Wed. 11.2.11

11 2 11 Assignments

10^th  Homework: Vocab 6C

11/12 Complete revision handout: how can this essay be improved?

8^th: No homework tonight (yay!)

9^th. Read ‘The Death of Hector’ and be ready for a reading quiz (which will be to write a one paragraph summary of what you’ve read).

Tuesday 11.1.11 Notes and Assignments

10^th Homework: Vocab 6 A and B

Class notes (partial)

Romanticism was to some extent a reaction to, and a rebellion against, rationalism.

Rationalist world view                                    Romantic world view

1. Reason = light, soul, spirit                          Passion and imagination – light, soul, spirit

Romanticism saw reason as an incomplete approach, even dangerous: hence the birth of the mad scientist motif. Where the rationalist tends to look for solutions to problems and answers to needs in science, technology and rational methods, the Romantic believes that science and technology can’t satisfy the human heart. Romantics believe in our need for mystery, inspiration, vision, passion in order to be whole and fulfilled.

2. Nature is rational: the ‘clockwork’ or         Nature, the created world, is full of

mechanistic view of life and nature                mystery and power, and of forces and events that                                                                             can’t be explained in purely rational terms—belief                                                                            in the supernatural, ‘uncanny’, mystical and magical

The rationalist believes that all events can be explained scientifically, at least in principle; the natural world is all a matter of physics, like a billiard table. The romantic tends to believe there is some sort of life, soul, or spirit that inhabits the physical world and can’t be accounted for in strictly scientific and/or rational terms.

3. Civilization is rational, orderly, and            Civilization is a corrupting force, unnatural, full of

fends off savagery                                          pretense and temptation

In many cases, Romantics sought peace, insight, vision by withdrawing into nature to commune with its purity and wildness.

4. Nobility of mind and character                                                       Nobility

comes from reason, civilization                       comes from inner impulses, the natural

and established order—people without          purity of soul—and can be corrupted by

benefit of civilization become savage             education and social compliance

--people are good only when taught to           --people (at least some people) are naturally good

be so.                                                               and noble.

5. Abhors paradoxes                                       embraces paradoxes.

11/12

Write a ‘status report’ on your research project. (Re-read the final assignment if you need to.)

1. Your basic conclusions at this time—explain as specifically as you can the CLAIMS you expect to make in your final paper.

2. Some of the evidence supporting your claims

3. Any gaps you see in your evidence

4. How your efforts at research have been going. LET ME KNOW OF PROBLEMS.

8^th:  Vocab 6 A and B. Write: which topic would you like to research first (list top 3) and how would you approach the task?

9^th: Background of the Iliad reading—why the Trojan war started; why Patroclus was killed by Hector and Achilles seeks revenge; role of the gods in the conflict.

RHETORIC

Rhetoric Assignment, Nov. 1, 2011

We are instructed, in 1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV):

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always [be] ready to [give] a defense [Grk. apologia] to everyone who asks you a reason (Grk. logos) for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.

This verse has been used as the justification for the discipline of apologetics, which aims to use the rhetorical appeal to logos, or reasoning, in the defense of our faith in God and our hope in Jesus.

Jesus, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, instructed his apostles not to prepare their arguments beforehand, when they knew they would be examined and required to give witness for the gospel, but rather to let the Holy Spirit give them the words they should speak at the time.

Paul reminds the Corinthians (1 Cor. chs. 1 & 2) that he did not preach the gospel with eloquent words or man’s wisdom, but in the ‘power and demonstration of the Spirit’.

Drawing from the handout, from your class notes, and most of all from your own thinking and writing on this topic, discuss how Christians should go about ‘being ready to give a defense’ to those who ask about the reason for the hope that is in us.

Some specific things to pay attention to:

• Typed, double-spaced, 1.5 to 2 pages. Neatly edited—take some time on this, since it counts as a major test grade.
• This paper is for a class in rhetoric, not Bible. Be sure to address the role of rhetorical logos, as Aristotle defined it, in the spread and defense of the gospel. You can do this by discussing the role of apologetics in our witnessing.
• Be sure to make one or more specific claims or assertions, and to support them with arguments from scripture and elsewhere.
• Do not quote directly from my writing in the handout. My thoughts are not meant to serve as research sources, but as a stimulus for your own thinking and writing.
• If you want to use ideas, information, or quotations from outside sources other than the Bible, then do your own research, and include a bibliography to document the source(s) you use.

Due dates TBA after class discussion.

NOTES and assignments MON 10 31 11

The Noise of the Street by early 20th century Italian painter Umberto Boccioni

10^th :  Vocab Quiz 5 tomorrow

Romanticism as a world view

• Exaggeration and oversimplification of characters and ideas—‘larger than life’ events, excitements, etc.
• Nature vs. society theme—society as a corrupting influence; nature as pure and good
• Emotion vs. Reason—passion as the guide to truth or right action; over-rational approach restricts the soul
• Imagination vs. reason—creative forces in the human soul that reason alone can’t equal or account for
• Imagination vs. ‘reality’—the power to shape ‘facts’ to new forms;
• ‘Simple man’, ‘noble savage’, and ‘common hero’ stereotypes

Romantic Hero—diagnostic characteristics

• orphaned (or separated from society in some way—an outsider, lonely, a castawy, handicapped or ‘troubled’)—Spiderman, Superman, Hunchback of Notre Dame
• ‘Nature boy’ figure—special relationship with nature, or raised in some exotic setting or circumstances—Tarzan, Mowgli,
• Unusual abilities—from ‘superpowers’ to simply a high level of skill—Luke Skywalker
• Caught up in good v. evil struggle—or, in some cases, torn by an internal struggle
• Fights prevailing order—a rebel
• nobility of character
• exotic encounters—blood brothers with the Comanche
• Double life

While the Romantic world view as we’re familiar with it today began to take shape in the late 1700’s, and was clearly defined by about 1800, elements of it can be found in Shakespeare, in Medieval European poetry and literature—particularly in the King Arthur tales and in Troubador poetry—and even in classical and ancient myths, where heroes are often orphans who endure tremendous emotional struggles. We also find profoundly Romantic themes and myths in India, China, and other non-western cultural contexts.

11/12 We’ll be workshopping your essays over the next couple of days. Think REVISE AND EDIT!

8^th: VOCAB QUIZ TOMORROW. Turn the two lists assigned Friday into two paragraphs. I know there’s some information missing—do the best you can.

9^th: VOCAB QUIZ TOMORROW. Know the definition of ‘classical literature’ as we’ll be using the term in this class. Prepare to understand and explain in writing the basic history of the Trojan war.

Notes and Assignments WED 10 26 11

10 26 11

10^th: No homework

11/12: Work on Comparison essays.

8^th: Brainstorm ideas for the Plan section of our project proposal.

9^th: Write revised paragraphs describing Gilgamesh’s condition when he met Utnapishtim, and explaining the test and why he failed it.

Rhetoric: Write: What do you think Paul means in 1 Corinthians by his distinction between God’s wisdom and the wisdom of men, between words given by the Holy Spirit and words of worldly eloquence and worldly wisdom?

Notes and assignments TUES 10 25 11

Triple portrait of Charles I by Anthony van Dyck.

10 25 11 Assignments

10^th: Work on Rhetoric assignments.

11/12: Reach Chapter Five of They Say; think about how you are helping your reader distinguish among the various ‘voices’ in your writing—what ‘voice markers’ are you using?

Rhetoric:

With reference to the readings for today, from the gospels: Why did Jesus say, ‘Don’t be anxious’ or ‘Don’t worry’ about defending the gospel? Is there something more persuasive than a well prepared speech with rehearsed gestures and emotional cues? What is the most effective demonstration of the truth of the gospel?

Read 1 Cor. Chs. 1 & 2. Identify 4 or 5 verses that seem relevant, and explain their relevance.

Paul mentions ‘Jews’, offended, and ‘Greeks’, to whom the gospel seems stupid. Who are their modern analogs?

Notes and Assignments MONDAY 10 24 11

10^th:  No Homework

11/12: Write 1 paragraph summaries of your two sources.

8^th: Write the Rationale  or Justification section of your proposal.

9^th: Answer three questions about Gilgamesh reading in writing:

1) What condition was G. in when he reached the garden of Utnapishtim?

2) Explain how G. fails U’s test.

3) What connection does G’s faillure to remain awake have with U’s refusing to give him the secret?

RHETORIC

Yes, we’re back at it again. Below are the texts of the two handouts from today. From the bottom of page two, here’s the reading/writing assignment that’s due TOMORROW:

ASSIGNMENT: Read the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 10:18-20, and the parallel passages, Mark 13:10-11, Luke 12:11-12. Write your thoughts about how we might reconcile 1) Jesus’ instruction not to plan out our answers ahead of time with 2) the practice of apologetics. What do you think it means that ‘what you should speak…will be given to you in that hour’?

Now read 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 2. Which verses might apply to questions about how Christians should prepare to answer our critics, and what kinds of ‘reasons’ or ‘evidences’ we should be ready to give for our faith to those we hope to evangelize? 

Rhetoric Assignment, 10.24.11

Final rhetoric assignment: write a three to four-page essay discussing the appropriate role of Aristotelian rhetorical logos in the spread and defense of the gospel.

1) A preliminary two-page typed essay is due in two weeks.

2) The final essay will be due after the final Rhetoric class in March.

Be sure your essays have:

1) A clear evaluative or synthetic thesis,

2) A specific topic or sub-thesis for each paragraph, with transitions that explain the connections from para. to para.

3) Coherently connected discussions within the paragraphs.

An important issue in this essay will be the practice of ‘apologetics’—the study and preparation of reasoned or rational-appearing arguments to answer critics and attack conflicting beliefs and views.

Think about the answers to such questions as:

• Is the ‘faith’ that saves souls the same as ‘belief’ based on reasoning and evidence? Why or why not?

• Can the practice of apologetics—preparing answers and arguments beforehand—be reconciled with Jesus’ instructions to wait for the words the Holy Spirit will give? If not, why not? If so, how can they be reconciled?

• The basic proof text for apologetics is 1 Peter 3:15, which exhorts Christians to be ready to give ‘answer’ or ‘defense,’ and a logos or ‘reason’ for our faith.  Is this defense going to be primarily a matter of reasoning and logical arguments? Or does the Bible suggest that the ‘logos’ or ‘reason’ Peter had in mind might involve something more? Does it make a difference that the scriptural text says ‘a reason’ not ‘reasons’?

• Is ordinary human logic and intellectual reasoning capable of understanding the ways of God, or of comprehending the message of salvation and ‘new birth’? What does the Bible say we can accomplish with our own minds, our own understanding?

• Is reason alone a sufficient source of knowledge about God and salvation? Can the Bible be understood with reason alone? If not, does the Bible suggest what other channels of understanding and knowledge might be necessary?

 

Rhetoric and Apologetics

One of the fundamental elements of rhetoric, as identified by Aristotle, is logos, the practice of persuasion by rational, or rational-seeming, arguments. In many Christian circles, the broad term applied to such arguments is apologetics. Advocates of Christian ‘apologetics’ almost always base their practice on 1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV):

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always [be] ready to [give] a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

The Greek word translated ‘defense’ is apologia, an answer or justification, meaning the reasoned (logical) defense one gives in court or to one’s critics. Here’s a fairly typical explanation of apologetics, from the webpage ‘Introduction to Christian Apologetics’ by Charlie Campbell, founder of ABR, the Always Be Ready apologetics ministry. Campbell defines apologetics as ‘giving reasons and evidence in defense of the faith,’ and references the term apologia in the verse from 1 Peter:

It is from this Greek word that that we get our English word “apologetics.” To be skilled in apologetics is to be able to give a defense of the Christian faith to someone who asks, or to someone who challenges your beliefs.

What kind of defense should we be prepared to give? Campbell points out that the same verse uses the Greek word logos, which literally translated is ‘word’, but which can also mean a reasoned answer or argument based on evidence—the same meaning Aristotle used for it. Campbell obviously interprets the text in this Aristotelian sense:

There are good reasons why a person should believe that God exists, that the Bible is trustworthy, that Jesus rose from the dead, etc. The Christian ambassador should be familiar with these reasons and be able to articulate them to those who have questions.

Thus the stated purpose of apologetics is to provide Christians with prepared arguments, based on reasoning from evidence, to use when responding to those who question or criticize our faith. Apologetics also aims to show unbelievers the logical weaknesses and errors in their own beliefs. Here’s how Campbell explains this second aspect of apologetics:  

Our primary task as ambassadors is to preach the gospel and to make disciples. But sometimes before a person receives the gospel, we must be involved in what we might call “spiritual demolition," demolishing lies and misconceptions about the Christian faith.

Clearly, the purpose of apologetics is to use evidence and reasoning in debate as a means of answering those who ask us for a ‘reason’ for our faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. Thus apologetics is a rhetorical tool, a Christian version of Aristotle’s logos.

ASSIGNMENT: Read the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 10:18-20, and the parallel passages, Mark 13:10-11, Luke 12:11-12. Write your thoughts about how we might reconcile 1) Jesus’ instruction not to plan out our answers ahead of time with 2) the practice of apologetics. What do you think it means that ‘what you should speak…will be given to you in that hour’?

Now read 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 2. Which verses might apply to questions about how Christians should prepare to answer our critics, and what kinds of ‘reasons’ or ‘evidences’ we should be ready to give for our faith to those we hope to evangelize?

Thursday, Oct. 20 assignments and notes

10 20 11 assignments

10^th  Get those final versions of the descriptions of Franklin’s self-improvement method in good shape.

11/12 If you still don’t have adequate sources, KEEP RESEARCHING. If you have your sources, begin taking notes and writing summaries.

Steps to writing a summary:

1) As you read the article, mark what seem to be important transitions in the argument, and the important premises and conclusions. Also mark sentences that may provide quotations.

2) Try to sum up the argument in one or two sentences: what is the most important thing this writer is trying to say about the topic?

3) List or outline four to six main ideas from the article—what are the main steps in the argument, and how does the author support them? If you’re not clear on this yet, you might try writing some brainstorming paragraphs explaining the argument of your source—if you can’t do this coherently, you may have missed an important step in the argument. Reread as needed.

4) Reread the article, or skim it while rereading important parts—intro, conclusion, transition paragraphs. Is your one to two sentence summary still satisfactory? Is your list of main points accurate? Rewrite if needed.

5) As you do step 4), also select your quotations—identify one to three key statements from the source that you want to quote whole or in part in your summary.

6) When you have a clear idea what the writer is saying, and not before, begin to draft your summary.

8^th: Rewrite or type your ‘goal description’ paragraphs; due tomorrow

9^th: Final versions of Enuma essays due tomorrow. Do a good job editing!

Oct. 19, 2011 Homework and notes

10^th: We are taking another run at the Franklin essays. For today, write a summary of Franklin’s attempts to perfect his moral character.

            1. In this summary, include explanations of

            the motivation for his project, and the original plan

            his failures

            his final plan or method.

            2. Include at least one quotation.

            3. First draft due Thurs., typed or handwritten. Final draft Friday.

11/12: Initial, completed draft of essay three, the comparison, is due by Friday, Oct. 28. Since there’s no school that day, you can turn it in Thursday, or you can email it on Friday.

Our schedule for the rest of the semester looks something like this:

Essay 4 due Nov. 18 or so.

Draft of Final essay due Dec. 14 (with a cushion, get them in NO LATER than the 16^th).

Project presentations weeks of Jan 6 and 13 (Fridays).

Final edited essay due Jan 12.

8^th:  Vocab A and B.

9^th: Vocab A and B. Your edited Enuma Elish essays are due Friday.

Wed Oct 5.

Here's a stained glass design by one of the best architects and artists of the twentieth century.

 

TENTH: We're still working on American Rationalism.

HW: 1) Vocab Exercise A.  2) Write a brainstorming outline for an essay on this topic: How does Franklin's description of his efforts to improve his moral character show that he was more of a rationalist than a puritan?

11/12: Keep working on those essays!

8th: Vocab Exercises 4 A, B, C, D.

9th: Vocab Exercises 4 A, B, D.

TUES 10.4.11

Here's a painting of a bighorn sheep by one of my favorite Native American artists, Quincy Tahoma (ca. 1917 - 1956) 

 

10th VOCAB QUIZ TOMORROW. We'll be discussing and writing about Mr. Benjamin Franklin this week.

11/12: We'll be back at work on those essays due NEXT WEEK )-:

8th: VOCAB QUIZ TOMORROW (yay!)

9th: VOCAB QUIZ TOMORROW. We'll finish discussing and start writing about the Enuma Elish this week.

Thurs. 9.29

 

I really like the colors in this picture.

Today's notes and homework:

10th

We are still introducing our unit on American Rationalism. The UNIT GOALS include: 1) Be able to explain American Rationalism and its differences from Puritanism IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

2) Be able to analyze a text in terms of its rationalist elements. In other words, be able to explain what elements in a text give evidence that the writer was using a ratinalist world view, with its characteristic (diagnostic) assumptions and methods.

We discussed what happens when we compare puritans to rationalists on major issues

What can we trust?

What is God like?

What is human nature

What is nature

How do we solve problems

How do we understand religion?

Where does B. Franklin stand in this comparison? On most of these points he’s clearly leaning toward the rationalist approach.

HW: Study: be prepared to compare Puritans to rationalists and explain differences…

11/12: We discussed using the EBSCO databases for your research. I NEED SOME SORT OF DRAFT TOMORROW.

8th: Your essay about a person you respect is due tomorrow.

9th: Two paragraphs discussing the implications of the differences between the Babylonian religion and Christianity. In other words, why does it matter whether God has always been God, or had to win a war and be declared God by a council of gods? Why does it matter whether the earth is presently as God made it, or is fallen and awaiting redemption?

Monday 9.26 Notes and Assignments

Hope you are doing OK today! One place I'd like to be able to travel to:

10th: After you turn in your essay tomorrow, we'll move on to the next phase of American literature, the period of Rationalism.

11/12: We discussed the importance of putting quotations in context, introducing them and explaining them--or 'transitioning in and out of the quotation'--so that the reader understands a) the original writer's purpose, b) the place of the ideas in the larger 'conversation' about your topic, and c) the function of this particular bit of information in your own argument.

8th: We will write one more descriptive essay. Due Friday, min. one page typed and double spaced, a description of a person you admire. Your description will explain what it is about that person that you find worthy of respect, admiration or emulation.

9th: We are working on an essay contrasting the Babylonian world view, as seen in the Enuma Elish, with a biblical view of the purpose and structure of creation. While your arguments will be grounded in facts about the E. E. and the Bible, you will me making analytical connections (finding patterns and principles) and drawing evaluative conclusions. 1 1/2 to 2 pages typed. Due date to be announced (TBA) but hopefully sometime next week.

Wed 9 21 Assignments

From Tuesday

10^th: Vocab lesson three exercise A.

11/12: Continue your research. Proposed outline due WED.

8^th: Vocab lesson three exercises A, B, C.

9^th: Read the rest of the Babylonian Creation handout. Outline the main events of the story—summarize them in sequence.

WED.

10^th: Vocab exercise A

11/12: Continue your research; begin drafting your Definition Essay.

8^th: No homework.

9^th: Vocab. lesson three exercises A, B, D.

Monday 9.19 Notes and Assignments

Oops--a little late getting this up. 'Almost complete'.

10^th Read the biography of Anne Bradstreet on page 108; then read ‘Verses upon the Burning of Our House’, page 109.

ASSIGNMENT: Write a 1 p. typed essay, due Monday 9 26: What does this poem reveal about Bradstreet’s faith in God?

            What you need to accomplish in your essay includes:

            1) Communicate an answer to the question: your THESIS

            2) Explain HOW the poem does this—analysis and examples

            3) Revise and edit your early draft(s) effectively.

FOR TOMORROW: 1) Be ready for vocab. quiz.

            2) Read the assignment.

            3) Outline the sequence of ideas in the poem—events and the writer’s responses.

            Remember that you don’t have to understand every word and phrase of a text to understand its overall meaning.

           

11/12: We discussed: A) How to paraphrase and summarize another 'voice' in the conversation. You need to frame the summary/paraphrase in a way that supports your own argument, without distorting or falsifying the source. Don't quote out of context, don't fall victim to the 'closest cliche' method of interpretation. Let your reader know what the source actually said and thought, but also make your own view clear.

B) The outline and specific research plan that's due WED.

Fourth Period: Eighth Grade: Brainstorm, organize, then write a description of a trip you took. When you finish, review for Tuesday’s vocab quiz.

Fifth Period: Ninth Grade: Read the rest of the handout from Friday. As you read, make a list of things that differ from the biblical account of the creation. Then write a paragraph explaining some of the ways this story differs from the Bible.

            When you finish, review for Tuesday’s vocab quiz.

Friday 9 16 Have a Good Weekend

No homework for 8th, 9th and 10th.

Juniors and Seniors:

1) Due Wednesday, a proposed outline of your next essay, as specific as you can make it, AND a list of specific research questions you'll need to answer to be able to write the essay. In other words, what do you intend to say, and what facts and authorities do you need as evidence for your arguments?

2) A substantially complete draft of this second essay is due Oct 3, and a final draft is due Oct 11. YOU NEED TO BE DOING RESEARCH NOW. College students frequently work over the weekend. You may need to do the same.

Thurs 9 15 Notes and assignments

Part of the 'Chi Rho' page from the Book of Kells.

10th. Read three Roger Williams poems in the lit. text, 'Boast not', 'The Courteous Pagan', and 'The Indian Says'. Write a discussion of what the poems seem to be saying about relations between the English colonists, the Indian population, and the teaching of the gospel.

11/12: Keep working on your research. We'll discuss how to frame your 'definition' thesis questions, and how to focus your research topics early in the research process.

Notes in class: Remember that you have two purposes when you summarize or paraphrase: to build a part of your own argument, but also to be fair to the people whose views you're representing.

8th: Write sentences for all the vocab words; the meaning of the word should be clearly implied by the context of the sentences you're writing.

10th: Write sentences for seven of the vocab words.

Have a good evening.

Tues 9 13 Notes and Assignments

The school network was down Monday. Here are the homework assignments for yesterday and today.

10th Due Tuesday: The editing handout from Monday: mark the page to correct errors and point out weak writing.
Wednesday in class essay: Why do you think the Puritans tortured and executed innocent people in the Salem witch trials? Can we learn anything from their mistakes? This assignment is due at the end of class Wed. You can type or write your essay ahead of time and turn it in, or you can bring notes, outlines, and reading materials to class and write it in class.

11/12: Due Wed.: Discuss in writing the topic you have in mind for the next essay: what term or idea do you want to define, in the process of preparing your final research essay?

We discussed in class A) What information you need to keep track of while preparing to document research sources   B) Vague and specific, 'grounded' and speculative research questions.

Remember, there are three categories of research question, all valuable. The first is the broad, speculative TOPIC QUESTION; this helps shape your research and the purpose of your writing, but is too broad to actually answer fully in a single research paper. The second is the ANALYTICAL QUESTION, which addresses specific issues within the topic, such as causes and effects, comparisions, etc. The third, most specific is the FACTUAL QUESTION, which leads to specific FACTUAL ANSWERS about specific data and observations. These answers are necessary to support your ANALYTICAL ANSWERS.

We also discussed some various ways of placing your own ideas in the context of a larger conversation; see Chapter One of They Say, I Say; see especially the templates on pages 21ff.

8th: Due Tuesday: Write a description of a dream or dreams you've had. Write in as much specific detail as possible.
Due Wed.: Choose two things you know how to do and make a list of the steps needed to accomplish each task.

9th: In class essay due Wed, discussing the possible reasons for the similarities between the Walam Olum and Genesis creation accounts. You can bring your finished essay, typed or handwritten, or you can bring notes, texts and outlines and complete your essay in class.

Rhetoric: Final draft of Socrates/Aristotle essays due Thursday.

Thurs 9 8 Notes and Assignments

A Maya sun god.

9 8 11 Notes and Assignments

10^th Read the Cotton Mather selection (handout). Make notes that will help you answer these questions:

1. Was Mather biased? (i.e. was he an objective observer and reporter? How did his preconceptions and pre-judgments possible affect his interpretations of what he observed?)

2. How is what he reports different from a trial today? Would testimony taken in the witch trials be allowed in court today?

3. Did you have any problems reading the material, due to vocabulary, old-fashioned phrasing, etc.?

11/12: We discussed the next assignment, a ‘Definition Essay’—p. 4 of the syllabus.

A completed final draft of this essay will be due on or around the 4^th of October.

Some terms related to your research topic you might define in this essay include ‘loaded’ terms, a crucial or key idea—perhaps the central term of your topic—and controversial terms.

The assignment requires that you use AT LEAST two sources other than a dictionary; but to do a really effective job, and to ensure that your research project is progressing as needed, you should already have many more likely sources identified and read by the end of September.

How can you write a 3 page paper defining a word or term? Using some of your analyitical skills. In addition to defining by explanation, you can define by:

            Contrast: define and explain some opposing term or idea.

                        Example: Define ‘pro-life’ in part as opposed to ‘pro-choice’, or ‘gun control’ as opposed to ‘gun rights’.

            Exclusion: explain and define ideas and terms that are not part of the term you’re defining (why are they excluded? How are they related?)

            Parts and wholes: what are some subordinate parts, aspects or elements of the idea you’re defining?

8^th:

HW: Do vocabulary exercises 2 B, C, and D.

9^th Read Navajo Origin and Walam Olum selections. For each, make notes about how this creation myth differs from the creation accounts in Genesis, then about any similarities it might have to the Genesis narratives.

RHETORIC: Please look at the due dates for your Aristotle vs. Socrates essays. Are you on schedule? If not, why not?

Am I your personal assistant who’s supposed to remind you of appointments and due dates?

Wed 9 7 Notes and Assignments

Oops. I got busy Wednesday afternoon and forgot to post this.

10^th: Think about where the Puritans went wrong? Why did they publically whip Quakers, and torture and hang people falsely accused of being witches?

11/12: Research questions sometimes lead where we didn’t want to go. Are you prepared for facts that don’t fit your preconceptions?

8^th: Vocab 2 A, and finish your revised ‘Place’ paragraphs for tomorrow.

9^th Vocab 2 A, B, and D.

Tuesday 9 6 11 Notes and Assignments

Welcome back. Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend.

I now have a Facebook page, but I won't accept friend requests from current students. Nothing personal, but I see you all the time; my Facebook account is to keep up with people I don't see all that often. Once you leave ACA--or after I do--then we can be Facebook friends.

I've been looking at some Maya art recently. Here are some stone carvings that are probably as much as a thousand years old:

 

And here's your homework for tonight:

10^th:  VOCAB Quiz Tomorrow! Read 99-100. Review 101-105. Write an evaluative paragraph on this topic: Is the Puritan habit of interpreting specific events as expressions of God’s will valid as they practiced it? As always in academic writing, use formal voice and use specific examples and analysis in support. Bonus for TYPED responses. Due tomorrow.

In the reading, the ‘common prayer’ refers to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, the rituals and liturgy for the Church of England, which many Puritans rejected as being too catholic.

11/12: ‘Final’ drafts due tomorrow.

HW: Use your ‘They Say, I Say’ homework to make a list of research questions. Be as specific as possible.

8^th: Voc quiz tomorrow. Rewrite ‘My Place’ paragraphs—due Thursday.

9^th: Vocab quiz tomorrow.

In-class writing for today (due tomorrow). Write a paragraph explaining the characteristics of a myth. Use examples, etc.

RHETORIC: No more rhetoric classes but work is still due. Revised thesis statements TOMORROW, please.

Friday 9 2 11 Some notes and NO HOMEWORK for most of you

Did you know that 'Labor Day' is to honor not only working men and women but also the 'labor movement'--i.e. labor unions that fought greedy 'robber barons' and their responsibility-deflecting corporations for fair wages and reasonable working hours in the United States?

The other day at Walmart, the only thing I could find made in USA was the antifreeze.

(Tuesday: I just noticed how much this picture of Samuel Gompers looks like Mr. W.!

10th: No homework. Vocab quiz WED., not Tues.

11/12: You have those essays due next week, but enjoy the weekend.

8th: No homework. Vocab quiz WED. not Tues.

9th: No homework. Vocab quiz WED. not Tues.

Rhetoric: Most of you need to REWRITE your inadequate thesis statements and have a paragraph or two drafted by WED at the latest.

Love and happy LABOR DAY. D.

Thurs 9 1 Notes and Assignments

The quest for knowledge sometimes leads

into out of the way places.


10th: Read the handout and answer these questions:
1. What were the people who went exploring looking for? Did they find it?
2. Where did the seed corn come from? (Explain your answers in some detail.)

11/12:
Keep in mind the due date for your 'final' draft of the Personal Narrative Essay. We discussed using authoritative sources in your research essays, and said that Wikipedia is not usually a source you will cite, but is useful for getting an overview of a topic, discovering subtopics, terms and names, and especially (sometimes) for the links and notes at the bottoms of the articles.

8th: We discussed some of the responsibilities and dangers of thinking for yourself. No homework.

9th: Be ready for an open-notes quiz on yesterday's discussion of the characteristics of myths.

Rhetoric: Thesis statements and outlines due TOMORROW by the end of class. Work on them now for a better grade!

Wed 8 31 Notes and Assignments

Nice.

10th: Write 1 - 2 paragraphs discussing the Mayflower compact. Consider the following points:
       Its purpose
       What it said and did
       Why it remains significant today.

11/12: Work on the final draft of your Personal Narrative.
DUE DATE: Final draft is due the Wednesday after Labor Day, Sept. 7.

Don't procrastinate. We will be working on other matters during class hours. Start working NOW and come to me with any problems or questions BEFORE Tuesday. Okay?

8th: Due to electrical outage and consequent failure to complete the lesson plan, there is NO HOMEWORK for tonight. But be ready tomorrow...

9th: Come to class tomorrow ready to invest effort and attention in your own education.

RHETORIC: Critique of Aristotle and Socrates Essay. 

RHETORIC ASSIGNMENT: Write a minimum two page typed critique of the Socratic and Aristotelian views of rhetoric. Compare their views, and offer your own evaluative discussion. 

Due dates:

Outline and thesis statement  Friday Sept 2

Draft paragraph(s)                   Tues Sept 6

Draft of essay                         Thurs Sept 8

Edited (final) draft                 Mon Sept 12

FORMAT: All typed papers for this class should be double spaced, in a plain 12-point font, with one inch margins on all sides. Heading and title should look like this:

 

Charlie White

Sept. 12, 2011

English 11

Aristotle’s Combative Rhetoric Vs. the Socratic Quest for Truth

           

            The Aristotelian approach to the teaching of rhetoric assumes that some skill in self

defense, and in defense of one’s community, is a virtue. As Christians, understanding that we

must cope with real conditions in a fallen world, bla bla bla…..

Tuesday 8 30 Notes and Assignments

Ouch. Oh well. Hope you had a good day today, in spite of the little--or big--frustrations.

I, personally, didn't enjoy school much today. That always makes me ask myself, again, Why are we here? Are the teachers really thinking about how much it costs the students to spend all day in school, then do homework and study? Are we trying to make sure that what we're teaching is what they need to learn?

And are the students making the effort that has to come from their side of the equation? Are they

appreciating how hard it is to teach well, and trying to benefit from what's being offered? Are they really trying to learn something, or just doing what they have to to pass the tests?

10th

Read 101-105 in Am Lit text

Answer question 3 on 105

Be ready for a reading quiz (i.e. be awake when you read).

11/12

Discuss: what was Herbert trying to accomplish in his essay? What is your response?

8th

Typed paragraphs due tomorrow.

9th

No Homework. 

RHETORIC

We discussed the 'slave boy' episode in Meno, when Socrates first shows the slave boy that he doesn't know how to draw a square with twice the area of another square, then shows him how to do it.

Socrates points out that the boy thought he could answer the question, but gave wrong answers, and could only begin to understand the correct answer once he had realized he was ignorant.

Aristotle saw debate as a battle in which we need skills and weapons--rhetorical techniques--to overcome our opponents. Socrates saw debate as a philosophical situation, a cooperative search for truth.

Aristotle viewed rhetoric--the art of persuasion--as the necessary and virtuous art of winning debates.
Socrates viewed rhetoric as a kind of deception--the art of making weak ideas seem strong and ignorance seem like knowledge.

ASSIGNMENT: Write a minimum 2 page typed critique of the Socratic and Aristotelian views of rhetoric. Compare their views, and offer your own evaluative discussion. Due dates for outline, draft, and final version to be announced--but get to work NOW.

Monday 8 29 Notes and Assignments

Some of you looked like this this morning:

I've heard of conserving your energy but this is too much!


10th: Class discussion was about structure in your essays, and about linking one idea to another, one sentence or paragraph to the next.

Good job getting your essays in. No homework for tonight.

11/12: Read the handout--make notes--then answer briefly: What is the structure of the essay, 'The Fire in the Basement'? In other words, what steps does the author make to lead you from his introduction to his conclusion?

8th: Edit and type 'pet peeves' paragraphs. Due Wednesday.

9th: We workshopped some of your draft essays, talking about overall structure and linking ideas together effectively to lead the reader from intro to conclusion.

Homework: Vocab 1B and 1C; finish your essays due tomorrow.

Rhetoric: No homework, but don't FORGET everything we've been working on, okay?

SEE YA TOMORROW.

Thursday 8 25 Notes and Homework

What do you mean, you think it's complicated? (I think this is pretty cool. It's like a quilt, a wiring diagram, a medieval illuminated manuscript, an aerial photo, and the inside of a giant digital Rolex watch all at once.)

TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, KNOW WHY YOU'RE DOING IT!

Think about your sense of purpose in life.

A life lived to fulfill the desires of your body and your emotional self is a truly purposeless life--all of your 'happiness' and 'accomplishments' will perish.

A life lived in trying to fulfill other people's ideas and opinions is a truly purposeless life--scripture says 'don't be judged by another man's conscience' and 'only the spirit of a man knows the things that are proper to him'.

A life lived according to a merely human understanding of scripture is also a truly purposeless life--scripture itself says 'the natural man does not receive the things of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned'.

Only a life lived by the guidance of an inner connection with God has real purpose. Only a life lived in communication with the Holy Spirit has real purpose.

Just as you have to have a sense of purpose to live a truly worthwhile life, so you need a sense of purpose in your writing.

Think about what effect you want to have on your reader. What do you want him or her to think, feel, believe, or do in response to what you write?

In many cases, you should conclude your essays with a call to action, either a statement of what you yourself plan to do, or an exhortation encouraging your reader to do something specific.

Class notes and homework:

10^th

Types of world view we’ll need to recognize as we study the development of literature in America:

Traditional

Modern

Postmodern

Many of us think of the Pilgrims/Puritans who founded the Massachusetts and Plymouth colonies as having a ‘traditional’ type of world view, but in fact they had many of the traits of a modern world view: commercialism, revolutionary social attitudes, and a quest for ideological purity.

The stages of American Modernism include:

Religiosity (Puritan church structures, persecution of Indians and Quakers, Salem witch trials, complaints before 1700 about the decay of values under the influence of materialsm)

Rationalism (Jefferson and Franklin; emphasis on ‘Natural Law’, governments are established by men not God, solving problems through technology not prayer, hypocrisy about the problem of slavery)

Romanticism (importance of imagination and feeling, love of mystery, inflation of the ego, tendency to transcendentalist ideas about 'oneness with nature' and a 'world soul')

Realism (skepticism about religion and patriotism, prevalence of social criticism and satire, emphasis on gritty aspects of life)

Homework: Vocab 1D; work on your edited drafts of the ‘American Dream’ essay.

11/12

Work on first drafts of personal narrative essays.

8^th

No homework. Enjoy! (But be ready to work hard tomorrow!!)

9^th

Revised Deadline Alert!

No homework—most of you have been working hard all week so far, and have lots of work in other classes. I’ll return your drafts tomorrow, final edited draft now due next Tuesday.

I’m happy to say that almost everyone would have completed the assignment by Friday as originally assigned. Good job staying ahead of the deadline. Do well in your other classes.

Rhetoric

In-class writing assignment for today (Thursday) was to outline and draft an answer to the following question:

Discuss and evaluate Aristotle’s views about 'the art of persuasion'—rhetoric.