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Showing posts from September, 2009

Seniors - Argument Essay

Hey all - sorry for the late post. The structure for the "drinking age debate" paper follows the classical model from your textbook (pages 13-14): Introduction - states the subject and your position on the issue Narration - establishes context and/or your connection to the subject Confirmation - uses reason and evidence to support your position Refutation - lends credence to the opposition and argues against it Conclusion - summarizes and recommends action Again, your paper should be typed and formatted according to MLA.

Junior: Using Iambic Pentameter

Your assignment is to write a poem describing a someone from contemporary society. Refer to the " General Prologue " to The Canterbury Tales as your model. The character should be someone who does a particular job or serves some specific purpose in our society. Your poem should be at least 14 lines, in rhyming couplets. Please include the following: description of the person's job/position character traits -- personality, temperament, morals, etc. physical description -- including uniform/clothing Remember that almost any line from Shakespeare is in iambic pentameter: Bring a TYPED rough draft on Friday 9/27. The final draft is due on Monday 9/28.

Juniors: Prologue Exam

Your exam on "The Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales is scheduled for Tuesday. We'll review on Monday. The exam will be a mix of multiple choice, matching and short answer. You will also have a short essay. There's been some confusion about the memorization assignment for the Honors students. Originally, I had scheduled five-ten minutes at the beginning of class on Monday, but I've decided to give you until Wednesday to complete the assignment. You must write (or recite) the first twelve lines of "The Prologue" - in my presence - by the end of the day on Wednesday. That gives you all a bit of extra time and it allows you to do it in class or during break, etc. Below is the video I told you about. You might try emulating someone else's lyrical style if "old guy" is not your thing, but it is a good way to remember the meter and rhyme. Personally, I think it's pretty awesome: This one's more from the Beastie Boy school of rap:

MLA Sample Paper

As promised, this is a sample MLA research paper . Note especially the use of cross-referencing between the parenthetical citations and the works cited page.

Solutions Paper

Your final installment in the research paper is the "solutions" portion - a comparison/contrast of the best available solutions to your problem. The paper should use credible support from at least three sources, and should be formatted according to MLA. Please include the following: An introduction connecting this paper to your last A section explaining/defining each of your solutions A section evaluating your solutions based on specific criteria A conclusion regarding your findings I also mentioned in class that you may include images in your paper. I went over the process for saving and importing images in class. There are two primary methods: Right click > Save Image As (or Copy) > Insert (or Paste) into Word Print Screen (at top right of your keyboard) > Edit in Paint > Paste into Word For either method, you'll need to adjust the layout by double-clicking the image and "wrapping" the text. Remember also that the image is from a source, and t

Homework for Monday 9/14

Seniors : You are supposed to be looking at FactCheck.org . This site was developed to "fact check" claims made by people/organizations about issues in the news. I want you to determine whether or not you believe the site is biased or not, and to provide an example supporting your opinion. Juniors : You should be reading the Introduction to The Canterbury Tales and "The Prologue" (100-125 in your textbook). We will be discussing "The Prologue" this week.

Problem Paper

Your final draft of the Problem Paper is due tomorrow. Please remember to bring your rough draft and all of your sources. Again, consider the following in your revision: Is your topic clearly defined and explained? Do you connect the problem to your field of study? Have you provided an analysis of the causes of the problem? Are you using at least three credible sources, and are they cited properly? Do you have a "Works Cited" page, numbered in sequence? Have you followed all the rules for MLA format? Remember also that tomorrow is the absolute deadline for your interview letters. Next up is the Solution Paper, which may utilize some of the same sources. Make sure you check with me if you need a copy.

Interview Letter

By the end of the weekend, you should all have conducted your interview and started the research for your "problem" paper. A letter (in full block format) is due on Tuesday including the following: A paragraph about your interview subject - who did you talk to? why is that person qualified? when and where did the interview take place? A paragraph about the information you got from the interview - what was most useful? what are you using in your paper? how did it go? ALSO, please start looking online for information regarding your topic. If your problem is local, then look locally ( The News Star , for example). Search using the techniques you learned last year. Don't forget about EBSCO - now available to River Oaks students: username - riveroaks password - mustangs

Problem Paper

Seniors, your next step in the process is to decide on a topic for your "problem" paper. You must narrow it down to ONE topic, and you must focus on the problem ONLY. There are several ways to search for topics: Ask a professional - one of your questions should have been "what problems/issues do you face on a regular basis?" Search for problems on Google - i.e. "_____ problems" Look at your college's website - on the department page, there should be some direction to the course catalog or course descriptions where you can find subjects you will be studying in your degree program - look for one that interests you and research it Look up your professional organizations' sites - search for "_____ association" - there are usually several organizations connected to your profession, and each will have its own website, with current "hot" topics After you have decided on a topic, you will need to research the "history" of th