Week 8
Welcome back. Hope you had a wonderful week.
Today we will address the essay practice involving comparison and contrast, which may include adopting a hypothetical stance so that we get some practice in using the subjunctive mood and conditional verb forms. There will be time to work in class, and to review grammar and punctuation and summary works. We may then watch one or two of the films from Alain de Botton'sThe School of Life, on YouTube, time permitting.
The last essay (#6) before the class final will require you to present a summary and response view of a Botton film short, including the main ideas of the work and description of how it is illustrated or animated. There are many from which to choose, so I leave the final selection to you, knowing that a personal sense of connection to the topic is important to your sense of engagement. Botton is an Englishman and speaks in a teacherly way throughout the films. I hope you will not be put off by his voice or approach. Every one of the works contains English subtitles, which makes it easier to follow the "lesson." However, in reading along, it is that much easier to miss the animated illustrations meant to make the ideas visual. To form an adequate impression, you must watch, listen, read–several times over, pausing and jotting notes as you work through. You will work as you did with the other texts summarized, stating early on the title and author of the work you are addressing. Your opening sentence might run as follows:
I have been watching videos from Alain de Botton's The School of Life on YouTube and one in particular struck a chord: How to Keep Growing Up, published April 26, 2017. Can it be that in middle age I am still growing up? Yes, or at least I hope so. Botton makes the point . . .
The following URL links provide examples of about 5 minutes duration, which to my mind is an ideal length for a short writing assignment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4IeNGE2qX8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brpk26Oq4aE
Today we will address the essay practice involving comparison and contrast, which may include adopting a hypothetical stance so that we get some practice in using the subjunctive mood and conditional verb forms. There will be time to work in class, and to review grammar and punctuation and summary works. We may then watch one or two of the films from Alain de Botton'sThe School of Life, on YouTube, time permitting.
The last essay (#6) before the class final will require you to present a summary and response view of a Botton film short, including the main ideas of the work and description of how it is illustrated or animated. There are many from which to choose, so I leave the final selection to you, knowing that a personal sense of connection to the topic is important to your sense of engagement. Botton is an Englishman and speaks in a teacherly way throughout the films. I hope you will not be put off by his voice or approach. Every one of the works contains English subtitles, which makes it easier to follow the "lesson." However, in reading along, it is that much easier to miss the animated illustrations meant to make the ideas visual. To form an adequate impression, you must watch, listen, read–several times over, pausing and jotting notes as you work through. You will work as you did with the other texts summarized, stating early on the title and author of the work you are addressing. Your opening sentence might run as follows:
I have been watching videos from Alain de Botton's The School of Life on YouTube and one in particular struck a chord: How to Keep Growing Up, published April 26, 2017. Can it be that in middle age I am still growing up? Yes, or at least I hope so. Botton makes the point . . .
The following URL links provide examples of about 5 minutes duration, which to my mind is an ideal length for a short writing assignment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4IeNGE2qX8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brpk26Oq4aE
The final exam happens week 11. Next week you will be expected to write the film response. Week 10 we will have presentations of some of the essays you have written and review grammar and punctuation. Any rewrites must be submitted by week 11.
Please check the grades posted at Brightspace to see what you may be missing and that my record is consistent with yours.
Please check the grades posted at Brightspace to see what you may be missing and that my record is consistent with yours.
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Make-up and Extra Credit
The following essay description, if you need to make up an assignment or want extra credit, will serve:
The following essay description, if you need to make up an assignment or want extra credit, will serve:
Essay Makeup: In 350-500 words address an idea that you hold as an article of faith or philosophical belief, using narrative or descriptive examples to support and flesh out the basis of that belief. Examples can be found (some 125,000) at thisibelieve.org. There you can explore topics and examples going all the way back to the 1950s, when the project itself first began.The site supports an international forum of sorts on core values, and offers opportunity to upload your essay for publication.
The guidelines for writing the essay are much like those we have been following in class, keeping to 350-500 words in a voice that is personal and original. The following URL within the site describes in detail what the editors want in terms of style and development: http://thisibelieve.org/guidelines/. You may summarize and quote from any one of the published essays as a lead-in to your piece, though neither summary nor response is a required element of the essay. The topic you address should reflect your particular experience and corresponding beliefs or concerns–whether of religion, money, virtue, vice, growing up, growing old, love, death, sickness, health, the meaning of life, the nature of existence, the human condition, pleasure, pain, the fate of life on this planet, etcetera. Your statement of belief should be articulated in a sentence or two.
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