Finals Week

In Class

Check your grades on Blackboard. I will post grades some time tomorrow CUNYFirst granting.

Week Twelve

In Class

Today we will work on fixing the entry for Bloodchild and Other Stories based on the expertise you have acquired during the semester on these stories.

 Collaborative Workspace 

Assignments due 

 By tonight at midnight: Final Draft on Blackboard
  • Instructions for the essay HERE. 
By the end of class, Friday Dec. 16: Reflective Essay on Blackboard

Week Eleven

In Class

Find at what step of the writing process you are. All new versions of your writing go at the very top of the document. 

1. a. Writing the proposal
1. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the proposal
1.c. Revising the proposal

2. a. Writing the outline
2. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the outline
2. c. Revising the outline

3. a. Writing the introduction and Works Cited 
3. b.  Having two classmates peer evaluate the introduction and Works Cited
  • Get together with other people who have printed their introductions. 
  • Share print copies of your introduction with them.
  • Read your introduction out loud uninterruptedly. The rest, listen actively and make notes on their copies of the introduction.
  • As a group, discuss the introduction and fill the Peer Evaluation Form. Return all materials to the author.
  • Repeat for the next group member.
3. c.  Revising the introduction

4. Writing the first draft (100 points; 80 draft +20 peer evaluation)

4. b. Having two classmates conduct a peer evaluation of the first draft 
  • Get together with three other people who have printed their first drafts. 
  • Share your print copies with them.
  • Read your draft out loud uninterruptedly. The rest, listen actively and make notes on their copies of the introduction.
  • As a group, discuss the draft and fill the Peer Evaluation Form. Return all materials to the author.
  • Repeat for the next group member.
5. Writing and peer reading the second draft (100 points; 80 draft +20 peer evaluation)

6. Working on selected parts of the Wikipedia article for Bloodchild and Other Stories

Assignments due 12/9 by midnight

Final Draft on Blackboard
  • Instructions for the essay HERE. 

Week Ten

In Class

Find at what step of the writing process you are. All new versions of your writing go at the very top of the document. 

1. a. Writing the proposal
1. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the proposal
1.c. Revising the proposal

2. a. Writing the outline
2. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the outline
2. c. Revising the outline

3. a. Writing the introduction and Works Cited 
3. b.  Having two classmates peer evaluate the introduction and Works Cited
  • Get together with other people who have printed their introductions. 
  • Share print copies of your introduction with them.
  • Read your introduction out loud uninterruptedly. The rest, listen actively and make notes on their copies of the introduction.
  • As a group, discuss the introduction and fill the Peer Evaluation Form. Return all materials to the author.
  • Repeat for the next group member.
3. c.  Revising the introduction

4. Writing the first draft (100 points; 80 draft +20 peer evaluation)

4. b. Having two classmates conduct a peer evaluation of the first draft 
  • Get together with three other people who have printed their first drafts. 
  • Share your print copies with them.
  • Read your draft out loud uninterruptedly. The rest, listen actively and make notes on their copies of the introduction.
  • As a group, discuss the draft and fill the Peer Evaluation Form. Return all materials to the author.
  • Repeat for the next group member.
5. Writing and peer reading the second draft (100 points; 80 draft +20 peer evaluation)

 6. Working on selected parts of the Wikipedia article for Bloodchild and Other Stories

Assignments due 

 By Wednesday, November 23 by 9:00AM 

 EITHER Second Draft due on Google Groups OR Final Draft due in Blackboard
    • Instructions for the essay HERE. 

Week Nine (11/11)

In Class

Find at what step of the writing process you are. All new versions of your writing go at the very top of the document. 

1. a. Writing the proposal
1. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the proposal
1.c. Revising the proposal

2. a. Writing the outline
2. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the outline
2. c. Revising the outline

3. a. Writing the introduction and Works Cited 
3. b.  Having two classmates peer evaluate the introduction and Works Cited
  • Get together with other people who have printed their introductions. 
  • Share print copies of your introduction with them.
  • Read your introduction out loud uninterruptedly. The rest, listen actively and make notes on their copies of the introduction.
  • As a group, discuss the introduction and fill the Peer Evaluation Form. Return all materials to the author.
  • Repeat for the next group member.
3. c.  Revising the introduction

 4. Writing the first draft

 4. b. Having two classmates conduct a peer evaluation of the first draft 
  • Get together with three other people who have printed their first drafts. 
  • Share your print copies with them.
  • Read your draft out loud uninterruptedly. The rest, listen actively and make notes on their copies of the introduction.
  • As a group, discuss the draft and fill the Peer Evaluation Form. Return all materials to the author.
  • Repeat for the next group member.
5. Working on selected parts of the Wikipedia article for Bloodchild and Other Stories

Assignments due 

For Friday, November 11 by the beginning of class:
  • Work on the step you told me you would. 
  • XXXX: Second Draft of the Research Essay in Google Groups. 
    • Instructions for the essay HERE. 

Week Eight (11/4)

In Class

Find at what step of the writing process you are. All new versions of your writing go at the very top of the document. 

1. a. Writing the proposal
1. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the proposal
1.c. Revising the proposal

2. a. Writing the outline
2. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the outline
2. c. Revising the outline

3. a. Writing the introduction
3. b. Having two classmates peer evaluate the introduction
  • Get together with other people who have printed their introductions. 
  • Share print copies of your introduction with them.
  • Read your introduction out loud uninterruptedly. The rest, listen actively and make notes on their copies of the introduction.
  • As a group, discuss the introduction and fill the Peer Evaluation Form. Return all materials to the author.
  • Repeat for the next group member.
3. c.  Revising the introduction

4. Working on selected parts of the Wikipedia article for Bloodchild and Other Stories

 Assignments due 

On Wednesday, November 9 at 9:00AM, I will check your Research Assignments

For Friday, November 11 by the beginning of class:
  • Complete the two quizzes on Blackboard on how to use sources properly (together: 20 points) 
  • Work on the step you told me you would. 
  • Matthew, Natalia, Farhin: First Draft of the Research Essay in Google Groups. 
    • Instructions for the essay HERE. 


Week Seven (10/21)

In Class

1. Quick review of
2.  Providing context for Butler's writing: Three essays on human behavior: "Octavia Butler's Aha Moment," "An Essay on Racism" and "The Monophobic Response."

 3.  Writing the Research Paper Proposal  
4. Finishing loose ends and making sure you are fulfilling requirements

 Assignments due

No class on 10/28--school follows a Monday schedule.

 Note: the latest draft of proposals, outlines, and papers should be posted at the top of your Google Docs in Google Groups
  • By Saturday, Oct. 22 at 9:00AM: Research Proposal in Google Groups (80 points)
  • By Monday, Oct. 24 at 9:00AM: 2 Peer Reviews in Google Groups (20 points)
  • By Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 9:00AM: Final Draft of Research Proposal in Google Groups
  • By Saturday, Oct. 29 at 9:00AM: 
    • in your Sandbox, a 250-word summary of Octavia Butler's biography (there are several biographies in the databases; you may use the one on Wikipedia) to be used in the introduction. 
    • IF your research proposal has been accepted, an Outline of the paper in Google Groups (30 points). If it has not been accepted, submit a second version of your research proposal in Google Groups.
  • By Monday, October 31 at 9:00AM: 2 Peer Reviews of the Outline in Google Groups (20 points)
  • By Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 9:00AM: Final Draft of Outline in Google Groups.
  • By Friday, Nov. 4: The introduction to your research paper in Google Groups. (30 points)

Week Six (10/14)

In Class

 1. Hours 1-2: Review in preparation for Research Paper Proposal. 
Hour 1 will be on "Bloodchild," "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" and "Speech Sounds." Hour 2 on "Amnesty" and "The Book of Martha." We will go over story summaries, topics, and secondary sources.

         See review HERE

2. Hour 3: Finishing loose ends and making sure you are fulfilling requirements.

Assignments due October 21

In your Wikipedia sandbox, create three new sections. 

In the first section, summarize Curtis, Claire P. “Theorizing Fear: Octavia Butler and the Realist Utopia”. Utopian Studies 19.3 (2008): 411–431. (Yes, you need to look it up in the library)

After the summary, copy three quotations from the reading using bullet points.
ya
In the second section, summarize Edwards, Elisa. “Octavia Butler’s ‘Amnesty’.” (2003) in Race, Aliens, and the U.S. Government in African American Science Fiction. Münster [u.a.: Lit, 2011.]

After the summary, copy three quotations from the reading using bullet points.

ya
In the third section, summarize Hampton, Gregory Jerome. “Religious Science Fiction: Butler’s Changing God.” Changing Bodies in the Fiction of Octavia Butler. Blue Ridge Summit, US: Lexington Books, 2010.

After the summary, copy three quotations from the reading using bullet points.
ya

Week Five (10/7)


In your Wikipedia sandbox, create two new sections. 

In the first section, summarize pages 116-124 of  Sandra Y. Govan's "Disparate Spirits Yet Kindred Souls: Octavia E. Butler, 'Speech Sounds,' and Me." Strange Matings: Science Fiction, Feminism, African American Voices, and Octavia E. Butler. Ed. Rebecca J. Holden and Nisi Shawl. Seattle, WA: Aqueduct, 2013.

After the summary, copy three quotations from the reading using bullet points.
ya
In the second section, summarize Isiah Lavender III's article "Digging Deep: Ailments of Difference in Octavia Butler’s “The Evening and the Morning and the Night”." Black and Brown Planets: The Politics of Race in Science Fiction. Ed. Isiah Lavender, III. Jackson, MS: UP of Mississippi, 2014. 65-82. <http://site.ebrary.com/lib/lagcc/reader.action?docID=10951965>

After the summary, copy three quotations from the reading using bullet points.

Assignments due October 14
  1. Read  the short stories "The Book of Martha"  and "Amnesty" and their Afterwords (pdfs on Blackboard; the book is also on reserve in the Library.)
  2. Log on to Wikipedia. Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a heading titled "The Book of Martha." Create a subheading 1 titled "Summary."  In your own words ONLY, write a 150-word summary of what happens in the story. Do NOT quote. Do NOT closely paraphrase summaries from outside sources, as this is against Wikipedia policy, as explained in the handout "Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia."  
  3. Below the summary of "The Book of Martha," create another subheading 1 titled "Quotes." Using bullet points, copy three quotes from the story that you think should be included in the Wikipedia entry on it. 
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for "Amnesty." 
    5.
  5. Fill out the form that corresponds to your assigned topic (15 points):
    • "Amnesty" Captivity or Collaboration HERE. nathjav, wikiuser103, Amartinez47, Ms. Jan3, Taurus-Rules, ynfantecarmen, lovelyjay0308,
    • "The Book of Martha" The Writer as God HERE. Mboodoo123, MarcusGotIt, amalia.galvis, DarkNotos, PatrycjaD101
    • Backgrounds for the Stories HERE. dmicua94, A.renee, JulietW78, colo201623,Fshariff101, JustinTaylor21, yadyfirst

Week Four (9/30)

In Class
1. Quick review of Body Paragraphs and Using Sources

2. Finishing a body paragraph for an essay using secondary sources and personal commentary HERE.

3. Rounding up: Essay paragraphing in Sarah Madsen Hardy's essay on "Bloodchild." See "Bloodchild." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Tim Akers. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 23-37.  

 4. Writing an encyclopedic body paragraph for Lillvis' argument HERE. See Kristen Lillvis. "Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Slavery?: The Problem and Promise of Mothering in Octavia E. Butler’s “Bloodchild”." MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the U.S. 39.4 (2014): 7-22.

5. Discussion
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night." Responses to form HERE.
"Speech Sounds." Responses to form HERE.

Assignments due October 7
1. In your Wikipedia sandbox, create a new section. In this section, summarize Maria Holmgren Troy's "Loss of Words: Octavia Butler's 'Speech Sounds'." The Power of Words. Ed. Solveig Granath, June Miliander, and Elizabeth Wennö. Karlstad, Sweden: Karlstads Universitet, 2005. 73-80.

After the summary, copy three quotations from the reading using bullet points.

 2. Fill out the form that corresponds to your assigned topic (15 points):
  • "The Evening...": Entrapment and Liberation HERE. yadyfirst, bentley0207, Mboodoo123, MarcusGotIt, amalia.galvis, iwachiw2001, nathjav, wikiuser103, Amartinez47, Ms. Jan3, Taurus-Rules
  • "The Evening...": Segregation and Community HERE.  dmicua94, A.renee, PatrycjaD101, JulietW78, colo201623, Fshariff101, JustinTaylor21, DarkNotos, lovelyjay0308, ynfantecarmen

Week Three (9/23)

In Class
1. Read/Discuss: Effective Academic Essays III.II The Body Paragraphs (packet, pages 8-9)
2. Writing a paragraph to use in an essay: 
a. As a group, put together a topic sentence that supports ONE of the following thesis statements for "Bloodchild" from last week: 
  1. In "Bloodchild," Butler calls into question topics such as loyalty, consent and respect for oneself and your partner. 
  2. In the short story "Bloodchild," Octavia Butler dramatizes the impulsive struggle of the main protagonist - Gian, and the way of passive rebel which his mother choose to protest against the supremacy of Tlic race.
  3. Butler's unsettling portrayal of the symbiotic relationship between the human Terrans and alien Tlic demonstrate how the need for compromise is necessary for coexistence. 
  4. The uneven exchange in Octavia Butler's "Bloodchild" highlights the power struggle between the two species and how much sacrifice is needed for survival.
  5. In "Bloodchild," Butler describes where the Terran live as a Preserve. I am going to prove that the "Preserve" is actually a sexual slavery compound.
       FORM HERE. Responses HERE. 
b. Once I have approved your topic sentence, write the rest of the body paragraph by using evidence from "Bloodchild" and commenting on the evidence HERE (again). Please ONLY summarize evidence--No quoting from the story yet. Responses HERE.  
c. Read/Discuss: Effective Academic Essays IV: Using Sources (packet pages 12-18) and the two sources you examined for homework. Questions HERE. Responses HERE 
d. Now add information from a source to your body paragraph HERE (again).
Responses HERE.  
4. Writing a paragraph to use in Wikipedia: 
For your given topic on "Bloodchild," write a body paragraph with a neutral topic sentence followed by a summary/paraphrase that explains or expands it (try NOT to quote!) HERE

Assignments due Sept. 30 
  1. Read  the short stories "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" and "Speech Sounds" and their Afterwords (pdfs on Blackboard; the book is also on reserve in the Library.)
  2. Log on to Wikipedia. Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a heading titled ""The Evening and the Morning and the Night." Create a subheading 1 titled "Summary."  In your own words ONLY, write a 150-word summary of what happens in the story. Do NOT quote. Do NOT closely paraphrase summaries from outside sources, as this is against Wikipedia policy, as explained in the handout "Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia."  
  3. Below the summary of "The Evening and the Morning and the Night," create another subheading 1 titled "Quotes." Using bullet points, copy three quotes from the story that you think should be included in the Wikipedia entry on it. 
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for "Speech Sounds."
  5. Help us prepare for next week's class discussion of these two stories by filling out one of these forms (15 points):
6. Complete The Wikipedia Adventure

Week Two (9/16/16)

In Class
1. Quick review of last class
2.  Read/Discuss: Effective Academic Essays I Introduction, II The Thesis Statement (packet, pages 5-6)
3. Read the responses to your topic on "Bloodchild" and discuss the issues it presents in a small group. Report your findings to the large group. 
4. After each group reports on its topic and the class discusses it, post a tentative thesis statement for that particular topic HERE. Responses HERE. 
5. III.II The Body Paragraphs (packet, pages 8-9)
6. As a group, put together a body paragraph supporting a thesis for "Bloodchild" HERE. 
   Please ONLY summarize evidence--No quoting from the story yet. 

 Assignments due Sept. 23 
Go to the library databases, find and download/print these two secondary sources for "Bloodchild":
  1. "Bloodchild." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Tim Akers. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 23-37.
  2. Kristen Lillvis. "Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Slavery?: The Problem and Promise of Mothering in Octavia E. Butler’s “Bloodchild”." MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the U.S. 39.4 (2014): 7-22.
Read source #1 and read/browse #2, then answer the questions in THIS FORM (15 points).

Week One (9/9/16)

Welcome to ENG103. 0910! In this research class, you will
  • learn the difference between thesis-based and encyclopedic writing
  • become an expert in the proper methods and procedures of contributing to Wikipedia
  • engage in the investigative and evaluative process required to write an outstanding encyclopedic article and see your work published as part of LaGuardia’s ongoing WikiProject on the work of African-American science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler

In Class
1. Overview of the course and how Wikipedia will be used. Read "Online Writing = 21st Century Writing"  (page 4 of class packet).
Example of a past collective entry: Octavia Butler's Wild Seed. (WP Basics slides). Check the LaGuardia Archives GLAM.
2. Use the handout "Welcome to Wikipedia" to complete the "Welcome to Wikipedia" quiz on Blackboard. (15 min)
3. Online privacy; choosing a username; the advantages of using a pseudonym. (Do not know the meaning of the word? See a definition HERE.
Note: To be effective, the pseudonym should be different from your name, nicknames, or your regular usernames. For more information on usernames, see "Guidance for new users" in Wikipedia's Username policy.
4. Create a Wikipedia account. If you are having trouble creating the account, talk to me or to Ann.
5. Submit your username information to THIS FORM.
6. Enroll in our Wikipedia course page by clicking HERE.
7. Create your Userpage ("Welcome to Wikipedia," p. 14) by writing a short introduction of yourself to other Wikipedians. This introduction can be as revealing as you want to make it, but writing "I am currently part of a student group working on Octavia Butler's Bloodchild" will suffice if you want your identity to stay private.

For an example, here is the "About me" section of my Userpage. Remember you can always make your Userpage more elaborate as you learn more about editing Wikipedia. 
8. Create your Sandbox: Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a heading titled "Citation Practice." Under it, type the following text: Octavia Butler was shy as a child. 

Now add three footnotes for secondary sources supporting what this text argues. 
a) For the first, click on "cite," select "Basic Form" and paste the following information in the reference box:  Butler, Octavia E. "Positive Obsession." Bloodchild and Other Stories. New York : Seven Stories, 2005. 123-136. (Don't forget to italicize the title of the book). Save the page. Write a brief edit summary: Added reference to Bloodchild and Other Stories 
b) For the second, go to The LaGuardia Library Media Resources Center's Find Articles page, then choose the Academic Search Complete/EbscoHost subscription database. Find Butler's essay entitled "Birth of a Writer" and copy the citation information for the essay in MLA format (Don't forget to italicize where necessary). Paste the information as you did for the first footnote.  Save the page. Write a brief edit summary: Added reference to Birth of a Writer
c) For the third, click on "Cite," select "Automatic" and generate a citation for this The New York Times online article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/books/01butler.html?_r=0
Save the page. Write a brief edit summary: Added reference to NYT 
At the bottom of the page, create a heading titled "References." Under it, select Insert>More>"References List." If you do this correctly, you should have a list of the three sources. 

Assignments due Sept. 16 (Sept. 23 if you missed the first class meeting)
  1. Read the short story "Bloodchild" and Butler's Afterword to it. (Up to page 32 on the pdf on Blackboard; the book is also on reserve in the Library).
  2. Log on to Wikipedia. Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a heading titled "Bloodchild." Create a subheading 1 titled "Summary."  In your own words ONLY, write a 250-word summary of what happens in the story. Do NOT quote. Do NOT closely paraphrase summaries from outside sources, as this is against Wikipedia policy, as explained in the handout "Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia."  
  3. Below the summary of "Bloodchild," create another subheading 1 titled "Quotes." Using bullet points, copy three quotes from the story that you think should be included in the Wikipedia entry on it. 
  4. Help us prepare for next week's class discussion of "Bloodchild" by filling out one of these forms (15 points):
Ongoing: Complete The Wikipedia Adventure (25 p.)

Octavia E. Butler's Patternist Series Editathon at Spelman College



Host: The Octavia E. Butler Society and Spelman College 
Date: Saturday, February 27, 2016 Time: 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm 
Location: Spelman College, 350 Spelman Ln SW, Atlanta, GA 30314
Registration: To register, please go to the event's main page HERE and sign up by adding your Wikipedia username to the Participants sign-up 
Participants: The event is open to anyone who wishes to help expand on the entries for Octavia E. Butler's work. No Wikipedia editing experience necessary. As needed throughout the event, tutoring will be provided for Wikipedia newcomers. 
What to Bring: Attendees should bring their own laptops and power cords. 
Hashtag: #octaviabutlerwiki 

 Link to the Etherpad live document where we will keep track of what we are all working on HERE

____________________________________
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)