Use the links at right and below to navigate the course information and assignments, or use the search tool to quickly search for specific information you want.
Welcome to English 102 online! What follows is necessary information to get you started in the course. I encourage you to print this out and start a file or binder of documents for the course.
I am teaching 2 sections of 102q onlineQL and QM. However, for the purposes of how I handle my online course, it doesn't matter which section you're inI treat it as one big class.
This web site is the primary means of communication for the course—coming here is like going to class. You will find announcements on the home page and links to course information, assignments, and necessary resources. This is also where you will write, read, and comment on blog posts.
We will use email as well: for asking questions and submitting some assignments. Also, I will sometimes send email reminders to the class.
Finally, we will use the Comment website for peer response and grading of essays. You will find a link to the Comment site on most pages of this site.
The texts for the course are
Andrea
Lunsford’s The Everyday Writer (3rd edition), a handbook that
will help you with grammar, punctuation, documentation, and so forth. This
text is required and will be used for some of your assignments. This text,
if purchased new, is bundled with an access code for Comment.
John
Trimble's Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing.
This small book offers practical insights to help you grow as a writer. It is written in a conversational style, and it has the best explanation of audience I have read. It's one of my favorite books on writing. It too
is required for some of your assignments.In addition to these two print resources, we will also use
You will receive grades for three types of assignments: essays, mini-projects, and peer response. The relative weight of each type of work is detailed below. You will find specific instructions in the Assignments section.
You must earn at least 70% (C–) on the combined average of your essays to pass the course with a C.
Essays are graded according to specific criteria that will be provided to you for each assignment. My criteria are based on the English Department's generic standards for essays in 101 and 102, which you can read on the next page.
Mini-projects focus on smaller writing tasks, portions of assignments, or on helping you develop your understanding of what constitutes successful writing.
This grade is an average of grades given for your participation in peer response to essay drafts.
Your grades are calculated on a 10-point scale:
Note: I do not automatically round up final grades—in other words, a 79.9 is a C, not a B. This policy may seem harsh, but it is based on fairness: where do I draw the line? It may seem reasonable to round up a tenth or even half a point, but what about a whole point? Two? Every semester I get requests from students to round up their grades two, three, or even five points! Therefore, I have concluded that it is best both for me and my students that students receive the grade that they earn.
I use gradebook software that generates individual grade summaries that will be sent to you periodically via email. These summaries serve two functions: first, to let you monitor your performance, and second, to allow you to double-check that I have accurately recorded your grades.
Your grades are calculated according to the percentage weights specified above, with this exception:
You must earn at least 70% (C–) on the combined average of your essays to pass the course with a C.
If you have a question about your average, please ask.
What follows is a generic set of standards for each letter grade; you will receive specific grade sheets tailored to each essay assignment that I give you.
Demonstrates clear and consistent competence
Demonstrates reasonably consistent competence
Demonstrates adequate competence with occasional errors and lapses in the quality of writing
Demonstrates developing competence with one or more of the following characteristics:
Demonstrates incompetence and is flawed by one or more of the following weaknesses:
A grade of incomplete, I, indicates that a student has performed satisfactory work in English 101, but lacks one or more assignments. Incomplete grades that are not removed within the term after being assigned are changed to F by the registrar unless written permission is secured from the Dean granting an extension for completing the work. The student, not the instructor, is responsible for requesting such an extension.
Students must initiate the withdrawal from a course. After a posted date, a student will not be allowed to withdraw from the course. The grade of W is not counted in the student's grade point average. All grades of withdrawal remain permanently on the student's transcript.
Academic dishonesty, which includes cheating and plagiarism, is a serious offense and one that I do not take lightly. The University allows faculty to fail students for the course when academic misconduct can be demonstrated. When such a failure occurs, University policy requires that a letter explaining the cause of failure be sent to the Associate Provost’s office and kept on file; the policy also states that two failures for academic misconduct will result in expulsion from the University. If you are found guilty of cheating or plagiarism in this course, you will fail the course (unless, of course, you withdraw from the course before final grades are assigned). You can find more details in both the print and online versions of the undergraduate catalog (see the section on “Academic Conduct”), which includes the following definition:
PLAGIARISM: claiming as your own the ideas, words, data, computer programs, creative compositions, artwork, etc., done by someone else. Examples include improper citation of referenced works, use of commercially available scholarly papers, failure to cite sources, or copying other’s ideas.
Further, the School of Arts and Humanities policy on plagiarism states:
Plagiarism is using the words or thoughts of another person without proper citation; specifically, it is submitting as one’s own work any portion of a book, magazine, journal, handout, original creation, speech, lecture, oral communication, paper or examination written by someone else. Plagiarism is a serious offense. All members of the educational community must carefully avoid plagiarism by fully acknowledging the sources of studies, projects, and ideas which have been produced by another person. Note: unless an assignment specifically states that research is required or allowed, you should not do any research to complete your graded work.
As you know, computers and technology don't always work the way they are supposed to. Even geeks have problems from time to time. You don't have to be a computer wiz to handle an online course, but you do need to be a wise user of technology. Being a wise user means that you
For example, I have a Gmail account that I use as a backup for this course when my dot-com access goes down (and it always does at some point in the semester). I encourage you to think now about what you would do if your computer crasheddo you have access to the Internet somewhere else? I know that if I lose my connection at home, I can go to the public library or to campus.
Wise use of technology also means investigating your options regarding the software you use for the course.
My goal here is not to scare you but to get you thinking about your options should a problem arise. Also, know that I understand when technology becomes a hindrance rather than a help; if you run into problems, let me know and we can work something out. With this in mind, AOL users, please keep reading...
If you don't use AOL, skip to the next section. If you do use AOL, however, what follows is essential to your success in this course.
In teaching online for many years, I've found that AOL consistently causes problems. It filters out email messages sent to the entire class because the messages are incorrectly identified as spam. My conversations with AOL technical support have been unhelpful in finding a way to resolve this issue. I strongly encourage you to set up a free email account with Hotmail or Gmail and use it exclusively for this course. The added benefit is that course messages won't get lost in the midst of your other messages. Just send me a message with your new email address.
Note: if you would like a Gmail account, let me know and I can send you an invitation for an account.
You have 2 options for getting your assignments to me:
I want to finish with what I consider to be the most important piece of information
I'm excited about the semester and look forward to working with you on your writing. I enjoy teaching and I love my job. I have a good time working with my students, and I find it rewarding to see you learn and grow as writers and thinkers.
Just because we don’t meet face-to-face does not mean that you are on your own. It means only that you must take the initiative to ask questions. I am very much available to help you, either via email or by phone:
Or, if you're on campus, don't hesitate to come by my office207D in the Humanities Building. I have office hours from 89 a.m. MWF, and other times are available by appointment.
Please get in touch if you have any questions.
Assignments will be added as they come in the semester. Your first assignment is Mini-Project 1.
Mini-projects are small assignments that focus on specific skills or shorter pieces of writing.
Due Wednesday, January 11, by midnight
You will email this assignment to me, using this information:
Subject Line: 102q project 1
File name for attachment: lastname letter (ex: butcher letter)
This project has 2 versions (use the links below):
Due Wednesday, January 11, by midnight
Subject Line: 102q project 1
File name for attachment: lastname letter (ex: butcher letter)
Be sure to compare your letter to the grade sheet before submitting. See Turning in Your Assignments for instructions on file format and getting the letter to me.
Due Wednesday, January 11, by midnight
Subject Line: 102q project 1
File name for attachment: lastname letter (ex: butcher letter)
Write a letter of about 500 words to me in which you reflect on your experiences in an online course. You might consider these questions as a starting point:
Note that this assignment does not ask you to critique or analyze your previous online course; rather, it asks you to analyze your performance as a student in an online course.
Be sure to compare your letter to the grade sheet before submitting. See Turning in Your Assignments for instructions on file format and getting the letter to me.
_____ The letter was emailed by the deadline (Wednesday, 1/11)
_____ The letter is about 500 words
_____ How the student scored on each of the two self-tests
_____ The student’s strengths and weaknesses, based on the self-tests
_____ What was found on the sites the student visited, in summary form
_____ Whether the student believes he/she is well-suited or not to learning in an online environment
_____ The full address for each of the 4 web sites that the student found for the letter
_____ What the student learned about being an online student from taking an online course
_____ What the student will do differently in this course based on past experience
_____ Analysis or critique of the previous online course, focusing instead on the student's performance as a student
Due Sunday, January 22, by midnight
You will answer the questions for mp2 using this webform.
A significant problem with student essays (and the writing of many people out of school) is what Trimble calls "continuity," which he describes in chapter 4 of Writing with Style (Lunsford uses the term "coherence"; see The Everyday Writer, Section 8e, pp. 5760). This mini-project aims to help you recognize and think about the problem of continuity by looking at two essays written for the first essay assignment for this course. By the end of this project, you should
You will turn in this assignment using a web-based form that allows you to type in your answers to each question. I would encourage you to print a copy of the form so that you can prepare your answers before you use the form.
Read and make notes on “Middles,” Chapter 4 in Writing with Style, so that you can answer these questions on the form:
You can access the sample essays using the links in the sidebar or the “next” link at the bottom of the page. I would encourage you to print out both essays so that you can mark them up for the rest of the assignment. Read each essay and answer these questions about each essay.
Briefly, the essay assignment asks students to identify the important elements of a department web site from a student's perspective, illustrating and supporting their ideas using department sites in their major.
Note that in this mini-project, you are evaluating these sample essays only in terms of continuity.
Finish by answering these questions that apply Trimble's concept of continuity to the unsuccessful essay.
The grade sheet for this project is simply the Word document with all the questions reformatted as a checklist so that I can determine if you successfully answered all questions. Note also that as with all the mini-projects, this mini-project must be turned in on time or it fails.
Departmental websites can be very useful to a student trying to find out information about his or her classes. However, a departmental website that is not easy to access can frustrate a person. I am majoring in accounting, and I visited the Clifford College website, Wexel University’s website, and Eastern State’s website. I reached the following conclusions. A departmental website should be easy to navigate, while also capturing my attention and providing useful information so that I do not feel like I have wasted my time by going to this specific site.
There are many useful links that I feel a good departmental website should have. I like to know about the teachers that I am going to have and I don’t always know someone who has already taken a class that I might need. Therefore, links to faculty information would be very helpful. I would also like to know what each instructor expects in a classroom (attendance policies, grading criteria, etc.). In addition to faculty information, it would be useful to know something about some students majoring in the same field as me. I am also interested in what I can do with a degree in accounting and what kinds of jobs are available now that I can do. Links to job information would save me a great deal of time. Finally, if I have any trouble in a class--which most people do, at one point or another--I want to know where I can go to get help. Give me a link to tutoring services.
Wexel University’s accounting website gives a lot of useful information. It is also fairly easy to navigate around the site. The Eastern State site for accounting is more difficult to get around. Last semester, I had a computer class and I couldn’t find the links for my class. That’s because there is no link to the pages I need from the main accounting page. There also isn’t a link to many other useful things such as course requirements, and suggested curriculum; although I found links to these on the main Eastern State site. Clifford College’s accounting website offers the least information. While they put all the information on one page and then used links that scroll down part of the page, using this technique would make a page with more information look cluttered. At Clifford College, they focused on the requirements for an accounting major, which is good, but they didn’t tell a prospective student anything else. It basically looked like a page I could find in the course catalog.
A website should offer good information, but also be easy to navigate. The best way to allow users to get around a site--especially one with an abundance of information--is to use frames. Frames allow users to see exactly what pages a site contains and make it simple to get back to a certain page, allowing the user to click one link instead of forcing him or her to click on the back icon several times. Colors and graphics should be used wisely in a departmental website. Remember, this is supposed to draw the user’s attention, but it’s also supposed to be professional. In addition, most students are pretty busy people. Give the student the information he or she needs and let him or her get back to whatever he or she need to do.
Good departmental websites are not hard to make. A web designer should simply
take into consideration what the viewers want. A few basic things are a must
in a departmental website. Links to faculty and student information, links
to tutoring information, and easy navigation are very important to me. In addition,
something easy to read that tells me what I need to know and gets me in and
out quickly will be more desirable to me than a site that is hard to read and
keeps me going around in circles.
(652 words)
I am an English major and have examined the English department websites of three State Universities: East State, West State, and North State. Based on my perusal of these sites and my needs as an English major, I have concluded that an effective website must load quickly by effectively using graphics, provide for easy navigation, and contain information that both graduate and undergraduate students will find useful and interesting. While none of the websites I explored was perfect, they all provided useful insights into what should and should not be done with a departmental website.
While increasingly faster connections are always available, few people can afford the high-end services that allow for quick viewing of graphically intense websites. This holds especially true for students. Irrelevant factors that significantly slows down a website will eventually drive off even the most dedicated student. While I can see an Art Department’s having snazzy graphics, I can see no reason for an English site to indulge in them. The programmers of the East and North websites understood this; their sites loaded quickly. North’s website was especially fast. It was a bit on the drab side, however, and would benefit from--if nothing else--a change of color scheme. Black and blue and purple reminded me of bruises and band aids. The East site was pleasantly balanced. There was enough color and imagery to please without wowing. West State’s website, though, could have easily pared down its imagery without sacrificing utility. The ideal solution to the problem of balancing function against form is to provide a bare-bones introductory page which provides one link to the image-heavy version of the department site and one to the more frugal version. This approach would benefit everyone. The programmer could construct the minimalist version first and maintain it while working on the jazzed up site. Students could access the information they need and provide feedback, and the high-end website, once functional, would reflect the department’s commitment to the online community.
Not all members of that community are techno-savvy, however. Even computer literate students will stop using a website if they find it difficult to navigate it. I knew, vaguely, that this was true before examining these English department sites, but little did I realize how drastic a difference it would make. After my explorations I concluded that three factors must be present in an easily navigated website: a search engine, pull down menus, and well maintained links. East State was the only university to provide a search engine, and I felt the lack of one at the other two sites. With a search engine one can accomplish with a few keystrokes and a single link what could easily take half a dozen clicks to accomplish.
Pull down menus also reduce the time it takes to find information, and they provide a spatial representation of the website’s structure, too. West State benefited greatly from its use of pull down menus, more than making up for the time spent on loading imagery. East and North did not have these menus, and the sensation of traversing a labyrinth (instead of looking down upon it from above) stayed with me while I examined those sites. With search engines and pull down menus one can quickly determine if a particular piece of information is present; not so with a website equipped with nothing more than links.
A good webmaster will maintain the links on a website. If a link must be deactivated it should not appear as a link. A dead link should not be placed next to active links, nor should it be underlined or highlighted. Its status as a link should not be visible. The constantly shifting structure of the web is unavoidable. “Under Construction” signs are an inescapable hazard of navigating online. I suspect, though, that they are not as necessary as it would appear. Surely the content can be entered before the link is activated. If so, why bother with the dead end? Simply rearrange things when ready, and not before. If the site is rearranged or so thoroughly updated as to effectively split into substantially different sites (as happened on West State’s site) then something has gone wrong. The data should be collected and reorganized and, after this is done, if there are still major differences, then a link to the new site should be listed with other links of interest. The West State site provided, on the main page, a link to the “Old English Department Site.” I was confused by this. I thought at first that this was a link to an entire sub-department devoted to the study of Old English. Upon finding it to be a link to the old departmental website I wondered why the extra click--and irritation--had been necessary.
The ultimate source of irritation in a website is insufficient or useless information. If a department goes to the effort to erect and maintain a website it should ensure that it is a useful one. On a purely functional level the website should provide contact information for everyone in the department, including email, phone, fax, and physical address, as well as directions to the building. The East site gave detailed directions and a map with routes clearly marked, which pleasantly surprised me. A frequently asked questions section would seem to be in order as well, as this would guard the department secretary from at least a few unnecessary phone calls. This function as a buffer between the department and everyone else is, in fact, one of a department website’s primary reasons for existing. This buffer function allows the inquirer to gain information at their convenience and pace, while freeing up members of the department to concentrate on matters requiring judgment, such as figuring out what courses a student wants to take. A useful addition to the website, then, would be a ‘smart transcript’ program. This program would list projected course schedules, track major, minor, and overall requirements, and provide a current list of the student’s instructors. While none of the websites I visited had anything like this program, North appeared to have something remotely akin to it. All the department faculty were listed by topics and time periods, with links to pages for each one.
Aside from strictly useful information a department would be well advised to list as much interesting material as it can clearly organize. An events calendar is a must, as well as forums and bill boards. Work-study opportunities and scholarships should be advertised. Links to other interesting and related sites add flavor and quite possible utility. North surprised me with its links list. There were links to dictionaries, style manuals and thesauri, links to “How to Avoid Insensitive Language” and the “Offensiveness Quotient,” links to on-line texts, magazines, and libraries. I was amazed.
Each of the websites I visited had amazing aspects, but none of them managed to assemble all the important pieces into a great whole. A truly excellent website will not call attention to itself with slow loads or poor design. What it will call attention to is the information it contains, and it will do so with the aplomb of a seasoned tour guide. The capacity to inform and engage students and prospective students is an invaluable commodity for any department, and that capacity is what a good website delivers. (1225 words)
After you gain a sense of audience, Trimble says a well defined thesis, a clear strategy, strong evidence, a clean narrative line, and persuasive ending are the essentials to a good paper. (see pp. 3435)
The model essay demonstrates strengths that illustrate Trimble’s essay “checklist.” The well-defined thesis vividly explains the point Danny is trying to make. This essay is such a great example of a clear strategy because there is evidence of such great organization. He thoroughly explains and strengthens his first two points to ultimately persuade his readers through the use of very simple structure. He uses “signpost” structure to clearly state each point he attempts to make to his audience and links them together with appropriate words and phrases. Last, Danny displays the strong evidence to support his beliefs so that the readers are not confused by generalization.
Continuity is the idea of clearly connecting sentences together so that the points flow freely together. Making connections within your sentences ensures your readers have proper understanding of the points you make in a paper.
Continuity is important in a paper in order to achieve its purpose: explaining your points and persuading the reader that your points are true. Without continuity, a paper would be a bunch of mass-jumbled paragraphs thrown together to inevitably confuse your reader. When your sentences flow together, your paragraphs build from them and form your essay, saving you from stress and your reader from confusion.
One way to achieve continuity is to list out the main topics of your supporting paragraphs as Danny did for his paper. This helps you outline your ideas and avoid random thoughts and ideas from chopping up your thoughts. Another way is to use Trimble’s idea of “signposting” or parallel structure. This technique uses conjunctive adverbs and transitional words to signal a new thought is coming into the paper, which helps your thoughts flow smoothly together.
“A departmental website should be easy to navigate, while also capturing my attention and providing useful information so that I do not feel like I have wasted my time by going to this specific site.”
No, content does not match the thesis. The thesis should definitely be rewritten because it is very choppy and confusing. An example thesis: In order for a departmental website to be beneficial to students, the site should provide for easy navigation, be attractive to draw attention, and provide useful information for all students.
“Based on my perusal of these sites and my needs as an English major, I have concluded that an effective website must load quickly by effectively using graphics, provide for easy navigation, and contain information that both graduate and undergraduate students will find useful and interesting.”
Yes, the content of this paper reflected the topics mentioned in the introductory paragraph, while the conclusion sums it up. This paper was very easy to read and follow due to good organization of the topics.
The first essay, "Don’t Make Me Go in Circles," was so hard to follow. The writer’s thoughts did not flow together and the points were not made. It was apparent the writer did not list out the points to be discussed before the paper was written. Then, the topics mentioned in the introductory paragraph did not follow the points made in the supporting body of the paper. Last, the conclusion did not sum up the overall idea of the paper and even brought in new information that was unnecessary. This paper needs to be rewritten by following Trimble’s checklist in order to become a successful paper.
This mini-project has 2 goals:
Audience: students in freshman composition
Purpose: to produce an easy-to-use guide to basic tasks related to using and
documenting sources
Go here for the book pages: http://courses.danbutcher.com/s06/102q/sources
How do you get the information you need to produce your resource? I would start with your handbook and Trimble; both address many, if not all, of the topics you are working on. Be sure, though, that you do not simply copy what either author has to say; that would be plagiarism.
Instructions for each essay will be provided here as they are needed. An announcement will appear on the home page when new assignments or information are available.
This assignment has a real audience (me) and purpose (helping me improve the English Department's web site). Techno-geek that I am, I serve as webmaster for the department. I have redesigned and reorganized the site, and I am working to make it more useful for students. I have a lot of ideas about what should be done, and so do some of my colleagues, but I want to know what students think is important. Your job is to write an essay for me in which you
Think of the essay this way: Suppose you came to my office to talk about this face to face. What would you point out to me on a particular site? You might say something like, “I really like the way they list the courses hereit’s easy to read because...” Or, “There are too many links and images on this page, and I had a hard time figuring out where to click to find what I wanted.” Or, “I like the way this page looks, and these dropdown menus seem great, but they took a long time to load, so I don’t think they are a good idea.”
The goal of this assignment is not to evaluate the chosen sites but to identify what worksand doesn’tfor you as a student using a departmental web site, backing up your ideas with discussion of specific sites. So the thesis is not going to be
The web site of Eastern States Department of Physics is really good, but the sites for Newton College and Western Tech are poor.
Instead, the introduction is going to be something like this (the thesis is bolded):
My major is physics, and I looked at the web sites for Physics Departments at Eastern State, Western Tech, and Newton College. Each of the sites had some useful features and some things I didnt like. As I looked at these sites and considered my own experiences online, I realized that my biggest frustration comes from not finding the exact information I need or from not being able to locate the information I think should be there. Ive concluded that a useful departmental web site lists all the information about which courses a major should take and is easy to navigate.
Each of the body paragraphs would expand on these statements to explain why specific content is important (using one or more of the schools as an example), and what types of navigation are goodand bad (again, using specific examples from these three sites to back up my point).
subject line: 102q web site draft
file name: lastname web site draft
subject line: 102q web site final
file name: lastname web site
an A essay includes all the characteristics of B and C work as well as the following:
a B essay includes all the characteristics of C work as well as the following:
a C essay demonstrates the writers ability to communicate ideas and has these characteristics:
D work falls short of 3 or more of the requirements for C work, and/or it may reflect the following:
The problems are with content, structure, and mechanics. This writing is characterized by any of the following: unclear purpose; incoherent organization; inadequate, irrelevant, or illogical development; little originality of thought; reliance on clichés; inappropriate word choice; ineffective or incorrect sentence structure; numerous or significant problems with mechanics and grammar. Plagiarism is also grounds for failure.
This
project asks you to look at one of six films as
a teaching tool to help teens understand the concepts in the first chapter
of Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The
films are
Following the guidelines provided in the memorandum, write an essay of 1500 to 2000 words explaining how one of the six films can be used effectively to teach the concepts Covey presents in his first chapter, "Inside Out." The audience is the Curriculum Development Team.
The primary considerations in grading this essay are
The report on Covey is constructed around a "make-believe" situation: I am your boss, and you are a researcher and writer working for an education consulting firm. Also, as you can see from the due dates, I have broken the report into many steps. I have several reasons for setting up the assignment this way:
Memorandum
To: Freelance writers and researchers
From: Dan Butcher, Director of Research
Date: February 13, 2005
Re: Character Counts! Project for the Lincoln County School Board
Welcome to our family! We are happy to have you working for Dynamic Educational Concepts, and we’re eager to put you to work on your first assignment as a writer and researcher.
The Lincoln County School Board has decided to use Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as a basis for their high school character-building curriculum, the Character Counts! Project. The School Board has asked us to work with their Curriculum Development Team to develop a curriculum for the first chapter of Covey’s book. In talking with them about how best to use Covey’s materials, three premises have become clear:
After further discussion with Board members, it was determined that the most effective method of teaching Covey’s materials would be to supplement the text with a film that illustrates Covey’s concepts. Our initial research has identified six filmsOctober Sky, Remember the Titans, Ella Enchanted, Batman Begins, Cinderella Man, and Secondhand Lionsthat could work well to illustrate the concepts found in Covey’s first chapter, "Inside Out." You should choose one of the six films to focus on for your report.
My contact at the Lincoln County School Board Office also told me some useful information about the Curriculum Development Team. Three of the seven team members are not convinced that a film will be an effective use of class time, and they are likely to be troubled by the decision to use a popular "movie" as a teaching tool for high school students. You should give serious thought to how you will address these concerns.
You are responsible for writing a report for members of the Lincoln County Curriculum Development Team demonstrating that one of these six films (either October Sky or Remember the Titans or Ella Enchanted or Secondhand Lions or Cinderella Man or Batman Begins) can be used to effectively teach the key concepts of Covey’s first chapter.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
By the deadline, complete the following:
By the deadline, complete the following:
By the deadline, complete the following:
By the deadline, complete the following:
By the deadline, you need to complete the following:
By the deadline, you need to complete the following:
By the deadline, you need to complete the following:
These questions should guide you in responding to the essays of your classmates. You need to consider all these issues as you read and respond, but your comments on any given essay don't have to address all these questions, if something is not an issue.
Don't forget to say positive things as well as pointing out potential problems. If someone uses a good example, say so.
Grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc., are not considerations. You are to focus on the content and the expression of ideas.
Apply these questions to each of the four concepts from Covey.
As we've said from the beginning, audience is an important part of this report. Awareness of audience means the writer has:
Ahn, Bena
Anderson, Brittany
Ayres, Andrew
Belew, Anna
Booher, Whitney
Brewster, Robert
Cleckler, Brandon
Crouch, Kimberly
Davis, Ebony
Deweese, Jonathan
Dowe, Meagan
Frasier, Christina
Green, Jennifer
Jain, Karan
Jeffcoat, Michael
Johnson, Carldell
Jones, Richard
Jung, Kwan Ho
Lee, Kwang Suk
Monteiro, Jerson
Mukubu, Wen
Nunley, Nikki
Parrish, Kelsey
Phillips, Marilyn
Ray, Andrew
Reaves, Mason
Rucker, Michele
Smith, Jacqueline
Robertson, Jared
Taber, Jeff
Wastrack, Kristina
Weatherly, Kernesha
Willenbrock, Nancy
Hopkins, Calvin
Kennedy, Zachary
Stringfellow, Courtney
Williams, Nicole
Broeker, Candace
Foster, Besstina
Garrison, Anna
Jemison, Vaunzcea
Covey presents many important ideas, but a statement of his main idea should identify the most important idea. In this chapter, he hits on two key ideas:
In the process of explaining these two ideas, he presents a few other ideas:
A good statement of his main idea should link the two keyssuccess/effectiveness and paradigmsto say something like this:
Covey believes a person can be truly effective only when that person acts out of a paradigm based on unchanging principles that are within that person.
If I wanted a quote to relate to that, this passage would be good:
"The character ethic taught that there are basic principles of effective living, and that people can only experience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate these principles into their basic character" (18).
A paradigm is a perspective or way of seeing the world that affects our attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Thus, a paradigm is more than an opinionyou can recognize a paradigm by "its fruit" (that is, there is clear evidence of the paradigm).
Example:
| Opinion |
Paradigm |
|
|---|---|---|
Writing can be a useful skill for some people. |
The ability to express oneself clearly is essential to success. |
|
If I don’t see myself as part of "some people," I won’t really value writing. |
If this is truly my paradigm, then my writing practices and teaching philosophy should show evidence of it. |
|
The Bible has some good ideas in it. |
The Bible is divinely inspired and provides a standard for the way I live my life. |
|
Since this is just an opinion, I don’t feel any compulsion to act on any of those good ideas. |
If this is truly my paradigm, then my attitudes, beliefs, and actions should match what the Bible says. |
A paradigm shift is a fundamental or radical change in perspective that results in a change in attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Again, it’s more than a change in opiniona paradigm shift can be identified by evidence in a person’s life.
Example: One of the actors in Animal House (a movie about a fraternity starring a number of Saturday Night Live regulars) said that he thought differently about the kinds of films he made after he had children. He wasn’t comfortable with his children seeing him in films that glamorized drugs and alcohol. This is a paradigm shift: he first thoughtand acted (literally)from the perspective that it didn’t matter what kinds of things were portrayed in the films he was in. The presence of children in his life brought a shift in perspective or paradigm, and he made a decision to choose different kinds of acting roles (evidence of the shift).
Both of these are paradigms for success or effectiveness, and both of them are about motives, or what is inside the person. Right outward actions are not necessarily a clear sign of which paradigm is at work. For example, consider Covey’s story about his son; outwardly, he seemed to be doing all the things a father should doencouraging his son, etc. However, motives revealed that Covey was actually working out of a Personality Ethic in that situation.
| Character Ethic |
Personality Ethic |
|
|---|---|---|
This ethic is |
principle-centered |
need-centered |
I do what I do because... |
I can point to an unchanging principle that supports my actions. |
it meets my immediate need or makes the social situation work smoothly. |
Behavior based on this ethic... |
will be consistent because it is based on something unchanging: principles. |
will be inconsistent because it is based on something that is changing (my needs and/or the situation). |
In a situation where lying might be useful... |
I would still tell the truth because I believe in the principle of honesty. |
I would weigh the personal benefits of the truth against the personal benefits of lying. |
My decision on how to act in a situation... |
is already made because I live from a paradigm that is principle-centered, and principles are unchanging. |
has to be made in each situation, because I live from a paradigm that focuses on meeting my needs in that situation, and those needs are always changing. |
This last point is important and is the basis of Covey’s claim that "enduring happiness" comes from principle-centered living. A person who knows how to act in every situation because she lives on principles is free from a lot of the stress that a person who acts based on his own needs will feel, because he will often lack certainty about the best decision.
One final point about Personality Ethic: not all the ideas of Personality Ethic are bad; positive mental attitude, for example, is a good thing. However, positive mental attitude won’t help me decide whether I should lie on my tax returns. As Covey says, Personality Ethic works on the surfacelike "social aspirin and band-aids" (40) rather than getting to the root of the problem or situation.
Q&A on the Report
Instead of thinking about this essay in terms of paragraphs (1 paragraph for the intro, 1 for each concept, 1 for the conclusion), think about the essay as having sections, some of which may have 1 paragraph and some of which may have multiple paragraphs. For instance, the introductory section will have a paragraph introducing the report and a paragraph summarizing the film. Your discussion of Character Ethic (or any of the concepts) might require several examples that are best served by separate paragraphs. Take a look at the sample essay for an illustration of this principle.
In a well-written Introductory section, the writer:
Here's a sample introductory section that shows one way to present the information that's necessary for a strong, successful introduction. As you read it, see if you can find the eight elements that should be present in the introduction (see the list here). For those curious about such things, there are 299 words in these 3 paragraphs.
The Lincoln County School Board has decided to use Stephen R. Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as a part of their high school Character Counts! Program. Because Covey can be hard for teens to understand, the School Board contracted Dynamic Learning Concepts to find a film that will illustrate and reinforce Covey’s ideas. His first chapter, "Inside Out," focuses on four main concepts: paradigm, paradigm shift, Personality Ethic, and Character Ethic. Our research identified October Sky as a film that clearly and effectively illustrates these four ideas for teens.
October Sky tells the true story of Homer Hickam, a 17-year-old struggling with his future and his father’s expectations. Homer's father John is the foreman of the coal mine that dominates their small town, and he expects Homer to follow in his footsteps. Homer wants a different life for himself but doesn’t see a way to achieve it until he watches Sputnik pass overhead in October 1957. The Russian satellite inspires Homer to build rockets, and his dream is spurred on by the chance of going to the National Science Fair and winning a college scholarship. To reach his goal, Homer enlists the help of the school "weirdo" and two friends. The four boys face opposition from the people around them, and many of their rockets fail, but the "Rocket Boys" persist in their experiments and grow in the process of finding success.
This film portrays problems that teens today can understand, and it shows the main characters dealing with those problems in constructive ways; though not perfect, Homer and his friends are positive role models. Homer, his father John, and other characters show clear examples of Covey's concepts "in action," making it easier for high school students to understand what Covey writes about in his book.
The sample paragraph below discusses the concept of paradigm using October Sky. Some things to note:
One of Covey's central concepts in the first chapter of his book is the idea of a paradigm. Covey describes paradigm as the "way we 'see' the world—not in terms of our visual sense of sight, but in terms of perceiving, understanding, interpreting" (23). The film October Sky contains numerous examples of the concept of paradigm, but I will mention only a few here. Homer Hickam's success and happiness is a direct result of his paradigm. Home's paradigm of goal-oriented, positive thinking requires him to be steadfast and determined in moving toward his goal. This point is illustrated by a scene in the film in which Homer shows excellent character while trying out for the high school football team. Homer was too small and was repeatedly knocked down. Finally, the coach says, "Homer, you sure got guts, but you got to know when to quit." Instead of giving up as suggested, Homer keeps doing his best regardless of the outcome. Homer's paradigm is again tested later in the film, but in a different venue, that of rocket building. When discouragement is felt amongst the group of "Rocket Boys," Homer demonstrates his grit and determination to achieve his goal; he attempts to end the apathy of two of his friends by reminding them of their motivation: "We ought to be tryin' to get into that science fair!" Covey teaches that out of an individual's paradigm comes their behavior and assumptions, an idea clearly demonstrated by the above examples and many others in the film October Sky.
A student from my first online 102 wrote this report in Spring 2000, when I paired Covey with Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It deals with a different film but otherwise is an excellent example of what this report should contain in terms of details from both Covey and the film. It's also well written in the way quotations are integrated, and it's well organized, with effective transitions and connections provided for the reader. The only thing lacking in this essay is the introductory section; it does not have all eight elements.
| Notes
The title of the film is italicized. It can be underlined instead, but it should never be both italicized and underlined. The title of Covey's book should be italicized or underlined as well, but the title of the chapter from his book would be placed inside quotation marks: "Inside Out." |
Report to the Lincoln County School Board
Abstract principles are often difficult for high school students to grasp. Nevertheless, such principles can be illustrated through concrete examples. The animated version of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame offers the opportunity to demonstrate Covey’s contrast of the personality and the character ethics. Covey’s thesis that the character ethic has greater value, even though expression of the personality ethic may result in more immediate self-interested gains and social expectance, is difficult to convey to people of this age because their world is often focused on short-termed gratification. This report will demonstrate why the film should be adopted as a supplement in teaching the meaning and implications of Covey’s thesis. |
|
|
The Disney version of this novel is true to the original in its essential content. The outcast Quasimodo is used by Frollo, the Minister of Justice, to further his own personal ends. Quasimodo’s experiences with Esmeralda and Phoebus create a change in his view of himself and others. In the end the shallowness of Frollo leads to his own destruction and the destruction of innocent others. However, the animation and musical interludes would help hold the attention of an adolescent audience. In the process of entertaining, the film clearly expresses the ultimate value of character and morality over personality and appearance. The main characters offer the viewer the contrasting qualities of the personality and character paradigms, as well as the profound influence that a paradigm shift can have on the life quality of a person. What follows in this report is a more detailed examination of how the characters of Phoebus, Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Frollo provide clear illustration of Covey’s points of view. |
||
|
Heather made use of a heading here (and in the rest of the body) to help the reader know what she's going to discuss. While it's not necessary, it's a great idea. Note that ellipses ( . . . ) are used to indicate where words have been left out of a quotation. This is a convenient way to keep quotations focused on only the pertinent information. Also note that quotations from Covey are followed by the page number in parentheses. Heather does not use quotations as stand-alone sentences. She leads into each quotation with her own words. This makes the paper flow more smoothly, because the quotations and Heather's words are integrated. In the last highlighted sentence, Heather uses a quote and then explains what it's significance is. She never assumes that her reader knows why a quotation was included. Finally, this discussion of Personality Ethic is wrapped up by a summary paragraph. Again, Heather doesn't leave it to the reader to draw the conclusions; she spells it out. |
Frollo: Exemplar of the Personality Ethic Frollo represents the Personality Ethic and its negative implications in its purest and simplest form. Covey states that the Personality Ethic encourages a presentation of self that is "clearly manipulative, even deceptive, encouraging people to use techniques to get people to like them . . . or to intimidate their way through life" (19). In the opening scenes of the movie the puppeteer says of Frollo that he "longed to rid the city of sin and saw corruption everywhere but within." From the beginning, Frollo expresses a public image of goodness and morality. However, the viewer is aware that Frollo’s motives are self-serving, regardless of the words he uses in presenting himself to others. For example, he often tells Quasimodo that it was he, Frollo, that saved him from the cruel mother who wanted to kill him. However, Frollo is heard saying that "even this foul creature may one day be of service to me." Frollo, throughout the film, blames his own shortcomings on others. He remarks to Quasimodo that "all of Paris is burning because of you," suggesting that Quasimodo was responsible for Frollo’s cruel and immoral acts. The film presents the viewer with a clear lesson in Frollo. Concern with one’s self and ones own self-interest, at the expense of others, ultimately leads to failure. In a real sense the Personality Ethic is a self-defeating ethic. Frollo’s secret desire for Esmeralda, which turns to revenge, and spiteful persecution of the gypsies results in his death. |
|
|
|
Esmeralda and Phoebus: The Character Ethic Covey describes the Character Ethic as composed of "basic principles of effective living, in that people can only experience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate these principles into their basic character" (18). Examples of these principles are such traits as integrity, courage, justice and treating others as you would have them treat you. Esmeralda represents these principles with a clear simplicity that high school students should be able to perceive easily. In the scene during the Festival of Fools, Quasimodo is persecuted and ridiculed because of his physical deformity. When Esmeralda frees him, she has the courage to endanger herself to stop the injustice that Frollo was allowing to occur. She tells Frollo that he treats Quasimodo like he treats her people, that is, with a self-serving cruelty. An important aspect of the Character Ethic is the ability to see important qualities in other people that are deeper than their mere appearance. Esmeralda sees in Quasimodo a kind and thoughtful person, and does not react to him as a deformed monster. For example, when she reads his palm in the Tower of Notre Dame, where she has sought sanctuary, she says she sees no "monster lines" in his hands. |
|
|
Heather also keeps the reader on track through connecting words in these paragraphs. Each of the highlighted words and phrases serves to move the reader easily from one idea to the next. Some connecting words link ideas through similarity (like), while others link ideas by contrast (but, however). And others connect by showing a series (First, next). |
Like Esmeralda, Phoebus expresses the assets of the Character Ethic. He is a man of duty, honor and integrity, but at the same time, he is aware that integrity and fidelity to higher moral principles are of a higher importance than blind loyalty to superiors. First, he refuses Frollo’s order to take Esmeralda into custody because of his innate sense of the injustice that Frollo intends her. In an even clearer demonstration of his commitment to higher moral principles, he directly disobeys Frollo’s command to burn the home of a family that Frollo has accused of aiding, or hiding, the gypsies. Indeed, Phoebus risks his own life to save the family from the fire after Frollo sets the home ablaze himself. From that point on in the film, Phoebus is an example of the immediate costs that the Character Ethic can entail. In other words, doing the right thing leads him to suffer the fate of an outcast. Nevertheless, the positive rewards of the Character Ethic are exemplified in both Esmeralda’s and Phoebus’s final outcomes. Both find that their courage and endurance is rewarded with a permanent and lasting happiness. The film clearly expresses, in a way that student can grasp, that virtue is rewarding. |
|
|
Heather treats each section as a mini-essay, first giving clues to the reader about where she's headed. |
Quasimodo: The Power of Paradigms and Paradigm Shifts Quasimodo presents us with the most complex character and exemplifies Covey’s most important concepts. First, Quasimodo shows us the power of paradigms of self to shape our thoughts about ourselves and our orientation to solving our problems. Second, Quasimodo demonstrates both the capacity to change our paradigms of self, and the important implications that such a shift may have for solving problems in life. Throughout most of the film, Quasimodo presents us with representation of the Personality Ethic and its capacity to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, Quasimodo’s comments to the gargoyles, when he is considering going to the festival, that "I’d never fit in out there. I’m not normal," indicating that he has accepted Frollo’s views of his inadequacies. This is reaffirmed in the musical exchange between Frollo and Quasimodo. Frollo says to Quasimodo, "You are deformed" and "You are ugly." Quasimodo answers in refrain, "I am deformed" and "I am ugly." Later, he says to the gargoyles again, "I’m a monster you know." Indicating that he has accepted Frollo and society’s perception of his inner character as a mere reflection of his outward appearance. In referring to what he thinks Esmeralda’s view of him is, he remarks, "Let’s not fool ourselves, ugliest face in all of Paris, remember? I don’t think I’m her type." He further sings, "No face as hideous as my face was ever meant for heaven’s light." As long as Quasimodo views himself in the negative image of the Personality Ethic, he cannot muster the courage to reject Frollo’s evil actions and intentions and aid Esmeralda and Phoebus in their just cause. However, when he comes to realize that his limitations are produced by this false image of his true character, he is able to overcome Frollo’s domination of him and act on the basis of true moral principles. This paradigm shift is captured in the following renunciation of Frollo: "All my life you have told me the world is a dark and cruel place. Now I see the only dark and cruel thing in this world is you." Here we see the truth in Covey’s statement about the basic flaws of the Personality Ethic. Covey says, "To try to change outward attitudes and behaviors does very little good in the long run if we fail to examine the basic paradigms from which those attitudes and behaviors flow" (28). Quasimodo’s weakness and problems were a product of his inaccurate perception of what his problems really were. Once his paradigm shift takes place, his actions are based on the absolute principles of his inner character. Consequently, his actions cause justice to prevail through his courage to rescue Esmeralda. In the end he finds true happiness and acceptance because of this change in his image of himself. |
|
|
In this conclusion, she nicely sums up the evidence she has offered and reinforces the idea that the film will be effective in illustrating Covey's concepts (the thesis). |
As we all agree, the idea’s expressed by Covey are very valuable and well worth incorporating into a high school curiculum. Nevertheless, as was mentioned above, the abstractness of his concepts may be difficult for students to understand in their original statement. The Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame offers us the advantage of presenting the implications of the Personality Ethic, the Character Ethic and the importance of the capacity of persons to shift their self image from the former to the latter. The film clearly demonstrates, in a way students of this age can understand, the self-defeating qualities of seeking popularity through sacrificing the deeper and more absolute values implied in Covey’s concept of the Character Ethic. Moreover, this annimated version will capture and maintain the attention of the students, thus allowing the teacher to elaborate and expand the students’ basic understanding of these ideas. |
This essay assignment asks you to develop part of a guide to taking online classes. Your audience is other students who are interested in online learning; your purpose is to create a resource that can help them make informed decisions about participation as well be more successful if they take a class. My plan to make what you write available to students at UAB who are signing up for online EH101 for the fall, so the audience and purpose are very real.
by midnight Saturday 3/25 (note this is not the standard due date), post in your blog your topic as well as your reason for choosing that topic. As you choose your topic, think about the kinds of questions you had about online courses as well as issues that have come up for you in taking online courses. You may find this list helpful as a starting point:
Note that some topics may require you to address a specific type of student; if so, include that in your post.
You need at least 4 sources for this essay. You can search online for information relating to online learning, or you may want to do what is called "field research": interviews, surveys, and polls. You might want to interview an online student or an instructor of online courses (if you want to interview an instructor, let me know—I've got a few people you can contact); you might want to post a question in your blog and invite others in the class to reply. Our course site provides the ability to conduct simple polls (you've probably seen this kind of thing on other websites: "Which movie should win the Oscar for Best Picture?" with 3 or 4 choices). If you are interested in polling your classmates (or even other online students in the English Department), let me know and I can help you put the poll together and get students to respond.
This essay should be 1500–2000 words. The final draft of the essay is due for grading by Sunday, April 9. If you want peer review on this essay, you are free to initiate that on your own—I would suggest that you post something on the course web site asking others who are interested in peer response to get in touch. If you need help setting up a group for response in Comment, let me know.
This essay asks you to evaluate the writing you have done this semester and make an argument for your success in achieving the department's objectives for 102. They are:
Your essay should be 750–1000 words and should make specific references to your writing this semester. This would include not only the formal essays you have written but also your mini-projects and blog posts. Your sources, then, are your own pieces of writing. For instance, in discussing your ability to write for a specific audience, you should not just say, "In essay 2 I wrote for the audience you told us to write for." Rather, you would want to write something like this:
Essay 2 specified the Curriculum Development Committee as my audience. I communicated effectively with this audience by doing x, y, and z. For example, I wrote, "...."
The essay is due in Comment by midnight, Wednesday, May 3.
I have created two animated images that cycle through a series of screen shots in Comment to help you in uploading a document and in making comments. Each image will open in a new window.
This series of screen shots provides a tutorial for getting to your group in Comment. Click here to see the screen shots.
This series of screen shots provides a tutorial for adding comments to a document. You should view the first tutorial before viewing this one. Click here to see the screen shots.
The purpose of Comment is peer response—making it easy for you to give feedback to each other on your writing. Some of you may be thinking that you don't really care what your classmates think—you just want to know what the teacher thinks. Don't underestimate the usefulness of getting responses from other people—or of giving feedback.
Obviously, the more people that read your essay, the better—especially when they know the purpose of the assignment, as your classmates do. You'll be getting responses from 2 or 3 classmates, and these responses should give you a good idea of what works and what doesn't in your essay.
Though I don't think this is likely, let's assume the worst: that all the feedback you get from classmates is useless. It's still a valuable activity for you to give feedback, because in thinking about why someone else's essay is good or bad, you're helping yourself to see your own paper differently. Reading other essays helps you put your own work in perspective. Maybe you think you're a poor writer, but after seeing some other essays, you discover you're not as bad as you thought--or maybe you discover that there is room