Reminders for class next Tuesday. All of this information is on your reading and assignment schedule, but I thought it might be helpful to repost it here.
Ordering brains
I’ve read all the final papers. (They were great, by the way!) I’ve read all your final exams. I’ve posted your final grades to WebAdvisor.
Thanks for the great semester.
Don’t forget, though, that it’s never to early to start preparing for a zombie apocalypse.
For five extra percentage points on either the final paper project or the final exam (your choice), come watch the film on Tuesday night. To earn the points, submit a short (600 to 800 word) writing assignment about the film. We’ll discuss the film Tuesday night.
In his article, “The Nature of Horror,” Noel Carroll argues “the two most frequent plot structures in horror narratives are the Discovery Plot and the Over-reacher Plot.” Which plot structure do you feel applies to this film?
The final is Wednesday, December17 at 1:15 to 2:45 (in our classroom). It is two essay questions (one about the novel and the other about the play). You may use your texts during the test.
Notes for the final exam:
| Document | .DOC | |
|---|---|---|
| Final Exam Study Guide | D/L | D/L |
| World War Z Notes | D/L | D/L |
You have four options for the final paper project; all projects, though, must be at least 2,400 words in length, and you must consult three scholarly source materials for that project.
The final draft is due on Friday, December 19 at midnight to turnitin.com.
Also, you can get the paper parameters on the documents and handouts page. The options are listed on the homework schedule for Unit II – Drama and the Novel.
If you need some extra time or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to stop by during office hours (during finals week, I’ll be in Monday through Thursday from 10:00 to 1:00). I’m happy to help!
Just a quick reminder that the final copy of your major essay #2 over The Glass Menagerie or World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is due on Friday, December 19 by midnight to turnitin.com
Don’t forget about the writing conference extra credit either. Check the documents and handouts page for details.
Also, we’ll be watching a film for extra credit Tuesday evening. Check back for more details (waiting on room confirmation, etc.).
As you’re reading “Home Front, USA” and “Around the World, and Above,” post any questions you might have here. Maybe we can all benefit from a little discussion before we come to class.
Looking ahead: don’t forget about the warm-up essay for World War Z; it’s posted on the documents and handouts page.
And, don’t forget about the updated reading and assignment schedule because of the snow day.
Finally, I’ve received a few emails here and there about missing papers. At this point in the semester, you should have received graded copies of warm-up essay one and two as well as the first major essay in your BHSU email inbox. If you do have any of these graded papers, please email me ASAP, so I can get them to you.
WWZ’s setting is global, and sometimes the cultural references Brooks makes can be difficult to follow. As you are reading “The Great Panic” and “Turning the Tide” for Tuesday, November 25, pose your questions in the comments section here. I’ll do my best to answer them over the weekend.
Yonkers
The official site for the novel provides a map the might help you as you read the novel. You can even download podcats for sections of the novel.
Also, as much as I hate to admit it, Wikipedia provides a nice overview of the novel.
Also, I calculated my survival chances in the event of a zombie apocalypse; I’ve got a 33% chance of making it.
What’s yours? Post in the comments section. I’m wondering how much of the class would survive.
For Thursday, in addition to World War Z, you need to read Noel Carroll’s article “The Nature of Horror” and a short excerpt from Joseph Dewey’s In a Dark Time: The Apocalyptic Tradition in the American Novel of the Nuclear Age (pp. 9-15).
Both are on the documents and handouts page.
Carroll’s article is posted as a .pdf; read it, print it if possible, and be sure to write the assigned article summary. Dewey’s book is linked; the link will take you to a Google book previewer. You won’t be able to print the book, but you should read and write the assigned summary.
Below, I’ve pasted the agreed upon schedule changes that account for the snow day. In the interest of clarity, I highlighted the changes in red.
Have questions? Don’t hesitate to email me!
Click “read more” to get started.
I have returned warm up essay #2 (about poetry) to your BHSU.edu inbox. So check there for your graded warm-up essay #2. If it’s not there, email me!
Also, you can pick up your mid-term exams Friday during office hours (9:30 to 11:30). Further, everyone’s grade seemed to suffer for two reasons: forgetting a few small but important details or just a general lack of time.
All of you are encouraged to complete the mid-term re-write assignment by Tuesday, November 25 @ midnight. Most of the grades weren’t so great, but it seemed as though a lack of time caused the poor grades rather than a lack of knowledge. In order to give you folks another opportunity to refresh yourself on the material from the beginning of the course and in order to give you a chance at some of those mid-term exam points, I’m assigning this mid-term re-write opportunity: you can re-write any answer for which you didn’t receive the full ten points; however, you are only able to get five points on the re-write. For a lot of you who picked up zeros for four or five answers, this rewrite can take Fs and Ds and make them Cs and Bs.
Click here to download all the details.
Finally, here’s a refresher from the syllabus… just to put grades in perspective.
a. Assessment.
i. The course will be evaluated in the following manner:
1. Paper One. Short Fiction. 100 points.
2. Paper Two. Drama or the Novel. 200 points.
3. Mid-term. 200 points.
4. Final Exam. 200 points.
5. Short “Warm Up” Essays. 100 points.
6. Quizzes. 100 points.
7. Participation. 100 points.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me.
I’ve received several emails about whether or not the warm up essay is due tomorrow at midnight since we haven’t finished our discussion about the play.
I’ll go ahead and extend the deadline until next Tuesday @ midnight so that you can use our discussion about The Glass Menagerie to help you finish the paper.
For this Thursday, November 13, you’ll need to have finished reading the play.
To continue our discussion about Tom and D. H. Lawrence, I thought I’d post some links that you all might find interesting.
I’ve pasted a homework schedule below that accounts for Veteran’s Day.
Click “read more” to get started.
I hope you all have started working on this larger essay project; you’ll be more successful if you work on this essay in smaller sections at a time rather than all at once the night before.
I’d like to help you get started on this essay, so I’ve pasted a chart below that might help you conceptualize the structure of this paper assignment. The success of this essay hinges on definitions: define a theme, define the literary or poetic devices you plan to work with, describe the analytical tools you plan to use to pick apart short fiction, etc. You must define all of these things before you begin to analyze short fiction.
Also, you are encouraged to recycle the first two warm up essays from this semester.
Remember, it’s only one theme but three different pieces of short fiction.
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Paper Parts |
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· Introduction o Name the three texts you plan to work with o Thesis statement that articulates the argument and how you will make the argument
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· Theme paragraph o Define the theme that you plan to use to analyze the short stories and poems
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· “Launch” paragraph o Define how you’re going to apply this theme to the short fiction o Define any literary or poetic devices you might use o Expand on how you’re going to apply your thesis
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· Begin your analysis o Keep each paragraph focused on one idea: one literary device, one poetic device, or part of the theme you’re working with |
Meier Hall 305
M/W/F 10:00-11:00 & T/Th 12:00-2:00 and by appointment!
AdairOlson@BHSU.EDU
