COURSE SCHEDULE

Fall 2008 English 100

Wed 4/1
§ Go over syllabus; assign reading; assign homework

Fri 4/3
Signed Syllabus Statement Due/Dedicated Journal Due
Make a List of what makes good writing
Profile Interviews
Explain Reading Groups: you will meet with this group all quarter long.
Before you read any piece to the group, you should tell the group what you want as feedback: just listen, look at word choice, does it flow?, is it funny?, is it worth pursuing and polishing? Is it too long? Is it too short?
Also, no excuses from the reader: “this is no good.”
The rule is simple; just read the crap!
After you read the piece, someone in the group will say “thank you.” It seems odd, right? It’s a nice way to break the ice, and it really is nice to thank the author for having been so bold as to read something.

Mon 4/6
Stories and Meaning Exercise:
“McDonalds and ‘Honey’” Story Told Two Ways

When you start dating someone you tell them stories about yourself. Think of some of those and give them titles. Now tell one of those stories. Two other people will tell what it means.
What’s the point? Look again at your list of what makes good writing?
Meeting with Writing Group

Wed 4/8
§ Meet with Writing Groups to Work on Profiles:
Typed Draft of Profile Due in Class (READ IT AGAIN! Be responsible, typed draft due!!!)

Focusing Exercise (Start in the Middle)

Fri 4/10
§ Profiles Due (and to be read)
§ Working with They Say/I Say
§ Assign Restaurant Review:
Restaurant Review Chapter of Me Talk Pretty Due

Mon 4/13
Book of your Choice Due:
Be ready to write the greatest book report ever created!

Wed 4/15
§ Dan Kirby Exercise: _____ at your age.
_____ at half your age.
_____ at twice your age.
Observe the person from the outside.
For each time period, take a picture of yourself in words.
For each time period, start with a place: for example, “I am sitting
on the hood of my 1981, dog poo brown Dodge Omni, waiting for my bobbed blond haired 5 foot nothin’ tall girlfriend Beth Anne to finish working at the Wherehouse Music store on Columbus Street…”

Fri 4/17
§ Typed Complete Rough Draft of Restaurant Review Due

Mon 4/20
§ Restaurant Review Due
§ Assign Synthesis
§ George Hillocks Exercise on Analyzing Evidence: Slip or Trip?

Wed 4/22
§ Poetry is Cool:
§ Barry Spacks: “let’s get some poetry in the air.”
Yates: “every poem sings a little tune.”
Everyone is a Poet Exercise:
Think about the last time you were enraged, absolutely
incensed, full of anger. Why were you so mad? With whom were you mad?
Now, on paper write a description of the feeling, the
setting, the reason for your anger, and how the whole thing was resolved, if it was resolved.
Finally, circle key lines, words, or phrases in that piece.
Write the circled lines in a row, in any order.

Fri 4/24
§ Tortilla Curtain Due
§ IDIOMS EXERCISE (linguistic collocations): Hit the Road, Air your dirty laundry in public, all hell broke loose, alive and kicking, backseat driver, keep in mind, par for the course, hit the road, got up on the wrong side of the bed, as sharp as a tack, piece of cake. kick the bucket…what do these mean? Draw them as literal statements.

Mon 4/27
§ Crickets: http://audiopoetry.wordpress.com/category/poet/aram-saroyan/
or try http://www.mtraks.com/artist/aram_saroyan/track/498707-crickets_1965/
by Aaron Saroyan (Is this poetry?)
§ Haiku: 5-7-5
Fall in Bakersfield
Leaves change but heat will not cease
Burn, infernally, summer

Wed 4/29
§ Typed Rough Draft of Synthesis Due
§ Crime Story (Porphyria’s Lover) R.J. Blick, Mrs. R.J. Blick, Porphyria
Blick, Hubert Fenston, R. Emerson Chandler
What kinds of writing would this crime produce?

Fri 5/1
§ Synthesis Paper Due
§ Neighborhood Map
§ Creation Stories:
Blood Clot Boy
Write your own creation story, giving personality to animals or other natural forces. Explain some aspect of nature.

Mon 5/4
§ Meet with Writing Groups

Wed 5/6
§ Ellis Island Photo Writing (with photos from Ellis Island, write a first
person narrative)
§ Compare and contrast the following two videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lk1awSIang (outkast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0FuMRHRCVY (hayseed)

Fri 5/8
§ Write Around with Quotes
§ Start Multi-Genre Piece
Look back at the “Everyone is a Poet Anger Exercise” as a Sample.
For this assignment you must complete a writing topic in five different genres.
Let’s start by making a list of genres: college essay, apology,
bedtime story, movie script, description….
Next, decide on a written topic, either something you’ve already
started or something new you would like to write about.
Now, brainstorm a list of genres that seem to fit this topic. Think
broadly here. For instance, even if your topic is Sen. Obama you can still write a speech, recipe, bedtime story, or telenovela (soap opera).

Mon 5/11
§ Me Talk Pretty Reading Due
§ Random Autobiography

Wed 5/13
§ Recall your favorite place to play as a child. Write about something that happened there. What was so great about the place?
§ Take three stories from around the room and answer the following questions: who do these stories have in common? taken together, what does it mean to play? Answer them in your group.

Fri 5/15
§ Making each other authorities assignment: interview a neighbor and incorporate their feedback into your own writing.
§ Start Final Assignment: Has the modern world made humans more or less connected to each other?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080103718.html

Mon 5/18
§ Writing about Art:
Is this beautiful? http://wallpaper.travelblog.org/Wallpaper/pix/tb_fiji_sunset_wallpaper.jpg
Is this beautiful? http://www.artinthepicture.com/artists/Gustav_Klimt/kiss.jpeg
Is this beautiful? http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/5448/198420afghan20girlhz1.jpg
Now, define beauty without using examples.
Is it possible? What does it mean to be beautiful?

Wed 5/20
§ Writing and Music

Fri 5/22
§ Writing and Music

Mon 5/25 Memorial Day—Campus Closed
Wed 5/27 Individual Conferences
Fri 5/29 Individual Conferences

Mon 6/1 Final Essay Revision—Bring an Edited and Revised Typed Rough Draft
Wed 6/3 Final Essay Revision—Bring an Edited and Revised Typed Rough Draft
Fri 6/5 Final Essay Revision—Bring an Edited and Revised Typed Rough Draft

Mon 6/8 Last Day of Class: Final Essay Due



REMEMBER, although this syllabus is the “law” of the class, I reserve the right to change it at any time to suit the particular needs of our class. If I must do so, it will always be in your best interest, and I’ll always advise you as soon as possible.