Week 17: That's All Folks!

Tu 5.12
IN-CLASS: Course review, Research paper presentations
DUE: Research Paper

Note: If you have no further need for your course reader (ridiculous thought, I know), bring it on Tuesday and I'll recycle it.

UPDATE 05.25.09: Grades are completed. Once grades are entered into MySJSU, however, I cannot alter them, so I'm holding off on entering then until I hear from a few of you about some assignments. Email me at dhdelao@gmail.com if you'd like to know your grade.

Week 16: Closing

Tu 5.5
IN-CLASS: Writer’s workshop
DUE: Bring in four (4) copies of the first three (3) pages of your research paper

Th 5.7
IN-CLASS: Final exam prep; Presentations
Due: Process essay

Sa 5.9
FINAL EXAM: 10 AM in BBC 126 (bring a yellow book)

UPCOMING:

Tu 5.12
IN-CLASS: Course review, Research paper presentations
DUE: Research Paper

Process Essay Assignment

Prompt:
Americans love recreational activities, especially those that in some way relax us, bring us together, or develop a skill. Whether its perfecting your golf swing or planning the perfect dinner party, we tend to make the most of the activities we enjoy. But for many of us, these pastimes are also ritualized, done in very specific and detailed ways. Remove some component from these activities, and its often just not the same. For this essay you will explore the "process" by which one American recreational activity takes place, walking your reader through all aspects of it. For example, what is the process involved in a typical Super Bowl party, an afternoon at the beach, or a trip abroad? In your analysis, consider the steps involved in this pastime, including time requirements (how long does it take and when?), accessories (which materials are required?), and sequence (what is the order in which this activity happens?), as well as why each aspect is important. Feel free to use any of the recreational texts we read in class to supplement your essay.

Requirements:

• MLA format
• 1.5-page minimum

Due: Thursday, May 7th

Week 15: Recreation

“My only hobby is laziness, which naturally rules out all others”

-Anonymous

Tu 4.28
READ: CL—“Food is Good” by Anthony Bourdain; “Satin Worship” by Holly Welker
IN-CLASS: Reading discussion; Presentations

Th 4.30
IN-CLASS: Watch—Trekkies (Nygard, 1997 USA)
JOURNAL 6 ASSIGNMENT: Using “World of Warcraft—Not Just for Nerds” by Jenna Busch (eR) as a basis, choose one of the two following options: A) Everyone has, at one time or another, engaged in a hobby that he or she was embarrassed to have others know about. What is something you've been "into" but preferred to keep private? B) What is a national hobby that you don't understand the fascination with? Don't get why people are so crazy for Guitar Hero? Don't see what's so exciting baseball? Write about a hobby whose popularity confounds you.
DUE: Persuasive Essay; Journal 6

UPCOMING

Tu 5.5
IN-CLASS: Final exam prep; Writer’s workshop
DUE: Bring in four (4) copies of the first three (3) pages of your research paper

Th 5.7
IN-CLASS: Guest speaker TBA

Sa 5.9
FINAL EXAM: 10 AM at a location TBA (bring a yellow book)

Persuasive Essay Assignment

Prompt:
“Selling in Minnesota,” from Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, is a scathing indictment of Wal-Mart’s business practices. From the oppressive management style to the demoralizing employee policies, Ehrenreich takes the nation’s largest employer to task for their harsh corporate culture. However, it must also be recognized that Wal-Mart may employ whichever policies it sees fit so long as they are within the constraints of labor laws.

In a persuasive essay, argue for or against Wal-Mart’s polices, as experienced by Ehrenreich. For example, do Wal-Mart’s strict policies help to ensure customer satisfaction or do they work to foster employee resentment? Are these policies beneficial or detrimental to the company’s viability? Be sure to first take a clear position, then support your argument with evidence from the chapter.

Requirements:

• MLA format
• 2-page minimum

Due: Thursday, April 30th

News Posts: April 20, 2009

• Now even Oprah tweets (MediaPost.com)
• DIY iPhone apps (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Miss California to Perez Hilton: "I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman" (GayWired.com)
• Another geek in defense of gaming (Safety's Off)
  
• Psychological Science: 1 in 10 youth "addicted" to video games (USA Today)
  
• Is porn the new tobacco? (New York Times)
• Spring, baseball, and the economy (Boston Globe)
• What recession? Box office on track for record year (Detroit News)
  

Week 14: Recreation

“Playing poker for fun, with no money involved, is like playing tennis with the net down.”

-VP Pappy

Tu 4.21
READ: CL—“Erotica and Pornography” by Gloria Steinem; “Against Exercise” by Mark Grief; Prologue from Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger; Excerpt from Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life by Richard Ben Cramer
IN-CLASS: Reading discussion; Presentations; Research paper updates

Th 4.23
IN-CLASS: Library session (Meet in room 213 in the MLK Library)

UPCOMING:

Tu 4.28
READ: CL—“Food is Good” by Anthony Bourdain; “Satin Worship” by Holly Welker
IN-CLASS: Reading discussion; Presentations
DUE: Persuasive Essay

Th 4.30
IN-CLASS: Watch—Trekkies (Nygard, 1997 USA)
JOURNAL 6 ASSIGNMENT: Using “World of Warcraft—Not Just for Nerds” by Jenna Busch (eR) as a basis, choose one of the two following options: A) Everyone has, at one time or another, engaged in a hobby that he or she was embarrassed to have others know about. What is something you've been "into" but preferred to keep private? B) What is a national hobby that you don't understand the fascination with? Don't get why people are so crazy for Guitar Hero? Don't see what's so exciting baseball? Write about a hobby whose popularity confounds you.
DUE: Journal 6