All papers should be written according to MLA format. You should discuss the theme of the work that you analyze. When you turn in your final papers to my email account at raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com, please indicate that you are turning in your final paper by attaching the word final to the name of your document: e.g. JeanToomerFINAL.doc.
When I download attachments marked FINAL at the end, I will issue a final grade and will not send you any paper back for revision. Please turn in your final papers by the end of the week so I can calculate your grades. I should have your grades availabe by the end of the week as soon as you turn them in. You still have to show up for the final exam and show me your exam permit. I should be able to give you your grade at that point.
For our final exam:
Watch the videos below and read the articles. Include a few references to the videos you watched and to the articles you read in the following two page essay: Write about Toyota and its reputation as a brand. Do you feel that Toyota has lost its reputation because of its approach towards its products, or do you still see Toyota as a reputable brand? Has your perception of the autmobile industry changed because Toyota made so many errors?
You need to take the CAAP Writing Skills test. Please go to google, type in CAAP, and study the writing skills test. Be sure to study the writing skills test and not the CAAP writing test with the essay.
April 12th, 2010
Today, we worked on completing assignments that are due.
April 9th, 2010
Here is a list of all the assignments that you should turn in to me at raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com:
The four most recent assignments:
* Turn in the Pepsi and Coke commercials assignment. Be sure to write 2-3 pages. Discuss the effectiveness of the commercials and discuss what you learned about the contents inside a can of Coke. Pick at least one dangerous chemical in Coke. Cite your sources.
* New assignment: this article about dopamine and junk food from CNN today:dopamine
According to the study, junk food causes dopamine to increase in the brain, which makes people overeat and produces a high similar to cocaine and heroin. The study is based on rats observed in a laboratory.
Write a one paragraph freewrite about your response to it.
* Write a 2-3 page essay on Juliet Shor's essay. See her essay below. Discuss whether you agree with her about whether we should change the way we consume products. Use quotes. Are we too wasteful with the way we purchase products? Should we become more educated consumers?
* Today's assignment:
Read "Writer at Work: Karen A Conscientious Consumer's Dilemma."
Karen posted the following piece in her blog. The underlining indicates links to references. After narrating a personal shopping story, she offers her critical reflections as a prompt for discussion.
Question
Consumption.
A Conscientious Consumer’s Dilemma
We construct our identities, at least in part, though the consumer products that inhabit our lives.
Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright, Practice of Looking, NY: Oxford, 2001: 198
I had a two-hour wait at an airport between flights. I was headed for Virginia, which had slightly colder weather than I had anticipated. I thought I’d look for a light sweater and wandered into Gap, though I had hesitated. I’d heard in the news that Gap clothes were stitched in sweatshops in distant countries like India. Still I browsed and found a perfect light cardigan, nice and also cheap. But who stitched it? And wasn’t it inexpensive because of cheap labor? But wasn’t that controversy settled months ago? I purchased the sweater and boarded the plane.
On board I opened a newspaper I had bought and noticed a news article about how some British reporter had discovered young children working for Gap in India. In response, Gap removed removed from their shelves neatly folded sweaters finished by these workers, but the reporter pointed out that the problem is larger. Many underage sweatshop workers hide when inspectors show up because families need the money.
I can’t remember the last time I saw a “Made in the U.S.A.” label. Some companies claim that their tee-shirts are ”Made in the USA,“ but they may import cotton from another country where workers are exposed to pesticides and suffer ill health. (Cotton is a dirty crop and requires “killer” pesticides.) If I eventually throw away a cotton T-shirt, however, it will eventually disintegrate, which can’t be said of polyester or lycra. But if I buy a cotton T-shirt, I think of the women and children whose health has been sacrificed.
I live a good, middle-class life. I can buy a more expensive certified organic cotton T-shirt. I could even sport a slogan that carries a message Buy Organic Cotton! Save Planet Earth! and be a conspicuous, status-seeking consumer. Or I could sport a grin, boasting my comfortable middle-class life, wearing my Life is good! cotton? tee.
Or I could say to myself, I can’t do anything about it. At least I thought about the sweater I bought at the Gap. That’s more than most people do, I exclaim, patting myself on the “Life is good!” slogan printed by someone aspiring to live the good life.
I wonder: If consumers were more educated about what they were buying and buying into, would they be more likely to make different choices? So much has to do with our lifestyles. If we are working more to buy more and live in bigger houses, then who has time to become educated about consumption? I agree with Juliet Schor---it’s not just about income equality. We need to examine (question?) consumer culture. Quality of life should matter over quantity of stuff. We’re filling the earth with all this “stuff”—artifacts of a throw-away culture. If we could see what happens to the stuff we put out on the curb on trash collection day, would that matter? Or are we so desensitized…? How expensive is “the good life” so many people strive for? I think “the good life” is going to be equated with “stuff” for a long time, maybe until the good earth can’t hold any more. What do you think?
· LEAVE A COMMENT
Networking What do you learn about this person through this shopping story? What is the larger cultural story? What do you think about the issues this writer raises?
Do you agree with the statements that she makes about our consumer culture? Choose one product, such as coffee, a car, or a pair of sneakers, and try to find out where it was manufactured and the price it was manufactured for versus the price that people pay for it in our stores. Reflect on how most of the products that we buy are made in China from cheap sources of labor. Do you think that we should pay such artificially high prices for the products we buy?
Write at least 2-3 pages.
Older assignments:
* shopping journal: keep a week long shopping journal in which you discuss what you buy (write several pages with entries). Discuss what you learned about yourself and your identity as a shopper.
* quotes about consumer culture: discuss one of the quotes about consumer culture. Write one paragraph about it.
* shopping artifact: Write a two page to three page paper on an item that you bought. How does it define you as a consumer? What was the process like of buying that particular product?
* Read the Sophia Kinsella excerpt under "Shopping." See the link to the right above. Write a two to three page paper discussing Rebecca Bloomwood's
addiction to shopping.
* Watch a section of the affluenza documentary on youtube. After watching the documentary, do you think that our consumer culture has changed since the documentary? Do you feel that our society still suffers from affluenza? Define affluenza and discuss whether the average American suffers from it. Write one to two pages.
* Take the grammar test. We will have to redo this grammar test during the second half of the semester. Prepare to take it once again if you did not pass it.
* Brainstorm on shopping and consumerism. List everything associated with consumerism and shopping.
* List some brand names that you buy.
April 8th, 2010
Please send your assignments to me at raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com.
I have not received many assignments, and they are due by the end of this week.
Here is the video on the dog bone in a cup of coke and on our paper dealing with Coke and Pepsi commercials:
Monday, March 29th, 2010
New assignment: this article about dopamine and junk food from CNN today:dopamine
According to the study, junk food causes dopamine to increase in the brain, which makes people overeat and produces a high similar to cocaine and heroin. The study is based on rats observed in a laboratory.
Write a one paragraph freewrite about your response to it.
Today, we discussed the ingredients in a bottle of Coke: carbonated water, phosphoric acid, caramel color (see this link on one person's experience with caramel color and asthma: caramel ; also, see caramel color and hypertension: color), high fructose corn syrup, natural flavors, and caffeine. To include in your assignment on Coke and soft drinks, study a bit about each of these items that a Coke soft drinks consists of. When you write your paper, reflect on the dangers of drinking Coke and the knowledge that you gained from this exercise. Include this in your paper on the Coke and Pepsi commercials.
Also, I need everyone's Juliet Shor essay on "The Politics of Consumption." Analyze if you feel that we are critical enough of the consumer culture that we live in. Should we become more knowledgeable about the products that are sold to us? Include quotes from Schor's essay.
Send all papers to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com
Friday, March 26th, 2010
New assignment:
Watch the soft drink commercials over:
Now, watch this video clip critical of soft drinks:
If you still don't believe Coke is bad for you, watch this:
Lastly, if you want to see the type of erosion that occurs with Coke and other soft drinks, watch this:
Afterwards, reread your paper on the soft drink commercial. How does viewing the informative video clip change your perspective of the paper you wrote on the Pepsi and Coke commercials? Also, include in your paper Juliet Schor's discussion of consumer culture critics who: "argued that Americans had been manipulated into participating in a dumbed-down, artificial consumer culture, which yielded few true human satisfactions."
Do you agree with the critics viewpoint that we live in a dumbed-down, artificial consumer culture after viewing the Pepsi and Coke commercials and then viewing the informative clip on what soft drinks contain?
Be specific. Write two to three pages.
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Today, we continued reading the "New Politics of Consumption." Please write a 2-3 page essay on it based on our class discussion and quotes. Just use parentheses to cite the source (Schor). In the works cited, cite my website as a source along with the essay.
Works Cited
Schor, Juliet. "The New Politics of Consumption." March 24, 2010. www.comprone.info
Make sure that you analyze at least 3 quotes from Schor's essay.
Send your paper to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com by Monday.
Monday, March 22, 2010
On Wednesday, we will finish reading this article and write an essay on it in class (2-3 pages in length).
The New Politics of Consumption
Juliet Schor
In contemporary American culture, consuming is as authentic as it gets. Advertisements, getting a bargain, garage sales, and credit cards are firmly entrenched pillars of our way of life. We shop on our lunch hours, patronize outlet malls on vacation, and satisfy our latest desires with a late-night click of a mouse.
Yet for all is popularity, the shopping mania provokes considerable dis-ease: many Americans worry about our preoccupation with getting and spending. They fear we are losing touch with more worthwhile values and ways of living. But the discomfort rarely goes much further than that; it never coheres into a persuasive, well-articulated critique of consumerism. By contrast, in the 1960s and early 1970s, a far-reaching critique of consumer culture was part of our political discourse. Elements of the New Left, influenced by the Frankfurt school, as well as by John Kenneth Galbraith and others, put forward a scathing indictment. They argued that Americans had been manipulated into participating in a dumbed-down, artificial consumer culture, which yielded few true human satisfactions.
For reasons that are not hard to imagine, this particular approach was short-lived, even among critics of American society and culture. It seemed too patronizing to talk about manipulation of the “true needs” of average Americans. In its stead, critics adopted a more liberal point of view and deferred to individuals on consumer issues. Social critics again emphasized the distribution of resources, with the more economistic goal of maximizing the incomes of working people. The good life, they suggested, could be achieved by attaining a comfortable, middle-class standard of living. This outlook was particularly prevalent in economics, where even radical economists have long believed that income is the key to well-being. While radical political economy, as it came to be called, retained a powerful critique of alienation in production and the distribution of property, it abandoned the nascent intellectual project of analyzing the consumer sphere. Few economists now think about how we consume and whether it reproduces class inequality, alienation, or power. “Stuff” is the part of the equation that the system is thought to have gotten nearly right.
Of course, many Americans retained a critical stance toward our consumer culture. They embody that stance in their daily lives, in the ways they live and raise their kids. The rejection of consumerism, if you will, has taken place principally at an individual level. It is not associated with widely accepted intellectual analysis, and an associated critical politics of consumption.
But such a politics has become an urgent need. The average American now finds it harder to achieve a satisfying standard of living than did the average American twenty-five years ago. Work requires longer hours, jobs are less secure, and pressures to spend more intense. Consumption-induced environmental damage remains pervasive, and we are in the midst of widespread failures of public provision. While the current economic boom has allayed consumers’ fears for the moment, many Americans have long-term worries about their ability to meet basic needs, ensure a decent standard of living for their children, and keep up with an ever-escalating consumption norm.
In response to these developments, social critics continue to focus on income. In his impressive analysis of the problems of contemporary American capitalism, Fat and Mean, economist David Gordon emphasizes income adequacy. The “vast majority of U.S. households,” he argues, “can barely make ends meet….Meager livelihoods are a typical condition, an average circumstance.” Meanwhile, the Economic Policy Institute focuses on the distribution of income and wealth, arguing that the gains of the top 20 percent have jeopardized the well-being of the bottom 80 percent. Incomes have stagnated and the robust 3 percent growth rates of the 1950s and 1960s are long gone. If we have a consumption problem, this view implicitly states, we can solve it by getting more income into more people’s hands. The goals are redistribution and growth.
It is difficult to take exception to this view. It combines a deep respect for individual choice (the liberal part) with a commitment to justice and equality (the egalitarian part). I held it myself for many years. But I now believe that by failing to look deeper, to examine the very nature of consumption, it has become too limiting. In short, I do not think that the “income solution” addresses some of the most profound failures of the current consumption regime.
Why not? First, consuming is part of the problem. Income (the solution) leads to consumption practices that exacerbate and reproduce class and social inequalities, resulting in, and perhaps even worsening, an unequal distribution of income. Second, the system is structured such that an adequate income is an elusive goal. That is because adequacy is relative, defined by reference to the incomes of others. Without an analysis of consumer desire and need, and a different framework for understanding what is adequate, we are likely to find ourselves, twenty years from now, arguing that a median income of $100,000—rather than half that—is adequate. These arguments underscore the social context of consumption: the ways in which our sense of social standing and belonging comes from what we consume. If true, they suggest that attempts to achieve equality or adequacy of individual incomes without changing consumption patterns will be self-defeating.
Finally, it is difficult to make an ethical argument that people in one of the worlds’ richest countries need more when the global income gap is so wide, the disparity in world resource use so enormous, and the possibility that we are already consuming beyond Earth’s ecological carrying capacity so likely. (This third critique will get less attention in this essay—because it is more familiar, not because it is less important—but I will return to it in the conclusion.)
I agree that justice requires a vastly more equal society, in terms of income and wealth. The question is whether we should also aim for a society in which our relationship to consuming changes, a society in which we consume differently. I argue here for such a perspective: for a critique of consumer culture and practices. Somebody needs to be for quality of life, not just quantity of stuff. And to be so requires an approach that does not trivialize consumption, but accords it the respect and centrality it deserves.
Some Guidelines for Re-Reading Schor
`
1. Schor writes that “credit cards are firmly entrenched pillars of our way of life.” Her essay was published in 2000. Do some research to support that this claim still holds true today. Use statistical evidence. How much credit card debt, for example, does the average American family have today? Has the amount risen since 2000? Option: Do research in small groups and share your findings.
2. Schor claims that “shopping mania provokes considerable dis-ease.” How does she support this claim? What worries her most?
3. How does Schor support her point that “the average American finds it harder to achieve a satisfying standard of living”? Schor was writing in the late 1990s. Her essay was published in 2000. Would you say the average American finds it just as hard or harder today to achieve a satisfying standard of living? Can you find evidence or support?
4. What do some American socio-cultural critics believe to be the “key to well-being,” to living a “good life”? What do they focus on? What does Schor believe? Copy her “I…believe” sentence and the sentence that follows.
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Please turn in all of your assignments before Sunday, March 14th.
I will be calculating midterm grades. If you have turned in all assignments, you will receive a passing grade.
If you are missing any assignments, you will receive a deficiency.
If you are missing more than two assignments, you will receive an F for the midterm grade.
Please note that you will have to revise assignments after the midterm. All assignments should be kept together in a folder for the end of the semester.
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
How do I make accept or reject the corrections Dr. Comprone makes with track changes? Put the cursor on the material highlighted in red. Right click the mouse on your computer. Look at the drop down menu. Click Accept Change or Reject Change.
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Tenses: simple (past, present, future, conditional); perfect tenses formed with have/had +past participle (past perfect, present perfect, future perfect, conditional perfect); progressive, formed with to be plus the -ing form of a verb, used to express an ongoing action (past progressive, present progressive, future progressive, conditional progressive); perfect progressive tenses (past perfect progressive, present perfect progressive, future perfect progressive, conditional perfect progressive)
E.g.
Present perfect:
Have you studied Spanish?
Past perfect:
I had studied, but I still failed the test.
Future perfect:
I will have studied by the time you come to my house.
Conditional perfect:
If he had called me, I would have told him about the exam this Friday.
Past progressive:
I was playing the piano when she called me.
Present progressive:
I am walking, but you are running.
Future progressive:
I will be writing my papers when you call me.
Conditional progressive:
I would be studying if I had the time.
Past perfect progressive:
I had been studying when she opened the door.
Present perfect progressive:
I have been studying Spanish for years.
Future perfect progressive:
I will have been studying Spanish for ten years by the end of March.
Conditional perfect progressive:
I would have been studying Spanish today if you hadn't called me in the morning.
Gerund: a verb ending -ing used as a noun. E.g. Playing basketball is exciting.
Parts of speech:
noun: a person, place, or thing
E.g. New York, book, etc.
preposition: often functions as an adverb or adjective; begins a prepositional phrase
E.g. for, in, out, outside, underneath, etc.
adjective: describes a noun.
E.g. red, blue, etc.
adverb: modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb
E.g. quickly, fast, slowly, etc.
verb: describes an action or expresses a state of being
E.g. run, sing, laugh, etc.
Verbs are divided into three types: transitive, intransitive, and linking.
Transitive verbs have a direct object. E.g. I played jazz music. Intransitive verbs do not have a direct object, but they may be followed by a prepositional phrase: e.g. The students laughed at the teacher. Linking verbs describe a state of being: e.g. It seems that you are hungry.
Four types of sentences:
simple sentences: one independent clause
compound sentences: two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction
complex sentences: a dependent clause with an independent clause joined by a subordinating conjunction
compound-complex sentences: a type of sentence using subordination and coordination with at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
Today, we discussed three types of dependent clauses:
1) Adverb clause: answers the questions when, where, how, why, under which conditions.
E.g. I was taking notes because I wanted to pass the test. This adverb clause answers the question why.
E.g. While the teacher was lecturing, I played with my cell phone.
E.g. After he spoke to the professor, he went home.
2) Noun clause: a type of dependent clause that replaces a noun and often functions as a direct object.
E.g. I know that you are studying for the test.
E.g. I think that you are going to fail.
E.g. It seems that you are tired.
3) Elliptical clauses: noun clauses with the subordinating conjunction omitted.
E.g. I know (that) you never study.
E.g. I think (that) you are going to fail.
4) Adjective (relative) clause: adjective clauses describe a noun and begin with a relative pronoun
E.g. The student who is wearing a red hat is in the front of the class.
E.g. The student whose notebook was stolen failed the test.
E.g. The friend whom you called did not show up at the game.
There are three types of conjunctions:
1) coordinating conjunctions: used two tie together two independent clause and are preceded by a comma. E.g. and, but, nor, or, for, so, yet
2) subordinating conjunctions: used at the beginning of a dependent clause. E.g. since, because, while, than, if, when, why, where, that, which, whose whom, before, after, etc.
3) correlative conjunctions: conjunctions that are linked together in pairs. E.g. both... and, either... or, whether...or, neither...nor, not only... but also, etc.
Friday, February 26th, 2010
Today, we focused on writing our paper on the excerpt in the Shopping section--Sophia Kinsella's chapter on self-help for shopaholics. Analyze the symptoms of Rebecca Bloomwood's shopping addiction in a two to three page paper. You may also refer to any of the articles in the shopping section that deal with shopping addiction.
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Shopping journal:
Make sure that you keep a shopping journal. Discuss what you buy every day. Discuss how you came to the decision to buy different products. Do you feel that you often buy unnecessary items? List all items that you bought during a week and discuss your shopping behavior.
Write 2-3 pages.
Dr. Comprone's shopping journal:
During the past two weeks, I've bought several different items. One item that I bought was a sack for a paraglider. I don't even have a paraglider right now, but I plan to get one soon. I purchased the sack through Ebay, and it was relatively inexpensive ($51). I probably didn't need to buy the sack yet because I don't even have a paraglider. However, I got paraglider lessons over the weekend, and my instructor lent me a paraglider without a sack to put into. So, I figured that I would need a sack to put the paraglider into. I didn't have to pay for the lessons with paragliding because I never even got to fly over the weekend. I also bought some strawberries and chocolate for my wife.
Another thing that I did over the weekend was I bought a reflective watch for paragliding. It looked pretty interesting, but it was totally unnecessary. I am considering purchasing a used paraglider and a used motor for flying with after this project.
Otherwise, I haven't bought much recently. I did buy a book on positive dog training that I have read halfway. I also purchased a dog for $15 at an animal shelter. Another thing that I bought was a birthday present for my sister, a $50 gift card from Amazon.
Another item that I bought was a book in Spanish called Memoria de ballenas (Memory of Whales). I liked the title and wanted to read something in Spanish. I haven't even read one page of the book yet.
So far, from this project, I've learned that I need to appreciate more what I do buy. I tend to buy things that I like initially, but later, I find that I don't have enough time for them. So, in the future, I am going to emphasize appreciating what I do buy. Now, I am planning on reading Memoria de ballenas and finishing The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training. I am also getting a used paraglider and paramotor instead of buying a new one for a lot more money. I don't think it is a good idea to buy new products if they are expensive, and I don't know how much I want to spend on a sport that I might not have all the time in the world to dedicate to it.
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Today, we worked on the paper analyzing two commercials. We also reviewed for the grammar and editing exam. We will have that exam next week. Please bring a printout of the Sophia Kinsella excerpt on Wednesday. We will work on writing and revising this week.
Friday, February 19th, 2010
Here are all of the assignments:
1) affluenza: You need to watch the documentary on Affluenza. You need to discuss several of the scenes in the documentary, and you need to relate the ideas in the documentary to today's culture. Do we suffer from affluenza today? Write at least 2 pages and define what affluenza is, discuss the symptoms of affluenza, and propose a solution to the problem.
2) shopping artifact: Place a picture of a product that you recently bought into a Microsoft Word document. Discuss why you bought it, how you felt while buying it, and what happened afterwards. Two pages typed.
3) shopping journal: Keep a list of all the items that you purchase during a week. You may include food and necessary items as well as anything you happen to buy. After writing down all of the things that you purchased during a week, discuss your behavior as a consumer. What did you learn from this experience and how do you define yourself as a consumer? Write one to two pages at the end of the journal.
4) grammar midterm: We will have this test during the week of the midterm, March 8th through the 12th. Study all of the terms. I will discuss them in class and post more information online. compound sentence: two independent clauses joined together by a coordinating conjunction, complex sentence: a type of sentence with a dependent clause and an independent clause linked together by a subordinating conjunction, compound-complex sentence: a type of sentence with subordination and coordination linking together independent and dependent clauses, simple sentence: a type of sentence consisting of an independent clause, adjective clause: a type of dependent clause that functions as an adjective, adverb clause: a type of dependent clause that functions as an adverb, noun clause: a type of dependent clause that functions as a noun, transitive verb: a type of verb that has an object, either direct or indirect, intransitive verb: a type of verb that does not have an object, either direct or indirect, linking verb: a type of verb that expresses a state of being, adjective: a word that describes a noun, possessive pronoun: a pronoun showing possession; his, her, demonstrative pronoun: a type of pronoun indicating something, such as this, that, these, and those reflexive pronoun: a pronoun that is also the object of a verb, reciprocal pronoun: each other, one another, indefinite pronoun: anyone, no one, all, anybody, nobody, somebody, some, many, few, none, etc. , personal pronoun: I, we, me, he, she, it, they, them, us, etc. , gerund: a verb used as a noun and ending in -ing; e.g. Playing basketball is a fun sport, appositive: The man, a teacher at a local high school, went berserk.
5) list of name brands: list the name brands that you buy.
6) shopping freewrite: approaches to shopping--define your approach to shopping in a brief one page freewrite.
7) confessions of a shopaholic excerpt: Read the excerpt from Sophia Kinsella's novel, Confessions of A Shopaholic. Discuss the problems Rebecca Bloomwood experiences as she follows the advice of David E. Barton. Include quotes in your paper and write 2-3 pages. Is she suffering from affluenza?
8) quotes about consumer culture: read a few of the quotes at the beginning of the consumer culture project. Write a paragraph about one of the quotes and discuss its significance. Relate the quote to our society and to our society's attitudes towards consumerism.
9) brainstorm on affluenza: brainstorm about affluenza. Put down all of your ideas in a web with the word affluenza placed in the middle.
10) trailer Confessions of a Shopaholic : Watch the trailer of Confessions of A Shopaholic. Discuss briefly the scenes in the trailer and what you learned from it about shopping addictions.
11) analyzing commercials: analyze two commercials. Discuss how the commmercials affected you psychologically. What was your response to the commercials and do you think they would make you buy the product being sold? Be specific about the content of the commercials. Do you agree with the philosophy that commercials should be entertaining rather than informative?
12) Confessions of A Shopaholic write about the book for extra credit. Write a three page essay, include quotes, and MLA format.
13) Extra credit: Analyze several of the commercials from the Superbowl. Were they effective and why?
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Affluenza essay:
Questionnaire:
Quotes about consumer culture
Shopping artifact
Confessions of A Shopaholic Excerpt
Analyzing Commercials
Shopping freewrite
Brainstorm
Listing Brands
Trailer
Grammar Exam: You need to learn the following grammatical terms: compound sentence, complex sentence, compound-complex sentence, simple sentence, adjective clause, adverb clause, noun clause, transitive verb, intransitive verb, linking verb, adjective, possessive pronoun, demonstrative pronoun, reflexive pronoun, reciprocal pronoun, indefinite pronoun, personal pronoun, gerund, appositive
Shopping journal
Friday, February 12th, 2010
Today, we will focus on the shopping section of the Consumer Culture project. I have placed the new section on the left hand side of the links above. Please click it and read it. We will write about the reading selection from Confessions of A Shopaholic.
Also, please write a one paragraph freewrite on the trailer for Confessions of a Shopaholic: click this linkConfessions of A Shopaholic
Please complete the other assignments for this class as well, such as the Coke commercials--see previous posts.
For the analyzing commercials assignment, please compare and contrast these three commercials for soft drinks. Discuss how the commercials market the product. Do you think the commercials are effective? Discuss what happens in the commercials. Do you feel these commercials are misleading?
Here is a Confessions of A Shopaholic lecture:
Please purchase the book for the midterm exam.
Here is a lecture I did on the introductory assignment, writing about quotes for the Consumer Culture project:
The old campus of Boydton Institute is just a short distance from Saint Paul's College, between Lawrenceville and South Hill. It was a Black school, and Vernon Johns attended there before moving on to higher education. Some of its graduates are still living in the Boydton area, but, as the school closed around the 1930s, there is limited time left to collect oral histories. This would be a good opportunity for history students, especially, to use what they've learned in the classroom to preserve a piece of the past. The opportunity to work with faculty on the attached list would be an added bonus.
Please contact Dr. Palmgren concerning this matter if you would like to engage in this project (extra credit awarded): jpalmgren@saintpauls.edu
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Here is a Confessions of A Shopaholic lecture:
Please purchase the book for the midterm exam.
Here is a lecture I did on the introductory assignment, writing about quotes for the Consumer Culture project:
Also, read "Self-Help for Shopaholics" by Sophia Kinsella. This is an excerpt from her book Confessions of a Shopaholic. Click on the link "Shopping" above and scroll down about a 1/4 way through the web page.
I recently made a new video about the quotes you need to write about in your notebooks concerning consumer culture. Here is the video:
Monday, February 1st, 2010
Today, we did not have class. I still have not received all of the assignments from students. For the analyzing commercials assignment, please compare and contrast these three commercials for soft drinks. Discuss how the commercials market the product. Do you think the commercials are effective? Discuss what happens in the commercials. Do you feel these commercials are misleading?
Friday, January 29th, 2010
Today, we made a list of the brand names we buy. Please keep this in your notebooks. We also read Juliet Shor's essay on consumer culture (see in Consumer Culture Project).
I will post links to the commercials for the analyzing commercials essay later this weekend.
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Today, we went over the shopping questionnaire. Please turn in your notebooks by Friday. I would also like your other assignments by Friday. You can send them to me at raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Today, in class, we did a freewrite on approaches to shopping. Describe in a short freewrite your approach to shopping.
Also, for Wednesday, bring in a printout of the shopping questionnaire. Fill it out in class.
For Wednesday, choose an item that you recently bought. What does it say about you as a consumer? Describe the product in a one page essay and describe the experience of buying it. Write your essay on Microsoft Word and place an image of the product you bought at the top of your essay (copy the image from Google images--right click the image on the net and click "Save As" and then cut and paste it into your Microsoft Word document).
Do not forget to complete the other assignments for this class.
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Turn in your questionnaire.
Turn in your quotes on consumer culture.
Turn in your analysis of the PBS documentary Affluenza. Discuss scenes from the documentary and discuss whether it relates to today's society.
Turn in your paper on the items you shop for and how they define you.
Send everything to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com over the weekend if possible.
Friday, January 15th, 2010
Assignments:
Fill out the questionnaire in the Consumer Culture project.
Watch the PBS documentary Affluenza. Click each of the links below to watch the video clips:
Write a two to three page paper about what you learned from this PBS documentary.
Today, in class, we wrote about the negative effects of consumer culture and wrote them down in our notebooks.
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Today, we wrote in our notebooks about a few of the quotes about consumer culture. The quotes appear at the beginning of the project. Remember that you will be turning in your notebooks in two weeks time. Please purchase Confessions of A Shopaholic.
January 11th, 2010
Write about the items you shop for in your life and describe how they define you. We wrote this assignment in class on Monday. You should write at least a page. You can focus on one item if you like.
Periodically, I will collect notebooks with your assignments in them. Please purchase Confessions of A Shopaholic because you will be tested on that book for the midterm exam. There will also be a grammar and editing component for the midterm exam. I will post a video lecture on some passages from Confessions of A Shopaholic.
Reading assignment: fill out the shopping questionnaire and read quotes about consumerism and its definition. Write your response to one of the quotes about consumerism and put it in your journal.
January 8th, 2010
You should purchase Confessions of A Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella for this class. Here is the link: shopaholic
Saint Paul’s College: Department of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences
Composition II
Course Information:
English 162-3
Spring Semester 2010 Instructor:
Dr. Comprone
Class Time: MWF 9-9:50 a.m. Office: RH 136
Classroom: Office Hours:
RH 204MWF 2-4 P. M. T R 2-3 P.M.
Office Phone: Credit Hours:
contact by email only 3
Email: raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com
Website: www.comprone.info
Endorsement Competencies for Education Majors:
Understanding of the knowledge, skills, and processes of English as defined in the Virginia Standards of Learning.
Skills necessary to teach the writing process and the different forms of writing (narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, and informational) and to employ available technology.
Knowledge of grammar, usage, and mechanics and their integration in writing.
Pre-requisite: Students must have completed Compostion I.
Required Texts: Print out Consumer Culture Project on this website. You may have to cut and paste it onto a Microsoft Word document in order for the document to print out properly. You can email me (raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com) if you want a copy of the Consumer Culture Project with digital images. We will read essays and think critically about the consumer culture from this project. Please bring this project to class.
Selection of Texts: TBA
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to provide college students with the ability to express themselves in a professional context. Students will be encouraged to think and write critically, and they will also learn the basic rules of the English language. There will be four tests on grammar and numerous essays on various subjects.
Course Rationale: The purpose of this course is to develop each student’s proficiency in the English language.
Course Goals, Objectives, and Corresponding Program Outcomes: The goals of this course are the following:
1 To help students develop as writers and critical thinkers
2 To develop a passion for self-expression in students
3 To provide students with all of the grammatical skills necessary to write successfully in an academic and professional context
4 To develop in students a passion for reading critically
Expectations for Student Behavior as Related to Course Objectives and Their Corresponding Program Outcomes:
Please arrange for meeting with me during my office hours. Students must behave appropriately by: 1) avoiding talking when the professor is speaking, 2) being punctual (students will lose points for tardiness and excessive absences), 3) always bringing their textbooks to class, 4) actively participating in class, 5) not plagiarizing, 6) avoiding the use of foul language and abusive behavior, and 8) being polite to other students.
The attendance policy is as follows:
Students missing more than 9 times (EXCUSED or UNEXCUSED) must WITHDRAW or receive a
failing grade of F.
This policy will be strictly enforced.
Students with 2 or less absences will receive an additional 10% for their final grade. Excused absences will not be factored into this calculation, e.g. a student who has three excused absences and no unexcused absences will not receive an additional 10% added to his or her final grade.
Students cannot obtain excuses for absences after the semester is over.
Class Format, Process, and Methods of Instruction:
This semester, we will be completing a series of assignments based on reading and thinking critically about consumer culture.
Students can only receive incompletes upon permission by the instructor (an incomplete can only be filed for during the semester) and only if they are experiencing financial difficulties or a grave personal matter (I must be notified in person by the student or by a relative before the end of the semester). Excuses will only be accepted from the Provost's office. I will only accept assignments in person (do not slip any assignments under my office door--I am not responsible if any of these assignments should end up missing). It is the student's responsibility to make up any missing work and to check on his or her grade during the semester. Absolutely no excuses for absences can be issued after the semester is completed (if you do not show me the excuse during the semester--you have to show me the excuse in person, do not put it under my door--I will not give you an excuse--this applies to athletes as well). Athletes must personally give me a copy of their game schedule and indicate to me the days they will be absent. They must also make up any work and or missed instruction the day after their absence. ABSOLUTELY no grade changes are possible after the semester. Please check with me before the end of the semester to see if you have any outstanding work to complete.
In this class, we will discuss selected passages from the texts assigned in class:
In-class essays and research paper: 50%
Tests: 40%
Attendance and Participation: 10%
Total: 100%
Course Outline and Assignment Due Dates:
TBA
List of Assigned Readings and Assignments:
TBA
For the grammar tests, students will be responsible for the following terms: noun, demonstrative pronoun, reflexive pronoun, personal pronoun, reciprocal pronoun, indefinite pronoun, possessive pronoun, independent clause, dependent/subordinate clause, compound sentence, simple sentence, complex sentence, compound-complex sentence, prepositional phrase, subordinating conjunction, coordinating conjunction, adjective, adverb, preposition, correlative conjunction, linking verb, transitive verb, intransitive verb, direct object, indirect object, object complement, relative pronoun, interrogative pronoun, conjunctive adverb, predicate, subject, gerund phrase, infinitive phrase, absolute phrase, adjective/relative clause, participial phrase, appositive phrase, adverb clause, noun clause, declarative sentence, imperative sentence, interrogative sentence, exclamatory sentence
Recommended Internet Sites: www.comprone.info for updates on assignments, syllabi, poetry club submissions (extra credit)
