Jan 30: Class and Home Work

I want you to start exploring possibilities for your larger paper assignment.

You need to find a topic that fulfills two requirements:

1. The topic is interesting *to you*. Whether you have a personal connection to a topic, or it's just something you're interested in, I don't really care, but you need to find a topic that you don't mind spending the rest of the semester researching and writing about. Additionally, DON'T worry whether *I* find it interesting or not. I'm just grading it--YOU have to write about it.
   
2. A topic that has a controversy in it. This can be as simple as arguing that agility training is much better training for dogs than obedience training, or that the BCS Bowl system is terrible, or that James Bond films portray women in sexist ways, or .... fill in your blank here. But you can't give me a biography of a person or a history of a topic--you need to be able to take a stand on the side of an argument in the topic.

Forbidden topics: Anything to do with reproductive rights, anything to do with gay rights/equality, and anything to do with religion. Neither you nor I can be objective on these issues. But other hot button issues (whatever they might be) are (mostly) fine, although I reserve the right to be able to veto a topic idea.

Classwork will be preliminary research on your topic and discussion with me as I come around the room.

Homework will be posting what you find to YOUR blog. Don't post links by themselves. Post links and then summarize them. Tell me what you found, what interested you, and where/how you might be thinking of taking a stand. Give me a preliminary idea of what your argument might look like. (For a guide for all your blog posts, you should be writing about 200-250 for each one.)

A Day of Catch-Up

Homework over the weekend:

1. Read this article.
2. Choose one person who is quoted in the article with whom you DISAGREE. Copy the quote you disagree with onto your blog, making sure you include the name and why they're considered an "authority" to quote in the article, and then write 200-250 words about why you disagree with them. You don't have to mention the Dylan case at all, although you can if you want.

Don't forget that this is the SECOND writing assignment. Make sure you've answered these questions on your blog, too. I will get around to responding to every blog post this weekend.

Class summary:
If you made it in to the computer lab today (9 am class), we made sure everyone was on the same page for their blogs. If we weren't in the computer lab (12 noon class) we did an activity. We'll switch places on Monday, so make sure you read this carefully.

Everyone make sure your settings are in order! Even if you did this in class, DO IT AGAIN to make sure you saved the settings properly.

Blogger:

• Log in.
• Click on Settings.
• Click on Comments.
• Under "Who can comment?" check “Anyone.”
• Go all the way to the bottom of the Comments page and enter your email address into the box at the very bottom of the page so that you’ll receive my responses to your blog posts!
• MAKE SURE YOU SAVE YOUR CHANGES. Make sure you click on the "Save Settings" button on the bottom of the page.

You can change the look of your blog by playing around with the rest of the “Settings” and the “Layout.”

Additionally, right here on my blog, make sure you're "following" the blog. If it doesn't say "Following," click on the "Follow this blog" button and follow the instructions. This way, you should (I think) get an email every time I update the blog.

WordPress:

• Log in.
• On your Dashboard, click Settings on left side.
• Click on Discussion.
• This will give you a bunch of choices, one of which says "Before a comment appears..." Uncheck BOTH boxes.
• MAKE SURE YOU SAVE YOUR CHANGES. Look for the "Save Changes" button on the bottom of the page.

You can change the look of your blog by playing around with all the stuff on the left side of the screen.

For those of you with WordPress blogs, you won't be able to "follow" MY blog very easily (unless you have a Google/Gmail account--then you'll be fine, and please click the "follow" button on the right. You'll just have to remember to try to check it at least once a day.

Wednesday, Jan 21: Cancelling Class

My 9am class (section 20) is automatically canceled because FSU is only starting classes at 10am.

But I have to cancel my 12noon class (section 09) as well because of child care problems that are long and complicated and not very interesting.

So we'll all meet again in the computer lab (Butler 312) on Friday.

Don't forget to do your homework. Not many of you have, yet.

Class summary: Friday, Jan 16

In class on Friday, we had four things that needed to happen:

• Create a blog. To do this, go either to or and follow the instructions on how to create a blog account. Blogger is much easier to use as a blogging platform (but we were having issues in class getting it working), while Word Press is more difficult to use but much more powerful, with a lot more options.
• Email me the web address of your blog at sarahfrantz [at] gmail [dot] com.
• Write your first blog post (which on WordPress means editing the placeholder post they automatically set up for you).
• Comment on MY blog to show me you know how to comment.
  

If you're having problems doing any of this stuff, email me (see above) and let me know.

Homework is answering these questions on your blog. Don't worry--I'll see them.

Some advice for WordPress and Blogger

I have (or will) post this advice as a comment to your blog post, but all of you who have a Blogger (Blogspot) blog, rather than a Word Press blog, will not get my comment unless you follow my advice! So PLEASE READ!!!

General Advice: Try to use the blog as an opportunity to practice your typing, using correct grammar, punctuation, and spacing as you type.

Blogger: In order to allow anyone to post comments to your blog without having to enter a lot of password information, after you log in, look on the top and click on Settings, then on Comments. This will give you a bunch of choices, one of which says "Who can comment?" You can set it to whatever you want, but it's easier if you check “Anyone”.

Additionally, make SURE you go further down on the comments settings, and enter your email address into the box at the very bottom of the page so that you’ll receive my responses to your blog posts!

You can change the look of your blog by playing around with the rest of the “Settings” and the “Layout.”

WordPress: In order to allow anyone to post comments to your blog without having to moderate them (that is, without having to approve them), go to your Dashboard after you log in, look on the left side and click on Settings, then on Discussion. This will give you a bunch of choices, one of which says "Before a comment appears..." You can set it to whatever you want, but it's easier if neither box is checked. You can change the look of your blog by playing around with all the stuff on the left side of the screen.

Writing Assignment I

A "meme" (in internet speech) is a joke or link or YouTube video that people send to each other over email or through blog links. It can also refer to a list of questions that you ask and answer and then "tag" other people to answer either over email or on their blogs.

So, here are a list of questions I am asking you about your place in the world (and therefore the communities and sub-cultures you belong to). I will first ask them so you can cut and paste the questions on to your blog AND THEN ANSWER THEM, then I will answer them myself, so that it's a legitimate meme. It wouldn't be good "netiquette" for me to ask them of you, requiring an answer, but not answer them myself.

Feel free to give short (that is, one or two words) or longer (explanations, justifications) answers.

1. Where have you lived (cities, countries) during your life?
2. What is your ethnic background? That is, what is your racial identity and/or what countries does your family come from?
3. Do you feel strongly about religion, politics, social issues, environmental issues? Which ones in particular? (That is, don't just say "environmental issues" or "social issues." Say "Polar bear extinction" or "Equal marriage rights and the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.) Why do you feel so strongly about them?
   
4. What are your obsessions and/or hobbies and why? This could be from popular culture or an activity you are involved in or something that fascinates you that you know a lot about.
   
5. Do you have any other affiliations that you feel strongly about? Sports teams? Schools? Identities?
6. Does anything from this list stand out as something you'd be interested in writing about for the rest of the semester?

The answers to these questions should start you thinking about the community/sub-culture you want to discuss during the semester.

My answers:

1. Where have you lived (cities, countries) during your life? I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. I lived in England for 16 months when I was 7. I moved to NJ when I was 14, lived there for 8 years, then to Ann Arbor, MI for 8 years, then to Fayetteville, NC for the last 5 years.
   
2. What is your ethnic background? That is, what is your racial identity and/or what countries does your family come from? I was born in South Africa, but my family is pure British English. Both my parents were born in England and I'm very definitely white, although I like to say that I'm African-American, because it's technically true, just to get people thinking about what that actually means.
   
3. Do you feel strongly about religion, politics, social issues, environmental issues? Which ones in particular? Why do you feel so strongly about them? I believe very strongly in equal rights for GLBTQ people, especially equal marriage rights and the right to serve openly in the military, because I have so many friends that these issues affect. I am also a very strong Democrat and was a Precinct Captain for the Obama campaign in October-November 2008. I believe in environmental issues, but they're not what really get me excited or mad. I am not religious.
   
4. What are your obsessions and/or hobbies and why? This could be from popular culture or an activity you are involved in or something that fascinates you that you know a lot about. I love romance novels, Jane Austen, tattoos, something called Silk Ribbon Embroidery, and being a mother.
   
5. Do you have any other affiliations that you feel strongly about? Sports teams? Schools? Identities? I like the Patriots, Michigan football, South African rugby (sort of), the Carolina Panthers. I feel very strongly about being a tattooed, yet professional woman. I'm a Chemical Officer in the NC Army National Guard.
   
6. Does anything from this list stand out as something you'd be interested in writing about for the rest of the semester? If I were a student in this class and not the professor, I'd be interested in writing about romance novels, about gay rights, or about being a tattooed professional.
   

Explaining the Internet

During class on Wednesday, I explained the difference between some of what is found on the Internet:

• Email: private accounts that send and receive basically private emails.
• Listservs or email groups: list members subscribe to an email group or listserv, usually because it is dedicated to a specific topic. List members then email the group, which will then distribute that email to the email addresses of all the other group members. So, while emails are still privately and individually sent and received, everyone on the list can read the email messages.
• Websites: equivalent to newspapers, webSITES are made up of many webpages. Example:
  
• Webpages: equivalent to articles in the newspaper, webPAGES are individual pages on a larger website. Example:
• Blogs, like the one you've just created, are usually run just by one person. Sometimes, there are group blogs, but that is usually indicated somewhere on the front page of the blog. Blogs are sometimes just individual journals, sometimes discussions of news and gossip about a particular topic. Blogs are made up of blog POSTS, shown on the blog in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Anyone can comment on blog posts, creating a conversation with the blog author and with the other commenters. For example: Cake Wrecks is run by one woman who receives pictures from other people over email, then posts them in themed posts (bad wedding cakes, bad birthday cakes). Or the Daily Dish is a very well-respected political blog run by Andrew Sullivan, a gay conservative, under the auspices of the well-respected magazine The Atlantic. Or Teach Me Tonight is a group blog that I belong to in which a number of people (all listed down the side) write about romance novels.
• Wikipedia is the online encyclopedia that ANYONE can edit or add to. While the information is generally correct and gives a solid, general overview about a topic, don't count on it, always confirm the information, and be especially wary of entries about controversial topics.
• Google is a search engine that allows you to enter keyword searches that will then search the Internet for webPAGES that discuss that particular topic. No matter which search engine you use, make sure you understand which are the paid entries and which are the un-paid-for entries on the page of returns.
• Library databases are places to do more academic research, rather than the informal research you can usually do on the open-access Internet. FSU's databases are available only to members of the FSU community because the library has spent a lot of money on them. You'll need your FSU username and login in order to be able to access them. We'll discuss them later in the semester.
• Edited to Add: The one thing I forgot is chat rooms and instant messaging. This is kind of like a conversation done over the Internet, instant emails (all emails are instant) but with an instant response because it's all happening in real time, rather than with a delay. Chat rooms happen in on themed websites, but also and most often through email programs.
  

If you have any questions about any of this, comment to this post and I'll respond!

Welcome!

Welcome to Dr. Sarah Frantz's Composition II course for the Spring Semester 2009.

Every Friday, I will post to this blog the writing prompts for the weekend's homework. You will respond to the prompt on YOUR blog. I will respond to your blog post and mark off on my grading spreadsheet that you have posted for the week.

If you have any questions, either email me (email address on the class syllabus), or post a comment here, because I will receive comments in my email Inbox.

I hope you enjoy the class and/or that you learn a lot about writing and about navigating the Internet.