Young scholars,

I'm about four time zones away and so I'm a little late with posting instructions for today. Essentially, I need you to do two things today:

1. post the roughest of drafts of your current assignment to your weblog. Please try to get at least four pages up there. Please have those submitted by 5pm. You can try to build on the outlines and informal writing you've already put on your "blog" (short for "weblog")


2. Sometime before Monday, please respond to at least two papers, through using the weblog links on this page. Try to respond to someone you haven't read before. You might consider asking and answering the following questions:

a. What is the strongest, most interesting part of this draft, and why?
b. Sometimes rough drafts contain portions that look really interesting, but need more description and examples. For example, someone might write, "Ever since I was released from prison, my opinion of school metal detectors has changed." A sentence like this begs for examples of the author's new attitude, and for more background info on their prison time. Ok, lame example. Tell your author what you would like to hear more of.

3. What portions of this draft do you find less-than-clear or difficult to follow?

Thanks, and please post comments or email me: craniac@gmail.com with your questions.

posted by craniac @

As I mentioned last class period, I am away at an academic conference. In order to receive credit for coming to class today, you need to complete the following before 5pm Wednesday evening.

1. Freewrite for 10 minutes or 500 words on your blog, about possible paper topics.

2. Read each other's blogs and comment on their possible paper topics, telling them what you thing looks the most interesting.

3. Read chapter eight, "the exploratory essay" including the essays. Tell me what you think of the included essays in the comments link below this post. Be expansive, don't just write, "it was ok."

4. Post a rough outline of your next paper to your weblog

5. Extra credit: figure out how to put an image in a weblog entry. Then do so. And tell the class how you did it.

posted by craniac @

Assignment #4: Four ways of looking at a mandatory composition essay

To recap what we discussed in class--this is sort of the equivalent of those "choose your own adventure" books. Work through the following steps, one at a time:

1. choose one of four possible essay topics

a. A fun activity that I enjoy doing
b. Writing about a place or event
c. Writing about a song
d. Describe your life ten years from now. Use research to describe current trends and how they might evolve in the future.

2. After you have chosen one of the above categories, choose a more specific topic (for example, if you chose "fun activity" then you should narrow it down to "soccer" or "wakeboarding" or something specific).

3. Once you have your topic narrowed down, your essay will be composed of three sections.

Section I: You will write about your subject from a personal perspective

Section II: You will look at your subject from a research perspective, providing background information, a historical perspective, the role of your subject in culture at large, etc.

Section III: Final analysis: in this section, you will try to make connections between your personal experiences and the research/historical perspective. How does your perspective differ from the historical/research perspective? How is it the same? What other insights have you learned from your experience and research regarding this subject?


The entire paper should be at *least* six pages, hopefully more.

The first rough draft is due by 5pm June 11th, submitted to Webct.

The Final draft is due 5pm June 18th, submitted to Webct.

Your final draft should include 2-4 sources, in APA style. More on this later

Your final draft should be intentionally designed, with appropriate font and layout decisions, and at least two photographs or illustrations.


Please draw upon our in-class discussion as well for ideas on how to complete this assignment.

posted by craniac @

Interview with Chuck D & Hank Shocklee of Public Enemy: "How Copyright Law Changed Hip Hop

An interview with Public Enemy's Chuck D and Hank Shocklee"

posted by craniac @

My over conservative VIEWS: "It weaves a dark thread
And it knows its way
Its narrow figure hides its deep vine
But dammit it's a pencil
Heh. That's it. A Pencil."

posted by craniac @

English 1010 Class: "The watch
1. I looking at the time to see
when I get out of here. With the second
hand moving aroud the watch.

2. The stainless steel shines from
the class rooms lights above
the watch.

3. Throughout the day he is my best friend
and my worrest enemy."

posted by craniac @

1010 Journal: "The computer sits on the desk.
I type on the computer.
It takes up time.

I am talking with Jon.
The computer sits quietly.
I don't know what I am doing.

The teacher comes in.
He sits at his desk.
The shadow of the computer.
Rests on his shirt.

You walk in the classroom.
The computer sits with its friends.
They outline the wall.
Oh, what a day! "

posted by craniac @

Me: "Flying through the air,
Smashing into the ground and bouncing,
like a volleyball.
The volleyball floats up out of my hands gracefully,
then a hand converges on it and slaps it,
so is my dating life.
Being knocked around without control,
feeling like I have no where to go,
is the life of a volleyball.
Bump, set, spike is how we do things,
in volleyball. "

posted by craniac @

A hiker is alone.
A hiker with a gps unit
is a mobile node in a satellite network
made of muscle, blood and oxygen

Sailors once died
for lack of longitude
now we pay thousands
for the gift of being lost

posted by craniac @

My attempt


The sun shone brightly
as we drove our minivan
over the deeply-rutted clay road
led by my Etrex
we found echoes of someone's life
and a metal ammo box full of hot wheel cars

posted by craniac @

Today in class:

1. Read and respond to Wallace Stevens poem on weblog
2. Talk about deadlines and online participation
3. Discuss portfolios and the joys of revision
4. Brainstorm about next paper. Some constraints. It must:


  • be somewhat fun
  • 6+ pages
  • Incorporate using at least two sources
  • be personally interesting
  • be academic, loosely defined
  • incorporate a little design and visual elements


posted by craniac @

A poem by Wallace Stevens:

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

                     1
           Among twenty snowy mountains,
           The only moving thing
           Was the eye of the blackbird.

                     2
           I was of three minds,
           Like a tree
           In which there are three blackbirds.

                     3
           The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.
           It was a small part of the pantomime.

                     4
           A man and a woman
           Are one.
           A man and a woman and a blackbird
           Are one.

                     5
           I do not know which to prefer,
           The beauty of inflections
           Or the beauty of innuendoes,
           The blackbird whistling
           Or just after.

                     6
           Icicles filled the long window
           With barbaric glass.
           The shadow of the blackbird
           Crossed it to and fro.
           The mood
           Traced in the shadow
           An indecipherable cause.

                     7
           O thin men of Haddam,
           Why do you imagine golden birds?
           Do you not see how the blackbird
           Walks around the feet
           Of the women about you?

                     8
           I know noble accents
           And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
           But I know, too,
           That the blackbird is involved
           In what I know.

                     9
           When the blackbird flew out of sight,
           It marked the edge
           Of one of many circles.

                     10
           At the sight of blackbirds
           Flying in a green light,
           Even the bawds of euphony
           Would cry out sharply.

                     11
           He rode over Connecticut
           In a glass coach.
           Once, a fear pierced him,
           In that he mistook
           The shadow of his equipage
           For blackbirds.

                     12
           The river is moving.
           The blackbird must be flying.

                     13
           It was evening all afternoon.
           It was snowing
           And it was going to snow.
           The blackbird sat
           In the cedar-limbs.

posted by craniac @

Ok, I got several of your number three papers responded to late, but they should all be up. If you are one of those who got your paper late and would like a little more time for your portfolio, please let me know.

posted by craniac @