Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes Assignment
The assignment for the Byron Hurt film: Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes should be posted here. Hit comment and paste your 250 word essay.

Identify Hurt's argument(s). In 250 words minimum, discuss the evidence Hurt presents in the film and whether or not you agree with his premise that commercial rap is misogynistic, violent, and promotes a negative stereotype of black manhood.

I want you to visit http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/ and also cite a song which supports his claim(s) or refutes it. You can include the URL in your essay as the reference.

Other homework
There are no classes Wednesday, February 28. Homework is to finish reading Alice Walker's We Are the Ones.

Today in class we looked at Walker, Chapter 7. In the early English 1A class, most students had read the chapter so the assignment was to identify 3 arguments and support them with: 1 paraphrase, 1 direct quote and 1 block quote.

In the second class only one person had completed the assignment, so the writing assignment was to skim the chapter and identify 5-10 arguments and the support and to pay special attention to the evidence that fit into the categories: analogy, definition, testimony and consequence (this was in reference to the Topical Invention handout).

The midterm essay will be in response to a topic related to the Walker text.

Announcement
Tonight on Channel 9, KQED, 11-12 midnight, Independent Lens shows Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.

Also this evening at Marcus Books, 3900 MLK Jr. Way, Oakland, 7 p.m. there is a poetry reading featuring Quincy Troope, Reginald Lockett, Aya de Leon and others.

Wednesday evening, February 21, at the Grand Lake Theatre former Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney will be speaking. The occasion is the showing of the film: American Blackout.

Most students haven't responded to the Cyber Assignment yet. Cyber Assignment 3 is dated January 12. Look on the right side of the blog and click on the previous posts.

Essay and other Assignments for Spring Semester
The theme is: Nature vs. Nurture, so each assignment will look at the same questions from a variety of angles.

Cyber essay 1 on The Making of a Criminal and response
Cyber essay 2 Love; in class presentation

MLK III Essay
State of the Union
Walker assignments vary, from outlines to practice citing sources. All graded and ungraded responses are due at midterm

Meditation presentation February 8 with write-up from Chapter 2, pp. 36-37

Visual argument

African American Literary Work

The War in Iraq 4 years later

Midterm: We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For (Nature vs. Nurture)

Frankenstein: What Does Love Have to Do with It?

The Trial of Dr. Frankenstein

Social Entrepreneur Essay

Final: Hamlet: Vengeance is deadly saith the streets

Paper presentations of SE

Portfolio Essays (2). One essay looks at your writing process including revision. The other essay is a survey of your semester writing experience and an argument justifying the grade you deserve. Keep all your work as potential evidence.

Go to the Sweet Honey in the Rock concert at UCB?

Extra Credit?

"Love" Assignment due 2/14
English Assignment for Week of February 12-16 "Love"

"Sanskrit has ninety-six words for love; ancient Persian has eighty; Greek three; and English simply one." -probably from Robert Johnson. This sounds cool, but it is not really true.

In English we have many words for kinds of love: lust, desire, affection, adore, longing, family, respect, admiration. We will say, "I adore him," or "I am hot for her," or "I totally respect you," or "I am fond of you," or "You are like family to me." Yeow! No wonder we are confused about love.

Think about all the kinds of love you have known. This quote is all over the web, and I haven't sourced it yet. It's not quite true, though.

From Swamp Donkey, a blog: All you need is love? Friday October 07th 2005, 11:18 pm Filed under: thoughtful inklings, Philosophy


Assignment
The writing assignment is to research the term “love” and respond in a 500 word essay (2 typed pages), 2/14.

Look at the three types of love: agape, eros and philia. Which do you think is the most valuable?

Do you think love is the most effective weapon against hate?

Is there a role for romantic love in the world, or is this a western concept which is highly overrated?

Are greeting card businesses and the candy stores a means to exploit the insecurities of the public?

Am I being too cynical?What’s wrong with flowers and candy on Valentine’s Day? What would the world be like without Cupid, Hallmark, KKSF, candlelight and special delivery?

After reading about the different expressions of love, and the three linguistic interpretations of the word “love,” choose one aspect of the word to support or deny its virtues.

Remember, after you determine your angle on the topic, complete the essay planning sheet, and perhaps develop an outline (Hacker, Ch. 1). Be certain to use a variety of support for your claim or thesis: examples, analogies, definitions, expert opinion, statistics, anecdotes, etc. Be prepared to present your argument to class on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Extra: Bring in something concrete that illustrates your concept of love, if such "thing" exists.

Today, Feb. 5, we looked at Walker, chapter 3. Many students hadn't done the homework so we read chapter 3 aloud in the 8-9 a.m. class, (in the 9-10 a.m. class we discussed the chapter). We meditated, then used this experience to freewrite. See Walker pp. 45-46. We looked at her arguments and discussed their merit and whether or not students agreed. I mentioned an interteresting lecture I heard this morning on www.kpfa.org about consumption and the environment (7-8 a.m. The Morning Show).

Homework: Summarize chapter 4 in 100-250 words. In the response list and analyze the arguments Walker proposes.

We didn't have a chance to share the favorite writing by an African American author. Some students brought in work to share, but not by a writer of African descent.

We haven't gotten to the Strunk & White book yet, but we will. We are visiting the library Wednesday, February 7: 8-9 and 9-10. Meet at the reference desk.

Extra Credit Event tomorrow
Feb. 6, 12:30 p.m., Booker T. Washington's great great-granddaughter will be speaking in the F-Bldg. If you attend and write about it, you can have extra credit.

Television
On Channel 9 tonight, I think at 10 p.m. (check the listing at www.pbs.org) there is a great documentary called The Disciples of Nelson Mandela. It's a grea piece on a group of young men who joined the African National Congress and what happened to their lives, as told by one of the men's adopted sons here in the United States.