ENGLISH 101 WEEK 2
Tuesday
Review and Announcements
• A Couple of Important Things to Note:
• On your schedule there might be a couple of places I accidently
wrote The Little Penguin Handbook when I meant The Little
Seagull Handbook.
• I used to use the Penguin but recently I switched to the Seagull.
Sometimes I mix them up. Just replace Penguin with Seagull.
• Birds, man. BIRDS.
• Turnitin.com Info:
• 101 Fall 15
• Class ID: 10598583
• Enrollment Password: lawson2015
TURNITIN.COM
How to Register - Live Demonstration
Quick Review From Last Week:
Culture, Pop Culture, and How We Define Them
• How do we define “culture”?
• cul·ture
• noun : the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular
society, group, place, or time
• The word “arts” in this definition is what we are most
concerned with. Now, this doesn’t just mean “art” as in
drawing, painting, etc.
• The art of a culture is ALL of that culture’s methods of
creative expression.
• What are some of the ways people express themselves creatively in
the culture of early 21st century America?
Quick Review From Last Week:
• “Pop culture” is short for “popular culture.” This means it
has a broad appeal. (A large cross section of society relates
to it.)
• Pop culture used to be defined in opposition to “high culture”. It was
often thought of as “lesser” or “trivial” in comparison. “High culture”
is thought to be more accessible to the educated/elite, while “popular”
cultures is thought to be the art and creative expression of the
“masses.”
• Regarding our earlier definition of “culture”, the terms “Pop
Culture” and “High Culture” both usually refer to the arts
(created things) of a culture, but sometimes also refer to the
customs of a culture.
• Sometimes these two things (arts and customs/behaviors) cross over
with each other. When might this happen?
Quick Review: Why study “Pop Culture”?
• Historically, academia (schools, universities, professors) put a
lot of emphasis on “high culture” and disregarded “pop
culture,” thinking it wasn’t worth studying or analyzing.
• Recently, many scholars and universities have recognized the
value of pop culture as an area of study.
• Some general assumptions that the study of pop culture makes:
• The art (this includes movies, music, tv, etc.) that a culture produces
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reveals what that culture values.
The art a culture produces reveals widely held attitudes about
important/controversial issues.
While Pop Culture can reveal attitudes, it can also change them.
In other words, the pop culture that we are exposed to can affect how
and what we think.
Key Term for Studying Pop Culture: Media Literacy
Some Other Features of Pop Culture…
• Pop culture is dynamic. This means it is constantly
changing and in motion. This is always been true, but the
speed at which pop culture shifts has increased as mobile
internet technology and social media have become more
and more popular.
• Pop culture is not monolithic. This means that while we
may talk about pop culture as a whole in order to
understand it, the individual pieces that make up pop
culture are diverse, and sometimes contradictory.
Encouraging Effective Class Discussion
• Have respect for your classmates, even when you
disagree with their ideas.
• Build our class’s understanding of the topic at hand
by…
– Adding an additional point or example to what someone
else has said.
– Connecting two ideas that have been discussed separately.
– Challenging what someone else has said by countering his
or her points.
• Ground your discussion of a text by quoting specific,
relevant passages of the articles we read.
Discussion: Small Groups to Whole Class
• Often, when we do class discussion, I will have you
brainstorm and talk about the topics in small groups
before moving the discussion back to the whole class.
• You can elect –or volunteer– a representative of your group
to share the ideas, issues, and answers to questions that your
group discussed with the wider class and myself.
• Although not everyone will be comfortable talking in front of
large groups, I do want everyone to try to contribute
something. All opinions and perspectives have value!
• Also, if you aren’t sure what to say ask questions! Sometime
the best thing a group member can do is ask a classmate to
clarify or further explain their perspective or point!
Today’s Readings
• Considering Identities: How We Construct Our Identity and
What Influences That Construction
• Read excerpt page 111
• Kiflin Turner – “Identity Beyond Stereotypes”
• What problematic stereotypes does Turner discuss in his
essay?
• If someone assumes someone else are something “positive” or
“good” but based on a stereotype, why might this still be a
problem?
• 5 min Quickwrite:
• Discuss the ways in which you or those you know about
have been stereotyped by others based upon one or more of the
following: your race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender, religion, age,
economic class, subculture, or another other identity category.
Discuss the Readings
Melissa Algranati – “Being An Other”
• What sorts of difficulties (stereotypes, specifically) did Algranati’s
parents have to work against in order to be accepted by mainstream
American culture?
• Discuss Vocab: mainstream
• At the end of the essay, how does Algranati define her ethnic culture?
• Why might it be important to characterize yourself using this kind of
detailed language?
Olivia Chung – “Finding My Eye-dentity”
• Identity is constructed, yes—but many people have a more difficult time
constructing an identity outside of societies expectations because of physical
characteristics that serve as identity markers –identity markers that society often
views in a certain way.
• What physical characteristic serves as an identity marker in this essay?
• Why do you think that this physical characteristic seen as undesirable—even
among people/cultures for whom it is common? Can you think of other examples
of this?
BREAK TIME
We will begin again in 15 minutes
WRITING ESSAYS
Moving from Social Media to
Academic Writing
What Social Media writing have YOU
done lately?
• Think back over the past week. Have you done
any social media writing?
• Have you read any pieces of social media writing?
If so, what did you read/write?
• My list might look something like this….
• Posted review of latest book I finished on GoodReads
• Responded to discussion of favorite Game of Thrones character on Tumblr
• Joined a #hashtag discussion on Twitter.
• Congratulated college room mate on new job on Facebook.
Can Social Media help us with Academic
Writing?
• A arguable claim about Social Media Writing:
• “The writing many of us do every day, whether on
the internet or in some other informal setting, can
prepare us for the work of academic writing.”
• Do you AGREE or DISAGREE with the claim above?
• Can you think of at least two points to support this
claim?
• Can you think of at least two points against it?
What can social media teach us about writing?
• The writing we do is a representation of ourselves.
• Just because we are using academic conventions (rules and accepted ways
of writing) doesn’t mean that the writing should not express the writer’s
individuality.
• Even if it is not about you specifically, all writing can be seen as
representing the self—because your experiences, knowledge, and
the texts you have been exposed to determine what you can
write.
• By extension, all writing can be seen as a product of the culture, time
period, and place it was written in.
What can social media teach us about writing?
• All writing needs to connect to its audience.
• Ask questions and offer information that will be useful and
relevant to your readers.
• All writing needs to provide an appropriate amount of context.
• Context is background information needed to
understand what you are writing.
• If you know your audience doesn’t need much context, you can
leave it out, but if your audience might be unfamiliar
with your topic, you will need to give them enough
background information that they will be able to
understand your points.
• For example, what background information would be
needed to understand the following tweet as evidence
of racist attitudes in pop culture?
What does social media teach us about
writing?
• Culture defines writing.
• Organization is important.
• Context is important
• Images can be an important rhetorical tool.
• Information is worth being shared.
• Sources should be cited.
What is “Academic Writing”?
• Academic writing follows a set of
conventions (remember, those are
rules/expectations your readers will have of
your writing in an academic setting), and it
is appropriate for a school or research
setting.
• Academic writing is a WAY of writing, and
is not limited to certain subjects or topics.
Informal/Appropriate for Social
Media
Formal/Academic
Star Wars is awesome. It’s like one
of the most amazing things ever.
Everybody knows about it. Only
people who have been living under
rocks for the last twenty years
don’t. There are lots of things in
the movies that are just like stuff
that goes on now. I totally love
how the Jedi are all wise and
mysterious, just like priests or
prophets or something. Also, the
lightsabers and spaceships rock a
lot.
There is no denying the effect that
the Star Wars saga has had on our
culture. Mention the words, “May
the Force be with you,” and people
of all generations, races, and social
classes will most likely get the
reference. Elements of the series
have even helped us to define and
understand our own world. For
instance, Darth Vader and the
Empire have become universally
understood symbols for
totalitarianism and oppression.
Star Wars is, in actuality, a modern
myth, with Jedi and starship pilots
standing in for the gods and heroes
of Olympus.
Common problems when transitioning to
Academic Writing:
• Not having a clear, explicit claim right from the
start.
• Example: “Many people everywhere are involved with
pop culture.”
• What is the problem with this sentence as a thesis for an
academic essay?
• In order to make a claim, you have to know what you
think. In order to know what you think, you have to be
familiar with the topic.
Common Problems in Academic Writing:
• Lack of organization.
• Otherwise known as “I have a lot of research and ideas, but I don’t
know how to DO ANYTHING with them.”
• Decide where to put your most convincing ideas. Would they
be more effective first, or last?
• Due to copy/paste, the standards for organized writing have increased.
• Decide which ideas need to be explained before introducing
other, more complicated ideas.
• Think of your paragraphs as building blocks. You can rearrange them,
move them around until you find an arrangement you like that also
achieves your purpose.
• “With great power, comes great responsibility” 
Common problems in Academic Writing
• Lots of what other people say, not enough of what you
think.
• Learning to write in an academic way is a balancing act.
• On the one hand, you are expected to do research and refer to what
others say about a topic.
• On the other hand, you are expected to offer your own responses to
what others have already said.
• Too much of others’ writing and not enough of yours is
inappropriate, but too little research (others’ ideas) will make it
look like you haven’t done your homework on the topic.
• If you are wondering whether you got this balance right, ask. I’d be
happy to work with you.
So What Are OUR Academic Writing Assignments?:
Get Out the Prompt for Project One
• Any burning questions about Project One?
• Take note of due dates on the prompt!
• These are the due dates for the major WRITTEN Project
Assignments—the same due dates on the schedule.
• This doesn’t include the readings and the short homework
questions—don’t skip these readings and homework!
• Check out the full schedule on our Class Blog
• They will also help you understand the ideas we are discussing
for this Project and ultimately help you develop your own ideas
for your essay!
So What Are OUR Academic Writing Assignments?:
First Up!—The Rhetorical Analysis
• First, no matter if you agree or disagree with the
author’s ideas, you must make sense of her/his
main points by explaining them in your own words.
• Next, respond to the essay with your own opinions
and evaluations of the claims and the rhetoric
(not only what it says but also how it was written)
• Use the questions on the prompt! If you carefully and
throughly answer each of the questions listed on the prompt (to
the best of your abilities—or least the ones that apply to your
particular chosen essay)
What is “Rhetoric”?
• Definition of RHETORIC (from Merriam-Webster
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Online Dictionary)
1: the art of speaking or writing effectively: as
a : the study of principles and rules of composition
formulated by critics of ancient times
b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of
communication or persuasion
2a : skill in the effective use of speech
b : a type or mode of language or speech; also : insincere
or grandiloquent language
Who Uses Rhetoric?
• The short answer is, everyone.
• If you have ever convinced someone to come around to
your point of view, written a facebook post, or written a
clever tweet on twitter, you have used rhetoric effectively.
• Rhetoric is simply the study of how to communicate
effectively and persuasively.
• When I talk about “rhetorical choices,” I am talking about
the choices that a writer makes in order to fulfill the
purpose of the piece of writing and communicate
effectively.
The Purpose of The Rhetorical Analysis Scaffolding Essay
• One of the goals of the first scaffolding assignment is to show that you can
find, read, and analyze a text that relates to issues you are interested in
reading/thinking/writing about.
• Because your textbook is full of a variety of texts that relate to
issue in pop culture, I want you to choose a text from Pop
Perspectives for this assignment.
• Think about the essays we have read already and maybe look ahead to
the ones due next week. Do you have find any of them particularly
interesting or are familiar with similar experiences/issues in your own
life?
• You can also think about what kind of pop culture/issues you might like
to write about later this semester. Skim some of the articles in the
sections that relate to what you are interested in.
• Choose one to read/re-read in detail and base your Rhetorical
Analysis on.
• This may eventually even become a source for your Identity Essay or
Research Paper.
Choosing an Essay Your Are Interested In:
• The major topic sections in Pop Perspectives—look at the Table of
Contents:
• Chapter 4: “Understanding Lives and Work”
• Some of the text in this section relate to issues of pop culture and identity,
also class issues and work/economics—corporate culture, etc.
• Chapter 5: “Spaces, Rituals, and Styles”
• Texts in this section relate to places and spaces in popular culture—images
in popular culture of the Supermarket, the “Ghetto”, Prom, and Theme
Parks.
• Texts in this section also relate to issues in Fashion and Style
• Chapter 6: “Playing Sports”
• Texts in this section relate to a variety of issues in the wide world of
sports.
• Chapter 7: “Analyzing Print Ads and Commercials”
• Texts in this section relate to a variety of issues in advertising and how we
represent diversity and gender in advertising.
Choosing an Essay Your Are Interested In:
• Chapter 8: “Watching Television”
• Texts in this section relate to a variety of issues in television shows,
and can serve as examples of how to analyze and write critically about
issues in a VARIETY of different kinds of tv shows.
• Chapter 9: “Seeing Movies and Listening to Music”
• This chapter is split into two sections—one for movies, one for music.
The section on movies probably more closely relates to the previous
chapter on television, as far as the kinds of issues that can be brought
up, and how to talk about them. So I would recommend that people
interested in tv/movies join groups.
• The section on music has a lot of fascinating texts as well, relating to a
variety of issues in music genres and music culture.
• Chapter 10: “Surfing in Cyberculture and Gaming”
• Issues relating to “cyberculture” the internet, and video
games/gaming.
For Next Week:
• There’s a lot due for next week so plan ahead and space it out!
• Week 3: September 19
• In-Class Topics: Discuss writing rough drafts and essay organization.
Discuss the readings.
• Due:
• Rhetorical Analysis – upload to turnitin.com
• The Little Seagull Handbook : “Rhetorical Analyses” p. 49-53 ( Read
this first, it will help you write your Rhetorical Analysis)
• Read these 3 essays in Pop Perspectives and answer 1 “Critical
Perspective” question after each:
• “Punk’s Not Dead” p.554,
• “Throws Like the Girl She Is” p.264, and
• “Goin’ Gangsta, Choosin’ Cholita” p.125