Monthly Archives: October 2013

Changed due dates

I’ve slightly modified the due dates for three of the remaining assignments for the course. The following are all now due slightly later than originally scheduled:

  • Op-Ed #2: now due Monday, November 4
  • Article review: now due Monday, November 11
  • Annotated bibliography: now due Monday, November 18

These changes are reflected in the course calendar. If you’ve subscribed to it in your own Google calendar, your calendar will update automatically.

Looking ahead

Hopefully you’re all enjoying fall break!

If you’re looking ahead at the calendar, you’ll note that three of the four student-selected topics have been set (foreign policy, health care, and abortion), though I haven’t yet settled on readings. I’ve made these selections based on the information you provided me earlier in the semester.

You’ll also note that the fourth student-selected topic has not yet been set. That’s for two reasons. First, the three topics mentioned above may take longer than we originally planned. Second, I want to be sure we have sufficient time to continue working together on writing and on portfolio building. We’ll see how things develop over the next several weeks; if time allows, we can still consider a fourth topic.

Office hours: October 18 and November 22

On Friday, October 18 and on Friday, November 22, I’ll be unable to keep my regular office hours, due to a committee meeting.

To the best of my knowledge, these will be the last two such meetings for this semester, so I don’t anticipate more conflicts. As always, you’re welcome to make an appointment if posted hours don’t work for you.

Monday, October 8

I’m out sick today, I’m afraid. However, we should still be able to stay on schedule.

In place of today’s class, please take a few minutes to fill out this form indicating issues of interest to you, and the questions you have about those issues. Please make a note of those questions. We’ll incorporate them into Wednesday’s class sessions.

The calendar is up to date, so please refer to Wednesday’s calendar entries as you prepare for that day’s class sessions.

I look forward to seeing you again on Wednesday!

AC

P.S. If you have not already done so, please send me the link to your online portfolio.

The prompt for Friday’s in-class essay

The prompt:

Referencing at least two (you may use all three, if you wish) of the three news reports we read about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly, explore the differing ways in which the reporters approach the story.

You may not write your essay ahead of time. You may, however, bring one sheet of paper with a brief outline of your thesis and key points.

If you are typing your essay in class, you must do all of your writing in Google Documents. Do not write your essay in Word and then upload it to Google Documents.

If you are writing your essay by hand, you must type your essay — exactly as you wrote it — in Google Documents prior to class time on Monday. You will also need to give me your blue book in class on Monday.

When paraphrasing or quoting one of the articles in your essay, be sure to indicate which article your material comes from. You may refer to the articles by the publications in which they appeared or by the names of the reporters who filed them.

Please include the following at the end of your essay:

Works Cited

Lederer, Edith M. 2013. “Netanyahu: Israel Won’t Let Iran Get Nuclear Arms.” The Associated Press. October 1. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_UN_ISRAEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT.

Sengupta, Somini, and Rick Gladstone. 2013. “Israeli Leader Excoriates New President of Iran.” The New York Times, October 1, sec. World / Middle East. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/world/middleeast/israel-iran-netanyahu-speech.html.

Solomon, Jay, and Carol E. Lee. 2013. “Netanyahu, in U.N. Speech, Assails Iran’s New President.” Wall Street Journal, October 1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303918804579109224175360210.html.