For Thursday: Superman: American Alien, “Dove” and “Hawk”

 

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NOTE: Read the first two stories/chapters of the book, "Dove" and "Hawk" for Wednesday's class. If you're confused about where to stop, you can stop reading where you see the full page of Clark on a boat with a with a bunch of women and champagne glasses.

Answer TWO of the following

Q1: Discuss how the art in one of the chapters helps to tell the story, and is also appropriate for that story. Why would this story be much different if we switched illustrations with the other story? Discuss at least one specific panel or page in your response.

Q2: What does Clark mean in “Dove” when he tells his father, “When you break something, you’re not just breaking the thing, you’re like...hurting everyone who made it the way it was”? Why might this also say something about Clark’s relationship to his powers and his mysterious identity as an “alien”?

Q3: Most modern heroes, and especially super heroes, tend to be more “gray” than “white,” and less “super” than “suspect.” How does “Hawk” discuss the thin line between being a hero and a villain for Clark? According to this story, what makes him a hero rather than a “monster”?

Q4: In-between the two chapters, there is a two-page illustration called “The Castaways.” How does it connect the two stories without “telling” us outright? Why can single picture do this even more powerfully than a paragraph or an entire story? 

Citing Sources Handout & Revised Calendar

 Class: If you missed class on Thursday, or just blocked all of last week out, here is the handout we went over in class about citing sources in your paper. Also, the revised course calendar for the next few weeks follows, which has us starting Superman: American Alien on Thursday, so be sure to buy the book from the bookstore if you haven't already (or get a digital copy on-line)! 

CITING SOURCES FOR PAPER #1

In Weinsten’s science-fiction story, “Openness,” the characters live in a world where everyone is surrounded by layers of information, which allow people to interact with people virtually, without speech or normal contact. One of the main characters, Katie, teaches senior citizens to use this new technology. However, as the story explains, “Her main challenge, she said, was getting older folks to understand the value of their layers. “Every class they ask me why we can’t just talk instead,” she shared as we lay in bed. Though Katie and I occasionally spoke, it was always accompanied by layers” (Beliot). This is interesting because…

INTRODUCE quotations/sources before you quote them. Give us context for the quote: who said it and where. Also set up the source—don’t assume we all know it. QUOTE AND CITE PROPERLY: use the page number from the handout OR the website title.  RESPOND TO THE QUOTE: Be sure to explain why you quoted this passage and/or what you think it adds to the conversation.

WORKS CITED PAGE: List all your sources in alphabetical order (only one for this paper, but others will have multiple sources)

Weinstein, Alexander. “Openness.” Beloit Fiction Journal. 28 Nov. 2019. https://www.beloit.edu/live/news/1024-openness

 

REVISED COURSE CALENDAR FOR NEXT WEEK-FALL BREAK

T 16                      Intro: Superman & Comics/ Paper #1 due

R 18                      Superman: American Alien, “Dove,” “Hawk”

 

T 23                      Paper #1 Conferences

R 25                      Paper #1 Conferences

 

T 30                      Superman: American Alien, “Parrot” & “Owl”

 

OCTOBER

R 2                        Writing Workshop #5

 

T 7                         Superman: American Alien, “Eagle,” “Angel” & “Valkyrie”

 

R 9                        FALL BREAK

 

Paper #1 assignment: Welcome From the Future!

NOTE: The questions and reading for Tuesday's class are in the post BELOW this one. 

English 1213

Paper #1: Welcome From the Future!

GUIDING QUOTE: “She taught senior citizens how to successfully navigate their layers. She’s helped a retired doctor upload images of his grandchildren so strangers could congratulate him, and assisted a ninety-three-year-old widow in sharing her mourning with the world. Her main challenge, she said, was getting older folks to understand the value of their layers. “Every class they ask me why we can’t just talk instead.” (Weinstein, “Openness”)

PROMPT: Since we’re now in the “future,” even though it looks like the present to us, it’s a good time to ask the question: do you think people are generally happier, more adapted, more prepared, or simply more satisfied with their lives than they were 25 years ago (circa 2000)? Have advances in technology, communication, travel, entertainment, and education put us on the road to a better, brighter tomorrow? Would ECU students of 2000 be envious of the Class of 2029’s reality?

Answer this question by looking at 1-2 things you have today that ECU students didn’t have in the year 2000 (or not in the same way as we do today). Have these things increased our happiness, our understanding (of society, of each other), and/or our education? Can we do without them today? Should we? Imagine you’re talking to someone from the year 2000 who doesn’t have or use these things, and try to explain why they’re important to you, and what they do for you on a daily basis. Can you justify these changes, or do you feel you need to apologize for them? Would you get rid of them…or would you be excited to share them with the Class of 2004? You might also think about whether college is easier or harder today thanks to our ‘future’ advances?

REQUIREMENTS:

• Answer the prompt with examples from 1-2 modern ‘marvels’
• Don’t talk generally—make this a personal essay. Talk about how you use and experience these innovations.
• Write to a student from the year 2000. Imagine what they didn’t have and might not know about our ‘future.’ Try to explain the normal things that are not normal to them.
• Quote from at least ONE of the essays/stories in class to help support your ideas/discussion. We’ll talk about how to incorporate quotations into your paper.
• DUE Tuesday, September 16^th by 5pm 

For Tuesday: Bailey, "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" (story)

LINK TO STORY: https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/i-was-a-teenage-werewolf/

Answer TWO of the following:

NOTE: Q1 and Q2 below is different than the one I gave you in class, since it refers to a story we didn't end up reading. I apologize for this oversight! The new Q1 now makes a lot more sense, and I tried to make Q2 more clarified as well. 

Q1: What does the Narrator meant when they write, "It was a pleasure to be afraid" (290)? How does fear "unite" the community, and why do they take a certain comfort in knowing that something evil is "out there," hunting them, watching them at every minute? Related to this, what might this say about our own love of horror movies and True Crime shows and podcasts? 

Q2: Why is the story called "I Was a Teenager Werewolf," when the narrator isn't a first-person narrator? Is there a reason we never learn the Narrator's name or even gender? And why might the title include "Was" instead of "Is"? Could that also be significant? 

Q3: The narrator claims that the anonymity of the werewolf gave them a certain power in their community. As he/she explains, “if we were both sovereign and slave to our terror, our teachers and parents were slaves alone. As long as no one knew who the teenage werewolf was, it could be any one of us” (296). Why does this give them power over their teachers and parents? How does this bond the teenagers together as a group?

Q4: The ending of the this story is surprising and a bit shocking: why do you think Bailey ends the story with all the adults being eaten/murdered? Is the point of the story to say “teenagers are evil and can’t be trusted”? Or does he have another intention? Why make every teenager a werewolf and every adult a victim?

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]