Monday, November 29th

In class, our main focus was preperation for our final portfolfolio. We recieved a very instructional paper, that you will need to ask Professor Joyce for if you missed class. On the paper, it lists the order that your portfolio, save for our project proposal, which we were asked to write in. You will have to include a final memo in to, which is essentially you stating your case for what grade you think you deserve.

Portfolios are Due Dec 10th and must be handed in via hard copy, not electronically. All your papers must be in MLA format and must have you r last name and page number on each age, excluding the first one. Your papers must be double spaced and have 1-inch margins and single spaced headers. The preferred presentation of the portfolio is a 3 ring binder.

For the remainder of the semester, you are allowed to bring yoour laptops to class, as it makes it makes it easier to edit papers. The rest of the semester will consist of workshop/study hall-style class periods.

Homework Due Wednesday, Dec 1: Bring a draft of any major paper to work on conciseness (removing the fluff)

November 10th

In class today we did peer reviewing. Each person in our group read the paraphrase or outline of his paper out laud. The listeners had to ask questions and record the question and answers. We also scheduled for conferences that are going to be held on Monday and Tuesday.
Homework for Friday is to write at least 4 out of 6+ pages of the paper. Everybody needs to bring a copy of the rough draft to class to turn in.

Simin Falsafi

November 8

In class today we discussed our thesis statements in groups. After hearing a peer's thesis we took notes on what we thought their paper would consist of. Then we discussed ways to make their thesis and their paper better. When everyone in the group had their thesis evaluated we then went on to discus what research we had found for our paper.

Homework: Make a detailed outline for your paper or write the introduction and two body paragraphs for your paper. Bring this to class on Wednesday.

In class today we continued to learn about how to write the different sections - Introduction, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion - of our research papers. Professor Joyce focused solely on the Conclusion today. There are 3 things that a good conclusion should do:

• Stress the importance of the Thesis Statement (Your chance to tell the audience why this argument was made).
• Give the essay a sense of completion.
• Give a final impression on the reader

There are some strategies to accomplish these three things:

• Answer the "so what" question.
• Synthesize do not summarize.
• Redirect your readers.
• Create new meaning.

Examples are as follows:

• Challenge the readers - help them redirect the information and let them know how and where to reapply your argument in their lives.
• Look to the future.
• Posing Questions. (DO NOT pose rhetorical questions. Think of something related to your topic that you did not get a chance to address).

Using these guidelines you can give a definitive and polished conclusion to your research paper. The conclusion is as important as any other part of the paper because it allows you to tie everything together. Remember NEVER say IN CONCLUSION, or FINALLY at the beginning of your conclusion. The reader will know it is the last page so just transition seamlessly into your closing arguments.

Homework for Monday:

• Bring your working thesis statement to class, you can either write it on paper or have it in your head because we will be doing some group work involving it.
  

That was all we did today. Enjoy the weekend!!!

Ameena Syed

Today in class Professor Joyce introduced us to effective ways of analyzing a source before deciding whether or not the source is applicable in a research paper.

First, one must ask these questions:

1. What do you know about the topic before you read about the topic or issue?
2. What can you tell about the source before you read it?

After answering those questions spot read.

• examine the table of contents, index, or glossary
• Read the introduction and conclusion
• Write down observations/ read in a critical manner
• Read the first scentence of each paragraph
• Look for key words and transitions

Next, analyze the organization of the source by using rhetorical analysis and honing in on headings and chapter titles.

Finally, examine points of difficulty.

• points of disagreement
• points of confusion

Prof. Joyce administered a handout in class today and on Monday we will do a deep analysis of the article and will turn in short write F.

Short write F is on JAC page 50 ( answer questions in detailed prose and be analytical)

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

In Class today:
We signed up for conferences. Unlike the previous conferences, these are individual cnferences, as opposed to group conferences. Many sign up times are still available for Tuesday, as most Monday slots are filled up.

Because it was difficult to get all of the classes into the library, we got a tutorial on refining searches via screen shots.
We read Refining Searches in the WVU databases: A Quick Tutorial.
As an example, we did Global Warming, which is one of the 6 topics you may not use. The search brought up 23,501 results. That is way too many. Idealistically, you would like to refine your search so it's down to an amount that you can sit and skim through. She added "Greenland Shark", and it narrowed her search down to 1, which is far too few results. She changed it to "The Effects of Global Warming on Polar Bears." That expanded it to 163 articles. By adding "Breeding" it narrowed the search down to 4 articles.

We also did a Keywords and Synonyms Research Exercise.
It involved extracting keywords from the 3 articles we picked, and then found synonyms for those keywords. Lastly, we found words that were associated with the keywords, but not necessarily synonyms. At the end of the exercise, we had a good amount of words we could use to better search our topics.

The Homework (Due Friday, October 15th)
1. Read the JAC pages 109-116
2.Write a 1 page proposal and bring to class friday.

Monday, October 11, 2010

In class today:

JAC covered all the activities that we did today. First of all,  We started off by brainstorming those two questions that Prof. Joyce provided us. Such as :

1. If you want to change the world, how would you change it? 
2. What process do you have to go about?

Later on, we did more brainstorming according to those questions that were in the JAC on pg 83, and we needed to answer all the questions to give us heads-up for our next major paper.  Finally, on pg 84, Prof. Joyce explained to us the differences between Subjective and Objective. 

• Subjective- judgmental, emotional, and opinionated
• Objective- factual rational, and researched (ex: News Analysis & Editorial) 

Some of the forbidden topics for this assignment are :

1. Global warming
2. Euthanasia
3. lowering the drinking age
4. Legalizing marijuana
5. Mountaintop removal   

Homework due on Wednesday (13th):

1. Read JAC Pg 96- 102
2. Find 3 articles (don't have to be on same topic) and create reader response sheet (JAC Pg 65) for all 3 (Print the form and bring the response of your articles - Double Entry Notes)  

  

Monday, October 4

Today in class we learned about plagiarism. Prof. Joyce discussed illegal downloading of music as well as other forms of multimedia and how this is considered plagiarism. We discussed the law of copyright. Authors can have a copyright claim on their work for over 80 years. Their children and descendants can claim that work and reap the benefits even after the author has passed. We also talked about creative commons which is when someone takes someone else's work and changes it in some way. There are different levels of creative commons starting with just taking a work and changing it for your personal use all the way up to changing a work and generating money from it. Wikipedia is an example of a creative commons.

The overall message today was don't plagiarize the information in your papers. Here is a list of what must have a citation.

1. quotes and paraphrases

2. fact when not widely known

3. claims that are arguable that isn't your own

4. judgments or opinions

5. photos, charts, graphics, etc.

6. collaborative work

Homework: Continue working on your midterm portfolio including the midterm memo, editorial analysis, and edits to the news analysis. The midterm portfolio is due on Friday. Bring Everything's an Argument to class on Wednesday.

Oct 1

Today we went over the worksheet on MLA citations from last week.

Our homework is to continue work on our editorial analysis and midterm memo.

September 29, 2010

Class was cancelled today. Lindsey's son was sick so wish him well. Also continue to work on your midterm reflections for the portfolio due on the 8th of October. The guidelines fo rthe midterm reflection can be found on page 169 of the JAC. Remember that you can turn in your FFN draft on the 1st for minimal comments, or on the 8th with the portfolio for maximum comments and to recieve your "ghost grade."

In class today we went over our homework assignment (answer all the questions about our partners editorial). Then we went over our midterm memo and a few things that we could put in our memo, although there is nothing specific, there are some useful tips on pages 145 and 169 in the JAC. Finally we got into out peer conference groups, exchanged papers, talked about how we felt about our papers, our strong and weak points, and got out of class about 15 minutes early.


Homework
Complete peer review reading exercise (handout given to us in class)
1. What is the writer's claim or thesis?

• What claim is being asserted?
• What assumptions are being made - and are they acceptable?
• Are important terms satisfactorily defined?

2. What support (evidence) is offered on behalf of the claim?

• Are the examples relevant, and are they convincing?
• Are the statistics relevant, accurate, and complete? Do they allow only the interpretation that is offered in the argument?
• If authorities are cited, are they indeed authorities on this topic, and can they be regarded as impartial?
• Is the logic - deductive and inductive - valid?
• If there is an appeal to ethos, pathos, logos on the writer's behalf - is the appeal acceptable?

3. Does the writer seem to you to be fair? Ask yourself?

• Are counterarguments adequately considered?
• Is there any evidence of dishonesty or of discreditable attempt to manipulate the reader?
• How does the writer establish the image of himeslf or herself that we sense in the essay? What is the writer's tone, and is it appropriate?

Other reminders

• Midterm portfolios are due Friday October 1st
• Editorial analysis final for now is also due Friday October 1st
• There is no class on Monday

Wednesday September 22

TODAY IN CLASS:

A few housekeeping things...

1. We do not have class on Monday due to our conferences for our editorial analysis paper.

2. If you have not yet given your availability for Monday for your conference, email her by tonight!

3. We will be going over our midterm portfolio on Friday, which is going to be due Friday October 1st.

During class we talked about intergrading secondary sources which for our paper we should have at least 2 of them. These sources should provide us with more information on the given topic of your editorial. It should help you see if your editorial topic is positively or negatively argued. These should primarily be longer than your actual editorial.

Lindsey shared with us an outline of how our papers should flow.

Paragraphs:

1.) Should introduce the issue.

2.) Should introduce the editorial, provide a summary, and state your thesis.

3.) Claim should be tied to your thesis. - Editorial is successful or not because______.

A.) Evidence for editorial (Quote, paraphrase, summary) Will need to use Citations!

B.) Analyze evidence to show HOW it does what you say it does.

(This is where your secondary sources will come in)

i.) Evidence from secondary source to support your analysis.

ii.) Analysis of secondary source to show how it supports overall claim.

*ALWAYS END PARAGRAPH WITH YOUR OWN VOICE!*

Some examples of transitionary sentences that can be used to bring in your secondary sources.

- "X" matters/is important because____.

- Although "X" may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today's concern over _____.

- Ultimately what is at stake here is _____.

- These findings have important consequences for the broader claim of ____.

- Although "X" may seem of concern only to a small group of _____, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about _____.

We also went over some MLA and a few things to keep in mind, and also received a worksheet:

1.) Make sure your works cited is in alphabetical order by last name, or which ever should come first.

2.) NO website links! *Keep track of the date that you accessed the website to cover you in case it has been edited after you were there.

3.) Examples and help in Easy Writer starting on page 222.

HOMEWORK:

- Continue to work on editorial analysis. Print enough copies for your group for Friday. It should be about 3 to 4 pages long.

- Complete MLA handout to go over in class on Friday.

In class today we went over a checklist of analyzing an argument critically. The checklist included the following steps:

1. who is the author?
2. is the piece aimed at a particular audience? A neutral audience? A sympathetic audience? a hostile audience?
3. what is the author's thesis?
4. what assumptions does the author make? Do I share them? if not, why not?
5. does the author ever confuse facts with beliefs or opinions?
6. what appeals does the author make? (ethos, pathos, logos)
7. how convincing is the evidence?
8. are significant objections and counter-evidence adequately discussed?
9. how is the text organized and is the organization effective?
10.if visual materials such as graphs, pie charts, or pictures are used, how persuasive are they?
11. what is the author's tone? is it appropriate?
12. to what extent has the author convinced me? Why?

We also paired up and did a writers workshop with the first three paragraphs of our Editorial Analysis using page 55 in the JAC

Homework:
1. continue working on our editorial analysis which is due for peer exchange on Friday

1. if you weren't in class, e-mail Lindsey your availability for conference sessions (next Monday and Tuesday from 9:30-4:30).

Friday, September 17

Today, Friday, September 17th, we had a shortened English class. First, Professor Joyce assigned the homework on the chalkboard like she always does, and it is due for Monday's class. First, we have to read Chapter 10 of Everything's an Argument. Second, we have to write the first three paragraphs of our editorial analysis. Finally, we have to complete the fallacies worksheet that was handed out in class.
Since the class was shortened today, we only did one activity. We were divided into four groups, and had to make an advertisement for a product of our choice, using as many fallacies as possible. This was to help us become familiar with the different fallacies when they are used in text. Then, each group shared their advertisement. After that, we were dismissed.

Class on Wednesday, 15th September

Our homework for tonight is as follows:
1. Reading: JAC pages 102-106 (about locating) secondary sources).
2. Reading: EA Chapter. 20
3. Find 2 secondary sources and create a works cited page for them to bring in Friday.

In class today we Professor Joyce brought in a "good" editorial analysis done by a student in the past, who earned a "B" grade for that particular draft. We discussed some shortcomings in the paper, some of which were, a vague thesis statement, missing in-text citations, and kind of choppy. Professor Joyce explained the importance of in-text citations, and most importantly whether you paraphrase, quote, or summarize, an in-text citation should be present at the end of the sentence, or the author must be mentioned by name in the sentence, in order to give him due credit for the information. The thesis statement should be very precise and clear, and it should tell a general idea of what will be discussed in the body paragraphs of the paper. It is not okay to identify the thesis statement by writing something like "My thesis statement for the essay is.....", it should be written in such a way that it encompasses all the ideas being discussed in the paper in a precise sentence which can easily be identified by the reader without being very direct.
Professor Joyce also explained 3 important things that should be present in the body paragraphs of the paper being written:

1. Claim, the argument being made by the author of the editorial, article, etc.
2. Evidence, which is given by paraphrasing, summarizing, or direct quoting.
3. Analysis, by taking into consideration both the claim, and the evidence and evaluating their effectiveness.

Professor Joyce told us that in the news article analysis we submitted this Friday, in some papers, claim and evidence were present but the analysis was missing, or the claim and analysis were present but there was no evidence. It is important to include all three in the paper, because that is what makes a strong argument. We also submitted the identification of logical fallacies and short write C today. Well that is all what happened in class today and all that we discussed, enjoy studying!!
Ameena Syed

Class on Monday, Sep 13th

Today in class Mrs. Joyce talked about logical fallacies on JAC page 43-44. She taught us the fallacies and gave us examples of each.

The homework was to find an editorial article and examine it for logical fallacies. The article could be the same as the one we used for short write C. So, just print the article , find and underline the fallacies and identify the type of fallacy in the margin.You need to bring two copies of this to class.

We did not turn the short write C in, because we could use it for the homework. So next week, bring your short write C with you.

Next week we are going to be working more on MLA.We are also going to compare two boarderline excellent papers to see why one is better than the other.

Good Luck

Class on Friday

Sept 10

Today in class:

• We turned in our News Analysis papers which had to be about 4 full pages.

• We spoke about our new assignment and also received short write .

Our homework was a little different than the Syllabus;


We must Read Chapter 6 in Everything's an Argument


Also short write C requires us to find an editorial and fill out the sheet provided.

Our new writing assignment is called the editorial analysis and the info on it can be found on page 156 in your JAC.

Sept 8

Cross posted via a student in another section:

Tonight's Homework:

1) Final News Analysis (4 full pages)
2) Compile "Final for Now" folder together in this order:
- "Final" Draft
- Peer Comment Draft(s)
- Professor Comment Draft(s)
- Other Drafts (if applicable)
You can use a binder or folder, just as long as the papers are controlled and prevented from getting mixed with your classmates' papers.


Today in Class:

1) We slightly reviewed the 'Rhetorical Analysis' (reading for today).
2) We began to discuss the Editorial Analysis, our next paper.
- This is to be an opinion article in which we analyze a biased newspaper editorial rhetorically. To do so, we must dissect and scrutinize their argument without disagreeing with said argument.
- Remember to identify the claim.
+ use ethos (ethical credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic) to see how the argument works (or does not work)
3) We then got into groups and worked on a rhetorical analysis of different magazine advertisements.
- Rhetorical Analysis Activity:
+ Step 1: Gather together in a group and look carefully at your advertisement.
+ Step 2: What is the ads purpose? What does it want you to do?
+ Step 3: Who has made the Ad? Nike? Dove? The Milk Processor Board?
+ Step 4: Who is the audience? Children? Women? Men? Both?
+ Step 5: How does the add appeal to this audience? Ethos, Pathos, Logos?
+ Step 6: Compile this information together to present to the class, and be prepared to explain/defend your analyses as a group.

4) Each group underwent the steps and openly discussed their rhetorical analysis of whichever advertisement the group had chosen.

September 1

In class today:
First we received our Short Write B back.
Second we got in to our respective conference groups. This allowed us to see who we would be working with and so we could exchange our rough drafts. We also gave a copy to Prof. Joyce. On page 163 in the JAC there are six questions that we need to answer for each of the papers we are peer reviewing. You can write the answers to these questions directly on the individuals draft. The questions are about: what the writer needs to work on, what you gathered from the reading, evidence, how well the paper flowed and a summary of what the paper was about. When you start the paragraph to the author be sure to start with something positive.
Third we got a paper that clarified what exactly Prof. Joyce is looking for in the News Analysis.
Finally we discussed MLA format. When to use in text citations include:
1. Direct Quotation
2. Summary (which is condensing more than one paragraph into one sentence)
3. Paraphrase (which is putting the meaning of one paragraph into one sentence)
Some examples are:
Lindsey Joyce states that “….”(1).
On page 1 of (book title) states that…(Joyce).
~Basically what ever you include in the sentence you don’t have to include in the in text citation~
If you have 1 author with multiple works the citation would be: (Name, “Article Title”, page).
From a Database would be (Name, “Article”, Page).
**Prof. Joyce is more worried about the citation being inside the period and that the citations are where they need to be. It is better to over cite that to be accused of plagarism.**
When it comes to works cited:
If your source is a book: Author Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. Book Title. City of Publication: Publisher, year. Print/Web.
Multiple authors: Put authors names in alphabetical order. After first author write first name first.
If there are more than three authors you can write etc.
For an article: Authro. “Article Title.” Journal Name.Issue: edition(year): pages. Database. Web. Date you found.
A helpful place for help with citations is OWL at Purdue. You can use citation machines or Microsoft but you should double check their work.
Homework: 1. JAC p163 Questions 1-6 (Due at Peer Review)
2. Chapter 5 of EA
3. Read p131-137 in JAC

Aug 30

At the start of class today Prof. Joyce handed back Short Write A and then asked us to to write down our availability this Thursday and Friday (between 8:30-5:00) so that she can put us into groups for our conferences.

After that, we got back into our groups from Friday. The groups who didn't present Friday talked about Purpose, Occasion, and Kind in their group's essay. Then each group also decided whether their essay contained more Ethos, Pathos, Logos, or an equal measure of appeals.

Following the group exercise, we went over five ways of looking at a thesis. These are:
1. A thesis says something a little strange
2. A thesis makes a lot of information irrelevant
3. A thesis deals with exclusive and specific texts
4. A thesis guides the readers from one point to another and gives the paper direction (the thesis is like a mini outline)
5. The Magic Thesis Sentence: By looking at ______, we can see _______, which most readers don't see; this is important because ________. (When it doubt, use the MTS first, and then go back and reword for a better more original thesis later)


Homework:
1. Read chapter 4 in EA
2. Draft 2.5-3 pages of the News Analysis
3. Bring 3 copies of your draft to class Wednesday

Wednesday we'll be going over MLA citation, so it's okay if your MLA citations aren't perfect in the New Analysis draft.

Aug 27

Today in class we did several things:

1. We went over the homework from the handout - discussing key words that reveal bias, examining article titles, considering the purpose of adjectives and adverbs, and sharing the news we found and what it revealed.

2. Discussing the importance of critical reading (JAC 52-53) but also the importance of critical writing, and using the steps outlined for reading in our writing too.

3. A reading exercise in which each group was given a different news article. After reading the 1 page article each group had to decide the Purpose, Occasion, and Kind of argument presented in the text and share with the class. We didn't finish this exercise so we'll continue it first thing Monday.

4. Discussion about Inference, Fact, and Judgment. An Inference as a statement made about an unknown based on a known. It is not a positive or negative statement. A Judgment, on the other hand, is an inference with a positive or negative statement embedded within it.

An example of an Inference: You see gray cloud and infer it is going to rain.
An example of a judgment: You see a banged up car and infer negatively that the driver must be a bad one.


Homework:
1. read Chap 2-3 in EA
2. read p. 20-31 in EW
3. Find 3 articles on 1 news event and fill in the spreadsheet that was distributed in class (if you were absent - email Prof. Joyce for this)

Aug 25

Today Prof. Joyce distributed our first assignment - the News Analysis and a 10 page handout called "Thinking and Writing - A Critical Connection".

She also passed out the blog sign-up sheet. Everyone signed up for a day to contribute to the blog. Prof. Joyce will bring the sign-up sheet every day in case students need to switch dates.

After everything was passed out Prof. Joyce talked to us about the requirements and expectations for the New Analysis assignment. Google news will be a valuable research resource for this paper.

Next we were given a writing prompt: What is the best or most convincing argument you have made recently and how did you support your argument? For 10 minutes each student wrote his or her response to the prompt and then Professor Joyce asked for volunteers to share what they wrote. By sharing, we were able to identify several kinds of argument.

Our homework for the night is:
1. Read Chapter 1 in EA
2. Read p 52-53 in JAC
3. Read p 14-20 in EW
4. Read the handout
5. Short Write A: answer questions 1-3 on page 10 of the handout.

Hello, Just checking how to write on the blogger! :D

1st day

Today we met and Prof. Joyce distributed the syllabus, and a policies and procedures handout. Additionally, Prof. Joyce showed up the three textbooks we would need for class:

1. Easy Writer (4th Edition)
2. Joining Academic Conversations (4th Edition)
3. Everything's an Argument (5th Edition)

As a class, we went over the syllabus and class structure. Important things of note:

1. Peer Reviews and Conferences will happen in groups of three in Prof. Joyce's office (very few peer reviews will ever be conducted in class)

2. There is no such thing as an excused absence

3. After 3 absences your grade will decrease by 1 full letter grade each missed class

4. This blog space will serve as a means to keep track of what happened in class and functions as a Short Write for the author of each post.


After we went over the class structure we did an introductory exercise to learn about one another.

Homework due Wednesday:
1. Buy all three textbooks
2. Read JAC (Joining Academic Conversations) xi-xviii
3. Write an Introductory letter about yourself

Welcome to English 102

Welcome to the English 102 Blog! We'll be using this blog as a way to keep track of our classroom activities. Throughout the semester each student will be assigned to do an ethnography report. That will count as one of your 8-10 Shortwrites for the semester. Your duty as the daily ethnographer is to:

1. Record all homework assignments and due dates
2. Take notes about in class activities, assignments, readings, discussions, etc.
3. Synthesize this information into a report to be posted here on the blog

Why is this important?

Entries to this blog will not only count as a Short Write grade, but also as an important contribution to the class. I will NOT answer e-mails regarding absences or work missed. This is your resource to find out what happened in class in case you had to be absent. As such, please be diligent in your reports as the day will arise when you must rely on another students diligence.

This will also be a resource to refresh your memory if you can't remember certain terms or key concepts discussed in class. If you were in class, but forgot to write down the homework, you can be reminded here. Or even if you were feeling dazed and don't remember what we did in class at all, this will be a resource to turn to. These things happen, but this blog will help us combat student woes together.