river oaks [english]

Sophomores You should be one section per night this week, with the goal of finishing by Friday. Your exam on the novel will be next Tuesday, February 5th . We will start working on the papers on Wednesday. Seniors This week's topic is the positive and negatives regarding simulation -- as it relates to social networking, military training, the food and drug industry, concepts of beauty, and modern life in general. We are using Jean Baudrillard 's theory as a starting point, and you are to focus in any way you'd like. On Friday, your paper will be in response to the following question: Have we crossed over into Baudrillard's final stage of "simulacra," where "our models for the real have taken over the place of the real in postmodern society," or where the artificial has become preferable to the real? Or do we still value "authenticity" and "real" experience over the artificial?  What are the implications for huma...

ALL honors students: don't forget that you are to be reading a book off of the list for this nine weeks. If you have a specific request, then please let me know now. Sophomores Your outside reading assignment this week is Mark Twain's essay from 1901, " The United States of Lyncherdom ." Please read it and then respond to specifics in a 250-word typed report due Friday, February 1st. Consider the following as possible points of focus: What is your overall impression of Twain's essay? What is your first reaction after reading it? How do you read his tone? Is it serious, comical, scornful, satirical, melancholic, etc? What connections can you draw between the essay and Huck Finn , especially the "lynching bee" chapter? Why do you think Twain delayed publication of the essay? How do you think the essay might have been received when it was published? Do you find anything in the essay offensive? Senior AP I will give you another take-home m...

Seniors Type and revise your in-class draft and bring to class on Monday. Your original response paper, your in-class draft, and your typed draft should all be staples together. Also, remember to include a works cited page with your typed draft. This should include all sources cited in the paper (at least three) and should follow MLA format. If you need a refresher, those guidelines can be found at the following sites: Purdue OWL: Electronic Sources Research and Documentation Online The final draft of this essay is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, January 29th . Sophomores Read through at least Chapter 24 (XXIV) of Huck Finn this weekend. We should finish the book by the end of next week.

Seniors You will write the media violence paper in class. Please bring your own source plus the handout I gave you, and you must use at least two sources in your paper. Sophomores Quiz tomorrow on chapters 11-20.

Watch What Next: Violence in the Media on PBS. See more from After Newtown.

Seniors Today in class you composed a response to the question "To what degree does violence in the media affect its viewers, and what should be done to minimize its negative impact, if any?" Your response is the starting point for our discussion. To better help us understand the issue, please look to news items in recent weeks -- including commentary and statistics -- and bring what you find to class. Sophomores Read through chapter 20 and be prepared to discuss in class tomorrow.

Here's maybe a better look, in chart form, with slightly different names:

Seniors We will do an exercise tomorrow involving the logical fallacies you defined earlier in the week. We will also have a quiz on Tuesday. Also, you can start thinking about, and researching, other potential solutions to the problem of gun violence. Our next discussion and paper will be on arguments surrounding violence in media -- for example, whether or not playing violent video games has a psychological impact on teenagers. Sophomores If you have not done so already, you need to turn in answers to questions on chapters 1-9. We will discuss through chapter 13 tomorrow in class. Expect a quiz on at least the first five chapters.

Sophomores Read through Ch 9 and answer all questions on the handout (also available in the "File Locker" on Edline). Remember to use complete sentences and to cite specifics from the novel. Referring to page numbers will help you later when you are writing your essay.

Seniors Copy the definitions of the fifteen logical fallacies listed on the  UNC Writing Center  page for Monday. You do not have to supply the examples they give. Sophomores Read the first FIVE chapters of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .

Please read the following on logical fallacies (or logic problems) in persuasive rhetoric. The handout identifies and defines several types and provides strategies for avoiding fallacies in your writing: UNC Writing Center: Logical Fallacies 

In light of recent mass shootings , some have argued that we need stricter laws regarding the sale and ownership of guns and ammunition, while others believe that the current laws are sufficient or too restrictive, some arguing for less regulation.   The debate centers around the second amendment and its interpretation: THE SECOND AMENDMENT A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.   What is your opinion? Consider our discussion of the language of the amendment itself, along with issues such as the assault weapons ban, open carry laws, licensing, and background checks. What amount of "gun control" is necessary, if any, to ensure public safety? You were supposed to bring a relevant article to class on Thursday. In addition, you might also want to look at the following links discussed in class: NRA President Wayne LaPierre's response to the Newtown traged...

Seniors Please bring at least one current article on the issue of gun control or the debate surrounding legislation. Sophomores Read the selection from "Autobiography" that we began in class. No written homework, but be prepared for a quiz on Friday, including the vocabulary.

Please purchase Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain) by Friday.