Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Oral History Interview Handout

Click here for the handout on conducting your oral history interview.

Paper 2 Instructions

Paper 2: Summary-Response Essay, Research Pre-Writing (2-4 pages)
Conduct an interview with an individual who has personal experience with your research topic. Write a summary of the results of the interview. Respond to the summary with your own reactions and opinions.

Paragraph 1: Introduce the person you have interviewed and sum up the most important things you gained from the interview. Make an overall point about the topic of the interview and/or what people can learn about that topic from the information you have to share based on your interview.

Paragraph 2: Identify a sub-topic or sub-point from your interview. Sum up what was said about it. Respond to your summary with your own opinions and/or analysis.

Paragraph 3: Identify a sub-topic or sub-point from your interview. Sum up what was said about it. Respond to your summary with your own opinions and/or analysis.

Paragraph 4: Identify a sub-topic or sub-point from your interview. Sum up what was said about it. Respond to your summary with your own opinions and/or analysis.

Paragraph 5: Conclude by wrapping up any points you've brought up in your essay and by offering your overall impressions of the interview and what you've learned from it. Remember to reinforce the main point or thesis of your paper.

Presentation Instructions, Composition II

Group Presentations, Composition II

Each group should plan to speak 10-12 minutes.
Each person in the group should have a speaking role.
Handouts and/or visual aids should be provided.
As part of the presentation, provide information about where to learn more about your topic in both the textbook and other source materials.
Address both “how” and “why” issues related to your topic. Give background information on why things work the way they do, but also give practical tips on how to use the skill you are teaching more efficiently in the research process.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Peer Critiques

Here is the peer critique handout on paper 1 for those who missed the assignment in class this week. There is no need to print out extra copies for future assignments. The questions will probably change for the next essay.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Instructions for Essay 1, ENG 1123

Paper 1: Narrative Essay, Research Proposal (3-5 pages)



Describe an event in your life that has made you want to know more about a topic of historical significance. Explain why this would be a good topic for a formal research paper and how you could make a good argument out of it. Identify a person you plan to interview about your topic. This person should have had real experience with the topic you have chosen.


Paragraph 1: Introduce your proposed topic for your research paper as well as your own reasons for choosing this topic. Make an overall point about why it will make a good subject for a formal research project.

Paragraph 2: Tell your own personal story of what has sparked your interest in this topic. Tell about personal experiences, people, and or books, movies, songs or other things that may have influenced your interest.

Paragraph 3: Continue telling your story.

Paragraph 4: Continue telling your story.

Paragraph 5: Explain why you believe this topic will be appropriate for your research assignments for this semester. Discuss how you plan to go about finding the necessary information on the topic.

Paragraph 6: Identify a person that you plan to interview for your oral history assignment. Explain how this person is connected to your chosen research topic and what kind of information you hope to gather from your interview.

Paragraph 7: Conclude by recapping your reasons for being interested in the topic and your reasons for believing it will make a good topic for your semester’s research assignments.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Welcome Back!

Welcome to the Spring Semester 2007! This blog is going to be used this semester primarily for my Comp 2 students in day classes. Online students should follow the instructions posted in Blackboard.

Comp 2 students, get your syllabus here.

World literature students, click here to go to your class blog.

Humanities students, click here to go to your class blog.

Let me know if you have any questions about the class or have any trouble getting started. See you soon!

sharon.gerald@jcjc.edu