Moulin Review

Check this link for your Brookhaven students' creative writing journal:

http://moulinreview.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/volume-3-online-journal/

Public Service Advocacy Writing

Note the syllabus assignment for 04/17/12. Be sure to bring to class and be ready to discuss one or two PSAs (Public Service Ads) that you find in magazines, on posters, on the radio, on TV, wherever....

The ads should be designed to serve the public, seek to change a behavior, and/or raise awareness. The ads should not be selling a product or service. You will project each ad on the screen and discuss it in class; you may also use the computer/internet as needed.

Consider not only what is being promoted; consider the audience addressed, as well as the elements that make up the ad to make it a success or failure.

The following essay presents ten commandments for successful PSAs. Stack your PSA examples against the PSA sins discussed. Also, when the time comes to form PSA class teams, these commandments can help you avoid errors in the creation of your own PSA campaign.

10 Commandments of PSAs

by John Paul Kowal

Often, PSAs alienate the audience by instilling guilt, confusing, or leaving a ho-hum impression, but this need not happen if you observe these do's and don'ts! Radio and television public service announcements (PSAs) all too often are the product of a local station's good will and eager personnel from professional service agencies.

Personnel from these service agencies may be anyone from an administrative assistant or social worker to a staff director or volunteer. They represent organizations ranging from traditional united fund agencies, nonprofit corporations supporting community activities, groups advocating support for disadvantaged individuals, to organizations seeking establishment of a home for local theater or some other arts activity.

Service agency personnel responsible for PSAs usually lack media experience and understanding. Often organizational tunnel vision has created messages that are important only to that organization and are not interesting, persuasive, or informative.

PSAs with ineffective messages violate what I call the Ten Commandments of Public Service Announcements. While Federal Commission regulations guarantee access to an audience, the moral worth of a message will not compensate for a poor or confusing presentation.

An informal, anecdotal survey of PSAs aired on one large media market revealed that they all violated at least two, if not more, of the following Ten Commandments:

1. Thou Shall not Bore Thine Audience. Most of the PSAs viewed lacked any dramatic presence, contrary to viewers’ normal media expectations. They used the old bush-shot, look-straight-into-the-camera, and blurt-out-your-message techniques. In many cases, viewers have a negative reaction to the poor presentation. Blandness creates a PSA that blends with all other poor PSAs: line dull, indistinguishable, and unimportant to the viewer.
2. Thou Shall Not Instill Guilt. The not-so-subtle slam technique, well developed by some, is terrific for the audience, intended or not. The message is simple: your lack of support will cause a catastrophe. The guilt isn't even implied; it's right up front and glaring. Let the audience try and sleep with that.
3. Thou Shall Not Be Neglectful. Neglect is a sin that results in a poor presentation, inadequate on-camera talent, or insufficient organization--leading to poor quality PSAs that distract and annoy the audience. These PSAs also neglect the intended service population. The concept, idea, message, and their presentation are the responsibility of the social service agency that wants the air time in the first place.
4. Thou Shall Not Cause Motion Sickness. Motion sickness in PSAs is a disease characterized by jumping from point to point, with no rationale or connection, creating a piece that is impossible to understand or follow. Motion sickness reflects poor thought process by its creators and leaves the viewer bobbing like an untethered buoy.
5. Thou Shall Not Stuff Thy PSA. Stuffing is the sin of service agency personnel presenting too much, too fast. The thought is that you only have one shot at it, so get it all in--even if it amounts to the contents of a very long book. A 350-page book can not be compressed into a 30 or 60-second spot. Several years ago the 30-second spot constituted 84 percent of all telecast spots. That figure is probably higher today due to the rising cost of TV time. The 10-second spot is also coming back for the same reason. In these short spots the message must be clear and to the point.
6. Thou Shall Not Deliver a Counterproductive Message. A counterproductive message is delivered when an example is used that is far from the norm. The example, while true, sets up a false and misleading set of expectations for the audience, because the example is not representative. A recent public service print campaign for the employment of the handicapped cited a blind man who had been elected as a justice of the Supreme Court. Shall all blind citizens be measured by that example? Why not ask blind peoples what message they want delivered? Here you see the effects of the agency tunnel vision and professional issues that are not directly relevant to the audience and in this example possibly not even relevant to those served.
7. Thou Shall Not Omit Important Information. This sin is just the opposite of the Fifth Commandment. Service professionals get caught up in the feeding frenzy that accompanies the excitement of being at a TV or radio studio. In the mystification of the media and the excitement at the station, they omit portions of their message. Sometimes it is as little as where to go or call if you are interested in the problem. Often it is that final detail that will enable an interested viewer to act. Without that detail any action is eliminated. Worse yet, there are some PSAs that leave off the tag line and the audience never finds out what is expected of them.
8. Thou Shalt Not Distort Thy Message. Distortion is the road sign to irrelevancy. It is usually the product of agency tunnel vision or professional concerns, neither of which is of interest or importance to the viewer. The distortion is traceable to the private priorities of the sponsoring agency or organization. One PSA stressed the need for court reform but the content of the PSA dealt with internal administrative matters, paper traffic, court clerks, and other areas of little interest and possibly of little consequence to the public. The spot never tied any of these issues into a major public interest--the court as an effective vehicle to serve in the administration of justice and the punishment of the guilty.
9. Thou Shall Not Cloud Thy Message. Clouded messages almost always leave the impression, lacking any other clear-cut message, that your hat is in your hand and the non-explicit message is fund raising. Fund raising, in my opinion, is probably the poorest use of a PSA. In these hard times people are not going to give to something that they don't see as important to them. What was your message? Did you really want to solicit funds? Is this the best way? If fund raising was not your message, it's time to start over.
10. Thou Shall Not Be Constipated. Constipation in PSAs is a sin characterized by no discernible message. The audience is left saying, "What was that all about?" Worse yet, they may say, "So what?" If there was anything there, it didn't come across. Was there anything there?

These Ten Commandments represent simple guideposts that identify problem PSAs. The problems represented in all ten have a common foundation: they never took the audience into consideration.

The common basis for problem PSAs is aggravated by poor thought processes. Usually, staff numbers are assigned to develop a PSA in addition to their regular duties. They are satisfied with the PSA when they see themselves, their executive director, or chairman on TV. For many, the PSA is an end in itself.

Does this mean that a successful PSA must use computer animation, high-cost graphics, exotic visuals, and specially composed jingles?

The answer is no. Effective PSAs are possible using limited resources.

To be effective, a PSA should be short, relevant to the audience, interesting or entertaining, and have a goal that can be summarized in one declarative sentence. The relevant message must be actionable; we mean that the desired response from the audience must be responsible and within its means.

To create a successful PSA, you must make a commitment to the time necessary for the entire process, have the creative staff with the talent and training necessary to develop a PSA, identify your intended audience, tailor your message, rehearse for a final product that is smooth, organic, and complete--and be graceful, gentle, persuasive, and interesting in your execution.

Remember, the audience will judge the message by the same critical standards they apply to commercial advertising. In short, the message must be professional.

To get an idea of how successful your PSA is, find a representative group from the intended audience and screen the PSA for them. Can they tell you what your message is? If so, that's success. # [edited by MC]

SHANE

We will begin watching the movie classic Shane on Thursday and finish it on Tuesday. Discussion will follow.

Your Movie Review

When your film review is finished, publish it as a comment to this blog in response to this post. Remember at the beginning to state where you intend the review to appear, i.e., who is your intended audience.

If your review is too long to send as a comment, email it to me as an attachment.
The following are ideas you may want to include in your film review:

• address the specific audience for the medium that your review is intended
• catch your reader and bring him into the film quickly
• give your opinion of the film in a clear statement of thesis
• contain factual background information about the film
• provide a plot summary that does not reveal too much, that leaves the reader wanting to see the film
• use the criteria and evidence from the film that best supports your opinion
• discuss the visual aspects of the film
• be professional, credible, engaging, and enjoyable
• avoid cliches
• address the specific audience for the medium that your review is intended
• include a clearly state "bottom-line" statement of your evaluation of the film
• conclude strongly, memorably, perhaps returning full-circle to your thesis

Here are some reminders about writing film reviews:

• You may comment on the conclusion, but be careful not to say too much where it ruins the movie for those who have not seen it.
• Use plot details to support your commentary, not the reverse.
• Use past tense only when referring to historical facts.
• Use present tense when describing a scene or turn in the plot. 

Review the revision checklist on page 457 as well.

March 20, 2012

As noted last class, your memoir paper is due by the beginning of class the 20th.

In addition, you are to come prepared to critique a web site of your choice...so long as it is not a well-known site, e.g., Google, Amazon, MSN, ABC, etc.

You will access the site using my computer and deliver your critique from there. Plan at least five minutes per presentation and follow the guidelines in your textbook.

Among the things to consider:

User Friendly
Headlines
Organization
Chunking
Conciseness
Design Layout
Typefaces
Graphics
Usable Information


I hope your Spring Break was relaxing, fun,and void of injuries, accidents, arrests, lovers' quarrels, and any other negatives :-)
MC

Grammar Resources

All of you have had enough papers returned to know the areas requiring work. The following are resources that may help you master your English grammar. Review the rules and work the tests. The remaining papers starting with your Memoir need to be very clean grammatically. Practice, practice, practice, and good luck.

Fragments:

http://www.chompchomp.com/frag05/frag05.htm

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/5/

http://srjcwritingcenter.com/gramsentcs/fragments/fragments_skills.html

Comma Splices and Run-on Sentences:

http://www.chompchomp.com/exercises.htm

http://www.towson.edu/ows/indexexercises.htm#Sentence Structure Exercises

Sentence Structure:

http://www.towson.edu/ows/indexexercises.htm#Sentence Structure Exercises

http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/sensen

Capitalization:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/par_numberless_quiz.pl/caps_quiz.htm

Comma:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt/commas.pps

ESL Resources:

http://ww2.college-em.qc.ca/prof/epritchard/

MLA Documentation/Plagiarism:

http://library.uta.edu/plagiarism/

http://depts.washington.edu/trio/quest/citation/apa_mla_citation_game/index.htm

Prepositions:

http://www.world-english.org/prepositions2.htm

http://www.world-english.org/prepositions2.htm

Pronouns:

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref5e/subpages_language/pronoun.html

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/pronouns-and-antecedents.aspx

Incorrect use of singular/plural direct object:

http://www.dianahacker.com/bedhandbook6e/subpages/gm_menu.asp

General:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/5/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

http://www.dianahacker.com/bedhandbook6e/subpages/gm_menu.asp

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm

http://www.srjcwritingcenter.com/lab.html

http://theoatmeal.com/tag/grammar

Memoir Peer Edit Tuesday

Bring four copies of your latest memoir draft so that your peers may edit them tomorrow.

We will also continue punctuation practice.

Be prepared to help your classmates by providing helpful ideas and edits for their papers.

Punctuation Exercise

Add commas as needed in the sentences below. On the line to the left of each sentence, write the number of the appropriate comma rule (click here to see the rules), or review the previous post. If the sentence is correct as it is, write C on the line and refer to the appropriate rule in parentheses after the sentence.

_____ He left the scene of the accident and tried to forget that it had happened.
_____ Oil which is lighter than water rises to the surface.
_____ Madame de Stael was an attractive gracious lady.
_____ Nice is a word with many meanings and some of them are contradictory.
_____ The contractor testified that the house was completed and that the work had been done properly.
_____ Some people refuse to go to the zoo because of pity for creatures that must live in small cages.
_____ Taxicabs that are dirty are illegal in some cities.
_____ The closet contained worn clothes old shoes and dirty hats.
_____ The uninvited guest wore a dark blue tweed suit.
_____ After surviving this ordeal the trapper felt relieved.
_____ Mark Twain's early novels I believe stand the test of time.
_____ December 7 1941 will never be forgotten.
_____ The field was safe enough wasn't it?
_____ Write the editor of the Atlantic 8 Arlington Street Boston Massachusetts 02116.
_____ He replied "I have no idea what you mean."
_____ After a good washing and grooming the pup looked like a new dog.
_____ Because of their opposition to institutions that force creatures to live in captivity some people refuse to go to the zoo.
_____ Men who are bald are frequently the ones who are the most authoritative on the subject of baldness.
_____ Vests which were once popular have been out of vogue for several years.
_____ As a celestial goddess she regulated the course of the heavenly bodies and controlled the alternating seasons.
_____ I hope that someday he will learn how to be polite.

Answers for Comma Exercise

Correct answers are in bold. Incorrect answers are in italics.
__C__ He left the scene of the accident and tried to forget that it had happened.
__3__ Oil, which is lighter than water, rises to the surface.
Rule 3: Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.
__6__ Madame de Stael was an attractive, gracious lady.
Rule 6: Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives.
__1__ "Nice" is a word with many meanings, and some of them are contradictory.
Rule 1: Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.
__C__ The contractor testified that the house was completed and that the work had been done properly.
__C__ Some people refuse to go to the zoo because of pity for creatures that must live in small cages.
__C__ Taxicabs that are dirty are illegal in some cities.
__5__ The closet contained worn clothes, old shoes, and dirty hats.
Rule 5: Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.
__C__ The uninvited guest wore a dark blue tweed suit.
__2__ After surviving this ordeal, the trapper felt relieved.
Rule 2: Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.
__3__ Mark Twain's early novels, I believe, stand the test of time.
Rule 3: Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.
__9__ December 7, 1941, will never be forgotten.
Rule 9: Use commas to separate all geographical names, items in dates (except between the month and day), addresses (except between the street number and name), and titles in names.
__7__ The field was safe enough, wasn't it?
Rule 7: Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasted coordinate elements or to indicate a distinct pause or shift.
__9__ Write the editor of the Atlantic, 8 Arlington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116.
Rule 9: Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.
__10_ He replied, "I have no idea what you mean."
Rule 10: Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.
__2__ After a good washing and grooming, the pup looked like a new dog.
Rule 2: Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.
__2__ Because of their opposition to institutions that force creatures to live in captivity, some people refuse to go to the zoo.
Rule 2: Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.
__C__ Men who are bald are frequently the ones who are the most authoritative on the subject of baldness.
__3__ Vests, which were once popular, have been out of vogue for several years.
Rule 3: Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.
__2__ As a celestial goddess, she regulated the course of the heavenly bodies and controlled the alternating seasons.
Rule 2: Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.
__C__ I hope that someday he will learn how to be polite.

Comma Usage Review

A good review of the use of the comma can be found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/692/01/.

Quick Guide to Commas

1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.
2. Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.
3. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.
4. Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence, such as clauses beginning with that (relative clauses). That clauses after nouns are always essential. That clauses following a verb expressing mental action are always essential.
5. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.
6. Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives.
7. Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasted coordinate elements or to indicate a distinct pause or shift.
8. Use commas to set off phrases at the end of the sentence that refer back to the beginning or middle of the sentence. Such phrases are free modifiers that can be placed anywhere in the sentence without causing confusion.
9. Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.
10. Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.
11. Use commas wherever necessary to prevent possible confusion or misreading.

Jeffrey Zaslow Dead at 53

Jeffrey Zaslow, Columnist and Author of ‘The Last Lecture,’ Dies at 53

By PAUL VITELLO

Published: February 10, 2012

Jeffrey Zaslow, a columnist and best-selling author whose books included chronicles of a dying professor’s last lecture, a pilot who landed a crippled commercial airliner in the Hudson River and Representative Gabrielle Giffords’s recovery from wounds in a horrific shooting in Arizona, died on Friday in a car accident in northern Michigan. He was 53.

Enlarge This Image

Penguin, via Associated Press

Jeffrey Zaslow

The police said Mr. Zaslow’s car was struck by a semi-trailer truck after he had lost control of his vehicle on a snow-covered road near Elmira. No charges had been filed, the police said, but an investigation was under way.

Mr. Zaslow had attended a bookstore event in Petoskey, Mich., near Elmira, the night before, promoting his latest book, “The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters.” Published in December, the book was about the clientele of a long-established Michigan bridal shop.

Mr. Zaslow was drawn to stories about people seeking meaning in their lives, often in the face of mortality. Some of his books were based on stories in his column “Moving On” in The Wall Street Journal.

Besides Ms. Giffords, who recently left Congress to devote herself to her rehabilitation from the January 2011 shooting that also killed six people, Mr. Zaslow worked on books with Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the pilot who landed the jet in the Hudson in 2009; and Randy Pausch, the subject and co-author of “The Last Lecture,” which has sold more than five million copies.

“The Last Lecture” began as a hunch. Professor Pausch had announced that he was dying and was planning to sum things up in a last lecture for his students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in September 2007. Thinking it might make for a good column for The Journal, Mr. Zaslow, a Carnegie Mellon alumnus, drove from his base in Detroit to hear what he would say.

A tape of the 76-minute lecture Professor Pausch gave that day, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” became a sensation on YouTube. Mr. Zaslow and Professor Pausch teamed up to write a book based on it.

The book, published shortly before Mr. Pausch died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, was a best seller in the hardcover advice and “how to” category in The New York Times for more than 100 weeks.

Another book was born from a column about the stark differences between men and women in the way they conduct their lives after a divorce. (For one thing, women tend to keep their friends, he found; men, not so much.)

The book, “The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a 40-year Friendship,” was based on an article suggested by one of the many women who wrote to compliment him on his column and to verify the phenomenon he described with the facts of their own lives.

The newspaper article that probably had the greatest impact on Mr. Zaslow’s own life was one he wrote in 1987 about a contest The Chicago Sun-Times was holding to fill the job left vacant when its advice columnist, Eppie Lederer (Ann Landers), de-camped for a competitor, The Chicago Tribune.

Mr. Zaslow, who was then a feature writer for The Wall Street Journal, entered the contest for the fun of it. And he won. In an interview with The New York Times, he said some people thought he was underqualified. “How could you have the audacity to give advice?,” people scolded him, he said.

“My reply: ‘I’m 28, but I have the wisdom of a 29-year-old.’ ”

He wrote the advice column, “All That Zazz,” until 2001. His annual singles party for charity, Zazz Bash, drew 7,000 readers a year and resulted in 78 marriages.

Jeffrey Lloyd Zaslow was born on Oct. 6, 1958, in Philadelphia, one of the four children of Harry and Naomi Zaslow. His father was a real estate investor. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 1980, he worked for The Orlando Sentinel’s Sunday magazine until 1983, then joined The Wall Street Journal as a feature writer. He returned to The Journal as a columnist in 2001.

He is survived by his wife, Sherry Margolis, a news anchor for television station WJBK Fox 2 in Detroit; their three daughters, Jordan, Alexandra and Eden; his parents; a sister, Lisa Segelman, and two brothers, Darrell and Michael.

Almost every book he wrote became a best seller, including his most recent, “Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope,” published at the end of last year.

“He was curious about everything, and interested in everything,” Ms. Margolis said in an interview on Friday. “And he knew what would make a good story.”

One of the few books that did not sell hugely, his first, was “Tell Me All About It,” based on his years as an advice columnist. In a newspaper column about the book, Mr. Zaslow summarized his approach to giving advice, and in the process gave a description of his journalism.

“So, I listen,” he wrote. “I try not to dwell on my inadequacies as an adviser. Instead, I tell myself that almost everyone has a story to tell, and sometimes, through the retelling, we can find answers.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: February 13, 2012

An earlier version misstated the location of the bookstore where Mr. Zaslow made an appearance the night before he was killed in an automobile accident on Friday. It was in Petoskey, Mich., not Elmira, Mich. The obituary also misidentified the type of plane that the pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger III, whose book “Sully” Mr. Zaslow co-wrote, landed in the Hudson River in 2009. It was an Airbus A320 with about 150 passengers, not a commuter plane. It also referred incorrectly to the disease that Randy Pausch, the subject and co-author of Mr. Zaslow’s book “The Last Lecture,” was suffering from. It was pancreatic cancer, not “an ailment similar to Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

Short Article Due Date

Just a reminder: the due date for your short article was changed to Feb. 14, BUT, remember, you are to have read The Last Lecture by that date as well.

Short Article Workshop

Remember to bring four copies of your latest short article draft on Tuesday. You will peer edit papers of your peers, and they will edit your paper. Your drafts should be double-spaced in 12 point type.

Also, you are responsible for all assignments listed within your syllabus through Tuesday, February 7.

Don't overlook the previous post of Mia's Punctuation Practice.

See you tomorrow...

Carpe Diem!

Mia's Punctuation Practice

Punctuation Practice

1. Mias progress has been slow steady and significant.

2. Mia has shown a slow steady improvement.

3. To improve over such a short time Mia had to have worked hard.

4. Since she had worked so hard Mia improved significantly.

5. Mia improved significantly since she had worked so hard.

6. Mias improvement was significant but she was still not happy.

7. Mias improvement was significant but unsatisfying.

8. Im proud of Mia he said as he looked over her work.

9. Other teachers however kind they may be don’t see her improvement.

10. Show me the scores please.

11. When can we start walking she asked.

12. When did you say I would rather drive

13. I want to go now she said.

Use said, say, or says for most attributions.

Answers: Punctuation Practice

1. Mia’s progress has been slow, steady, and significant.

2. Mia has shown a slow, steady improvement.

3. To improve over such a short time, Mia had to have worked hard.

4. Since she had worked so hard, Mia improved significantly.

5. Mia improved significantly since she had worked so hard.

6. Mia’s improvement was significant, but she was still not happy.

7. Mia’s improvement was significant but unsatisfying.

8. “I’m proud of Mia,” he said, as he looked over her work.

9. Other teachers, however kind they may be, don’t see her improvement.

10. Show me the scores, please.

11. “When can we start walking?” she asked.

12. When did you say I would rather drive?

13. “I want to go now,” she said.

Open Book Project Series: Zaslow Speaks Feb. 1

The Open Book Project is a common reader initiative that aims to create a sense of community among students, faculty, and staff through the reading of one book. The Last Lecture is the book.

Try to attend as many of the following events as possible to enrich your experience. For class discussion we will cover Zaslow's address and the Last Lecture Panel.

Author Jeffery Zaslow Speaks
Wednesday, February 1 at 10:30 a.m
The Performance Hall

Positive Thinking discussion with Counselor Beverly Neu Menassa
Tuesday, February 28 at 12:30
In X3008

Living Your Dreams
Wednesday, March 28 at noon
In X1091

Last Lecture Panel
Thursday, April 12 at 1:30
In X1091

Goal Setting Workshop with SGA President Daniel Marold
Wednesday, April 25 at noon
In X1091

Joining Our Blog

When you join our blog, please become a "public" follower, rather than anonymous. You find that option under the "Settings" for the name you chose as a follower.

Zaslow to Speak

Jeffrey Zaslow, co-author of The Last Lecture, will speak in Performance Hall on Wednesday, February 1, at 10:30 a.m. If you can make it, you will enjoy it. We will briefly cover his lecture Thursday, the 2nd. You should have the book read by February 13.

Course Syllabus

PLEASE REGISTER AND BECOME A FOLLOWER OF OUR CLASS BLOG
You will post comments and selected assignments to the blog.


Remember, to access this blog: www.englishcomposition-bhc.blogspot.com

The following is a copy of your schedule of classes taken from your syllabus:

Spring Semester 01/17/11 – 05/10/12

Please note: read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow by the beginning of class February 14.


Unit I. Defining Good Writing: The Short Article (Chapters 1-3)
During this unit, students should read a major newspaper (hard copy or online) on a regular basis and be sensitive to the way short articles are written. Students should keep a notebook of their reading experiences.


1/17/12
Letter to Students
Overview of the Writing Process
Introduction to the course, text, and classmates.
Diagnostic Skills Test: In-class introductory (diagnostic) essay.
Write: no more than one page on “I Like (Dislike) Who I am Because….” Who are you really? What do you like or dislike about yourself and why? Who/what are you becoming?
Acquire: the course syllabus.


1/19/12
How to Succeed in This Class
Writing and Reading: Diagnostic Punctuation Exercise. In class.
Read: Chapter 1: The Writer’s Process, pages 3-37, 47-49.
Write: Practice 1.4: Freewriting, page 10.
Acquire: Practice 1.3: Keeping a Notebook, page 8.


1/24/12
Writing with Clarity
Grammar Exercise
Read: Chapter 2: Writing with Style and Voice, pages 51-71.
Write: Practice 2.9: Identifying Figurative Language, Sound, and Rhythm, page 69 AND Practice 2.10: Revising for Style, page 70.


1/26/12
Critical Thinking
Grammar Exercise
Read: Chapter 3: Reading, Thinking, and Looking Critically, pages 73-99.
Write: Practice 3:2: Annotation and Outlining, page 80.
Choose Katie Robbins’ essay on page 164 to do this exercise.
Annotate in the margins of the textbook.


Unit II. The Short Article; Brookhaven’s Open Book Project: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow. We will read the book and discuss it in class. Have the book read by class time February 14.   


1/31/12
The Short Article
Read: Chapter 4: Short Articles: Writing Exposition, pages 101-121.
Write: Assignment, page 103 AND
Read: Writer’s Notebook Suggestions, page 136.


2/2/12
Wednesday’s Presentation Discussion
The Short Article
Read: Chapter 4: Short Articles: Writing Exposition, pages 121-137.
Write: Annotate “Going with the Grain,” pages 123-124.
Review: Chapter 17: Grammar Refresher, pages 669-680.
Write: Practice 17.6 Parts of Speech, page 680.
Review: “Common Editing and Proofreading Marks,” back inside cover of textbook AND page 692.
Begin: The Last Lecture. Finish by 2/14/12.


2/7/12
The Short Article Workshop
Grammar Exercise
Bring to Class: Four copies of short article draft.
In class: Chapter 4, Peer Editing Log, pages 136-137.
Review: Revision Checklist for short article, page 137.


Unit III. Application Essays: Writing for a Specific Audience
This unit introduces limited research to support an application for a grant, a job, an internship, a transfer to another college, a scholarship, or a year studying abroad.  Each student will go before a selection committee of peers who will evaluate your application and you. Your peers will act in their roles as part of the applicant selection process.


2/9/12
Application Essays
Grammar Exercise
Read: Chapter 5: Application Essays: Writing for a Specific Audience, pages 139-152.
Write: Warm-up Practice 5.1: Collaborative Activity, pages 142-143. How well has the writer understood his or her audience?
Choose: an application piece from option “b” of Practice 5.3 Analyzing Prompts, page 146; however, instead of the Office of Exhibits, choose your own place of internship OR focus on a prompt aimed at your personal choice of employment or opportunity to study abroad for a summer OR choose option 2, 5, 6, or 10 from pages 169-170. Essay should be 400-500 words.
Confirm: that you have covered the checklist on page 171: Revision Checklist.


Due: final draft of short article.


2/14/12
Valentine’s Day: A Love Story
The Last Lecture
Discuss: The Last Lecture
How is the book a “love story”?


2/16/12
Application Essays Workshop
Grammar Exercise
Read: Chapter 5: Application Essays: Writing for a Specific Audience, pages 152-171.
Read: “That Other Part,” pages 166-167.
Write: an answer to share with the class from Questions for Writing and Discussion, focusing on question 2, page168.
Consider: Questions 1-7 on pages 167-168, to be discussed in class.
Read: Writing in the Works: Interview with Nitya K. Venkataraman, pages 168-169.
Bring to class: Four copies of application draft (the essay you chose to write on 2/9/12).


2/21/12
Grammar Review
Review: Chapter 17: Grammar Refresher Phrases, Clauses, Sentence Types, pages 683-688.
Write: Practice 17.11 Phrases and Clauses, page 686 AND Practice 17.12 Sentence Types, page 689.


Unit IV. Writing Narratives: Memoirs
During this section on writing narratives, you should read a variety of articles in both print and electronic magazines and newspapers, as well as books. Try to read as many first-person narratives as you can.


2/23/12
Memoirs
Grammar Exercise
Read: Chapter 6: Memoirs: Writing a Narrative, pages 173-187.
Write: Practice 6.7 Show, Don’t Tell, page 186.
Review: Chapter 19: Common Errors, pages 710-731.
Write: Practice 19.2: Agreement, page 717. AND Practice 19:1: Fragments, Fused Sentences, and Comma Splice Errors, page 714 AND Practice 19.3: Pronoun Case, page 721.


Due: final draft of application essay.


2/28/12
Memoirs
Grammar Exercise
Read: Chapter 6: Memoirs: Writing a Narrative, pages 187-208.
Annotate: “Excerpt from What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, A Novel, pages 211-214. In addition to content annotation, include “story arc” annotation, noting the “set up,” announced conflict, incremental developments, rising action, climax, resolution.
Be Prepared: to answer and discuss questions 1-7, pages 214-215.
Write: Chapter 19: Common Errors Practice 19.4: Verb Tense Progression, page 722 AND Practice 19.5: Verb Tense Consistency, page 723.


3/1/12
Memoirs Workshop
Bring to class: four copies of memoir draft
Review: Revision Checklist, page 219.
Review: Peer editing Log, pages 218-219.
In class: Peer edit of memoirs.
Caution: Memoirs can be very intimate and very personal. As a writer, be aware of the peer editing process and carefully choose the content for your memoir. As a peer editor, be aware that your focus is on the writing techniques: look for conflict, setting, character, incremental development (story arc, turning point), and theme. An editor’s job does not include questioning or critiquing the writer’s memories.


3/8/12
Websites
Read: Chapter 11: Websites: Writing for Electronic Sources, pages 387-409.
Review more carefully: “Anatomy of a Webpage,” pages 406-410.
In class: Be prepared: to discuss questions on page 409.
Design: your own website


3/13/12 SPRING BREAK
NO CLASSES


3/15/12 SPRING BREAK
NO CLASSES  


3/20/12
Websites
Browse: Pick a website to critique.
Presentation: Be prepared to present, discuss, and critique a website. You will use the discussion points we covered in class on 3/6/12.
Due: final draft of memoir.


3/22/12
Electronic Messages
Grammar Exercise
Read: Chapter 11: Websites: Writing for Electronic Sources, pages 410-414.
Annotate: The section in your textbook on “E-mail and Instant Messages,” pages 410-411.
Netiquette



3/27/12
Web Design Presentations
Based upon your website design from 3/8/12.



3/29/12
Wed Design Presentations continued
Film Reviews
Retain: your web design info in your notebook.
Read: Chapter 12: Film Reviews: Writing Evaluations, pages 417-432.
Explore: Practice 12.5: Exploring a Website, page 431.


4/3/12
Film Reviews
Read: Film Reviews: Writing Evaluations, pages 432-445.
Annotate: “Little Miss Sunshine: You’re Either on the Family Bus, or You’re Off,” pages 443-445.
Read: “Interview with Roger Eber,” pages 453-455.
Write: Question 1 on page 456 AFTER doing question 3 on page 456. Obviously use the same movie and your clustering to help you organize and write your email.


4/5/12
Movie Time
In-class movie TBD


4/10/12
Movie Time
Complete Movie
Remember: Last Day to Withdraw is April 12.    .
Choose: a current movie that is playing or came out on DVD within the last 24 months and write an email review of it (Due 4/19/12. A copy goes into your notebook and another on our class blog.)
In-class discussion of movie.


Unit V. Putting It All Together: Research PSA Campaign: Analysis of Public Service Advertising and Campaigns
Research data appear in scholarly journals, newspapers, magazines, and online. Begin observing and identifying public service ads, presentations, billboards, bus ads, advocacy websites, etc.  As you observe and learn about PSAs, come up with your own PSA ideas to be used in class.


4/12/12
Last day to withdraw from class.

4/17/12
Public Service Messages: Writing Appeals
See below for more….


Read: Public Service Messages: Writing Appeals, pages 343-385.
Determine: What are the differences between ads meant to sell a service or product and those meant to serve the public?
Read: Public Service Messages: Writing Appeals, pages 366-385.
Do: Practice 10.1 Collaborative Activity, page 346. Bring to class one or two PSA ads you found and graded according to the scorecard on page 346. The ads do not have to score well. The source of the ads is up to you, but be ready to tell the class where the ad appeared. We will discuss them in class.
Warning: The ads you bring to class must be PSA ads, ads that serve the public, seek to change a behavior, create a behavior, and/or raise awareness. The ads should not be selling a product or service.


4/19/12
PSA Research Campaign continued


Choose: a topic for a PSA research topic, page 343. You are going to be a part of a team competing against other class teams. Your topic will be listed on the board along with others. Each team member will be responsible for a different public service message as well as specific areas of the research process. Choose a topic that is close to your heart.
Review: Writing and Revision Strategies, pages 384-385. Look on these pages for help on your choice of a PSA and what it must do to be successful. You may choose to design a website to raise awareness of your PSA.
Note: The sources of the materials used in your PSA campaign must be properly credited. The MLA Style is required.


Due: Film review sent to blog and retained in notebook.

4/24/12
PSA Campaign continued.
Write: Practice 10.10 Write a Pitch Letter, page 376. However, your pitch letter should focus on your own PSA within your team’s campaign and be directed to its appropriate target audience: an advocacy group, website, ad agency, charitable group, etc.


4/26/12
PSA Workshop
Note: Your PSA must be persuasive. The writing must be clear, concise, accurate, and appealing to its audience.  Your PSA will combine images and words to create messages that serve your community by raising the awareness of an issue, initiating a new behavior or attitude, or changing a behavior or attitude.


You will also present your campaign to the class. This session is a time to run through a variety of your ideas and your project plan. The idea is to present a roadmap, an overview, of how you plan to create and present your PSA. This is an in-class discussion opportunity to refine, clarify, redirect, and revise pieces of your campaign. It is also a time to help your peers and to be inspired by the ideas of your classmates.
Bring: Your PSA campaign materials to class. You will work with your team and discuss how all of your materials will fit together to make an effective presentation to the targeted group. Team PSA competition will begin next class with team campaign presentations, selected by lot. Each team member will be responsible for his/her own part of the PSA campaign.


5/1/12
PSA Campaign Presentations
Be prepared: Everyone
Scenario: Each team is waiting to be ushered into its client’s conference room to give its PSA “pitch.”


As determined by lot, the team campaign presentations begin. Time limit is 20 minutes for each team: 5 minutes per team member’s own special PSA focus, with 5 minutes to allow for introductions and conclusions (as determined by each team).
Class members receive two grades: one for the personal presentation and one for the campaign as a whole.


5/3/12
PSA Campaign Presentations
The team campaign presentations continue.


5/8/12
PSAs and Notebooks


Grammar Exam (5%): The exam will cover the types of grammatical issues we covered in our in-class grammar exercises.


Due: your class notebook
Due: your specific PSA evaluation
You should include a page summary of your team’s PSA campaign, the role you played, and your evaluation of the team’s individuals and presentation. Your own specific PSA that you presented should be turned in as a paper or PowerPoint presentation.


Warning: The sources of the materials used in your PSA campaign must be properly credited. The MLA Style is required. After all of your hard work, do NOT pass off anything as being your own when you got it somewhere else!


5/10/12


Exam Essay (5%): You will be given a choice of topics. One essay will be required comprising a minimum of 400 words.


5/14/12
All grades must be posted. As soon as the grades have been tabulated, they will appear on econnect for your viewing.