Wednesday, October 28, 2015

REVISION OPTION

Dear students,

I have decided to give you the option to revise 1 of your essays from the semester in order to improve your score by as much as one whole letter grade.

You may revise either essays 1, 2, or 3 for this assignment. If you choose to revise your in-class essay, your revision must be typed and follow MLA formatting.

For revision, please improve your essay with my suggestions on the paper. In addition, I recommend meeting with me during my office hours to go over the essay.

These revisions will be due on the very last day of class before finals week, via email only. You will receive ONLY a graded letter on them, no notes, as I have already made extensive notes on both your rough drafts/outlines and your final drafts and will be busy grading your final projects as well.

You're welcome! :-)
Dear students,

As I am moving this week, we will not have class on Friday. We will resume our regularly scheduled activities next week. Any questions? Email me: katedurbinteacher@gmail.com

Prof D

Friday, October 23, 2015

In class essay details

For Wednesday's in class essay, you may:

Rewatch the episode of The Bachelor we watched in class before next wednesday's class (Season 18 with Juan Pablo, episode 1)
*please note that this is not the pre-show special
*I recommend purchasing the episode on Amazon streaming for a few bucks

Bring your notes on the book (tropes about women in reality tv) and the show to class to use as you write the essay


In Class Essay Tips

The In-Class Essay:
Aim and Organization
AIM:
To successfully prove a clear, specific thesis. The thesis should, obviously, address one of the prompts given in class. Following directions here, as always, is crucial to receiving a passing grade.
ORGANIZATION:
An in-class essay is organized into five paragraphs. The first paragraph is the introduction, then comes three body paragraphs, then a concluding paragraph. No more—no less!
You will want to make a brief outline before you write your essay.* Make sure the body paragraphs appear in a logical order, not simply the order they came to your mind in. Build on the information as you go.
Introductory Paragraph: Make sure not to take too much time writing in introduction. This paragraph should be about five sentences long (give or take a sentence or two). Provide a clearly arguable, well-qualified, thesis.
Body Paragraph One: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well as a topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph.
Body Paragraph Two: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well as a topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph. And remember, Body Paragraph Two should follow Body Paragraph One in terms of building logically upon it.
Body Paragraph Three: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well a topic sentence as the beginning of the paragraph. And remember, Body Paragraph Three should follow Body Paragraph Two in terms of building logically upon it.
Concluding Paragraph: Re-state your thesis. Summarize what has been successfully argued in the essay. End with a thoughtful and strong statement. This paragraph, like your introductory paragraph, need not be longer than five sentences, but should also not be shorter.
Grammar and formatting: Make sure to check your grammar and spelling as you go along. There is a bit more room for error in an in-class essay, but your essay must be readable and legible (so make sure your handwriting is clear). Double-check your essay for errors before you turn it in. You may choose to double-space or single space an in-class essay (depending on what your teacher requests).
*You will be required to turn in your brief outline with your essay for your INTD100. See “Sample Outline” below for details.
SAMPLE OUTLINE FOR IN-CLASS ESSAY
Par. 1: THESIS: Write out thesis statement here.
Par. 2: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 1 here.
Par. 3: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 2 here.
Par. 4: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 3 here.
Par. 5: CONCLUSION: Final thought to leave reader with.
*Remember, this is just a sample outline—yours can differ slightly. Also, you obviously will want to fully develop your intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion—so while you are providing the main idea of these paragraphs here in the outline, you will flesh them out with evidence/support in your actual essay.