It's been my pleasure

I've enjoyed working with you this semester, scholars, and I pray you'll continue to learn and grow as human beings in the days and years ahead.

At least one member of your class seems to have been confused from my comments yesterday evening concerning how the grades were likely to end up for the term. In case you're interested, here is how final grades were distributed for our class.

• 3  A's
• 8  B's 
• 4  C's
• 1  D
• 2  F's

That's actually a pretty strong showing. I wish you all the best in your future studies.

What's on the final

Here's the list of what I'll be drawing on in making up Wednesday's final exam.

• Material from before the mid-term: about one-quarter to one-third of exam questions
• Vocabulary: anecdote, culmination, demographic, diminution, exact (verb), explicit, fascism, forensic, innocuous, maternal, paternalism, placate, risqué, tangible
  
• Readings: “In Jedwabne,” “Ruining Kids in Order to Save Them,” “The Parent Trap,” "Many Students Learn Little to Nothing in College. Surprise?"
• Lecture material: concision & precision, denotation & connotation, Benghazi facts, MLA format, "class motto"

Assignments for Monday, June 16, 2014

Vocabulary: demographic, diminution, exact (verb), fascism, forensic, maternal
Reading: "The Parent Trap"

Note on tonight's class meeting

In addition to workshopping your rough drafts tonight, we'll be having one-on-one conferences to talk about your research paper and how it's coming along. I'll have a signup sheet to schedule 10-minute meetings with me this evening. Time slots will be available on a first-come, first-served basis as students arrive this evening.

Research paper instructions

Final copy due: Beginning of class Thursday, June 12, 2014

Rough draft due: Beginning of class Monday, June 9, 2014

Topic: Is Benghazi a scandal? Take a position one way or another and argue it, with evidence.

Audience: Average, high-school educated adult American who may know little or nothing about the Benghazi situation

Requirements:

• Three pages typed, double-spaced, in MLA format
• At least three sources cited in paper and included in Works Cited

Suggested outline:

1. Introductory paragraph including main idea, thesis statement, and information on why the topic is relevant to your reader
2. One to three paragraphs briefly summarizing the events of Sept. 11, 2012, and the events that followed as a result; choose these events carefully to support your main idea
3. One to three paragraphs explaining why the situation is or is not a scandal; use or refer to concrete details to make your case
4. One or two paragraphs bringing up the other side of the argument and shooting it down
5. Conclusion reiterating whether or not it is a scandal and making concrete suggestions on what should be done from this point onward
6. Works Cited page with at least three sources

For next time: Bring your rough draft to class ready to workshop the paper on Monday, June 9.

Working with sources

Evaluate the following sources for their suitability for using in your research paper. Develop a Works Cited list for the good sources.

Boerma. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-clearly-bears-responsibility-for-benghazi-attack-cheney-says/

CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/benghazi-timeline-how-the-probe-unfolded/

FactCheck. http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/benghazi-timeline/

FullChat. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/03/1304138/-The-Benghazi-Scandal-Series

Hall. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/01/15/Devastating-Benghazi-Timeline-Reveals-Obama-MIA

Johnson. http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2014/05/19/obama-to-fundraiser-were-debating-about-what-benghazi-obamacare-its-not-serious/

King of Shambla. http://beforeitsnews.com/obama/2014/05/michelle-is-a-transexual-married-to-antichrist-obama-video-2463278.html

Nyhan. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/10/upshot/forget-benghazi-hillarys-real-problem-is-obama-fatigue.html?_r=0

Onion. http://www.theonion.com/articles/sasha-obama-suspicious-after-doing-a-little-diggin,32436/

Preston. http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2014/06/03/sweeping-majority-believes-obama-engaged-in-benghazi-cover-up/

Tashman. http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/paranoia-rama-gays-destroying-economy-cias-feminist-infiltration-antichrist-obama

Wiersema. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/06/ted-cruz-says-hillary-clinton-deliberately-stonewalled-benghazi/

Assignments for Thursday, June 5, 2014

• Learn the following vocabulary words, preferably before doing your reading assignment: culmination, explicit, innocuous, paternalism, placate, risque, tangible.
• Read "Ruining Kids in Order to Save Them" and be prepared for a short quiz at the beginning of class over the article's content.
• Create a Works Cited entry for "Ruining Kids."

What to expect on the midterm exam

I thought you might benefit from my own notes on what to include on Thursday's midterm exam. I won't say what exactly will or will not be on the exam, but here is the pool of material I'll be using to make the exam. Use it well.

Vocabulary 
benign, bode, copious, hierarchy, infanticide, libertarian, superficial

Readings
"Social Harmony"
"Excitement Deprives Children of Happiness"
"One Man, Many Wives, Big Problems"
"Cops Are Less Cautious Than Soldiers in Iraq"
"Why We Should Care About the Benghazi Scandal"
"Is Benghazi a Scandal?"
:"Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts"

Lecture material
Writing process--mine & Wordsmith's
Five points for reading critically
Avoiding fragments
Elements of an essay
Elements of a paragraph
"Class motto"
Plagiarism
Nine steps to writing with clarity and style (lots of material here)

Assignments for Thursday, May 29, 2014

• Turn in final draft of comparison-contrast essay
• Be ready to take midterm exam over all readings, vocabulary, and lecture material

Assignments for Thursday, May 22, 2014

The following work is due at the beginning of class Thursday, May 22, 2014.

• Vocabulary: benign, copious, hierarchy, infanticide, libertarian
• Reading: "One Man, Many Wives, Big Problems"
• Other: Complete Review Exercise 3, Wordsmith p. 363

Assignments for Monday, May 19, 2014

Vocabulary: bode, Chanukah, superficial
Reading: "Excitement Deprives Children of Happiness"
Suggested reading: Little, Brown Compact Handbook, 360-68

Assignments for Thursday, May 15, 2014

• Finish and be ready to turn in rewritten essay at beginning of class Thursday
• Read and be prepared to take a quiz at beginning of class Thursday over Wordsmith, pages 1-17
• Memorize the "class motto," and be prepared to write it, word-for-word, letter-for-letter, punctuation-for-punctuation, at the beginning of class.

"Class motto"

Accept it; you're all right a lot.

About your instructor

I'm honored to be your teacher this term. In case you're interested, you can find out more about me here:

Resume
Essays
Short essays
Full list of publications
Shorter list of publications

Once again, I look forward to working with you this term to help you improve your writing, reading, and thinking skills.

Welcome

This weblog is for Lincoln College of Technology students in Milton Stanley's Composition 1 class. Be sure to check back here daily for important course information. Please keep in touch, both in-person and electronically. You can contact me electronically either through the comments section on this blog or by email. I look forward to working with you in the days ahead to help you enjoy a fruitful, rewarding, and enriching term.