November 29, 2010: College Writing

In Class tonight, each family will be responsible for identifying 2 - 3 quotations from the novel that evince the overall thesis necessary to answer each question.

1. What happens at the end of the novel? Who is the American? Does he kill Changez? Does Changez kill him? Why does Hamid write the novel this way? How does the ending fit the overall theme and purpose of the novel? Consider this: Hamid once commented on NPR that the novel's structure serves to highlight the "conversation between the US and the Muslim world."

2. "The Reluctant Fundementalist" is a strange title, considering that Changez is not all that religous. Hamid once commented that the title is meant to have a dual meaning: Changez as a religous fundamentalist (terrorist?), but "MORE IMPORTANTLY" the fundamentals taught to him by Jim and Underwood Samson. Describe what the title means to you. Reference to novel to support your answer, and be sure to discuss the "double-meaning."

3. Nostalgia. Home. Memory. These emotions play a strong role in the novel. Erica exists as a symbol of the power of yearing for something in the past. Write a paper describing Erica as a symbol for nostalgia. How does her longing for Chris symbolize the change in Changez? Further, how does Erica and Changez's relationship foreshadow the decisions Changez will ultimately make?

4. Write a paper justifying Erica as a symbol for America. How does Erica's rise and fall parallel the rise and fall of America in Changez's heart and life? Describe his relationship with Erica as an allegory for his relationship with the United States.

5. Write a review of Hamid's articles (the one we all read and the one(s) you chose. Follow the criticism writing format discussed. What was Hamid's main point? How does he illustrate (support) his point? What insights into RF or Pakistani/American relations does the article provide?

Sliding Home: The Remainder of College Writing

Almost there, gang. Right now, it may feel like you are stuck in a barrell...others can relate. Keep moving forward, soon it will all be over...Imagine! Your first semester of college...in the books. Heavy. 

Here is the outline for the final classes.

Monday, November 22: Finish lecture on research/Review Research Assignment 

Wednesday, November 24: NO CLASS - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Monday, November 30: Research Paper Q & A / RF final discussion (family-led)

Wednesday, December 1: Research Proposals due/Family Meetings instead of class (Time TBD) 

Monday, December 6: Course Evaluations/Q&A on papers, etc. / Who Stays Activity 

Wednesday, December 8: Final / Portfolios & Research Papers due

3:30 Class Start Time Post-poned to 4pm

Sorry gang. This is due to an unforeseen emergency. Will be in by four!

College Writing, November 17, 2010: Journal #11

Optional re-write of Essay #3 (due Monday) 

Alternate assignment for journal #11 here.


Listen to this show from NPR news. Weigh in on your opinion and reference any of the many lessons on writing we discussed in class.

College Writing, November 8, 2010: Assignments

Assignment for Wednesday: Identify the premise, conclusion, and the premise indicators for each one. Please keep in mind that there can be multiples of each. You may mark each one on the page rather than writing them out on a piece of paper. If you chose to write them out, you may use an ellipse.

For your second to last essay, families will choose between one of two possible persuasion prompts.

WRITE: Essay to a hostile audience. Before beginning consider some words of wisdom by reading the following excerpt (coutesy of The Writing Process by Steven D. Krause, with edits and modifications by yourst truly)

Whenever you are trying to develop a clearer understanding of your writing, think about the kinds of audiences who may disagree with you. Think about the opposites and alternatives to your working thesis because these are what a hostile audience might think.



Sometimes, potential readers are hostile to a particular working thesis because of ideals, values, or affiliations they hold that are at odds with the point being advocated by the working thesis. For example, people who identify themselves as being “pro-choice” on the issue of abortion would certainly be hostile to an argument for laws that restrict access to abortion; people who identify themselves as being “pro-life” on the issue of abortion would certainly be hostile to an argument for laws that provide access to abortion.


At other times, audiences are hostile to an argument because of more crass and transparent reasons. For example, the pharmaceutical industry disagrees with the premise of the working thesis “Drug companies should not be allowed to advertise prescription drugs on TV” because they stand to lose billions of dollars in lost sales. Advertising companies and television broadcasters would also be against this working thesis because they too would lose money. You can probably easily imagine some potential hostile audience members who have similarly selfish reasons to oppose your point of view.


Of course, some audiences will oppose your working thesis based on a different interpretation of the evidence and research. This sort of difference of opinion is probably most common with research projects that are focused on more abstract and less definitive subjects. A reader might disagree with a thesis like “The Great Gatsby’s depiction of the connection between material goods and the American dream is still relevant today” based on differences about how the book depicts “the American dream,” or about whether or not the novel is still relevant, and so forth.


But there are also different opinions about evidence for topics that you might think would have potentially more concrete “right” and “wrong” interpretations. Different researchers and scholars can look at the same evidence about a subject like conservation of fisheries and arrive at very different conclusions. Some might believe that the evidence indicates that conservation is not necessary and would not be effective, while other researchers and scholars might believe the completely opposite position.


Regardless of the reasons why your audience might be hostile to the argument you are making with your working thesis, it is helpful to try to imagine your audience as clearly as you can. What sort of people are they? What other interests or biases might they have? Are there other political or social factors that you think are influencing their point of view? If you want to persuade at least some members of this hostile audience that your point of view and your interpretation of the research is correct, you need to know as much about your hostile audience as you possibly can. Of course, you’ll never be able to know everything about your hostile audience, and you certainly won’t be able to persuade all of them about your point. But the more you know, the better chance you have of convincing at least some of them.

Essay #5 A

Write the letter depicted in the following scenario:

Harry Heet is the president of Forthright Enterprises. You all work in Jacksonville, Florida, where the mean temperature in the summer is 92 degrees fahrenheit daily and the humidity is 90% or more for 89 of the 90 days of summer. Mr. Smith, a Vice President of the company, doesn't seem to mind the heat or humidity; in fact, he seems to thrive on it. Right now, his business in advertising antiperspirants, soap, and other grooming products is at a low ebb; profits are down, and contracts difficult to come by. His place of business has no air conditioning, but is instead cooled by electric fans of the overhead and desk type, and by keeping the windows open at night. You decide as a work force that you just can't stand the lack of air conditioning any more and you decide to formally propose internally to Mr. Smith that he install central air conditioning to the two-story building in which you work.

Essay #5 B:
Stockton is chosing a new mascot! It has called upon its student body to write a one page paper nominating a mascot. The administration wants a mascot that represents the pride and honor of the institution. The community wants a mascot that represents a relevant icon of the area. The students want something that kicks ass! There are expected to be thousands of submissions, so it needs to persuasive. Incorporate all three types of appeals in your answer.

READ: Begin Reading Research Section of Hacker to prepare for your final paper.

COLLEGE WRITING, CLASS CANCELED on Wednesday, November 3rd!!!

Watch the blog for a forthcoming assignment.

College Writing, November 1, 2010

WRITE: Add a divisive introduction to Essay #4.

READ: Review Hacker pgs 530 to 564