Month: October 2015

. A. The CREATIVE PATH

The project:

This option is meant to hone your creative skills as well as your interpretive powers. You may choose from the following ideas or propose another option. Whatever you choose, your project must deal with one of the texts from our syllabus. You may choose any assigned text from Units 1 through to our current unit.
Your project should reflect your understanding/interpretation of the text and should work to help us better understand it. There is no page requirement. Obviously, a haiku wouldn’t be long, but it is challenging.

Ideas:

•  A recreation—This is a response to a text that requires you to essentially make it new by writing something like a prequel, a sequel, telling it from another point of view, change the time period (think Jane Austen’s Emma and Clueless), and so on. There are a lot of possibilities. What it must be is true to the original by being consistent with it.

•  An adaptation—You may change the form of your text. For example, you may change fiction into a poem, a song, play, or film treatment.

•  Film concept—You may translate your choice into a film treatment. You could write a description of what your film would be like (who you would cast, what mood you want, who might direct it, what themes you would pull out, what music you would use, what the set design might be like, etc.). You could focus on a scene or two or the work as a whole. You could even present this on power point if you prefer to add visual elements. If you like visual art you could create the movie poster.

•  An imitation or parody— First analyze the original by breaking it down into its main characteristics. Decide what you want to save. You can imitate style or play with concept.

•  A visual arts response—You could create an art project that reflects themes, or illustrates a text. People have done paintings, sculpture, collage, garments, sketches, etc. In this case, it would need to be digital or be able to be presented that way. Powerpoints may work, digital photos, etc. This option is dependent a bit upon your technological expertise. I am not responsible for getting this to me in a usable form: you are.

•  Other options? Let your creativity go. Just be sure that it interacts with the text and helps us to appreciate it.

Supplement:
You must include a supplement that discusses how you put together your project. Take us “behind the scenes.” Why did you choose the piece? What inspired you to create your project? How did you go about it? What were your goals? What did you hope to accomplish, illustrate, demonstrate? If you think it may be unclear, be sure to demonstrate how the piece is connected to the original.
This is your chance to clarify and showcase your work. This supplement should be a separate short essay of about 1 to 2 pages. Please understand that the supplement must have substance. It is an important component of your grade.

Presentation:
You turn in the assignment and supplement to me as an attachment to Assignments.

A. B. The Research Path

The project:
This option requires you to write a traditional 3-4 page (plus Work(s) Cited) short paper. You must include a Works Cited even if you do not cite outside sources because you will need to properly cite the primary text. This option is meant to be an opportunity to hone your skills as a scholar, academic writer, and literary critic.
Choose one of the texts from the syllabus, preferably one that we have already read. You will need to develop a thesis (a claim about the meaning or significance of the text or a claim about the relationship between the text and a historical, cultural, or philosophical element. Remember that the main focus needs to be the text in question. What do you want to say about the text?
The topic is open. The only restrictions are:
•  Your primary text must be selected from our syllabus. It must be on the reading list (Units 1-to the present unit).
•  You may do some biographical, cultural, or contextual research but you must clearly tie this information to the story in question. You need to incorporate it into your interpretation and/or work through what makes that information important to our understanding of the story.
•  You may not write a paper that is essentially an “encyclopedia-style” report of information. This needs to be an interpretation paper.
•  Do not write a plot summary. I want analysis. Do not write an evaluation. I am not looking for a review of the text. There are sections in your anthology devoted to writing about literature. Consult them.

You must support your claims with evidence from the primary text. If necessary, you may also bring in secondary sources found through research. All texts must be properly quoted and cited using current MLA style.

About sources:
If you bring in outside sources, you need to be sure that they are solid: reputable and accurate. In light of this, Wikipedia is not an acceptable source. Nor are various “free essay” sites. If you cannot tell where the material came from or what credentials are behind it, find a different source.

Supplement:
This is relatively short document that should explain your interests and process. Take us ‘behind the scenes” of your research paper. What drew you to the work? Why did you choose it? What led you to your thesis? Did you find anything particularly interesting during research? What would you like to clarify for us? This is basically your chance to clarify any points and to showcase your critical analysis.
Because your paper should be pretty clear, I don’t expect this to be as detailed as a supplement for the creative project. It should still demonstrate thought and care. Aim for a half page to a full page.
Remember that the supplement is still an important part of your assignment.

The goal of this writing is about “main idea”after reading the three articles that attached, please summarize the main idea of each article. Then, try to compare how does each of them develop their main idea. Also, you could add some of your thinking about each article. The sample writing is from some of the classmates’ work. You could read them first, they will help you understand the articles quickly.

The final research paper I will mainly focused on the Japanese artist Yoko Ono’s works. Especially, the periods of early 1960s till 1970s when she actives in New York City and Europe. First of all, I will briefly introduce Yoko Ono’s background and early life in Japan, how she became an artist and starts her career( simply intro 3 arts work, and detail describe 1 art work(very important)). Second, I would describe her relationship with John Lennon, the singer and songwriter of the most famous band The Beatles in the world. How this relationship affects Yoko Ono’s works and the works that they create together(also simply list 5 art works, detail write one art work such as Bed in Peace(very important)). In the End, I may write about the connection between MoMa and Yoko Ono since she had engagement with MoMa dates to her arrival onto the New York art scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s.(list 3 art works, then detail write one display in the Yoko Ono: One Woman Show 1960-1971 at The MoMa (very important))

sources:
1:Biesenbach, Klaus, and Yōko Ono. Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960 – 1971. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2015. Print.

2:Yes Yoko Ono, Alexandra Munroe;Yōko Ono; Jon Hendricks; Bruce Altshuler
New York : Japan Society ; Harry N. Abrams;2000

3:All we are saying : the last major interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono
John Lennon 1940-1980.;Yōko Ono; David Sheff; G Golson
New York : St. Martin’s Griffin;2000

Part II: Short Answer Essays (30 points) Instructions: You should answer ALL PARTS of each essay question, as there are multiple questions within each essay. You should also use SPECIFIC EXAMPLES throughout your essay. If you cite information from the textbook, any of the readings, any of the videos, or any website, you should include a citation. Each answer should be at least 1-2 paragraphs (5-7 sentences per paragraph). Anytime that you are asked to give examples, you want to EXPLAIN your examples, do not just list them.Each essay is worth 10 points. Essays that score well will answer ALL parts of each question. They will include specific examples to help support their answers. They will also use examples from the readings and the textbook.

Please pick 3 essay questions to answer.

1. What are some of the long-term causes of the American Civil War (1800s-1850s)? Please give at least 2 examples. What are some of the short-term causes of the American Civil War (1850s-1861)? Please give at least 3 examples. What advantages did the North and South have entering into the war? Give 2 examples. What role did American Indians play in the Civil War? What role did African Americans play in the Civil War? What role did Union women play in the Civil War? What role did confederate women play in the Civil War? What are the lasting legacies of the Civil War? Give and explain at least 3 examples to justify your answer.

2. What were 2 significant goals of the Reconstruction period? Explain why they were significant. In what way did the executive branch (under Lincoln and Johnson) and Congress differ in their visions of how the United States should be reconstructed after the Civil War? What are the “Reconstruction Amendments,” and why are they significant? What were the experiences of freedmen after the Civil War? What kinds of black codes were instituted after the Civil War and what was their purpose? What is sharecropping, and what kind of an impact did it have on freedmen? Was Reconstruction a success or failure? Give at least 3 examples to justify your answer.

3. What impact did this new industrial society have on the West? Give and explain at least 2 examples. What was the Dawes Act, and how did it impact American Indians? What factors contributed to the United States becoming a mature industrial society after the Civil War? Give and explain 2 examples. What was the “People’s Party” and what are two important aspects of their political party platform? What characteristics define the “Gilded Age” in the industrial North? Give at least 3 examples. It what ways did the Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller contribute to the Gilded Age culture? What are trusts and/or monopolies? What are the lasting consequences of the Gilded Age? Please give at least 3 examples.

4. In what ways did the lives of disenfranchised Americans, specifically African Americans, women, and American Indians, change from 1840 to 1900? For each group, you need to explain 3 significant events or moments from 1840 to 1900 that altered the status of that group, and explain why each event was significant to changing their lives. At the beginning of the 20th century (e.g. the 1900s), what major problems were still of concern for each of these disenfranchised groups (meaning, what problems existed that made them into second-class citizens)? Give at least 2 concerns for each group.

Instructions: The film that I choose is “Remember the Titans”. Within the six page paper I am expected to apply the material covered in class (Especially Bonilla-Silva’s 4 Frames of colorblind racism). As his/her critical thinking decision making objective, the student should decide whether the societal evidence he/she reviews in the paper :
a) demonstrates the typical colorblind pattern that Bonilla-Silva describes in the textbook; or
b) reveals a more progressive and/or minority pattern
c) Some combination of the above
d) Some other pattern not discussed in the textbook but worth exploring in future research.

The student may find that the quotes he/she analyzes deliberately challenge one of the 4 frames of colorblindness in some way, and he/she can note this in the paper as well. The paper should consider the implications of the analysis of colorblindness for the future of a multiracial society. In other words, how do the representations discovered in your analysis help and/or hinder a society’s progress toward inclusive multiracial democracy?

The books Required for this class is listed below:
1) Bonilla-Silva, E. 2010 Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and Racial Inequality in Contemporary America. 3rd ed. Boulder, CO: Rowman and Littlefield. ISBN-13:9781442202184
2) Higganbotham, E. and Margaret L. Anderson. 2011. Race and Ethnicity in Society: The Changing Landscape. 3rd ed. Belmont Ca: Wadsworth. ISBN-13:9781111519537

The six page paper should quote and illustrate all 4 frames of colorblindness and analyze them accordingly.

The two sources I would like to use is the book on “Remember the Titans and the movie itself if possible.

There are four steps to this assignment—you must complete all four in order to receive credit.

__: Identify a situation in which you will encounter persuasion

__: Submit topic on Canvas for approval

__: Expose yourself to the situation and take notes on your experience

__: Write an analytical reflection paper on the experience.

Identify a situation in which you will encounter persuasion:

This assignment requires you to place yourself in a situation where you will be persuaded to do something (buy, believe, etc.). The assignment requires you to set yourself up as a target of a professional salesperson or other persuasion expert and to analyze their experiences using fundamental persuasion, argumentation, and logic concepts.

Expose yourself to the situation and take notes on your experience:

The assignment requires you to set yourself up as a target of a professional salesperson or other persuasion expert. To simulate a realistic experience I will not explicitly instruct you on how to approach the situation (e.g., emotionally detached, strongly resistant). Rather, I simply ask you to behave as naturally as you can.

Examples of the tactics and concepts (these are from the “handout” reading):

a) the foot-in-the door
b) door-in-the face
c) and that’s-not-all techniques
d) slowly escalating commitments
e) the illusion of choice
f) conformity and social proof
g) conveying illusions of authority, honesty, and likeability
h) the base-rate fallacy and negativity bias.

Sample persuasion experts and situations:

Car, jewelry, stereo, furniture, and insurance salespeople; timeshare seminars; parties to sell Tupperware, kitchenware, photo albums, and candles; military recruiters; funeral arrangement coordinators; street hustlers; scientology, Moonie, and other religious recruiters; and psychics.

Ethical Precautions

It is important to take precautions against placing yourself in unsafe situations. You must have your topic approved by me before carrying out the assignment. Occasionally, it might be necessary to suggest an alternative scenario if a proposed situation is too risky. Most cults, for example, are excellent illustrations of persuasion but I generally advise you not to subject yourself directly to their influence. Also, in situations where you will likely encounter hard-sell salespeople, use your best judgment about what point to exit the encounter. For example, if you are visiting a visiting car lot, do not to go beyond the test drive.

Write an analytical reflection paper on the experience:

Your reflection paper should provide readers with an overview of the entire persuasive experience. Be sure you include the following three ideas:

Analyze the tactics, persuasive concepts, and/or logical fallacies that were employed during your experience.
Reflect on how you responded to the tactics
Articulate how you (or someone you know) could more effectively resist similar persuasion attempts in the future.

Like most methods and concepts, there is a primitive and relatively useless way to use the VALUE CHAIN, and there are more sophisticated ways to use the method/concept. The primitive way is to merely LIST AND DESCRIBE some value creating activities of a firm in each of the little boxes of the value chain concept. DISCUSS WHAT ARE SOME WAYS TO ADD VALUE TO THE VALUE CHAIN METHOD/CONCEPT. In other words, how can you make the VALUE CHAIN concept/method worth applying to a case?

30.1 (three paragraphs, at 5 sentences each) Summarize some of the key stylistic traits of French Rococo art and architecture, and explain how these traits relate to the social context of salon life. Then analyze one Rococo work from the chapter and explain how it is typical of the period style.

30.4 ( one paragraph, at least 5 sentences) Discuss the relationship of the Enlightenment interest in archaeology with the new movement of Neoclassicism in the eighteenth century.

31.3 (minimum one paragraph, at least 5 sentences) Discuss Gustave Courbet’s Realism in works such as The Stone Breakers (FIG. 31-12) and A Burial at Ornans (FIG.31-13) in relation to the social and political issues of mid-century France.

As discussed in class a few times, one of the unfortunate aspects of accounting and business is that sometimes things go wrong or people commit fraud. For this project, your assignment is to write a report on one of three prominent accounting/business failures over the recent past.

Specifically, you should:

1. Select one of the three cases listed below

2. Do some research and find out as much as you can about the case.

3. Write a 3-page, double-spaced report and submit it through Canvas at the end of the day on July 31.

Make sure you find out as much information about your company, topic, or individual as you can. Tell what the circumstances were, how the scandal was discovered, why the legislation was needed, tell any interesting facts that will bring the story to life. Who are the players? Do you think the outcome fit the crime or circumstances? Do you think the right people were brought to punishment? Did the legislation work? Were you able to find red flags that might have preceded the unethical behavior? What are the lasting implications of this situation. Who was hurt by the unethical behavior? Have fun with this and make it interesting!

The paper should be at least 3 pages, double-spaced in length. You will need to cite your sources (at least three) and you can format this any way you would like. You will submit your paper through Canvas.

Here are the choices you can choose from for your paper:

The end of Lehman Brothers

This paper is due on Tuesday,

From p. 711 in Wiley Blackwell (Introduction): Literary and cultural critic Charles Johnson argues that contemporary African-American literature “represents a fiction of increasing artistic and intellectual growth, one that enables us as a people — as a culture — to move from narrow complain to broad celebration.” For this discussion please comment on Johnson’s observation in relation to a text by Alice Walker (b. 1944) pgs. 733-760. Make sure that you support your claims by quoting and discussing specific language from the respective text.