Last Post!

Everyone,

I truly appreciate your hard work with these blog posts all semester! There has been some truly powerful writing in these responses. Often, the level of insights and analysis is much higher than in the papers. Sometimes, it helps to relax and simply respond. Overthinking can cause writer's block.

For your last post, I want you to tell me how you have achieved or not achieved the Course Competencies:

1. Practice writing as a recursive process.
2. Practice reading as an active part of the writing process.
3. Apply the rules of Standard English grammar.
4. Investigate research resources where/when available.
5. Recognize standard documentation form.

This post should be reflexive.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to your posts!

Argument!

For this blog, please focus on the topic you want to use for your brochure.

What are you arguing? In this space, write what you know about your topic.

Explain its relevance to society and why people should "care" about the topic you have chosen. What do you know about the counter-arguments? What are the pros and cons?

The semester is almost over!

Documentation

Tremendous posts last week! Those of you who posted did excellent work!

On a different note: often, I hear stories of how students take information from the Internet or get friends to write their papers. This is, of course, disappointing.

In this space, please discuss why you think plagiarism is such a problem these days?

Why wasn't it as prevalent a few years ago? How can you avoid plagiarism? Why it is so important to avoid plagiarism?

Please discuss why you would personally never try to use other people's ideas as your own.

Thanks!

Shaping Spaces

Thank you all very much for your posts concerning the Lion King! The insight and reasoning in some of those posts were very, very strong. Nicely done!

This week we will be discussing how to analyze spaces.

Think of a space that might be particularly interesting to analyze. Describe it. Describe who uses this space. How does the design of the room affect the way it is used? Does it affect the way it is used? Does the space shape the people or do the people shape the space? Do not duplicate other people's answers. Explain your answers fully.

We will discuss these in class.

Thanks!

Week Ten Thought Questions

This week's blog comes to us from Bonnie Mills! After having read Margaret Lazarus' analysis of The Lion King, do you agree or disagree with her critique of the stereotypes commonly found in Disney movies? Why or why not? Use examples from Lazarus' essay. Think of some Disney movies that you know. Are these types of stereotypes harmful or not? What do you think?

Thanks!

Week Nine Blog

You had some really great responses to our question about Vincent and Jerome and how they compared with each other. I especially appreciated Tasha's post about how the two are "brothers" and Bonnie's point about how we are all, essentially, "invalid" due to the flaws in our human nature that cause us to discriminate. Everyone had great points! I would encourage you to read them over.

I must say that even though some of you complain about the blogs, the writing here is often stronger than in your papers--hence, one of the reasons why the blog is a useful tool.

For this week, please post a response to Stephen King's essay "Why We Crave Horror Movies." We will be reading it in class and discussing it. In this space, please discuss whether or not you agree with King's assertions.

Thanks in advance!

Gattaca Part II

Excellent work discussing important themes from the movie Gattaca! You have all definitely focused on some important underlying messages in this fim. Thanks!

Compare and contrast Jerome (Jude Law) with Vincent (Ethan Hawke). How are they similar and how are they different? What does the movie want us to understand from seeing these two characters and their stories side by side? Think about the word "invalid," as well as the ending.

Lastly, what is the movie's overall message? How is it relevant to society? Is it relevant to society? Explain.

Good work!

Gattaca Part I

This week we will begin watching the movie.

To help us get an understanding of what is expected in a movie analysis, let us discuss some of the prominent themes in the movie.

For your blog post, please discuss and provide examples of at least two important themes in this movie.

Merriam Webster Online defines a theme as: "a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation, i.e. guilt and punishment is the theme of the story."

Posts must be five sentences minimum to receive credit.

Thanks!

Week Seven Thought Question

Our assignment this week is to compose a visual argument.

This means that you will use PowerPoint, Paint, Photoshop, Frontpage, or any program of your choosing to create a visual with a clear message. The colors, text, images, etc. should all make this message obvious. Also, you must have a clear sense of your target audience.

Why is it important to understand visual rhetoric? Why might this be an important skill "on the job"? How can you use ethos, pathos, and logos in a visual argument?

Remember to post a minimum of five sentences, proofread closely for spelling and grammar, and try to raise interesting questions of your own.

Thanks!

Week Six Thought Question

Thank you for your posts! Some of them were absolutely outstanding! Excellent work!

Several of you had very thoughtful replies regarding Ehrenreich's essay and its use of ethos, pathos, and logos.

To continue our discussions with rhetoric, why do you think that learning how to analyze visual rhetoric is important? How is a visual argument like a traditional (essay) argument? Do you see similarities in organization, structure? How so? Refer to a visual argument as an example in your replies.

Remember, each post should be a minimum of five sentences. It should raise interesting questions. Be sure to proofread! Thanks!

Week Five Thought Question

Thanks for your strong posts last week! Excellent work!

Cite examples of ethos, pathos, logos in the Barbara Ehrenreich's "Dirty Laundry: Bennetton's 'We, On Death Row, Campaign" and compare that to the current Bennetton advertisements or any other advertisement you have seen on television, online, in a magazine, or on the radio. Please explain how each example is pathos, ethos, or logos.

Remember that each of these posts is worth 1% of your final grade. They are meant to prepare you for communication in an online environment and provide you with a more "public" rhetorical space in which to share your ideas.

Thanks!

Week Four Thought Question

Thank you very much for your posts to last week's question! It sounds as though many of us have important people in our lives.

I would like you to use this week's blog to explain how you considered your audience in your narrative. Who were you imaging as your audience? What message were you trying to convey to this audience? How does your narrative answer the question, "So what?" Explain your answer in detail.

Good work so far!

Week Three Thought Question

Thank you for your replies to last week's thought question! Several good points were raised regarding whether students should be taught writing or composition!

For this week, I would like you to discuss our readings from the book or from our Supplemental Reading folder. In David Sedaris' narrative "Ashes," he describes what his family was like. In "The Story of My Life" by Helen Keller, she describes meeting someone important who changed the course of her life.

I would like you to use this space for the week to describe an especially strong memory you have of either a parent, friend, or anyone that your life has touched. Avoid cliches. Be specific. Describe this person. Briefly describe a moment spent with this person. Make it complex. Perhaps you might describe a moment when someone that you admire did something unexpected and not admirable. Maybe describe a moment when someone that you did not like did something likeable. Search for paradox and contrast. I am really looking forward to these posts!

Thanks!

Week Two Discussion Question

Hello:

To get the ball rolling for next week, I want us to consider some important questions currently confronting the world of writing. First of all, do you think universities should teach composition or writing? Many universities (including DMACC) teach website design, brochures, PowerPoint, and other visual media under the guise that "composition" can take many forms.

However, there are people who feel this leads to a form of illiteracy since the focus is not on writing. Therefore, the assumption is that spelling, grammar and mechanics, and students' vocabularies suffer as a result.

What do you think universities and colleges should be teaching students--composition or writing? Would you prefer to have more focus on vocabulary, spelling, and grammar? Explain.

Introductions

Welcome to English 105!

Please use this space to introduce yourself to your classmates. This blog will be used to respond to readings and other questions posted by either me or one of you. Remember to use appropriate capitalization, grammar and mechanics, spellings, and language. Anything deemed disrespectful or inappropriate will be deleted.

Thanks and let the posting begin!