This Last Week...

Even though we’ve discussed this in class, I would like to take a moment to remind you of some important details.

1. On Tuesday, you must bring in one completed rough draft of your final paper. Be ready for a thorough workshop.
2. I will be having “extra office hours” on Tuesday following the workshop. In addition, Cordero will also be in class starting at noon to assist.
3. The final draft is due on Thursday. Unlike the previous papers, I do not collect any of the pre-work for this one...just the final draft.
4. Late papers will be lowered an entire letter grade per day they are late...it goes without saying how important it is that I receive these last papers on time.

I’m looking forward to reading your final work...as always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

What is your paper topic and source?

Post responses in the comments...

1. Which topic have you chosen? Why?
2. What are two sources that relate to your topic (and that you could use in a paper)? Where did you find them?

Great Event (and extra credit!)...

This coming Wednesday, the ACE Program will hold its annual WEB DuBois event. Each year, this event talks with current ACE students about the value of graduate school, which is not as far away as it may seem. It is a valuable event, and one of my favorites on campus. Here's how it breaks down:

From 2:30-4 pm, there will be a keynote speaker and panel in the Student Resources Building Multipurpose Room.

Then, from 4-5, there will be a reception...complete with pizza (!) and real grad student for you to talk with.

Then, at 5, we will have a poetry reading/slam, where students are encouraged to read a poem they've written.

It's a great event (I'll talk more about it on Tuesday), and I highly suggest you attend.

To "sweeten the deal," here's a bonus. If you go, you will receive extra credit. (If you go to both the keynote speech and poetry slam, you get double the extra credit!)

Hope to see you there!

Finding Research for your Third Paper

As discussed in class, the library has a lot of worthwhile tools for finding literary research. Check out this site: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/subjects/english/engl.html for links and tips. An important part of locating your source will be to find a credible one, and anything you find through this site will be worlds better than a quote from Wikipedia, Answers.com, or some other sort of general site.

Please post your Whitman/Ginsberg responses...

...in the comments here.

Please post your "Hills Like White Elephants" thoughts here...

...in the "Comments."

Two Important Reminders About Tomorrow

1. The second paper is still due, even though there was no class yesterday.

2. If you did not receive the email I sent with the print-outs for tomorrow, you must contact me right away to get them. These handouts must be brought into class.

Thanks!

In addition to the post just below this one...

If you have not read the important post beneath this one, please do so immediately, as it affects today's class.

In other news, I just sent an email out to everyone with an important handout for Thursday's class. If you did not receive that email from me, please send me a note right away, so you can get the handout. Thanks!

Important Announcement about Tuesday's Class

After much thought, I have a difficult announcement to make about tomorrow's class:

CLASS IS CANCELED FOR TUESDAY, 2/19.

I do not take canceling a class lightly, but I am really sick, and can safely say I will not be able to teach tomorrow. What does that mean, in terms of our work? Please pay close attention to the following notes:

1. Cordero will still be coming to class tomorrow. If you would like to meet with him about your paper, please be sure to come to class at regular time, and he will have a sign-up sheet, and may even be able to just meet with you right there and then.

2. If you were planning on meeting with me tomorrow, please email me your rough draft. In the email, please explain what you want me to look for, and any questions you might have. In the subject line of your email, please write "EXPLANATORY SYNTHESIS," which will prioritize your email, so I can get back to you as soon as possible. Please send me any drafts/questions no later than tomorrow morning so I have time to get back to you. (It would be best to email me today, really, as it will give you more time to use my suggestions, etc.)

3. The paper is still due on Thursday. Between Cordero coming in tomorrow, and me being available for "email conferencing," I trust you will be able to maximize the potential of your paper. On Thursday, bring your paper.

4. On Thursday, we will also begin our final, literature, unit. If you don't remember much about "The Lottery," refresh your memory before class, and be ready to dive into a very different kind of paper and discussion this week!

Thanks again for your understanding here--it is rare that I cancel a class, and I really appreciate your help with everything. I'll watch for emails, and see you Thursday!

Post Comments Here (Thursday's Exercise)

As discussed in class, this is the post for you to post the following comments:

1. Name at least one thing your partner helped you with in workshop today.
2. What will your next step be in revising/polishing/finishing the essay?

This is Part B of the workshop, and must be completed by 5pm today for full credit. Just click on "comments" below this, and you can post your response.

Workshop CHANGE IN PLANS--please note

In considering our work right now, I have changed one aspect of the workshop for Paper #2. Instead of two copies, please just bring one copy of your rough draft to class. Thanks!

Now that the paper is due on Thursday of next week instead of Tuesday, I am also changing one other aspect. I will not be having my extended office hours tomorrow. Instead, I will have them after Tuesday's class.

This way, proper emphasis will be placed on your partner's comments...and then, you can talk with me after you've "digested" them.

See you tomorrow!

Chicago Style for Citations and References Page

As mentioned in class (and will be further discussed on Tuesday), you will use Chicago Style for this paper's citation format. It is slightly different than APA (and MLA, which you will use for the third paper), so please pay close attention to the format rules.

You will notice in the readings that there are two approached to Chicago--we are using the Author-Date style. The sites below will guide you through the style, and should be used as a reference. While we will discuss citing sources in class, it is your responsibility to be sure that you have the format correct, based on these pages.

Chicago Style
Chicago Style 2
Integrating Sources Tips

Some Writing Tips/Guides

All of us have some lingering grammar/writing issues that seem to haunt us...me included. Your Writer's Reference is an excellent guide for these topics--just look them up in the index or contents and read. That's how I finally overcame punctuation problems when I was in school--I just sat down and truly read the chapter on it in a similar handbook.

However, sometimes it is helpful to enhance that sort of reading with online assistance, so with that in mind, here are some good links. Check these out--especially if I marked up your first paper with some of these topics...

Using Introductory Clauses
Punctuation
More Punctuation
Sentence Fragments
Sentence Variety
Apostrophes
Conciseness

and, as this is something we will discuss further, here is more information on integrating quotes.

Always remember, as well, that I am here to help with these topics as you need. If you have questions, please feel free to ask.

Finding Research

We will discuss this further in class on Tuesday, but I thought I'd post it before we even meet. Here's a great resource for doing credible research: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/services/research.html . Look at the link for "Help by Subject" for some great specific guides...

Readings for Tuesday

To enhance your course reader, I have located a number of readings online.

There is a wide variety in style and approach here--some are short little articles, others are in-depth research. Give yourself plenty of time to go through them, and remember to actively read. If you find yourself growing tired with one, take a break, and come back to it. I will expect that you have read all of them by class on Tuesday, 2/5--a reading response will be due on that day. Since the readings are longer, the reading response should be 2-3 pages instead of the usual 1-2, and can be about as many of the articles as you like (1, 2, or even all of them).

Here goes:

Internet Addiction: http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/newdisorder.htm

What Makes the Internet Addictive: http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/habitforming.htm

Hooked Online: http://www.webmd.com/content/article/12/1674_50516

Internet Addiction Disorder: http://www.chem.vt.edu/chem-dept/dessy/honors/papers/ferris.html

Is Internet Addiction Real?: http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr00/addiction.html

Addiction as a Disease: http://www.thirteen.org/closetohome/science/ (For this site, be sure to navigate through--look at the links for "Treatment" and "Prevention" as well)

APA Formatting for Papers

As mentioned in class, this first paper should follow APA format for paper layout...to an extent.

Please see this site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ for information on how to lay out your paper.

You will need to follow the guidelines for a title page, but you do not need to have an abstract, or references page (unless you've used outside research). Similarly, I am not requiring that you use in-text citations for your source essay--you only need those if you use outside research.

So, in the end, I just want to be sure that you get the title page correct, as well as page numbering, etc.

Thanks!

For Tuesday (Workshop)

I hope everyone is having a productive weekend in writing your rough drafts...and that Thursday's classwork was helpful.

Please remember to bring two typed copies of your rough draft to class on Tuesday for the workshop.

In class, we will spend about 20 minutes on some grammar/writing issues, then dive into the workshop. Following the workshop, I will be available for individual questions.

Thanks!

Tuesday's "Context" Exercise

Please post your responses to today's exercise here. Thanks!

A Note from Cordero

Hello everyone! It is a pleasure to tutor for ACE
writing once again. I will be in your class on
Tuesday, January 22nd to shortly introduce--and
re-introduce--myself and my role as an assistant in
your writing development. I am attaching the essential
information needed to understand the role of a CLAS
tutor and will have and information sheet in hard copy
form for you during my meeting with the class. I hope
you all are enjoying your Martin Luther King Jr.
holiday and hope to see you all tomorrow.

Best,
Cordero

Thank you Time Warner cable

Hi Everyone--

Hope you're having a nice weekend. I just wanted to give you all a heads-up that my home internet is down...and it looks like it will be down for a solid week.

This means my response times will be slightly longer than usual. Naturally, I will still do my best to respond to all messages within 24 hours, but I want you all to be aware that it will be a bit different than usual. Normally, I am checking my email somewhat obsessively during the day and night, so I can respond very quickly. For the next week, I will be checking my email once (maybe twice) a day. I will do my absolute best to get back to you in a timely manner, but I did want you to be aware.

Thank you for your understanding. And, if anyone knows anyone who works for Time Warner in Southern California and wants to tell them to get to my house quicker, you're the greatest.

Thanks!

About the Lottery Reading for Tomorrow

Hi Everyone--

It has come to my attention that a number of the Course Readers are missing about a third of the short story "The Lottery." Please go to this site for the complete version: http://jackson.classicauthors.net/lottery/ . I do want you to have read it for tomorrow, even if you have to finish it online.

Thanks!

Post your links here (WRITING 2)

Hi Everyone--

As discussed in class, I would like you to post the two links you found (one about active reading and the other about a grammar topic) in the comments here. My goal with this is to create an online resource for future reference. Thanks!