1. Mimi Silbert's Delancy Street Foundation

2.  Topical Invention

3. 3-part Essay; Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis

Mimi Silbert, Delancy Street Foundation Cyber-Assignment

Today we watched a segment of the New Heroes Series on Mimi Silbert. She is the founder and director of Delancy Street Foundation. Visit http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/silbert.html

If you like, use this program as one of the Frontline World posts.

We used the term "rehabilitation," from a list which included other terms such as: "homelessness," "mental illness," "poverty," "stigma," "ex-con," "felony conviction," and "recidivism," to develop four thesis sentences using Topical Invention.

Definition: Rehabilitation is the process of learning from one's mistakes through a tough love program like Mimi Silbert's Delancy Street Foundation.

Testimony: Mimi Silbert, Director, Delancy Street Foundation, says: "the ex-con has a little kid in them that wants to be good" (New Heroes).

Analogy: Rehabilitation is self-rejuvenating like a phoenix that gets a second chance at life.

Consequence: Rehabilitation is an opportunity for one to learn the error of his ways and try to make amends to society.

Homework: continue reading and working on identifying your Social Entrepreneur. Tomorrow we will watch another program and look at an article which is a model for this essay.

I also mentioned to students the LoveBalm Project as a potential field trip next month Nov. 17-19 at East Side Arts Cultural Center and at La Pena Cultural Center Nov. 30. See http://lovebalmformyspiritchild.tumblr.com/

Today in class we continued to read each other's essays. Yesterday we read  the Dyson essay. Today we will continue and read a classmate's entire body of work from this semester: On Respect Essay, Afeni Essay, the essay from Hurt's film and the already completed and graded Dyson essay.

Write another narrative and reflect on what the writer does well. Note the stylistic devices used. Discuss the writer's style, form, diction, voice, structure--literary devices. If you can name it, but notice something copy and paste it and talk about what you like about it.

Read and take notes and then write after you have read everything.

2. Post the freewrite using Topical Invention in the October 25 post. 

3. I looked at the wrong class's due dates for The Book Report Essay. It is actually due next week, Wednesday, Nov. 7. Let's say the IPS will be due next week, the essay due the following week. We will talk about it tomorrow.


Book Report Presentations are next week though.

Topical Invention Freewrites

Post your freewrite herefor When Ure Heart Turns Cold and other exercises connected to Topical Invention.

1. Topical Inventions using themes or topics from When Your Heart Turns Cold (Shakur 13)

Topical Invention questions the topic, in this case, "loneliness."

The questions are: What is it/was it for a definition

What is it like/unlike for an analogy

What does an authority say about it for testimony

What caused it/did it cause/will it cause for consequence. 


2. Social Entrepreneur Essay; Book Report Essay

3. Read your book. Start the Frontline World Cyber-Assignment

4. Make sure you have met with me, outside of class is best.

Homework: Respond to Family Tree (Shakur 114)

Today in the earlier class we finished MLA worksheets from last week and one from today on plagiarizing  Afterward we watched a Frontline World Video. In the 11 AM class which met in A-205 we completed the one Hacker exercise 53:1; we'd finished 55:2 last week.

We then practiced developing thesis sentences using Topical Invention (handout).

We didn't get to They Say: planting a naysayer in the text or developing empathy in one's audience.

Students shared persons they were thinking of profiling as a social entrepreneur. Not many students have thought that far in advance. Start thinking about it and update the due dates on the assignment sheets.

Frontline World Assignment: Research Essay Part 1

Frontline World Cyber-Assignment Post
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/socialentrepreneurs.html

Respond to 3 stories between Oct. 25- Nov. 1 (include the one watched today about Ralf Hotchkiss, an engineering professor at San Francisco State who’s been thinking about wheelchair design for a long time. His business is Whirlwind which makes RoughRider wheel chairs. Read more about the business person and his business at the website: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/vietnam804/video/video_index.html Visit his website too.)

This is the 8-8:50 AM class. Bring headphones to class daily (just in case).

Post your Frontline World Responses (3) here.

Answer the following questions in your response to the programs.

Outline:

1.Who is the social entrepreneur profiled?
2.What problem did the person profiled identify?
3.What is the name of the organization they started?
4.Describe their relationship to the community that they serve?

• Why they decided to address this issue?

5.What is the local component?
6.How does the community own the process?

These questions also form the basis of your essay. Use them as an outline for your paper.

Dyson Essay

Tomorrow we are writing Essay 2, the essay based on a theme from Michael Eric Dyson's Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac. The paper is due by 12 noon tomorrow afternoon via email. Paste the document and attach it: coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com

Include the following in this order:

1. Essay
2. Initial Planning Sheet
3. Outline (from the 3-part thesis handout)
4. Related Cyber-Assignments
5. Reading Logs

Students can telecommute, that is, you do not have to come to class to write the essay. We will meet on Wednesday. Make sure you have shared your book title with me because that assignment is coming up fast. On Wednesday, the 8-8:50 AM class will meet in A-232. The 11-11:50 class will meet in A-205.

The Essay Assignment:
Develop an argument using the 3-part thesis form (handout). Take the topic from Holler. Look at the first assignment sheet for topics if you are at a loss.

Use the 3-part thesis outline. 

For the essay (750 words or 3 pages), include 3 citations between the bibliography and works cited pages. In the essay include: 1 block quote; 1 shorter citation; 1 free paraphrase.

Sources minimally: Holler if You Hear Me; Know What I Mean (this is the text the interview is taken from); two rap songs; Byron Hurt film. You can just cite from Dyson's Holler and cite the other sources in the bibliography.

Wednesday, October 24
I want to show you the Frontline World clip so you can start the Social Entrepreneur research.

Lecture recap
In the earlier class we reviewed the 3-part thesis. A few students shared. We developed a few thesis sentences together:

Although Tupac Shukur is a revered and respected popular icon, one wonders why a scholar like Michael Eric Dyson, Ph.D., would spend so much time researching and documentary the artist's life, since Tupac's life reflected in his lyrical content predicted his death.

Because American culture is riddled with misogynistic imagery, symbols and messages, it stands to reason that its popular art forms would degrade women as well, so why is hip hop culture crucified when larger cultural norms are to blame?

Even though many aspiring young rappers feel that in order to sell records they need to portray hyper-masculinity and aggression in their lyrics, Tupac was able to produce music that did not exploit his public's need for aggression or scapegoating.

Why is this and when does Tupac, whom one might say, knew better, succumb to the market and use his creativity to scorn women and promote negativity?

Although hyper-masculinity is extolled as a virtue withing hip hop culture. Tupac Shakur portrays a softer side of himself in his music.

Cyber-Assignment

1. 3-Part Thesis (handout)

2. Dyson-Lit. Circle
If there is time, develop sample arguments (post)

3. Homework: Bring in an IPS and outline with thesis using the 3-part thesis format

Bring in a paper copy to class to share. We will meet in A-202.

Most students shared the books with me they'd like to read.

This week we are working on MLA documentation (exercises from Hacker); revision of essays, completing Dyson (paraphrasing and identifying key arguments in each section/chapter).

We will meet this week to discussion how each of you is doing. We will start Wednesday and continue Thursday and Monday-Tuesday of next week.

We are finished with Dyson. Start thinking about topics and arguments you might want to explore. What are some of Dyson's arguments? Do you agree or disagree?

Students should be bringing in books for my approval this week.

Bring your first essay: On Respect to class. If an essay is emailed to me, then I have it. You do not have to bring that essay in.

Revision Strategies Cyber-Assignment

Today we watched a film, "Revision Strategies," which is a program from the Write Course series. I also gave students two chapters from the textbook, Writing with a Thesis by Skwire & Skwire.See http://www.textbooks.com/ISBN/9781413030822/Sarah-E-Skwire-and-David-Skwire/Writing-With-a-Thesis-Rhetoric-and-Reader_-_1413030823.php

In Hacker look at "Revision" (35); "Global Revision (36).

In a freewrite, write a short three paragraph response where you define revision and talk about your revision process. Include a citation from the film, Hacker and chapters from textbook in this reflection. You will be able to use this assignment in your portfolio essay 2 when you complete the course portfolio.

Do not forget to cite the 3 sources.

Here is one:
The Write Course: "Revision Strategies." Annenberg Learner. 1980s. VHS.

Questions to consider:

We watched the video: Revision Strategies (The Write Course). Please reflect on the video in a narrative that considers your revision strategies. How has Stewart Pidd Hates English affected your revision process?

Why is the opportunity to revise a welcome one for advanced writers? Why do some writers dread such assignments?

Use examples from the film. How is revision defined and what steps are offered? How is re-writing a step in the writing process? What did the scholar, Sandra Pearl, mean about editing prematurely?

What myths did Dr. Linda Flowers say about the "perfect draft syndrome"? Are you so afflicted? What is writer based prose vs. reader based prose? What is inspiration?

What did you learn about the writing process that you didn't know before, or if you knew it, you were not about to articulate it before now?

Global Revisions
On page 35 there are links to practice models.

This is another link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/72714653/4/Make-global-revisions-then-revise-sentences

Homework: Keep reading Dyson. Tuesday we will meet in A-232 for a writing workshop. Remember, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012, we are attending Hamlet at Cal Shakes. If you are going, I need the $20 Monday.

Dyson Returns

Today in the early class students discussed "Do We Hate Our Women" in the context of They Say, chapters 6 and 7, 90-91:1 & 2; 100-101:1 & 2.

First students completed the exercise on page 90:1 and then discussed Dyson from the perspective of "naysayers" or skeptics and answering the question, "Why should I care?"

I asked students to post instances from Dyson in response to the exercises. There were many students who didn't have their books. When we have peer reviews on October 22, students who do not have They Say, will not be able to peer review the essays of those students who have the book and have responded to queries in group sessions.

Students without their materials will be graded according to the same standard, without the benefit of instruction. These students will respond to the questions in a self-check where they will have to respond to the questions in a narrative answering the peer review questions themselves. These narratives will be submitted with their essays as a cover page.

Essays without this narrative will not be read or graded.

Homework, keep reading. Bring Evolution of a Revolutionary to class in the morning.

Today we met in groups by topic to share outlines and research. I stayed with the group that hadn't decided what they were going to write about.

Bring all your materials with you. Do the Works Cited page in advance. Bring in the outline with citations already printed out. Bring in your citations already written or typed up and in the outline.

The goal is to write the 500-750 word paper in one sitting in 50 minutes.

Is it Homophobic, Violent, Misogynistic

Today we watched most of the film: Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes directed by Byron Hurt. Complete the film at home. Watch it on line. Complete the freewrite. Post where assigned.

On the essay due for Monday, don't write it. Finish reading the essay interview. Annotate it. If you need to summarize its key points or outline it. Look up all the words you do not know and research all references you do not know or understand. Go to the COA library and get help from the reference librarians or Writing Center Staff to help you.

Come to class Monday with a thesis and an idea of what you'd like to talk about in the essay: misogyny, violence, homophobia, or media. Find references to support your claim. Bring in copies of the lyrics and citations pulled from Dyson's Holler and the interview and the film.

Bring in the sources in MLA, so we can review it together.

Read "Do We Hate Our Women" in Holler. We will probably not talk about it Tuesday as you will be writing. If anything is not clear, call me.

Today in the 11 AM class we ended up in A-232 after all so that students could locate the film and start watching if they had ear phones or complete their reading.

I gave students a preliminary outline: 

Thesis

1st Major Point
Evidence Type or write the quote here.

2nd Major Point 

Evidence Type or write the quote here.

3rd Major Point

Evidence Type or write the quote here.
Evidence Type or write the quote here.

Concluding Sentence

Works Cited

There should be minimally 5 citations.  Vary the type so all are included: Free Paraphrase; Block Quote; Shorter Citations. See They Say Chapters 3, 4, 5. I think we are looking at planting a Nay Sayer next week.

List them in correct MLA format

Bibliography

Any additional courses note cited. Everything needs to be typed for Tuesday: outline and IPS which students will prepare for Tuesday, unless it is already done. I forgot to mention it. All essay have an IPS, even if I forget to mention it.

Note on the homework

For the 11 a.m. class, we were not able to watch the film, so watch it tonight if you have time. More importantly, read Hurt's interview with Dyson. You can watch the film between Thursday and Monday. We are going to write the essay in class next week Tuesday.

For tomorrow, decide which area you'd like to focus on for your essay: 1. misogyny or violence against women, 2. violence, 3. hyper-masculinity, or 4. media.  We will divide into interest areas. If you have a laptop, bring it.

We will meet in A-232 and C-113 tomorrow. Next week when we do the writing, we will meet A-232 on Monday-Tuesday to write the essay. You will have 50 minutes to write it, so plan well in advance. (I need to check these dates to make sure the room is clear).

For tomorrow, make sure you look at the website and materials that PBS has created for this director: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/classroom/resources/hip_hop-discussion.pdf

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/classroom/hiphop.html

The free-write  post or first response is due by Monday before class.  

If anyone missed class and didn't get a copy of the article/interview, I left copies outside my office, D-219 today. 

Initial response Cyber-Assignment due: October 4

Think about Hurt's argument(s). In a short response (250-500 words), 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. Here is a link to Part 1 of 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8YpcN7oKIM&feature=related

At the PBS.org link there is further information about the issues Hurt raises divided into categories: masculinity, misogyny, homophobia, or media literacy. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/issues.htm

Also visit http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/ for background information on the film and director. In your essay cite a song which supports Hurt's claim(s) or refutes it. You can include the URL in your essay as the reference.

Literal Paraphrase Assignment Teacher Response & Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes

I posted comments to the 11-11:50 class's paraphrase assignments. Make sure you read Hacker 57c (466-467). Read 56-57 (460-468).

I have instructed students to re-post. Ian and Keelan do not have to re-post their paraphrase.  The original is posted in Keelan's, not in Ian's, but as they worked together, we will let former be the definitive post.

In the 8-8:50 class this morning, we started with Literature Circles and completed most of the film. We will complete it tomorrow. Read the Dyson/Hurt interview. Summarize it's key points. I annotated it. I couldn't find my clean copy. It's from Dyson's book: Know What I Mean http://www.michaelericdyson.com/knowwhatimean/

For students who missed the film. Visit http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2020029531334253002
For an interview with the director: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ZXMIElRmg
See http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/film.htm

The assignment:

Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes Writing Assignments

1. Initial response Cyber-Assignment due: October 4

Think about Hurt's argument(s). In a short response (250-500 words), 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. Here is a link to Part 1 of 6: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2020029531334253002

At the PBS.org link there is further information about the issues Hurt raises divided into categories: masculinity, misogyny, homophobia, or media literacy. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/issues.htm

Also visit http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/ for background information on the film and director. In your essay cite a song which supports Hurt's claim(s) or refutes it. You can include the URL in your essay as the reference.

Homework: Read the interview with Dyson, Hurt conducts.


2.  Part 2 due Monday, October 8, 2012.

After reading the Dyson interview with Hurt bring in an expanded freewrite or an entirely different essay discussing Hurt's claims made in his film and to Dyson in the interview. In a 3 page essay (750 words min.), using citations from Dyson's interview, Holler and Hurt's film talk about Tupac's work in light of Hurt's critique. How would Tupac hold up?

Use lyrics from at least two songs to support your argument re: Tupac Shakur's contributions to the genre and the industry both positive and negative. 

Students will have up to five citations: 1 film (B. Hurt), two rap songs, one article (from Michael Eric Dyson's Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop, one book (Holler)

The citations need to be: 1 block quote, paraphrases, and shorter citations. 

Students will turn in an Initial Planning Sheet with the essay and an outline.  Make sure everything is stapled together. The exercise here is to see how well students are able to manipulate facts and incorporate evidence in support of an argument without getting lost or inadvertently plagiarizing. Make sure the signal phrases are clear and both introduce the subject and connect the ideas so that the discourse is succinct and makes sense.


Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes
Directed by Byron Hurt
From http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/

Filmmaker Byron Hurt, a life-long hip-hop fan, was watching rap music videos on BET when he realized that each video was nearly identical. Guys in fancy cars threw money at the camera while scantily clad women danced in the background. As he discovered how stereotypical rap videos had become, Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist, decided to make a film about the gender politics of hip-hop, the music and the culture that he grew up with. “The more I grew and the more I learned about sexism and violence and homophobia, the more those lyrics became unacceptable to me,” he says. “And I began to become more conflicted about the music that I loved.” The result is HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a riveting documentary that tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip-hop culture.

Literal Paraphrase Cyber-Assignment

2 October 2012 11-11:50 AM

Today we completed another MLA exercise 53:3; students also got the Dyson/Hurt interview to start reading.

I will give you the writing assignment, which is in two-parts re: the film: Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes, directed by Byron Hurt. The video is on YouTube I have been told in 7 or so posts. It is easier to just come to class and watch it with us (smile).

Post the literal paraphrase here along with the original citation. Include a works cited section. In the heading, put both student names on the post if completed together. 

This morning we completed the first two MLA worksheets and located the places in Hacker that referenced paraphrase and in-text citation. I handed out the Dyson/Hurt interview. Students do not have to read it by tomorrow, but you should start so you will be finished by Thursday for the in-class essay.

See revised Assignment Sheet.

And Yet

Today in the early class we continued discussing Dyson starting with No Malcolm X in My History Text. We continued the query using They Say (67) and expanded the discourse to include Exercise 2 (77). Make sure you read the chapters. Tomorrow students will complete exercise 1 (75) in class and then in pairs practice both literal and free paraphrase using Dyson.

For each chapter, continue to make a list of new characters. Put a bio or brief description of the person's relationship to Tupac along with the page numbers where they are mentioned. Also, keep a vocabulary log. what is pedagogy (91)? How many of the books on Steinberg's shelf that Dyson pursed, do you know? How did Tupac's intellectual curiosity and analysis change Leila Steinberg? How does this tie into what Dyson says about "Tupac's absolute truths [and intensity]" (59)? Do you have any absolute truths? If so, what are they?

Homework will be to choose a theme or topic from the reading tomorrow, Oct. 2, due Oct. 3, to respond to in a cyber-freewrite. The task will be to use minimally 3 perspectives. Let's say the topic is "rap music." 

I'd then like the student to compare his or her response to Dyson's using the outline on page 77. The freewrite will be minimally two paragraphs.

I didn't have the Byron Hurt/Dyson interview for you today. I will give it to students tomorrow. Wednesday, we will watch the film, Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes. I will give you the assignment sheet for the film on Wednesday.

Many students do not have their books. However, some students who do not have their books are doing the reading and bringing notes to class. For those students who do not have his or her book or notes for the reading (I will check), he or she cannot participate in the discussion groups or sit in the discussion groups.

Tomorrow, if we have time, we will continue with Hacker MLA Exercises.  Don't forget to find the page numbers in Hacker, that correspond to the exercises. Bring to class tomorrow (11-11:50 class).