Assignments for 10/26 and 11/2

• Assignment for Friday, 10/26 (to be completed before class):
• Reread and re-annotate Zinczenko's "Don't Blame the Eater" (TSIS, pp. 195-97).
• What new understanding do you have of this text? Be prepared to discuss the text in class.
• In Doc Sharing's "Fast Food and Health" section, print out, read and annotate Campos' "Being Fat Is OK."
• Bring to class this printout and three discussion points.
• In TSIS, read and annotate Ch. 10 (pp. 129-137). This chapter focuses on metacommentary. (We will cover Ch. 9 at some other time.)
• Bring to class three discussion points.
• In Doc Sharing's "Common Essay" section, print out, read and annotate the two texts to be used for the exam. Bring these texts to class.
• Develop one possible writing prompt based on these two texts. (As an example, think of the writing prompt for Writing Exam #1.) The purpose here is to anticipate what the Common Essay Exam will ask of you. Prepare to share your writing prompt in class.
• Assignment for Friday, 11/2:
• Meet in Drescher 203 to take the Common Essay Exam.
• In eCompanion's Webliography, open Warner's "Junking Junk Food" and Balko's "What You Eat Is Your Business." Print out these texts, and bring the printouts to class.
• For Warner's text, just bring the printout to class.
• For Balko's text, read and annotate the printout. Along with the printout, bring to class three discussion points.

Special Guidelines for Some Doc Sharing Texts

If you use Hendin or Kaveny as a source in Essay 2, then you can find the MLA citation information in MasterFILE Premier (check the SMC database). 

However, if you use Alvear, Frum, Rauch, Huttmann or Siegel as a source, then follow the special guidelines below when adding the entry to your Works Cited page.


Format:

Author. "Title of Article." Doc Sharing (eCompanion). Santa Monica College. Printout.
          Date of access.


Sample:

Frum, David. "The Marriage Buffet." Doc Sharing (eCompanion). Santa Monica College.
          Printout. 16 Oct. 2012.

Assignments for 10/18, 10/19 and 10/20

• Assignment for Thursday, 10/18 (due by 11:59 p.m.):
• Submit E2D1 to our Turnitin class (in the section for "Essay 2, Draft 1 - Section 2022").
• Assignment for Friday, 10/19:
• Bring to class ALL of these items:
• All necessary materials for Writing Exam #1 (see the previous blog post)
• A paper printout of Essay 2 (needed to receive full points for Friday's class session)
• A Writer's Reference (if you have it)
• Assignment for Saturday, 10/20 (due by 11:59 p.m.):
• Upload your Works Cited page in the eCompanion Dropbox for "Works Cited (Essay 2)."

Writing Exam #1 - Information and Tips

On Friday, 10/19, you will take the first in-class writing exam. Writing Exam #1 will focus on Siegel's "Treating the Pain by Ending a Life" and on Hendin's "Suicide, Assisted Suicide, and Medical Illness." I will provide you with the specific writing prompt on Friday, and then you will have 80 minutes to compose an essay that responds to the prompt.


Bring to class all necessary materials:

• A large blue book
• The two annotated texts
• Pens (not pencils)
• A paper English dictionary or thesaurus (optional)

Here are some tips for preparing for the exam:

• Reread and re-annotate the Siegel and Hendin readings.
• In each reading, note where the writer makes strong points, and be prepared to explain why these points are effective.
• Note where the writer's argument is lacking. Explain why the argument is weak.
• Focus on the specific "moves" that each writer uses. Where does the writer effectively use the TSIS moves that we have learned? Are any moves lacking? How might these moves have strengthened the writer's argument?

Here are some tips to use during the exam:

• Be aware of the time. Manage your time wisely.
• Spend 10-12 minutes on writing a quick outline. Without such an outline, your writing might ramble off-topic.
• Respond directly to the writing prompt. 
• Evaluate both readings (not only one reading).
• Use textual evidence (in other words, draw from the readings) to support your claims.
• Write clearly. I will need to be able to read your writing. If I cannot read your writing, then you might receive no points for this exam.

Essay 2 - Instructions and Writing Prompts

For Essay 2, you will write a persuasive/argument essay on one of these topics: gun control, same-sex marriage, or physician-assisted suicide. The final draft will be a minimum of three full pages. You will draw from at least two of the sources/readings that I have provided; you will also draw from at least one other source/reading (found in the SMC library databases).

The first draft is due Thursday, 10/18, by 11:59 p.m. The requirement for the first draft is two full pages. Name the file E2D1, and submit the file to Turn It In (for the "Essay 2, Draft 1" assignment). Bring a paper copy to class on Friday, 10/19, for peer review.  

Essay 2 must be MLA-formatted, double-spaced and written in Times New Roman, 12-point font. Use one of these file extensions: .doc, .docx, .rtf or .odt.

Writing Prompts:

• The recent spate of gun-related tragedies in the U.S.--particularly, those shootings in Arizona, Colorado and Wisconsin--have brought the gun-control debate back to the forefront. Where do you stand on the debate? Should we have stricter gun laws? Would these stricter laws help to diminish gun violence? Why or why not?
• Another divisive topic is same-sex marriage. Some people are hopeful that legalized same-sex marriage will soon be a reality across the U.S. Others oppose the idea of same-sex marriage for various reasons. The question: Should same-sex marriage be legalized in the U.S.? Why or why not?
• A third topic of debate is physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Proponents believe that terminally ill patients should have the right to make end-of-life decisions. Opponents often argue that assisted suicide is an aspect of suicide and therefore should not be legalized. What is your position? Should physician-assisted suicide be legalized in the U.S. (and particularly in California)? Why or why not?

Assignment for 10/12

• Assignment for Friday, 10/12 (to be completed before class):
• Reread and re-annotate these texts: Kaveny's "Dignity & the End of Life" and Hendin's "Suicide, Assisted Suicide, and Mental Illness." Bring these printouts to class.
• In the Webliography's "Physician-Assisted Suicide" section, print out, read and annotate these texts: Kaminer's "When Congress Plays Doctor" and Golden's "Why Progressives Should Oppose the Legalization of Assisted Suicide." Bring these printouts to class.
• Note: Kaminer's text is a challenging read. Do your best with it.
• In TSIS, read and annotate Ch. 7 (pp. 92-100). Bring to class three discussion points.
• In TSIS, read and annotate Ch. 8 (pp. 105-118). Bring to class three discussion points.
• Go back over the readings for Friday (Kaveny's, Hendin's, Kaminer's and Golden's texts). Indicate where you find connecting devices in these texts (i.e., transitions, pointing words, key terms).