Remember: No Class Tomorrow

We've finished with the instruction part of the course, so there's no need to meet on Tuesday.  However, I will be here until around 1:00, so stop by at my office during class time (or after) if you have questions about revision, the Paper #4 assignment, or your current grade.  Otherwise, work on your satire paper (Paper #4) for next Tuesday's class.  Enjoy the break!  

For Thursday: Schlosser, Why McDonald's Fries Taste So Good (pp.558-568)

No questions this time: I want to do some in-class writing and satire practice based on this essay.  So be sure to read it for Thursday's class!  This is our last essay for class, so try to end on a good note and get credit for this last assignment.  

Remember the satire assignment is a few posts down, so make sure you're thinking about finding an article to respond to.  You can even respond to this essay if you like (and our class tomorrow will give you some ideas about it).  

For Tuesday: Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid? (633-641)

Reading/Discussion Questions for

Carr’s Is Google Making Us Stupid (633-641)

Answer TWO of the following…

1. Why does Carr begin and end his essay with the science-fiction film, 2001: A Space Odyssey?  How does this film become a kind of metaphor for the ideas in his essay? 

2. What does Carr mean when he writes, “as we use what the sociologist Daniel Bell has called our “intellectual technologies”…we inevitably begin to take on the qualities of those technologies” (637)?  How have our ways of thinking, and indeed, even our metaphors, changed as a result of these technologies?  Consider also how previous technologies have changed our thinking, according to the essay. 

3. This is also an essay about ethics, and Carr claims that “The Net’s intellectual ethic remains obscure” (638).  If the internet is a philosophy or a religion—and Google is its “high church”—what is the doctrine or creed of this religion/philosophy?  Is it one that is ethically sound?  Is it one that we—or you—should believe in? 

4. Write a short, one-paragraph satire developing the same idea as Carr's essay.  How can you make us see his general concern/thesis through humor and irony?  What is it he's really worried about?  

Paper #4 Assignment: Satirically Speaking

For your final paper assignment, I want you to write your own satire on some real-world issue straight from the headlines.  To help you do this, I want you to actually find an article from a newspaper, magazine, or on-line to read and respond to satirically.  You can use anything from ECU’s The Journal, an essay from The Writer’s Presence, or even  an article from your Facebook feed.  However, you must include the article with your assignment so I can see your original inspiration Try to find something you actually care about, since this will inspire you to poke fun at it and make the reader see the real issue behind it. 

Your satire can take many forms, since there’s no single way to write satire.  However, here are a few ways that work particularly well:

·         An Onion-style newspaper article or editorial (as we read in class)

·         A short skit between 2 or more people

·         A television commercial (written out, of course)

·         A satirical movie review (it can be funny to treat some actual issues as if they’re a movie—like writing a satirical movie review of a college class, etc.)

ALSO: I want everyone to share their satire in class so we can try to guess what you’re really trying to say.  That means you have to (gasp) read your satire to the class.  If you really, really faint at the prospect of reading aloud, I can read it for you, or in extreme cases I can have you read it to me in my office.  However, this is part of the assignment and you cannot get full credit if you skip class this day.  There will be a prize for best satirical paper in each class (prize to be announced in class—and it’s better than extra credit). 

REQUIREMENTS

·         At least 2-3 pages, double spaced

·         Must include the original article that inspired it

·         Should follow the rules and structure of satire that we discussed in class (though you can interpret this fairly loosely)

·         Must come to class to read your satire to the class to get full credit

·         DUE IN-CLASS ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2^nd (no late papers accepted)

No Class on Thursday and Links to VIdeos

REMEMBER, no class on Thursday since the Oklahoma Literary Arts Festival will be taking place on the 3rd floor for most of the day, and they will be borrowing our room for the day as well.  

ALSO, if you missed class, or if you simply want to re-watch part of the video for research purposes, I've posted the two videos I showed both Comp class today (the 9:30 class watched "The Independent Woman," and the 12:30 class watched "The Man of the House"--both are linked below). Each is about 50 minutes long.  

The Independent Woman: http://video.pbs.org/video/2160358437/
The Man of the House: http://video.pbs.org/video/2163770656/

Remember Paper #3 is due next Thursday (not this Thursday).  Review the post beneath this one for details. Otherwise, see you net Tuesday!