English 2673 homepage

You can download the list of End of Semester reminders we went over in class today, including what's due this week and the day of the final exam. Don't forget on Friday to remember to bring a pencil -- we'll do course evaluations. And, for Wednesday, you do need to bring 3 possible identification prompts for the exam, but you do NOT have to answer them. We're just looking to compile a list of questions, so I'll take up your list and use it to put together the study guide you'll get on Friday. As you're working on your essay, if you need documentation or writing help, you might check out the links on the left under "grammar resources" and "documentation."

Monday, April 23

This week is a busy one: today in class, we'll begin our discussion of the very last novel we'll read in this class, Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. Make sure you're keeping up with the reading assignments for each class period.

This afternoon, the first group will give their presentation at Polk to the kids, and those will continue all week. I'll be coming to the presentations each afternoon to see what you all have come up with and to take pictures, so if I can be of any help, please let me know.

DUE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND

Essay 2: Friday, May 4

Group Portfolios and individual reflections: Thursday, May 10

Final Exam: Thursday, May 10, at 7:30 a.m.

Monday, April 9

Welcome back! Today, we'll begin our discussion of Amy Tan's novel, The Joy Luck Club. On Wednesday, we'll spend our class time working on your group presentations for the school: we'll discuss what might be appropriate and fun for the kids and look at some possible resources. Due on Wednesday: your idea for a paper topic by email and the first blog response to The Joy Luck Club.

Two possible opportunities for extra credit:

WOMEN IN IRAQ: A Forum
Wednesday April 18, 2007, 6 p.m., International Cultural Center (Dalrymple Drive)
Office of International Development, Women and Gender Studies, LSU Women’s Center & International Studies Students present Anne Bodine, United States Career Diplomat. Bodine has worker at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq and Beirut, Lebanon; at the U.S. Regional Embassy Office in Kirkuk, Iraq; as part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Heart, Afgahnistan; and through U.S. missions in Bahrain and Germany. Refreshments will be served. More info: intdev@lsu.edu.
Special showing of “Left Behind – The Story of New Orleans Public Schools,” April 19 in the Howe Russell Geosciences Complex, from 7 – 10 p.m. There will be a reception, followed by the 90 minute documentary, followed by a 30 minute question and answer period with the co-director and possibly one of the students featured in the documentary.
TICKETS ARE LIMITED. For ticket information, check here. Tickets must be reserved by Friday, April 13.

For either option, you should write a summary and response telling me briefly what you saw/heard and then in more depth, what you found most interesting, especially as it relates to any of the issues we've discussed in class (or in the case of option 2, as it relates to your service experience). RESPONSES TO THESE EXTRA CREDIT OPTIONS ARE DUE BY CLASS TIME ON FRIDAY, APRIL 20.

Friday, March 30

Happy Spring Break! When you return, you should have read the first section of The Joy Luck Club, through page 83. The first response to this book will be due by class time on Wednesday, April 11, also the day your paper topic is due by email.

Relax, read, and return ready to finish up (only 4 weeks of class left after the break!)

Friday, March 16

On Monday, we will begin our discussion of Art Spiegelman's graphic novel, Maus, a Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History. Your assignment for Monday is to get about halfway through the book, to the end of the third chapter. Responses to Maus will be due by class time Wednesday. Also, for Monday, please print and bring with you the assignment sheet for your second essay.

Friday, March 9

Change of plans: no reading assignment for Monday; instead, write a response to Crash (prompt is posted on the blog) and come to class ready to discuss the film.

Friday, March 2

Study for your midterm exam! You will complete Part 1 in class Monday and take home Part 2 to finish and bring to class Wednesday.

Friday, February 23

No class Monday -- I am in Mississippi for my grandfather's funeral. Check your email; specific instructions about what to do between now and Wednesday are there.

Here's a basic rundown: Essays are due no later than midnight on Monday. To submit your essay, please email an attachment as either a Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file. Essays should be formatted according to MLA guidelines (double-spaced, heading in the top left corner, last name and page number in a top right header on each page, etc.)

If you are responding to The House on Mango Street, that response is due by class time Wednesday. Also due: three possible identification questions for the midterm exam.

Friday, February 16

Happy Mardi Gras Holiday! Have a safe and fun break, and don't forget to read the first half of The House on Mango Street and work on your ethnic autobiography. Essays are due on Monday, February 26.

Wednesday, February 7

Opportunity for extra credit: go hear Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, talk about educational inequalities, write about how her talk connects with our class or with your service at Polk, and turn it in on Friday. Worth one replacement quiz grade. She's speaking this afternoon at 5:30 in the Holliday Forum in the Journalism Building.

Other cool stuff going on on and around campus: Black History Month Celebrations, sponsored by the African American Cultural Center. African Dance, a night of poetry, a Quiz Bowl, and more.

Living with Art: Modern and Contemporary African American Art from the Alltash Kebede Collection. The LSU Museum of Art at the Shaw Center is featuring works by many important modern and contemporary African American artists. Runs through May 6.

Wednesday, January 31

From now on, prompts for your reading responses will be posted on the blog. If you choose to respond to a particular prompt, you will BOTH leave a comment on the blog and turn in a hard copy to me in class. Remember that you're responsible for 7 responses by the end of the semester.

Friday, January 26

On Monday, we will have an orientation to the school where you'll be working; service visits begin next week. Instead of a reading assignment for the weekend, I'd like for you to post your first response to the class blog. Instructions and the prompt are all posted there, but you should also bring a hard copy of your response to class on Monday. You'll also need to print a copy of the Group Project Log to take with you to your first service visit.

Wednesday, January 24

In addition to the reading for Friday, please print and bring the assignment sheet for your group project. Also, if you're looking for something fun to do over the weekend (and relevant to our class!), you might check out the Jewish Film Festival in Baton Rouge.

Monday, January 22

For Wednesday, please read sections 2,3, and 4 of your course manual (pages 5-8 in your course packet). Also, take some time to check out these two websites: PBS's website on desegregation Beyond Brown, and the American Anthropological Association's new site Race: Are We So Different?

Be prepared to dicuss parts of the sites you find particularly useful or interesting.

Friday, January 19

Readings for Monday: Introduction and Chapter 1 from Diversity: Strength and Struggle, including Sharon Begley's article, "Three is Not Enough" (course packet, pages 10-17). If you don't have the course packet yet, Begley's article is from the February 13, 1995, issue of Newsweek, and you can find it by doing a simple title search in our library's online database, Academic Search Premier.

Wednesday, January 17

Welcome to English 2673. Here is the place where you will find most everything you need for the course, so take some time to look around. Links to our class information are listed on the left; I'll add to them frequently. I will post announcements and due dates here in this column, so you should get used to checking this page frequently.

For Friday, please print and bring the course syllabus with you to class.

updated spring 2007