Poets for Oral Presentations

The following poets have been claimed for presentations next week. I will update the list as everyone emails with their choice. No duplicate presentations within a class. You can still claim poets who are not listed for your class even if they are listed for another class.

Monday
Shakespeare
Maya Angelou
Sharon Olds
Alice Walker
William Blake
Dorothy Parker
Dana Gioia
Emily Dickinson
Edgar Allan Poe
Marge Piercy
Lewis Carroll

Wednesday
John Donne
Edgar Allan Poe
Frank O'Hara
Emily Dickinson
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

They're Talking about "The Necklace" on NPR

Since most of you loved "The Necklace" I thought I'd post a link to a current an NPR story about it. The author who wrote the piece loves the language of the story and its insight into human nature.

See how college edjamacated you are now? You know the story and can appreciate the discussion.

Thanksgiving Week Classes - Room Number for Tuesday

Hello, my intrepid Thursday students. Our room number in O'Fallon for tomorrow's class is 102. Don't forget your journals and the assigned reading.

Class Number Reminder for Turnitin.com

A few of you asked for the class numbers, so I'm posting them again. There is also a search feature on the blog if you need to find older information.

Turnitin.com Class Numbers Fall 2007:
Monday class # 2038013
Wednesday Class # 2038028
Thursday Class # 2038029

Be sure to submit your paper within 24 hours of turning it in to me or points will be deducted for each day it's late.

Class Update - Thanksgiving Week Schedule

We've had frequent changes to the Thanksgiving week schedule, but I think we finally have it worked out. The plan is as follows:

Monday Night Class Meets - Monday Night, same room and time we always do

Wednesday Night Class Meets - Wednesday Night, same room and time we always do

Thursday Night Class Meets - Tuesday Night, O'Fallon, MO campus, same time as usual

So Thursday night is the only class that will change for this week. I will try to have the research papers graded, but it's a pretty tight schedule and I lose a grading day, so no promises.

Due The Week of November 12th

Remember, tonight is the Skills Assessment Test for Communications II.

Also Due:

• The Research Paper Final Draft and Research Project Assignments, in a folder. Follow the direction in your Major Assignments Handout for Assignment #10. It explains exactly what goes in the folder.
• The assigned reading of literature stories

Class Update - Wednesday Class Before Thanksgiving

The majority ruled last night in the Wednesday section. We will be meeting for class the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Monday is a bad night for several people, so we are going ahead with our regular schedule.

Thursday class, that means you have the option of coming to either Monday or Wednesday night's class the week of Thanksgiving.

Topics to Review for Research Writing Skills Test

Finding a Research Topic
If you were assigned another research paper, what steps would you take to find a topic to write about? (Basically I'm looking for you to describe what you did in Assignments #1-3 of the research project)

Evaluating Sources
How do you evaluate sources? What makes them good quality sources?

Formal Research Writing
Research writing is more formal than other types of writing. Explain some differences between informal essay writing and research writing.

Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting
You get sources into your paper using these three methods. Define each and explain why and how use them in a research paper.

Logos, Ethos, Pathos
These are three ways to persuade an audience. Define them and give examples.Review three ways to argue.

Logical Fallacies
These are arguments with bad logic. They are often used because they fool people, but good sources won't have logical fallacies and you shouldn't use them in your own writing. Be familiar with at least 4 common fallacies.

Responding to the Other Side
You can acknowledge or refute the opposing side's arguments. How do you do this and why does it help persuade your audience?

Signal Phrases
Signal phrases introduce quotations into your paper, often by explaining what the source of evidence is or the name and qualifications of the expert you are quoting. Know how to use them and give an example.

Brackets and Ellipses
These are tools to help you handle quotations in a research paper. Ellipses allow you to leave out part of a quote, and brackets go around anything you added to a quotation to help your audience understand it. Know how and why to use [sic] also.

In-text Citations
These are citations used within your writing to show where source information came from. You either mention the source in your writing or add it in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. Give examples of in-text citations and show where the punctuation goes when using an in-text citation at the end of a sentence. Also explan how it connects to the Works Cited.

Update on Those Pesky Grammar Exercises and Turnitin for Research Paper

FYI They've changed the name of "Word Choice" to "Clarity" on the Grammar Exercise site. Do I know why they keep doing this? I don't. If you need help with this section, the tab of your Writer's Reference labeled "Word Choice" still marks the instructions you need.

All research papers must be submitted to Turnitin.com by 24 hours after you turn it in to me in class. Any late submissions will get 10% deducted for each day it's late. Plus you'll annoy me if I have to change the due date again. You want to make me happy, don't you? I knew you did.