Wednesday, April 30, 2008

 

Michael Eric Dyson






We had a great time at MoAd this afternoon. Ammnah missed us, hopefully she is able to attend the evening event. Next time, we'll have to take lunch, but Dyson was wonderful, so entertaining and we took photos, shook hands with everyone. He was a great public person and so smart. Ashley said she felt like she understood most of what he said, but then there were those places where--if you remember Holler If You Hear Me, where the professor uses very precise and not easily comprehended language. Matthew asked a question and so did Chesi. Chesi also got a chance to meet Dr. Julia Hare, who is the subject for her research essay.

Dr. Hare was also wonderful to see again and gracious. Well I have to run now. I'm in the Writing Center tomorrow morning from 10-12 and in my office from 1-2 or 3. Call me with questions or drop by. Those essays are past their due dates people.

Monday, April 28, 2008

 

Field Trip

English 201 will attend this lecture, Wednesday, April 30, 2008
We’ll leave the college at 11 a.m. and return by 3 p.m.

April 30, 2008 Michael Eric Dyson - Lunch time chat and book signing from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm at The Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco.

Preceded by an introduced by Dr. Julia Hare, Mr. Dyson will read excerpts and sign copies of his latest book, April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King’s Death and How It Changed America. Professor Dyson examines King's death and its impact on the nation.

The Museum of the African Diaspora is located at 685 Mission Street (at Third), San Francisco, California 94105, (415) 358-7200. The person who put the event together told me it's free. I am not certain. Sspire students and anyone else who wants to attend, let me know. Do not let money deter you from going with us. We leave at 11 a.m. Meet me in L-235.


Museum Admission
Adults $10
Seniors (65 and over) $5
Students (full-time with current ID) $5
Children (12 and under) Free

Members Free
Free Admission to the Lobby and Museum Store

Related Dyson events:
Free Talk & Book Signing Scheduled:

Wednesday, April 30, 6:30 PM East Bay Church of Religious Science
41st Street and Telegraph, Oakland, CA

 

Questions from The Long Walk to the Courthouse

Please respond to three questions. Cite examples with page numbers. Post here:

1. What was the significance of showing a map of the various Mississippi counties?

2. Infiltration was a problem in volunteer organizing efforts in many black communities in Mississippi. Why is that? Was the term Uncle Tom a euphemism for spy? What is a "good Negro"?

3. Besides fear, what were some of the reasons cited for what appeared as black apathy?

4. In the letters Ruleville, July 2 and Como, August 18 the form is different from other letters. Talk about the letters structure. Secondly, talk about the content and why the editor included this letter here. What is the situation indicative of?

5. Who is Hollis Watkins and what happened to him?

6. What was the victory in Panola county?

 

Today in class

1. We will evaluate a website in pairs (the assignment is in the green library "conducting research" handout. The questions are on a blue sheet, handed out separately.)

2. Students will share their outlines and work on introductions to their essays, if not already completed.

3. We'll read a bit from Letters from Mississippi: "School for Freedom," if there is time.

4. Adjusted research assignment deadlines: Wednesday, April 30, be prepared to develop an outline and write your introduction to the research essay. For students who are not behind, please post your essays with the other prewriting assignments. This is a first draft.

The completed essay is due, Monday, May 5. No exceptions! Bring in a paper copy to class 5/5 for a read aloud protocol demonstration. We will meet in class. The revised draft is to be posted by Tuesday, May 6.

5. I have posted 6 questions taken from A Long Walk to the Courthouse. Respond to three.

Friday, April 25, 2008

 

Writing Center

Hi everyone,

I saw a couple of students this morning in the Writing Center. Both were working on Angela Davis as a social entrepreneur.

I found some useful desktop programs at the Writing Center. One is also on-line. These programs or databases can help students with grammar and writing, also research. The Expressways has a research component. Students save work on a jump drive or diskette, which is available in the Lab. Ask for one.

These are the programs:

http://www.townsendpress.net/ (reading comprehension and vocabulary enrichment)

Grammar 3-D (grammar in context practice)

Bedford Handbook 6.0 (all areas of the writing process)

Expressways 5.0 (Writing and Research. Great as a brush-up and for guidance on the research process)

Missing Links (reading and spelling)

Mavis Teaches Typing

Thursday, April 24, 2008

 

Extra Help

I'll be around tomorrow, Friday, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in the Writing Center: L-234. If you have any questions about your research essay.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

 

The Trial of Darryl Hunt

This morning we watched the HBO film about the conviction of Darryl Eugene Hunt of Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1984. Visit http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/darrylhunt/index.html

Please post your response to the case, conviction and exoneration of Hunt(almost 20 years later.)I have posted the "60 Minutes" segment profiling another case I'd like you to compare.

1. Watch: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/18/national/main4028780.shtml?source=search_story

2. Read the follow-up news story: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/06/60minutes/main3914719.shtml

3. Third, read the comments the CBS blog (second entry). Comment on the comments. Who are they from? What is the tone of the comments overall? What would you add?

 

Cyber-Assignment: Timi Gerson

Today in the afternoon class, we read the last essay in Children of the Movement. As in the other assignments, respond to the questions re: social entrepreneur, the same questions asked of James Foreman Jr. and Drew Dellinger. These are the same questions you will respond to for your own profile.

Monday, April 21, 2008

 

Class today

Today in class we read the Dellinger essay and discussed the term "radical." Thanks to Sophia and Robert for posting the definition from your dictionary. Ammnah please post yours also.

 

Cyber-Assignments and Drew Dellinger post

Many students have not completed their cyber-assignments. These assignments will receive a grade, and do count. The Propaganda Techniques essay assignment was due over a week ago and only two students responded. Students are also behind on the Letters from Mississippi posts. Students are also posting assignments in the wrong place.

Post your response to Drew Dillinger here. You can respond in an essay or just answer the questions one at a time re: Drew King Dellinger:

1.Who is the social entrepreneur profiled?
2.What problem did the person profiled identify?
3.What is the name of the organization they started?
4.Describe their relationship to the community that they serve?

• Why they decided to address this issue?

5.What is the local component?
6.How does the community own the process?
7. Name measureable results.

 

Planning Sheet Cyber-Post

This is a re-post of the earlier assignment. The dates are not negotiable, so do not get behind. Today we will post the planning sheets here. We'll read from Chapter 7 and profile one of the New Radicals. This will be an in-class assignment. I am still looking for my Letter's From Mississippi book. I might need to borrow someone's book to copy the last few chapters.

The Social Entrepreneur Essay

The question you want to ask after you have identified a person or two:
What motivated this person to want to change something in society? How did this person get the community's support for the project? What did the community gain? What did the social entrepreneur gain? Your essay needs to answer all of these questions; you can structure it like a typical problem/solution essay or cause and effect.

The person has to be alive. Try to find someone local, who is living in the San Francisco Bay Area or in California. The person has to have been doing this work for 10-20 years. You need to locate 5-10 sources on your subject to form a bibliography; you don't have to cite 10 sources. The sources can be published or broadcast interviews, books, articles, and films or you can interview them yourself. The person cannot be a relative. You can work in groups and share data. In fact, I encourage it.

Due dates
The planning sheet and 5-10 sources are due Monday, April 21 to share.

An outline is due: Wednesday, April 23.

An introduction and conclusion are due Monday, April 28.

The first draft is due Wednesday, April 30.

The final draft is due Monday, May 5. This draft needs to include a peer review and a review by a writing center teacher or tutor (this does not mean you have to change your paper, just consider their comments in answer to the five areas we consider when reviewing another’s work (Hacker handout) or specific questions you might have.)

You will post the essay, the planning sheet, and all the works cited and bibliography pages on the blog that day in class.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

 

James Foreman Jr. con't.

In the morning class, 1-3 p.m. we read the James Foreman Jr. essay today. We played telephone also to demonstrate the way information changes the further you move from the primary source (see handout). After we discussed the Ann McClintock essay questions and read the Foreman essay, we outlined a three paragraph essay on the board. Post those essays here. If it helps, answer the questions posed for the Frontline World essays first, then write the essay.

Students were also advised to read the essay on James Jr.'s brother Chaka Foreman and to visit the website for the school and look for an article too. This will help you answer the question about community involvement.

Announcements
Barack Obama is in town Saturday, April 19, 12 noon to 2 p.m. at the Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th and Broadway. If I can get tickets for reserved seating, I'll post something here.

Monday, April 14, 2008

 

Social Entrepreneur con't.

I mentioned in both classes suggestions for search topics and non-profit organizations which students might want to use to find an entrepreneur. They are as follows: Books not Bars; Youth Speaks, Intersection for the Arts' Compo Santo (founder, Michael Torres at Laney College); The Omega Boys Club (Dr. Joe Marshall) and the Street6 Soldiers program on KMEL; DESTINY Arts; Medea Project: Theatre for Incarcerated Women; Center for Independent Living, Inc.; Van Jones; Ella Baker Center; Eva Patterson; Bananas, Inc.; Pacific News Service--KPFA; New American Media: The Beat Within; The Mentoring Center; Aya de Leon; Davey D, Anita Johnson, Wayland--Hard Knock Radio; JR. and the Block Report (KPFA)

Search for key words: violence intervention; conflict resolution; economic development; education

Remember the Civil Rights Movement goals were to allow and facilitate access for all citizens irregardless of their race, gender, religion; or physical or mental abilities. If you think in these terms then there are many people who are following in the Freedom Summer volunteers footsteps.

 

James Foreman Jr. from Children of the Movement Cyber-Response

For the afternoon class (1-3) please complete the essay on James Foreman Jr. (pp. 68-75). Respond to the entrepreneur questions below. Reference the text where the answers are given. Restate the answers in your own words (paraphrase or summary). You can quote him when answering the question why did he decide to found the school.

We had a lively discussion about James Jr. and what his school has accomplished. We also spoke about how James is certainly a product of his environment, even if he didn't readily identify his work as the same as his mom and dad's. When you read Chaka Foreman's essay about his dad and his work in the section entitled "Casualties of War" (15), you see how this is so.

The English 201 morning class does not have to respond to this post. The response is due prior to class Wednesday, April 16.

You can respond in an essay or just answer the questions one at a time re: James Foreman Jr.

1.Who is the social entrepreneur profiled?
2.What problem did the person profiled identify?
3.What is the name of the organization they started?
4.Describe their relationship to the community that they serve?

• Why they decided to address this issue?

5.What is the local component?
6.How does the community own the process?
7. Name measureable results.

 

Cyber-Assignment for Propaganda Techniques

Please post your response to the questions and 1 essay question pp. 311-312, 1-5 by Wednesday, April 16. The essay should be 3 paragraphs minimally. Do not chose the same question you responded to last semester Sspire students.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

 

School for Freedom Cyber-Assignments

Begin to post your responses, summaries and arguments for this chapter. The first assignment will be given Monday, April 14.

 

Readings for the weekend

Today in class we practiced summarizing and identifying arguments in the first few pages of Letters from Mississippi, "The Long Road to the Court House." I read the letters aloud and students then put away their books or reading material and summarized the passages. Students seemed to be engaged, especially, Robert, Lewis, Chesi, and Matthew, although the other students participated. It was a good afternoon class. In the early class we were able to also go into the Writing Center and begin looking at the Frontline World video program. Check the folder tomorrow for paper copies of the links for research essay library forms.

Lewis asked me if he could continue on in Letters from Mississippi.I told him yes, so students who would like to begin responding to School for Freedom. I have added a cuber-post.

Children of the Movement
We also spoke about the next generation, the children of these leaders in the movement for social justice. Students were assigned the first part of Chapter 7, pages 227-237. We will also read the chapter: The Next Generation and the profiles on Chaka Foreman and James Foreman Jr. These men are examples of children who have taken up the social change mantle.

Freedom on My Mind
Post comments about the film here. Visit http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0037 You didn't miss much. I will let you watch the rest next week; we will also go over the answers to the argument exercises. Some students posted their answers on the blog.

 

Frontline World Cyber-Assignment Post

Post your Frontline World Responses (3) here.

Don't forget to answer the following questions in your response to the program.

What is a social entrepreneur?
What is a philanthropist?

Outline:

1.Who is the social entrepreneur profiled?
2.What problem did the person profiled identify?
3.What is the name of the organization they started?
4.Describe their relationship to the community that they serve?

• Why they decided to address this issue?

5.What is the local component?
6.How does the community own the process?

 

Frontline World Assignment

Research Tools
These resources are referenced in the assignment below. You can get a paper copy of the forms from the reference librarians at COA. Steve Gerstle developed the research guide for this assignment. I will have paper copies on hand also. If you miss class check the bin outside my office.

Visit http://alameda.peralta.edu/projects/20013/EnglishSabirpathfinder.doc

http://alameda.peralta.edu/projects/20013/EvalWebWksht.doc for the assignment: Evaluating a web page.

Other resources
http://alameda.peralta.edu/Projects/20013/researchsteps.pdf



Exercises due by Friday, April 18:
Students need to watch minimally 3 segments and write a response and post it here on the social entrepreneurs profiled in Frontline World. Talk about the business the person developed. What problem they sought to address and what both the community and the social entrepreneur gained. These exercises need to be completed before Friday, April 18. On "Frontline: World," I saw a program about a micro-lending organization called KIVA where lenders who want to help small businesses in Uganda can make small loans on-line. Now KIVA is all over the world. All loans have been paid back 100 percent. Visit http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/uganda601/video_index.html to see the video.

Here is a link from this site to other entrepreneurs. Choose one's that interest you: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/socialentrepreneurs.html

The organization is in San Francisco. There is a link to other Frontline programs about Social Entrepreneurs. Watch this program and over the week, watch two others. Respond to the following questions: What is a social entrepreneur? What problem did the person profiled identify? What is the name of the organization they started? Describe their relationship to the community they serve. Why did they decide to address this issue? What is the local component? How does the community own the process?

Even though the SE is from the business world, watching these programs will help you understand what is meant by social entrepreneur.

You need to define "social," "entrepreneur," and "philanthropy." This should be a part of your introduction to the essay due at the end of the month. We’ll watch one of these Frontline World segments in class April 3 in the Writing Center.

 

Research Assignment

Social Entrepreneur Essay Assignment for English 201 Spring 2008
Cyber handout: The Social Entrepreneur Essay research worksheet is a way to define what a social entrepreneur is compared to a philanthropist. We are looking at individuals who are continuing the social justice legacy of Martin King and the Civil Rights Movement.

See a librarian at the reference desk to help you define your search and identify the SE you'd like to profile in your 4-5 page essay. Use the handouts or the links to handouts to document the research process and to pace yourself. We will have several related assignments, from evaluating websites to developing a research strategy to help you find the information you need and then document it.

I created this assignment after seeing the program: New Heroes on http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/. I wanted students to realize the power they possess to be the change in their communities they want to see, that one person can make a difference.

Use the library worksheet to define the terms: social, society, entrepreneur, "social entrepreneur", philanthropist and philanthropy. Be clear about the difference between a philanthropist and a social entrepreneur. Also define: hero, local, selfless, selfish, community, help, support, supporter, care, independence, money, wealth.

The question you want to ask after you have identified a person or two:
What motivated this person to want to change something in society? How did this person get the community's support for the project? What did the community gain? What did the social entrepreneur gain? Your essay needs to answer all of these questions; you can structure it like a typical problem/solution essay or cause and effect.

The person has to be alive. Try to find someone local, who is living in the San Francisco Bay Area or in California. The person has to have been doing this work for 10-20 years. You need to locate 5-10 sources on your subject to form a bibliography; you don't have to cite 10 sources. The sources can be published or broadcast interviews, books, articles, and films or you can interview them yourself. The person cannot be a relative. You can work in groups and share data. In fact, I encourage it.

Due dates
The planning sheet and 5-10 sources are due Monday, April 21 to share.

An outline is due: Wednesday, April 23.

An introduction and conclusion are due Monday, April 28.

The first draft is due Wednesday, April 30.

The final draft is due Monday, May 5. This draft needs to include a peer review and a review by a writing center teacher or tutor (this does not mean you have to change your paper, just consider their comments in answer to the five areas we consider when reviewing another’s work (Hacker handout) or specific questions you might have.)

You will post the essay, the planning sheet, and all the works cited and bibliography pages on the blog that day in class.

Monday, April 07, 2008

 

Event this Sunday, April 13 in San Francisco

Northern California Book Reviewers Association Book Awards

This free event is Sunday, April 13, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Main Library, Civic Center on Larkin and Grove Street. the awards ceremony is from 1:00 -2:30 p.m. followed by a reception and book signing. The program includes readings by this year's award-winning authors and remarks by Al Young, California's Poet Laureate, and recipient of the Fred Cody Lifetime Achievement Award. Visit www.poetryflash.org/NCBA.html or call (510) 525-5476 for more information.

 

Freedom on My Mind

Today in both classes we watched most of the documentary, Freedom on My Mind. You can visit http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0037 and read more about the film. In a free write, give your impressions of the film.

Homework was to read to page 84 in Letters from Mississippi, pull out one argument and then summarize the entire letter. Post at the site that has the chapter name in it's heading. Wednesday, we'll be in the classroom for the first hour, then go to the Writing Center for the second hour. Don't forget to check the blog for your grade on the midterm, and other assignments. If you need to revise the essay, email me the revised version.

 

Quilombo, The Play

Quilombo, The award-winning movie by Brazilian Director Carlos Diegues becomes a stage play. The staged reading of Quilombo is Tuesday, April 22nd, 12:30 – 2:30 PM at the College of Alameda

The rehearsal schedule is: April 10, 15, & 17th, 6 – 9 PM in the F-Bldg. The event is free to the public.

Interested in taking part in a stage reading at the College of Alameda? If you're a dancer, actor, or musician that loves the Afro-Brazilian beat then come take part in the stage reading of Quilombo, an adaptation of Brazilian Director Carlos Diegues' 1984 movie Quilombo at the College of Alameda on Tuesday, April 22nd from 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM. The stage reading will take place in the Student Lounge, F Building, 555 Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway , Alameda , CA . If you're interested in taking part, you will need to attend at least 2 of the scheduled rehearsals at the College of Alameda , April 10, 15 & 17th from 6 – 9 PM. For more information, call (510) 681-5652.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

 

40 years later

40 years ago, April 4, Martin Luther King was assassinated as he stood on the balcony at a motel in Memphis. Do something for peace and social justice today. Find out if there are any activities planned in your community to commemorate this anniversary. Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uy8cyVWU2A

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

 

That Long Walk to the Court House Cyber-Assignments

First Assignment: Letters from Mississippi: "That Long Walk to the Courthouse," pages 75 to the top of 80. This assignment is due by Monday, April 7 prior to class. Please respond to a student's post by Wednesday, April 9. You will have 8 posts in total for this section.

 

April Fools

Today in class we watched The Write Course video: "Argumentation." Most of the students in the later class remembered the video from last semester, but watched it again anyway. We then discussed it using the lens of the planning sheet. What is the topic of the film...purpose, question the creators had in mind, main rhetorical strategy, etc.

Homework is to read the section in Hacker on Argument and answer the questions on pages 367-368. Identify each fallacy with its corresponding page numbers. Also, we have completed the section in Letters from Mississippi: "At Home in a Black World." Students need to read 3 more letters and post an argument takes from 1 letter, show the proof(s) and then summarize the letter. Post it with the rest of the responses to this section. You should have 4 in total there. Check back for comments and read other student's work. Some of your classmates are doing a great job, among them are: Sophia, Seonhea, and Jessica, Kay, Alex and Javier.

I noticed students posting assignments in the wrong place. If you don't post the assignment where it is assigned I won't know you turned it in. If you are confused or make a mistake, you can always send it to me to post for you. Just be clear on the assignment.

I post comments on the blog when you submit work there. You can look for my comments on the midterms there. I mention students by name. I will grade the papers by the numerical system: 6, 5, 4. If the grade is lower, I will just tell you to revise or give you a NC for a rewrite. If you want to see a failing grade, ask me for it in person, or email me the request.

Reading in the new section of Letters from Mississippi: "That Long Walk to the Courthouse," pages 75 to the top of 80. Post 1 argument and its support, then summarize the entire letter. I will give you a separate post for this assignment.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

 

Sample Outline for Stephen Smitherman

Here is a sample outline I developed for a student. Use it if it helps.

Thesis: Stephen Smitherman is a staunch supporter of his father Joe Smitherman because if he wasn't he would have to face aspects of his life and privilege of -- this is assuming he his conscience.

Paragraph 1: In the introduction, give an overview of the essay and who Joe S. is and how he feels about his dad. Take a few moments to tell the reader who Smitherman Sr. is and the role he played during the Civil Rights Movement to hinder and stop the Movement from achieving its goals. End the paragraph with the thesis sentence above.

Paragraph 2: In this paragraph, talk about Joe's counterarguments, his and his sisters, to John Blake's questions about his dad's track record. I'm speaking of his father's civic or political track record. Rose Sanders would be good to quote here.

Paragraph 3: Conclusion: Look at Joe's life and his difficulties, especially those he blames on society and other people, namely black people. Look at the benefits his father's long career afforded him. Talk about what he is doing now and the shape his town is in now that his dad is gone. What does he mean when he says, he's a "realist"?

 

Monday, March 31, 2008

Yesterday in class we looked at the Joe Smitherman essay, from chapter 4, "Children of the Segregationists." We read it aloud in both classes and practiced summarizing the introduction to the section and then discussed the essay. In the 10-12 noon class, we divided the essay into sections and in groups summarized selected parts. In the later class we developed thesis sentences and for both classes the assignment was to respond to the essay in a short essay (3 paragraphs or 250 words minimally.)

Post the essays here. Respond to a classmate's essay by Thursday, April 3. Other homework was to continue reading Letters from Mississippi. Read three more letters and pull out one argument from one letter and post it, along with a summary of the letter. The section we will complete tomorrow is "At Home in a Black World." Tomorrow during the second part of the class we will write a summary of this section, highlighting the more salient events or topics which come up here, now that the volunteers are in Mississippi.

Students will post this assignment on the blog before the Monday, April 7 class meeting. Next week we'll talk about the research essay and begin planning it. It will be on a contemporary person who is living Martin Luther King's dream. A person who is a child of the Civil Rights Movement ideology. The person has to be alive and can be young or old. I'd like the person to have been doing the work for minimally 10 years.

Tomorrow in class, we will read the interview with Peggy Wallace Kennedy, daughter of George Wallace, former governor of Alabama (121).

Potential Thesis Sentences or you can make up one of your own based on the essay about Joe Smitherman (143)

1. Stephen Smitherman is a staunch supporter of his father Joe Smitherman because if he wasn't he would have to face aspects of his life and privilege of -- this is assuming he his conscience.

2. Stephen Smitherman says Colin Powell and Tiger Woods make good black leaders because they're mild mannered.

3. Rose Sanders disagrees with Stephen Smitherman's definition of strong black leadership. She says: "If we had mild-mannered black leaders we would never ended slavery...[and] we still wouldn't have the right to vote [, and] the South..." (152).

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