Week One

Wednesday 8/28: Intro to class and to one another.

Thursday 8/29:

  • Peruse course website. Make sure you read "Syllabus" (especially "Policies"), "Discussion," "Extra Credit," "Journal writing," “Responses,” and "Writing Tips and Handouts." Bring in any questions you have.

  • Write a 350-400 word double-spaced typed informal letter (can be longer if you wish) to me that addresses the following questions (not necessarily in this order):

    • 1. Please tell me about yourself as a student. What kind of learning environment works best for you? Are you, for example, a visual learner, the kind of person who works better if you see graphs and charts and writing on the board? Another example: are you the kind of student who prefers small group work or pair work?

    • 2. What are your strengths as an English student?

    • 3. In what areas would you like to improve as a student? The more specific you are, the more I can address these areas during the semester. For example, instead of saying you'd like to improve your writing, say, "teachers have told me I have good ideas but don't always support them well with quotations from the reading."

    • 4. Would you call yourself more of a talker or a listener in class? If a talker, suggest what you could do—and how I can help you—to improve your listening skills. If a listener, suggest would you could do—and how I can help you—to improve your talking skills.

    • 5. Finally, introduce yourself to me as a person--what is something something quirky or strange about you? This does not have to be something dazzling, like a big achievement--perhaps it's an unusual favorite food or an interesting pastime. Alternatively, you might describe a time in life you failed and what that meant to you.

  • Please give me a paper copy of this assignment. In general, you can hand work in electronically, but I like to have this particular assignment printed out. Thanks!

Friday 8/30--Read in Lopate (The Art of the Personal Essay), "Introduction," pp. xxiii-xli (note: these are the first 18 pages of the intro, not the entire intro).