Monday evening, December 6

Greetings,
Out of class essay 3 was returned on Friday, December 3rd, unless you were absent that day.

If you have NOT revised out of class essay 1 or 2, and wish to revise out of class essay 3, the revision is due no later than this Friday, December 10th.

As you know, we discussed on Friday, the 3rd, that we will most likely have time to do the grade worksheet check this Wednesday so we will not be meeting on Friday.

WEDNESDAY IS OUR LAST CLASS DAY. PLEASE BRING YOUR GRADE WORKSHEET AND ALL OF THE GRADED WORK I HAVE RETURNED TO YOU.

If you ARE revising essay 3, and wish to wait until Friday to turn it in, please go to the English Dept., located in Calaveras. Here you will find the mailbox room...I believe it is room 103. Place the revision in my mailbox and...EMAIL ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.

If you have trouble locating the mailboxes, please ask a secretary. :-)

Thursday, December 2nd

Greetings...
as a reminder, here is the schedule for oral presentations for next week:

Monday, Dec. 6

Leanne
Tayler
Amanda
Giselle
Michael
Jordan
Liliana
Ariadne
Nicolina
Raymond
Josh
Leticia
Justin

Wednesday, Dec. 8

Vincent
Susan
Kelly
Cynthia
Elizabeth
Ahmed
Tracy
Kristina
Danielle
Zoey
Jasleen

See you tomorrow.

Friday, November 19

Greetings:

Below is Quiz #3, to be completed and submitted by Monday, November 29th. Typed OR handwritten. Please take up to 30 minutes only to complete.

QUIZ 3

Select a character from Breaking Bad, Season 1, and based on your observations/impressions of this character, respond to the following: What would this character list as his/her top three priorities in life...and why? Be specific. (50 points).

Wednesday, November 17

Hello, greetings...
I am sad that I could not show the Special Features from Breaking Bad! I managed to track down a remote from the Media Dept. on campus for my other two English 20 sections. Sigh.

However, I AM glad you were able to chat amongst yourselves a bit in preparation for Essay 3. (thanks, Giselle! :-)...)

I will be on campus on Friday from 8-10 am. So if you would like me to look over a rough draft of essay 3, please email it to me no later than 9 pm on Thursday. All rough drafts received by then will be reviewed and then posted outside my office, Calaveras 149, by 8 am Friday morning.

My sister, who has been in Africa for the last seven years, is flying into San Francisco on Friday and I REALLY want to be there when she arrives. In order to be there on time, I will need to leave by 10 am, so there will be no class on Friday. I am sure you can understand my excitement.

There WILL be a quiz posted on this blog for you to complete and submit on the Monday we return to classes after the Thanksgiving break. I will post it by the end of the day tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 16th

Hello, good morning,
below is a copy of the assignment for out of class essay 3.
Tomorrow in class we will be viewing some fairly interesting clips and commentary from Breaking Bad that some of you may find helpful when writing essay 3. See you tomorrow.



English 20, Section 7
Fall 2010
Prof. Fraga

Out of Class Essay Assignment #3 (200 points)
Assigned: Wednesday, November 10
Optional Rough Draft Due: no later than Wednesday, November 17
Due: Wednesday, December 1st

Requirements:
• MLA format
• If you utilize any outside sources (not required) you must follow MLA format for in- text citations, Works Cited page, etc.
• Attach Character Study Journal (all 7 entries) to essay when submitting

Before we began viewing the first season of Breaking Bad, I assigned a Character Study Journal. You were to select a character to focus on more carefully than others and to record observations of him or her as the episodes unfolded.

This Character Study Journal will now be a valuable source as you write your last out of class essay for this course.

Assignment:
Write an in-depth character analysis of one of the characters in the first season of Breaking Bad. Write your essay for an audience that has NOT viewed these episodes.

Your essay must include the following:
• An introduction/description/background of your character
• Assertions about your character
• Supportive evidence from the episodes that support your assertions (how did you come to the conclusions you did regarding your character?)

Your supportive evidence might include but is not limited to:
• what others observe/say (or don’t observe/say) about your character—either directly or in private
• the actions of your character in particular situations
• the reactions/responses of your character in particular situations
• what drives this character
• what terrifies this character
• what pleases this character
• what does this character long for
• what does this character need

Your thesis must be assertive…it is YOUR opinion as a viewer of these episodes.
Whether or not you LIKE or DISLIKE this character is not an issue in this essay.
Whether you LIKE or DISLIKE the series is also not an issue in this essay. Proving to the reader that this character has the attributes (good, bad, layered, shallow) that you assert he or she has is your goal.

Your thesis might read something like this:

Once Walter learns of his terminal cancer, he seems very unstable and irresponsible; however, his behavior truly represents a very determined, focused and highly intelligent and highly moral father and husband.

or…

Marie is a very insecure and lonely woman who is unhappy and uncomfortable living in the shadows of her power-driven DEA husband and her happily married and very bright sister, Skylar.

Reminder: Keep in mind that you will be presenting the highlights of this essay to the class on either December 6 or December 8. This is not a speech class, so I do not expect you to be elaborate. Just share a brief summary of your character analysis. You are not required to do this in front of the class; you can simply sit at your desk and speak. Sign ups for this presentation will be next week.

Saturday, November 13

Greetings,
so far this semester, we have read about and discussed various "off shoot" topics from the first season of Breaking Bad.
These have included immigration, health care, the war on drugs and family dynamics. We also touched on the issue of honesty in relationships, particularly a marriage. This becomes an increasingly alarming issue in Breaking Bad between Walter and Skyler, between Marie and Hank and between Jessie and Walter.

I asked all three section of my 20 classes to complete a sentence:
Being honest is less about ...and more about....

Below is Reading Packet #8, which consists of a selection of those responses. Please familiarize yourself with this list and print out a copy to bring to class on Monday.

PACKET #8

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT BEING TRUTHFUL AND MORE ABOUT BEING CARING.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT SELFLESSNESS AND MORE ABOUT SELFISHNESS.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT GAINING RESPECT FROM OTHERS AND MORE ABOUT GAINING SELF RESPECT.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT BEING NICE AND MORE ABOUT TELLING THE TRUTH.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT CHEATING AND MORE ABOUT LOYALTY.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT CHARACTER AND MORE ABOUT INTEGRITY.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY AND MORE ABOUT HOW YOU SAY IT.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT TELLING THE PERSON EVERYTHING AND MORE ABOUT JUST TELLING THE TRUTH.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT MAKING PEOPLE FEEL BETTER AND MORE ABOUT BEING HONORABLE BY STATING WHAT IS A FACT NOT AN OPINION.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT TELLING SOMEBODY EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU FEEL THAT YOU MUST, AND MORE ABOUT TELLING SOMEBODY SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU FEEL IT IS RIGHT.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT SHARING EVERY TRUTH AND MORE ABOUT BEING TRUTHFUL.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT FEELINGS AND MORE ABOUT REALITY.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT TELLING THE TRUTH AND MORE ABOUT BEING ABLE TO GAIN AND KEEP PEOPLE'S TRUST.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT TELLING THE TRUTH AND MORE ABOUT REVEALING HOW ONE FEELS.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT SHARING SECRETS AND MORE ABOUT BEING TRUSTWORTHY,

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT SHARING EVERYTHING AND MORE ABOUT SHARING THE IMPORTANT THINGS.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT OPENLY SHARING EVERYTHING AND MORE ABOUT YOUR VALUES.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT YOURSELF AND MORE ABOUT OTHERS.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT HURTING AND MORE ABOUT HELPING.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT WORDS AND MORE ABOUT ACTIONS.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT SAYING EVERYTHING THERE IS TO SAY AND MORE ABOUT SAYING EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE SAID.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT TELLING THE TRUTH AND MORE ABOUT THE REASON WHY YOU DON'T TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH.

BEING HONEST IS LESS ABOUT CONCEALING AND MORE ABOUT REVEALING.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Just a friendly reminder...
again...
if you keep current with the blog,
you will know everything you need to know
regarding the class, assignments, reminders of things I have announced in class, etc.
See you tomorrow!

Friday, November 5th

OOPPPSSS!!!
I apologize!!!
The posting about the due date for the essay was MEANT for my 1A students. I accidentally posted it on this blog.
AGAIN, I am so sorry for the confusion.
Your essay REALLY IS DUE ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH!!!!

Have a great weekend! :-)

Wednesday, November 3

Hello,
there seems to be some question about the due date for out of class essay 2.
If you refer to the actual assignment sheet, you will note the dates you need.
If you recall, when I assigned the essay, that I moved the due date from the original one listed on the syllabus because I assigned it later than indicated on the syllabus.
The assignment is also on the blog.
Due date is Wednesday November 10.
Rough drafts are due no later than this Friday, the 5th.

Just another friendly reminder...
Please keep current with the assignments.
There are too many students coming to class unprepared.
CHECK THE BLOG. All you need to know is here.

Thanks! :-)

Monday, November 1

Greetings...
Due Wednesday:
Please type at the top of your page: Musings on Immigration.
Then spend a few moments recording what comes to mind when you hear the word "immigration."
Please do not put your name on this assignment.
There is no wrong way to approach this. In the past, students have responded in various ways--including listing, a short paragraph, or perhaps even a personal story that the word triggers.
No required length.
Any questions, please email me.
See you Wednesday.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Greetings, Information for Packets 6 and 7 below.
Happy Halloween weekend.
:-)


PACKET 6 (ONE READING)
"Top 10 Pros and Cons--What are the Solutions to Illegal Immigration?"
http://immigration.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000842


PACKET 7 (TWO READINGS)
"Immigration--Linked Prostitution Cases Pose Challenge
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/06/AR2008030603665.html

"Immigrants tell of forced prostitution and slavery as trafficking gang is jailed"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/nov/02/immigration.ukcrime

645 am...Friday, October 29, 2010

Good morning,
I truly apologize for such late notice. I realize most of you will not read this until it is too late.
I am going to have to cancel class today, Friday, October 29th.
I am having some unexpected transportation issues. :-)
We will complete what is scheduled for today...on Monday.
Have a safe weekend.

3:45 pm, Tuesday, October 26th (corrected from earlier today)

Hello!
A few reminders and other notations...
1. Be sure when you do check the blog, which should be daily, that you look for previously posted blogs you may have missed. A few students have asked about the final date for rough drafts of essay 2 to be submitted. On October 15th, I amended the date on a blog entry. The last possible date to submit a rough draft for essay 2 is Wednesday, November 3rd. The final draft is due on Monday, November 8th.
2. I have an undamaged copy of episode 7 so we will watch the last few minutes of the episode on Wednesday in class.
3. In class Journal #3 in class on Wednesday.
4. Reminder, all seven episodes are on reserve in the library.
5. Please be prepared in class on Friday having completed Packet 5.
6. Group Work #2 will also be on Friday.

Saturday evening, October 23

Hello!

The following link will take you to Packet #5, due to be read, and in the case of the first of the two assigned, listened to as well, by Friday, October 29th.

The first required reading is a 4 minute and 50 second interview that was recorded on National Public Radio in June of this year.

1.) "Tackling America's Drug Addiction"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127937271

Reminder: After you listen to the interview, please print out the transcript of the interview and bring to class on Friday.

2.) "Confessions of a Mom (and a Former Teen Pothead)
http://www.npr.org/blogs/tellmemore/2010/10/19/130677774/confessions-from-a-mom-and-former-teen-pot-head

Reminder: After reading this blog posting, please print and bring to class on Friday.

Wednesday evening, October 20

Hello, if you attended class today, you have this handout and your notes from my mini lecture about reading critically. This is a "just in case" you were unable to attend class or if you happen to misplace it and are desperate to have another copy. :-)


English 20, College Composition II
C. Fraga

How to Critically Read an Essay

Educated adults exist in a delusional state, thinking we can read.

In a most basic sense, we can.

However, odds are, some of us cannot read, at least not as well as we would like.

Too many college students are capable of only some types of reading and that becomes painfully clear when they read a difficult text and must respond critically about it.

Intelligence and a keen memory are excellent traits and most students have learned to read in a certain way that is only useful for extracting information. Thus, students are often fairly well skilled in providing summary.

However, the act of reading to extract information and to read critically are vastly different!

The current educational system in American primary schools (and many colleges) heavily emphasizes the first type of reading and de-emphasizes the latter.

In many ways, THIS MAKES SENSE.

Reading to extract information allows a student to absorb the raw materials of factual information as quickly as possible. It is a type of reading we all must engage in frequently. However, each type of reading calls for different mental habits. If we do not learn to adjust from one type of reading to another when necessary, we cripple our intellectual abilities to read critically.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN READING TO EXTRACT INFORMATION AND READING CRITICALLY.

1. They have different goals. When students read to extract information, usually they seek facts and presume the source is accurate. No argument is required. On the other hand, when students read critically, they try to determine the quality of the argument. The reader must be open-minded and skeptical all at once, constantly adjusting the degree of personal belief in relation to the quality of the essay’s argument.
2. They require different types of discipline. If students read to learn raw data, the most efficient way to learn is repetition. If students read critically, the most effective technique may be to break the essay up into logical subdivisions and analyze each section’s argument, to restate the argument in other words, and then to expand upon or question the findings.
3. They require different mental activity. If a student reads to gain information, a certain degree of absorption, memorization and passivity is necessary. If a student is engaged in reading critically, that student must be active!!! He or she must be prepared to pre-read the essay, then read it closely for content, and re-read it if it isn’t clear how the author is reaching the conclusion in the argument.
4. They create different results. Passive reading to absorb information can create a student who (if not precisely well read) has read a great many books. It creates what many call “book-smarts.” However, critical reading involves original, innovative thinking.
5. They differ in the degree of understanding they require. Reading for information is more basic, and reading critically is the more advanced of the two because only critical reading equates with full understanding.

ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE WANT IS THE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF OUR READING SKILLS, SO WE CAN MOVE BACK AND FORTH AMIDST THE VARIOUS TYPES OF READING.

FIVE GENERAL STAGES OF READING

1. Pre-Reading—examining the text and preparing to read it effectively (5 minutes)




2. Interpretive Reading—understanding what the author argues, what the author concludes, and exactly how he or she reached that conclusion.




3. Critical Reading—questioning, examining and expanding upon what the author says with your own arguments. Skeptical reading does not mean doubting everything your read.



4. Synoptic Reading—putting the author’s argument in a larger context by considering a synopsis of that reading or argument in conjunction with synopses of other readings or arguments.



5. Post-Reading—ensuring that you won’t forget your new insights.

Monday evening, October 18th, 10:15 pm

Just a quick note...

when you are accessing the two required readings for Wednesday, please make a note that the article titled
"Middle class struggling with health care costs, report finds" is the one I want you to read. It is an article by David Templeton from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It is the link I gave you, but just in case you notice another listing when you google this title, it may be the entire PDF of the report. I do not want you to read the entire report, just the article ABOUT the report.

See you Wednesday.

Sunday, October 17 at 7 pm

Hello,

The following TWO readings about U.S. health care are due to be read by Wednesday, October 20th and are considered READING PACKET #4. The issue of health care certainly rears its head in the Breaking Bad episodes. It seems fitting that the series features an ordinary high school chemistry teacher whose health care benefits do not cover his treatments for lung cancer. He is desperate to get money for his treatments and to leave money for his family in the event of his death.

(Walter's former business partner, Elliott, was willing to pay for Walter's entire treatment. This "private sector" option was rejected out of jealousy and spite toward his friend's success. White, who quit the company before it went big, believes his friends ripped him off. One of his friends is the current wife of the company's CEO and also White's ex-fiance, whom he left. His resentment toward their success drives him to reject their offer.)

"Middle Class Struggling with Health Care Costs, Report Finds"
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043764-84.stm

"Why Does Health Care Cost so Much?"
http://www.newamerica.net/node/8920

See you tomorrow in class. We will be viewing episode six of Breaking Bad.

ONE MORE THING! Remember, no class this Friday, October 22nd.

Friday, October 15, 2010--around 4 pm

Greetings...
please make note of this CORRECTION...
The last possible date you can submit a rough draft for out of class essay assignment #2 is not October 27th but WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD.
Sorry about the error! :-)

Tuesday, October 12th

Greetings: Below is copy of Out of Class Essay #2 which was assigned on Monday, the 11th.

Also, there has been discussion in class about the use of numbers in essay writing. Here are the "rules".....

SPELL OUT:
1. Numbers that take only one or two words (nine....twnety-seven....two billion)
2. Numbers that begin a sentence (One hundred and four years ago the ship sank.)
3. Numbers that form a compound word (a two-year-old baby)
4. Fractions (one-half)
5. Times using o'clock, half past and quarter (two o'clock....half past four)

USE NUMERAL FOR:
1. Numbers that require three or more words (1,889....162)
2. Dates, page references, room numbers, statistics, addresses, percentages, and dollars and cents (May 6, 1974....7,500 residents...99.44%....page 2....221B Baker Street....$5.98
3. A list or series of numbers
4. Exact times (2:00 p.m......my 8:30 class)
5. Numbers in papers on scientific or technical subjects

As far as using apostrophes with years...you don't. With a few exceptions, just use apostrophes for contractions and possessives. (the 1980s....six CDx....three dogs....Greek gods....five families....)




English 20, Fall 2010---Sections 7, 15 & 17---C. Fraga

Date assigned: Monday, October 11
Rough draft (optional): due no later than Monday October 25 (sec. 15 & 17) OR Wednesday October 27 (sec. 7)
Final draft due: Monday, November 8
(you have three weeks to research and write this essay)
Details:
1. MLA format
2. At least 3 outside sources on your Works Cited page
3. Please, no Wikipedia

OUT OF CLASS ESSAY ASSIGNMENT #2
Among many things, the series Breaking Bad focuses on the family entity and what happens when something quite extraordinary occurs—how do members of the family cope, adjust, and/or “deal” with the event/situation? (In the case of this series, obviously it is Walter’s cancer that is the ‘event’).

I am not referring to the everyday bumps in the road that occur for all families. Instead, I am asking you to consider the family unit when faced with an especially challenging situation. These situations could include but are not limited to:
• death
• birth
• infidelity
• serious injury
• dementia
• serious illness
• divorce
• unemployment
• new employment
• moving to a new home/state/area/country
• the return of a war veteran
• moving BACK home after initially moving OUT
• alcoholism
• drug abuse

Select ONE situation that you are most interested in exploring. You will conduct research (and possibly personal interviews, if possible) in order to write an essay that offers the reader background on the topic and makes an assertion about what elements impact a family in the most challenging of ways and supports it logically and interestingly.

Your thesis might read something like this:

When a family member develops dementia, the challenges are often devastating, yet the disease definitely impacts family members more than the dementia patient.

Or…

When a couple divorces, it most certainly impacts the children still living at home; however, it is the older children who have already moved away that are most affected by the split.

Thursday, October 7th

Greetings...sending you wishes for an enjoyable and safe weekend.
(and if you are reading this before Friday's class tomorrow, yes, we have class! :-)...)

The following link will lead you to...Reading Packet #3, due to be read by Monday.

"Assessing and Managing Depression in the Terminally Ill Patient
http://focus.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/3/2/310

It is an article published in the spring of 2005 in The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry.

It APPEARS at first glance to be very "academic"--however--do not fret. It is actually very readable and quite interesting. It offers case studies to consider which always aids in a rather academic topic such as this one.

Walter is obviously affected by his knowledge that he is terminally ill and so it is rather interesting to follow this idea further from television "land" to reality.