Comp101

[This is more or less a rewritten version of a Unit project posted on Blackboard. However, I may end up doing the Wikipedia project in the end.]

Unit Three: Professional Communities

Feeder 3.1: For this unit, you will investigate the academic discourse of your chosen (or proposed) major. Groups will agree on a shared problem or topic to research from the viewpoint of their individual disciplines. You may wish to broaden your chosen field depending on the topic agreed upon in your group. For example, if your interest is physics or chemistry, broadening your field to include the biological sciences or medicine may be more fruitful if your group chooses to investigate the impact of HIV/AIDS (the group topic could also be broadened to cover “disease,” if desired). Group topics should be chosen after some brief preliminary research: group members should browse journal articles, department websites, etc. to get a sense of what topics have been problematized in their chosen fields and to come to a group consensus. Next, you will each research the topic within your individual fields, compiling an annotated bibliography of 5-6 journal articles. These articles should be published recently (within the last 10 years) in reliable or major journals. Citations should be given in the format used within your discipline (this may not necessarily be MLA style), followed by a one paragraph summary (5-7 sentences) of the article’s main argument. Summaries must be in your own words, from your own reading. Lifting from journal abstracts is not permitted. Avoid direct quotations.

Unit Two: Public Issues

Feeder 2.1: Although the 2008 presidential race has ended, the issues debated by the candidates continue to resonate well into the first year of President Obama’s administration. Choosing one campaign issue from 2008, analyze and compare videos of speeches given by Obama and McCain on the topic, or, if you prefer, use the speeches of two primary candidates with opposing views on the issue. (When choosing an issue, keep in mind that you will later need to be able to argue a position on the topic in both written and oral form.) What audience are the candidates addressing? This goes beyond a simple matter of conservative vs. liberal: What age group is the audience? What is their socio-economic background? Education? What are their concerns in the (then) upcoming election? How successfully tailored to the particular audience is the speech? Can you identify logical fallacies? You do not need to “take a side” in this assignment, but do consider whether or not the candidates are successfully persuasive. The aim of this assignment is analysis and description: try to get a broad sense of the issue at stake from both sides of the debate. 500 words double-spaced.

Unit One: Popular Culture

Feeder 1.1: A classmate with whom you haven't spoken for several years has unexpectedly contacted you by email: she now manages an up-and-coming band and is asking for your advice about how the group might better reach a wider—but target—audience. She has included a link to the band's MySpace page [instructor may provide selected MySpace pages for students to work with—students should not use a favorite artist]. Select one music video from the band's MySpace and compose a 500 word analysis of the video which explains what audience of music fans the band would most appeal to, and how successfully—or unsuccessfully—the music video works as a device for reaching out to that group of listeners. Elements to consider include song lyrics, narrative/storyline, setting/set design, color, clothing, actors, and so on. How are these elements used to appeal to a specific audience? Who is that audience (How old are they? What other music do they listen to, what shows do they watch, what clothes do they wear?)? Would they follow this band? Though your analysis should be detailed and descriptive, your report should offer a critical assessment of the video's elements, not mere description.

Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes

Anyone remember the one about students abusing email communication with professors? That one was a good'un.