Class #9: Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Another resource from ABC News could be found here. 

Formal Writing #3: You will write from one side of the "bikini barista" controversy. You can choose one of the following assignments based on your perspective.

#1. You are co-owner of a "bikini barista" spot. Business is good. Real good. In fact, you would like to open two more locations throughout the county. Considering the controversy and resistance from the current town council, you don't foresee getting the business permits considering the number of citizens complaining at municipal meetings. You are charged with writing a letter than someone will read aloud at an upcoming town council meeting. The expectation is that angry members of the town will be present.

#2. Read #1. You are a member of the town chamber of commerce. You own a small convenience store in town. You are also a parent and tax-paying town citizen. You agree that the "bikini barista" shop is an eye sore and blight on the town. A group of concerned business owners and citizens has asked you to write a short piece for the local paper condemning the shop.

Paper will be at least two pages. You must directly cite one piece of evidence from the two video pieces. Plus use them and any subsequent source you use in a works cited page. Try to find another viable source for your paper. The videos are cited in APA format below:

Karlinsky, N. (2014, May 7). Sex Sells...Coffee? ABC News. Retrieved from          
     abcnews.go.com/business.

Zagat. (2016, January 14). Bikini Baristas: Coffee and Controversy in Washington State. [video file].
     Retrieved from youtube.com/watch?V=OlyFh97z

***Please also provide FINAL COPY of Formal Writing #1. 

Class #8: Intro Writing & Reading for Writing Workshop

Class Schedule:

1. Recap Wednesday lecture.
2. New notes on how to deal with cumbersome, long or otherwise difficult text.
3. Difficult text group activity.
4. Introduction round table discussion.
5. Homework Reading synthesis.

ASSIGNMENT: Read and annotate this short story by Nicole Acheampong: Heels. 

Class #6: READING QUIZ, Or…What happens when we don't have discussions

1. Will Cyclops find love? Why or Why not? Explain it to me in a way that proves you read the short story by Ramona Ausubel. Do it in no fewer than five sentences.

2. In a strong, well-developed paragraph, use one of our three examples of "alternative rhetoric" Use the graphic novel excerpt, Serial or the Cage the Elephant video to explain how the tenets of rhetorical device are used in an alternative medium.

IN-CLASS: 

1. Quiz
2. Narrative Discussion & Read
3. Reading Lecture (using Peter Murphy article)

Class #6: QUIZ: Wednesday, February 10, 2016

CW READING QUIZ #2: When Mortimer Adler describes "owning a book," what does he mean? What purpose does it speak to? Write at least five sentences evincing the "message" of his article. 

Class #4: ASSIGNMENTS, Wednesday, February 3, 2016

READ: And by read...I mean read & annotate, of course...

READ article, "How to Mark a Book" by Mortimer Adler

WRITE: 

Writing a Personal Narrative

A narrative is a story. In writing a narrative essay, you share with the reader some personal experience of your own in order to make a point or convey a larger message. A great narrative, for example might be how your grandfather influenced your desire to become an orthodontist, or perhaps you’ll relate the story of the time you didn’t make the cut for the basketball team. Whatever the story, a good narrative relays a higher purpose or meaning.

Narrative effect is the main point of your story—the moral, the message, the insight you offer. Without a specific narrative effect, your essay is merely a series of unconnected events. If you are unsure what your main point is, you might ask yourself, “Why am I telling this story? Why should someone else be interested in reading about my experience?” In addition, you must decide whether to reveal your point explicitly (stated directly) or implicitly (suggested but not stated).

Formal Essay #2: The Descriptive Narrative: Your narrative will be a story that evinces LOVE...not necessarily the LOVE of a human being. It could be the love of an item (your favorite chair) or an activity (knitting, spelunking, 40 man squash tournaments, full-contact origami). The catch is that the narrative must provide its description through the telling of a specific story. So you can't simply DESCRIBE your chair, you must tell me the story of how you got it, or a time when it provided you solace. You can't tell me about your boyfriend, you have to tell me about a particular memorable date. 

The narrative MUST tell a story, and the story must illustrate the love you feel for the thing. 

You may NOT write about: your family, a sport you played in high school or Disney World! Sorry, just plain tired of reading those.  

Two pages double spaced, default or 1" margins. DRAFT ONE, DUE MONDAY. February 8th. 

Class #4: February 3, 2016: ASSIGNMENTS: Informal Writing #1

Informal #1: Examine the "alternative" forms of narrative presented in class today. You can read "Fun Home" by Allison Bechdel. Or, you can listen to episode one of Serial right here.

Please read/listen to both pieces. 

After experiences both pieces, please respond in writing to one of them. Your Informal #1 writing piece (a page and a half typed) will discuss each in terms of the "narrative." By that, I mean how do they succeed in telling the story. Your analysis can be as easy as answering:

1. What do you like about the piece?
2. What intrigued you? Why?

You can also use the writing assignment to make sense of the piece. What does it mean? Why do the very different stories explored here NEED to be told?

Also, rewrite Informal #1 based on today's assignment.