Academic Writing

How is writing in a typical "academic" setting different from the many other writing settings we've written in this quarter?

RANDOM AUTOBIOGRAPHY FOR MONDAY/WEDNESDAY FOLKS

We're going to do a class random autobiography, so add your great random thoughts from your in-class writing here or come up with new ones. Then, after it's full of random genius, I'll put it all together and we'll see what we have. I'll start...

Dad once scolded me for buying a dolphin.

I have been lost in Sears.

MORE RANDOM AUTOBIOGRAPHY--Tuesday/Thursday People

Now that we've done that Random Autobiography in class, let's make one that will become a collective random bunch of autobiographies. You can use ones you thought of in class, or you can add new random thoughts. Don't explain any of your statements, just insert the randomness and then eventually I'll print it all out and bring it to class. I'll start...

I burned down the garage and blamed it on the wiring.

A wild boar once chased me through a Carolina forest.

HOW TO MAKE CAL STATE BETTER

So, most of you have now been here for six weeks. What would you do to make this university better?

Restaurant Review

Do you have questions, problems, or any other issueswith this assignment? Ask your questions here.

Is this quote true?

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.
Just get people to stop reading them."
~Ray Bradbury

SHOULD YOU KILL YOUR TELEVISION?

Do you think that television has a positive or negative impact on our lives?

AID TO AFRICA?

Ok, this comes out of a discussion with my brother, but I guess it's still worth putting in our venerable space. So, I believe in helping others, giving to charity, helping the needy. Our nation, in fact, does more of this than any nation on earth. We give 15 billion dollars a year (that's a lot of "honey") to Africa. Here's the problem. Almost none of it gets to the people. Most of it simply lines the pockets of the wealthy leaders and warlords. Here's the question: should we still be giving this aid to Africa?

ASSIGNMENT #2 MULTI-GENRE WRITING

ASSIGNMENT #2 MULTI-GENRE WRITING
The first draft of the second assignment must be completed by 10/13 or 10/14.
The final draft is due on 10/15 or 10/16.
If you need help figuring out which dates apply to you, please get help immediately!
The assignment must be typed, unless one of the genres you include requires otherwise. We will generate a list of genres together, but remember, it is almost impossible to state them all, so if you find yourself dreaming of a new genre (are dreams in themselves a genre?) be sure to run it by me and then use it!
The difficult part of this assignment will not be finding the genres, it will be finding the theme. I will give you a few options, but remember, the best theme for you will be the one you come up with, so keep thinking!
If you get information about a certain topic, be sure to include the source of that information in your rough draft and final draft.
We will submit this to turnitin, but we'll discuss that later.

Here are some possibilities for themes: this election, your major, gay marriage, marriage in general, religion, the color blue, skunks, death, love, hope, the beach, the Beach Boys, Boy Bands, Band Aids, AIDS, fishing, goodbyes, good buys, Best Buy...and so on.

Here's a brief list of genres:
Acceptance speech, address to jury, adventure story, advice column, apology note, autobiography, biography, blog entry, business letter, book review, campaign speech, children's story, condolence letter, court decision, dedication, detective story, editorial, epitaph, free verse poem, ghost story, love letter, memoir, movie review, myth, news article, parody, narrative, play, poem, proverb, quotation, romance story, soap opera, sportscast, superstition, technical writing, novel, nursery rhyme, obituary...and on and on.

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF QUICK EXAMPLES:
Example #1
"Snakes"
Genre One: a Joke: (you heard this in class: dumb joke, two animals)

Genre Two: A poem:Title: "head of the department"

The snake rounded her hideous head, careful to hide her fangs until the final moment, licked kindly the ears of her prey, prayed gently for a bit of fight left in this pathetic squirrel, and enjoyed her dinner, although her dinner didn't fight at all.


Genre Three: A Scientific Report:
This one would have to be researched a bit, to gain some insight into the scientific nature of the snake.


Example #2
Metamorphosis

Genre One: Poem: Title: "become the butterfly"
Oh how I long to stop this slithering mess, to eat your leaves and feel no more this earth's caress

Oh how I strive to dine and then slumber away, to drink the sorrow of a cacoon ablaze

Oh how this poem is more stupid than not, but I awaken and fly away, and am amazed, metamorphosis wrought

Genre Two: Rambling Journal Entry:
I wonder what Kafka was thinking when he wrote his book called Metamorphosis. In this simple book a man named Gregor Samsa must come to terms with being turned into a bug, a beetle of sorts. I think this would have been an even worse fate than the social invisibility suffered by Mersault. Kafka revels in the horrors of modern existence, and the awful torturous fate of a man taunted by his own existence. I think that Nabakov would later compare this to Jekyll and Hyde, but something is lost there, since there's only one essence left when the man is turned into bug...scary story. Could this have a bearing on our modern world? You better believe it, bug readers!

Genre Three: Obituary
It is with great regret that we announce the death of metamorphosis, a concept that gave its all until the very end but died after a long bout with complacency. Meta, as she was known to her friends, could be seen in the writing and thinking of numerous individuals over the years, from Bob Dylan to Abe Lincoln, but as of 2008, she met her match with the current society led by those formidable opponents Malaise and Apathy. Meta leaves behind no immediate family members. Services will be held at the Beale Library followed by a ceremonial book burning of all Kafka reading material. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the SPCA, the only organization left that seems to want to affect change amongst the higher creatures of our globe.

BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME

Ok, now let's talk movies. What I want to know here is your vote for your top three best movies of all time. Remember, even if you love a movie, try to think about it more objectively. Let's say, for example, that Date Movie is your favorite movie of all time. Most would agree that Date Movie should not be on an all time best list. You can do one of two things. Either admit that even though you like it, it cannot rank with the best movies you've ever seen, or, be bold, make an argument for why it is among the best. That would mean looking at the structure, writing, comedy, timing, filming, capturing of current social themes, or any other categories you want to find to argue why it should be considered. Believe me, if you want to make an argument, you can find reasons to support it (and then we may find reasons why you are wrong, too.).
So, here my list, in no partcular order: Apocalypse Now, Godfather (1 and 2, but that just counts as one, right, since I can't pick between them...and no, don't even think of throwing 3 in there), and Chinatown.
This is really tough though, because I love the following movies and want to put them on the list: Rocky, Valley Girl(go see this now!), Star Wars (I saw it nine times the year it came out...do people still do that?), Amelie (Audrey Toutou, hubba hubba), Fitzcarraldo, the Official Story, A Very Long Engagement, and Belle Epoque.
But the truth is, as much as I enjoyed them, they don't quite make it! Can we separate our enjoyment from our judgement? We must.
What are your nominees and, more importantly, why?