For Tuesday: Weinsten, “Openness” (2016)

 

Link to Story On-Line: https://www.beloit.edu/live/news/1024-openness

After reading, answer TWO of the questions for Tuesday’s class:

Q1: What are the “layers” that the narrator constantly refers to in this story? How does it relate to our own processes of displaying our identities on-line today? Do you think we could ever get this this point (and would you want to)?

Q2: Once the narrator becomes involved with Katie, he remarks, “There was something beautiful about sharing things in the old way—the two of us walking by the shore, the smell of the pine sap, the summer air cooling in the afternoon—and for the first time in years, I wished I had a sketchpad with me” (145). Why do the layers prevent this kind of interaction with other people and the world? Do we have the same problem with our own “layers”?

Q3: What does the author mean when he writes, “We were the first generation to grow up with layers, a group of kids who’d produced thousands of tutorials on blocking unwanted users but not a single one on empathy” (148)? Why might we consider this one of the main ideas of the story—and what the narrator, himself, learns through this relationship?

Q4: How could we argue that this story, for all its science fiction technology, is actually about a completely different kind of “layers” that we all have (not just the internet)? In other words, how is this story about the difficulty of having meaningful relationships in general, even aside from technology?  

 

For Tuesday: Marche, "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?" (handout)

 

NOTE: If you missed Thursday's class, I will leave a few copies of the essay in the box on my door (HM 348). Please pick one up if you would like to read it in hard copy form. There is a link to the article on-line, but it might not work for everyone, so don't rely on it: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/

For Tuesday's class, read the article and answer any TWO of the following question in a short response--at least a few sentences, and try to give me a personal response rather than an answer. By that I mean, tell me what you think, and not just what you think the 'right' answer is (because there isn't one). 

VOCABULARY (a few words you might try to define in the essay--we'll discuss them in class): alienation, encapsulates, neuroticism, confidant, autonomy, irrelevance, phenomenon, labyrinth, "correlation is not causation," integration, gaucherie, Luddite, narcissism, stoic

Answer TWO of the following...

Q1: This is an older article from 2012, so we're now in the 'future' of this article. The author claims that Facebook tends to make us "broader but shallower" (289). Do you agree with him? Has Facebook continued to do this in the 10+ years since this article has been written? And what about other forms of social media more popular today? Are they all making us increasingly lonely...or has a reverse trend occurred in one of these forms (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.)? 

Q2: Marche claims in the article that the problem isn't just with Facebook (or that Facebook isn't the chief cause of our loneliness). Rather, he states that "We are lonely because we want to be lonely. We have made ourselves lonely" (293). What do you think he means by this? What examples does he use in the essay to support this strange claim? 

Q3: The author claims that one of the advantages of Facebook (and social media in general) is "smooth sociability" (298). What does he mean by this phrase, and have you experienced this yourself? What might be the downside of this kind of socializing: meeting people without having to break the ice, so to speak? 

Q4: The essay opens not with a thesis statement or any discussion of Facebook at all, but with a kid of obituary of a formerly famous Hollywood actress. What is the significance of this Introduction, and why does it serve as a kind of 'thesis' all on its own? How does it begin to make sense the more we read of the essay? 

Welcome to the Course!

Welcome to the Course! In this section of Freshman Composition 2, we'll work on making you a more confident reader AND writer through a loose theme of 'science fact and fiction,' which will help you explore many of the BIG conversations of the 21st century. Even if you don't care about space, aliens, superheroes, or robots, this class is really about US, and our moment in time right now. Thinking about the future is always a way to look at the present, and better understand the past, since we're never "in" the future--it's always the present. That's what makes stories about the worlds to come so interesting. They're always speculative, meaning they're always a way to ask "what if," or maybe, "why did this happen?" The essays, stories, and books in this class are designed to make you question yourself and your society, and become a better reader and writer in the process. 

BE SURE TO BUY THE TWO BOOKS FOR THE COURSE! They should be in the bookstore by now, and are both pretty cheap. I'll also give you several handouts/links of readings throughout the semester, but these books are mandatory reading for the class. 

Guiding Quote for the Class: “It is called the Overview Effect. It’s not a single epiphany, but rather a series of them, all triggered by the simple act of staring at the world from space…The orbital view is harsh and matter-of-fact. There is beauty below, but humans are everywhere, their cities and suburbs filling the most livable spaces, the indelible signs of industry stitched across the others. This is your final epiphany: It’s not a big world at all. It’s smaller than you can possibly describe” (Sofge, “The Early Adopter’s Guide to Space Travel”).

Extra Credit Survey and REMINDERS

Remember that your FINAL EXAM PAPER IS DUE NO LATER THAN Friday, May 10th by 5pm. You can e-mail it to me if you like, though I always prefer hard copies (easier to grade). You can't turn this in late, since I have to turn in grades very soon after. Be careful and let me know if you need help! 

ALSO, here is the Library Survey that I mentioned in class: https://ecok.libsurveys.com/loader.php?friendly=english-languages-post-test 

If you're grade is border-line, take this survey and I can give you a point or two to help knock you over. It won't save your grade, obviously, but I'll  use it to justify giving you a push. 

Good luck on finals and thanks for a very interesting and satisfying class! 

For Wednesday: McHugh, "Cannibal Acts"

OUR LAST STORY! Read this short piece and we'll have an in-class writing/discussion about it, which will benefit anyone who has missed two or more response questions. 

This is our last 'real' class. 

We'll wrap up everything on Friday, but it will be a short class. 

Thanks for your dedication and enthusiasm in the class. I certainly enjoyed reading these works and sharing our discussions this semester. I hope it was a worthwhile class for you, even though I know no one really wanted to take Comp 2! 

See you on Wednesday! 

Conversation Paper #2/Final Exam Paper (see below)

Conversation Paper #2: Looking Backward

INTRO: The Year is 2120. You were born in a space-age utopia, where many of humanity’s problems have been solved and people are generally happy, prosperous, and excited about the future. However, with complacency comes forgetfulness, and people have gradually forgotten how bad things could be—and how tricky they once were. Because of this, some people are becoming nostalgic about the past (a past they never experienced), and want to bring back some of the things our forefathers once had. Including a few things that should have remained forgotten and buried in the past.

PROMPT: For this paper, I want you to imagine that a group is trying to bring back something from our world that no longer exists: it could be a custom, a practice, a product, or even a way of thinking that even today is controversial, and you might personally hope is abolished 50 years into the future. However, this group thinks that by bringing this thing/idea/custom back life will be improved and certain people will have more ‘freedom’ than they do now. Why would it be dangerous to go back to the way things used to be? What was wrong with this idea/thing/practice in the first place? Why were people divided about it even in the 21^st century? What compelling arguments and ideas could you use to convince people not to support this dangerous exercise in nostalgia?

HINTS:

• Consider using the topic you wrote about in your Short Paper #3, which will give you several ready-made sources to use as support. Be sure to have a CONVERSATION in this paper, and use other voices to explore why bringing it back could be a disastrous idea in our modern utopia.
• Don’t forget the NAYSAYER: tell us why this group thinks it would be a good idea to bring back diesel burning cars or student loans (for example). Help us understand what compelling arguments they might have, or why people support these practices today. Find sources to help you with this!
• Remember our stories: think about how The Martian Chronicles and some of our recent stories can help you discuss this topic. A story doesn’t have to literally be about your topic to help you discuss it.
• The “SO WHAT?” factor: be sure to directly communicate why this issue matters: why would it hurt your society if this practice/custom/thing were to make a dramatic return?

REQUIREMENTS

• At least 5-6 pages, double spaced
• Should have at least 4-5 sources, including (but not limited to) the books from class
• Use sources that actually help us see the conversation: don’t use a source simply to use one. If you quote from a story and the quote is meaningless, that won’t count as a legitimate source.
• Also, use legitimate sources: from authors or established websites.
• DUE FRIDAY, MAY 10^th by 5pm (hard copy or e-mail)

For Friday: Yu, “The Wretched and the Beautiful” (pp.258-264)

Group F/B should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: What seems to surprise the people on vacation about their first contact with aliens? Why is it disappointing, yet disturbing? Why do the vacationers generally prefer to “[disperse] to our hotel rooms and immaculate beds” (260)?

Q2: As fear and resentment grows, the aliens are eventually attacked and even killed by angry youths. Surprisingly, the narrator is less concerned about them than the people who commit these crimes: “We picked at our dinners without appetite, worrying about these promising youths, who had been headed for sports scholarships and elite universities” (262). Though this seems somewhat callous, why does the narrator respond this way? Do you think this is at all realistic, given the circumstances?

Q3: When the second group of aliens appear on Earth, they get a very different reception by humanity. Why does the narrator remark, “Cameras panned over them, and excitement crackled through us, for this was the kind of history we wanted to be part of” (262). Why is this alien landing different than the first? What makes it better?

Q4: Writing about this story, E. Lily Yu remarked, “This story precipitated, crystalline and complete, from a clear-sighted fury in August 2016…It is as close as I come to pitching a brick through a window” (354). What do you think she’s responding to in the story as a naysayer? What idea, concept, or even does she angrily disagree with?

For Wednesday: Prell, “Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Possibilities” (pp.49-56)

Group SF/A should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: Which of the justice systems in the story is the most perfect or utopian (in your opinion)? Do you think Prell (the author) is suggesting that one is more ideal than another? Or are they all ‘wrong’ in some way?

Q2: In one system all criminals are considered mentally ill, and in another, almost everyone is a criminal. While it seems a little too convenient to say “all criminals are nuts,” or “everyone is a criminal,” why might people come to these conclusions? What might be ‘better’ about looking at the world this way?

Q3: In one of the most interesting systems, the victim(s) of the criminal get to decide his or her fate in the justice system. The narrator asks, “Should one person have so much power over another? Even if they were wronged?” (53). What do you think about this? Should a criminal become a ‘slave’ to someone else’s will in the name of justice? Or is any abuse of power wrong?

Q4: The last lines of this story are chilling: “What system are we in?” “The only system there is,” one of the officers says carefully, and guides Cole down the hall” (56). Why does Prell end the story with only one system, after introducing us to so many? And why don’t we learn which one this is?

Short Paper #3: Eyewitness to History

Short Paper #3: Eyewitness to History

INTRO: This is the flip side of Short Paper #2: I want you to imagine that in the future, things really work out and we solve a lot of our ‘dystopian’ problems. Your children—or your children’s children—live in a very different world than we do, and the problems of the early 21^st century now seem remote and almost impossible. However, you were there—you remember this. So I want you to act as an eyewitness and explain to these later generations what the world was like when you were just starting college.

ASSIGNMENT: For this paper, you don’t have to do much writing (not yet, anyway). Instead, I want you to identify ONE specific problem or issue we’re dealing with today that you hope will be conquered in 50 years. It could be anything from student loans, environmental issues, racial unrest, health issues, political parties, etc. In just 1-2 pages, I want you to briefly introduce this issue to someone who doesn’t understand it (the later generations) and explain why it was such a big problem. You don’t have to explain all the complexities of the issue yet—just introduce it to someone who has never heard of it, so they can appreciate why it matters and why we needed to solve it.

SOURCES: The biggest part of this assignment is SOURCES: I want you to include an ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY of 5-6 sources that you would offer as “recommended reading” to your audience. At least TWO of these sources can be stories from class, since the stories all use metaphors and science fiction/fantasy to help examine various aspects of our world. THREE (or more) sources should be journal articles, relevant websites, books, You Tube videos, etc. You’ll list each sources just as you would in a Works Cited page, but after each source, you’ll provide a few sentences summarizing the main points/ideas of the source for your audience. This way, they’ll know how the source is relevant and what they should look for as they read/examine it.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Strauss, Valerie. “A University of Wisconsin campus pushes plan to drop 13

majors.” The Washington Post. 12  March 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news.  Accessed 29 March 2018.

This article discusses the university’s argument for making a very controversial decision—scrapping most humanities majors in favor of more “lucrative” or “hands-on” career fields. Even though many claim this goes against the very fabric of what a university stands for (character building rather than mere job creation), the university feels that this will better meet “the state’s workforce needs.” The article also explains that this is part of a trend in Wisconsin politics which has tried to undermine a liberal arts education under Governor Scott Walker’s leadership.

SHORT PAPER #3 IS DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 12^th by 5pm [no class that day]

For Wednesday: Finish The Martian Chronicles (see below)

For next class, read the following stories that finish the book:

* "The Long Years"
* "There Will Come Soft Rain"
* "The Million-Year Picnic"

We'll  have an in-class response for the entire class when you arrive based on some idea/passage from these chapters, so be sure to read so  you won't be taken by surprise. We'll also discuss the paper assignment a bit more and how to find appropriate sources. 

See you then! 

For Monday: Bradbury. The Martian Chronicles (see below)

STORIES: “The Old Ones,” “The Martian,” “The Luggage Store,” “The Off Season,” “The Watchers,” and “The Silent Towns”

Group B/F should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: In the story, “The Silent Towns,” Walter Gripp is one of the only men left on Mars and is desperately lonely. By the end of the story, he runs away from the only other woman and never answers the phone again. What made him swear off human contact forever? Just that she was unattractive? Or does this story say something else about the illusion of human companionship?

Q2: In “The Luggage Store,” Father Peregrine explains how their relationship with Earth has changed: “Well, that’s how it is now. Earth is China.” What does he mean by this? How does this story also explain what it would mean to become a ‘Martian’ for the first generation of settlers?

Q3: When questioning his “son” in the story, “The Martian,” the father is told, “You don’t question Providence. If you can’t have the reality, a dream is just as good.” Does the story seem to support this? Is a dream—or an illusion—as good as the real thing as long as enough people believe in it? How might this relate to the settling of Mars itself?

Q4: How might Sam Parkhill, the main character in the story, “The Off Season,” represent the very reason that Earth is blowing itself to pieces in the night sky? Why is he so paranoid about the Martians? And what is his general attitude towards the new world he’s settled with his dreams?

For Monday: Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles (see below)

Stories: “The Shore,” “Interim,” “The Musicians,” "The Way in the Middle of the Air," “The Naming of Names,” “Usher II”

NOTE: “Way in the Middle of the Air” is a story explicitly about race in the 40’s/50’s, and uses some harsh racial language. Be warned!

Q1: In “Usher II,” he alludes to the Great Burning of 1975, where most imaginative literature (such as Poe’s stories) were burned throughout the world. Why did this occur? What were people trying to accomplish? How might this reflect political fears of the 1950’s—or even of our own time?

Q2: “The Musicians” is a very controversial story, and like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is often censored by schools and libraries (especially as it contains the “N” word). Do you think its message is still relevant despite the objectionable language? Or is it no longer safe or appropriate to read such stories?

Q3: When the teenage boy, Silly, is finally escaping the town, he calls back to his former boss, Mr. Teece, and says, “What you goin’ to do nights, Mr. Teece?” What does he mean by this? And why does the question (and its answer) both anger and terrify Mr. Teece?

Q4: In “The Shore,” the narrator notes that “The second men should have traveled from other countries with other accents and other ideas. But the rockets were American and the men were American and it stayed that way…And they came from cabbage tenements and subways.” Why do you think Bradbury makes Mars exclusively American in these stories? If Mars is made not in Earth’s image, but in America’s image, what does that allow him to do (or show) in these stories? In other words, if Mars is a metaphor for America, what does that metaphor look like?

For Wednesday: Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles (see readings below)

Read the next 5 Chapters: “And the Moon Be Still as Bright,” “The Settlers,” “The Green Morning,” “The Locusts,” and “Night Meeting”

GROUP B/F should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: What does Spender mean when, in the story, “And the Moon…” he claims, “I believe in the things that were done, and there are evidences of many things done on Mars…Everywhere I look I see things that were used. They were touched and handled for centuries.” Also, why does this prompt him to kill his companions? What don’t they see about the landscape that he does?

Q2: In a passage (in the same story), Spender seems to critique his own society back home by stating, “[Art] is always a thing apart for Americans. Art was something you kept in the crazy son’s room upstairs. Art was something you took in Sunday doses, mixed with religion, perhaps. Well, these Martians have art and religion and everything.” How is he criticizing America’s relationship with art? What are they doing “wrong” in his view? Do we have the same problem today, do you think?

Q3: In the story “Night Meeting,” an old man tells the main character, Thomas, that “We’ve got to forget Earth and how things were. We’ve got to look at what we’ve in here, and how different it is.” Why might it be potentially dangerous to import Earth and its customs to Mars? What could this prevent us from seeing or doing?

Q4: According to the story “The Green Morning,” why are trees a fundamental part of our experience of Earth? Why couldn’t we exist without trees on another planet? What have trees provided for us besides oxygen throughout our history on this planet?