Please announce to your classes and award bonus credit where relevant:

Internationally recognized Clemson Class of 1941 Memorial Professor, Todd May, will speak on the topic: “Love and Death,” from 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., on Tues., Jan. 31, in the TRC Auditorium. Professor May, whose influential work bridges the Anglo-American and Continental traditions in philosophy, will present the case that human mortality provides a critical element in elevating friendship into what we call love. He will develop this idea through an interpretation of the Bill Murray film, “Groundhog Day.”

All students and faculty are cordially invited. This event is sponsored by the Humanities Department.

• So, for example, a hammer is a tool used to build things and a sickle is a tool used for harvesting grain (these are their literal functions), but together they are a symbol for Communism. The hammer represents industry and the sickle represents agriculture. The Communist party used these two symbols to appeal to the workers and farmers of their countries and to show that they were backbone of the political movement. For some, it is a symbol of equality. For others, it is a symbol of oppression and despotism.

Please tell us about a Symbol that you have encountered in your everyday life or in another class.

• What does it stand for?
• Who uses it and when?
• What does it mean to you personally?

• Your symbol can come from politics, religion, advertising, wherever you want– just make sure not to pick the same symbol as someone else to discuss! 
• You are more than welcome to upload images, links or videos to your post– as long as they are appropriate and not offensive, of course.
• Symbols can be very personal and powerful aspects of our lives. However, please be respectful and maintain an appropriate academic tone in both your post and your reply. (For instance, if you choose to discuss a religious symbol, I recommend that you avoid discussing one that comes from your own personal faith.)

Specifics:

• 250+ words
• Please indicate which symbol you’ll be discussing in your post title
• You must reply to at least one other student post
• If you choose to use outside sources, do not copy/paste information into your post (that’s plagiarism)– all outside info must be paraphrased
• Check course calendar for due dates.

Grammar and Spelling will count for this assignment and your work will be graded accorded to the Discussion Board rubric (in Blackboard).

• Obviously, what is it and who made it?
• What importance does it hold for you and why?
• What’s the story behind your finding it/encountering it?
• What kind of impact has it had on others?
• Has it influenced other cultural products or drawn from the influence of others in some way and how?
• What kinds of people do you think would enjoy it most?
• Does it strive to teach some moral or lesson?
• Does it seek to be subversive or change the direction our society is taking in some way?
• Do you know anything about the creator’s background that might be important to understanding this cultural product?

Here are two things you must discuss about the cultural product you’ve chosen:

• Ultimately, how has it contributed to our shared culture?  
• You will need to describe/summarize the important aspects of it so that we will have some context for understanding your recommendation.

You’re more than welcome to include links, images or videos in your post (if they are appropriate and not offensive, of course)– but remember you are being evaluated on the written content of your post.
Specifics:

• 250+ words/See course calendar for due date (due no later than 11:59PM of the due date).
• You must include a specific title that includes the name of the cultural product you’ll be recommending
• You must also reply to at least one other student post. 
• Please try to avoid posting about the same cultural product as someone else
• Since it is early days in the semester, this will be a “free writing” assignment, meaning your work will not be penalized for grammar/spelling errors. Though please do your best to make your writing more enjoyable by being mindful of these errors before posting. No one wants to read sloppy writing that’s riddled with mistakes!
• Your work will be graded according to the Discussion Board Grade Form (in Blackboard, under Assignments).

*Thanks to Elizabeth Wilfong, an English instructor at Greenville Tech, for her help.

Directions:

First, click “Leave a comment.” Please introduce yourself by telling us your name, section number (010, 015, or N75), major field of study at GTech and why you chose it, favorite book and why, and favorite film and why. Then tell us what you hope to learn from this course.

**Write your response in Word doc and proofread it before posting. You may then copy and paste it into the reply box.

Length: Paragraph/Due date: 20 January 2012

For example (and yes, this is about me!):

Hi everyone! My name is Dev Bose, and I am your instructor for ENG 102, sections 010, 015, and N75. I just finished my PhD. in Rhetorics, Communication and Information Design at Clemson University last semester. I chose this area of study because I love to write and teach, and am continuing to do research in teaching composition. My favorite book at the moment is The Marriage Code by Jeffrey Eugenides because it talks about how love and romance evolve for people with bipolar disorder. My favorite film is Lost Highway because it is a detective story told in a very unique way–with cameras and Marilyn Manson! Speaking about technology, this semester I hope to learn how technology, media, and the Internet shape how we interpret classic literature.

Directions: 

1) In your original post, turn to p. 489 of Practical Argument and analyze the two images. In two paragraphs, answer the following questions: A) In what sense do they make ethical arguments and B) What is the ethical principle underlying each image?

Make sure to skip spaces between paragraphs. To do this, hit the “enter” key on your keyboard after each paragraph before clicking submit.

2) Choose any post from another student to whom you’d like to respond. Click “Reply” under that post and type in your response. Tell your fellow student why you chose their prompt, what you found most interesting, and/or why you agree/disagree with their statements. You may respond to more than one post, if you’d like.

Happy blogging! And if all else fails, feel free to let the following image inspire your writing:

This is a great site that you all may want to look at as you’re working on your final essays for the term!

Here’s the catch:  Although you’ve been asked to only read one essay, the template asks that you write from a variety of perspectives. Skim through the other HP essays, focusing on those essays informing the opposite perspective of your orginally chosen essay. Once you’ve accomplished that, be certain to discuss the criteria of your argument.

Your post will be graded on context, organization, and grammar. Posting will be shut down after 11:59PM on 20 October. Feel free to comment on others’ posts as well.

As always, write your response in a saved Word document and copy/paste it into the field. After copying and pasting your response into the field, hit “enter” after each paragraph before submitting.

Prompt:

Answer the first four bullet points under “Preparing to Write a Rhetorical Analysis” in your textbook, Practical Argument, on pg. 80. This is not a formal essay, but your analysis should inform your readers (in this case, your fellow classmates) about the purpose of the speech by analyzing the rhetorical situation.

Your response should be in four body paragraphs and be at least 250 words. Cite at least once, but no more than twice from the speech using MLA in-text citation. Your citation(s) should be no more than three lines of text. Summarize as needed, but don’t overdo it! Refer to class notes and readings from 13-15 September for more information.

After copying and pasting your response into the field, hit “enter” after each paragraph.

Posts will not be allowed after Tuesday, 20 September 2011 at 11:59PM. Feel free to post earlier.

Your response will be graded  based on following each directive of this prompt. As always, let me know if you have any questions.

-Dev

For this blog space you will post your first blog entry. Your entry should be at least 250 words, but feel free to go beyond this word limit. To get credit, your post must be finished and posted by 25 August, 11:59 PM … no exceptions!

It is crucial that you save your entry in a word document before posting. Just in case something happens, you’ll have a back-up plan. That’s what many writers call “Rule #1,” and since you’ve joined the ranks, you’ll need to remember that!

Your audience is myself and other English 101 students. Construct your thoughts carefully, and be sensitive to posting your personal experiences.

Directions:

Look at the sample self introduction topics and pick out the aspects of your personal life you want to share with your classmates. Approach the list below with the who, what, where, why, how and when questions. That’s an effective way to outline your first thoughts.

1. What activity has played or plays an important part in your life? Tell the story and extract  the message.
2. What is your main personal goal?
3. What do you like very much?
4. What do you hate or dislike?
5. Do you have developed a very special skill?
6. Can you come up with a turning point or milestone in you life?
7. What is your hobby or interest in your spare time?
8. What is a pet peeve or another very familiar topic you like to talk about, to do or to discuss?
9. Where you are from? Do your roots reveal something about yourself that’s new for the audience? That always works in a speech for self introduction.
10. Is there an object or prop that means a lot to you?
11. What distinguishes you from other individuals in class?

Now that you have picked out a central thesis, use this outline write your self-introduction. Ideally, every paragraph should correspond with each bullet of your outline.

• Grab their attention. Immediately bring in your central idea.
• Give some background information. Tell why it is important to you, why you are doing it, why you want to tell them, etcetera.
• Now work out your topic in a few sentences. Draw the contours, make it personal.
• Give an example.
• In conclusion, offer a memorable answer on the question your readers probably will have when they read your post: What’s in it for me? Tell how this aspect of your life makes who you are and what you are. It will be the perfect ending of your self introduction.

Click Leave a Comment, copy and paste your self-introduction, and click Post Comment.

This post was excerpted from Speech Topics, Help, Advice, & Ideas.

Writing helps us to critically engage with the issues that affect our world … and really, that’s all we’ve got before we die! (Hence the title.) This semester (Fall 2011) we will be exploring themes of community, argument, and assertiveness as we prepare for the writing assignments in this class. In the weeks to come you’ll see blog spaces in which you will be required to post entries. Feel free to respond to others’ entries after posting your own.

As writers, we’re all in this together …  and in doing so, we’re all critically engaging in the communication process. Remember that we’re not alone, and that good argumentative strategies assist in asserting our viewpoints on important issues. English 101 will help you improve your critical thinking skills. Why else will would it be a requirement for so many of your college courses?

Now go on to post your first entry in the blog space entitled “Blog 1: Introductions.”

See you on the other side!

-Dev

A photograph of me taken by a colleague at Clemson University, just outside Strode Tower.