Office Hours Update

Today's office hours will take place in the Morgan Library, instead of Aylesworth 268. Raul will be available at one of the wooden tables near the MAPS and TAX collections on the first floor of the library. See our syllabus for more details.

Calendar Post for September 30 and October 2

• In preparation for our upcoming collaborative assignment, post three specific, compelling research questions (and topics) to our Writing Studio forum and bring your post to class on Friday.

• Using opportunities for revision suggested by your peers in Monday's final workshop, and after consulting our assignment sheet one last time, finish drafting your Open Letter. You may turn in this assignment on Wednesday, September 30 or Friday, October 2. Again, it should include:
  
  I. One hard copy of your Open Letter in a sealed, business-size envelope, with postage ($0.44) and a proper address. If you would prefer to affix a typed address to your envelope, e-mail Raul the address as you would like it to appear (on a sticker to be provided on Wednesday).
  
  Note that our earlier post links to guidance on how to address your letter, but you will still need to seek out the Washington, DC, street address of your letter recipient, usually by clicking on "Contact Us" at his or her office's website.
  
  II. One stapled hard copy of the same letter attached to envelope with a paper clip.
  
  III. The workshop summary note(s) your peer(s) provided you in class on Wednesday or via e-mail.

• Finish critically reading Thomas P.M. Barnett's "Six Ways to Cool Down Over the Climate-Change Security Scare" as well as John M. Broder's "Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security." Both texts have been posted to drop.io, and you should bring them to class.

Thomas Friedman's "The New Sputnik"

Thomas Friedman has a new column today in The New York Times that echoes his 2007 column on "The Power of Green" and should be helpful for those writing an Open Letter about climate change and China.  An excerpt from "The New Sputnik":

What do we know about necessity? It is the mother of invention. And when China decides it has to go green out of necessity, watch out. You will not just be buying your toys from China. You will buy your next electric car, solar panels, batteries and energy-efficiency software from China.

I believe this Chinese decision to go green is the 21st-century equivalent of the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of Sputnik — the world’s first Earth-orbiting satellite. That launch stunned us, convinced President Eisenhower that the U.S. was falling behind in missile technology and spurred America to make massive investments in science, education, infrastructure and networking — one eventual byproduct of which was the Internet.

Calendar Post for September 28

• Using the oral suggestions and written comments you received this week in class, revise and extend your Open Letter. Then bring three hard copies of a complete rough draft to class on Monday for a final workshop.

• Monday's draft should include proper address formatting, which can be seen in examples of the Open Letter posted to drop.io. Our earlier post also now offers guidance on how to address officials in government.

• Read about revision and the writing process on pages 202-204 and 34-48 of the PHG. Also print and begin reading Thomas P.M. Barnett's "Six Ways to Cool Down Over the Climate-Change Security Scare," which has been posted to drop.io with a companion text.  Your Open Letter could address either of the latter articles as a primary text.

Readings Posted

Thomas P.M. Barnett's "Six Ways to Cool Down Over the Climate-Change Security Scare" as well as John M. Broder's "Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security" have been posted to drop.io.  We'll talk about both texts in class next week; either one can be used as a primary text in the Open Letter assignment.

Calendar Post for September 25

• Using the Open Letter workshop guide, mark up hard copies of your partners' rough drafts with constructive in-line (readerly) as well as end-note (revision) comments.  We'll be discussing the rough drafts in class, especially specific opportunities for revision.

• Also be prepared to discuss Bjørn Lomborg's "Mr. Gore, Your Solution to Global Warming Is Wrong."

• Continue drafting your Open Letter.  Plan on bringing three copies of your complete rough draft to class on Monday for a final workshop, ahead of Wednesday's due date.

Handout Posted

The Open Letter workshop guide distributed in class today is now available at drop.io.  It should guide your written comments on your partners' rough drafts, which we'll discuss in small groups on Friday.

Interviews and Slideshow Posted

How can an Open Letter become "timely," to quote our assignment handout? Consider its context: this week world leaders have been meeting at the United Nations in New York to talk climate change ahead of a summit scheduled for December that will echo talks in Kyoto, Japan a decade ago.

PBS and NPR have briefings on what's being said at the UN and Yahoo has pictures.

Office Hours Update

Today's office hours will take place in the Morgan Library, instead of Aylesworth 268. Raul will be available at one of the wooden tables near the MAPS and TAX collections on the first floor of the library. See our syllabus for more details.

Calendar Post for September 23

• If you don’t have the flu, come prepared! It’s important as we’ll break into groups to workshop the first drafts of your Open Letter, which you should continue composing based on advice received in class today. We’ll also be hosting an observer from the English Department.

• Bring to class three copies of a partial letter draft (about 500 words or two double-spaced pages) as well as the Open Letter assignment handout distributed today. Don’t worry yet about how to properly address the letter.

• Two of these partial letter drafts should have your Writing Studio audience analysis post stapled to them, for your partners’ reference. The other letter draft is yours for note-taking.

• Finish reading Bjørn Lomborg's "Mr. Gore, Your Solution to Global Warming Is Wrong." Bring copies of that text as well as Edward O. Wilson's "Apocalypse Now" to class. Both texts have been uploaded to drop.io.

Open Letter Assignment + Texts Posted

A handout on our upcoming Open Letter assignment has been posted to drop.io:

• letter_assignment.pdf

Click here to browse some three dozen articles now available for consideration as "supplementary" or "outside" texts in your Open Letter. Look for the "text" tag in the list of files at drop.io.

If you're interested, examples of letters (by Raul Moreno and Student Doe) have also been posted to drop.io. (These examples address an author rather than a member of government.)

Recall that your Open Letter can address a member of the Obama adminstration's Cabinet, a member of a U.S. Senate or U.S. House committee, or a leader in the Senate or House.

Update: Guidance on how to address those officials, both on your envelope and within your Open Letter, is offered by the Executive Secretariat of the National Institutes of Health.

Calendar Post for September 21

• Update: Over the weekend, in light of the texts you plan to discuss in your Open Letter, select a letter recipient based on our assignment handout (now posted to drop.io). You might choose a member of the Obama adminstration's Cabinet, a member of a U.S. Senate or U.S. House committee, or a leader in the Senate or House.

• Audience analysis: by Monday, and after researching your letter recipient's public record (what what he or she has written or said that's available online), visit our Writing Studio forums page and post a 200-word overview of how this person's role in government relates to climate change. Talk about particular remarks or texts by this person that should inform your letter, and how such information might influence the way you'll discuss other texts in your letter. Recall that when composing posts online, we use plain text formatting (single-spacing, left justification, and line breaks to delineate paragraphs instead of indentations).
  

• Reminders: While you're at the Writing Studio, make sure you've uploaded a photo to your profile. Again, if you have a photo that's too large to upload, e-mail it to Raul for resizing (see "Contact" on the right side of the page). Also by Monday, remember to post a public comment at our forum on The 11th Hour.

• Begin reading Bjørn Lomborg's "Mr. Gore, Your Solution to Global Warming Is Wrong." Bring copies of that text as well as Edward O. Wilson's "Apocalypse Now" and Graeme Wood's "Re-Engineering the Earth" to class. All three texts have been uploaded to drop.io.

Radio Segment Posted

Click here for a recent segment from NPR's Weekend All Things Considered on the historical context of climate change legislation currently pending in Washington. We'll be discussing the segment today in class ahead of our Open Letter assignment that asks you to write to someone who works in the White House or in Congress. A related interview aired on the same program in June. Update: you can listen to global context on this issue from a Friday interview by PBS's The Newshour with Jim Lehrer.

Forum: The 11th Hour

"The 11th Hour," which is currently available via Google Video, is being screened today on campus by the English Department as part of the composition program's curriculum. Vanity Fair published excerpts from the 2007 film shortly before its release by Warner Independent Pictures. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) also lists commentators featured, including David Suzuki (pictured above). With their help, a civic action website related to the documentary produced a time capsule for viewers to watch in 2100. You can view their messages here ahead of schedule, courtesy of YouTube:



Below this post, please leave a public comment of at least 100 words that directly quotes and paraphrases the remarks of two people featured in the film whom you find compelling. (Some of the remarks you quote should fall outside of the Vanity Fair excerpts.) As with our previous forums, you can question, analyze, interpret, respond, compare, contrast, or elaborate, but try not to engage in outright argument. In constructing your comment, pay particular attention to the rhetorical situation: has the source text already been introduced? What kind of author tag seems most appropriate? Has another comment already addressed the substance of your comment? How might you respond to that previous comment?

How to comment: Click on this post's "comments," then compose your comment in the box provided, select "Name/URL" under "Comment as," click "Preview" to proofread your draft, and finally click "Post Comment." Since we're practicing commenting on a public forum, rather than selecting a username from an account (such as Google) that might not reflect your real name, please provide at least your first initial and last name under "Name/URL."

Calendar Post for September 16

• Recall that Monday's calendar post asked you to comment at one of two forums on our blog. See more instructions there.
  

• To stimulate the kind of conversation that generates inquiry, post an additional comment of at least 50 words (to one of the forums mentioned above) that responds to a previous comment from another writer. As with your original post, think of this comment in terms of inquiry: you can question, analyze, interpret, respond, compare, contrast, or elaborate, but try not to engage in outright argument.

• Bring Wood and Wilson's texts to class on Wednesday. You might also begin reading Bjørn Lomborg's "Mr. Gore, Your Solution to Global Warming Is Wrong."
  

• In preparation for Wednesday, consult a handout that will guide group work on and a class discussion of Wilson's letter. If you're interested, examples of letters (by Raul Moreno and Student Doe) similar to the text you'll draft for our Open Letter assignment have also been posted to drop.io.

• Plan to attend one of the English Department’s screenings of “The 11th Hour” on Tuesday or Wednesday at 7:00 PM in Clark A101 (look for the north end of building 70 on this map). As mentioned in class, you should focus your notes on two individuals featured in the film that you find compelling. Be prepared to quote and paraphrase their comments on a forum to be posted later this week. If you have unavoidable commitments and can't attend either screening, e-mail Raul via "Contact" on the right side of the page.
  

Forum: Graeme Wood’s "Re-Engineering the Earth"

• Using notes from your critical reading, post a public comment of 50-100 words about Graeme Wood’s "Re-Engineering the Earth," which appeared in the July/August 2009 edition of The Atlantic. Update: also post a response to another writer.
  

• How to do this: Click "comments" below this post, then compose your comment in the box provided, select "Name/URL" under "Comment as," click "Preview" to proofread your comment, and finally click "Post Comment." Update: since we're practicing commenting on a public forum, rather than selecting a username from an account (such as Google) that might not reflect your real name, please provide at least your first initial and last name under "Name/URL."

• Think of this comment in terms of inquiry: you can question, analyze, interpret, respond, compare, contrast, or elaborate, but try not to engage in outright argument. The comment should also incorporate a paraphrase of, or quotation from, the text it's addressing. In constructing your comment, pay particular attention to the rhetorical situation: has the source text already been introduced? What kind of author tag seems most appropriate? Has another comment already addressed the substance of your comment?

Forum: Edward Wilson’s "Apocalypse Now"

• Using notes from your critical reading, post a public comment of 50-100 words about Edward Wilson’s "Apocalypse Now," which appeared in the September 2006 edition of The New Republic. Update: also post a response to another writer.
  

• How to do this: Click "comments" below this post, then compose your comment in the box provided, select "Name/URL" under "Comment as," click "Preview" to proofread your comment, and finally click "Post Comment." Update: since we're practicing commenting on a public forum, rather than selecting a username from an account (such as Google) that might not reflect your real name, please provide at least your first initial and last name under "Name/URL."

• Think of this comment in terms of inquiry: you can question, analyze, interpret, respond, compare, contrast, or elaborate, but try not to engage in outright argument. The comment should also incorporate a paraphrase of, or quotation from, the text it's addressing. In constructing your comment, pay particular attention to the rhetorical situation: has the source text already been introduced? What kind of author tag seems most appropriate? Has another comment already addressed the substance of your comment?

Calendar Post for September 14

• Print and critically read Graeme Wood’s “Re-Engineering the Earth” (already on our blog). As you read “Re-Engineering,” try out one of the strategies explained on PHG p. 153-156 (either a double-entry log or a critical reading guide). You may hand write or type this.

• Using notes from your critical reading, post a public comment of 50-100 words about Wood's "Re-Engineering" or Wilson’s "Apocalypse Now" to one of two forums also on our blog. See more instructions there.

• Bring your double-entry log or answers to the critical reading guide, your textbook, and Wood's “Re-Engineering” to class on Monday.

• Plan on attending one of the English Department’s screenings of “The 11th Hour” this coming Tuesday or Wednesday at 7:00 PM in Clark A101.

The CSU Writing Center

Throughout the semester, you may find the consultants at the CSU Writing Center helpful during any stage of the writing process (prewriting, outlining, drafting, or revising). A handout posted to drop.io describes the Center's location, services, and hours of operation. You can also correspond with the Center online.

Calendar Post for September 11

• Utilizing the advice received in the Academic Summary Workshop, and after consulting the hierarchy of rhetorical concerns and formatting guidance outlined in the Academic Summary assignment handout, revise the final draft of your Academic Summary and bring a hard copy to class.

• You'll also turn in the Academic Summary Workshop handout completed by your workshop partner. If your partner chose to provide you feedback in an e-mail, turn in a copy of that e-mail instead of the handout.

• Throughout the semester, you may find the consultants at the CSU Writing Center helpful during any stage of the writing process. A handout posted to drop.io describes the Center's services and hours of operation.

• On Friday, bring back to class the handout on quoting and paraphrasing, which has been posted to drop.io, and be prepared to further discuss the readings mentioned in Wednesday's calendar post.

Video Posted

Below you can view a video discussed in class this week: the introduction to President Jimmy Carter's February 2, 1977 "talk" with the nation about energy policy. The Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia also offers a transcript.

Jim Sheeler Lecture + Office Hours Update

Office Hours on Tuesday, September 7, will run from 12:15 to 1:30 PM to allow for an earlier lecture by CSU alumnus Jim Sheeler, who won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for his book Final Salute.

Raul will be available for office hours at one of the wooden tables near the MAPS and TAX collections on the first floor of the Morgan Library. Alternatively you can arrange an appointment by e-mail; see "Contact" on the right side of the page.

The research methods Sheeler will talk about should become important to our final essay assignment, and as with author Greg Mortenson's lecture last week, writing about this kind of event could compensate for unexcused absences. (Talk to Raul for more details on the latter; attending Sheeler's lecture is voluntary, not mandatory.)

Here's more on the lecture from CSU's Association for Student Activity Programming:

Pulitzer Prize winner Jim Sheeler
Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 11:00 AM
Grey Rock Room, Lory Student Center

CSU alumnus (Journalism, '90) and Pulitzer Prize winner Jim Sheeler will be on campus to talk about his latest book, The Final Salute.

He will tell about his experience shadowing a casualty notification officer embarking on his duty of informing families of the ones they lost in Iraq. The talk will be held in the Grey Rock Room located in the northwest corner of the Lory Student Center on the main level.

Doors will open at 10:30, coffee and scones will be provided, along with a book signing at the conclusion of the talk. This event is free for students and the Fort Collins Community.

Calendar Post for September 9

• For Wednesday, critically read Edward O. Wilson’s “Apocalypse Now," available at drop.io, and be prepared to discuss it in class.

• Update: review writing topics we've been discussing in class by reading PHG p. 17-29 (rhetorical situations, purposes for writing, audiences, and genres). If you haven't already done so, you might additionally catch up on PHG p. 195-197 (description, paraphrases, and quotations) and p. 151-157 (critical reading).

• For your final Academic Summary draft, which is now due Friday, September 11, choose to focus on one of the following: Friedman’s “The Power of Green,” both of Peter Ford’s August 10 texts on China and climate change, or Joshua Green’s “The Elusive Green Economy,” which we’ll discuss on Wednesday.

• Revise and polish what will be your final draft, paying close attention to the hierarchy of rhetorical concerns outlined in the grading rubric, both of which have been posted to drop.io.

• After noting the formatting guidelines in the syllabus and in Diane Hacker’s MLA supplement, print out your draft (recall that it should run a little more than one double-spaced page). Bring this hard copy to class on Wednesday, when you'll exchange papers with a partner for a final workshop. Also bring the Academic Summary Workshop handout (available on drop.io) back to class.

• Reminders: there is no class on Monday, September 7, a final hard copy of your Academic Summary is due Friday, September 11, and you'll be asked to view a documentary on the evening of September 15 or 16.

Readings Posted

Three readings that will become important to our upcoming Open Letter assignment have been posted to drop.io:

• Edward O. Wilson's "Apocalypse Now"

• Graeme Wood's "Re-Engineering the Earth"

• Bjørn Lomborg's "Mr. Gore, Your Solution to Global Warming Is Wrong"

Calendar Post for September 4

• Critically read Joshua Green’s “The Elusive Green Economy," which was posted to our blog on Monday. On the third floor of Eddy Hall, during English Department business hours, free hard copies of this text are available: turn left as you leave the staircase, then look for the Department copy room at the end of the hall and a mailbox marked Moreno.

• Review quoting and paraphrasing in the PHG, p.195-197. Also review the components of a good summary discussed on p. 161.

• Then draft a second Academic Summary of a text you didn’t use for Monday’s rough draft on Friedman––in other words, summarize either Ford or Green's text(s). Use standard MLA formatting on this second draft, and bring a printed copy to class for a workshop on Friday.

• Be prepared to present your findings from today's in-class activity, "Working in Teams to Understand Climate Change and China," which has been posted to drop.io.

Video Posted

Below you can view a video discussed in class this week: New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's September 2008 appearance on NBC's Meet the Press.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Office Hours Update

Today's office hours will take place in the Morgan Library, instead of Aylesworth 268. Raul will be available at one of the wooden tables near the MAPS and TAX collections on the first floor of the library. See our syllabus for more details.