Professor Cooper's Fundamentals of Writing Blog

Register for the Course Wiki

2007-11-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

If you haven't registered for the course wiki yet, here is a screencast to help you get started. If you didn't get an email invitation, you can still sign up at the wiki: http://freshmancomp.wetpaint.com

Here is the screencast: http://screencast.com/t/QGseVRSlhsO

Bye Bye Cupcake

2007-10-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

Cupcake the wonder kitty was put to sleep yesterday. I'll miss her.

Discussion Journal #2: College Success

2007-09-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

What are some things that YOU can do to help you be successful in college? Focus on your behaviors and your attitude. Explain your choices.

Discussion Journal #1: College Success

2007-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

What are some things on campus that can help you be successful in college? It can be a person, a department or anything that you can do that can help you be successful. Explain your answer.

Discussion Journal #9: Study Time

2007-03-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Studying for college classes is important for students and necessary to help them do well in their college classes. How much time to you spend a week studying and doing homework for this class? Where do you study? Do you have anyone help you? Do you think you study enough?Describe your study time.

Discussion Journal #8

2007-03-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

What is your thesis statement for essay #3? Write it out and include your three blueprint items.

Discussion Journal #6

2007-03-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

After watching the first part of the movie Crash, what do you think is the director's message he wants his audience to learn? Explain and give an example to support your answer.

Discussion Journal #3: College Success 3

2007-02-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

You've already considered how people and places on campus can help you succeed in college, and you've considered how you yourself can help you succeed, now think about how people, places and things off campus can help you succeed in college. Write a paragraph explaining how one such person, place or thing can help you succeed in college.

Brand New Semester Around the Corner

2007-01-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

With the start of the Spring 2007 Semester just around the corner, it's time to get back to blogging. This blog, formerly known as Professor Cooper's Freshman Composition blog is now Professor Cooper's Fundamentals of Writing blog. This blog will still provide class news, updates and content for my students, but now my students are in the ENG071 course instead of the ENG101 course. So this serves as a notice to present students that content prior to January 2007 does not pertain to the present course, so if you find yourself reading a post from 2006, enjoy, but it's probably not relevant to what we are doing now. With that said, welcome to the new semester and good luck.

Journal #31: Personal Freedoms & Libertarianism

2006-11-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Libertarianism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Libertarianism is a political philosophy advocating that individuals should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others. There are two types of libertarians. One type holds as a fundamental maxim that all human interaction should be voluntary and consensual. They maintain that the initiation of force against another person or his property, with "force" meaning the use of physical force, the threat of it, or the commission of fraud against someone who has not initiated physical force, threat, or fraud, is a violation of that principle (many of these are individualist anarchists or anarcho-capitalists). The other type comes from a consequentialist or utilitarian standpoint. Instead of having moral prohibitions against initiation of force, these support a limited government that engages in the minimum amount of initiatory force (such as levying taxes to provide some public goods such as defense and roads, as well as some minimal regulation), because they believe it to be necessary to ensure maximum individual freedom (these are minarchists). Libertarians do not oppose force used in response to initiatory aggressions such as violence, fraud or trespassing. Libertarians favor an ethic of self-responsibility and strongly oppose the welfare state, because they believe forcing someone to provide aid to others is ethically wrong, ultimately counter-productive, or both. Libertarians also strongly oppose conscription because they believe no one should be forced to fight a war they don't support (and, ideally, many would like it to be left to individual decision as to which war, if any, to fund).

Do you agree or disagree with the political philosophy of libertarianism? If you agree, which type of libertarianism do you agree with? Explain your answer.

A Little Clarification on Assn. #5

2006-11-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
I want to make sure that everyone is clear about how to do Assignment #5: Personal Reflection for Essay #2 or Essay #3. Initially I said it was a personal reflection on Essay #3 only. That is incorrect. We need a personal reflection on peer review for our final exam portfolio:

Assessment #5: Use feedback obtained from peer review, instructor comments and/or other resources to revise writing. Personal Reflection on the peer review process and rewrite process for your essay. (Use Assignment #5 Only)

Both essays have a peer review or instructor review element, so you can choose either. So for Assignment #5, we will write this assessment based on peer reviews and/or instructor comments provided to you. Review the comments made by me on your essay #2 and base your reflection on those comments or use the comments provided during the group peer review you are currently working on.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ASSIGNMENT #5

This time you will assess your writing in Essay #2 or Essay #3 focusing on: the peer review/instructor review process. Respond to the issues below basing the majority of your comments on feedback obtained from peers or the instructor.

Part of becoming the best writer you can be is to spend some focused time thinking critically about a finished written product. Examining how your creative writing process occurred, what made the writing most effective, what skills still need to be mastered, and how the writing assignment helped you grow as a writer are all ways to think about your writing and the progress you are making as a writer.

Then, putting those thoughts down in writing is the next step and is a way of committing to your growth as a writer, a record for you to look back on before the next writing project is ready for completion. The following guidelines will help you write an assessment that reinforces your writing goals:

The assessment will have an introductory paragraph that delivers an overall assessment of the completed essay.
Body Paragraph 1 will discuss those factors in the essay which were successful. Praise yourself for what you have done well.
Body Paragraph 2 will discuss those factors/skills in the essay which are still in need of improvement. What still needs work? What would you have improved had you had more time?
Body Paragraph 3 will detail any learning that occurred for you as you wrote the assigned essay. This can be learning about writing, about yourself as a writer, about yourself as a person, about the world around you. . . any learning is eligible. Be specific.
The assessment will close with a brief summary of your findings.
The entire assessment writing will follow standard MLA format for essay assignments (double spaced, 12 point font, formal heading, etc.)

Essay #2 Rewrite Instructions

2006-11-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's Class is Online

2006-11-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to be able to make the 9am class on Wednesday, so I've put your class activities online. I didn't want to leave the 12pm class out of all the fun, so you too can participate online tomorrow. We were going to discuss rewrites for Essay #2 in class Wednesday, so I've created an audio message (podcast) about doing rewrites. The podcast will be available in Blackboard tomorrow. You will need to listen to the podcast at some point tomorrow. Not Thursday or Friday, but Wednesday.

Your essays will be posted in Blackboard. To view them, you will need to click on the Grades/Tools button on the left and then click on My Grades. Click on your score for Essay #2 to retrieve your graded essay. There should be an attachment under the instructor's comment box. I saved the essays as .pdf files so you can see all the comments.

Listen to the instructions for the rewrites in the podcast. Remember, if your score is a D or below, you MUST see a writing tutor before you can submit a rewrite. Use the class time to go make your appointments. You can also use class time to peer review the essays in your group for Essay #3.

There is one change for Assignment #5 that needs to be noted. Your personal reflection assignment is NOT to be written on Essay #3. This assignment needs to be a personal reflection on the rewrite process, so I want for you to write your reflection after you have reviewed my comments on your Essay #2. I explain this also in the podcast. If you have already written a personal reflection for Essay #3, you can save that one for Unit IV.

REMINDERS:

Group Peer Reviews need to be completed by Thursday.
Rewrites for Essay #3 need to be completed and uploaded by midnight Sunday.
All Unit III activities need to be completed by midnight Sunday.

Handbook Activities
Journals
Assignment #5 (Personal Reflection on Essay #2)

Unit III Quiz will be on Monday, so review your research chapters.

Group Peer Editing This Week

2006-11-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

Now that you have finished a draft of your rhetorical analysis essay, it is time to review it with your peers. Go to your Group area in Blackboard to download and read your group member's essays. Then you will add comments and feedback about their work in your group's discussion forum. Please have your comments completed by Thursday, giving everyone plenty of time to rewrite the essay. Final drafts of essay #3 are due by midnight Sunday, November 12th.

You must participate in the group peer editing process if you want a chance to do a rewrite for essay #3. You must comment on:

two of the nine requirements for the essay
thesis and support of the thesis
overall structure of the essay

If you did not submit your essay on time (midnight last Sunday), you will not be able to participate in the rewrite process. Your essay is now late and will be docked 10% for each day it is late. If you wait until Sunday, November 12th to submit a late essay, it will only be worth 50%.

I suggest that you all visit the Writing Center to have your essay reviewed by a writing instructor. This is an important essay, and you want to do your best.

Essay #3: Rhetorical Analysis Due

2006-11-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

Your essay #3: rhetorical analysis is due by midnight tonight. You will need to email your essay to me as an attachment. You can just reply to this email if you haven't submitted it already. Remember, late essays will not be eligible for rewrites, so if you want a chance to rewrite this essay, submit it by midnight.

Your essay should be a rhetorical analysis of a periodical article on the unit topic: alternative lifestyles. Your periodical article must come from a database and not from the internet. If you follow the directions in Blackboard for how to put together your analysis, you should be okay. The handout is very thorough.

Journal #24: Alternative Lifestyles II

2006-10-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse:

Science, Religion, and the Slippery Slope

Read the above article by Mark E. Pietrzyk (Click blue text) and then answer one of the following questions:

What is the writer's stance, or attitude toward the subject?
What is the writer's voice?
What assumptions does the writer seem to be making about the audience?
What is the writer's primary purpose?
How does the writer develop ideas?
Does the text appeal to emotions?
Is the text fair?
Is the evidence strong?
Is the text effective?

No more than 5 people can answer any one questions, so be sure to read the responses before you comment. Also, be sure to make it clear which question you are answering. Elaborate on your response and give your own evidence.

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

2006-10-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today's class focused on critically reading and analyzing texts. We revisted some material from Chapter 4 in our textbooks, specifically pages 28-34. We reviewed inductive and deductive reasoning.

Deductive reasoning refers to the process of concluding that something must be true because it is a special case of a general principle that is known to be true. For example, if you know the general principle that the sum of the angles in any triangle is always 180 degrees, and you have a particular triangle in mind, you can then conclude that the sum of the angles in your triangle is 180 degrees. Inductive reasoning is the process of reasoning that a general principle is true because the special cases you've seen are true. For example, if all the people you've ever met from a particular town have been very strange, you might then say "all the residents of this town are strange". That is inductive reasoning: constructing a general principle from special cases. It goes in the opposite direction from deductive reasoning (SparkNotes).

We also discussed the two common methods to analyze an argument and evaluate its effectiveness:

concentrate on the type of reasoning the writer is using and
question the logical relation of a writer's claim, grounds, and warrants, using the Toulmin method.

There are several common logical fallacies in this chapter that you will need to learn (pp. 33-34). I recommend making flash cards to help with this process. I posted the handouts from today's class in the Unit III Readings folder in Blackboard. You are to read the two articles on the Prop. 107 issue and analyze each argument and evaluate its effectiveness. Also point out any fallacy each article might have committed. Write your comments on the articles and bring to class on Friday. You do not need to write up anything formal, just annotate in the margins of the articles.

Articles to Read on Blackboard:

	Yes Vote on Prop 107 Yes Vote on Prop 107.doc (30 Kb) Leo Godzich Writes Editorial Urging "Yes" Vote on Proposition 107
	Opposition to Prop 107 Opposition to Prop 107.doc (33 Kb) Attorney Coalition in Maricopa County Voice Opposition to Prop 107 - the So-Called "Protect Marriage" Amendment

Do You Know: Honorific and Pejorative?

2006-10-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Got questions? Get answers! Learn to look things things up. It is expected of you as a college student.
Honorific

An honorific is a word or expression that conveys esteem or respect and is used in addressing or referring to a person. "Honorific" may refer broadly to the style of language or particular words used, or, as in this article, to specific words used to convey honor to one perceived as a social superior. Sometimes the term is used not quite correctly to refer to a title of honour (honorary title.)

Honorifics are usually placed immediately before or after the name of the subject. They may also be used to denote occupation, such as "Doctor", "Coach", "Father" (for a priest), or "Professor". Some honorifics can act as complete replacements for a name, as in "sir" or "ma'am". Subordinates will often use honorifics as punctuation before asking a superior a question or after responding to an order, "Yes, sir".

"honorific." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 18 Oct. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/honorific

Pejorative
A word or phrase is pejorative if it implies contempt or disapproval. The adjective pejorative is synonymous with derogatory and dyslogistic (noun: dyslogism) (antonyms: meliorative, eulogistic, noun eulogism). Dyslogisms such as "pea-brain" and "bottom-feeder" are words and phrases essentially pejorative by their nature. Although pejorative (adj.) means much the same thing as disparaging, the latter term may be applied to a look or gesture as well as to — in the evocative language of gesture, it may not be easy to distinguish a disparaging gesture from a dismissive or merely skeptical one, however.

Pejorative expressions that are not dyslogisms may also be used in a non-pejorative way, however, and determining the intent of the speaker is problematic — as with any implied meaning. Conversely, a common rhetorical ploy is to apply "pejorative" to a factual descriptor — as "toxic" might be applied to poison mdash; and then decry it as "pejorative" to suit the agenda of those defending the substance as harmless.

Not every breath of criticism is pejorative.

"pejorative." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 18 Oct. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/pejorative

Journal #21: Alternative Lifestyles

2006-10-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Read the two definition articles on alternative lifestyles in the Week 9 folder in Blackboard. In your own words define alternative lifestyles and give a few examples. If you disagree with someones definition or examples, respond to that telling why you disagree.

Unit II Quiz Tomorrow

2006-10-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Unit II Quiz is tomorrow. Remember you must be present to take the quiz and there are no make-ups, so don't be absent on Friday. Unit II Quiz will include chapters 4-8, 10 & 12. It will also include: comparison/contrast, cause/effect essays, and a few random rhetorical techniques and rhetorical analysis questions.

The best way to study would be to review the Unit I Quiz, review the chapters listed above, and read your handouts on comparison/contrast, cause/effect and rhetorical techniques and more on rhetorical analysis.

Wiki is Coming Along Nicely

2006-10-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all of you who were successful in updating your portfolio page on the ENG101 course wiki. Those of you who participated will receive credit for attendance and 5 bonus points on your next Unit II quiz tomorrow. Those of you who did not participate will be marked absent.

I updated the portfolio assessment final exam information on the course wiki and on Blackboard, so you will all better understand the importance of this project. I have posted the information in this journal post as well. This portfolio assessment on the wiki is worth 150 points -15% of your final grade, so it is very important that you learn how to edit the wiki properly. Also, being that this is part of a final exam for a Freshman Composition course, make sure that the information you post is appropriate for the indended audience. That means all the cartoon videos need to go. You may post a photo of something you like to represent you if you choose not to use a photo of yourself, but you only need one photo. If you want to share your other interests, do that on a MySpace page, not on your final exam portfolio.

We will continue to have opportunities to update the portfolios and practice on the wiki, but for the most part it is up to you to find time to complete your final exam by the due date in December. Don't wait until the last minute to get started on this project. You should be doing a little at a time. I will continue to provide screencasts with each step.

Information on Portfolio Assessment (Final Exam = 15%)

Your Writing Portfolio on this wiki is your final exam in this course and will be worth 150 points (15% of your grade). Any one item missing from the portfolio will cause the portfolio to be incomplete and will be docked 25 points for each missing or incomplete assessment. Your portfolio must be complete in order for you to recieve an accurate grade of your compentency in this course.

Below is a list of the MCCCD official course competencies for the ENG101 First Year Composition course. Our goal this semester is to satisfy these seven competencies. In order to show that you have reached this goal, you will keep an electronic portfolio where you will provide examples of your work that demonstrate your competence. You will also be required to write several personal reflections on your work. What follows are the guidelines for the electronic portfolios.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies:

ENG101 20056-99999 First-Year Composition

Analyze specific rhetorical contexts, including circumstance, purpose, topic, audience, and writer, as well as the writing's ethical, political, and cultural implications.
Organize writing to support a central idea through unity, coherence, and logical development appropriate to a specific writing context.
Use appropriate conventions in writing, including consistent voice, tone, diction, grammar, and mechanics.
Summarize, paraphrase and quote from sources to maintain academic integrity and to develop and support one's own ideas.
Use feedback obtained from peer review, instructor comments and/or other resources to revise writing.
Assess one's own writing strengths and identify strategies for improvement through instructor conference, portfolio review, written evaluation, and/or other methods.
Generate, format, and edit writing using appropriate technologies.

Assignments for Assessment:

Assessment #1:

Analyze specific rhetorical contexts, including circumstance, purpose, topic, audience, and writer, as well as the writing's ethical, political, and cultural implications.
HOW? Doing a Rhetorical Analysis of a Text (Use Essay #3/Assignments 1, 3, or 5)

Assessment #2:

Organize writing to support a central idea through unity, coherence, and logical development appropriate to a specific writing context.
HOW? Writing an expository essay, either illustration/reflection, comparison/contrast, cause and effect, definition or argumentative. ( Use Essay #1 or 2)
Self reflection piece (Use Assignments 2 or 4)

Asssessment #3:

Use appropriate conventions in writing, including consistent voice, tone, diction, grammar, and mechanics.

HOW? Writing an expository essay, either illustration/reflection, comparison/contrast, cause and effect, definition or argumentative. (Use Essay #1 or 2).
Self Reflection piece. (Use Assignments 2 or 4)

Assessment #4:

Summarize, paraphrase and quote from sources to maintain academic integrity and to develop and support one's own ideas.
HOW? Write an argumentative position paper on an issue from the unit theme. Essay is an extended documented essay using either MLA or APA style of documentation. (Use Essay #4)

Assessment #5:

Use feedback obtained from peer review, instructor comments and/or other resources to revise writing.
HOW? Peer Review Essay #1 and #2. Rewrite your Essay #1 and #2 after your group members have reviewed the essay and you have met with me for your conference. (Use Essay #1 or #2)
Personal Reflection on the peer review process and rewrite process for your essay. (Use Assignment 2 or 4)

Assessment #6:

Assess one's own writing strengths and identify strategies for improvement through instructor conference, portfolio review, written evaluation, and/or other methods.
HOW? Final Personal Reflection/Assessment written after all portfolio assessments have been submitted to the wiki. Part of the final exam. Will be assigned and completed in the last week of the semester.

Assessment #7:

Generate, format, and edit writing using appropriate technologies.
Completion of the Wiki Portfolio and peer reviews using Exchange and WetPaint wiki.

Wednesday Class is Online

2006-10-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Class is online and you must complete the following activities to get credit for attendance Wednesday. You do not need to show up to class, and you can do the activities any time on Wednesday, as long as they are completed on Wednesday. I created a few screencasts to help you with the process. You can view them by clicking on the links below.

We will begin preparing our wiki portfolios for our final exam assessment. There are 7 assessments that need to be demonstrated, and you will present those on the ENG101 Wiki. First, you must set up your wiki page, and then you will post your first essay. To do this, follow the instructions below. Also, you will need to complete journal #20 on Wednesday. The journal prompt is: After having played with the class wiki, what are your first impressions of this tool. Was it easy or difficult for you? Can you think of other creative ways to use this tool? Go to your Blogger Beta Blog to post your response.

Instructions for how to complete your portfolio assessment.

Step 1:

* Log in to the course wiki. You should have received an invitation via email. Check your email for that invitation.
* Click on Student Portfolios and then choose your name from the list. View Screencast.
* Edit your page to include your name, a photo, and a short paragraph about you. No personal information. Photo must be 150x150. If you don't know how to resize, email the photo to me.
* Create a page for your first essay. Then upload the essay. View Screencast.
* Create a link from your portfolio page to the newly uploaded essay page.

This step must be completed on Wednesday, October 10th. Written instructions and screencasts will be available on Wednesday.

Reminders:

Don't forget the Unit II quiz on Friday
Rewrites for Essay #1 are due on Wednesday by midnight
Assn. #4: Personal Reflection is due on Sunday. Remember this time you will assess your writing in Essay #2 focusing on: Use of appropriate conventions in writing, including consistent voice, tone, diction, grammar, and mechanics.

Monday Mayhem

2006-10-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Click on the player above to listen to a brief overview of what we did in class today. Announcements for Monday:

Essay #2 was due last Sunday, so get it in as soon as possible if you haven't already done so.
Rewrites for Essay #1 are due on Wednesday. I moved the date to Wednesday to give you more time. You're welcome.
Wednesday's class this week will be online. You will not need to come to the classroom. You will need to access Blackboard on Wednesday from home or High Tech centers and complete the activities assigned. They must be completed on Wednesday.
Unit II Quiz will be on Friday.

We will begin work on our writing portfolios for our final exam assessment this week. I posted a link to the wiki site in this post. You will get an invitation to join the site in a future email. Just follow the directions to get registered. I previewed the wiki in class today. More instructions are coming.

Essay Satisfaction

2006-10-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

That is what we will get with our next essay submission: satisfaction. I think you are all catching on now, and I anticipate getting a much improved essay this time around. Don't forget essay #2 on environmental concerns is due by midnight on Sunday. You can upload the essay in the essay #2 folder in Blackboard. Click the Essay tab to get there. We looked at few outlines today in class. Most looked okay, but there is some work needed. You must submit a copy of your outline with your essay. You will also need a Rhetorical Situation cover page as well. The Rhetorical Situation cover page will discuss: writer, audience, topic, purpose and context.

Also, rewrites for essay #1 will be due next Wednesday, so you have a few more days to make appointments with the writing center if you need to. Let's do a good job on this. This will determine how well you do in this class. We only do four essays, and you have an opportunity to get A's on all of them. Let's do it.

Rewrites for Essay #1 Finally

2006-10-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today in class we discussed the grading rubric for Essay #1. I gave the class a handout with all the grading criteria. The grading criteria include Focus, Support, Organization, Conventions, Integration, Reflection and Rhetorical Appeals. Students are to use this rubric to do their rewrites. Rewrites are due by midnight next Monday, October 9th. We also read a student paper in class that met most of the criteria.

Rewrites are mandatory for students receiving a C or lower on Essay #1. If you receive a D or F on the essay, you must see a tutor in the writing center. Information on finding the Writing Center is below. Students who receive an A or B on their essay may chose whether or not to do a rewrite, but I would recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to get 100% on an essay. There is always room for improvement.

Essay #2 was officially assigned today. Students are to read the information in the Comparison/Contrast essay folder and the Cause/Effect essay folder in Blackboard. Write down one suggestion for each essay type and bring it to class on Wednesday.

You will receive your graded essay rubric via email tonight after 6pm. You must download your essay from Exchange. Use both to do your rewrite.

The Writing Center
The Writing Center offers students free 30-minute appointments with a faculty member to discuss their writing. Most students bring in assignments that they're currently working on, although they can also ask about prewriting, writing résumés, taking essay tests effectively, general study skills, etc. Any writing in any class -- lab reports, research papers, business writing, and so on -- is fair game.

http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/English/writingcenter/

For evening and weekend students and GCC North students who are unable to use the Writing Center in person, GCC offers the Electronic Writing Center on the Web:

http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/ewc

Who Killed the Electric Car?

2006-09-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

View the following movie trailer and click the link and visit the Sony Pictures website for this movie. What did you learn from the website. Respond by telling us a bit about what you learned. Don't just repeat what others have said. Find something new to share.

Rhetorical Analysis Game Quiz

2006-09-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

We played a game today in class that counted as Quiz #3 (10 pts). Remember all quizzes are part of class participation, so you must be in class to take them. There are no make-ups. We split up into three teams of 5-6 people and used the list of 3 rhetorical techniques that students were suppose to compile as homework. Each team shared their 3 techniques with each other, so that the team members could learn more techniques. Then each team made a list of all the terms they felt they knew. This was all preparation for the Game Quiz.

Round 1 of the Game Quiz had members from each team choose another team and ask them a term. Every member of the team who knows the answer must raise their hand. The asking team then chooses one member whose hand is raised to answer. If the correct answer is given, the team is awarded points for all the hands that are raised. If an incorrect answer is given, and the asking person can give the correct answer, that team earns all the points.

In Round 2 of the Game Quiz, Professor Cooper asks each group random terms, and every member of the team who knows the answer must raise their hand. A random person is chosen to answer. A correct response earns the team points for every hand raised.

It is nice if students know a good number of the rhetorical terms, but it's easy to bluff if you know how to play the game. Now the point of the game is not that students will learn every rhetorical technique out there. We've proven that to be a great challenge today with tautology and anthimeria. I was even stumped! The point is that we need to be familiar with at least a few of the basic terms in order to do a good job of analyzing rhetoric. We have to have something to write about, so learning at least the most common terms will help with that.

Okay, that's it for this week. Remember your Rhetorical Analysis #1 (Assn. #1) Rewrites are due by midnight tonight. Next week we'll begin work on our second rhetorical analysis, and this time we will analyze one of the many rhetorical techniques used in our environmenal concerns essays and articles in the Unit II Readings folder.

It's All About the Rhetorical Analysis

2006-09-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Talk about "beating a dead horse." That is what it feels like we're doing with the rhetorical analysis assignment, but hopefully everyone will understand how to do one by the end of this week. That is a cliche by the way, and cliche is a rhetorical technique that you can use in your analysis. Click the link and find out more about cliches. Anyway, if I get 38 good rhetorical analysis assignments on Friday, it will have been worth beating that horse.

We read "An Afternoon with the Dogs" by Christine Treeter in class today. I wanted to use a narrative essay to work through a quick rhetorical analysis in class. We discussed how the rhetorical technique of narration helps the writer establish pathos. We also discussed how the essay uses strong vivid diction as well to appeal to pathos. Students provided great examples of both. Thanks for your participation.

Everyone should have their Assignment #1: Rhetorical Analysis #1 back by now. You can find the graded assignment in the My Grades area of Blackboard. Click on the score to access the annotated graded assignment. Review all of my comments and make your corrections. Rewrites are due by midnight on Friday. You can upload your rewrite in the Week 5 folder under Assignment #1 Rewrites. Good luck with those. I look forward to acknowledging your improvements.

For Friday, everyone must bring in a list of three (3) rhetorical techniques with their definitions written on a piece of paper. You should know these three techniques by heart and be able to explain them if asked. I recommend reading the handout in the Rhetorical Analysis folder in Blackboard title "Rhetorical Techniques."

Journal 11: Environmental Concerns (Unit II)

2006-09-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia: "Environmentalism is the philosophical concern that humans are damaging the natural environment, and that this damage may adversely impact people and the natural environment. In modern times, environmentalism has spawned the environmental movement, which stresses issues such as industrial and other pollution, species extinction, preservation of biodiversity, waste management and recycling, global climate change, ozone depletion, and genetically engineered organisms."

For your response, list one environmental concern that you are aware of in our society. How does this concern adversely impact people and the natural environment. Is the concern warranted? Why? Explain. If you cannot think of a new concern that has not already been mentioned, try to add to the discussion by giving more insights about a concern previously mentioned. Don't just repeat what someone else has already said.

Unit 1 is Complete

2006-09-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have finished our first of four units, culminating in a Unit 1 quiz today in class. The quiz was either studied well for or made too easy because it took students about 15-20 minutes to complete. Since I am the creator, I would like to believe that my students were just well prepared. We will see. :-)

Don't forget that peer reviews are due by today. If you are having difficulty with Exchange, just hang in there. I recommend saving often as you review. We will discuss its usability in class on Monday, and if we had widespread difficulties we will use another method to do peer reviews. But for now, just get them done using Exchange.

Most of your assignments should be graded by Sunday, so you will be able to check your grades in Blackboard. The second tab from the bottom is Grades/Tools. You can check grades in there. There will not be an accurate "total grade" until all assignments are graded, but you will be able to review individual graded assignments. The overall grade for the unit won't show until Assn. #2: Self-Assessment Assignment is graded. Those are due on Sunday and won't be graded until midweek next week.

REMINDERS:

All Unit 1 assignments and activities must be completed by Sunday.
The only Unit 1 assignment that will be accepted after Sunday is Assn.#2: Self-Assessment, and it will be penalized 10% for each day it is late.
Don't forget your Handbook Activity in MyCompLab - due by Sunday.
All journals, 10 total, need to be complete by Sunday.

Practice Peer Review In Class

2006-09-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday in class we did a mini peer review on two sample student essays: Bobby's Farm and The Unsavory Beaches. Most students felt the Beaches essay was the better of the two, but in fact, Bobby's Farm is considered the better essay because of its equal balance of ethos, pathos and logos. We were able to get through most of the writing prompts for the peer review giving students a good idea of how to go about their own peer reviews. Students are to make a minimum of 10 comments on two of the student essays in their group on Exchange. The writing prompts are locating in Blackboard and also in Exchange under Peer Review Checklist.

I reminded students that not only is reading the text important for doing well on the unit quiz, but also it is valuable in helping students learn how to write a good essay. Most of the topics we discussed in relation to the peer review are discussed in the text, including writing introductions and conclusions and writing strong thesis statements. The Unit One Quiz on Friday will cover chapters 1, 4-8 in the textbook.

Start of Week 4 & Exchange

2006-09-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

We've got that first essay out of the way, so now we can relax a bit. Essay #1 was due on Sunday, and they were to be uploaded to Exchange. There are instructions for how to access Exchange and upload your essay in Blackboard. We will learn to use Exchange for peer reviews this week, so be sure that you get yours uploaded if you haven't done so already.

Week 4 is the last week in Unit One. That means we will have a quiz over the readings on Friday, and you will be required to write your first self-assessment assignment. This is a writing assignment were you reflect on what you have learned, what you have done well on in your writing, and what areas you still need to improve. This assignment will be a part of your final exam writing portfolio.

There are two journals this week, and Chapter 8 is the assigned reading. And if you have not completed your Handbook Activity for this unit, this is due by the end of the week as well. That's it for now.

We Made it Through Another Week

2006-09-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! This semester is flying by. Two down, fourteen to go. We are finished with week 2, and we get a vacation already. Don't forget that Monday is Labor Day, so no labor. That means you need to get your Assignment #1 finished by Sunday night. We went over in class how to do the assignment again. You need three paragraphs:

summarizes the content of the writing you have chosen to read,
identifies and analyzes a specific rhetorical technique (possibly two) the writer is using to affect his or her readers, and
expresses your personal view of the effectiveness of the above mentioned technique.

You are to upload your assignment to Blackboard by midnight on Sunday, September 3rd. Don't wait until the last minute. If something goes wrong with your computer, your assignment will still be considered late, so plan ahead and give yourself some time for mishaps. You assignment will be docked 10% for each day it is late. I will be sending an email later detailing how to upload assignments in Blackboard.

We had our first quiz today in class. The quiz covered the Week 2 readings. There are no make-ups for quizzes. Regular attendance will eliminate the possiblity of missing a quiz. And I introduced a new document in class that will be helpful for future rhetorical analysis assignments. The handout is titled: Rhetorical Techniques, and you can locate it in Course Documents, Rhetorical Analysis.

Good luck with your first assignment. I look forward to reading them next week. Have a great holiday weekend.

More of the Three Rhetorical Appeals

2006-08-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

I must stress the importance of reading all assigned reading assignments. If you do not read the articles, it is very difficult to understand how to read and especially write rhetoric. You were asked to read "The Dea(r)th or Student Responsiblity" and "A Letter from Birthmingham Jail." The first is the article we will write our first rhetorical analysis assignment on and the second by Martin Luther King, Jr. is to be used as an example of how Ethos, Logos, and Pathos can be analyzed in a piece of writing. This can not be discovered if you don't read the article. For motivation, I will give a quiz on these two readings on Friday. Read the first, but skim the King letter for the general ideas.

We covered more on the Three Rhetorical Appeals in class today. Remember there is a new handout in the Rhetorical Analysis Assignment folder that is very helpful. We took a look at two examples today of rhetorical analysis assignments, the first on an article we have not read and the second on the King letter. The first is a good example of what your assignment should look like and the second is a good example on how to analyze writing for ethos, logos, and pathos.

Journals #3 & #5 are to be written on my journal. It was down for a while, but it seems to be up and running again. Remember to open the blog in a new browser window before you write your journal. You can do this by right clicking on the link in Blackboard and choosing Open in a New Window. Or you can click here to go write your journals.

Week Two is Underway

2006-08-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

One week down and 15 more to go! Wow. Today in class we talked about a few design changes in Blackboard to make it easier for students to navigate around the maze. The weekly syllabus tab has been populated making it a two click step to finding out the weekly schedule. Also, due dates were added to the written assignment.

We did a quick overview on this week's assignments, which include 3 new journals, readings in the handbook and handouts, and the rhetorical analysis assignment. The journals are to be written in the students' new Blogger Beta accounts. Instructions were given on how to sign up for your very own Blogger Beta account. Students were sent an email with written instructions, it was demonstrated in class, and there is a Screencast on how to sign up. Hopefully you won't have any trouble getting your Blogger journals set up. Journals #3 & #5 are to written on Professor Cooper's Freshman Composition Blog. That's this blog that you are reading now.

We began talking about the rhetorical analysis assignment in class. There are several handouts in this week's folder that students should read, including an article on student accountability. I lectured on The Three Rhetorical Appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. This information can be learned from reading the handout: "What is Rhetoric and Why Should I Care?" There is an example of a rhetorical analysis assignment that we will go over in class on Wednesday, but students will need to read "A Letter from Birmingham Jail" first. All these handouts are in the Week 2 folder, Rhetorical Analysis Assignment. Happy reading.

Journal #3: The Death of Student Responsibility

2006-08-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

Respond to the article: "The Death of Student Responsibility” (Unit Readings). Comment on a particular excerpt that was enlightening or interesting in some way to you. What did you think about what the article had to say about students today. Do you agree? disagree? Why?

Click the Comments link below to add your journal.

Four Types of Sentences

2006-08-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today we covered a little bit of the reading for this week, chapters 69-72. Those chapters are a basic grammar review to be used as a referesher before we get started next week. It never hurts to go back and review what you are suppose to already know. I spent considerable time going over the four types of sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound/complex. There are notes in Blackboard in the Week 1 folder. I recommend you review those notes as well as read the chapters.

We discussed in detail subordination and coordination with sentences, and explained that the four types are made by combining different clauses, dependent and independent. This discussion brought us to a discussion about the number error among young writers which is the run-on sentence. Hopefully by learning about these concepts it will eliminate the run-on sentence errors in your writing.

The Diagnostic 1 Pre-test has been assigned and must be taken by the end of Monday. You must register and log into MyCompLab in order to take the pre-test. Be sure to consult the handout I sent via email about registering with MyCompLab. Week 1 journals need to be completed by Sunday as well.

ENG101: MyCompLab Registration

2006-08-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

The following is a letter sent to students about registering for MyCompLab. Each student was given a different Access Code to register. If you didn't get yours, send me an email and let me know.

Hello Student,
Good evening. I hope you have found your way onto Blackboard without too much trouble. I'm finding that those who are having trouble just need to use the PAT tool to reset their password. I'm not sure why, but it has been working. Be sure to do your two journals by clicking on the Discussion/Email tab to get to the Discussion Forum. And don't forget to change your email address in Blackboard. You can do this from the My Institution tab under the Tools menu. Click on Personal Information.

This email will help you register for MyCompLab, the online portion of our handbook. We will use MyCompLab to do our Handbook activities as well as our peer editing exercises. The attached document will guide you through the process. You can start by going to: http://www.mycomplab.com

You will need the following information:
Access Code: XXXXX-CINHK-YYYYY-SLADE-MINOT-XXXXX (Don't lose or share this code)
The Class ID: cm869071
Blackboard Username:
Blackboard Password:
Email address:

Get these items ready before you begin. Remember, if you don't follow the directions correctly, you may end up registering on the wrong site and it won't work, so read the directions carefully. Good luck and see you all on Friday.

Wednesday: More Technology to Learn

2006-08-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today's class focused on Blackboard again. Students were reminded to send in thier stories via email so that Professor Cooper could send out the Blackboard Basics handout along with their usernames. Only 35 of 49 students had written and submitted their stories.

Today's challenge was for students to log into Blackboard and print out a copy of the syllabus to keep in their notebooks. Also students are to change their email address in Blackboard and do the two journals for this week in the Discussion Forum. Remember to write on the topic and write at least 5 sentences.

There was also a demonstration on how to register for the MyCompLab website. Professor Cooper will be sending out further instructions on MyCompLab later tonight. Everyone must register by Friday class time.

Thanks for Telling Me Your Story

2006-08-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

The following is the email sent to students who emailed their stories to Professor Cooper. A pdf file was attached with Blackboard basics for students.

Thank you for telling me your story. I look forward to reading it and learning a little about you. I have a great semester planned for us this fall, and I can’t wait to get started. Like I mentioned in class, we will be using a bit of technology to help us along the way. To begin, let’s get you logged into Blackboard. I’ve attached a document, Blackboard Basics Student Guide, to help you along the way. Be sure to read that first.

Here is your Blackboard Username: xaknx44451

The initial password for a student is set to the first character from the student’s last name, in upper case, the second letter of the student’s last name, in lower case, and finally the date of birth in mmddyyy format. For example if our sample student, Joe Smith, was born on 1/1/1970 his initial password will be: “Sm01011970”. Passwords are case sensitive and must be typed exactly as shown.

If you need further assistance, please call 1-866-766-5959, which is the 24x7 Toll Free Support Line.

Logging into Blackboard

1. Open your Internet Explorer or Firefox browser and go to: http://www.maricopa.edu/blackboard
2. Click on "Glendale Community College"
3. Enter your "username" (look it up with the SPAT tool if you don't know it – http://spat.maricopa.edu/ ).
4. Enter your "password", then "submit"
5. You should see a screen that says "Welcome (your name)"
6. Listed on that screen should be any classes you have registered for that use Blackboard, click on the class name to get to the class.

Please bring a print out of the course syllabus to class with you on Wednesday or Friday.

Up and Running

2006-08-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Good morning. Today is the first day of class and we went over the class syllabus and took a quick look at Blackboard. It was a very brief overview, and we will do more on Wednesday. In a nutshell, if you read over the syllabus, which is in Blackboard, you will get everything we discussed today in class. I dished out the first assignment, which is to "tell me your story." You are to send this story to me in an email. There are no length requirements, but obviously a paragraph is not much of a story.

Stories are due by Wednesday morning to professorcooper at freshmancomp dot com. You can type it in the message box or send it as an attachment. I recommend typing the story in MS Word and then cut & paste to the email box.

I told my story about how I never really wanted to be a teacher, but here I am anyway. I'll write that down for you later.

Once I get your emails, I will respond with your usernames and method of comprising your passwords so you can log into Blackboard. Then you can take a look around for yourself. Until next time. Enjoy your first week of college.

Welcome Message

2006-08-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to ENG101 Fall Semester.