College Composition with R.B. Moreno

Composition Blog Relaunched

2010-08-24T18:44:00.005-06:00

Visit R.B. Moreno's teaching blog at our new home, Google Sites, for improved forums, handouts, archives, and other features.

Public Essay Submission Guidance

2009-12-11T09:06:00.012-07:00

To submit to The Coloradoan:

You should register for membership at Coloradoan.com. Once you've logged into the main page, look for the section titled "Your Voices and Views" and the link "Share stories from your community." That link should bring you to the "Submit Your Article & Photo" page (uploaded to drop.io as a PDF).

Fill out your contact information
Briefly summarize your article in 3-4 sentences
Fill out the "Your Article" box with your Public Essay text (roughly 1000 words, using line breaks between paragraphs instead of indentations since the box does not allow you to format the text in MLA style)
Select which category and neighborhood your article fits
Attach your Visual Rhetoric file (it could be one photo, but consider adding text or combining two or more images, as appropriate)
Recalling our discussion in class, compose a caption for the visual rhetoric and a byline (your name)

You should submit a printout of the submission confirmation page as proof of submission, along with a hard copy of the essay in MLA style. Again, note that you won't have a Works Cited page, since you'll be making (appropriately brief) in-text references to sources, as we did in our Open Letter assignment.

To submit to The Fort Collins Rabbit:

Follow guidance in the latest Rabbit issue, which includes the e-mail address fortcollinsrabbit@gmail.com. That's where you should send your Public Essay and Visual Rhetoric as attachments, along with an e-mail pitching your text to the journal (the essay itself should not include references to CO150). Submit a printout of the e-mail as proof of submission, along with a hard copy of the essay in MLA style. Again, note that you won't have a Works Cited page, since you'll be making (appropriately brief) in-text references to sources, as we did in our Open Letter assignment.

To submit to Wolf Boy:

Follow guidance at WolfBoy.org, which includes the e-mail address octabeck@yahoo.com. That's where you should send your Public Essay and Visual Rhetoric as attachments, along with an e-mail pitching your text to the journal (the essay itself should not include references to CO150). Submit a printout of the e-mail as proof of submission, along with a hard copy of the essay in MLA style. Again, note that you won't have a Works Cited page, since you'll be making (appropriately brief) in-text references to sources, as we did in our Open Letter assignment.

To submit to A:

Click on the above handout that provides submission guidance and the e-mail address aliteraryjournal@gmail.com. That's where you should send your Public Essay and Visual Rhetoric as attachments, along with an e-mail pitching your text to the journal (the essay itself should not include references to CO150). Submit a hard copy of the e-mail as proof of submission, along with a hard copy in MLA style. Again, note that you won't have a Works Cited page, since you'll be making (appropriately brief) in-text references to sources, as we did in our Open Letter assignment.

Image Resources for Visual Rhetoric

2009-12-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

To use an image created by an outside source in your Visual Rhetoric, you need permission or a license from that source. SXC is one of a few databases that provide an exception to this rule: you must register as a member but most of the images available for download come free of license restrictions. iStockPhoto is a similar resource that provides images for a small fee. Note that captions for images from databases such as SXC and iStockPhoto still need to credit sources--yourself, if you alter the original image artistically, another artist or photographer, or the name of the database.

Calendar Post for December 11

2009-12-10T19:21:00.004-07:00

Please meet in Morgan Library Classroom Two on Friday for our last class session before our final period. We'll discuss options for submitting the Public Essay online or via e-mail, and obtaining proof of submission to include with your portfolio.

Meanwhile, you should be able to offer comments on two collaborators' second drafts via Google Docs. Check this post for the names of your collaborators and guidance on offering feedback, which we'll work on in class tomorrow.

Final Period Times

2009-12-08T17:07:00.004-07:00

According to the Colorado State Registrar's Office, final periods for sections 37 and 44 will both be held Tuesday, December 15. Section 37 will meet 3:40-5:40 PM. Section 44 will meet 9:10-11:10 AM. Beforehand, please review a handout on analyzing and presenting the Local Inquiry/Public Essay, whose presentation and portfolio is due the same day.

Office Hours Update

2009-12-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday'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.

Local Inquiry/Public Essay Assignment FAQ

2009-12-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

Question on Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 12:50 PM:

I still have not gotten any invitations from my group members, and I don't want to be counted off for not editing theirs. I've checked everyday for the past week for their invitations. This is a bummer for me because I'd really like some feedback so I can get a decent grade.

Response:

You won't lose points for not commenting on drafts that don't exist. It's unfortunate that your collaborators haven't offered you comments or posted their own drafts, and they will lose points for not participating. It's a little late to seek outside help on your draft now, but the Writing Center's online service may be a possibility. I know that the Center's walk-in hours have been reduced this week: 10 AM to 2 PM, Monday, December 14th through Wednesday, December 16th. Everyone feels understandably busy this week, but as a last resort you might ask a friend you know to be a good writer to give your draft a quick read and offer some oral comments.

Question on Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 12:41 PM:

I've searched the blog and drop.io and haven't figured out how and/or when to turn in each individual part. Can you send out a blog post with the answer to this because I feel like I'm not the only one confused.

Response:

The Local Inquiry/Public Essay is due as a portfolio during the final period. Our blog talks about that here:

According to the Colorado State Registrar's Office, final periods for sections 37 and 44 will both be held Tuesday, December 15. Section 37 will meet 3:40-5:40 PM. Section 44 will meet 9:10-11:10 AM. Beforehand, please review a handout on analyzing and presenting the Local Inquiry/Public Essay, whose presentation and portfolio is due the same day.

Additionally, our assignment sheet for the Local Inquiry/Public Essay says the following:

11 or 15 December 2009: In a manila folder, please turn in (1) a Public Essay of roughly 1,000 words in the same condition the text was submitted to your chosen publication; (2) some evidence of your submission, be it an online confirmation form or an e-mail showing your submission; and (3) the Visual Rhetoric that accompanied your submission.

15 December 2009: Please turn in an MLA-formatted rhetorical analysis of roughly 500 words. On this date you’ll also deliver a short presentation summarizing your essay and your analysis during our final period.

Question on Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 4:48 PM:

The assignment handout says the Public Essay is to be around 1,000 words. How far over 1,000 words is too far over? I have a lot of information I've gathered and really want to do my topic justice instead of slim it down and only report the skin and bones of the situation.

Response:

Although it's tempting to write more the upper limit for your essay should be 1,200 words, as was the case with the Academic Argument. Over-writing the essay and then condensing it is actually a great way to improve your writing's quality. Look for ways sentences can shorten as well as parts that distract from the story's core and can be cut altogether.

Calendar Post for December 7 and 9 + Workshop/Visual/Analysis Handouts Posted

2009-12-06T14:42:00.009-07:00

Meet back in class on Wednesday for a discussion of visual rhetoric and rhetorical analysis. In preparation, please read a handout on analyzing and presenting the Public Essay (at drop.io).

By Wednesday evening, as your last Writing Studio forum post, practice analyzing a text rhetorically by applying what you know to one of four essays we read last week. In at least 100 words, propose and analyze just one relationship in the essay you chose to read––writer and audience, purpose and context, text and genre, or a different combination of rhetorical elements. Additional elements and questions to guide your analysis can be found here.

For Wednesday and Friday, review PHG chapter six, "Analyzing and Designing Visuals." Pay particular attention to pages 214-222 and 231-235. A handout on designing visual rhetoric has also been uploaded to drop.io.

Instead of holding class on Monday, we will continue drafting the Public Essay and participate in the Google Docs workshop discussed elsewhere on our blog and at the library on Friday. At drop.io you'll find a guide to commenting on the Public Essay. Please note that first drafts and invitations to collaborators are due online Monday by noon and that second drafts and invitations are due Thursday evening.

Guidance on submitting your Public Essay online or via e-mail will be posted later this week.

Google Docs Handout + Groups for the Public Essay Posted

2009-12-04T12:52:00.030-07:00

A handout discussed in class, "Google Docs Workshop: How and When to Post Essay Drafts and Comments," has been uploaded to drop.io. Please take note of steps in the workshop due today, Monday, Thursday, and next Friday. Google Docs can be accessed via Gmail or Google Apps for Colorado State University.

You can find e-mail addresses for collaborators in a class e-mail and on the "Classmates" page of the Writing Studio. If you don't see your name listed below, follow step three in the workshop. And please remember: In order to receive points for participation and preserve access to comments, revisions to the Public Essay should take place on your desktop, not online. See the handout above for more details.

CO150.37:

Eric S, Stephen G, Jack H
Jason L, Branden K, Amanda D
Kayla T, Cyndi H, Kassi M
Rachel S, Kelly T, Valerie B
Brian R, Alex H, Jesse S
Cooper O, Senite T, Mark K

CO150.44:

Regan G, Dan P, Chris N
Adrienne K, Michael W, Jill H
Kaylynn A, Robbie O, Sam S
Sean W, Justin S, Derek W
Amanda K, Rachael C, Kelsey C
Jonny S, Zach H, Sal B

Update: a guide for commenting on the Public Essay has also been uploaded to drop.io. Previously posted handouts on field research and the Local Inquiry/Public Essay can also be found there, along with essay samples.

Grades and Attendance Reports Posted

2009-12-02T11:31:00.006-07:00

Two spreadsheets that show grades for sections 37 and 44 through our group inquiry assignment have been posted to drop.io:

moreno_co150_37_grades.pdf

moreno_co150_44_grades.pdf

You can find the row that displays your grades by way of the last three digits of your nine-digit student ID number.

Update: two similar spreadsheets that show attendance records have also been posted to drop.io:

moreno_co150_37_attendance.pdf

moreno_co150_44_attendance.pdf

Look for a column called "Effect on Final Grade" to determine whether attendance will lower your overall percentage, and by how many points. Also note that the deadline for our extra credit assignment has been extended.

Calendar Post for December 2 and 4 + Interview/Survey Forum

2009-11-30T23:35:00.018-07:00

Meet in Morgan Library Classroom Two on Friday and bring materials to support your Local Inquiry/Public Essay writing process (newspaper articles, books, interview notes, survey findings, et cetera).

As a team, be prepared to profile the person you spoke with during a lightening interview on Wednesday. If your team wasn't able to reach someone during class, tell us how and why your interview failed.

For Friday and Monday, study one of the following admired essays: Chuck Klosterman's "Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy," about actor Val Kilmer; Elizabeth Kolbert's "The Truthteller," about scientist James Hansen (it appeared in print as "The Catastrophist"); Charles Komanoff's "Whither Wind," about the aesthetics of wind turbines; or Coco Henson Scales's "The Hostess Diaries, My Year at a Hot Spot," whose title says it all (an alternate version features illustrations). All four essays can be found at drop.io.

For Wednesday, please read David Boerner's "Our Town (Music) Superhero" as an example of how to profile a local personality.

In preparation for field research this week, based on what you know about your topic, draft a set of interview or survey questions. Then, by Wednesday night, post them to a Writing Studio forum along with a one-paragraph explanation of your specific purpose in conducting this type of inquiry. (Why do you feel you need to talk to this professor, for example, or ask people in Old Town Square these questions?) As you draft your questions, consider our handout on field research, PHG pages 320-322, and the following guidance.

Interviews:

- Are the bread and butter of field research.
- Can be formal or informal, arranged or impromptu.
- Don’t always lend themselves to recording, but recording allows you to be most accurate.
- Provide you with more control because you’re there to guide the discussion.
- Allow you to ask for more elaborate answers.
- Allow you to clarify confusing questions for more accurate responses.
- Allow you to adjust your purpose in light of your interviewee's knowledge.
- Provide a more comfortable atmosphere for raising personal questions.
- Lend themselves to witnessing body language.

Surveys and questionnaires:

- Allow you to gauge information from large groups of people.
- Are easier to tabulate numerically.
- May lead to more honest responses since writing is more anonymous than talking.

Effective interview questions will:

- Start with objective or factual questions, or at the beginning of a chronology.
- Gradually approach more subjective or controversial questions.
- Almost always invite more than a yes or no answer.
- Avoid assumptions about what the interviewee will say, but reflect some knowledge of his or her situation.

Effective survey questions will:

- Be clear and focused.
- Avoid confusing or ambiguous language.
- Be shaped for a target audience.
- Be respectful and objective.
- Avoid skewing responses or leading respondents.
- Take into account different uses for open-ended and closed questions.
- Not take more than a few minutes to answer.

Most importantly, effective questions will address the writer’s purpose, which is generally to find out what people know and think about the topic at hand. Interviews and questionnaires, in other words, will give you a sense of the conversation surrounding your essay.

There will be no further news quizzes, as you should have an essay topic in mind by now.

Calendar Post for November 30

2009-11-28T20:37:00.006-07:00

Prepare for our third local news quiz. These in-class writing prompts encourage us to study local news sources for essay ideas. In particular, between now and Monday, browse:

The Coloradoan

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Denver Post's coverage of Denver and the West

Our #CO150 Twitter feed

Read again one of the essays you were assigned in class on Friday, November 20 (by Orlean, Malone, or Maddocks) and prepare for a group discussion and presentation of the text on Monday by reviewing questions shown in class (now at drop.io). Reading each of these essays will be helpful in understanding the Local Inquiry/Public Essay, but if you weren't in class on November 20, focus on either Orlean or Malone's text.

Continue pursuing field research in support of your Local Inquiry/Public Essay. Samples of previous essays posted online should also inform your writing process. A first draft of the essay will be due in class Monday, December 7.

Enjoy the Holiday, Everyone!

2009-11-20T23:36:00.003-07:00

We'll see you back in class on Monday, November 30.

Local Inquiry/Public Essay Assignment + Samples Posted

2009-11-19T16:31:00.005-07:00

"Joining the Conversation: Local Inquiry and the Public Essay" has been uploaded to drop.io. In addition, below, six sample essays composed by fellow students and published online by The Coloradoan are available for download. Some appear as two files: one is suitable for printing, the other shows the text displayed alongside visual rhetoric and comments from readers. Note that while these samples generally achieve the purpose of the Local Inquiry/Public Essay, they do have shortcomings and should be read in the context of the assignment handout (above).

Calendar Post for November 20 + Local Inquiry/Public Essay Forum

2009-11-18T20:41:00.008-07:00

Please read "Lifelike," a New Yorker essay by Susan Orlean. Also download and bring to class two short texts from local publications, "The Myth and the Magic," by Charles Malone, and "BRIEFS," by the Fort Collins Rabbit (as well as today's text, David Boerner's "Following the Poop"). All four texts can be found at drop.io.

If you haven't already done so, review "Investigating: The Writing Process" on PHG pages 312-322. A handout at drop.io summarizes four kinds of field research techniques, three of which are covered in the PHG.

Prepare for our second local news quiz. These in-class writing prompts encourage us to study local news sources for essay ideas. In particular, between now and Friday, browse:

The Coloradoan

The Denver Post's coverage of Denver and the West

Our #CO150 Twitter feed

By Saturday night, at our Writing Studio forums page, please post a 200-word overview of the Local Inquiry/Public Essay you're planning to pursue. This plan will be tentative and may change. Still, you can discuss how the inquiry you're considering might incorporate qualities of the Public Essay as well as field research techniques (see handouts at drop.io). You can also describe the kinds of people you plan to interview and audience expectations for the publication to which you will pitch your essay or column.

Update: our Local Inquiry/Public Essay assignment handout has also been posted to drop.io.

Academic Argument Assignment FAQ

2009-11-17T22:00:00.003-07:00

Question on Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 3:57 PM:

The final copy does not need to be in Google Docs, does it?

Response:

That's right, it does not. Revisions to the final draft of your Academic Argument should take place in Word and on your desktop, not in the Google Docs draft that you've shared online. This allows us to preserve the comments your collaborators have provided in the context of your rough draft, and award points for participation. This point was reiterated on our blog on Saturday:

You can edit and format your final paper without the comments showing by clicking "File" and "Print settings." Uncheck the "include comments" box, and the click "OK." Now you can select "File" and "Download file as" to save a copy of your draft as a Word document (without the comments).

Question on Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 1:29 PM:

I was just curious to see what you wanted the title to our Academic Argument to be. Should it just be "Academic Arguement" or do you want it specific to our paper?

Response:

I'm glad you posed this question. Unless you're told otherwise (think "Works Cited," for our annotated bibliographies), most arguments, essays, and research papers in MLA style require a creative title that departs from the name of the assignment. An example of this comes in the paper Diane Hacker includes in her supplement, "Online Monitoring: A Threat to Employee Privacy in the Wired Workplace." Another example comes in the argument we discussed on Monday, Crystal Sabatke's "Welfare Is Still Necessary for Women and Children in the U.S." Note in both cases that titles of academic papers appear longer than titles of short stories, plays, and other fictional works. Sometimes they also involve a colon.

Question on Tue, Nov 10, 2009 at 8:26 AM:

I was wondering would it be appropriate to put a picture into my argument? Mine is on deforestation in Indonesia and it seems my argument would benefit from a visual. If not that is okay too, I just wanted to ask.

Response:

That's a good question. It would be fine to include an illustration, and for formatting guidance you should see pages 50 and 51 of Diane Hacker's MLA supplement, where the writer of a sample text includes a "Dilbert" comic strip. Note that there's a reference in the text to the illustration's figure number, and that the illustration's caption includes this figure number ("Fig. 1") as well as a source. Also, for our purposes, the illustration won't affect the argument's required length. In other words, you should still have at least 1,000 words but no more than (the equivalent of) four pages of written text.

Question on Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 3:01 PM:

I was not clear on if we should have completed any research before coming to our conference with you? I have written the majority of the outline but I have not done any research; do we need to have that completed by the time we come for our conference? The sample paper had tons of research and a works cited page. Will we need to have all of that prepared as well?

Response:

Here's what our proposal assignment handout asks about research, under "Evidence and Arguments":

What kinds of evidence has your research revealed so far that might support an argument shaped by the tentative thesis statement above? Summarize different key arguments about this issue that you have discovered during your research so far, focusing especially on those that support your claim. (Be sure to cite sources here.)

And here's what our blog says about the sample paper:

please note that the sample proposal runs too long as a text and does not conform to MLA guidelines or our assignment handout's specifications. Still, it does respond to many of the same questions that serve as prompts for your proposal, and it shows a student carefully researching and designing an argument in proposal form.

That last part is important to note: it's hard to write an effective proposal without doing some preliminary research on the evidence to support it. Your question-at-issue, your claim or position on that question, and the factual information to support that claim should all feel tentative at this stage, and that's okay because you're only proposing an argument, not actually drafting it. Still, this proposal needs to be grounded in sources you might rely on, and that is why you see the author of the sample proposal discussing and citing a few potential sources––that kind of source-based discussion is also expected in your proposal.

Question on Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 10:46 PM:

I was looking at the sample argument proposal and it was talking about a group. Are we supposed to include reflection on a group proposal as well as a new individual proposal?

Response:

No, that's not the case. I think what you're noticing is that the proposal writer references her inquiry group's research question ("The question-at-issue for our group was: What are the effects of global warming on Polar Regions?"). So in this case she has chosen to pursue an argument related to that question. However, as you'll note in the Academic Argument Assignment handout (just posted), you can choose to refine your own group's question, refine another group's question, or invent a new climate-related question entirely. In the proposal you'll discuss just one question, and the important thing is that it becomes narrow, debatable, and significant both to you and an academic audience. The question should prompt you to make a claim of fact or definition, cause and effect, value, or policy/solution, or a combination thereof.

Question on Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 4:08 PM:

The question I'm interested in pursuing is: How has climate change affected polar bear populations? Is this too narrow or irrelevant? Also, because none of the groups on the wiki looked into this subject, am I required to find my own research for the proposal or do I merely state how I plan to research this topic?

Response:

On its face the question doesn't seem too narrow, but consider the other criteria for questions-at-issue in the Academic Argument: is it debatable and significant? What kind of claim will result? Can you form an interpretive thesis that doesn't just describe a piece of reality? If you can locate a particular debate about the extent to which climate change is affecting the polar bear, then you may have fertile ground for argument, but you may also find overwhelming consensus about the severity of climate change's impact on that species. Now that you have a topic that feels personally significant, how can you tweak your question to generate arguments about the polar bear's ecological worth, or its iconic status as a symbol in climate change rhetoric? Those are just some possible avenues for debate. As to the research query: two groups researched ecology, and I'm noticing sources on those wiki pages that provide a starting point for inquiry, such as:

Berteaux, Dominique, et al. "Keeping Pace with Fast Climate Change: Can Arctic Life Count on Evolution?" Integrative and Comparative Biology 44.2 (April 2004): 140-151. Web of Science. Web. 18 Oct. 2009.

In the end you may not use this source, but at minimum it should provide an interesting works cited list, some names of Arctic scientists, and a journal for further exploration. Plans are great to include, but the proposal also needs to specifically cite potential sources and stakeholders under "Evidence and Arguments" as well as "Rationale and Audience."

Extra Credit Assignment

2009-11-16T23:22:00.007-07:00

For the extra credit assignment, which will compensate for at least one unexcused absence, please choose to attend a live event featuring a speaker (many are listed online at websites such as CSU's "All University Events" calendar). Then, e-mail Raul a description of the event (see "Contact" in the sidebar), take detailed notes during the event (direct quotations will be valuable), and write a two-page rhetorical analysis.

Think of this as a cohesive, miniature essay that utilizes prompts from our rhetorical situation handouts. As a well-organized, MLA-styled text, it shouldn't mimic the order of the prompts on the handouts but rather draw relationships between different aspects of the rhetorical situation––in an introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, a conclusion, and a "Works Cited" list, if necessary. In short, you'll be answering this question: what choices did the speaker make, and how effective were those choices, in context? Assume that your audience is academic but not knowledgeable about the situation you're analyzing.

Update: the extra credit assignment is now due to Raul's mailbox on the third floor of Eddy Hall by 4:30 PM on Thursday, December 17.

Calendar Post for November 18

2009-11-16T22:39:00.008-07:00

Continue reading David Boerner's "Following the Poop" in preparation for a discussion of the Local Inquiry and Public Essay on Wednesday. Other texts that can inform our final assignment have been posted to drop.io. We'll be focusing next on examples of essays in the same genre from two professional writers, "Whither Wind" by Charles Komanoff and "Lifelike" by Susan Orlean.

Download a three-page handout (also at drop.io) that describes the qualities of the Local Inquiry/Public Essay and the writing process it should entail. The handout includes some tentative due dates.

Read a short introduction to field research on PHG pages 320-322.

Prepare for our first local news quiz. These in-class writing prompts will encourage us to study local news sources for essay ideas. In particular, between now and Wednesday, browse:

The Coloradoan

The Fort Collins Now

The Denver Post's coverage of Denver and the West

Our #CO150 Twitter feed will also begin featuring items of local interest. An example of a local news quiz has been posted to dropio.

Most process work on the Group Inquiry assignment has been handed back with comments and grades. However, Raul neglected to hand back a few annotated bibliographies today in class. These will be available during tomorrow's office hours (see our syllabus) should you want to take a look before handing in your Academic Argument (as a hard copy) on Wednesday. Expect comments and grades on our wiki pages by the end of the week, and a midterm report on grades and attendance following Thanksgiving break.

Readings Posted

2009-11-16T17:07:00.009-07:00

Essays on topics local and otherwise that will foster discussions of our Local Inquiry and Public Essay assignment have been posted to drop.io. Please note that some of these texts contain disturbing content:

essay_boerner_follow_poop.pdf

essay_boerner_our_town.pdf

essay_distaso_when_urban.pdf

essay_henson_scales_hostess.pdf

essay_henson_scales_hostess_graphics.pdf

essay_klosterman_crazy.pdf

essay_kolbert_catastrophist.pdf

essay_komanoff_whither_wind.pdf

essay_malone_the_myth.pdf

essay_orlean_lifelike.pdf

essay_rabbit_briefs.pdf

Calendar Post for November 16

2009-11-14T14:29:00.010-07:00

If you haven't already done so, please provide in-text comments and a thorough summary note in each of your collaborators' Google Docs drafts. An earlier post lists groups of collaborators and handouts to guide this online workshop. As you revise your argument and prepare to submit a final hard copy on Monday or Wednesday, recall the guidance discussed in class about converting Google documents to Word documents. To reiterate, final revisions should take place on your desktop, not online. From our Google Docs handout:

You can edit and format your final paper without the comments showing by clicking "File" and "Print settings." Uncheck the "include comments" box, and the click "OK." Now you can select "File" and "Download file as" to save a copy of your draft as a Word document (without the comments).

If you haven't already done so, read about revising arguments and identifying logical fallacies on PHG pages 577-582.

You should also read a final example of how an Academic Argument moves through the writing process. Crystal Sabatke's "Welfare Is Still Necessary for Women and Children in the U.S." appears on PHG pages 583-591.

Finally, for comparison, read and bring to class David Boerner's "Following the Poop" (at drop.io), which points to the kind of essay we'll be researching and drafting in our final assignment.

We meet back in our usual classroom on Monday.

Google Docs Groups for the Academic Argument + Calendar Post for November 13

2009-11-11T11:14:00.021-07:00

Meet in Morgan Library's Classroom One on Friday for a final workshop using our peer review, Google Docs workshop, and assignment handouts. You may also find our Academic Argument samples helpful.

As discussed in class, you should update your Google document with the (revised) text of your Academic Argument and send invitations to your collaborators (listed below) by noon on Friday. You can find e-mail addresses for collaborators in a class e-mail and on the "Classmates" page of the Writing Studio. If you don't see your name listed below, follow step three in the Google Docs workshop handout.

CO150.37:

Jason L, Stephen G, Alex H
Jack H, Jesse S, Rachel S
Branden K, Cyndi H, Eric S
Kelly T, Mandy D, Kassi M
Cooper O, Brian R, Kayla T
Valerie B, Senite T, Mark A

CO150.44:

Zach H, Derek W, Chris N
Justin S, Regan G, Rachael C
Dan P, Jonny S, Adrienne K
Sam S, Sean W, Eric W
Kelsey C, Robbie O, Kaylynn A
Jillian H, Michael W, Amanda K

Video Posted

2009-11-11T10:47:00.003-07:00

"Weekly Address: Tragedy at Fort Hood" will be discussed today in class. It's a message President Obama delivered Saturday about shootings in Texas last week that killed 12 soldiers and one civilian employee.

Calendar Post for November 11 + Argument Handouts Posted

2009-11-09T23:14:00.004-07:00

• Follow steps in our Google Docs workshop handout, especially the part about creating a document and inviting raulmoreno@gmail.com as a collaborator by noon on Wednesday.

• Bring a full rough draft of your Academic Argument to class on Wednesday as a hard copy.

• Read about revising arguments and logical fallacies on PHG pages 577-582.

• Download and bring to class the following handouts (at drop.io):

- argument_appeals.pdf

- argument_fallacies.pdf

- argument_workshop.pdf

Rhetorical Analysis + Google Docs Handouts Posted

2009-11-09T15:11:00.013-07:00

For those attending a speaking event and drafting a rhetorical analysis that will compensate for an unexcused absence, three additional handouts at drop.io will be useful:

- handout_rhetorical_questions.pdf

- handout_soapstone.pdf

- handout_rhetorical_situation.gif

This rhetorical analysis should be at least two pages and follow MLA guidelines. Further guidance can be found elsewhere on our blog.

A handout discussed in class today, "Google Docs Workshop: How and When to Post Argument Drafts and Comments," has been uploaded to drop.io. Please take note of steps in the workshop due Wednesday and Friday by noon. Google Docs can be accessed via Gmail or Google Apps for Colorado State University.

Event Posted

2009-11-09T10:01:00.006-07:00

From the Colorado State University School of Global Environmental Sustainability:

"The World Gathers in Copenhagen: What to Expect and Why it is so Critical to Us"
November 11, 2009
Avogadro's Number
5:00pm-6:30pm

Panel of Colorado State University experts on Climate Change, and what to expect at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen that will take place in December 2009.

Participants include:
Dr. Jill Baron- Research Scientist, United States Geological Survey and Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory
Dr. Michele Betsill- Associate Professor, Political Science
Dr. Stephen Ogle- Research Scientist, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory
Dr. Keith Paustian- Professor, Soil and Crop Sciences

Free and Open to the Public.

Calendar Post for November 9

2009-11-07T20:44:00.012-07:00

Please read about two nontraditional argument techniques on PHG pages 521-525. (And if you haven't yet debated your partner, be prepared to finish "Staking a Claim" in class.)

As discussed on Friday, also read read and bring to class a short series of counter arguments (at drop.io) by the United Kingdom's Royal Society, a scientific body with a history that spans four centuries. Then skim five "personal opinions" on climate change written by members of the Society and choose one to read closely and discuss in class.

On Monday and Wednesday we'll continue watching Frontline's 2008 investigation of climate change, "Heat." At Frontline's website on PBS.org, you can also access interviews with sources featured in the program. "Heat" should be useful in providing information to supplement your Academic Argument, but if you do quote from one of its sources, please choose only one.

By Monday evening, post a thoughtful response to the following questions on a forum about Frontline's "Heat" at the Writing Studio:

What facts, ideas, or points of controversy covered by the program might become important in your Academic Argument? Does this information support your claim or a counterargument?

If you were to quote one source who appears in the program, who would that be and why?

Looking forward, full rough drafts of the Academic Argument will be due at a workshop in class on Wednesday. Then, on Friday, we'll be meeting again in Morgan Library's Classroom One for a workshop using Google Docs. Between now and then, please familiarize yourself with this online word processor by logging into Google Apps for CSU (or Gmail) and clicking on "Documents" at the top of your inbox. The final Academic Argument is due as a hard copy on Monday, November 16.

Video Posted

2009-11-06T11:07:00.003-07:00

"Heat," a 2008 program produced by Frontline, an investigative unit of PBS, can be viewed online. We'll be watching and discussing excerpts in light of the Academic Argument. Frontline describes the program this way:

Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, fires, floods and droughts. On the eve of a historic election, award-winning producer and correspondent Martin Smith investigates how the world's largest corporations and governments are responding to Earth's looming environmental disaster.

"I have reported on the Cold War, the breakup of the Soviet Union, the rise of Al Qaeda, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," says Smith. "But nothing matches climate change in scope and severity."

Calendar Post for November 6

2009-11-04T20:44:00.009-07:00

If you haven't yet debated your partner, prepare to finish "Staking a Claim" in class.

Now that (most of) you have a proposed an Academic Argument, received feedback on that proposal in a conference, and begun research on behalf of the claim you will put forward, try drafting a "thesis paragraph" and bring a printout to class on Friday.

This paragraph might eventually become an early part of your argument that appears after you have introduced its context. The thesis paragraph it should both state a claim and forecast key points your argument will go on to address. Examine two paragraphs by Edward Koch on the top of PHG page 535 to get a sense for what this part of the argument looks like.

Also look for theses and claims in five samples of the Academic Argument now available at drop.io.

Finally, read and bring to class a short series of counter arguments (at drop.io) by the United Kingdom's Royal Society, a scientific body with a history that spans four centuries. Then for Monday, skim five "personal opinions" written by members of the Society and choose one to read and discuss in class. More reputable sources on climate change debates that might inform your own argument can be found at RealClimate.org and Grist.org.

Academic Argument/Proposal Assignment + Samples Posted

2009-11-01T17:15:00.010-07:00

"Academic Argument: Adding Your Voice to the Conversation" has been uploaded to drop.io, where you can also find "Proposal: From Inquiry to Argument" (offered in class) and a sample proposal (available as a download only).

As discussed, please note that the sample proposal runs too long as a text and does not conform to MLA guidelines or our assignment handout. Still, it does respond to many of the same questions that serve as prompts for your proposal, and it shows a student carefully researching and designing an argument in proposal form.

Remember that proposal conferences take place in Aylesworth 268 on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday instead of class.

Update: five samples of the Academic Argument are now available (as three files at drop.io). Like the sample proposal, these arguments do have weaknesses and don't always adhere to MLA guidelines or our assignment handout, but they should serve as useful models.

argument_sample_e.pdf

argument_sample_l.pdf

argument_sample_xyz.pdf

Calendar Post for October 30 + Conferences Rescheduled

2009-10-28T21:47:00.040-06:00

As you may have heard in class today, due to the university's closure this afternoon amidst snow forecasts, Academic Argument Proposal conferences have been rescheduled for next week. We will hold conferences Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in lieu of class (see below).

Barring another campus closure, we will meet at our usual time and place on Friday to discuss the proposal and the reading assigned in today's calendar post. In the meantime, please begin drafting your proposal (which is due at your conference) based on guidance in the assignment sheet. Also prepare for "Staking a Claim" on Friday.

Finally, look for your new conference time below and e-mail Raul (see "Contact" in the sidebar) if you don't have a time or have an unavoidable conflict. Conferences take place in Raul's office, Aylesworth 268.

Conferences on Monday, November 2

11:15
11:30 Brian
11:45 Valerie
12:00 Max
12:15 ~~Derek~~
12:30 Senite
12:45 Cyndi
1:00 Eric S
1:15 Cooper
1:30 Jack
1:45 Branden
2:00 Chris
2:15 Rachel S
2:30 Mark
2:45 Stephen
3:00 Jesse

Conferences on Tuesday, November 3

11:15 Kelly
11:30 Mandy D
11:45 Zach
12:00 Rachael C
12:15
12:30 Regan
12:45 Sean
1:00 Jason

Conferences on Wednesday, November 4

12:45 Alex
1:00 Dan
1:15 Justin
1:30 Kaylynn
1:45 Kelsey
2:00 Sam
2:15 Robbie
2:30 Derek
2:45 Kayla
3:00 Sal
3:15

Conferences on Friday, November 6

11:30 Jonny
11:45 Adrienne
12:00 Jill
12:15 Amanda K
12:30

Conferences on Tuesday, November 10

11:15 Eric W
11:30 ~~Michael~~

Office Hours Update

2009-10-27T13:11:00.000-06:00

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 October 28

2009-10-26T22:02:00.007-06:00

As in preparing for today's class, download and bring with you on Wednesday a handout on claims and "Proposal: From Inquiry to Argument" (at drop.io), which describes the first of two phases in our upcoming assignment. Note that "purpose" and "audience" in the latter handout refer to the proposal itself, not your Academic Argument, which your proposal should outline and describe.

Prepare for our in-class trial run at crafting an argument about climate change, "Staking a Claim" (at drop.io). Review that overhead and confirm with your partner (via e-mail addresses at the Writing Studio) which claim you will be debating. As described in the overhead, one partner (who authored the chosen claim) presents reasons and evidence to support the argument, while the other (playing the devil's advocate) presents a counter-claim as well as reasons and evidence to oppose it. Each pair's oral debate should last less than two minutes.

Read about "Appeals for Written Argument" (PHG pages 516-520) as well as Edward Koch's "Death and Justice" (PHG pages 534-540).

Begin drafting a proposal for your Academic Argument. As described in the assignment handout (see above), this is a short and preliminary but detailed outline of the argument you plan to write, and it's due during a conference with your instructor. These conferences take place in lieu of class, but they happen very soon: this Thursday (3:45 to 5:15 PM), this Friday (11:15 AM to 3:15 PM) and this Monday (11:15 AM to 3:15 PM). We will assign conference times in class on Wednesday.

Calendar Post for October 26 + Academic Argument Proposal Assignment Posted

2009-10-24T13:45:00.021-06:00

Browse each of our 14 wikis pages and recollect the readings we have encountered thus far, particularly those that put forward arguments. Then, just for practice, draft two questions-at-issue that might guide your upcoming paper, the Academic Argument. These questions should feel narrow, debatable, and significant both to you and an academic audience interested in climate change. For example, you might rephrase or make more specific questions on political science or foreign policy already researched on our wiki. You might also refine a question addressed by Thomas Friedman, "Why go green?" or Michael Pollan, "Why bother?"

Read about argument and claims on pages 509-516 of the PHG. Then, much like we did in class on Friday, practice writing four possible claims in response to the two questions-at-issue you just drafted (use either question-at-issue, or both). These claims should include: a claim of fact or definition, a claim about cause and effect, a claim about value, and a claim about solutions or policies. Type these two questions and four claims, and post them on a Writing Studio forum ("Academic Argument: Two Questions, Four Claims"). You won’t necessarily use any of these claims for your final argument, so don’t worry about perfection.

Read “The Argument Culture” by Deborah Tannen on pages 474-480 of the PHG. Be ready to talk about Tannen’s definition of “argument” and how it does or doesn’t coincide with your own ideas about arguments.

Make sure to bring your four claims and your PHG to class on Monday, along with a handout on claims and "Proposal: From Inquiry to Argument" (at drop.io), which describes the first of two phases in our upcoming assignment.

Group Inquiry Assignment FAQ

2009-10-22T18:36:00.001-06:00

As we delve farther into the writing process surrounding our current assignment, as well as two additional papers we'll be writing this semester, confusion will abound. In response, our blog will collect frequently asked questions (in an anonymous fashion) and provide answers that can probably benefit everyone. See if your question about group inquiry can be answered below, then, before creating a new one via e-mail.

Question on Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 4:10 PM:

Our group is wondering if the 1,000 word requirement for the introduction is in effect for our group as well, because we only have two people. It seems that we may have trouble reaching that limit, would we be deducted significant points if we had less? What do you think would be an acceptable length for a group of two?

Response:

It's a good question, but I am looking for at least 1,000 words in the introduction (not counting the bibliography) from each group. The harder task will (or should) be for groups of three to condense their "best answers" into less than 1,200 words. Hopefully it shouldn't be too hard for your group to reach 1,000 words, as you have 10 sources to work with. Remember that some sources should get more attention in the introduction than others.

Question on Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 2:12 PM:

With our wiki's works cited, do we just use the annotations and citations from the individual annotations for the wiki's works cited?

Response:

That's right, although the works cited will need to be alphabetized by the name or title that appears first in each citation. In taking ownership of each member's work, the group may also decide some annotations or citations need to be strengthened. The quality of the annotated bibliography will be reflected in the group's grade.

Question on Sat, Oct 17, 2009 at 12:41 PM:

I need a little help with my citations. This is the first one I really tried to get right, the article is located at this address. If you could let me know if I'm on the right track it would be very helpful. Thank you and hope to hear from you soon.

University of Minnesota. "Cellulosic Ethanol May Benefit Human Health And Help Slow Climate Change." Science Daily. Science Daily, 3 Feb. 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2009.

Response:

Your rough draft on the citation is almost correct. Here are a couple of revisions. First, even though ScienceDaily suggests including "University of Minnesota" in the citation, it doesn't belong there because the the university didn't author the report. Rather, it provided source material to a writer at ScienceDaily who isn't mentioned. So the citation would simply begin with the article title. Secondly, the organization behind the publication can be found at the bottom of the page, ScienceDaily LLC. Thus the citation would look like this:

"Cellulosic Ethanol May Benefit Human Health And Help Slow Climate Change." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily LLC, 3 Feb. 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2009.

Question on Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 5:07 PM:

Are The Anthropological Quarterly and Environmental Science and Technology scholarly sources?

Response:

Both of those sources would likely count as academic or scholarly. If you were to rate them on our scale of popular (1) to academic (4), Anthropological Quarterly (no "The") would probably rate about a four while Environmental Science and Technology, because it contains some "magazine" content, would rate about a three. Again, both would count as scholarly, and here's more information on their credibility:

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/anthropological_quarterly

http://pubs.acs.org/page/esthag/about.html

Question on Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 1:38 PM:

Are we allowed to use some of the articles we have already received through our prior activities in the class for our annotations?

Response:

That's also a good question. Let's limit the use of readings already assigned to one per person. And keep in mind that most of the texts we've read would count as popular (not academic) sources. There are also a number of climate-related texts at drop.io (tagged "text") that have not been assigned as class readings. As long as they're relevant to your inquiry, there's no limit on using those texts.

Question on Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 11:51 AM:

While finding articles to do my annotations on, the most relevant seem to be those that tend to be more academic than popular. While I have found both, is it OK to have more than two academic sources?

Response:

Good question: yes, it's fine to include more than two academic sources. Try then to include just one quality popular source, if you can.

Question on Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 8:22 PM:

We are confused on what a "more specific" question means. Are we supposed to break our inquiry question down even further and choose different sub topics of it?

Response:

As for the "more specific" question: yes, you should break down your overall question into smaller aspects, so that one of you tackles, say, gasoline and the other diesel, or car racing and human athletes. First decide exactly what your research should properly cover (think significance, manageability and scope of the question, occasion, exigence), and then decide who will find sources about what.

Calendar Post for October 21 and 23

2009-10-20T19:43:00.004-06:00

Keep checking our list of frequently asked questions about group inquiry for updates.

We're meeting back in our usual classroom on Wednesday and Friday.

The collaborative portion of the group inquiry assignment is now due Friday night. Again, this entails a wiki page complete with introduction, annotated bibliography, and proper formatting (see our wiki's main page for updated guidance).

On Friday we'll be holding a workshop on the wiki, so try to finish editing your page by noon, if possible. Make sure to save electronic versions of your work in more than one location (e-mail, flash drives, the wiki itself) along the way.

Please make a point to bring your Prentice Hall Guide textbook to class on Friday.

Office Hours Update

2009-10-20T11:28:00.001-06:00

Calendar Post for October 16 and 19

2009-10-14T18:32:00.011-06:00

Using guidance from the annotation workshop handout displayed in class today (and now at drop.io), provide in-line comments as well as notes about opportunities for revision on one of your group's member's annotation drafts. Be prepared to hand back those drafts to your classmate on Friday.

Update about formatting: After the citations, within each annotation, mention the source's author as a "second reference," or using last name only. (Our wiki's critical introductions, however, should introduce each author as a "first reference"--using first and last name, affiliation, et cetera.)

Using the group inquiry process handout distributed in class today (part of the same file at drop.io), continue finding credible, current, and relevant sources for annotations that will provide the best answers to your group's question-at-issue (and your own aspect of that question). As the process handout suggests, your group may benefit from meeting outside of class ahead of Friday and becoming familiar with your group’s wiki. (Find e-mail addresses at the Writing Studio.) Depending on your group’s plans, you might start drafting a critical introduction.

Using comments received on Friday from the annotation workshop as well as a sample annotation––and by leaning on the group inquiry assignment handout like a trusted friend––finish revisions to your individual annotated bibliography. Then on Monday, October 19, in a manila folder, turn in your process work: (1) the individual annotated bibliography, as an MLA-formatted hard copy, (2) the stakeholder matrix, and (3) the research log.

Meet in Morgan Library room EIL1 ("Classroom One") on Friday and Monday to continue drafting your group’s introduction.

Careers in Publishing Event

2009-10-13T16:30:00.001-06:00

Office Hours Update

2009-10-13T13:13:00.002-06:00

Office hours this morning have been postponed. If you would like to meet with Raul this week, please e-mail him to arrange a time. See "Contact" in the sidebar.

Sample Wiki Page Posted

2009-10-12T17:15:00.010-06:00

A wiki page much like the ones we're drafting in groups this month has been posted to drop.io. It includes a critical introduction as well as an annotated bibliography, and its structure can largely serve as an example.

You'll notice that the sample's tone and length differ slightly from our objective. Near the beginning of the introduction, for example, the authors include a "personal frame of reference" that's not part of our wiki. The introduction's overall length also exceeds our 1,200-word limit. Finally, watch for missing parenthetical references and occasional first person pronouns––moments when the authors' "collective voice" disappears.

Calendar Post for October 14

2009-10-12T16:44:00.007-06:00

Locate one more source worthy of including in your annotated bibliography, enter it into your research log and your stakeholder matrix, and draft its annotation.

Bring all of your completed annotations to class for an annotation workshop. If your group's research is moving quickly, you should have four annotations by Wednesday. Also bring supporting materials (printed copies of the sources, your research log, and your stakeholder matrix).

Bring handouts you might need in workshop: a sample annotation, a sample wiki page, the group inquiry assignment handout, research log and stakeholder matrix, and Diane Hacker’s MLA supplement.

Be prepared to reconvene your group's "test run" at the annotation writing process. A related handout displayed in class is available at drop.io, and we'll be discussing each group's work via our document camera. Some groups will need Thomas P.M. Barnett's "Six Ways to Cool Down Over the Climate-Change Security Scare" and others John Kerry and Lindsey Graham's "Yes We Can (Pass Climate Change Legislation)" (also at drop.io).

As of now the individual annotated bibliography, stakeholder matrix, and research log are due this Friday, October 16, when will (hopefully) meet at the Morgan Library for a workshop.

H1N1 Syllabus Addendum

2009-10-09T19:52:00.004-06:00

An addendum to our syllabus (see page six) discusses how our absence policy now takes into account suspected cases of H1N1 flu, which should be reported online. The addendum reads:

In mid-September 2009, in light of illnesses likely to result from the H1N1 flu virus, Colorado State University amended its policies to allow students who self-diagnose as having H1N1 ten consecutive, university-excused absences. The attendance policy for CO150.37 and CO150.44 will take this new policy into account, but only if the student has reported having H1N1 on a secure University website (there’s a link on our blog). Under normal circumstances, per our attendance policy, absences due to seasonal flu and other illnesses will not be excused. If you suspect you’ve contracted H1N1 (see a list of symptoms, including high fever, described by the University and also posted to our blog), report your status online and then contact your instructor at raulmoreno@gmail.com. Together we will make arrangements for you to make up in-class work and submit assignments electronically. It is important that you self-isolate and not return to class until you recover.

Open Letter Assignment Correction

2009-10-09T19:43:00.003-06:00

Our original Open Letter assignment handout incorrectly listed its value as 150 points. A revised handout (at drop.io) corrects that point total to 100, which is reflected in our syllabus.

Group Inquiry Assignment Posted

2009-10-09T17:57:00.004-06:00

"Inquiring Further: Researching a Question-at-issue as a Group, with a Wiki" is now available as a handout. The "research log" and "stakeholder matrix" described in the assignment are also available at drop.io, along with a sample annotation and sample wiki page.

Calendar Post for October 9 and 12

2009-10-08T19:48:00.012-06:00

We will not be meeting on Friday thanks to the English Department's Reading Days, a chance to focus on studying instead of attending class.

Following Wednesday's orientation at the Morgan Library, tomorrow presents a good opportunity to meet with your fellow group members, update one another on your research progress, and adjust your group's question-at-issue as necessary.

As of Friday, each group member should be (1) aware of what "more specific question" or aspect of the group's inquiry he or she is pursuing, (2) finding a mixture of popular and academic sources to annotate, and (3) entering those sources and the "stakeholders" contained therein in a research log and a stakeholder matrix (distributed at the Morgan Library and now available at drop.io).

To arrange a meeting on Friday or over the weekend, find your group members' e-mail addresses on our Writing Studio forums page. There, by Wednesday, many of you posted a 150 to 200-word summary of one group member's orientation toward your question-at-issue. Group members should reply to those summaries by Friday, telling us whether the writer has accurately described your perspective and background. Look for more instructions on our forums page.

During your group's meeting, visit our course's new College Composition wiki, where each group will be composing a "critical introduction" to the sources it annotates (a total of 10 or 15 annotations, or five for each group member). We'll talk more about wikis and what this introduction should look like on Monday. In the meantime, look for an invitation in your inbox to establish an account at Wikispaces.com. This will allow you to edit your group's page, which you'll find listed in our wiki's sidebar. In creating your username, please use your first initial and last name or your first and last name only.

We'll meet back in our usual classroom on Monday. Plan on bringing drafts of annotations for at least one academic and two popular sources. Recall that a sample annotation has been posted to drop.io. Update: the full assignment handout is now also available.

Also bring to class 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.

E-mail Raul (see "Contact" in the sidebar) with any questions.

Office Hours Update

2009-10-06T13:34:00.001-06:00

Calendar Post for October 7

2009-10-05T22:47:00.006-06:00

Instead of meeting in our usual classroom on Wednesday, we will meet in Morgan Library classroom EIL1, at our usual time, for an orientation to the library's research tools. Before attending the orientation, please visit the CSU Libraries' C150 page and complete steps one through four under "Before you come to the library." That page also offers a map marking classroom EIL1 in yellow. A handout on additional research help offered by Amy Hoseth, otherwise known as the "Latte Librarian," has been posted to drop.io.

At our Writing Studio forums page, by Wednesday, please post a 150 to 200-word summary of the interview you conducted with a fellow inquiry group member on October 5 or via e-mail. Questions that might guide your interview have also been posted to drop.io. The Writing Studio forums page displays these instructions:

Please pay careful attention to way you represent this person by proofreading your summary before posting it. Then print your post and bring it to class on October 7 for your group's review. Finally, by October 9, you should respond to the post (click "Reply") that describes your orientation toward your group's question at issue with another post: tell us whether the writer has accurately described your perspective and background.

In lieu of class on Friday, October 9, we will be participating in the English Department's "reading days," which allow students to focus on studying for a day rather than attending class. Our reading day comes at a good juncture, as we'll be focusing on individually annotating five sources over the coming week in support of the group inquiry assignment. See a sample posted to drop.io for guidance on composing annotations, and watch for a handout outlining the full assignment to be posted this week.

Interview Questions and Annotation Example Posted

2009-10-05T15:18:00.006-06:00

A list of questions seen in class today that might guide your interview with a fellow inquiry group member has been posted to drop.io. A link to the Writing Studio forum where you should post a summary of this interview (150 to 200 words) will appear later today on our blog. Recall that e-mail addresses for your fellow group members are available in the Writing Studio under "Classmates."

At drop.io, there's also a sample annotation by Student Y. Note that this annotation provides an MLA citation of the source text but does not use parenthetical references. For our inquiry project, we will be using parenthetical references that follow MLA guidelines in Diane Hacker's supplement (see "MLA in-text citations" on page two).

Policy texts posted

2009-10-04T17:39:00.011-06:00

Discussions about the harm caused by emissions at home and abroad, and how to limit them, have been moving rapidly in recent days. The following texts, hot off our blog's news feed, may be helpful to inquiry groups researching related topics. Notice how more than one of these reports reference more academic "source" texts:

From The New York Times, "E.P.A. Moves to Curtail Greenhouse Gas Emissions"

From the Associated Press, "Obama adviser says no climate change law this year"

From The Washington Post, "Hurdles Remain on Climate Change Goals"

From USA Today, "Report: Climate change 'greatest threat ever' to national parks"

From Agence France-Presse, "Climate change hits poor countries hardest: WB"

From The Los Angeles Times, "Think globally, act locally: Mayors move on climate change"

Calendar Post for October 5

2009-10-04T17:15:00.003-06:00

Inquiry groups and their members have been announced on our blog, based on voting at the Writing Studio over the weekend.

Now that you know the question at issue guiding your group's research, locate one credible source of information that appears to answer that question. We'll talk more in class this week about what kind of sources to look for, where to find them, and what we'll be doing with them.

You may begin to draft a one-page academic summary of the source you find. More importantly, bring this and other sources to class this week.

Also bring to class 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.

For your calendar: we'll be visiting the Morgan Library on Wednesday, October 7 instead of meeting in our usual classroom. More details will follow.

Inquiry Groups Posted

2009-10-04T16:38:00.017-06:00

The results are in! While many people cast votes for inquiry questions by midday Sunday, those who did not have been assigned to disciplines that roughly align with their majors or academic interests. Groups should feel free to adjust the wording or scope of their questions; please e-mail changes by visiting "Contact" on the right side of the page.

SECTION 37

Inquiry Question: Economic Policy
Description: What are different solutions to solve global warming and where is the money coming from to fund these solutions?

Cyndi H
Kayla T
Valerie B

Inquiry Question: Manufacturing
Description: Which appliances are most energy efficient and how can we improve certain appliances to make them more energy efficient?

Stephen G
Kelly T
Jesse S

Inquiry Question: Foreign Policy
Description: Should countries be more competitive or cooperative? Which option is more beneficial in terms of limiting climate change?

Jack H
Max H
Mark K

Inquiry Question: Automotive Engineering
Description: What are the implications of and differences in CO2 output with diesel versus gasoline fuels?

Eric S
Branden K

Inquiry Question: Ecology
Description: How long will it take until the earth is uninhabitable? How is climate change likely to affect habitats along the way?

Cooper O
Senite T
Alex H

Inquiry Question: Health
Description: How is climate change linked to human health problems in developing countries?

Kassi M
Rachel S
Mandy D

Inquiry Question: Sports
Description: How will a movement away from fossil fuels affect sports, especially NASCAR?

Jason L
Brian R

SECTION 44

Inquiry Question: Education
Description: How should we education future generations in terms of awareness and response to climate change?

Zach H
Jill H
Justin S

Inquiry Question: Economic Policy
Description: How should Americans change their lifestyles in order to lessen our impact on climate change? How will this effect the world's economies?

Chris N
Robbie O
Michael W

Inquiry Question: Political Science
Description: Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, why do some people still feel climate change is a myth?

Daniel P
Regan G
Sal B

Inquiry Question: Biology
Description: Will honey bees be able to keep making honey, considering climate change's ongoing effects on their habitats?

Sam S
Kelsey C

Inquiry Question: Health
Description: How are human health problems related to climate change?

Kaylynn A
Adrienne K

Inquiry Question: Ecology
Description: How might climate change effect the evolution of species on earth? What will life look like if the change continues?

Rachael C
Jonny S
Sean W

Inquiry Question: Demography
Description: If sea levels rise, how will American cities and lifestyles change?

Amanda K
Derek W
Eric W

Inquiry Questions Forum, Part Two

2009-10-02T23:52:00.012-06:00

Ballots from Friday's voting on research questions that will drive our group inquiry assignment have been tallied. Questions that received the most votes in each section now appear on our Writing Studio forums page.

At the Writing Studio, by 9:00 PM on Saturday, October 3, please review the seven questions available to your section (CO150.37 meets at 1:00 PM, CO150.44 meets at 2:00 PM), and cast three votes for three different questions you would prefer to research. Your votes should appear as posts (click "Create Message") simply titled with your numerical preference: “1” being your top choice, “2” being your second choice, "3" being your third choice. The body of each post should contain a short paragraph explaining why you feel motivated to research this question. (Groups can later adjust the wording or scope of their questions in consultation with Raul.)

Inquiry groups and their members will be announced Sunday here on our blog, based on your rankings. Once you know the question guiding your group's research, locate one credible source of information that appears to answer that question. Begin to draft a one-page academic summary of that source, and bring the source to class on Monday.

E-mail Raul (see "Contact" on the right side of the page) with any procedural questions or deadline concerns.

Inquiry Questions Forum

2009-10-01T01:31:00.029-06:00

In preparation for forming the inquiry groups that will drive our next assignment, which entails posing a specific research question about climate change, finding sources to answer that question, and narrating those findings, visit our forums page at the Writing Studio.

There you will find two forums, one for section 37 and the other for 44. Click on your section, and propose (in one post) three possible research questions about climate change that seem genuinely interesting. In proposing each specific question, think of the range of ideas we have been privy to in our readings, and the "questions at issue" that drive each author's inquiry. Realize that these questions (for instance, "Why Bother?") avoid binary (yes or no) answers. In your post, you should also identify the broader discipline or topic to which the question belongs. An example:

• Epidemiology: How are temperature fluctuations linked to climate change affecting diseases among human populations?

Two of your disciplines or topics could come from the following suggestions, which draw on our inquiry list, but another should be new and different (such as gardening or aerospace):

• Community organizing
• Biology and genetics
• Economics
• Ecology
• Education
• Energy
• Engineering
• Health and epidemiology
• History
• Literature and rhetoric
• Security and diplomacy
• Physics and chemistry
• Politics and government
• Psychology and sociology
• Health and epidemiology
• Transportation
• Visual and performing arts

Once you have proposed three possible research questions, print out your post and bring it to class on Friday.

Office Hours Update

2009-09-29T10:53:00.001-06:00

Calendar Post for September 30 and October 2

2009-09-28T16:42:00.010-06:00

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"

2009-09-27T10:14:00.005-06:00

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

2009-09-25T15:21:00.000-06:00

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

2009-09-25T15:10:00.005-06:00

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

2009-09-24T22:31:00.004-06:00

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

2009-09-23T15:48:00.003-06:00

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

2009-09-22T19:12:00.007-06:00

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

2009-09-22T12:44:00.002-06:00

Calendar Post for September 23

2009-09-21T16:52:00.002-06:00

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

2009-09-20T20:12:00.010-06:00

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

2009-09-19T00:07:00.009-06:00

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

2009-09-18T12:36:00.006-06:00

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

2009-09-16T15:40:00.019-06:00

"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

2009-09-14T22:25:00.014-06:00

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"

2009-09-11T20:12:00.007-06:00

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"

2009-09-11T20:02:00.008-06:00

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

2009-09-11T19:35:00.013-06:00

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

2009-09-09T22:53:00.003-06:00

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

2009-09-09T22:25:00.003-06:00

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

2009-09-09T11:59:00.003-06:00

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

2009-09-07T22:47:00.013-06:00

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

2009-09-04T15:23:00.005-06:00

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

2009-09-04T15:18:00.004-06:00

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

2009-09-02T17:55:00.006-06:00

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

2009-09-02T11:39:00.003-06:00

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

2009-09-01T12:42:00.004-06:00

Calendar Post for September 2

2009-08-31T15:29:00.003-06:00

In preparation for our Academic Summary assignment, which asks you to summarize one of three possible texts, read Peter Ford’s “China’s green leap forward” and also “How Baoding, China, becomes world’s first ‘carbon positive’ city" (both texts have been uploaded to drop.io). Notice that they appeared alongside one another in the August 10, 2009 edition of The Christian Science Monitor. How does this text speak to the ideas Thomas Friedman wrote about two years earlier (in "The Power of Green")?

Choose one of the critical reading strategies that you reviewed on PHG p. 154-155 (the Double-Entry Log or the Critical Reading Guide) and as you consider Ford’s texts, apply that strategy.

Download, review, and bring to class our upcoming assignment handout: “Academic Summary: Listening to the Conversation.”

Readings Posted

2009-08-31T14:54:00.003-06:00

A few additional readings that become important to our upcoming Academic Summary assignment and our discussions in class this week have been posted to drop.io:

"China’s Green Leap Forward" and “How Baoding, China Becomes the World’s First ‘Carbon Positive’ City,” by Peter Ford. There's also a graphic that accompanies these texts.

"The Elusive Green Economy," by Joshua Green.

MLA Supplements Posted

2009-08-30T21:16:00.003-06:00

Two supplements that detail the Modern Language Association's (MLA) 2009 style guidelines, to which most of our written assignments adhere, have been posted to drop.io. These supplements come courtesy of Bedford/St. Martin's:

handout_hacker_mla_2009.pdf

handout_lunsford_mla_2009.pdf

As the semester progresses we'll talk more about how to document sources using MLA guidelines. However, the sample papers that appear in the final pages of the Hacker and Lunsford supplements should provide you with guidance as to formatting assignments like the Academic Summary. Formatting guidelines are also detailed on page three of our syllabus.

If You Get H1N1

2009-08-28T17:16:00.004-06:00

The following advisory was sent to Colorado State University students this afternoon:

To: CSU Students

From: Jane Higgins, M.D., CSU Health Network

Subject: If you get H1N1

August 28, 2009

There has been a lot of talk this fall about H1N1 and the importance
of getting ready. While this flu might not cause a more severe
illness than typical seasonal flu, there are valid reasons for the
increased concern and we hope you’ll take a few minutes to learn
about them. This is a lengthy email, but please take a moment to
read it – it provides valuable information about what you should do
if you develop flu-like symptoms.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHY H1N1 FLU IS IMPORTANT TO YOU:
Health officials believe H1N1 flu will cause more illnesses than flu
strains in previous years. We’ll also still experience the ‘regular’
seasonal flu, so coupled, these two sources of the flu could impact
a fairly high number of students and employees at CSU. It’s likely
that health resources will be stretched somewhat thin, so it’s
especially important that students know how to get prepared for this
flu season and how to take care of themselves if they do get sick.
Health officials estimate that as many as 30 percent of the
population will be absent from day-to-day activities because of flu
this season.

Health officials also continue to be concerned that H1N1 might
change and cause illnesses that are more severe than what people are
experiencing now. It is unusual that we’re already seeing so many
cases of the flu this time of year – with several probable H1N1
cases across campus already. This provides more opportunity for the
H1N1 virus to change or combine with the regular seasonal flu and
become more serious.

THE UNIVERSITY’S RESPONSE:
At this time, government officials do not recommend that the
university suspend classes if there are a large number of flu cases
on campus. The university has a plan in place to address a severe
flu season. The plan is at www.safety.colostate.edu.

You’ll need to read emails from the university in a timely fashion
and visit www.safety.colostate.edu frequently for any updates to the
university’s recommendations related to flu.

COMMUNICATE WITH THE UNIVERSITY IF YOU GET THE FLU:
If you think you have the flu, keep in contact with your instructors
and advisors. Let them know you are ill BEFORE your big test or
assignment is due. If you live on-campus, notify a housing employee
such as your Residence Hall Advisor so that arrangements can be made
to keep your roommate healthy and to bring you food so you don’t
have to leave your room.

The university is working on an online system to help you report
your illness and notify your instructors more easily. The system is
expected to be completed by Friday, Sept. 4, and available through
RamWeb.

When this system becomes available, if you feel ill with flu-like
symptoms, you will be able to log onto RamWeb and fill out the flu
reporting page. This system will document your illness in order to
help the university keep track of ill students and notify your
instructors of your illness. This website will help give you
guidance about severity of symptoms and your options. Your response
on this website will help expedite the process of being able to make
academic arrangements for missed work. Faculty members will require
the illness verification from this website so they can work with you
on rescheduling exams or other make-up work. Through the website,
faculty will receive a case number documenting your illness and will
be able to verify that illness with the university. It is important
that you finish all of the steps on the website so that the
documentation is completed. You also should revisit the site when
you are well and log the information that you are able to attend
classes again.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE WITH H1N1:
Most of the symptoms of H1N1 flu are identical to symptoms of the
seasonal flu. Those symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or
stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. People
infected with H1N1 flu virus may also have diarrhea and vomiting.

Some college-aged people who get this flu may become ill enough to
be hospitalized. We know that if you get H1N1, there is a strong
chance that you’ll feel miserable for 5 to 7 days, and we want you
to know how to take care of yourself and when to go to the doctor.

If you have the flu, try to isolate yourself from others – such as
your roommates – as much as possible. For more advice about getting
through the flu, visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm. Most
students will not need to see a doctor during their illness. Those
with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, immunosuppression
or asthma, should consult their doctor if they think they have flu.

If you have any of the following danger signs, you should call the
CSU Health Network at (970) 491-7121 as soon as possible or dial 911
if you think you need immediate emergency help:
- You become short of breath while resting or doing very little;
- You are coughing up bloody sputum;
- You are wheezing;
- You have had a fever for three or four days and you are not
getting better – or you may be getting worse;
- You and others notice that you are extremely drowsy and difficult
to wake up or that you are disoriented or confused;
- You have extreme pain in your ear;
- You are vomiting and cannot keep fluids down.

If you are caring for someone with the flu, visit
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm for more
information about how to protect yourself and others.

BE READY FOR H1N1 FLU:
The Centers for Disease Control recommend that you:
- Buy a thermometer. A fever is a temperature of more than 99.6
degrees. If you have the flu, you need to stay away from other
people until at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without
taking fever-reducing medicines.
- Off-campus students should store two weeks of food in their home,
if possible. Stock up so you have enough food to get through the flu
if you don’t feel well enough to get to the store. Don’t forget to
store enough food for your pets as well.
- Have some fluids with electrolytes, such as sports drinks, on
hand.
- Keep an adequate supply of regular prescription drugs.
- Keep some basic health supplies on hand such as over-the-counter
cold and flu medicine, pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough
medicine and hand sanitizer.
- Have cleaning supplies, especially bleach or cleaners containing
bleach.

The University also is recommending that students prepare for the
flu by getting a “flu buddy.” You and your buddy should check in on
and help the other if one of you is ill. You might want to have your
buddy help you to report your illness on the online system.

The best defense against the flu is to wash your hands frequently
with soap and water, cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue,
avoid touching your face, avoid people who are sick and stay home if
think you have the flu. The best way to prevent flu is to get a flu
shot. Seasonal flu shots will be available in early September; H1N1
shots will be available to priority groups in late October. Shots
will be available to students in several locations around campus.
For more information, check the CSU Health Network website at
http://www.health.colostate.edu/.

Calendar Post for August 31

2009-08-28T14:59:00.011-06:00

Review critical reading strategies and summarizing in PHG p. 151-162 and 190-198.

Download, print out and critically read Thomas Friedman’s “The Power of Green.” Mark up and take notes on this text (as you did for Michael Pollan’s “Why Bother?”). Pollan’s text will also be part of our discussion on Monday.

Keeping in mind our triangle that represents the rhetorical situation and the elements that situation might include (for now, think text, author, publication, publication date, thesis and main ideas), draft a summary (roughly one double-spaced page) of Friedman’s “The Power of Green.” Draft the summary in MLA format (see page three of our syllabus), and bring it to class with you on Monday.

Practice using the Writing Studio by posting your summary draft to a page called Forums. Look there for "Academic Summary Draft: Friedman." Click "Create a message" to begin a post and title it "Academic Summary Draft." Instead of using MLA format online, your post should be single-spaced and its paragraphs should be divided by line breaks, just as this blog post demonstrates. The easiest way to move your draft from your word processor to your forum post is to (1) highlight and copy the text of your draft, (2) click the button under "Message" that looks like a clipboard with a "T" (Paste as plain text), and then (3) paste your draft into the window that appears. At the forum there's an example of what your text should look like.

If you have trouble logging into the Writing Studio or posting your summary, e-mail Raul (see "Contact" on the right side of the page) with "CO150" in the subject line.

New Classroom Location + Reading Posted

2009-08-27T23:25:00.005-06:00

Remember that beginning tomorrow, Friday, August 28, our meeting location switches to Molecular and Radiological Biosciences 109, which features better classroom technology. The Molecular and Radiological Biosciences building lies south of the Chemistry and Microbiology buildings, along Lake Street. For directions, find building 76 on Colorado State's online map, or if that map takes too long to load, download a PDF map of the campus.

Thomas Friedman's "The Power of Green" has been posted to drop.io. See our Academic Summary assignment handout for a preview of the work we'll do with that text beginning next week.

Calendar Post for August 28

2009-08-26T16:35:00.014-06:00

Read p. 18-26 in the PHG, paying particular attention to the section on "Subject, Purpose, and Thesis" on p. 24.

"Why Bother," by Michael Pollan: Give it a close reading, marking it up as you did the PHG reading for today. Watch for rhetorical situation elements discussed on Monday and in the PHG reading, and bring this annotated text to class with you on Friday, when we’ll finish our discussion of the IPCC readings.

You may start doing the same for "The Power of Green," by Thomas Friedman, which is now available on our blog. Be prepared to discuss that text next week.

Our first written assignment, the Academic Summary, is described in a handout also available on our blog. It incorporates Friedman’s text as well as two other articles we haven't yet discussed.

Be aware of Thursday's early drop deadline for CO150 (Thursday, August 27, at 11:59 PM). See page one of our syllabus for more information.

Our new classroom, as of Friday: Molecular and Radiological Biosciences 109.

Office Hours Update

2009-08-25T10:44:00.005-06:00

Office hours this morning have been postponed. If you would like to meet with Raul this week, please e-mail him to arrange a time. See "Contact" in the sidebar.

Syllabus + Readings + Academic Summary Assignment Posted

2009-08-24T18:03:00.009-06:00

Our syllabus, three articles distributed in class today, and a handout on our upcoming Academic Summary assignment have been posted to drop.io:

moreno_co150_policies.pdf

reading_lydersen_scientists_pace.pdf

reading_bbc_global_warming.pdf

reading_pollan_why_bother.pdf

summary_assignment.pdf

PHG pages 176 to 187 ("Responses to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change") have also been posted to drop.io.

Calendar Post for August 26

2009-08-24T17:24:00.008-06:00

Purchase Stephen Reid's The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers (8th edition), otherwise known as the PHG, and read “Responses to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” (see p. 176-188 or a handout posted to drop.io). For each response, find a sentence (or two) that encapsulates the main idea of which the writer aims to convince us. Underline the sentence or write it out in your notebook. Do the other things you tend to do when you read closely (underline key passages, write questions and reactions in the margins, et cetera).

Do the same for the Washington Post and BBC articles that update our understanding of the IPCC's findings. (In preparation for Friday, you can also begin reading Pollan’s “Why Bother?”)

Become familiar with our blog. If you’re there on Tuesday night, you might download the Academic Summary assignment handout from drop.io.

Follow our blog’s instructions on how to gain access to the Writing Studio and upload a profile photo. Use the temporary password "CO150" in accepting Writing Studio invitations. Then choose a unique password and update your account information.

If you receive an invitation to the Writing Studio at your Google Apps for Colorado State University account and wish to keep that e-mail address for purposes of our class, simply update your account at the Writing Studio and skip the e-mail to Raul requesting an invitation.

On Wednesday, be prepared to introduce the partner you met in class on Monday.

Calendar Post: 'The 11th Hour' Screening

2009-08-13T18:44:00.006-06:00

At 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, September 16, in Clark A101, the English Department will be screening The 11th Hour (2007), a 95 minute documentary hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film features a number of leading voices that address causes and effects of, as well as solutions to, climate change. Transcripts of just some of their comments appear in a 2007 feature by Vanity Fair.

Please attend one of the screenings, and take careful notes on the comments of at least two individuals featured who pique your interest, as we'll be using The 11th Hour to inform our upcoming Open Letter assignment.

Calendar Post: Greg Mortenson Lecture

2009-08-13T17:17:00.006-06:00

Mortenson, a renowned mountain climber and the best-selling co-author of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time" will speak at the CSU Moby Arena on August 31. Admission is free, but tickets are required, and there's more on that at Today @ Colorado State. Mortenson's lecture will focus on “Promoting Peace through Education," and while that topic doesn't directly bear on climate change, we'll be looking for lectures like these later in the semester to inform our final essay assignment.

Here's more on Mortenson's background from Today:

In 1993, to honor his sister’s memory, Mortenson climbed Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, in the Karakoram Range. After climbing K2, while recovering in a local village called Korphe, Mortenson met a group of children sitting in the dirt writing with sticks in the sand, and made a promise to help them build a school.

The Writing Studio

2009-08-03T15:12:00.009-06:00

Throughout the semester we'll be visiting Colorado State's Writing Studio to exchange ideas in forums and work on a collaborative research project. The Writing Studio requires students to create an account and then join a particular class, and to do that you'll need an invitation from Raul. Please e-mail him using either your Google Apps for Colorado State University address or another Gmail account that you prefer. Please include "CO150" and "Writing Studio" in the subject line. (Note: if you receive an invitation before composing this e-mail, and you want to continue using the e-mail address it references, skip to the next paragraph.) We'll talk more in class about why Gmail (and a word processor called Google Docs) will become important in our writing this semester.

In accepting the Writing Studio invitation, use the temporary password "CO150." Then choose a unique password and update your Writing Studio account to reflect your preferred first and last name. Once you have established an account at the Writing Studio and/or accepted an invitation to our class, you'll see "CO150 or College Composition: Fall 2009" listed under the tab "Classes Taken." Nearby you'll see a tab called "Customize," and there you should "Edit Your Description" and "Choose A New Photograph or Image" in order to tell the class something about yourself and remind us what you look like. Later, on our Writing Studio class page, you should see e-mail addresses and photos for everyone by clicking "Classmates."

Calendar Post for August 24

2009-08-02T18:10:00.003-06:00

This is the kind of post you will see for many upcoming class periods. Each post will list readings, writing prompts, and other information relevant to a particular day, in this case our first class period.

In preparation for Monday, August 24, please purchase our textbook, Stephen Reid's The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers (8th edition).

drop.io

2009-08-02T11:57:00.010-06:00

Our class has a "drop" over at a website called drop.io. This just means that Raul can stash documents (mostly PDF files) in one place where you can easily download handouts, assignment sheets and workshop guides, and even read whole articles online (look for the "Toggle Full Screen" button in the upper right corner of each document).

Some documents will be distributed in class, but in order to facilitate quality discussions, please bring along hard copies of everything posted to our drop. Printing PDFs at university computer labs usually costs money, but it comes in lieu of buying collections of bound articles that other sections of CO150 sometimes require.

Click here to access the full list of documents currently available to Sections 37 and 44. Return to our drop by clicking "drop.io" on the right side of our blog, or using this URL: http://drop.io/collegecomposition

Calendar

2009-08-01T20:45:00.006-06:00

The Google Calendar below will become your friend throughout the semester. It lists due dates and other information about upcoming class periods on the day those things occur. Click "Calendar" on the right side of our blog to return to this post.

Welcome

2009-08-01T20:00:00.007-06:00

And congratulations! You've successfully found the blog for Sections 37 and 44 of College Composition 150, a fall 2009 course offered by the Colorado State University English Department.

CO150 is intended to prepare you for the reading, writing, and critical thinking you’ll need as a student at CSU and as a citizen in a hyper-connected world awash in all kinds of discourse. Goals for this course have been established by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and CSU, and they include reading critically as a basis for academic inquiry, writing for a variety of rhetorical situations, and cultivating effective writing processes. To meet those goals, we'll listen to a conversation about a single issue (climate change), practice different kinds of inquiry, and finally add our voices to the conversation.

Our class meets M/W/F 1:00-1:50 PM (CO150.37) and 2:00-2:50 PM (CO150.44). During the second week of the semester our meeting location will change, and that new location will be posted here on our blog.