For homework, please read about "straight journalism" (as opposed to "feature" or "opinion" writing or commentary, which a lot of you are interested in and which we have looked at in class thus far) here:
https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/what-is-journalism/elements-journalism/
https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/what-is-journalism/journalist-committed-observer/
https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/what-is-journalism/theory-interlocking-public/
https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/bias-objectivity/lost-meaning-objectivity/
https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/bias-objectivity/understanding-bias/
Find a piece of straight journalism that you feel displays these characteristics OR one that you notice violates these principles and bring it with you to class.
The "what I'm really thinking" essays can be found here on the Guardian website: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/what-im-really-thinking
You can submit your own to the following e-mail address: mind@theguardian.com.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Language Skills III (Debating), Homework for Next Session (May 12th or Week 5)
In the next two weeks, please:
1. Find a political debate on English on YouTube or a news website (can be any Anglophone context you'd like). Follow the line of argumentation and take notes on the effective and high-quality language that was used (hopefully there is some :) ). Bring these notes with you to our class on May 12th.
2. Review chapters 2, 4 and 7 in the red book and add those from chapter 3 to your repertoire.
3. Make a list of 5 basic adjectives that show up frequency in debating contexts (e.g. important, big, offensive). Using a thesaurus come up with a list of more sophisticated and/or precise alternatives (try to come up with at last 5 alternatives for each word). Bring these lists with you to class.
(Many thanks to I.Z. in my Do 16-18 for making the following correction one of the synonyms for "hateful" or "offensive": corrosive (with two r's :) .)
1. Find a political debate on English on YouTube or a news website (can be any Anglophone context you'd like). Follow the line of argumentation and take notes on the effective and high-quality language that was used (hopefully there is some :) ). Bring these notes with you to our class on May 12th.
2. Review chapters 2, 4 and 7 in the red book and add those from chapter 3 to your repertoire.
3. Make a list of 5 basic adjectives that show up frequency in debating contexts (e.g. important, big, offensive). Using a thesaurus come up with a list of more sophisticated and/or precise alternatives (try to come up with at last 5 alternatives for each word). Bring these lists with you to class.
(Many thanks to I.Z. in my Do 16-18 for making the following correction one of the synonyms for "hateful" or "offensive": corrosive (with two r's :) .)
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 4
For homework, please:
1. Read pgs. 25-28 of the reader BEFORE you write this week's essay.
2. Read pgs. 85-86 of the reader and complete exercise 4 on pg. 89. (Again, BEFORE you write this week's essay.)
3. Write your second essay in reponse to one of the essays submitted on the Room for Debate platform on the NY Times' website: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate
What is crucial is that you find an essay whose thesis you can clearly identify and respond to in a specific way. Bring your essay with you in printed format to class next week (again, min. of 10-pt font, min. of 1.5 spacing between the lines, with enough room on the margin for my comments).
1. Read pgs. 25-28 of the reader BEFORE you write this week's essay.
2. Read pgs. 85-86 of the reader and complete exercise 4 on pg. 89. (Again, BEFORE you write this week's essay.)
3. Write your second essay in reponse to one of the essays submitted on the Room for Debate platform on the NY Times' website: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate
What is crucial is that you find an essay whose thesis you can clearly identify and respond to in a specific way. Bring your essay with you in printed format to class next week (again, min. of 10-pt font, min. of 1.5 spacing between the lines, with enough room on the margin for my comments).
Friday, April 22, 2016
Writing Skills III, Journalism, Homework for Week 3
1. For homework, please search the web for a piece of good writing and a piece of bad writing and bring these essays/articles with you to class. Make sure to have already identified what made you categorize them in this manner (use our class discussion on categories for the assessment of writing quality as a guide).
2. Write your first essay of the semester, either on a topic related to the project portfolio you want to develop over the course of the semester (i.e. your blog, podcast, etc.) OR in response to the writing prompt given in class (write a review). The essay should not exceed 500 words and must be typed and submitted in print format next week in class. Please use a minimum of 10-pt. font and include 1.5 spacing between the lines (to accomodate my comments).
2. Write your first essay of the semester, either on a topic related to the project portfolio you want to develop over the course of the semester (i.e. your blog, podcast, etc.) OR in response to the writing prompt given in class (write a review). The essay should not exceed 500 words and must be typed and submitted in print format next week in class. Please use a minimum of 10-pt. font and include 1.5 spacing between the lines (to accomodate my comments).
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Debating, Homework for Week 3
1. Access the NY Times Room for Debate website and find a well-supported argument and a weak argument under the various debate topics featured. Bring these two contributions with you to class along with your reasoning for selecting them.
2. Study the constructions and phrases featured in Chapters 4 and 7 of the "Discussing in English" text.
3. Visit the Oxford Union's YouTube channel and watch one of the videos on a debate topic of your choice.
2. Study the constructions and phrases featured in Chapters 4 and 7 of the "Discussing in English" text.
3. Visit the Oxford Union's YouTube channel and watch one of the videos on a debate topic of your choice.
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 3
1. For homework, please read pps. 15-18 of the reader and complete Task 1 (making improvements).
2. Analyze the essay distributed in class "How 'Empowerment Became Something for Women to Buy" (the distributed version has been edited and shortened) in terms of the 11 questions featured on pg. 14 of the reader. (You will need to determine which questions are relevant for this context and which ones aren't.) Identify the main thesis of the article and what function each of the paragraphs in the essay has. (For example, note how the author begins the article to immediately establish authority and get you to listen to her in this context.) Bring the essay with you to next week's session.
3. Have a look at the essay you turned in this week in anticipation of my comments. What are you proud of (what do you think "works") and what would you now change?
2. Analyze the essay distributed in class "How 'Empowerment Became Something for Women to Buy" (the distributed version has been edited and shortened) in terms of the 11 questions featured on pg. 14 of the reader. (You will need to determine which questions are relevant for this context and which ones aren't.) Identify the main thesis of the article and what function each of the paragraphs in the essay has. (For example, note how the author begins the article to immediately establish authority and get you to listen to her in this context.) Bring the essay with you to next week's session.
3. Have a look at the essay you turned in this week in anticipation of my comments. What are you proud of (what do you think "works") and what would you now change?
Friday, April 15, 2016
Writing Skills III, Homework for Week 2
1. Read the articles "Against Nostalgia" (NY Times) and "Steven H. Jobs" (NY Times) distributed in class. Make judgements on the quality of these essays and determine specific categories for how you are making these quality judgements (examples of categories include language level, appropriateness of style, journalistic ethics, etc.). Additionally, determine the structure of the articles (one way of doing this is to determine the function of each paragraph in relation to the whole).
2. Start thinking about what you want your writing portfolio in our class to look like. As stated in class, this can consist of responses to the various writing prompts I give you over the course of the semester, or can constitute a body of work that you publish in the form of a blog, newspaper, podcast, documentary series, etc. The links below include some resources that inspire me:
Online news blog: Splice Today http://www.splicetoday.com/
UK Film Review Magazine Little White Lies http://lwlies.com/
Documentarist Nerdwriter1 (philosophy and analysis) https://www.youtube.com/user/Nerdwriter1
John Green's Crash Courses (general education) https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
Vox's short documentaries (variety of new takes on current topics) https://www.youtube.com/user/voxdotcom
Feminist newsletter Lenny Letter http://www.lennyletter.com/
I'll be adding resources on the blog throughout the semester. If you've stumbled upon something cool, please share it with the class!
2. Start thinking about what you want your writing portfolio in our class to look like. As stated in class, this can consist of responses to the various writing prompts I give you over the course of the semester, or can constitute a body of work that you publish in the form of a blog, newspaper, podcast, documentary series, etc. The links below include some resources that inspire me:
Online news blog: Splice Today http://www.splicetoday.com/
UK Film Review Magazine Little White Lies http://lwlies.com/
Documentarist Nerdwriter1 (philosophy and analysis) https://www.youtube.com/user/Nerdwriter1
John Green's Crash Courses (general education) https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
Vox's short documentaries (variety of new takes on current topics) https://www.youtube.com/user/voxdotcom
Feminist newsletter Lenny Letter http://www.lennyletter.com/
I'll be adding resources on the blog throughout the semester. If you've stumbled upon something cool, please share it with the class!
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Language Skills III, Debating, Homework for Week 2
1.Make a full transcript of the Guardian debate featured here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2013/nov/12/free-schools-middle-classes-video-debate
Bring your transcript with you to class. If you don't have time to transcribe the whole text, please get as far as you can. In other words: don't come to class empty-handed.
2. Purchase the Reclam book introduced in class ("Discussing in English: Englisch-deutsche Diskussionswendungen mit Anwendungsbeispielen," ISBN: 9783150197158) and have a look at chapter 2. (The one time I'll get preachy this semester: please support a bookstore with your purchase!)
Bring your transcript with you to class. If you don't have time to transcribe the whole text, please get as far as you can. In other words: don't come to class empty-handed.
2. Purchase the Reclam book introduced in class ("Discussing in English: Englisch-deutsche Diskussionswendungen mit Anwendungsbeispielen," ISBN: 9783150197158) and have a look at chapter 2. (The one time I'll get preachy this semester: please support a bookstore with your purchase!)
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 2
For homework, please:
1. Purchase the Writing Skills I / Essay Writing reader at Druck und Copy Center (on the corner of Stockenstr. and Franziskanerstr., right behind the Institute). You might need to mention in the shop that the course is under Ulrike Nüßler. Read pgs. 4-14 in preparation for next week's class.
2. Read the article "Deadpool Isn't the Only Solution" (New York Times) distributed in class. Look up ALL of the words you don't know (a habit I'd like you to maintain throughout the semester...and life, actually). Identify the author's 1) thesis and 2) the data/detail/descriptions/evidence he uses to back his claim.
3. Write your first argumentative essay of a min. of 250 words and a max of 500 words on a topic of your choice. It must contain a stance on some issue that can be debated or argued. Make sure you have a clear thesis and support your stance with relevant detail. Use the distributed essays for help/inspiration. Type your essay in a min. of 10 pt. font and with a min. of 1.5 spacing between the lines. Hand in a print copy to me next class (no electronic copies will be accepted).
4. Keep in mind that the date for the exam is Wed. July 20th from 14-15:30 in Hörsaal 10.
1. Purchase the Writing Skills I / Essay Writing reader at Druck und Copy Center (on the corner of Stockenstr. and Franziskanerstr., right behind the Institute). You might need to mention in the shop that the course is under Ulrike Nüßler. Read pgs. 4-14 in preparation for next week's class.
2. Read the article "Deadpool Isn't the Only Solution" (New York Times) distributed in class. Look up ALL of the words you don't know (a habit I'd like you to maintain throughout the semester...and life, actually). Identify the author's 1) thesis and 2) the data/detail/descriptions/evidence he uses to back his claim.
3. Write your first argumentative essay of a min. of 250 words and a max of 500 words on a topic of your choice. It must contain a stance on some issue that can be debated or argued. Make sure you have a clear thesis and support your stance with relevant detail. Use the distributed essays for help/inspiration. Type your essay in a min. of 10 pt. font and with a min. of 1.5 spacing between the lines. Hand in a print copy to me next class (no electronic copies will be accepted).
4. Keep in mind that the date for the exam is Wed. July 20th from 14-15:30 in Hörsaal 10.
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