Writing Workshop #1 & Fettling, Uncomfortable Silences (pp.30-42)

#1: Read Fettling's essay, "Uncomfortable Silences: A Walk in Myanmar" for next week's class. If you don't have the book yet, here's the essay (with pictures!): https://longreads.com/author/davidfettling/. We'll discuss this essay in class next week as well.

#2: Watch the video below which talks about starting 'in the middle' when you write papers, which takes its cue from Fettling's essay. Then, answer the question that follows as a COMMENT on the blog (so we can have a virtual discussion among the classes--you can read other people's responses and learn from them, and they can learn from yours).

Tuesday classes should post a comment no later than Friday.

Thursday classes should post a comment no later than Tuesday. 

Now that you've watched the video, respond to this prompt as a COMMENT below: Introduce us to one of your most prized possessions--some inanimate object that allows us to see or understand something essential about who you are or how you see yourself. Describe this object and your relationship to it (maybe even when you bought it, or who gave it to you) so we can understand why it's important to you, or why it is such an important part of your identity. I answered this with my own comment to help you along,but just take a stab at it. This is a fun way to start writing 'in the middle' rather than simply introducing yourself by saying "My name is so and so, I'm majoring in English, I'm 18 years old, etc." 

Reading & Questions: Petersen, "How Nashville Became One Big Bachelorette Party" (pp.251-267)

 

NOTE: This is your first reading assignment, and will be due the day you return to class. You can either bring a hard copy of the  questions with you, or e-mail them to me on the day of class. This is the work I want you to do "on-line" when you're not in class on either Tuesday or Thursday (depending on your class).

Tuesday Classes: this will be due next Tuesday in class (or by class if you e-mail it)

Thursday Classes: this will be due next Thursday in class (or by class)

After you read the article, answer TWO of the following questions in a short response--at least a few sentences, and try to avoid answers that sound like this:

"Yes, because she says that it does in that one passage." OR "No, I don't think so."

Give me some thought and try to be as specific as possible; quote from the article when possible, to show me you not only read the article, but to support your ideas (since not everyone will read/understand the essay the same way).

THE QUESTIONS (answer any 2 of the following 4):

Q1: Early in the essay, the writer says that the appeal of Nashville is "the ability to try on a culture while avoiding accusations of appropriation" (253). What do you think she means by this? How do you try on a culture, and what is appropriation? 

Q2: Petersen writes that "at the heart of the bachelorette ethos, after all, is the notion that every space, every restaurant, every service should accommodate you. During your visit, you bend the city to your needs" (261). Do you think this is fair? Should a city have to adapt to the people visiting it--or the reverse? What might be a down side to having a city cater so drastically to its tourists? 

Q3: Quoting an earlier writer, Thorstein Veblen, the author notes that "travel is always, at least in part, about being seen traveling" (262). Why do you think this is true? And why is it especially true in Nashville? 

Q4: In general, do you think Petersen (the author) approves or disapproves of the bachelorette experience? Does she want us to walk away from the essay shaking our heads...or does she want us to understand why they do it (and maybe, somewhat approve)? 

Welcome to the Course!

Welcome to the pandemic edition of Freshman Composition 1, Sections 11, 12, 28 & 29 with Dr. Joshua Grasso! 

This blog site will be our base of operations, and all of your assignments, announcements, videos, and handouts can be accessed here instead of on Blackboard. I'll explain all the work in class this week, so don't worry if you have questions. I'll give you the syllabus in class and will post it on the blog later in case you lose it. But again, don't worry about anything for now--I want to walk you through the class on Tuesday and Thursday.

Be sure to check your schedule: Sections 11 & 28 will meet on Tuesdays and 12 & 29 will meet on Thursday. The "off day" will be spent doing work on the blog, which you can complete on your own time, and won't be due until the next "on" day of class. Again, I'll explain all of this once you arrive. 

BE SURE TO BUY THE BOOKS FOR CLASS! You can find them at the ECU bookstore, or you can get them Amazon, etc., if you hurry. But really, hurry--since we'll need the first book by the end of the week. The books are:

* Best American Travel Writing 2019, ed. Alexandra Fuller

* Bourdain, A Cook's Tour 

I promise to explain everything else when you get to class! See you then! 

[NOTE: The posts below this one are from last Fall. You won't have to do any of this work. But feel free to browse if you're curious about the kind of work I usually assign.]