Assignment for Monday, December 21

Either read in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four or work on your exploratory essay. Also, come to class prepared to discuss the following questions in relation to the Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour. Consider, too, how the film's visual strategies contribute to its rhetorical agenda. 

 

Who is the audience for this film? 

What kinds of rhetorical appeals do the filmmakers employ? 

What is the film's argument? Is that argument persuasive? 

What kinds of evidence are provided to support that argument? 

Are any counterarguments presented? If so, what are they? 

Assignment for Thursday, December 17

If you didn't take notes while watching Citizenfour, you should record some responses to some of the questions I asked you to think about while watching Citizenfour. At the start of Thursday's class, we'll talk about your observations of the film's rhetoric. Also, you should work on your exploratory essay, or you should begin reading George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. To avoid spoilers, do not read the inside of the book jacket and skip the Foreword. Simply begin with Chapter One.

Also, for more context and background on domestic surveillance in the United States, you might be interested in watching this Frontline documentary, The United States of Secrets.

Assignment for Tuesday, December 15

Read this article about Edward Snowden's revelations.. In class, we will watch the Academy Award-winning documentary Citizenfour, which is about Snowden.

For further, non-required but essential reading on Snowden and the NSA, read the articles listed below:
This is the first article based on information from Snowden.
Edward Snowden Timeline
Book Review of The Snowden Files, by Luke Harding (long)
Boundless Informant: The NSA's Secret Tool to Track Global Surveillance Data
No Warrant, No Problem How the Government can Your Digital Data
Revealed: How US and UK Spy Agencies Defeat Internet Privacy and Security
The Crux of the NSA Story in One Phrase: "Collect It All"
The Top-Secret Rules That Allow the NSA to Use US Data without a Warrant

Assignment for Friday, December 11

Finish reading and annotating (or preparing for a quiz on) Press's Beautiful Souls (pp. 155-183, which includes the Epilogue). We will discuss the book in class.

Also, type your multiple-choice questions and answers about Beautiful Souls and email them to me as Word document.

Note that the Exploratory Essay assignment that was handed out in class is posted to the right.

Assignment for Wednesday, December 9

In Press's Beautiful Souls, read (and annotate) pp. 131-155. (If you don't annotate, you will take a quiz on the reading.)

In class, you will continue working on your AP multiple-choice questions about Beautiful Souls.

Assignment for Monday, December 7

Read and annotate p. 104-129 in Beautiful Souls. I will check annotations, or you will take a quiz.

Assignment for Wednesday, November 18

Read to p. 65 in Press's Beautiful Souls. In class, we will begin with the exquisite corpse, you will watch and analyze Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, and you will work on your annotated bibliography.

Assignment for Monday, Nov. 16

Read pp. 28-46 in Beautiful Souls. Annotate the reading or be prepared to take a quiz on it. Continue to work on the annotated bibliography.

In class, we will watch and analyze John F. Kennedy's inaugural address and continue to work on the annotated bibliography.

Assignment for Thursday, November 12, ff.

Read pp. 3-28 in Eyal Press's Beautiful Souls. You have the choice of annotating the reading or taking a quiz on it. If you missed class, also read the first two pages of the handout on rhetorical devices.

Since you are reading Beautiful Souls independently, here are the subsequent assignments for it. Again, annotate the reading, or be prepared to take a quiz on it.

Monday, Nov. 16: pp. 28-46
Wednesday, Nov. 18: pp. 47-65 (stop at the break on p. 65)
Friday, Nov. 20: pp. 65-84
Tuesday, Dec. 1: pp.  85-104 (discussion in class)
Monday, Dec. 7: pp. 104-129
Wednesday, Dec. 9: pp. 131-155
Friday, Dec. 11: pp. 155-183 (end of book; second discussion in class) 

Assignment for Monday, November 9

Your major assignment for the weekend is to enjoy it. Other than that, bring The Craft of Research to class; we will begin working on the annotated bibliography. Also, you will get a new book during Monday's class: Eyal Press's Beautiful Souls. You may watch a five-minute interview with the author here and read about the book here.

Assignments for Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Thursday, Nov. 5

For Tuesday, Read ch. 5 in The Craft of Research (pp. 68-83). Also, catch up on any reading you haven't done in Griftopia. In class, we will first finish The Flaw, then we will discuss Griftopia, and we will wrap up by looking at an argumentative essay from an AP exam.

On Thursday, you will write two in-class essays about Griftopia. (Keep in mind that on the AP exam, you have about forty minutes to write each essay.) One essay will be a rhetorical analysis essay; you will receive a passage from Griftopia and a prompt that directs you to analyze its rhetorical features. The other essay will make a statement about the 2008 financial collapse and will require you to take a position to answer it.

Assignments for Wednesday, Oct. 28, and Friday, Oct. 30

If you haven't turned in your mentor commitment letter, I need it this week.

For Wednesday, Oct. 28, finish the research prospectus. Be sure to address all of the questions in the instructions for the research prospectus. It does not have to be two full pages long; answer the questions to the best of your ability and convey your interest to the reader.

For Friday, Oct. 30, read and annotate pp. 221-250 in Griftopia.

Assignment for Monday, October 26

Work on the research prospectus that is due on Wednesday, October 28. I would like you to come to class with at least one page written, and bring an electronic copy of your research prospectus so you can continue working on it in class. Also, read pp. 206-221 in Griftopia. (Stop when you get to the first paragraph break on p. 221.)