things have for the writer in one or more of the following: “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “The Streets Change, But Memories Endure” by Kenji Jasper or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(6)
In paragraph nine of “Homeplace,” Scott Russell Sanders writes that “many of the worst abuses” in this hemisphere have come about through “the habit of our industry and commerce…to force identical schemes onto differing locales”. In paragraph nineteen, Sanders gives an example of this practice near where he lives. Think about why Sanders considers the practice to be a form of abuse. (Specifically, what or who does he imply is being abused?) Then, based on your own observations, think of an example in which a franchise or corporation has established the same store floor plan, or same product lines, advertising campaigns or… to do business in different communities. Do you agree or disagree with Sanders that this corporate practice is a problem? What difference does it make if businesses approach one community in the same way that they approach another? If there is a leveling effect, in which places lose their authentic character, and, if so, why is this a bad thing? What benefits do national chains offer a community? The point (your thesis) is to agree or disagree with Sanders that the proliferation of national chains is one of “the worst abuses” of industry or commerce.
(7)
Compare and contrast Guterson’s criticism of suburbia to Sanders’s criticism of the corporate practice of selling the same products in stores that look the same in different communities. Are the planning principles, mechanisms of control or social consequences that each writer criticizes similar or different? What are some of the possible explanations for these similarities or differences? Discuss relevant examples of the practices that these writers dislike and use the examples to identify what Guterson and Sanders agree on and what they disagree about.
(8)
Compare and contrast ideas of what home is and what it is not in two of the following: “At Home. For Now” by Richard Ford, “The Streets Change, But Memories Endure” by Kenji Jasper, “Homeplace” by Scott Russell Sanders or David Guterson’s “No Place Like Home”.
(9)
Argue for the relative importance or unimportance of things that are invisible (including things that are seen indirectly or indistinctly) for our experience of the visible world. In your argument, be specific about what sort of invisible things you are discussing. To help you be specific about this, refer to and discuss the significance of relevant points and passages from one or two of the following texts: “The Streets Change, But Memories Endure” by Kenji Jasper, “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, or “A Matter of Scale” by K.C. Cole.
Two other suggestions are the topics given as number 1 and number 2 under the section labeled “Writing” on page 269 of the textbook.
Monday, September 20, 2010
blog for Tuesday, 9/21
Hi everyone,
As discussed in our last class, please post the concluding paragraph of essay one as your blog entry this time. Best, Paul Holchak
As discussed in our last class, please post the concluding paragraph of essay one as your blog entry this time. Best, Paul Holchak
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
September 8th
Hi all,
As we discussed in class on Thursday, your first blog assignment is to post the introductory paragraph from your draft for essay one. The post should be up by the morning of Thursday September 16th when we meet next. Until then...all the best,
Paul Holchak
As we discussed in class on Thursday, your first blog assignment is to post the introductory paragraph from your draft for essay one. The post should be up by the morning of Thursday September 16th when we meet next. Until then...all the best,
Paul Holchak
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Welcome to the Fall Semester
Hi everyone and welcome to the blog site. It was a pleasure meeting with you Thursday evening. I wanted to offer a reminder that you need to bring our book, Seeing and Writing 4, with you to class on Tuesday as we will be using it in our discussion. In fact, plan generally on bringing Seeing and Writing to each of our class meetings because we will use it in class as we discuss the readings together.
As noted on Thursday evening, your first assignment is to learn how to post a comment on this blog. Here are some pointers on getting started
Below this window, you will see the word "COMMENTS".
Click on it. Next, click in the new window that opens and type a few strokes then go below the window to where it says "select profile". When you move the cursor to "select profile", you get a drop down menu. From this drop down menu, select "google account". After selecting "google account", go over to the box labeled "post comment" and click on it. Since you are not signed in yet, you should get a prompt explaining that to complete the post requires a Google account. If you already have a google email account, sign in with it and proceed to post a comment to our blog. If you do not have a google email account yet, click the prompt to create one, proceed to create the account and then post a comment on our blog. I hope these instructions are of some help. You may need to improvise with them a little, and there is probably a way to do this that involves fewer steps that some of you will discover. We'll talk about it next class. Bring up any questions that you have then. See you soon, Paul Holchak
As noted on Thursday evening, your first assignment is to learn how to post a comment on this blog. Here are some pointers on getting started
Below this window, you will see the word "COMMENTS".
Click on it. Next, click in the new window that opens and type a few strokes then go below the window to where it says "select profile". When you move the cursor to "select profile", you get a drop down menu. From this drop down menu, select "google account". After selecting "google account", go over to the box labeled "post comment" and click on it. Since you are not signed in yet, you should get a prompt explaining that to complete the post requires a Google account. If you already have a google email account, sign in with it and proceed to post a comment to our blog. If you do not have a google email account yet, click the prompt to create one, proceed to create the account and then post a comment on our blog. I hope these instructions are of some help. You may need to improvise with them a little, and there is probably a way to do this that involves fewer steps that some of you will discover. We'll talk about it next class. Bring up any questions that you have then. See you soon, Paul Holchak
Friday, April 23, 2010
week 13
Hi everyone,
For this week's blog the assignment is to post the concluding paragraph from your research paper. The research paper is due on next Tuesday, April 27th. Please hand in a paper copy of it to me then. On next Thursday (the 29th), I would like to talk with you individually about the topic you would like to write on for essay 3. We began discussing some of the topics that you may choose to do for essay 3 in our last class session. You may work, for example, on the following question, which relates to our class discussion from Thursday, and is found in greater detail on p. 676 of the textbook under the heading "Writing" under question 2: Agree or disagree with the ethical rules that Michael Stephens proposes for the use of digitally manipulated photos. For further options, you also may choose to write essay 3 on one of the topics that was offered as an option for essay two or for the research paper, but that you did NOT choose to write about on those occasions. To refresh your memory about these possibilities, they are given below once again. By next Tuesday, please begin focusing seriously on selecting the topic for essay three.
--the list of topics from the research paper assignment--
(1) p. 376, question 1 under “Writing” (also see pp. 329-334)
What cultural assumptions does androgyny challenge? (Research the reaction to unconventional examples of gender identity in the U.S.)
(2) p. 435, question 2 under “Writing”
Agree or disagree with Gish Jen's claim that we have multiple selves which we perform in different social contexts. (Research theories of performance as a model for personal identity in the work of the sociologist Erving Goffman, for example, or the feminist philosopher Judith Butler.)
(3) p. 389, question 2 under “Writing”
Use specific contemporary or historical evidence to argue for or against the thesis that America is about reinvention and its history is a series of make-overs. (Research specific contemporary or historical evidence which supports your case.)
(4) p. 436, question 1 under “Writing”
Agree or disagree with Gish Jen's statement that "between freedom in theory and freedom in practice" in America "gapes a grand canyon". (Identify and research examples from the struggle for American civil rights such as "the Freedom Riders" or research different opinions about the success or failure of school desegregation in the U.S.)
(5)
Take a position on the extent to which Gish Jen's above statement applies to countries other than the U.S. (Research a specific freedom demonstration and assess its impact in another part of the world in which you are interested, such as the Velvet revolution in Prague, the Solidarity movement in Gdansk Poland, the 1989 candlelight prayer and peace vigils in Leipzig, the 1968 student massacre in Mexico City or the 1968 student protests in Paris.)
(6) p. 429, question 2 under “Writing”
Choose a quality prized by our culture (money, celebrity, natural beauty) and explain why you consider its effects to be generally positive or negative. (With respect to money, for example, research the arguments for and against restricting campaign contributions in national politics in the U.S., in Britain, or in other countries...or research arguments for or against restricting CEO salaries...or conduct research on opinions about whether the salaries of sports, music and movie stars are too high or are justified? What makes them justified? Are there offsetting burdens to celebrity?
(7) pp. 499-506
Argue for a specific image or product that you identify as "an American icon". (Research various definitions of what makes an American icon along with arguments about what constitutes the definitive American icon—the automobile, for example.)
(8) p. 554, question 1 under “Writing”
How does wearing a uniform change behavior? Discuss the nature of uniforms and their impact on those who wear them. (Research the history and rationale for uniforms in, for example, the NYC fire, police, U.S. military services or in case studies of schools that have required uniforms.)
(9) How does one define children's right to privacy? (Search "right to privacy children" and examine the various views.)
(10)pp. 558-563
Explain the nature and appeal of superheroes. (Trace changes in the popularity of one or more superheroes and research possible explanations for those changes.)
(11)Agree or disagree with the critics of the U.S. Patriot Act who contend that this anti-terrorism legislation allows the federal government too much power to collect information on U.S. citizens and compromises citizens' right to privacy.
(12)What is the proper scope of presidential power? Agree or disagree with the doctrine of unitary executive power advocated by former Vice President Dick Cheney and his chief of staff David Addington.
(13)Should the current health insurance reform package that is working its way through Congress contain a public option?
(14)Are U.S. banking laws in need of reform? Paul Volcker,a former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, argues that the best way President Obama and the Congress can reform the banks is to reinstate a law called the Glass Steagal Act that was first passed in 1933 then repealed in the late 1990's. Argue for or against Volcker's proposal.
Please note: since essay 3 is not a research paper, if you choose one of these topics for essay 3, you do not need to "research" the topic or gather outside sources in order to write about it for the purposes of essay 3.
-ESSAY TWO TOPICS-
These essay topics are designed to deal with your response to a specific idea or point raised by one or more texts from our textbook, for example:
(1)
Present your own view of how family members relate to one another during the holidays. To support your argument discuss elements of one or two of the following: “The First Thanksgiving” by Sarah Vowell, “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan or your own holiday experiences.
(2)
Agree or disagree with the position taken on photography in one or more of the following: Susan Sonntag’s “On Photography,” James Nachtwey’s“Ground Zero,” Babbette Hines’s “Picture Perfect,” N. Scott Momaday’s “The Photograph,” or Ethan Canin’s “Vivian, Fort Barnwell.”
(3)
Explain what makes childhood (or, if you wish, innocence) important for the way of seeing in one or two of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(4)
Develop an argument in which you agree or disagree with David Guterson’s criticism of suburbia in “No Place Like Home”.
(5)
Define and explain how memory adds or subtracts to the meaning of things that people see in one or more of the following selections: “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(6)
In paragraph nine of “Homeplace,” Scott Russell Sanders writes that “many of the worst abuses” in this hemisphere have come about through “the habit of our industry and commerce…to force identical schemes onto differing locales”. In paragraph nineteen, Sanders gives an example of this practice near where he lives. Think about why Sanders considers the practice to be a form of abuse. (Specifically, what or who does he imply is being abused?) Then, based on your own observations, think of an example in which a franchise or corporation has established the same store floor plan, or same product lines, advertising campaigns or… to do business in local communities that are rather different from one another. Do you agree or disagree with Sanders that this corporate practice is a problem? What difference does it make if businesses approach one community in the same way that they approach another? If there is a leveling effect, in which places lose their authentic character, why is this a bad thing and what are the benefits to communities of having a national chain, if any, that Sanders fails to mention? The point (your thesis) is to agree or disagree with Sanders that the proliferation of national chains is one of “the worst abuses” of industry or commerce.
(7)
Compare and contrast Guterson’s criticism of suburbia to Sanders’s criticism of the corporate practice of selling the same products in stores that look the same in different communities. Are the planning principles, the corporate motives, or the social consequences that each writer criticizes similar or different? What are some of the possible explanations for these similarities or differences? Discuss your own examples of the practices that these writers dislike and use the examples to identify what Guterson and Sanders agree on and what they disagree about. Explain where their points extend one another or are complementary.
(8)
Take a position on the argument about suburbia in David Guterson’s “No Place Like Home” by relating Guterson’s point to the attitude that Billy Collins’s expresses about the names of new residential subdivisions in the poem “The Golden Years”. (The poem is online if you want to search for it. I’ll bring copies to class Thursday).
(9)
Argue for the relative importance or unimportance of things that are invisible (including things that are seen indirectly or indistinctly) for our experience of the visible world. In your argument, be specific about what sort of invisible things you are discussing. To help you be specific about this, refer to and discuss the significance of relevant points and passages from one or two of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, or “A Matter of Scale” by K.C. Cole.
For this week's blog the assignment is to post the concluding paragraph from your research paper. The research paper is due on next Tuesday, April 27th. Please hand in a paper copy of it to me then. On next Thursday (the 29th), I would like to talk with you individually about the topic you would like to write on for essay 3. We began discussing some of the topics that you may choose to do for essay 3 in our last class session. You may work, for example, on the following question, which relates to our class discussion from Thursday, and is found in greater detail on p. 676 of the textbook under the heading "Writing" under question 2: Agree or disagree with the ethical rules that Michael Stephens proposes for the use of digitally manipulated photos. For further options, you also may choose to write essay 3 on one of the topics that was offered as an option for essay two or for the research paper, but that you did NOT choose to write about on those occasions. To refresh your memory about these possibilities, they are given below once again. By next Tuesday, please begin focusing seriously on selecting the topic for essay three.
--the list of topics from the research paper assignment--
(1) p. 376, question 1 under “Writing” (also see pp. 329-334)
What cultural assumptions does androgyny challenge? (Research the reaction to unconventional examples of gender identity in the U.S.)
(2) p. 435, question 2 under “Writing”
Agree or disagree with Gish Jen's claim that we have multiple selves which we perform in different social contexts. (Research theories of performance as a model for personal identity in the work of the sociologist Erving Goffman, for example, or the feminist philosopher Judith Butler.)
(3) p. 389, question 2 under “Writing”
Use specific contemporary or historical evidence to argue for or against the thesis that America is about reinvention and its history is a series of make-overs. (Research specific contemporary or historical evidence which supports your case.)
(4) p. 436, question 1 under “Writing”
Agree or disagree with Gish Jen's statement that "between freedom in theory and freedom in practice" in America "gapes a grand canyon". (Identify and research examples from the struggle for American civil rights such as "the Freedom Riders" or research different opinions about the success or failure of school desegregation in the U.S.)
(5)
Take a position on the extent to which Gish Jen's above statement applies to countries other than the U.S. (Research a specific freedom demonstration and assess its impact in another part of the world in which you are interested, such as the Velvet revolution in Prague, the Solidarity movement in Gdansk Poland, the 1989 candlelight prayer and peace vigils in Leipzig, the 1968 student massacre in Mexico City or the 1968 student protests in Paris.)
(6) p. 429, question 2 under “Writing”
Choose a quality prized by our culture (money, celebrity, natural beauty) and explain why you consider its effects to be generally positive or negative. (With respect to money, for example, research the arguments for and against restricting campaign contributions in national politics in the U.S., in Britain, or in other countries...or research arguments for or against restricting CEO salaries...or conduct research on opinions about whether the salaries of sports, music and movie stars are too high or are justified? What makes them justified? Are there offsetting burdens to celebrity?
(7) pp. 499-506
Argue for a specific image or product that you identify as "an American icon". (Research various definitions of what makes an American icon along with arguments about what constitutes the definitive American icon—the automobile, for example.)
(8) p. 554, question 1 under “Writing”
How does wearing a uniform change behavior? Discuss the nature of uniforms and their impact on those who wear them. (Research the history and rationale for uniforms in, for example, the NYC fire, police, U.S. military services or in case studies of schools that have required uniforms.)
(9) How does one define children's right to privacy? (Search "right to privacy children" and examine the various views.)
(10)pp. 558-563
Explain the nature and appeal of superheroes. (Trace changes in the popularity of one or more superheroes and research possible explanations for those changes.)
(11)Agree or disagree with the critics of the U.S. Patriot Act who contend that this anti-terrorism legislation allows the federal government too much power to collect information on U.S. citizens and compromises citizens' right to privacy.
(12)What is the proper scope of presidential power? Agree or disagree with the doctrine of unitary executive power advocated by former Vice President Dick Cheney and his chief of staff David Addington.
(13)Should the current health insurance reform package that is working its way through Congress contain a public option?
(14)Are U.S. banking laws in need of reform? Paul Volcker,a former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, argues that the best way President Obama and the Congress can reform the banks is to reinstate a law called the Glass Steagal Act that was first passed in 1933 then repealed in the late 1990's. Argue for or against Volcker's proposal.
Please note: since essay 3 is not a research paper, if you choose one of these topics for essay 3, you do not need to "research" the topic or gather outside sources in order to write about it for the purposes of essay 3.
-ESSAY TWO TOPICS-
These essay topics are designed to deal with your response to a specific idea or point raised by one or more texts from our textbook, for example:
(1)
Present your own view of how family members relate to one another during the holidays. To support your argument discuss elements of one or two of the following: “The First Thanksgiving” by Sarah Vowell, “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan or your own holiday experiences.
(2)
Agree or disagree with the position taken on photography in one or more of the following: Susan Sonntag’s “On Photography,” James Nachtwey’s“Ground Zero,” Babbette Hines’s “Picture Perfect,” N. Scott Momaday’s “The Photograph,” or Ethan Canin’s “Vivian, Fort Barnwell.”
(3)
Explain what makes childhood (or, if you wish, innocence) important for the way of seeing in one or two of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(4)
Develop an argument in which you agree or disagree with David Guterson’s criticism of suburbia in “No Place Like Home”.
(5)
Define and explain how memory adds or subtracts to the meaning of things that people see in one or more of the following selections: “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(6)
In paragraph nine of “Homeplace,” Scott Russell Sanders writes that “many of the worst abuses” in this hemisphere have come about through “the habit of our industry and commerce…to force identical schemes onto differing locales”. In paragraph nineteen, Sanders gives an example of this practice near where he lives. Think about why Sanders considers the practice to be a form of abuse. (Specifically, what or who does he imply is being abused?) Then, based on your own observations, think of an example in which a franchise or corporation has established the same store floor plan, or same product lines, advertising campaigns or… to do business in local communities that are rather different from one another. Do you agree or disagree with Sanders that this corporate practice is a problem? What difference does it make if businesses approach one community in the same way that they approach another? If there is a leveling effect, in which places lose their authentic character, why is this a bad thing and what are the benefits to communities of having a national chain, if any, that Sanders fails to mention? The point (your thesis) is to agree or disagree with Sanders that the proliferation of national chains is one of “the worst abuses” of industry or commerce.
(7)
Compare and contrast Guterson’s criticism of suburbia to Sanders’s criticism of the corporate practice of selling the same products in stores that look the same in different communities. Are the planning principles, the corporate motives, or the social consequences that each writer criticizes similar or different? What are some of the possible explanations for these similarities or differences? Discuss your own examples of the practices that these writers dislike and use the examples to identify what Guterson and Sanders agree on and what they disagree about. Explain where their points extend one another or are complementary.
(8)
Take a position on the argument about suburbia in David Guterson’s “No Place Like Home” by relating Guterson’s point to the attitude that Billy Collins’s expresses about the names of new residential subdivisions in the poem “The Golden Years”. (The poem is online if you want to search for it. I’ll bring copies to class Thursday).
(9)
Argue for the relative importance or unimportance of things that are invisible (including things that are seen indirectly or indistinctly) for our experience of the visible world. In your argument, be specific about what sort of invisible things you are discussing. To help you be specific about this, refer to and discuss the significance of relevant points and passages from one or two of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, or “A Matter of Scale” by K.C. Cole.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
week 12
Hi everyone,
The assignment for this weekend is to start writing the rough draft for your research paper. And for this week's blog, please post one paragraph from the draft. For our next class, bring in three copies of this draft version of your paper to use for peer review. Also, please note that the due date for the final submission of the research paper has been moved (to give you extra time) to Tuesday, April 27th. See you on Tuesday, Paul Holchak
The assignment for this weekend is to start writing the rough draft for your research paper. And for this week's blog, please post one paragraph from the draft. For our next class, bring in three copies of this draft version of your paper to use for peer review. Also, please note that the due date for the final submission of the research paper has been moved (to give you extra time) to Tuesday, April 27th. See you on Tuesday, Paul Holchak
Friday, April 9, 2010
week 11
Hi everyone,
For the blog this time, please either paraphrase a few sentences or summarize a lengthy passage from a source that you are using for the research paper. If you do the paraphrase, please post, along with your paraphrase, the original text from the source that you are paraphrasing, so everyone can see how you have changed the original text. See you next time, Paul Holchak
For the blog this time, please either paraphrase a few sentences or summarize a lengthy passage from a source that you are using for the research paper. If you do the paraphrase, please post, along with your paraphrase, the original text from the source that you are paraphrasing, so everyone can see how you have changed the original text. See you next time, Paul Holchak
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
week 8
Hi All,
For this week's blog compose a paragraph that comments on some aspect of one or more readings that we have discussed this week. See you Tuesday.
For this week's blog compose a paragraph that comments on some aspect of one or more readings that we have discussed this week. See you Tuesday.
Friday, February 26, 2010
week 5
Hi all,
For the blog this week, write an observation and/or comment that you have relating to one or another of this week's readings. Also, below are some topics to start thinking about for essay two.
EN 110-ESSAY TWO Topics
(1)
Present your own view of how family members relate to one another during the holidays. To support your argument discuss elements of one or two of the following: “The First Thanksgiving” by Sarah Vowell, “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan or your own holiday experiences.
(2)
Agree or disagree with the position taken on photography in one or more of the following: Susan Sonntag’s “On Photography,” James Nachtwey’s“Ground Zero,” Babbette Hines’s “Picture Perfect,” N. Scott Momaday’s “The Photograph,” or Ethan Canin’s “Vivian, Fort Barnwell.”
(3)
Explain what makes childhood (or, if you wish, innocence) important for the way of seeing in one or two of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(4)
Develop an argument in which you agree or disagree with David Guterson’s criticism of suburbia in “No Place Like Home”.
(5)
Define and explain how memory adds or subtracts to the meaning of things that people see in one or more of the following selections: “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(6)
In paragraph nine of “Homeplace,” Scott Russell Sanders writes that “many of the worst abuses” in this hemisphere have come about through “the habit of our industry and commerce…to force identical schemes onto differing locales”. In paragraph nineteen, Sanders gives an example of this practice near where he lives. Think about why Sanders considers the practice to be a form of abuse. (Specifically, what or who does he imply is being abused?) Then, based on your own observations, think of an example in which a franchise or corporation has established the same store floor plan, or same product lines, advertising campaigns or… to do business in local communities that are rather different from one another. Do you agree or disagree with Sanders that this corporate practice is a problem? What difference does it make if businesses approach one community in the same way that they approach another? If there is a leveling effect, in which places lose their authentic character, why is this a bad thing and what are the benefits to communities of having a national chain, if any, that Sanders fails to mention? The point (your thesis) is to agree or disagree with Sanders that the proliferation of national chains is one of “the worst abuses” of industry or commerce.
(7)
Compare and contrast Guterson’s criticism of suburbia to Sanders’s criticism of the corporate practice of selling the same products in stores that look the same in different communities. Are the planning principles, the corporate motives, or the social consequences that each writer criticizes similar or different? What are some of the possible explanations for these similarities or differences? Discuss your own examples of the practices that these writers dislike and use the examples to identify what Guterson and Sanders agree on and what they disagree about. Explain where their points extend one another or are complementary.
(8)
Take a position on the argument about suburbia in David Guterson’s “No Place Like Home” by relating Guterson’s point to the attitude that Billy Collins’s expresses about the names of new residential subdivisions in the poem “The Golden Years”. (The poem is online if you want to search for it or ask me for a copy next class.)
(9)
Argue for the relative importance or unimportance of things that are invisible (including things that are seen indirectly or indistinctly) for our experience of the visible world. In your argument, be specific about what sort of invisible things you are discussing. To help you be specific about this, refer to and discuss the significance of relevant points and passages from one or two of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, or “A Matter of Scale” by K.C. Cole.
For the blog this week, write an observation and/or comment that you have relating to one or another of this week's readings. Also, below are some topics to start thinking about for essay two.
EN 110-ESSAY TWO Topics
(1)
Present your own view of how family members relate to one another during the holidays. To support your argument discuss elements of one or two of the following: “The First Thanksgiving” by Sarah Vowell, “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan or your own holiday experiences.
(2)
Agree or disagree with the position taken on photography in one or more of the following: Susan Sonntag’s “On Photography,” James Nachtwey’s“Ground Zero,” Babbette Hines’s “Picture Perfect,” N. Scott Momaday’s “The Photograph,” or Ethan Canin’s “Vivian, Fort Barnwell.”
(3)
Explain what makes childhood (or, if you wish, innocence) important for the way of seeing in one or two of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(4)
Develop an argument in which you agree or disagree with David Guterson’s criticism of suburbia in “No Place Like Home”.
(5)
Define and explain how memory adds or subtracts to the meaning of things that people see in one or more of the following selections: “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, “Ode to an Orange” by Larry Woiwode, “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, or “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” by Ethan Canin.
(6)
In paragraph nine of “Homeplace,” Scott Russell Sanders writes that “many of the worst abuses” in this hemisphere have come about through “the habit of our industry and commerce…to force identical schemes onto differing locales”. In paragraph nineteen, Sanders gives an example of this practice near where he lives. Think about why Sanders considers the practice to be a form of abuse. (Specifically, what or who does he imply is being abused?) Then, based on your own observations, think of an example in which a franchise or corporation has established the same store floor plan, or same product lines, advertising campaigns or… to do business in local communities that are rather different from one another. Do you agree or disagree with Sanders that this corporate practice is a problem? What difference does it make if businesses approach one community in the same way that they approach another? If there is a leveling effect, in which places lose their authentic character, why is this a bad thing and what are the benefits to communities of having a national chain, if any, that Sanders fails to mention? The point (your thesis) is to agree or disagree with Sanders that the proliferation of national chains is one of “the worst abuses” of industry or commerce.
(7)
Compare and contrast Guterson’s criticism of suburbia to Sanders’s criticism of the corporate practice of selling the same products in stores that look the same in different communities. Are the planning principles, the corporate motives, or the social consequences that each writer criticizes similar or different? What are some of the possible explanations for these similarities or differences? Discuss your own examples of the practices that these writers dislike and use the examples to identify what Guterson and Sanders agree on and what they disagree about. Explain where their points extend one another or are complementary.
(8)
Take a position on the argument about suburbia in David Guterson’s “No Place Like Home” by relating Guterson’s point to the attitude that Billy Collins’s expresses about the names of new residential subdivisions in the poem “The Golden Years”. (The poem is online if you want to search for it or ask me for a copy next class.)
(9)
Argue for the relative importance or unimportance of things that are invisible (including things that are seen indirectly or indistinctly) for our experience of the visible world. In your argument, be specific about what sort of invisible things you are discussing. To help you be specific about this, refer to and discuss the significance of relevant points and passages from one or two of the following texts: “The Little Store” by Eudora Welty, “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, or “A Matter of Scale” by K.C. Cole.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
week 4
Hi all,
For this week's blog, please post the (revised) intro. paragragh to essay one. Also, if you are using one of the approaches to the intro. paragraph that we discussed in class, please note which approach that is.
Best, Paul Holchak
For this week's blog, please post the (revised) intro. paragragh to essay one. Also, if you are using one of the approaches to the intro. paragraph that we discussed in class, please note which approach that is.
Best, Paul Holchak
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
week 3
Hi everyone,
Make sure you read the posts that your classmates put up last week if you have not done so. They contain original observations and raise some very interesting points arising out of our discussion. This time for the blog I want you to post an outline of the ideas you will be working with in essay one. (Remember the list of topics for essay one is on the syllabus under class #5). The outline can be informal or more organized and traditional. For examples of both sorts of outlines and a step by step discussion of them, see pp. 51-53 in A Writer's Resource (the second book we are using for the class). All of the best, Paul Holchak
Make sure you read the posts that your classmates put up last week if you have not done so. They contain original observations and raise some very interesting points arising out of our discussion. This time for the blog I want you to post an outline of the ideas you will be working with in essay one. (Remember the list of topics for essay one is on the syllabus under class #5). The outline can be informal or more organized and traditional. For examples of both sorts of outlines and a step by step discussion of them, see pp. 51-53 in A Writer's Resource (the second book we are using for the class). All of the best, Paul Holchak
Thursday, February 4, 2010
week 2
Hi,
For this week's blog assignment, please post your thoughts about the similarities and differences that you see between:
the story "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen and the photo "Mom Ironing" by Tracy Baran, or
the similarities and differences that you find between the three readings we discussed in class this evening,Thursday 2/4 (see the syllabus for the titles). Be sure to post before noon, Tuesday.
For this week's blog assignment, please post your thoughts about the similarities and differences that you see between:
the story "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen and the photo "Mom Ironing" by Tracy Baran, or
the similarities and differences that you find between the three readings we discussed in class this evening,Thursday 2/4 (see the syllabus for the titles). Be sure to post before noon, Tuesday.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Welcome to the Spring semester
Hi everyone and welcome to the blog site. It was a pleasure meeting with you yesterday. One think I forgot to say is that you need to bring our book, Seeing and Writing 3, with you to class on Tuesday as we will be using it in our discussion. In fact, plan generally on bringing Seeing and Writing to each of our class meetings because we will need to use it as we discuss the readings together.
As noted on Thursday evening, your first assignment is to learn how to post a comment on this blog.
Below this window, you will see the word "COMMENTS".
Click on it. Next, click in the new window that opens and type a few strokes then go below the window to where it says "select profile". When you move the cursor to "select profile", you get a drop down menu. From this drop down menu, select "google account". After selecting "google account", go over to the box labeled "post comment" and click on it. Since you are not signed in yet, you should get a prompt explaining that to complete the post requires a Google account. If you already have a google email account, sign in with it and proceed to post a comment to our blog. If you do not have a google email account yet, click the prompt to create one, proceed to create the account and then post a comment on our blog. I hope these instructions are of some help. You may need to improvise with them a little, and there is probably a way to do this that involves fewer steps that some of you will discover. We'll talk about it next class. Bring up any questions that you have then. See you soon, Paul Holchak
As noted on Thursday evening, your first assignment is to learn how to post a comment on this blog.
Below this window, you will see the word "COMMENTS".
Click on it. Next, click in the new window that opens and type a few strokes then go below the window to where it says "select profile". When you move the cursor to "select profile", you get a drop down menu. From this drop down menu, select "google account". After selecting "google account", go over to the box labeled "post comment" and click on it. Since you are not signed in yet, you should get a prompt explaining that to complete the post requires a Google account. If you already have a google email account, sign in with it and proceed to post a comment to our blog. If you do not have a google email account yet, click the prompt to create one, proceed to create the account and then post a comment on our blog. I hope these instructions are of some help. You may need to improvise with them a little, and there is probably a way to do this that involves fewer steps that some of you will discover. We'll talk about it next class. Bring up any questions that you have then. See you soon, Paul Holchak
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