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open classes
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Summer 2010
(updated hourly)
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Page updated:
21-Mar-2010 10:56 PM |
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Weeks
1-2
open |
Thread 1: Welcome
Message
Post your Welcome message and then reply to another student.
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Week 3
closed
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Thread 1: Critique of
"A Look into the Alien World of Freshwater
Aquariums"
Based on the criteria for Essay 1, offer your critique of "A
Look into the Alien World of Freshwater Aquariums" a sample student essay on the Wiredprof.com
website. Point out its strengths and weaknesses and how well it achieves the
objectives of the assignment. Your initial commentary posting is due by midnight
Wednesday (03-FEB-2010).
Be sure to respond to at least one other classmate's response by Saturday of
this week to receive full credit.
Thread 2: "Diaper
Duty" Critique
Based on the criteria for Essay 1, offer your critique of "Diaper
Duty" a sample student essay on the Wiredprof.com website. Point out its
strengths and weaknesses and how well it achieves the objectives of the
assignment.
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Week 4
closed |
Thread 1: "Dirty Laundry" Critique
After our collective class critique of "Dirty Laundry", offer your own
critique of the essay's strengths and weaknesses. Be
sure to respond to at least one other classmate's response.
Remember that your
initial commentary posting must be made
by midnight Wednesday (10-FEB-08) to receive credit.
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Week 5
closed |
Post your initial response
(commentary) to both of the 2 discussion threads for the Thoreau readings by
Wednesday,
17-FEB by midnight. Then, respond to at least one other student by
Saturday, 20-FEB midnight to receive credit.
Thread 1: Self-Reliance and "Civil Disobedience"
Thoreau makes
reference to “self-reliance” in both direct and indirect ways. Find at least 1
passage and comment on how it relates relate to his essay on “Civil
Disobedience.” Do your best to find a passage that no
one else in class has located.
Thread 2:
Biblical Allusions in "Civil Disobedience"
Thoreau’s essay,
"Civil Disobedience" is filled with biblical allusions. Find and explain how he
uses at least two (2) of them.
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Week 6
closed |
Post your initial response
(commentary) to both of the 2 discussion threads for the Thoreau readings by
Wednesday,
24-FEB by midnight. Then, respond to at least one other student by
Saturday, 27-FEB midnight to receive credit.
Thread 1: "Life Without Principle" and Money
A good deal of
“Life Without Principle” is devoted to a critique of money. Comment on
Thoreau’s views of money and the extent to which it is
relevant to our modern society.
Thread 2: "Life Without Principle" Quote
Please
debate the relevance or "Truth" of this quote from Thoreau's essay. Look deep
into what he is saying and keep in mind the larger context of his essay.
"If a man walk in
the wood for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as
a loafer; but if he spends his whole day as a speculator, shearing off those
woods and making earth bald before her time, he is an esteemed industrious and
enterprising citizen."
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Week 7
closed |
Post your initial response
(commentary) to both of the 2 discussion threads for the Thoreau readings by
Wednesday,
03-MAR by midnight. Then, respond to at least one other student by
Saturday, 06-MAR midnight to receive credit.
Thread 1: Krakauer's Narrative Structure
Within the first couple
chapters, even on the book cover, we know what has happened to Chris
McCandless. If this book is supposed to be a biography of McCandless, why do
you suppose Krakauer gives away the ending of the book by telling us that
McCandless dies? Debate your theories with your classmates.
Thread 2: Impressions of McCandless
What are your impressions of Chris McCandless after reading the first 6 chapters
of the book? Be as descriptive as possible. Discuss also how your impressions
inform you about where Krakauer's text might lead.
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Week 8
closed |
Post an initial response (commentary) to
only two (2) of the three (3) discussion
threads by Wednesday, 10-MAR, at midnight for credit. Then, respond to at least one
other student by Saturday, 13-MAR at midnight to receive credit.
Thread 1: McCandless' Contradictions
In chapter 5 we read about McCandless' stay in Bullhead City, Arizona, a
“haphazard sprawl of subdivisions and strip malls” (39). How do you explain
that apparent contradiction between his existence here versus elsewhere? Are
there other incidents described in the book where McCandless acts in ways
that seem to contradict his ideals? Describe them.
Thread 2:
Ron Franz
Analyze and comment upon the relationship between
McCandless and Ronald Franz, who “renounced the Lord” (60) when he found out
that McCandless was dead.
Thread 3: Adventurists
In Chapters 8 and 9, why does Krakauer tell us about the events of four
other ill-fated adventurists and idealists? (Gene Rosellini, John Waterman,
Carl McCunn, and Everett Ruess) What is Krakauer’s purpose in including
their stories in this book about McCandless?
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Week 9
closed |
Post your initial
response (commentary) to the
Into the Wild discussion
threads by Wednesday, 17-MAR at midnight for credit. Then, respond to at least one
other student by Saturday, 20-MAR midnight to receive credit.
Thread 1: Point of View
On
page 142 when Krakauer is describing his ascent up Devils Thumb, he begins to
write in the second person (using “you”).
Discuss why he does this and what you think he gains from doing so.
Thread 2:
Starvation
Towards the end of Chapter 18, Krakauer writes:
"Some
people who have been brought back from the far edge of starvation, though,
report that near the end of the hunger vanishes, the terrible pain dissolves and
the suffering is replaced by sublime euphoria, a sense of calm accompanied by
transcendent mental clarity. It
would be nice to think McCandless experienced a similar rapture." (198)
Comment on Krakauer’s
attitude toward Chris in this passage.
Thread 3:
Research Topic Pool
Brainstorm and post 3 possible topics for the Research Essay. Your goal is to
brainstorm inventions that are worth writing on. The Internet is not a
topic you can write on, but all other ideas are fair game. Replies to
one another are
fine but not required. The narrower you can make
the topic proposal, the better.
Your posting must be made
by midnight
Saturday
(20-MAR-10)
to receive credit this week.
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Weeks 10-
spring recess
open |
Research Topic Proposals: After browsing through the pool of topics
brainstormed last week, you must select two inventions that are of interest to
you for your research project. You might select your own idea; you might
use the ideas from the topic pools; or these ideas might inspire you to think
about other inventions. Essentially, you must pitch your ideas to the
class by making an initial case for why this invention is worth writing a paper
on. Remember you might be choosing this invention because of its positive
social contributions or because of its negative or potentially negative effects
on society.
Proposals are due by
midnight Saturday, 27-MAR.
Each invention proposal must
be between 100-150 words. Use your word processor to count them.
To give you a rough comparison, these first two paragraphs have a 130 word
count.
Next, you must respond to
2 classmates: Everyone else in class must offer a thoughtful response
and review why you think the proposed topic would or would not work.
To receive credit, your critiques must be between 75-100 words long.
Trite responses like "Great topic!" are not acceptable. As a class
member you must critique 2 classmates in each proposal. (That's a
total of 4 critiques.) Your classmates will use your critiques to help
them decide which invention they will research, and your critiques will also
help them hone and refine their topics if their inventions seem off target
or too broad for a six- to eight-page essay.
Responses are due by
midnight Saturday, 03-APR.
Thread 1: Research Topic
Proposal 1
Present your first proposal here. Everyone in class
must critique 2 proposals in Thread 1.
Thread 2: Research Topic
Proposal 2
Present your second proposal here. Everyone in
class must critique 2 of these proposals within this thread also.
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Week 12
closed |
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Week 13
closed |
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Week 14
closed |
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Week 15
closed |
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Week 16
closed |
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Week 17
closed |
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