English 110: College Writing 1 Keith Kroll, Ph.D.
Winter 2012 7434 TTC
www.kkroll.com 488-4350
ekroll@kvcc.edu
"The goal of the writer's practice is the same as anyone else's: to seek understanding of who and where and what we are, to come fully awake." -Scott Russell Sanders
The Course:
This section of English 110 is based on the following four principles:
(1) Writer’s write; (2) Writing is a process; (3) Writing is a process of discovery; and (4) If you are a writer, then the only way to fail (as a writer) is not to write.
The focus of the course this semester will be on writing the memoir. Webster’s defines memoir as “a narrative composed from personal experience.” Here is how several notable writers define memoir:
“[A] memoir is how one remembers one’s own life, while an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, facts double-checked.” It is more about what can be gleaned from a section of one’s life than about the outcome of the life as a whole.” –Gore Vidal
“I gather together the dreams, fantasies, experiences that preoccupied me as a girl, that stay with me and appear and reappear in different shapes and forms in all my work. Without telling everything that happened, they document all that remains most vivid.”
-bell hooks
“I believe that the memoir is the novel of the 21st century; it’s an amazing form that we haven’t even begun to tap…we’re just getting started figuring out what the rules are.”
-Susan Cheever
“Our stories about our own lives are a form of fiction, I began to see, and become more insistent as we grow older, even as we try to make them come out in some other way.”
-Roger Angell
“I think of this memoir as an homage to childhood, suburbia, and the bad food, fashion, music, and hair of the deep 1980s…. This book is my articulation of memories and experiences as I believe them—call it one person’s perspective on being Vietnamese and American, and on being a kid in America, growing up with all the wants, frustrations, and bright-colored packaging that make up the landscape of childhood.”
-Bich Minh Nguyen, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir. KVCC visiting writer 2012.
During the course, you will have the opportunity to write and rewrite and rewrite and rewrite and rewrite….and rewrite and edit and proofread one essay/memoir (chapter?) composed from personal experience.
You will be writing on this essay and on other writing topics/exercises outside of class and during scheduled class meetings This writing will be your scheduled “practice” for the course (1).
In writing these drafts—and in completing other writing assignments— you will have the opportunity to engage in the writing process: invention, writing, rewriting—writing is rewriting—editing, and proofreading. The process, as you will find out, is never this neat. (2)
I also hope you will learn that writing is a process of discovery: a writer often learns where a piece of writing is “going” at the end of the writing journey. (3)
The focus of the course is, in fact, on writing and the writing process. My goal is not to demand that you write a "successful essay/memoir," but rather to teach you what it takes to write. You have the rest of your life to write "successfully.” (4)
Note: Because the course emphasizes the writing process and requires a writing portfolio at the end of the course that focuses heavily on your writing process, it is vital that you print/copy and keep all of your writing during the course. Keep each assignment. Keep everything!
Along with writing the essay/memoir, we will engage in a variety of other writing exercises, including responding to readings, and reflecting on writing. The readings in the course will include selected essays, discussions of the writing process (particularly in Lamott and Zinsser),and various handouts on a variety of topics.
The course will also emphasize critical thinking (reflective skepticism), collaborative learning, and group-inquiry.
The purpose and goal of the course are to get you reading, thinking, talking, and writing. The overriding instructional principle of the course is that participation in a writing workshop environment and in informed discussion helps stimulate and improve writing.
This course format may challenge your traditional views, experiences, and expectations with respect to the classroom. If you have any concerns about whether the course is appropriate for your learning style, expectations, and/or level of engagement, please talk with me.
Any glitches in the course will be discussed among us and all “fixes” will result from class consensus.
What We Will Be Reading:
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott;
On Writing Well, William Zinsser;
Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir, Bich Minh Nguyen;
Handouts;
Writing handbook (optional).
What We Will Be Doing:
1. Reading and writing (both in and out of class); (Expect to write during many class meetings);
2. Group and class discussions;
3. Reflective, active, critical reading;
4. Engaging in the writing process through… …writing “shitty first drafts” …publishing drafts in writing workshops …reading other writers’ drafts …rewriting…rewriting…rewriting…rewriting …editing…
editing…editing…editing …proofreading, and creating a ...creating a "final" draft;
5. Writing Portfolio.
See Reading and Writing Schedule (handouts) for specific reading and writing assignments throughout the semester. By the end of the course, you will have
-read, discussed, and written an essay/memoir;
-practiced active/critical reading and writing;
-continued to develop and strengthen your writing ability, particularly as is relates to the writing process;
-developed the skills associated with critical thinking—i.e., an active learner with the ability to shape, not merely absorb, knowledge;
-developed and practiced the skills associated with group-inquiry, collaborative and cooperative learning;
-related course readings, ideas, and discussions to your own life and own thinking;
-developed and practiced the skills associated with reading, discussing, and writing about other writers’ texts;
-developed and/or increased your confidence in your writing ability;
-monitored your academic progress, and contributed to the course’s successful completion by speaking your mind and solving as a group any problems as they arose.
How Your Writing Should Look:
1. Out-of-class writing assignments must be typed.2. Workshop drafts: typed, titled, double-spaced, and minimal surface errors. "Final Drafts": Typed, titled, double-spaced, and minimal surface errors.
3. Length: Essay rough drafts must meet the assigned word length--"shoot the documentary." “Final” draft of essay/memoir before “final” editing must be a minimum of 3,000 words will be 12+ pages.
Note: Writing assignments that don’t meet stated/required minimum word lengths will not receive credit. Relax: I promise you will be able to do it!
4. Writing Portfolio guidelines will be handed out later in the semester.
Assessing Your Performance in the Course: We will be using an evaluation method called “contract grading.” This method entails an agreement between you and me about the work necessary to achieve a minimal guaranteed final grade. In a course with a great deal of reading and writing (like this one), I would like you to concentrate on your writing without worrying constantly about how it will be evaluated or judged. I would like to encourage you to plunge into all the (writing and reading) exercises without fear.
In many cases, completing the exercises, working through the difficult ones, will benefit your writing most. Therefore, if you participate fully in the list of activities, assignments, and behaviors that follow, I guarantee that you’ll receive a final grade of a 4.00. In other words, I will not be judging the quality of your writing but rather the completeness of your participation to receive a 4.00. This method will relieve some of your fears about grading and your writing will improve if you complete every activity as specified (my standards will be high: 3,000 words means 3,000 words; significant rewriting means significant rewriting; active participation in writing workshops means carefully reading and commenting on drafts). This means that you will receive a 4.00 even if your essay/memoir isn’t the “best” writing in the world as long as you have completed the requirements.
To help you improve your writing, I will give you feedback on your essay drafts (and on many responses; you will also receive feedback from other writers in the course).
Keep in mind, however, you will receive a lower course grade for not fulfilling your contract. If you complete the contract you will get a 4.00; if you don’t complete any aspect of the contract your grade will be lowered accordingly.
I expect and hope that many of you will achieve a 4.00 in the course.
Throughout the semester, you will receive plenty of feedback about your writing from peers and from me, but you will not receive any grades. If you are concerned about where you stand in the course, please be sure to talk with me in my office; after mid-semester progress reports, I will have conferences to review your progress and, if you wish, to discuss my best estimate of your grade at this point in the semester.
Contract grading eliminates a great deal of anxiety since you are guaranteed a 4.00 by fulfilling the contract. The contract is as follows:
1. Attending 28 class meetings (including 100% of writing workshops) during the semester;
2. Satisfactorily completing 95% of reading and homework assignments;
3. Satisfactorily completing 90% of in-class writing assignments;
4. Satisfactorily completing active/critical/reflective reading on 90% reading assignments;
5. Meeting 100% of stated word-length requirements;
6. Substantive rewriting on essay (and other written work that is rewritten);
7. Careful and close editing on “final” draft;
8. Sustained effort and substantial evidence on peer feedback workshops;
9. Substantial effort and investment on each draft;
10. Sustained class engagement and participation (includes speaking in class discussions, participating in group activities, completing 90% of in-class writing assignments, asking questions when assignments or reading material is unclear, freewriting.)
11. Successfully completing assigned all library assignments;
12. Submitting a complete final writing portfolio.
Grading scale (beyond meeting contract for 4.00):
85-89 = 3.50
80-84 = 3.00
75-79 = 2.50
70-74 = 2.00
65-69 = 1.50
60-64 = 1.00
0-59 = 0.00
My Expectations of You: To be Actively Engaged by...
1. ...doing your best;
2. ...being punctual and attending class. (Early is on time and on time is late.);
3. ...submitting your work in class at the assigned deadlines.
4. ...being Mindful;
5. ...being willing to ask WGAD ("Who gives a damn?");
6. ...monitoring your academic progress throughout the course.
Finally, keep in mind that (just like pigs) not all class meetings are created equal—some are more equal than others.
Your Expectations of Me:
Be sure to write your own drafts: See “Student Academic Dishonesty” handout explaining KVCC’s policy on plagiarism. When you are really bored, read it.
Deadlines:
In writing “the deadline in the motivating factor.” Be sure to complete all of your assigned class reading and writing, exactly as requested, be sure it is done before class starts.
There is no such thing as “falling a little behind in the course reading or writing.” Either you have done it or you haven’t.
So,
There is no early or late work accepted in this course. Work is only accepted in class from the writer on the day it is due and if the student/writer remains for the class meeting.
Work will not be accepted if
-sent by e-mail;
-placed in my faculty mailbox;
-submitted just before or just after a scheduled class meeting;
-submitted by a writer before class but writer doesn’t attend class;
-submitted by a writer after class who has not attended class;
-given to the faculty receptionist.
(Excused absence: KVCC allows make-up work for family bereavement and verified medical illness. See KVCC Student Handbook).
Attendance Policy: This policy is intended for those students who may need a bit of an "extra incentive" with respect to class attendance. That is, it's a non-factor for students who attend class, just as it tends to be for a student not engaged.
1. Four (4) unexcused absences results in a 0.00 in the course.
2. Failing to adhere to established “Discussion Guidelines” may lead to an official withdrawal.
Meeting with me: I keep regular office hours, where I sit all alone in my office just waiting to talk with students and/or anyone else who might wonder by my door. I don’t really do anything else in my office except meet and talk with students, so you will never be bothering me, so you will never be bothering me, so you will never be bothering me, so you will never be bothering me. Please free to talk with me about any ideas, concerns, questions, suggestions, comments, problems, thoughts you have about the course.
Whenever you have a question concerning your performance in the course, please see me during office hours or make an appointment to see me. (Privacy laws do not allow me to discuss a student’s academic performance before or after class or by e-mail.)
A Reading and Writing Schedule will be handed out every two weeks (or so) listing reading and writing assignments. It will also be available at kkroll.com (“English 110: College Writing” link).
“You write by sitting down and writing. There’s no particular time or place—you suit yourself, your nature. How one works, assuming [he or she is] disciplined, doesn’t matter. –Bernard Malamud
Fall 2011 Semester performance in English 110:
48 enrolled
-14 students = 4.00 (met contract)
-7 students = 3.50
-6 students = 3.00
-2 students = 2.50
-3 students = 2.00
----------------------------- 67% pass rate
-3 students = 0.00
-1 student = I (incomplete portfolio)
-12 students officially withdrew (at some point during the
semester)
Winter 2012 7434 TTC
www.kkroll.com 488-4350
ekroll@kvcc.edu
"The goal of the writer's practice is the same as anyone else's: to seek understanding of who and where and what we are, to come fully awake." -Scott Russell Sanders
The Course:
This section of English 110 is based on the following four principles:
(1) Writer’s write; (2) Writing is a process; (3) Writing is a process of discovery; and (4) If you are a writer, then the only way to fail (as a writer) is not to write.
The focus of the course this semester will be on writing the memoir. Webster’s defines memoir as “a narrative composed from personal experience.” Here is how several notable writers define memoir:
“[A] memoir is how one remembers one’s own life, while an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, facts double-checked.” It is more about what can be gleaned from a section of one’s life than about the outcome of the life as a whole.” –Gore Vidal
“I gather together the dreams, fantasies, experiences that preoccupied me as a girl, that stay with me and appear and reappear in different shapes and forms in all my work. Without telling everything that happened, they document all that remains most vivid.”
-bell hooks
“I believe that the memoir is the novel of the 21st century; it’s an amazing form that we haven’t even begun to tap…we’re just getting started figuring out what the rules are.”
-Susan Cheever
“Our stories about our own lives are a form of fiction, I began to see, and become more insistent as we grow older, even as we try to make them come out in some other way.”
-Roger Angell
“I think of this memoir as an homage to childhood, suburbia, and the bad food, fashion, music, and hair of the deep 1980s…. This book is my articulation of memories and experiences as I believe them—call it one person’s perspective on being Vietnamese and American, and on being a kid in America, growing up with all the wants, frustrations, and bright-colored packaging that make up the landscape of childhood.”
-Bich Minh Nguyen, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir. KVCC visiting writer 2012.
During the course, you will have the opportunity to write and rewrite and rewrite and rewrite and rewrite….and rewrite and edit and proofread one essay/memoir (chapter?) composed from personal experience.
You will be writing on this essay and on other writing topics/exercises outside of class and during scheduled class meetings This writing will be your scheduled “practice” for the course (1).
In writing these drafts—and in completing other writing assignments— you will have the opportunity to engage in the writing process: invention, writing, rewriting—writing is rewriting—editing, and proofreading. The process, as you will find out, is never this neat. (2)
I also hope you will learn that writing is a process of discovery: a writer often learns where a piece of writing is “going” at the end of the writing journey. (3)
The focus of the course is, in fact, on writing and the writing process. My goal is not to demand that you write a "successful essay/memoir," but rather to teach you what it takes to write. You have the rest of your life to write "successfully.” (4)
Note: Because the course emphasizes the writing process and requires a writing portfolio at the end of the course that focuses heavily on your writing process, it is vital that you print/copy and keep all of your writing during the course. Keep each assignment. Keep everything!
Along with writing the essay/memoir, we will engage in a variety of other writing exercises, including responding to readings, and reflecting on writing. The readings in the course will include selected essays, discussions of the writing process (particularly in Lamott and Zinsser),and various handouts on a variety of topics.
The course will also emphasize critical thinking (reflective skepticism), collaborative learning, and group-inquiry.
The purpose and goal of the course are to get you reading, thinking, talking, and writing. The overriding instructional principle of the course is that participation in a writing workshop environment and in informed discussion helps stimulate and improve writing.
This course format may challenge your traditional views, experiences, and expectations with respect to the classroom. If you have any concerns about whether the course is appropriate for your learning style, expectations, and/or level of engagement, please talk with me.
Any glitches in the course will be discussed among us and all “fixes” will result from class consensus.
What We Will Be Reading:
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott;
On Writing Well, William Zinsser;
Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir, Bich Minh Nguyen;
Handouts;
Writing handbook (optional).
What We Will Be Doing:
1. Reading and writing (both in and out of class); (Expect to write during many class meetings);
2. Group and class discussions;
3. Reflective, active, critical reading;
4. Engaging in the writing process through… …writing “shitty first drafts” …publishing drafts in writing workshops …reading other writers’ drafts …rewriting…rewriting…rewriting…rewriting …editing…
editing…editing…editing …proofreading, and creating a ...creating a "final" draft;
5. Writing Portfolio.
See Reading and Writing Schedule (handouts) for specific reading and writing assignments throughout the semester. By the end of the course, you will have
-read, discussed, and written an essay/memoir;
-practiced active/critical reading and writing;
-continued to develop and strengthen your writing ability, particularly as is relates to the writing process;
-developed the skills associated with critical thinking—i.e., an active learner with the ability to shape, not merely absorb, knowledge;
-developed and practiced the skills associated with group-inquiry, collaborative and cooperative learning;
-related course readings, ideas, and discussions to your own life and own thinking;
-developed and practiced the skills associated with reading, discussing, and writing about other writers’ texts;
-developed and/or increased your confidence in your writing ability;
-monitored your academic progress, and contributed to the course’s successful completion by speaking your mind and solving as a group any problems as they arose.
How Your Writing Should Look:
1. Out-of-class writing assignments must be typed.2. Workshop drafts: typed, titled, double-spaced, and minimal surface errors. "Final Drafts": Typed, titled, double-spaced, and minimal surface errors.
3. Length: Essay rough drafts must meet the assigned word length--"shoot the documentary." “Final” draft of essay/memoir before “final” editing must be a minimum of 3,000 words will be 12+ pages.
Note: Writing assignments that don’t meet stated/required minimum word lengths will not receive credit. Relax: I promise you will be able to do it!
4. Writing Portfolio guidelines will be handed out later in the semester.
Assessing Your Performance in the Course: We will be using an evaluation method called “contract grading.” This method entails an agreement between you and me about the work necessary to achieve a minimal guaranteed final grade. In a course with a great deal of reading and writing (like this one), I would like you to concentrate on your writing without worrying constantly about how it will be evaluated or judged. I would like to encourage you to plunge into all the (writing and reading) exercises without fear.
In many cases, completing the exercises, working through the difficult ones, will benefit your writing most. Therefore, if you participate fully in the list of activities, assignments, and behaviors that follow, I guarantee that you’ll receive a final grade of a 4.00. In other words, I will not be judging the quality of your writing but rather the completeness of your participation to receive a 4.00. This method will relieve some of your fears about grading and your writing will improve if you complete every activity as specified (my standards will be high: 3,000 words means 3,000 words; significant rewriting means significant rewriting; active participation in writing workshops means carefully reading and commenting on drafts). This means that you will receive a 4.00 even if your essay/memoir isn’t the “best” writing in the world as long as you have completed the requirements.
To help you improve your writing, I will give you feedback on your essay drafts (and on many responses; you will also receive feedback from other writers in the course).
Keep in mind, however, you will receive a lower course grade for not fulfilling your contract. If you complete the contract you will get a 4.00; if you don’t complete any aspect of the contract your grade will be lowered accordingly.
I expect and hope that many of you will achieve a 4.00 in the course.
Throughout the semester, you will receive plenty of feedback about your writing from peers and from me, but you will not receive any grades. If you are concerned about where you stand in the course, please be sure to talk with me in my office; after mid-semester progress reports, I will have conferences to review your progress and, if you wish, to discuss my best estimate of your grade at this point in the semester.
Contract grading eliminates a great deal of anxiety since you are guaranteed a 4.00 by fulfilling the contract. The contract is as follows:
1. Attending 28 class meetings (including 100% of writing workshops) during the semester;
2. Satisfactorily completing 95% of reading and homework assignments;
3. Satisfactorily completing 90% of in-class writing assignments;
4. Satisfactorily completing active/critical/reflective reading on 90% reading assignments;
5. Meeting 100% of stated word-length requirements;
6. Substantive rewriting on essay (and other written work that is rewritten);
7. Careful and close editing on “final” draft;
8. Sustained effort and substantial evidence on peer feedback workshops;
9. Substantial effort and investment on each draft;
10. Sustained class engagement and participation (includes speaking in class discussions, participating in group activities, completing 90% of in-class writing assignments, asking questions when assignments or reading material is unclear, freewriting.)
11. Successfully completing assigned all library assignments;
12. Submitting a complete final writing portfolio.
Grading scale (beyond meeting contract for 4.00):
85-89 = 3.50
80-84 = 3.00
75-79 = 2.50
70-74 = 2.00
65-69 = 1.50
60-64 = 1.00
0-59 = 0.00
My Expectations of You: To be Actively Engaged by...
1. ...doing your best;
2. ...being punctual and attending class. (Early is on time and on time is late.);
3. ...submitting your work in class at the assigned deadlines.
4. ...being Mindful;
5. ...being willing to ask WGAD ("Who gives a damn?");
6. ...monitoring your academic progress throughout the course.
Finally, keep in mind that (just like pigs) not all class meetings are created equal—some are more equal than others.
Your Expectations of Me:
Be sure to write your own drafts: See “Student Academic Dishonesty” handout explaining KVCC’s policy on plagiarism. When you are really bored, read it.
Deadlines:
In writing “the deadline in the motivating factor.” Be sure to complete all of your assigned class reading and writing, exactly as requested, be sure it is done before class starts.
There is no such thing as “falling a little behind in the course reading or writing.” Either you have done it or you haven’t.
So,
There is no early or late work accepted in this course. Work is only accepted in class from the writer on the day it is due and if the student/writer remains for the class meeting.
Work will not be accepted if
-sent by e-mail;
-placed in my faculty mailbox;
-submitted just before or just after a scheduled class meeting;
-submitted by a writer before class but writer doesn’t attend class;
-submitted by a writer after class who has not attended class;
-given to the faculty receptionist.
(Excused absence: KVCC allows make-up work for family bereavement and verified medical illness. See KVCC Student Handbook).
Attendance Policy: This policy is intended for those students who may need a bit of an "extra incentive" with respect to class attendance. That is, it's a non-factor for students who attend class, just as it tends to be for a student not engaged.
1. Four (4) unexcused absences results in a 0.00 in the course.
2. Failing to adhere to established “Discussion Guidelines” may lead to an official withdrawal.
Meeting with me: I keep regular office hours, where I sit all alone in my office just waiting to talk with students and/or anyone else who might wonder by my door. I don’t really do anything else in my office except meet and talk with students, so you will never be bothering me, so you will never be bothering me, so you will never be bothering me, so you will never be bothering me. Please free to talk with me about any ideas, concerns, questions, suggestions, comments, problems, thoughts you have about the course.
Whenever you have a question concerning your performance in the course, please see me during office hours or make an appointment to see me. (Privacy laws do not allow me to discuss a student’s academic performance before or after class or by e-mail.)
A Reading and Writing Schedule will be handed out every two weeks (or so) listing reading and writing assignments. It will also be available at kkroll.com (“English 110: College Writing” link).
“You write by sitting down and writing. There’s no particular time or place—you suit yourself, your nature. How one works, assuming [he or she is] disciplined, doesn’t matter. –Bernard Malamud
Fall 2011 Semester performance in English 110:
48 enrolled
-14 students = 4.00 (met contract)
-7 students = 3.50
-6 students = 3.00
-2 students = 2.50
-3 students = 2.00
----------------------------- 67% pass rate
-3 students = 0.00
-1 student = I (incomplete portfolio)
-12 students officially withdrew (at some point during the
semester)
Reading and Writing Schedule
Tuesday/Thursday reading and writing schedule below Monday/Wednesday
February 20 – February 29
Read = Active/Critical/Reflective
These are due dates!
Monday, 20 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 2 – Chapter 4 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
FResubmit of McCall response due.
Wednesday, 22 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 5 – Chapter 6 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
Monday, 27 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 7 – Chapter 8 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
Wednesday, 29 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 9 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for the chapter/essay:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
RMonday, 5 March and Wednesday, 7 March: Spring Break
*Reading and Writing Schedule subject to change. Assignment may be added and/or deleted.
Reading and Writing Schedule
February 21 – March 1
Read = Active/Critical/Reflective
These are due dates!
Tuesday, 21 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 2 – Chapter 4 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
FResubmit of McCall response due.
Thursday, 23 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 5 – Chapter 6 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
Tuesday, 28 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 7 – Chapter 8 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
Thursday, 1 March:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 9 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for the chapter/essay:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
RTuesday, 6 March and Thursday, 8 March: Spring Break
*Reading and Writing Schedule subject to change. Assignment may be added and/or deleted.
*Reading and Writing Schedule subject to change. Assignment may be added and/or deleted.
Tuesday/Thursday reading and writing schedule below Monday/Wednesday
February 20 – February 29
Read = Active/Critical/Reflective
These are due dates!
Monday, 20 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 2 – Chapter 4 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
FResubmit of McCall response due.
Wednesday, 22 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 5 – Chapter 6 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
Monday, 27 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 7 – Chapter 8 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
Wednesday, 29 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 9 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for the chapter/essay:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
RMonday, 5 March and Wednesday, 7 March: Spring Break
*Reading and Writing Schedule subject to change. Assignment may be added and/or deleted.
Reading and Writing Schedule
February 21 – March 1
Read = Active/Critical/Reflective
These are due dates!
Tuesday, 21 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 2 – Chapter 4 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
FResubmit of McCall response due.
Thursday, 23 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 5 – Chapter 6 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
Tuesday, 28 February:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 7 – Chapter 8 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for each of the chapters/essays:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
Thursday, 1 March:
FRead: Bich Minh Nguyen, Chapter 9 in Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir.
FReading with the “eye of a writer.” Answer (in writing) the following questions for the chapter/essay:
(1) How does Minh Nguyen start the chapter?
(2) What is at the “center” of this chapter? That is, what does she seem to be passionate about?
(3) What "universal/human theme" does chapter evoke? In other words, how does this chapter “move off the page” to “speak” to readers?
(4) Is chapter original?
(5) Is it convincing?
(6) Are you a slightly different person for having read it, than you’d been previously?
(7) How does the chapter end?
(8) How is the chapter organized?
(9) What is the “best” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(10) What is the “most essential” sentence in the chapter? Why?
(11) Above all, what have you learned from this chapter—
as a reader? As a writer?
RTuesday, 6 March and Thursday, 8 March: Spring Break
*Reading and Writing Schedule subject to change. Assignment may be added and/or deleted.
*Reading and Writing Schedule subject to change. Assignment may be added and/or deleted.