The Semester’s Over!
Final grades have been posted to the Registrar.
They may not officially appear until tomorrow morning or this evening.
Happy holidays and all good wishes for your Spring 2014 semester!
Final Grades Posted on Blackboard
12 DecIf you haven’t read the email, then perhaps you’ll read it here – final grades are now on Blackboard! Check them, make sure you think they’re correct; if you have any questions or see any mistakes, email me by Friday at noon.
Final grades, in letter form (provided on Blackboard) should be posted to the Registrar on Friday.
Happy Holidays! It’s been a joy to have you all this semester! You’re DONE!
Yay! ENG 101 is done!
Final Papers Due Tomorrow!
5 DecGreetings all!
We’re nearly done! Final Papers are due in hard copy to me tomorrow, Friday, December 6th, by 1:00 PM in my office, Library 246.
If the lights are off and the door closed, please turn the paper into Twyla Reynolds’ office (the department Administrative Assistant) down the hall from my office.
Please be sure to include your “reflection” or “evaluation” paragraph/bulleted list – basically I’d like to know what you liked, what you didn’t like, what you learned, re: feedback about the class for my future 101 classes. This is very informal – you don’t even need to type it! Just paperclip it/turn it in with your final paper.
If you have any work you need to turn in (re-writes of Comparison Essays, for example) turn them in with the final paper.
If you want to be considered for the ENG 101 prize, be sure to put a post it on your paper with your name, phone number, preferred email and the words “ENG 101 Prize.”
Grades will be posted to Blackboard by next Tuesday. Keep an eye on your email!
Happy Holidays and All Good Wishes for Your Final Exams!
Dr. McCoy
Make the fall 2013 semester a slam dunk!
Final Paper: Notes, Checklist, & More!
22 NovWelcome to the final paper! It’s your last assignment, so finish strong!
Included in this post are some survival tools to help you through. Remember, you can always (gain extra points!) visit the library or the Writing Center (get librarians/tutors to sign something for proof for points!) for help! You can also use Purdue Owl for MLA-type questions!
So, here’s all the things you’ll need:
- Final Paper Assignment
- Explanation of the ENG $101 Prize (remember to write more toward 7-8 pages if you’re aiming for this award! The prompt under the prize description is for Dr. Kilgore’s 101 classes, not ours! You do not have to write about the lobster! See above link to our assignment!)
- Final Paper “Notes” (re: helpful tips lecture given in some classes, but not all)
- Final Paper Peer Review Checklist
- USCB Lib Guides: ENG 101
Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions! (Library 246, McCoy5@uscb.edu)
Synchronizing Your Sources – Escobars Prompt
6 NovESCOBARS PROMPT – DUE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH BY 5:00 PM.
Andres Escobar
COMPOSE YOUR ANSWER IN A WORD DOCUMENT ***BEFORE*** POSTING.
THIS INSURES YOU FROM THE ROGUE “GONE MISSING” POST & PREVENTS GRAMMATICAL/SPELLING ERRORS THAT YOU MAY INCUR IF YOU DO NOT COMPOSE YOUR RESPONSE IN WORD FIRST.
DO NOT EMAIL ME A COPY OF YOUR COMMENT UNLESS I SPECIFICALLY ASK YOU TO DO SO.
You do not have to refer to anyone else’s post when you make your own, but you are allowed to do so. If you’re striking up a debate, be kind in your argument! You may copy the questions you are answering and answer them one by one if you feel more comfortable addressing them thus.
DIRECTIONS: Comment (@ bottom of post) on at least three of the questions in the paragraph below:
Think about the rhetoric that DEA and police officers used in the films regarding the people they were arresting. Think about how Pablo Escobar was described by his own people as well as those out to get him in The Two Escobars. How was Andres Escobar described in the film? Think about the ideas of “hero” and “villain” in context of the drug wars, or “black hats and white hats” as one person said in The House I Live in As I Am. What sort of society was created in Medellin, Colombia because of drugs? Is this also the case in drug-torn metropolitan areas in the US? Would Pablo really have been able to keep it under control? What kind of morals does a society have when it is governed by a drug cartel boss? Does it matter? Could people like Andres really help? What are the lasting legacies of these guys? How come we’ve probably heard of Pablo before we’ve heard of Andres? How did Pablo’s cartel set an example for future cartels? How are the Colombian cartels different from the Mexican cartels? How have the cartels, as businesses, “improved” their inner-workings? Why do the cartels still stay a step ahead of the law? What sort of actions have law makers taken to stop the violence in the War on Drugs? Are your surprised or angered when you learn of the corruption in the Colombian government? Do you think our government also suffers from corruption by drugs (think about tobacco and alcohol lobbyists and campaign donors before you answer this question)? Have our actions worked, since the reign of Escobar, on curbing the problem of drug cartels south of the American border? Why or why not?
Pablo Escobar
POST YOUR ANSWERS TO AT LEAST THREE OF THESE QUESTIONS IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW. SIGN YOUR POST WITH YOUR FIRST NAME AND LAST INITIAL. YOU SHOULD WRITE A STURDY PARAGRAPH. YOU DO NOT NEED TO COMMENT ON OTHER PEOPLE’S POSTS UNLESS YOU CHOOSE TO. IF YOUR COMMENT DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY SHOW, DO NOT WORRY; IT IS LIKELY AWAITING APPROVAL.
HOMEWORK: Read Malcom Beith’s “After Six Years of Bloodshed, Mexico’s Drug War Shows Little Sign of Waning” via TheAtlantic.com by Tuesday, 11/12 and Wednesday, 11/13 (in you “War on Drugs Packet” and linked above). Finish watching “The House I Live In” (on reserve in the library) if you have not already done so. Work on outline to Response Essay.
The Two Escobars
30 OctThis is the film you will begin watching on Monday, November 4th or Tuesday, November 5th IN CLASS.
Attendance is required and will be taken by the classroom proctor. Please direct any questions about course material to me or refer to our “War on Drugs” course packet and general information.
It is also your responsibility to finish watching The House I Live In, available on reserve in the Library.
Evaluating Sources – Culture & Sources Homework (Recap)
24 OctFor those of you who weren’t here (or those of you who’d like clearer, more permanent instructions) here’s the homework due Monday, 10/28 or Tuesday, 10/29 (depending on which day you take class):
Evaluate the two articles (below) and video (below) on IRAN from your Culture & Sources Packet. You can make a chart like I made in class (using colors, glitter, whatever – just take it up a notch from notebook paper and pencil), or you can evaluate them in your own way. You need to evaluate the sources based on the ideas of:
- AUDIENCE – who is/are the intended people for which text and/or video is “aiming” to speak?
- BIAS – what agenda or argument is being pushed, however subtly, by the author(s)? Hint: look for sneaky adjectives and adverbs.
- PRIMARY or SECONDARY SOURCE – is the source a primary or secondary one? If there are quotes present, are they primary sources incorporated into a secondary source? Who are these people being quoted (if any) and how does their quote(s) sway the general argument of the source?
We did this in class – here’s what it looked like on the board:
Evaluating sources on North Korea and our article on Yugoslavia
Here are our sources on Iran:
Joe Klein’s “The Truth About Iran” (article, via TIME magazine)
Fareed Zakaria’s “Iran’s Growing State of Desperation” (article, via the Washington Post)
“The History of Iran and the USA” via RealPress (video, via YouTube.com)
Culture & Sources
14 Oct
We’re starting our Culture & Sources unit! This involves a few group presentations on Prezi (going on from roughly October 22nd – the 25th) and a response essay. You can download the course packet on the unit here. The handout is also available on Blackboard and under the Course Assignments tab.
So – North Korea, Iran, the former Yugoslavia – let’s see what we can learn!
Movie Night!
9 OctReady to take a break after all your Community Based Writing Work? Check out Austenland next Monday! If enough folks are interested, the intrepid James Duffy can arrange for a van to take you to the North (Beaufort) Campus! See notes below for details on the film!
Reminder: We will start working on Prezi beginning this Friday/next Tuesday – bring your laptops to class if you can, otherwise we’ll have iPads for you, but Prezi is easier to use on a keyboard:)
Austenland is a lively romantic comedy about 30-something, single Jane Hayes (Keri Russell, Waitress), a seemingly normal young woman with a secret: her unhealthy obsession with all things Jane Austen. Desperately seeking her own Mr. Darcy, Jane sinks her life savings into a trip to England to stay at an Austen theme manor ruled by Mrs. Wattlesbrook (Jane Seymour) where everything is Austen, including the actors who court the lady visitors with decorous dalliance. Unfortunately, Jane could only afford the cut price package, so she finds herself drably costumed as a poor relation and relegated to flirting with the servants, notably the cute and approachable groom Martin (Bret McKenzie, “Flight of the Conchords”).
MONDAY, OCTOBER 14TH 7:00 PM
Center of Fine Arts – Beaufort Campus
Student tickets $5
Community Based Writing Surveys
30 SepEveryone is encouraged to make their own survey for your Community Based Writing Group projects; you can easily make yours at SurveyMonkey.com and email me the link, and I’ll pass it along to your class and my other classes (don’t take your own survey!).
PLEASE COMPLETE ALL SURVEYS BY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2nd at 5 o’clock PM.
This will insure that groups’ have enough time to compile the data from the surveys.
Your final project is due on Wednesday, October 9th (MW/MWF classes) or Thursday, October 10th (T/Th classes). Your commercial needs to be uploaded onto YouTube.com or Google Video (you will need to create an account – if you have Gmail, it’s fairly simple) by the due date, and your group’s paper is due as well.
REMINDER: We have some workdays and research days built into the schedule, but much of your commercial production – recording, editing – will be done on your own time. I’ll be happy to help you troubleshoot video editing issues (remember, you can always get free video editing software online!), and be aware that, while there are two (2) cameras available for 4-hour checkout in the library, you are welcome to use your own cameras/cell phones, just make sure you have enough memory for the film footage.
SURVEYS (These have been emailed to you, but I will keep this running list open as we go):
ENGL 101: English Composition 