English 101 Week 2

Getting Caught Up: Last Week + Apologies I understand that due to my absence last week, there may be a lot of confusion and miscommunication, and I want to clear that up as much as possible. The timing was terrible, and I would never have canceled class if I hadn’t been so sick. Because of all the confusion, I will be flexible when grading the Rhetorical Analysis (due today). If you have had a difficult time figuring out Turnitin.com, I will accept late uploads until midnight tomorrow. Speaking of which, let’s visit turnitin.com and review how you sign up. Class ID: 8598362 Password: lawson2014

Questions? A Couple of Important Things to Note: 101 Class ID: 8598362 On your schedule in a couple of places I accidently wrote The Little Penguin Handbook when I meant The Little Seagull Handbook. I used to use the Penguin but last summer I switched to the Seagull. Sometimes I mix them up. Just replace Penguin with Seagull. Turnitin.com Info: 101 Class ID: 8598362 Password: lawson2014

Review: Culture and Pop Culture How do we define “culture”? cul·ture noun : the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time The word “arts” in this definition is what we are most concerned with. Now, this doesn’t just mean “art” as in drawing, painting, etc. The art of a culture is ALL of that culture’s methods of creative expression. What are some of the ways people express themselves creatively in the culture of early 21st century America?

What is “Pop Culture”? Read excerpt from page 5 of Pop Perspectives What this means: Pop culture is short for “popular culture.” This means it has a broad appeal. (A large cross section of society relates to it.) Pop culture is defined in opposition to “high culture” (which is a label I’m not fond of). “High culture” is thought to be more accessible to the educated/elite, while “popular” cultures is thought to be the art and creative expression of the “masses.” Regarding our earlier definition of “culture”, the terms “Pop Culture” and “High Culture” both usually refer to the arts (created things) of a culture, but sometimes also refer to the customs of a culture. Sometimes these two things (art and custom) cross over with each other. When might this happen?

Why study “Pop Culture”? Historically, academia (schools, universities, professors) put a lot of emphasis on “high culture” and disregarded “pop culture,” thinking it wasn’t worth studying or analyzing. Recently, many scholars and universities have recognized the value of pop culture as an area of study. Some general assumptions that the study of pop culture makes: The art (this includes movies, music, tv, etc.) that a culture produces reveals what that culture values. The art a culture produces reveals widely held attitudes about important/controversial issues. While Pop Culture can reveal attitudes, it can also change them. In other words, the pop culture that we are exposed to can affect how and what we think. Key Term for Studying Pop Culture: Media Literacy

Some Other Features of Pop Culture… Pop culture is dynamic. This means it is constantly changing and in motion. This is always been true, but the speed at which pop culture shifts has increased as mobile internet technology and social media have become more and more popular. Pop culture is not monolithic. This means that while we may talk about pop culture as a whole in order to understand it, the individual pieces that make up pop culture are diverse, and sometimes contradictory.

Moving from Social Media to Academic Writing Writing Essays Moving from Social Media to Academic Writing

Social Media and Writing What are some examples of social media sites? Facebook Instagram Twitter MySpace (Hahaha… right, Ms.Lawson…. Like anyone USES MySpace anymore…) Tumblr Various other blogging platforms (Wordpress, Blogger, LiveJournal, etc.) Message boards Any other examples…?

What Social Media writing have YOU done lately? Think back over the past week. Have you done any social media writing? Have you read any pieces of social media writing? If so, what did you read/write? My list might look something like this…. Posted review of latest book I finished on GoodReads Responded to discussion of favorite Game of Thrones character on Tumblr Posted the roast recipe I invented the other night on Pintrest Congratulated college room mate on new job on Facebook.

Can Social Media help us with Academic Writing? A arguable claim about Social Media Writing: “The writing many of us do every day, whether on the internet or in some other informal setting, can prepare us for the work of academic writing.” Do you AGREE or DISAGREE with the claim above? Can you think of at least two points to support this claim? Can you think of at least two points against it?

What can social media teach us about writing? The writing we do is a representation of ourselves. Just because we are using academic conventions (rules and accepted ways of writing) doesn’t mean that the writing should not express the writer’s individuality. Even if it is not about you specifically, all writing can be seen as representing the self—because your experiences, knowledge, and the texts you have been exposed to determine what you can write. By extension, all writing can be seen as a product of the culture, time period, and place it was written in.

What can social media teach us about writing? All writing needs to connect to its audience. Ask questions and offer information that will be useful and relevant to your readers. All writing needs to provide an appropriate amount of context. Context is background information needed to understand what you are writing. If you know your audience doesn’t need much context, you can leave it out, but if your audience might be unfamiliar with your topic, you will need to give them enough background information that they will be able to understand your points.

For example, what background information would be needed to understand the following tweet as evidence for racism in pop culture?

What does social media teach us about writing? Culture defines writing. Organization is important. Context is important Images can be an important rhetorical tool. Information is worth being shared. Sources should be cited.

What is “Academic Writing”? Academic writing follows a set of conventions (remember, those are rules/expectations your readers will have of your writing in an academic setting), and it is appropriate for a school or research setting. Academic writing is a WAY of writing, and is not limited to certain subjects or topics.

Informal/Appropriate for Social Media Formal/Academic Star Wars is awesome. It’s like one of the most amazing things ever. Everybody knows about it. Only people who have been living under rocks for the last twenty years don’t. There are lots of things in the movies that are just like stuff that goes on now. I totally love how the Jedi are all wise and mysterious, just like priests or prophets or something. Also, the lightsabers and spaceships rock a lot. There is no denying the effect that the Star Wars saga has had on our culture. Mention the words, “May the Force be with you,” and people of all generations, races, and social classes will most likely get the reference. Elements of the series have even helped us to define and understand our own world. For instance, Darth Vader and the Empire have become universally understood symbols for totalitarianism and oppression. Star Wars is, in actuality, a modern myth, with Jedi and starship pilots standing in for the gods and heroes of Olympus.

Common problems when transitioning to Academic Writing: Not having a clear, explicit claim right from the start. Example: “Many people everywhere are involved with pop culture.” What is the problem with this sentence as a thesis for an academic essay? In order to make a claim, you have to know what you think. In order to know what you think, you have to be familiar with the topic.

Common Problems in Academic Writing: Lack of organization. Otherwise known as “I have a lot of research and ideas, but I don’t know how to DO ANYTHING with them.” Decide where to put your most convincing ideas. Would they be more effective first, or last? Due to copy/paste, the standards for organized writing have increased. Decide which ideas need to be explained before introducing other, more complicated ideas. Think of your paragraphs as building blocks. You can rearrange them, move them around until you find an arrangement you like that also achieves your purpose. “With great power, comes great responsibility” 

Common problems in Academic Writing Lots of what other people say, not enough of what you think. Learning to write in an academic way is a balancing act. On the one hand, you are expected to do research and refer to what others say about a topic. On the other hand, you are expected to offer your own responses to what others have already said. Too much of others’ writing and not enough of yours is inappropriate, but too little research (others’ ideas) will make it look like you haven’t done your homework on the topic. If you are wondering whether you got this balance right, ask. I’d be happy to work with you.

Organize and Start Writing Narrative Essay Organize and Start Writing

Think About: Your Writing Process When you get a writing assignment, what is the first thing you usually do when it is time to start working on it? Note: Procrastination can actually be part of your process! So be honest! What are your “go-to” procrastination techniques? Do you write drafts? What do they look like? Are they handwritten? Typed on computer? Are you a single-drafter? (ie: the only version you usually write is the one you turn in) If so, why do you think that is? Does it work well for you, or are you a single drafter only because you have to be as a result of choices you regret later? Do you have any outside activities that help you writing process? (For example: music, going to a coffee shop, a certain type of food…)

The Basic Steps of Essay Writing These basic steps apply to ALL essays, not just the ones in our class!

Step One: Know what is required of you. Prompts are the key to successful assignments. It’s important to know how to read a prompt and understand it. Read and re-read your prompt until you understand fully what is being asked of you. If you don’t understand, ask your professor to clarify EARLY ON. If you ask the day before the essay is due, IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE. Let’s review our Prompt! Know the minimum requirements and take them seriously. These include: page length or word count, format, works cited/research required. ALL DUE DATES.

Step Two: Brainstorm and Freewrite Read the Prompt Freewrite your general thoughts about the prompt and the overall topic Then, write down your ideas about how to make the prompt/topic personal to you. Freewrite Do idea bubbles Lists/Outlines

Step Three: Think About Thesis and Organization Remember that your narrative needs to have a point. As you begin to write your rough draft, be sure to write out a tentative thesis. Your thesis is the main point, the focusing idea of your essay. Stay focused on this as you organize your narrative. Organize your information What happened? Where? When? Who was there? What influenced these events? What details can you describe to make the narrative come alive for your reader? Decide on the order of events and paragraphs. Chronological? Start in the middle/end, go back, then forward again? Some other order?

Step Four: Develop an Outline Once you establish a thesis, use it to help you develop an outline of the paper An outline will: Help you organize your ideas Keep you focused Save time Keep in mind there are several ways to approach writing an outline

Outline Example Thesis Focus of Paragraph Conclusion Supporting Details Detail Example Conclusion

Step Five: Begin Drafting Draft an opening A good introduction draws your audience in and makes them want to know more. You should also give context for your narrative—what does your reader need to know in order to understand your narrative? Draft a conclusion Your conclusion will not only end your narrative, but should also include some reflection on the significance of the events, places, and people you have just described. Make sure that your readers understand the point of the narrative—what do you want your readers get our of your narrative? What do you want them to understand and remember?

Formatting in Academic Writing Use an accepted font. If you don’t know what fonts your teacher accepts, Times New Roman is almost always a safe choice Font size: Unless your professor says otherwise, always use size 12. Spacing: Always double space, unless you are told otherwise. Remove automatic formatting that adds extra spaces between paragraphs (each time you hit “enter”) [Show how to change] Margins: Always 1 inch on all sides, unless otherwise specified. [Show how to check margins]

Remember, Writing is a Process Every writing assignment is practice for the next one Writing takes time Go through every step of the process Focus on your ideas first Focus on grammar and spelling last Get feedback from a peer, instructor, or tutor

Brainstorming Freewrite: Can you think of any aspect of culture or pop culture (remember this has a very broad definition) that has had an influence on you, or an impact or your identity? how you think about yourself, how you think about the world around you? how you express yourself, and interact with people? Tell me about it. It can be anything, I don’t judge!

Including Detail and Personal Experience in Your Essay Include details and specific examples of the ideas you are talking about Camera Lens: Zoom In (Details) Zoom Out (Reflection, Context) You will not simply be talking about the culture or pop culture you are part, but you should also discuss how your identity has been impacted by a particular aspect of culture or pop culture, and how your personal experiences might shed light on certain realities in society.

Your Essay Needs to Include A focusing idea (or main point) that says something about how pop culture [a specific aspect of pop culture] can have an impact on identity [the specific culture you choose]. Details, Description and Specific Examples of the ideas, pop culture elements, subcultures, people, and events you are talking about. Personal Narrative Elements that illustrate how pop culture has had an impact on YOUR life. Your Essay Might Also Include: Connections to outside texts that functions as “examples” of (or a contrast to) the observations you are making about your own life/identity/culture

Using Specific Details Wherever possible in your essay, use specific details instead of general ones. Refer to people who are important to the narrative by their names whenever possible. Refer to specific numbers, times, and places. Add facts and explanation to statements that might mean different things to different readers. Use examples to explain. Remember, you can draw from your experience. Make it unique to you.

Examples of Specific Details Not specific at all: “I eat some things some people I know consider weird.” “Things” is a very vague word. The same thing goes for “stuff” and “some.” Try to avoid these words in your essay. How could this sentence be improved?

Improved Sentence: Original Sentence: “I eat some things some people consider weird.” Improved: “I eat Sushi, Indian food, or Thai food at least once or twice a month, and some of my older relatives find this strange because it’s not what they are used to. My dad’s parents are both from the Midwest where the staples of a good dinner are steak and corn on the cob, and they are confused by the fact that their granddaughter loves raw fish, spicy curry, and slippery clear noodles.

Upcoming Essay Rough Draft Our Peer Review of the Narrative Essay is next week. Your rough draft should be at least 2-3 pages. Remember, topics for this paper are very flexible. The prompt asks you to write about a way that a culture you are part of or identify with (can be either ethnic culture, pop culture, a particular subculture, or a mix of these) is connected in a significant and influential way to how you form or express identity. To put this another way, you are writing about how a culture/subculture you identify with has shaped, changed, or otherwise influenced your own identity and outlook on the world. This essay will use the first person, and will include personal narrative elements, as well as specific examples and details.

Think, Pair, Share Find a Partner “Interview” each other about the upcoming essay. Ask your partner what ideas they are considering for topics, what aspect of pop culture and identity they will be focusing on Ask your partner what their main point/thesis might be Help each other brainstorm even more ideas. If we have time, switch partners. Repeat for more ideas and a stronger sense of your own plan.

Next Week: View the Schedule on our Class Blog: lawson101fall14.weebly.com

SAVE FOR IF WE HAVE TIME

Class Discussions Discussing the Readings

Encouraging Effective Class Discussion Have respect for your classmates, even when you disagree with their ideas. Build our class’s understanding of the topic at hand by… Adding an additional point or example to what someone else has said. Connecting two ideas that have been discussed separately. Challenging what someone else has said by countering his or her points. Ground your discussion of a text by quoting specific, relevant passages of the articles we read.

Discussion: Small Groups to Whole Class Often, when we do class discussion, I will have you brainstorm and talk about the topics in small groups before moving the discussion back to the whole class. You can elect –or volunteer– a representative of your group to share the ideas, issues, and answers to questions that your group discussed with the wider class and myself. Although not everyone will be comfortable talking in front of large groups, I do want everyone to try to contribute something. All opinions and perspectives have value! Also, if you aren’t sure what to say ask questions! Sometime the best thing a group member can do is ask a classmate to clarify or further explain their perspective or point!

Last Week’s Readings Considering Identities: How We Construct Our Identity and What Influences That Construction Read excerpt page 111 Melissa Algranati – “Being An Other” What sorts of difficulties (stereotypes, specifically) did Algranati’s parents have to work against in order to be accepted by mainstream American culture? Discuss Vocab: mainstream At the end of the essay, how does Algranati define her ethnic culture? Why might it be important to characterize yourself using this kind of detailed language?

Last Week’s Readings Olivia Chung – “Finding My Eye-dentity” Identity is constructed, yes—but many people have a more difficult time constructing an identity outside of societies expectations because of physical characteristics that serve as identity markers –identity markers that society often views in a certain way. What physical characteristic serves as an identity marker in this essay? Why do you think that this physical characteristic seen as undesirable—even among people/cultures for whom it is common? Can you think of other examples of this? Kiflin Turner – “Identity Beyond Stereotypes” What problematic stereotypes does Turner discuss in his essay? In a 5 minute freewrite, discuss the ways in which you or those you can about have been stereotyped by others based upon: your race/ethnicity, religion, age, economic class, subculture, or another other identity category.