Museum Assignment and Blog Assignment

ENN 195: Museum Trip to the MET

Directions: see website or class blog.  Address: 1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street)
New York, NY 10028

We meet on the front steps (if not raining) at TWO PM SHARP (2 PM). Be there ON TIME. If it’s raining we’ll met INSIDE IN THE LOBBY, in the CENTER of the lobby. You can give a suggested donation of $1; we will then walk to the exhibit together. If for any reason you’re late, simply find us in the exhibit. 

Take: a notebook with pen AND pencil.

Assignment Goal: The goal of this assignment is for students to produce a blog (minimum 300 words) that addresses three aspects of their museum trip: their overall impression of the museum as an “experience”; their summary of the “story” that the exhibition tells; and their analysis or close-reading of at least three artifacts from the exhibition. Students may later choose to focus on one of these artifacts for a future assignment. 

Assignment Description: We will meet at the MET on the date assigned (May 7, 2pm). As we tour, we will be taking notes, observing the space of the museum itself (and the people in it), the artifacts on display, and the “story” that these artifacts tell (and which the museum has designed in a particular sequence, with certain themes emphasized). Look up, look down, get close, look all around – and take notes!

Observing the space. You may find the following questions helpful: what is communicated by the architecture of the museum? What is communicated by the spatial design of the exhibit? Who is in this space? What feelings or mood does the space give you? What feelings or mood is the space supposed to convey? Who do you think this museum was designed for? In what ways does it speak to you? In what ways does it not?

The artifacts. We will see a range of artifacts that are supposed to tell us what the Civil War was like, and also about the medium of photography. Please take comprehensive notes on three artifacts. You will need to record, their title, their source, their year, and any other information provided by the museum. Choose artifacts that stand out to you: they might interest you, challenge you, confuse you, or offend you. You will later mention three of these artifacts, but you will write about one in detail. You will have to describe these objects to someone that has not seen them. 

The story of the exhibition. All museums and curators (the people who design exhibitions) make certain choices when they put together shows. Keeping in mind our course discussions, texts, and keywords, what story do you think the museum is trying to tell about the Civil War and photography? Who are the main characters in this story – the heroes, the villains? Who or what do you think is left out? Why is photography an interesting medium to observe the war? What do you wish had been in the exhibition that isn’t? What more do you want to know?

We will discuss both our experiences and your blogs when we meet next as a class.

Class Agenda 4.30

1. Quiz

2. Announcements
Museum Trips!
CHECK THIS BLOG FOR ALL IMPORTANT MUSEUM TRIP INFORMATION

The Exhibit:
http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/photography-and-the-american-civil-war
Getting to the MET
http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/plan-your-visit/getting-here

The Rules
http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/plan-your-visit/group-visits/group-responsibilities-and-guidelines

See handout


3. Peer Review

Guidelines
Grading Grid

4. Looking at an image

http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId={9400f95d-89a4-4920-a05e-46ee3cedc9c0}&oid=190056998&ft=*&fe=1#fullscreen


5. It Can't Happen Here - discussion

6. Film Clips

Reading Quiz

1. Do you think It Can't Happen Here is a funny novel, a serious novel, or both? Give reasons for your answer.

New Pages for It Can't Happen Here and rest of term

4.30 - 1-83
5.7 - 84-180
5.14 - 181-274
5.21 - 275-381
5.28 - In Darkness and Confusion
6.4 - Harlem Riot documents

Reading for Tuesday: It Can't Happen Here

There are many books still left in the bookstore for It Can't Happen Here. Be sure you do the reading. This is our "big" text for the semester. The bookstore is about to send them all back.

MET Visit Details for May 7

Read guidelines.

Cost is $4. Please see me if this is an issue. I can help offset the cost for students that need it.

May Day: close reading examples.

Close-reading models ; May Day

Page 16

In May Day, Gordon hides his emotions in order to conceal his "fever," which in turn preserves his masculinity.In the scene between Gordon and Dean in the hotel room, Gordon grows anxious after asking Dean for money. He has incurred a debt with a girlfriend, Jewell, whom we come to learn has blackmailed Gordon. As he lies on the bed suppressing a panic attack, Fitzgerald describes how he was “fighting back” a desire to release his emotions. By fighting back, Fitzgerald emphasizes that Gordon doesn’t want to be appear ‘unmanly.’ Showing his emotions would seem weak, and therefore less masculine. Based on this evidence and reasoning, we can see that masculinity is at stake in the novel, at least for Gordon. Further, we can see that it’s tied to his emotional panic, which itself stems from his precarious indebtedness to Jewel.

Assignment here: write a topic sentence that makes this idea into a claim about the novel.

Topic sentence includes "masculinity." 

Page 29

In an urban crowd scene, the two homeless vets Gus and Key discover a “little Jew” giving an anti-war speech to veterans. In his speech, he asks the crowding soldiers what they’ve gotten from the war, and directs their attention to two financiers who profited from it, Rockefeller and Morgan. In response, a solider punches him, and the crowd joins in, beating him. They then leave to pursue other “Bolshekviks” downtown, and, at first, Rose and Key join them. As they begin to mimic the phrase “we’ll show them,” we see a “mob mentality” forming. This mob has become unified around the idea of beating “Reds,” or communists – after all, this was during the “First Red Scare” during and after World War I. Their anger at the “Bolshevik” Jew, however, might also stem from the emotional reaction they felt when he questioned the sanctity of the war. After rising their lives and knowing so many that had made an enormous sacrifice, they were liable to feel hurt . These hurt feelings help to explain the chaos of the crowd and the level of their emotionality intensity in attacking communists, whom they might also have associated with ethnic others, including Jews. 

Assignment here: write a topic sentence that makes this idea into a claim about the novel.

Reading Quiz

What is the story of May Day all about? What was the author trying to show?

Class Agenda 4.23

1. Reading Quiz

2. Announcements.
Class conferences next week
Blog Comments/Blog
Essay One/grades
Museum trip coming up in two weeks
Peer Review next week

3. Essay One
Comments and Letter to professor
Returning to goal of second assignment

Dear Professor,

My writing process for this essay was...I went though this many drafts... I did/didn't go to the Writing Center... Overall, I've found college writing to be... My sense of my strengths is that I... My challenges as a writer include...I spent this many hours writing this essay...

Here is what I understood needed work on from your comments...

These are the things I did to improve my first draft...

I did/did not do the reading for this essay...

I did/did not participate in the Peer Review...If NOT and you didn't attend the Writing Center, say why...

For my second essay, I plan to...

4. May Day - Groups responsible for chapter

5. Writing about passages: developing claims and creating close-readings

Blog 4: Revisions and Comments

1) Your first task for this assignment is to revise a previous blog based on the comments you received. 

2) For this assignment you will offer your perspective to classmates in ENN 101. First, note that you will click on your name below to find the blogs that need your comments. Follow the instructions provided below. Your main goal is to offer an overall evaluation of the blog, communicate what you believe to be their main ideas, and to provide helpful 'constructive criticism' for their revision process.

What is the goal my response?

The goal of your response is to offer the writer some suggestions for revision.  Their assignment was to discuss texts from class for what they found interesting, and to say why. Your job is to let them know whether they communicated their interest, the text, and their reasons efficiently. Remember, you shouldn't feel confused about what they're writing about - you are their audience. If you're confused, you need to say why. Their interest should also make you interested. If you weren't interested, they need tell them what they could have done to make your more interested.

As for how you should organize your response, see the directions below. Here are the specific steps:


Blog Comment Directions (from the text Tutoring Writing)

1. Open a general statement of assessment about the blog's relationship to the assignment. Be clear about which parts fulfill the assignment and which parts need improvement.
2. Present comments so the writer knows which problems with text are most important and which are of lesser importance.
3. Use comments primarily to call attention to strengths and weaknesses in the piece, and be clear about the precise points where they occur.
4. Don't feel obligated to do all the 'fixing.' Refrain from focusing on grammar unless it impedes your ability to understand the piece.
5. Write comments that are text-specific, and uniquely aimed at the blog and the writer.

Strategies

1. Pose at least two questions that ask for clarification or that seek other possible views or more information on the subject.
2. Let the writer know what specific lines, ideas, and stylistic touches you find pleasing.
3. When you make a specific, concrete suggestion for improvement, try couching it in a qualifier: "You might try..." or "Why don't you add..." or "Another way of writing the lead might be..."
4. If you notice a pattern of errors (incorrect use of commas, etc) comment on it in a global way at the end of the piece.

How do I leave a comment again?

Press the "No Comments" or "Comments" link at the end of their blog entry.
Consider pasting your response from Microsoft Word, or simply write in the box.
Fill out the web-bot verification boxes.


What if someone else has already left a comment?

Leave yours too.

What if I don't know why they're writing?

A) Their blogs *should* explain what they're doing. If they don't, that's something for you to offer criticism about.
B) I'll tell you now their assignment: react to issues they discovered in the reading or in class. You may or may not be familiar with the texts they're writing about. If you're confused, it's your job to say why, and how they could improve. 

What is constructive criticism?

It's when you point out issues that need attention and offer suggestions for how to make the changes you propose.

What do I do? 

See the directions below. 

What if I have a question?

Email me!

• Antonio's Blog
• Christopher's blog
• Dehlia's blog
• Frankie's blog
• Jennyrose's blog
• Judy's blog
• Kenny's Blog
• Loriana's blog
• Luis' blog
• Melanie's blog
• Mercedes' blog
• Michael's blog
• Rachelle's blog
• Richard's blog
• Robert's blog
• Robert's blog
• Shehab's blog
• Stacy's blog
• Vanessa's blog
• Veronica's Blog
• Waqar's Blog

Extra Credit
Leave a comment for one of these blogs:

Blog
Blog

Reading Quiz

What do you think is the moral of the novel The Sport of the Gods?

Class Agenda 4.16

1. Reading Quiz

2. Announcements
Attendance
Collect Essay 1
Check blog for new blog this week + assignment number 2

3. Groups

Group One: What is the plot of this text? Find the plot points. Who is Berry Hamilton? Who is Maurice Oakley? Who is Fannie?

Group Two: What happens to Joe in New York? Who does he meet? What's important to know about his experiences?

Group Three: What happens to Kitty in New York? Who does she meet? What's important to know about her experiences?

Group Four: What kind of place is the town in the novel? What passages exemplify it? What kind of place is New York in the novel? What passages best exemplify it?

Group Five: Who is Sadness? Who is Minty? Who is Skaggsy? What are they doing in the story?

4. Class Discussion

What is this novel really about? What are the most important passages? What does the novel say about violence in America? What is the connection between violence in one place and violence in another? What does the novel tell us about race and racial formation in the US?

5. Connecting the novel

  Film: from Ken Burns: The Civil War

Film: Black Wall Street

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_72I5FA80s

Fundraiser Wednesday for Hurrican Sandy New Yorkers

Are you looking for ways to support the many New Yorkers who are still struggling to get back on their feet after last year's Hurricane Sandy?  You are invited to join the Honors Student Advisory Committee (HSAC) to raise funds for hurricane -affected communities in the Far Rockaways this Wednesday, April 17.  HSAC's Coffee House provides a way for the LaGuardia community to support our fellow New Yorkers while enjoying the many performing talents at the college, engaging in witty conversations, and winning amazing raffle prizes.  Here's the deal:

Coffee House Fundraiser for Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts    Wednesday, April 17  4:00-7:00      Poolside Cafe

Coffee House Flyer: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxnlWiiyzLRZcHpyTlBQd1RVLWs/edit?usp=sharing

FEATURING

* Over 20 Faculty and Student performances by singers and musicians, poets and rappers, dancers and light shows

* Guest speakers (Hurricane Sandy victims, Commission on Voluntary Service and Action, Smallwater, and more)

* Coffee, Tea, Pastries, Artisanal Cupcakes

* Fabulous Raffle Prizes (Designer Headphones, a Kindle, museum tickets, coffee gift basket, personal training session, restaurant dinners, singing lesson, art consultation, video camera lesson, swimming lesson, etc)

Let's all come together to show our brothers and sisters in the Rockaways that we at LaGuardia care!


Special Thanks to:  The President's Office, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Institutional Advancement, Events Office, Media Services, Student Government Association, Student Life, President's Society, Print Shop, CVSA/Smallwater, Performing Arts program, and the performers!!!

Apply to Student Conference

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to present at
The Second Annual Social Science Student Conference
May 21-22

ALL TOPICS THAT RELATE TO THE SOCIAL SCIENCES ARE ENCOURAGED!
COLLABORATIONS ARE GREAT.


Proposals are due at the end of THIS week: April 19

Details are attached.

Please send proposals to lbeaty@lagcc.cuny.edu or Lara Beaty in C-459.

We're looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,
Lara Beaty
Michael Frank
Eduardo Vianna

Attendance Issues

1. Any student that missed more than four hours of class may fail the class. Any student that misses more than four hours of class and doesn't drop the class MUST see the professor during non-class time, or else they risk this failure.

2. Students that miss more than four hours of class must petition the professor for the "right" to earn an "A." This petition must be a formal letter asking the professor to consider their right to earn an "A" in the class if they actually receive an "A" average of the assignments, but have missed more than four hours.

3. Students that miss two classes have missed a total of 6.5 hours. Students that miss more than two classes must petition the professor, as in the case above, for the "right" to earn a B, if their assignment averages end up being a B.

4. Students that did not participate in the Peer Review on Tuesday must go to the Writing Center or else lose 10% of their grade on the assignment. Students that attended the Peer Review must attach student comments to the bottom of their drafts to receive full credit for the 10%.

5. Students are strongly encouraged to contact the professor by email with any questions or concerns.

6. I expect to see all students currently enrolled in the course on Tuesday, with the texts assigned read in entirety.

For Blog Due this Friday

Respond to the short story "The Lynching of Jube Benson" and the novel The Sport of the Gods. These texts were written around the same period of time. Do you detect any similarities? What are the big differences? Would you have guessed that they were written by the same author?

Remember to write your blog for a LaGuardia student audience who has not read these texts.

Submit Your Creative Work

LaGuardia

CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST

DEADLINE: Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Winners will be honored at the English Department’s Student Literary Forum on May 16, where they will read their winning pieces.  Winners will also be published in Literary LaGuardia.

Send your best writing—fiction, poetry, creative-nonfiction, or plays—to Professor Carrie Conners, professor.conners@gmail.com Please include your contact information and a brief (100 words or less) biography.

Sponsored by the English Department’s Creative Writing Committee, the Writing and Literature Major Committee, and Literary LaGuardia.

$2500 scholarship?

We're Awarding $2500 for a Slice of Life!

The deadline is quickly approaching for students to submit an entry to win a $2500 scholarship. Please share this opportunity and enter by Friday, April 19 by visiting www.cengage.com/mintap/slice <http://s2138.t.en25.com/e/er?s=2138&lid=11962&elq=230e5235645b4133bec2002de6e5e140> and completing the entry form.

There's more than one way to peel an orange, and there's more than one way to learn. We're asking students to get creative and put together a short video that illustrates their identity as a unique learner.

We're awarding a $2500 scholarship for the best video.

Learn More! <http://s2138.t.en25.com/e/er?s=2138&lid=11698&elq=230e5235645b4133bec2002de6e5e140>

Survey: Extra Credit

Survey.

Quiz

Did you detect any commonalities between "The Lynching of Jube Benson" and Sport of the Gods? If so, what were they? If not, what interested you about these texts?

Class Agenda 4.9

1. Quiz on Sport of the Gods / "The Lynching of Jube Benson

2. Announcements

3. Peer Review: Essay One

Guidelines

Grading Grid

4. Discussion: Remembering Life in the Iron Mills

Let's look at useful passages for the essay.

Dull life - 13
Secret - 14

system - 19
woman's form - 21
order of being - 27
American system - 34
machines

rights of the soul - higher wages - 38
reform - 39

money - 43
mad with hunger - 45

church - 48
money his - 51

Quaker - 63


5. Group Work: What did we make of "The Lynching of Jube Benson"?
What surprised us, if anything?
What do we think the key passages are, and why?

6. The Sport of the Gods: plot review. Key passages.

Grading Grid

ENG 101 Assignment One Grading Grid: Tannenbaum

Name:

1-10 scale

10 –exceptional; 9 – above average; 8 –slightly above average; 7 – slightly below average; 6 – below average; 5 – significant development needed; 1 – minimal or no response 

1. Thesis: Contains a central assertion that places a central idea at the forefront of the essay; thesis statements is 2-3 sentences; thesis statement answers the main question posed by the assignment  (20%)

2. Structure: Essay organized around topic sentences; each paragraph provides "they say" context; essay uses summary and paraphrase to explain main ideas from reading (30%)

3. Evidence: Essay successfully places direct quotes into each body paragraph; essay cites those quotes correctly according to MLA guidelines; essay explains direct quotations; essay contains a bibliography (20%)

4. Critical Thinking: Essay interprets quotes in original ways that go beyond class discussion; essay connects main ideas to other texts or moments in text; essay utilizes keywords and defines them; essay offers original perspectives and argument (20%)

5. Polish: Essay shows signs of revision; essay's syntax doesn't interfere with meaning; vocabulary words from class appear in essay;
ALL WRITTEN FEEDBACK FROM PEER REVIEW MUST BE STAPLED TO THE BOTTOM OF FINAL DRAFT TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT FOR PEER REVIEW.

Peer Review:

Grade:

Comments:

Peer Review Guidelines

Peer Review Guidelines

1. Move into your PR groups.
2. Determine who will read in what order.
3. Budget 10-15 minutes per person and no more.
4. The reader reads their paper aloud.
5. Give written feedback that offers specific criticism according to criteria below.
6. Put your name on this feedback and give it to the writer.
7. Keep your written feedback and staple it to your final draft.

Writing Feedback Directions (from the text Tutoring Writing)

1. Overall. Open with comments about the essay's relationship to the assignment. Be clear about which parts fulfill the assignment and which parts need improvement.

Thesis. Organization. Evidence. Critical Thinking. 

2. Strengths and Weaknesses.  Use comments primarily to call attention to strengths and weaknesses in the piece, and be clear about the precise points where they occur.


3. Prioritize. Present comments so the writer knows which problems with text are most important and which are of lesser importance. .


4. Higher-Order Concerns. Don't feel obligated to do all the 'fixing.' Refrain from focusing on grammar unless it impedes your ability to understand the piece.

5. Advice. Write comments that are personal, and uniquely aimed at the blog and the writer. Literally tell the writer what you would do with the paper if you were them.

ALL WRITTEN FEEDBACK FROM PEER REVIEW MUST BE STAPLED TO THE BOTTOM OF FINAL DRAFT TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT FOR PEER REVIEW.

What's Going on Around LaGuardia

SOCIAL SCIENCE CAREER DAY!

What jobs are out there?
What do I need to do to build a career?
How can a social science education help me?
What degree do I need to meet my goals?
Come talk with professors and careerplanning services to find answers to these and other questions!

ANTHROPOLOGY: Dr. Emily Cohen
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Dr. Jennifer Wynn
ECONOMICS: Dr. Choon Shan Lai & Dr. Soloman Kone
HISTORY: Dr. Robin Kietlinski
POLITICAL SCIENCE: Dr. Bojana Blagojevic & Dr. NicholeShippen
PSYCHOLOGY: Dr. Rebio Diaz Cardona & Dr. LisaSilverman
SOCIOLOGY: Dr. Sreca Perunovic, Dr. Hara Bastas,& Dr. Alex Welcome
CAREER PLANNING SERVICES: Judith Gazzola
Organized by Dr. Lara Beaty


TUESDAY,APRIL 9TH
4:30 – 6:30 PM
ROOM C-461

DREAM ACTS  - A  Reading & Panel Discussion. Created by The DREAM Act Union. Written by Chiori Miyagawa, Mia Chung, Jessica Litwak, Saviana Stanescu, and Andrea Thome. Directed by Handan Ozbilgin. Featuring: IHS & LAGCC Students

Fri, Apr 12 @ 4-6pm ● Little Theater
In Dream Acts, five undocumented students from Nigeria, Mexico, Ukraine, Korea, and Jordan relate stories of their extraordinary challenges in living ordinary lives under the Homeland Security radar. Each story is moving and urgent; some are funny, others are tragic, and through their experiences, we learn about the DREAM Act and the secret lives led by undocumented students.

A Staged Reading will be followed by Panel Discussion moderated by Saviana Stanescu. Panelists include Judith Sloan( Co-founder  EarSay, Co-writer Crossing the Boulevard)

For reservations, please email: rsvp-lpac@lagcc.cuny.edu

FREE Admission

Dream Acts is part of Rough Draft Festival@LPAC
http://laguardia.edu/LPAC/Rough-Draft-Fest/

LaGuardia Community College’s Creative Writing Magazine

Send Submissions to LiteraryLaguardia@gmail.com

Deadline for Submissions May 2^nd 2013


The Creative Writing Committee of the LaGuardia English Department is happy to announce our Fifth Annual Creative Writing Read-a-Thon for students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Come celebrate our multi-talented LaGuardia community and National Poetry Month by sharing your work during an afternoon of back-to-back five minute readings from 2:30 to 5pm on Wednesday, April 10th in the Cobblestone Courtyard (Poolside Café in event of foul weather). All genres of creative writing are welcome - stories, poems, personal essays, plays - as are all LaGuardians, from any department, full and part time, whether creative writing is your main focus or one of your many avocations.  There's only one rule: keep it to five minutes or less, so plan on finding a reading that will fit.  Light refreshments will be served.

We had a wonderful event last year at our fourth annual event, and we expect slots to fill quickly this year, so please contact us to sign up as soon as possible. Also, if you know students who have work to read, please have them email us to sign up. Let us know which half-hour interval between 2:30 and 5 would work best for you and we'll put you on the list!

Contact Carrie Conners, cconners@lagcc.cuny.edu, or Christopher Schmidt, prof.schmidt.lagcc@gmail.com, to sign up for a slot or with questions.

On Thursday, April 18: The "Food For Thought" Event will Happen in Room E-111 from 10:00-1:00. Come Learn about:

**The Voyage of Food from the Farm to the Plate (Healthy Cooking Demonstration! Yes, that means Tasty samples...)**
**Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Your Food**
**How Consumer Products that we all use can Harm our Health**
**The Environmental Ethics and Issues of Water Pollution**