Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Process Essay

Are you willing to cross gender lines to try something new?
It can sometimes be a jarring experience to try something new, especially if it's something not usually done you typically do. For this assignment, you are asked to participate in an activity that is generally considered to be associated with the opposite sex. For example, a woman might choose to engage in an online gaming session, or a man might spend some time in a spa. Of course, just what a feminine or masculine activity is depends on who you ask. So, choices of activity are individualthere is no right or wrong. Spending time in someone else's shoes, so to speak, helps you better understand their perspective and, thus, empathize with their situation. You will chronicle your experience through a process essay. A process essay informs readers of how something is done or how to do something. However, the goal is not to simply outline the steps involved in a process. The goal should be to illuminate the overall significance of that activity. In other words, the "why" is as important as the "how." Your task is not only to explain the process, but to examine the big picture. For example, it's not just about explaining how a pedicure is done, but why they are so important to so many people.

Requirements:
  • MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
  • 3-page minimum
  • Include a works cited page
  • Spend at least one hour engaged in your activity

The best papers:
  • Stay within the parameters of the task
  • Have a concise thesis which outlines the process
  • Clearly support the thesis with clear and concise illustrations of the steps involved in the activity
  • Conclude with a summation that highlights the larger significance of the activity
  • Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method

Due: Thursday, Nov. 8th (Draft 1; Bring 2 copies)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Week 11



"She might've considered kissing him, even after the horrible first date,
  but he just didn't seem to know what to do. However, Jeremy does 
have one outstanding quality. He likes her. And this quality in a
 person makes them
infinitely interesting to the person being liked."

—Steve Martin, Shopgirl

Week 11
Tu 10.30 
Read: BOY—Chapters 27 - 36 
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations 
Due: REFLECTION 05 

Th 11.01 
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations 

Upcoming:

Week 12
Tu 11.06
Read: WHEN—“Repudiating Rosie” – “Housework”
Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES 

Th 11.08
Read: WHEN—“The Ice Cracks” – “The Decline of the Double Standard”
Class: Writers workshop
Due: PROCESS ESSAY (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Reflection 05: Breast Friends Forever—America's Breast Obsession



It is difficult to argue that we do not live in a breast-obsessed society. Everyday, we are inundated with images of female breasts. From commercials to porn, Americans can't get enough of women's busts. Interestingly, on beaches women are encouraged to display as much of their breasts as possible, but if a nursing mother takes a breast out in public to feed an infant many Americans suddenly turn prudish. Why? And how does all this attention to breasts affect young girls? In a society that celebrates augmentation, what message are we sending women about embracing their natural selves? Likewise, how does growing up in a breasts-obsessed culture affect men's views of women and their bodies? Finally, what does our breasts obsession say about us as a culture?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:


Requirements:

  • Must be in MLA Style
  • Must be two full pages in length
  • Must include a works cited page

Due: Tuesday, Oct. 30th

    Sunday, October 21, 2012

    Week 10



















    "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same ... "

    —Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

    Week 10 
    Tu 10.23 
    Read: BOY—Chapters 9 - 17 
    Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
    Due: REFLECTION 04

    Th 10.25 
    Read: BOY—Chapters 18 - 26 
    Class: Reading discussion; Presentations

    Upcoming:

    Week 11
    Tu 10.30 
    Read: BOY—Chapters 27 - 36 
    Class: Reading discussion; Presentations 
    Due: REFLECTION 05 

    Th 11.01 
    Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES

    Sunday, October 14, 2012

    Week 09







    "A ministering angel shall my sister be."

    —William Shakespeare, Hamlet

    Week 09
    Tu 10.16
    Class: Watch—Transamerica (2005)

    Th 10.18
    Read: BOY—Chapters 1 - 8
    Class: Reading discussion


    Upcoming:

    Week 10 
    Tu 10.23 
    Read: BOY—Chapters 9 - 17 
    Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
    Due: REFLECTION 04

    Th 10.25 
    Read: BOY—Chapters 18 - 26 
    Class: Reading discussion; Presentations

    Tuesday, October 9, 2012

    Reflection 04: Playing it Straight—Reflection 04: Playing it Straight—The Politics of Sexual Orientation in Acting



    In 2010, Newsweek columnist Ramin Setoodeh argued that, "While it's okay for straight actors to play gay (as Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger did in Brokeback Mountain), it's rare for someone to pull off the trick in reverse." He further argues that unlike straight actors who play gay, the sexuality of gay actors who play straight is an issue because "the fact is, an actor's background does affect how we see his or her performance." Not surprisingly, the column resulted in a sharp rebuke from the gay community. This year, author Bret Easton Ellis also stirred up controversy when he argued that openly-gay Matt Bomer wouldn't be convincing playing straight hunk Christian in the upcoming Fifty Shades of Gray adaptation. What do you think? Is an actor's sexuality really only an issue for audiences when he or she is gay, but playing straight? When you are watching a gay actor play straight, does his or her sexual orientation factor into the believability of the performance? While gay actors playing straight on television have made major strides in recent years (e.g. Jane Lynch in Glee, Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother), why are there currently no major openly gay actors or actresses in film?

    Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:
    Requirements:
    • Must be in MLA Style
    • Must be only one full page in length
    • Must include a works cited page

    Due: Tuesday, Sept. 23rd

    Sunday, October 7, 2012

    Week 08



















    "The old theory was: Marry an older man because they're more mature.
    But the new theory is: Men don't mature, marry a younger one"

    —Rita Rudner

    Week 08
    Tu 10.09*
    Read: eR—“What Girls Want” (Atlantic ), “Boys Get Cool Stuff, Girls Get Pink Stuff” (Salon),
    “I Want a Wife” (Ms. ), “99: I Enjoy Being A Girl, Sort Of” (This American Life ) [Audio],
    “My Daughter Likes Being a Boy” (Salon)
    Class: Reading discussion (Special guest lecturer—Nicole Maranhas, SJSU English Dept.)

    *This class should be attended by women only; Email your EDITORIAL ESSAY to me by noon on Thursday the 11th

    Th 10.11**
    Read: eR—“220: Testosterone” (This American Life ) [Audio], “The Problem with Boys”
    (Esquire ), “The Truth of Why ‘Manly’ Men Order Steak, and ‘Wimps’ Order Salad” (Forbes ),
    “My Son is Gay” (Nerdy Apple), “A New Masculinity” (Postmasculine)
    Class: Reading discussion
    Due: EDITORIAL ESSAY (FINAL DRAFT)

    **This class should be attended by men only 

    Upcoming:

    Week 09
    Tu 10.16
    Class: Watch—Transamerica (2005)

    Th 10.18
    Read: BOY—Chapters 1 - 8
    Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
    Due: REFLECTION 04