Portfolios are to be completed by noon on Tuesday May 8.
Please send me an email, gotprofkiefer@gmail.com, when you are ready to have your portfolio assessed, in the event that you choose to submit it prior to the May 8 deadline.
Barring an unforeseen disaster or late portfolio submissions, I will probably have grades completed and submitted by Saturday, May 12. All grades MUST be submitted to Keanwise at one time, so one student's failure to complete his/her portfolio on time could stall the process.
I will email the class a final time as soon as grades have been submitted. Keep in mind that it often takes 24 hours for Keanwise to update grades.
Thank you for all your hard work! Keep writing!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The Reflective Letter and Portfolio Procedures
English Composition
Portfolio Procedures
A portfolio is a collection of written work with a reflective introduction. We will use this as our assessment model for English Composition because it emphasizes process, revision, and reflection, fundamental concepts in writing. The portfolio counts as 50% of your total grade for this course. Remember, in order to receive credit for your portfolio you must share it with me at gotprofkiefer@gmail.com and collcomp@kean.edu. The portfolio DUE DATE is NOON on Tuesday, May 8.
Required Contents
The portfolio must contain the following pieces:
§ Project III An analytical essay (ex. determining the strategies used in an ad or editorial to affect the audience). For this essay, students must include:
· Planning work (ex. brainstorming, freewriting, listing)
· At least one rough draft
· A final, unmarked draft
§ Project II A persuasive/argumentative essay (ex. advocating a position, proposing a solution to a problem, or evaluating an action). For this essay, students must include:
· Planning work (ex. brainstorming, freewriting, listing)
· At least one rough draft, preferably with instructor comments
· A final, unmarked draft
- Project I One assignment that shows ability to summarize and respond to a text
- The endpoint essay—to be completed in class next Tuesday, May 1, 2012.
- An introduction, Reflective Letter, set up as the portfolio’s home page, in which you reflect on what you learned in the course and explain how the portfolio demonstrates that learning.
Professor Kiefer’s hints for writing the Reflective Letter
The purpose of the Reflective Letter is to offer you an opportunity to reflect on and assess your growth as a writer. Specifically this letter will give you an opportunity to show where you most struggled, explain how you overcame those difficulties, what you have learned, and explain how the essays in your portfolio illustrate your growth as a writer over the semester by analyzing each essay in the portfolio.
Introduction
Open your reflection with a short introduction that sets the context and tone for reporting the development of your work.
Body
Then divide the body into paragraphs that discuss the essays in your portfolio: Summary/Response or Project I, Argument (Project II) and Analysis (Project III .) You may choose to explain how the essays in your portfolio demonstrate the qualities on which they will be evaluated/graded.
Conclusion
Close your reflective/self-assessment letter by explaining how, overall, your portfolio shows your skills and growth this semester (i.e. Consider the parts of your portfolio and your self-analysis of these, what conclusions a reader might draw about you as a writer and reader, from examining your portfolio.)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Analyzing Analysis Papers
Tonight we assessed and discussed two Analysis papers, one on each end of the effectiveness spectrum.
As announced in class, A-Team hours for this week will be changed.
Please look for an email regarding the confirmation of the times into Tutortrac.
As announced in class, A-Team hours for this week will be changed.
Please look for an email regarding the confirmation of the times into Tutortrac.
Project III Rubric--Paper due 4/24/12 at Noon!
Project III Rubric --Analyzing Opinion Pieces
______ out of 55 points--
criteria for the Analysis Paper:
____out of 5 for a brief summary of each article.
____ out of 10 for a clear statement of the two positions, usually defined in a thesis statement.
_____out of 10 Analysis: clear illustration of the strategies the writer uses to support their position in each text—ethos, logos, or pathos (only those present need be mentioned.)
_____out of 10 for use of specific evidence taken from the text which supports the writer’s position on the analysis.
___ out of 10 a) for the effective use of excerpts, quotations.
___ out of 10 for correct citations and a Works Cited page
_____ out of 5 points Argument Essay: 1000 word minimum. Due Tuesday, April 24, 2012.
_____Extra credit for Early Birds!
_____out of 40 points Kean University English Composition Grading Policies
Writing assignments are evaluated according to
____out of 10 points clarity of focus;
____out of 10 points quality of development;
____out of 10 points effectiveness of organization;
____out of 10 points correctness of mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation).
_____ out of 100 Total Points
______ out of 55 points--
criteria for the Analysis Paper:
____out of 5 for a brief summary of each article.
____ out of 10 for a clear statement of the two positions, usually defined in a thesis statement.
_____out of 10 Analysis: clear illustration of the strategies the writer uses to support their position in each text—ethos, logos, or pathos (only those present need be mentioned.)
_____out of 10 for use of specific evidence taken from the text which supports the writer’s position on the analysis.
___ out of 10 a) for the effective use of excerpts, quotations.
___ out of 10 for correct citations and a Works Cited page
_____ out of 5 points Argument Essay: 1000 word minimum. Due Tuesday, April 24, 2012.
_____Extra credit for Early Birds!
_____out of 40 points Kean University English Composition Grading Policies
Writing assignments are evaluated according to
____out of 10 points clarity of focus;
____out of 10 points quality of development;
____out of 10 points effectiveness of organization;
____out of 10 points correctness of mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation).
_____ out of 100 Total Points
Thursday, April 12, 2012
April 12, 2012
In addition to an introduction workshop, tonight we reviewed some important dates:
1) Tuesday, April 24--Project III/Analysis paper due at noon to Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com.
2) Thursday, April 26--Reflective Letter workshop. The Reflective Letter is a required piece for your portfolio. A detailed explanation of strategies and requirements will be presented.
2) Tuesday, May 1--Final --Endpoint Exam (timed exam that MUST be taken on this night and submitted in the time allowed to your portfolio. This timed exam is a requirements for your portfolio.)
3) Tuesday, May 8--Portfolios due by noon. You may send me an email prior to this date if your portfolio is completed early, and I will assess it ASAP in an effort to inform you of your overall grade for the course before I submit it to Keanwise.
Happy Weekend....and Revisions!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Human Rights Gallery Walk
Tonight we visited the current show at Kean's Human Rights Gallery on Modern Slavery. The photographs by Kay Chernush capture the daily struggle of the millions of victims of human trafficking and slavery throughout the world.
Upon returning to CAS, we responded to what we saw and experienced using Google Docs to record our thoughts, impressions and perspectives.
Thursday we will discuss our Reflective Response papers on the NY Times articles and then consider some new, or existing strategies for crafting strong introductions and conclusions.
Upon returning to CAS, we responded to what we saw and experienced using Google Docs to record our thoughts, impressions and perspectives.
Thursday we will discuss our Reflective Response papers on the NY Times articles and then consider some new, or existing strategies for crafting strong introductions and conclusions.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Class and homework 4/3/12
Tonight
- We read three New York Times editorials posted in the blog below.
- Students chose on article to analyzed the author's use of logos, ethos or pathos.
- One of these articles will be the subject of your Reflective Response #2 that is due next Tuesday, April 3. Your papers do not have to be a strict analysis of the persuasive appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) rather, they may include your response to any aspect of the topic presented, or the strategies the author uses to achieve his/her purpose. Please bring TWO HARD COPIES to class.
- Please continue to work on the following papers: Analytical paper (Project III)--due April 24, revision of Summary/Response paper (Project I), revision of Argument paper (Project II).
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
NYT Article #3
April 1, 2012
To Enroll More Minority Students, Colleges Work Around the Courts
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
With its decision to take up racial preferences in admissions at public colleges, the Supreme Court has touched off a national guessing game about how far it might move against affirmative action and how profoundly colleges might change as a result.
But no matter how the court acts, recent history shows that when courts or new laws restrict affirmative action, colleges try to find other ways to increase minority admissions.
The aggressiveness of those efforts, and the results, vary widely by state, but generally they increase minority enrollment — though not as much as overt affirmative action once did. And they have tended to help Hispanic applicants far more than blacks, at least partly because of the demographics of the states where they have been tried.
Texas and a few others, for instance, compare students with their high school classmates, rather than with all applicants, resulting in more enrollment from poor communities. Washington is among the states that give added credit in the admissions process to students who come from poor families or excel at troubled schools.
Other colleges have spent more time recruiting in underrepresented communities. And the University of California system tries to weigh a student’s life beyond grades and test scores — which, critics say, sometimes amounts to giving racial preferences without acknowledging them.
Even if the Supreme Court limits the options, college and universities will “be seeking diversity by any legal means possible,” said Ada Meloy, general counsel of the American Council on Education. But a decision overturning affirmative action could produce a national pattern of more liberal states going further to mimic the current system than more conservative states. Defenders of affirmative action are most likely to see any new system as unfair to black and Hispanic students, while critics will still see it as unfair to whites and Asian-Americans.
The current nationwide standard is based on two decisions involving the University of Michigan in 2003, when the Supreme Court ruled that public universities could not give an applicant an automatic advantage based on race or ethnicity. But in a decision written by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the court also ruled, 5 to 4, that colleges could consider race and ethnicity as part of a case-by-case assessment of individuals.
Since 2003, the court has shifted rightward, with Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., a critic of preferences, replacing Justice O’Connor. In February, the court agreed to hear Fisher v. University of Texas, a challenge to the university’s admissions policy, fueling speculation that it could revisit the standards it set nine years ago. The Texas system admits the top students at every high school in the state, but also admits additional students with a system that takes race into account.
The court has many options, including leaving things as they stand, finding that universities are interpreting the Michigan case too loosely, altering it, or overturning it completely. And it remains unclear how any ruling would affect private colleges, which rely heavily on federal financing.
Perhaps the best glimpse of a future without the current version of affirmative action comes from the handful of states that have already outlawed the use of race in public college admissions.
After California voters approved such a law, black and Hispanic freshman enrollment at the University of California system dropped by about one-quarter in 1998, the first year the ban was in effect. At the system’s most competitive campuses, in Berkeley and Los Angeles, enrollment for those groups fell by almost half. In the years since, the system has tried several approaches to increase diversity without directly taking race into account, and the numbers eventually rose.
Black students accounted for just over 4 percent of University of California freshmen in the mid-1990s. That fell to 3 percent after the law took effect, and remained there for several years, before climbing close to 4 percent in recent years.
Hispanic enrollment stood at 14 to 15 percent of the total before the ban, and fell to 12 percent in 1998, but quickly began to climb, driven by California’s fast-rising Latino population. By 2010, that group accounted for more than 22 percent of the system’s freshmen.
“If we had affirmative action as one of our tools, we’d do somewhat better for Hispanics, and we’d probably do significantly better for African-Americans,” said Mark G. Yudof, president of the University of California system.
A central part of California’s effort has been to compare applicants with other students in their communities, rather than with students statewide, much as Texas does. At each high school, the top 9 percent of students are guaranteed admission to the University of California — though not necessarily to the campuses of their choice — as long as they meet some other criteria. Officials acknowledge that the aim is race-conscious but that the mechanism is race-neutral.
Florida uses a percentage-based system as well. There, as in California and Texas, the benefits go mostly to Hispanic students because of the large number of high schools that are predominantly Hispanic. Black students are spread among high schools with large numbers of other students.
In California, arguably the most liberal state to have banned affirmative action in admissions, the university system has gone further to increase minority enrollment. The system has expanded, adding a new campus and increasing enrollment at existing schools.
The Berkeley campus, and later U.C.L.A., also adopted an admissions approach called holistic review, reducing the emphasis on grades and test scores while taking a broader look at students’ experiences and the challenges they have overcome. “I do think you’re going to see a move toward a more holistic admissions system” in other states, Mr. Yudof said, especially if the Supreme Court rolls back consideration of race. His system is pushing all of its campuses in that direction.
Some of the public universities in Washington State, where voters banned affirmative action in 1998, use a holistic approach, as does the University of Michigan.
Richard H. Sander, a U.C.L.A. law school professor who studies the issue, says that the holistic approach is also loose enough to allow race to be an unacknowledged part of the equation, potentially violating state law. University officials insist that their systems are race-blind.
In Washington, Hispanic and black enrollment at state universities did not change much after the law went into effect, but at the state’s flagship, the University of Washington, it fell for a few years, before returning to its former level. At the University of Michigan, minority enrollment fell sharply after the law took effect in 2007, and has not rebounded. Black students made up more than 10 percent of the freshman class a decade ago, and 7 to 8 percent in the years just before the law, but that has dropped to a little over 5 percent in recent years.
As for the Fisher case, Professor Sander pointed to the crucial role of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, widely seen as the swing vote. He predicted that rather than overturn the standards it set in 2003, the court would amend them or alter the way they are carried out, restricting the use of race without eliminating it. “This hinges on Kennedy,” Professor Sander said, “and Kennedy usually likes to do half a loaf.”
To Enroll More Minority Students, Colleges Work Around the Courts
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
With its decision to take up racial preferences in admissions at public colleges, the Supreme Court has touched off a national guessing game about how far it might move against affirmative action and how profoundly colleges might change as a result.
But no matter how the court acts, recent history shows that when courts or new laws restrict affirmative action, colleges try to find other ways to increase minority admissions.
The aggressiveness of those efforts, and the results, vary widely by state, but generally they increase minority enrollment — though not as much as overt affirmative action once did. And they have tended to help Hispanic applicants far more than blacks, at least partly because of the demographics of the states where they have been tried.
Texas and a few others, for instance, compare students with their high school classmates, rather than with all applicants, resulting in more enrollment from poor communities. Washington is among the states that give added credit in the admissions process to students who come from poor families or excel at troubled schools.
Other colleges have spent more time recruiting in underrepresented communities. And the University of California system tries to weigh a student’s life beyond grades and test scores — which, critics say, sometimes amounts to giving racial preferences without acknowledging them.
Even if the Supreme Court limits the options, college and universities will “be seeking diversity by any legal means possible,” said Ada Meloy, general counsel of the American Council on Education. But a decision overturning affirmative action could produce a national pattern of more liberal states going further to mimic the current system than more conservative states. Defenders of affirmative action are most likely to see any new system as unfair to black and Hispanic students, while critics will still see it as unfair to whites and Asian-Americans.
The current nationwide standard is based on two decisions involving the University of Michigan in 2003, when the Supreme Court ruled that public universities could not give an applicant an automatic advantage based on race or ethnicity. But in a decision written by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the court also ruled, 5 to 4, that colleges could consider race and ethnicity as part of a case-by-case assessment of individuals.
Since 2003, the court has shifted rightward, with Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., a critic of preferences, replacing Justice O’Connor. In February, the court agreed to hear Fisher v. University of Texas, a challenge to the university’s admissions policy, fueling speculation that it could revisit the standards it set nine years ago. The Texas system admits the top students at every high school in the state, but also admits additional students with a system that takes race into account.
The court has many options, including leaving things as they stand, finding that universities are interpreting the Michigan case too loosely, altering it, or overturning it completely. And it remains unclear how any ruling would affect private colleges, which rely heavily on federal financing.
Perhaps the best glimpse of a future without the current version of affirmative action comes from the handful of states that have already outlawed the use of race in public college admissions.
After California voters approved such a law, black and Hispanic freshman enrollment at the University of California system dropped by about one-quarter in 1998, the first year the ban was in effect. At the system’s most competitive campuses, in Berkeley and Los Angeles, enrollment for those groups fell by almost half. In the years since, the system has tried several approaches to increase diversity without directly taking race into account, and the numbers eventually rose.
Black students accounted for just over 4 percent of University of California freshmen in the mid-1990s. That fell to 3 percent after the law took effect, and remained there for several years, before climbing close to 4 percent in recent years.
Hispanic enrollment stood at 14 to 15 percent of the total before the ban, and fell to 12 percent in 1998, but quickly began to climb, driven by California’s fast-rising Latino population. By 2010, that group accounted for more than 22 percent of the system’s freshmen.
“If we had affirmative action as one of our tools, we’d do somewhat better for Hispanics, and we’d probably do significantly better for African-Americans,” said Mark G. Yudof, president of the University of California system.
A central part of California’s effort has been to compare applicants with other students in their communities, rather than with students statewide, much as Texas does. At each high school, the top 9 percent of students are guaranteed admission to the University of California — though not necessarily to the campuses of their choice — as long as they meet some other criteria. Officials acknowledge that the aim is race-conscious but that the mechanism is race-neutral.
Florida uses a percentage-based system as well. There, as in California and Texas, the benefits go mostly to Hispanic students because of the large number of high schools that are predominantly Hispanic. Black students are spread among high schools with large numbers of other students.
In California, arguably the most liberal state to have banned affirmative action in admissions, the university system has gone further to increase minority enrollment. The system has expanded, adding a new campus and increasing enrollment at existing schools.
The Berkeley campus, and later U.C.L.A., also adopted an admissions approach called holistic review, reducing the emphasis on grades and test scores while taking a broader look at students’ experiences and the challenges they have overcome. “I do think you’re going to see a move toward a more holistic admissions system” in other states, Mr. Yudof said, especially if the Supreme Court rolls back consideration of race. His system is pushing all of its campuses in that direction.
Some of the public universities in Washington State, where voters banned affirmative action in 1998, use a holistic approach, as does the University of Michigan.
Richard H. Sander, a U.C.L.A. law school professor who studies the issue, says that the holistic approach is also loose enough to allow race to be an unacknowledged part of the equation, potentially violating state law. University officials insist that their systems are race-blind.
In Washington, Hispanic and black enrollment at state universities did not change much after the law went into effect, but at the state’s flagship, the University of Washington, it fell for a few years, before returning to its former level. At the University of Michigan, minority enrollment fell sharply after the law took effect in 2007, and has not rebounded. Black students made up more than 10 percent of the freshman class a decade ago, and 7 to 8 percent in the years just before the law, but that has dropped to a little over 5 percent in recent years.
As for the Fisher case, Professor Sander pointed to the crucial role of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, widely seen as the swing vote. He predicted that rather than overturn the standards it set in 2003, the court would amend them or alter the way they are carried out, restricting the use of race without eliminating it. “This hinges on Kennedy,” Professor Sander said, “and Kennedy usually likes to do half a loaf.”
NYT Article # 2
April 1, 2012, 11:13 pm—
Updated: 11:13 pm -->The Politics of Going to College
By THOMAS B. EDSALL
An unexpected issue in the 2012 election is whether or not rank-and-file Americans should aspire to a college degree. Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have both made comments about higher education that could come back to haunt them in a general election.“President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob,” Santorum told a Tea Party meeting in Troy, Mich., on Feb. 25. “I understand why he wants you to go to college. He wants to remake you in his image.”Romney, the all-but-certain nominee, was blunt when speaking in March at a metal assembly plant in Youngstown, Ohio: “It would be popular for me to stand up and say I’m going to give you government money to pay for your college, but I’m not going to promise that.”There is a partisan logic to the Republican hostility to higher education: the well-educated — a reliable source of conservative support as recently as the 1980s — have been moving steadily toward the Democratic Party.
In a head-to-head contest, a March 26 McClatchy-Marist Poll shows Romney ahead of Obama 47-42 among those without college degrees, while Obama leads Romney 51-42 among those with them. Similarly, those without college degrees lean toward voting for Republican congressional candidates 49-40, while those with them lean toward Democrats 46-44.Not only are Democrats making gains among the better-educated, but these voters are becoming a larger share of the electorate. Exit polls show the growth of the college-educated voting bloc.In 1984, those with college and advanced degrees made up 35.3 percent of the electorate. Reagan’s strongest margins were among the college educated, who backed him over Walter F. Mondale by a crushing 62.7-36.9 margin. Among all those with both college and advanced degrees, Reagan won 58.7 percent, a landslide margin.Jump to 2008. Even though those with college degrees made up 27.9 percent of the population that year, they cast 45 percent of the presidential vote. These voters register and go to the polls in substantially higher numbers than the less well educated.By 2008, the Republican advantage of the early 1980s among voters with a college degree or higher had disappeared. Barack Obama carried this demographic with 54.1 percent. He beat McCain 50-48 among those with bachelor’s degrees, and by a decisive 58-40 among the 17 percent of the 2008 electorate with post-graduate degrees.The shifting allegiance of the better-educated – together with the growth of such pro-Democratic constituencies as single women, Hispanics and African-Americans — has been a crucial factor in the revival of the Democratic Party as a fully competitive force in presidential elections. The party’s gains have, in many respects, made up for losses among white working class voters.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the defection of Reagan Democrats gave the Republican Party a clear edge in national contests; by the 1990s and 2000s, the once reliably Republican affluent suburbs surrounding cities like New York and Philadelphia had moved in the opposite direction, empowering the Democratic Party to win the White House in 1992, 1996, and 2008, and the popular vote, if not the presidency, in 2000.
By contrast, in the 1970s and 1980s, Republican presidential candidates won, on average, 59 percent of the upscale suburban vote.The gains the Democrats made were concentrated in one major segment of the well-educated: professionals — salaried employees in schools and colleges, social workers, the arts, the natural and social sciences, knowledge/information workers, “symbol analysts,” “creatives” and so forth.Andrew Gelman, director of the Applied Statistics Center at Columbia University, has illustrated the voting trends among different job classifications in his book “Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do.”The graph below shows how professionals voted compared to the entire electorate.courtesy of Andrew GelmanAt the same time, the percentage of the population employed in professional jobs has been growing steadily, from 16.4 percent of the workforce in 1970 to 22.2 percent in 2010.
While Democratic gains among those with undergraduate and advanced degrees have clearly benefitted the party, there are costs.The replacement of working-class whites with upscale professionals has turned the Democratic coalition into an alliance with a built-in class division. Instead of representing the bottom half of the income distribution as it did from the 1930s to the 1960s, the party has become bifurcated, with roughly 60 percent of the base vote cast by relatively poor and heavily minority voters, and much of the remainder provided by relatively affluent social and cultural liberals.While constituting a minority, the relatively upscale wing clearly dominates party policy and provides the majority of the activists who run campaigns, serve as delegates to the convention and have become the core of the party’s donor base.The leverage of the highly-educated wing is reflected in the priority placed on the culture war issues that are of key importance to this wing. Support for abortion rights and gay rights, for example, is an essential litmus test for Democratic presidential candidates. There is no parallel demand that candidates protect and expand food stamps, Medicaid, or other means-tested programs for the poor.On the Republican side of the aisle, the aversion to federally funded scholarship aid – as demonstrated, for example, in the budget passed last week by the Republican House — has significant consequences for the party’s core supporters.
The children of the white working class are in need of financial support to pay for tuition at a two or four-year colleges as a path to upward mobility. The overwhelming majority of Pell Grants, 63.3 percent, go to low income whites, while 11.8 percent goes to African-American students, 13.2 percent to Hispanics, 6.8 percent to Asian-Americans, and the rest to other groups.This year, Romney will need to win by a wide margin among those for whom access to post-secondary education is a key issue — particularly white men whose wages have stagnated or eroded more than those of women.
The following chart, put together by the M.I.T. economists Daron Acemoglu and David Autor, shows what has happened to the wages of men with various levels of education working full time (high school dropout, high school graduate, some college, college graduate, greater than college).courtesy of David AutorFor men without college degrees, 1972-3 marked — in economic terms — the best year of their lives, and earnings adjusted for inflation have gone downhill over the forty years since then. Only men with college degrees, and especially those with post-graduate degrees, did better in 2008 than they had in 1973.
A central theme of the Romney campaign is that he intends to replace the Democratic “entitlement state” with the restoration of America as “a land of opportunity and a beacon of freedom.”In the fight for Republican primary votes, it may make political sense for Santorum to mock higher education as the province of liberal elitists and for Romney to display deficit-consciousness by declaring his opposition to government assistance for college tuition.In the general election, Romney faces a far tougher sell. Federal aid to education has strong, bipartisan support among voters, with more than 60 percent of Republicans and Democrats opposed to making any cuts, according to a Gallup poll from Jan. 26, 2011.Romney’s refusal to promise that he will “give you government money to pay for your college” is a risky approach to courting ambitious lower income voters. Democrats see Romney setting a trap for himself and have already begun to lay the general election groundwork.The increasing salience of education provides Democrats with an effective means of countering the problem of an underperforming economy, as President Obama demonstrated in a speech on Feb. 27: “We can’t allow higher education to be a luxury in this country. It’s an economic imperative that every family in America has to be able to afford.”Romney, in turn, appears to recognize that he has stepped onto treacherous terrain. His Web site now declares: “Post-secondary education cannot become a luxury for the few; instead, all students should have the opportunity to attend a college that best suits their needs. Whether it is public or private, traditional or online, college must be available and affordable.”Still, Romney does not specify which actions he would have the federal government take to prevent post-secondary education from becoming a luxury for the few. Instead, his Web site trumpets the potential for initiatives at the state level, where Romney, speaking as a former governor himself, “knows what can be accomplished when governors are empowered to reform their education systems.”
Thomas B. Edsall, a professor of journalism at Columbia University, is the author of the book “The Age of Austerity: How Scarcity Will Remake American Politics,” which was published in January.
Updated: 11:13 pm -->The Politics of Going to College
By THOMAS B. EDSALL
An unexpected issue in the 2012 election is whether or not rank-and-file Americans should aspire to a college degree. Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have both made comments about higher education that could come back to haunt them in a general election.“President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob,” Santorum told a Tea Party meeting in Troy, Mich., on Feb. 25. “I understand why he wants you to go to college. He wants to remake you in his image.”Romney, the all-but-certain nominee, was blunt when speaking in March at a metal assembly plant in Youngstown, Ohio: “It would be popular for me to stand up and say I’m going to give you government money to pay for your college, but I’m not going to promise that.”There is a partisan logic to the Republican hostility to higher education: the well-educated — a reliable source of conservative support as recently as the 1980s — have been moving steadily toward the Democratic Party.
In a head-to-head contest, a March 26 McClatchy-Marist Poll shows Romney ahead of Obama 47-42 among those without college degrees, while Obama leads Romney 51-42 among those with them. Similarly, those without college degrees lean toward voting for Republican congressional candidates 49-40, while those with them lean toward Democrats 46-44.Not only are Democrats making gains among the better-educated, but these voters are becoming a larger share of the electorate. Exit polls show the growth of the college-educated voting bloc.In 1984, those with college and advanced degrees made up 35.3 percent of the electorate. Reagan’s strongest margins were among the college educated, who backed him over Walter F. Mondale by a crushing 62.7-36.9 margin. Among all those with both college and advanced degrees, Reagan won 58.7 percent, a landslide margin.Jump to 2008. Even though those with college degrees made up 27.9 percent of the population that year, they cast 45 percent of the presidential vote. These voters register and go to the polls in substantially higher numbers than the less well educated.By 2008, the Republican advantage of the early 1980s among voters with a college degree or higher had disappeared. Barack Obama carried this demographic with 54.1 percent. He beat McCain 50-48 among those with bachelor’s degrees, and by a decisive 58-40 among the 17 percent of the 2008 electorate with post-graduate degrees.The shifting allegiance of the better-educated – together with the growth of such pro-Democratic constituencies as single women, Hispanics and African-Americans — has been a crucial factor in the revival of the Democratic Party as a fully competitive force in presidential elections. The party’s gains have, in many respects, made up for losses among white working class voters.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the defection of Reagan Democrats gave the Republican Party a clear edge in national contests; by the 1990s and 2000s, the once reliably Republican affluent suburbs surrounding cities like New York and Philadelphia had moved in the opposite direction, empowering the Democratic Party to win the White House in 1992, 1996, and 2008, and the popular vote, if not the presidency, in 2000.
By contrast, in the 1970s and 1980s, Republican presidential candidates won, on average, 59 percent of the upscale suburban vote.The gains the Democrats made were concentrated in one major segment of the well-educated: professionals — salaried employees in schools and colleges, social workers, the arts, the natural and social sciences, knowledge/information workers, “symbol analysts,” “creatives” and so forth.Andrew Gelman, director of the Applied Statistics Center at Columbia University, has illustrated the voting trends among different job classifications in his book “Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do.”The graph below shows how professionals voted compared to the entire electorate.courtesy of Andrew GelmanAt the same time, the percentage of the population employed in professional jobs has been growing steadily, from 16.4 percent of the workforce in 1970 to 22.2 percent in 2010.
While Democratic gains among those with undergraduate and advanced degrees have clearly benefitted the party, there are costs.The replacement of working-class whites with upscale professionals has turned the Democratic coalition into an alliance with a built-in class division. Instead of representing the bottom half of the income distribution as it did from the 1930s to the 1960s, the party has become bifurcated, with roughly 60 percent of the base vote cast by relatively poor and heavily minority voters, and much of the remainder provided by relatively affluent social and cultural liberals.While constituting a minority, the relatively upscale wing clearly dominates party policy and provides the majority of the activists who run campaigns, serve as delegates to the convention and have become the core of the party’s donor base.The leverage of the highly-educated wing is reflected in the priority placed on the culture war issues that are of key importance to this wing. Support for abortion rights and gay rights, for example, is an essential litmus test for Democratic presidential candidates. There is no parallel demand that candidates protect and expand food stamps, Medicaid, or other means-tested programs for the poor.On the Republican side of the aisle, the aversion to federally funded scholarship aid – as demonstrated, for example, in the budget passed last week by the Republican House — has significant consequences for the party’s core supporters.
The children of the white working class are in need of financial support to pay for tuition at a two or four-year colleges as a path to upward mobility. The overwhelming majority of Pell Grants, 63.3 percent, go to low income whites, while 11.8 percent goes to African-American students, 13.2 percent to Hispanics, 6.8 percent to Asian-Americans, and the rest to other groups.This year, Romney will need to win by a wide margin among those for whom access to post-secondary education is a key issue — particularly white men whose wages have stagnated or eroded more than those of women.
The following chart, put together by the M.I.T. economists Daron Acemoglu and David Autor, shows what has happened to the wages of men with various levels of education working full time (high school dropout, high school graduate, some college, college graduate, greater than college).courtesy of David AutorFor men without college degrees, 1972-3 marked — in economic terms — the best year of their lives, and earnings adjusted for inflation have gone downhill over the forty years since then. Only men with college degrees, and especially those with post-graduate degrees, did better in 2008 than they had in 1973.
A central theme of the Romney campaign is that he intends to replace the Democratic “entitlement state” with the restoration of America as “a land of opportunity and a beacon of freedom.”In the fight for Republican primary votes, it may make political sense for Santorum to mock higher education as the province of liberal elitists and for Romney to display deficit-consciousness by declaring his opposition to government assistance for college tuition.In the general election, Romney faces a far tougher sell. Federal aid to education has strong, bipartisan support among voters, with more than 60 percent of Republicans and Democrats opposed to making any cuts, according to a Gallup poll from Jan. 26, 2011.Romney’s refusal to promise that he will “give you government money to pay for your college” is a risky approach to courting ambitious lower income voters. Democrats see Romney setting a trap for himself and have already begun to lay the general election groundwork.The increasing salience of education provides Democrats with an effective means of countering the problem of an underperforming economy, as President Obama demonstrated in a speech on Feb. 27: “We can’t allow higher education to be a luxury in this country. It’s an economic imperative that every family in America has to be able to afford.”Romney, in turn, appears to recognize that he has stepped onto treacherous terrain. His Web site now declares: “Post-secondary education cannot become a luxury for the few; instead, all students should have the opportunity to attend a college that best suits their needs. Whether it is public or private, traditional or online, college must be available and affordable.”Still, Romney does not specify which actions he would have the federal government take to prevent post-secondary education from becoming a luxury for the few. Instead, his Web site trumpets the potential for initiatives at the state level, where Romney, speaking as a former governor himself, “knows what can be accomplished when governors are empowered to reform their education systems.”
Thomas B. Edsall, a professor of journalism at Columbia University, is the author of the book “The Age of Austerity: How Scarcity Will Remake American Politics,” which was published in January.
NY Times Editorials for tonight's class discussion and Reflective Response # 2 papers
March 29, 2012
The Gated Community Mentality
By RICH BENJAMIN
AS a black man who has been mugged at gunpoint by a black teenager late at night, I am not naïve: I know firsthand the awkward conundrums surrounding race, fear and crime. Trayvon Martin’s killing at the hands of George Zimmerman baffles this nation. While the youth’s supporters declare in solidarity “We are all Trayvon,” the question is raised, to what extent is the United States also all George Zimmerman?
Under assault, I didn’t dream of harming my teenage assailant, let alone taking his life. Mr. Zimmerman reacted very differently, taking out his handgun and shooting the youth in cold blood. What gives? Welcome to gate-minded America.
From 2007 to 2009, I traveled 27,000 miles, living in predominantly white gated communities across this country to research a book. I threw myself into these communities with gusto — no Howard Johnson or Motel 6 for me. I borrowed or rented residents’ homes. From the red-rock canyons of southern Utah to the Waffle-House-pocked exurbs of north Georgia, I lived in gated communities as a black man, with a youthful style and face, to interview and observe residents.
The perverse, pervasive real-estate speak I heard in these communities champions a bunker mentality. Residents often expressed a fear of crime that was exaggerated beyond the actual criminal threat, as documented by their police department’s statistics. Since you can say “gated community” only so many times, developers hatched an array of Orwellian euphemisms to appease residents’ anxieties: “master-planned community,” “landscaped resort community,” “secluded intimate neighborhood.”
No matter the label, the product is the same: self-contained, conservative and overzealous in its demands for “safety.” Gated communities churn a vicious cycle by attracting like-minded residents who seek shelter from outsiders and whose physical seclusion then worsens paranoid groupthink against outsiders. These bunker communities remind me of those Matryoshka wooden dolls. A similar-object-within-a-similar-object serves as shelter; from community to subdivision to house, each unit relies on staggered forms of security and comfort, including town authorities, zoning practices, private security systems and personal firearms.
Residents’ palpable satisfaction with their communities’ virtue and their evident readiness to trumpet alarm at any given “threat” create a peculiar atmosphere — an unholy alliance of smugness and insecurity. In this us-versus-them mental landscape, them refers to new immigrants, blacks, young people, renters, non-property-owners and people perceived to be poor.
Mr. Zimmerman’s gated community, a 260-unit housing complex, sits in a racially mixed suburb of Orlando, Fla. Mr. Martin’s “suspicious” profile amounted to more than his black skin. He was profiled as young, loitering, non-property-owning and poor. Based on their actions, police officers clearly assumed Mr. Zimmerman was the private property owner and Mr. Martin the dangerous interloper. After all, why did the police treat Mr. Martin like a criminal, instead of Mr. Zimmerman, his assailant? Why was the black corpse tested for drugs and alcohol, but the living perpetrator wasn’t?
Across the United States, more than 10 million housing units are in gated communities, where access is “secured with walls or fences,” according to 2009 Census Bureau data. Roughly 10 percent of the occupied homes in this country are in gated communities, though that figure is misleadingly low because it doesn’t include temporarily vacant homes or second homes. Between 2001 and 2009, the United States saw a 53 percent growth in occupied housing units nestled in gated communities. Another related trend contributed to this shooting: our increasingly privatized criminal justice system. The United States is becoming even more enamored with private ownership and decision making around policing, prisons and probation. Private companies champion private “security” services, alongside the private building and managing of prisons.
“Stand Your Ground” or “Shoot First” laws like Florida’s expand the so-called castle doctrine, which permits the use of deadly force for self-defense in one’s home, as long as the homeowner can prove deadly force was reasonable. Thirty-two states now permit expanded rights to self-defense. In essence, laws nationwide sanction reckless vigilantism in the form of self-defense claims. A bunker mentality is codified by law. Those reducing this tragedy to racism miss a more accurate and painful picture. Why is a child dead? The rise of “secure,” gated communities, private cops, private roads, private parks, private schools, private playgrounds — private, private, private —exacerbates biased treatment against the young, the colored and the presumably poor.
Rich Benjamin is the author of “Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America” and a senior fellow at Demos, a nonpartisan research center.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
No Class Thursday March 29 and other announcements
3/27/12
This evening we created Google Sites for our portfolios, the directions for which are posted in a previous blog post. In addition, we worked on Analysis papers.
There will be no A-Team on Wednesday or Thursday (3/28 or 3/29) this week, and NO CLASS on Thursday 3/29 since I will be attending a conference out of state.
Please bring drafts of your Analysis essay to our next class on Tuesday, 4/3.
This evening we created Google Sites for our portfolios, the directions for which are posted in a previous blog post. In addition, we worked on Analysis papers.
There will be no A-Team on Wednesday or Thursday (3/28 or 3/29) this week, and NO CLASS on Thursday 3/29 since I will be attending a conference out of state.
Please bring drafts of your Analysis essay to our next class on Tuesday, 4/3.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Announcements for 3/27 Class and A-Team Session II deadline
Two reminders:
1) Please bring your most recent draft of your Project III/Argument paper to class on Tuesday 3/27. In addition bring the completed notes from the worksheet that I distributed on the Thursday before break. This can be found on the blog as well.
2) A-Team Session II (2/24-3/27) ends THIS Tuesday 3/27(remember there is no A-Team that day.). If the Monday 4:00-5:00 times fill, and you still need an appointment, feel free to email me with your interest in a 5-6 or 6-7 o'clock appointment for Monday March 26. I will then request that the time be logged in to Tutortrac.
IMPORTANT: There will be no A-Team appoinments this Wednesday 3/28 and Thursday 3/29 since I will be at a conference. As of now there WILL be class on Thursday 3/29.
1) Please bring your most recent draft of your Project III/Argument paper to class on Tuesday 3/27. In addition bring the completed notes from the worksheet that I distributed on the Thursday before break. This can be found on the blog as well.
2) A-Team Session II (2/24-3/27) ends THIS Tuesday 3/27(remember there is no A-Team that day.). If the Monday 4:00-5:00 times fill, and you still need an appointment, feel free to email me with your interest in a 5-6 or 6-7 o'clock appointment for Monday March 26. I will then request that the time be logged in to Tutortrac.
IMPORTANT: There will be no A-Team appoinments this Wednesday 3/28 and Thursday 3/29 since I will be at a conference. As of now there WILL be class on Thursday 3/29.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Helpful Tips for Beginning Project III/Analysis Paper
General Guidelines and Activities to Begin Analysis Paper
• Examine the situation prompting the author to write the article, often referred to as the rhetorical context. Try to determine why the article was written.
Is there an ongoing debate in other articles about the topic which has prompted this author to write the article?
Is the article directed toward a specifically identifiable audience?
What characteristics, interests, and/or experiences would the people in this audience have in common? Would they be likely to have any biases concerning the topic?
What does the author hope to achieve by writing this article?
• Identify the author.
What is his or her occupation?
Personal background?
Political leanings?
Sometimes you will need to consult other sources to find information about the author, such as
the Internet or biographical dictionaries.
• Look at the title.
What does it tell you about the argument the author will be developing in the article?
• Look over the format of the article.
Are there subdivisions that might give you some idea of the structure of the argument?
• Determine whether the article is a primary or secondary source of information. Primary sources are original sources: documents, speeches, laboratory studies, field research reports, eyewitness accounts, observations based on personal experience. In secondary sources writers make comments about their observations of what others have said or done.
• Summarize the main claim, or thesis, of the article.
What is the main point the author is seeking to make? The author may or may not state this directly, but you should always state your idea of his or her main claim in your analysis as a complete sentence.
What are the qualifiers (exceptions) the author includes about the claim?
(What words or phrases does the author include to indicate the claim might not hold true in every situation or circumstance?
What are the circumstances under which the claim is true? Look for phrases such as “on the whole,” “typically,” “usually,” or “most of the time.”)
• Determine what underlying assumptions the author might have.
What ideas, beliefs, philosophies, does the author seem to accept as mutually understood between himself or herself and the audience?
Are these assumptions valid?
• Identify and evaluate the reasons the author gives for making the main claim.
Are they really good reasons?
Are they relevant to the main claim? Sometimes authors present only one or two
reasons, often spending much time developing and supporting just one reason.
• Identify, analyze, and evaluate the evidence given in support of the reasons.
What kinds of evidence are given (data, anecdotes, case studies, citations from authorities, research studies)?
Is the evidence good (sufficient, accurate, relevant, credible)? Question evidence in terms of both
quality and quantity.
• Note refutations.
These are efforts the author makes to anticipate objections and answer them in
advance. Try to determine whether or not the author demonstrates clearly why these objections,
or counterclaims, do not undermine the basic argument the author is trying to make.
• Note key terms. Define any words that are unclear to you!
Does the author define these adequately?
Would most readers agree with these definitions?
What clarifications might be needed?
• Note analogies and comparisons.
What connections does the author make between ideas and concrete examples?
Are these appropriate?
Are the things being compared truly similar?
NOTE: A critical analysis paper contains some summary of the article being analyzed, but the summary should be secondary to the analysis you make of the argument being developed in the article. Remember to structure your critical analysis paper in good writing format, with an introduction clearly identifying the topic, the article, the author’s main claim, and, briefly, your assessment of the argument; body paragraphs in which you present your detailed analysis of the argument; and a conclusion summarizing your evaluation of the author’s argument.
• Examine the situation prompting the author to write the article, often referred to as the rhetorical context. Try to determine why the article was written.
Is there an ongoing debate in other articles about the topic which has prompted this author to write the article?
Is the article directed toward a specifically identifiable audience?
What characteristics, interests, and/or experiences would the people in this audience have in common? Would they be likely to have any biases concerning the topic?
What does the author hope to achieve by writing this article?
• Identify the author.
What is his or her occupation?
Personal background?
Political leanings?
Sometimes you will need to consult other sources to find information about the author, such as
the Internet or biographical dictionaries.
• Look at the title.
What does it tell you about the argument the author will be developing in the article?
• Look over the format of the article.
Are there subdivisions that might give you some idea of the structure of the argument?
• Determine whether the article is a primary or secondary source of information. Primary sources are original sources: documents, speeches, laboratory studies, field research reports, eyewitness accounts, observations based on personal experience. In secondary sources writers make comments about their observations of what others have said or done.
• Summarize the main claim, or thesis, of the article.
What is the main point the author is seeking to make? The author may or may not state this directly, but you should always state your idea of his or her main claim in your analysis as a complete sentence.
What are the qualifiers (exceptions) the author includes about the claim?
(What words or phrases does the author include to indicate the claim might not hold true in every situation or circumstance?
What are the circumstances under which the claim is true? Look for phrases such as “on the whole,” “typically,” “usually,” or “most of the time.”)
• Determine what underlying assumptions the author might have.
What ideas, beliefs, philosophies, does the author seem to accept as mutually understood between himself or herself and the audience?
Are these assumptions valid?
• Identify and evaluate the reasons the author gives for making the main claim.
Are they really good reasons?
Are they relevant to the main claim? Sometimes authors present only one or two
reasons, often spending much time developing and supporting just one reason.
• Identify, analyze, and evaluate the evidence given in support of the reasons.
What kinds of evidence are given (data, anecdotes, case studies, citations from authorities, research studies)?
Is the evidence good (sufficient, accurate, relevant, credible)? Question evidence in terms of both
quality and quantity.
• Note refutations.
These are efforts the author makes to anticipate objections and answer them in
advance. Try to determine whether or not the author demonstrates clearly why these objections,
or counterclaims, do not undermine the basic argument the author is trying to make.
• Note key terms. Define any words that are unclear to you!
Does the author define these adequately?
Would most readers agree with these definitions?
What clarifications might be needed?
• Note analogies and comparisons.
What connections does the author make between ideas and concrete examples?
Are these appropriate?
Are the things being compared truly similar?
NOTE: A critical analysis paper contains some summary of the article being analyzed, but the summary should be secondary to the analysis you make of the argument being developed in the article. Remember to structure your critical analysis paper in good writing format, with an introduction clearly identifying the topic, the article, the author’s main claim, and, briefly, your assessment of the argument; body paragraphs in which you present your detailed analysis of the argument; and a conclusion summarizing your evaluation of the author’s argument.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Class Activities and Assignments on 3/13/12
Tonight
- We read and reviewed the Project III/Analytical Paper assignment sheet (also on blog.)
- We reviewed the strategies we will need to effectively complete the analysis of the two articles in our Project III papers: evaluation based on diction, tone, organization, eveidence, writing style, and argument.
- We reviewed the persuasive appeals: ethos, logos, pathos. We discussed the strategies we will use to incorporate their evaluation in our Analysis papers.
- We practiced sample writing using a variety of types of diction.
It is ESSENTIAL that all student be in class on Tuesday March 27. We are creating our Google Portfolio sites.
Due in class, Thursday, March 15:
- Proposal for Analysis paper: Title, author, subject, main idea of your Analysis Paper.
- Bring hard copies of your two editorials from USA Today to class.
Directions for Sharing your Electronic Portfolio
College Composition Student Instructions for Sharing Your Electronic Portfolio
You must allow me AND the College Composition program’s email account to view your work.
To share the site:
1. Look on the upper-right hand corner of any page.
2. Click the button labeled “Share.” The screen will change.
3. Click the text box next to “Add people.” A cursor will appear.
4. Enter the addresses to which you want to give access to the site. You must share your site with the following addresses: gotprofkiefer@gmail.com and collcomp@kean.edu.
5. Click the button labeled “Can edit.” A pull-down menu will appear.
6. Select “can view.” Note: The other options will allow other people to edit your site. Do NOT select them. Only you should have the authority to change your site.
7. Click on the large textbox underneath where you entered the addresses. A cursor should appear.
8. Type your course and section number in the box.
9. Click “Share and Save.”
You must allow me AND the College Composition program’s email account to view your work.
To share the site:
1. Look on the upper-right hand corner of any page.
2. Click the button labeled “Share.” The screen will change.
3. Click the text box next to “Add people.” A cursor will appear.
4. Enter the addresses to which you want to give access to the site. You must share your site with the following addresses: gotprofkiefer@gmail.com and collcomp@kean.edu.
5. Click the button labeled “Can edit.” A pull-down menu will appear.
6. Select “can view.” Note: The other options will allow other people to edit your site. Do NOT select them. Only you should have the authority to change your site.
7. Click on the large textbox underneath where you entered the addresses. A cursor should appear.
8. Type your course and section number in the box.
9. Click “Share and Save.”
Directions for Creating and Editing your Google Site Portfolio
College Composition Student Instructions for Using Google Sites
(revised Spring 2012)
All College Composition students will create an electronic portfolio using Google Sites. These instructions will help you set up yours.
Note: You must use the version of Google Sites available through your Kean email account.
Creating a Site
To create your portfolio site:
1. Log onto your Kean email account.
2. Select “Sites” from the menu at the top of the screen. A new window or tab will appear.
3. Click “Create.”
4. Type in a name for your site using the following format: your Kean email login and the word portfolio. Everyone must use this format for naming their site.
· For example, a student named John Southton with the email address southtoj@kean.edu would name his portfolio “southtojportfolio.”
5. Click “Select a theme.” Thumbnails of possible background designs for your portfolio will appear.
6. Select your site’s theme by clicking on it. Your professor may require a specific theme, or you may be able to select your own. Ask your professor to be sure.
7. Click “More Options.”
8. Click on the textbox next to “Site Categories.” A cursor should appear in it.
9. Type “College Composition Portfolio.”
10. Scroll down until you see “Collaborate With.”
11. Click the radio button next to “Only people I specify can view this site.”
12. Click “Create.” The main page of your site, on which you will put your reflective introduction, will appear.
Adding Pages to Your Site
When first created, your site will only contain one page. You will put your reflective introduction on it. You must add additional pages for your other work. Each document placed in the portfolio must go on its own page.
To create a new page:
1. Look on the upper-right hand corner of any page for a button with a paper icon on it. If you hold your cursor over it, the words “Create Page” should appear.
2. Click the button.
3. Enter the page name in the box labeled “Name.” You must name each page with the genre of the assignment (summary/response, argument, analysis, endpoint) and draft (planning, rough, final).
4. Make sure “web page” appears on the button next to “select your template.” You must use the web page template.
5. Select the level on the website the page will occupy. This will determine how it is connected to other pages in the site:
· “Put page on the top level” will make the page separate from other pages on the site. Its title will appear in the sidebar, allowing readers of your site to go directly to it by clicking on the link in the side menu.
· “Put page under. . .” will set up a sub-page that is linked to another page. The reader clicks on the page above it in order to reach this page, unless you create a link to it. You can use this choice to create interconnected pages that all deal with the same assignment.
6. Click “Create.” The new page will appear.
Note: To change the format of a page after it is created, select “Page Settings” using the “More” button. This section allows you to add or remove the page title and links to sub-pages, as well as allow or disallow attachments or comments.
Adding Your Writing to a Page
Each document you put in the portfolio must go on its own page. For example, the planning work for an essay goes on one page, the rough draft on a second page, and the final draft on a third.
To add material to a page, click the button on the top right labeled with a pencil icon. The screen will change, with textboxes appearing over the page title and the body of the page.
You can type material directly into the textboxes. Use the menu to select font styles, highlighting, and other functions. You can also paste material from another program, such as Word. I recommend you work in another program before pasting your work into the site.
Copying and pasting into a web page works just like it does in Microsoft Word. If you’re working in the campus labs, you may need to use the following shortcut keys:
· CTRL+A: to highlight your entire document
· CTRL+C: to copy
· CTRL+V: to paste
Sometimes the formatting of your work will change when it is copied from Word to the site, and you will need to correct it. To minimize the possibility of this happening:
· Single space the text, putting a double-space (or blank line) between paragraphs.
· Remove any paragraph indents or tabs.
After adding material to the page, click “Save.” The screen will show your work as part of a web page.
Note: You only need to include your name, and the course and section number on the main page, with the reflective introduction. Leave this material off of the other pages of the site.
Note: While you may choose to attach files containing your writing, you must also paste it into the site itself. Software can change, and Kean’s faculty may not always be able to open an attached file. We will always be able to use a web browser.
Creating Links Among Pages
Your portfolio is a website, with the individual pages linked together. These links could be embedded in multiple ways, affecting how readers experience your work.
Note: Creating your site will be easier if you plan how to link pages and create the individual pages before adding links.
To create links:
1. Highlight the text that will become a link.
2. Click the button on the tool bar with a chain icon on it. A window will appear.
3. Choose “Existing Page.” A list of pages on the site will appear.
4. Select the page to which you want to link. A check mark will appear next to it.
5. Click “OK.”
You can also create a link to a page outside your portfolio, such as to a source you used for a research project. To do this, choose “Web Address” instead of “Existing Page” in step 3. Then enter the address in the box labeled “Link to this URL” and click “OK.”
Moving Pages
Except for the homepage, you can change which pages are subordinate (or sub-pages) to others. For example, you could put your planning and rough draft work subordinate to the final draft of an essay.
To move pages:
1. Go to the page you want to move.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Select “Move Page.” A new window will appear, listing all of the pages on your site.
4. Click on the page you want to make above the page you are moving. A green check will appear.
5. Click “Move.”
Modifying the Site’s Appearance
You may want to change the site’s appearance after creating it. To do so:
1. Click on “More Actions.” A menu will appear.
2. Select “Manage Site.” The screen will change to include a menu on the left-hand side.
3. Scroll down on the left-hand frame until you see one of these links. Select the one you want:
· “Site Layout” will allow you to change the position of the objects on the screen and edit the sidebar.
· “Colors and Fonts” will allow you to change the colors on the page and the default font style.
· “Themes” will allow you to change the background.
Changing the Sidebar
The sidebar contains links to your site’s main pages. By default, those links are presented in alphabetical order. They can be changed.
To change the order of the material in the sidebar:
1. Click “Edit Sidebar.” The site layout menu will appear.
2. Look for a box labeled “Navigation.” It should be inside a box labeled “Sidebar.”
3. Click “Edit.” A new window will appear.
4. See if a checkmark appears next to “Automatically organize my navigation.”
5. Remove the checkmark by clicking on it. A new text box will appear that will allow you to edit the sidebar:
o To add a page to the sidebar, click on “Add page.” A new window will appear, listing all of the pages on your site. Select the page name you want by clicking on it. Then click the “OK” button.
o To move links in the sidebar, click on the link. Then, use the arrow-shaped icons on the right to change the order.
o To remove a link from the sidebar, click on the link. Then click the icon of a box containing an X.
5. When you have made all the changes you want, click “OK.”
Deleting Pages
If you no longer want to include a page in your portfolio, you can delete it. Deleted pages CANNOT be recovered.
To delete a page:
1. Go to the page you want to delete.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Click “Delete Page.” A warning window will appear.
4. Click “Delete.”
(revised Spring 2012)
All College Composition students will create an electronic portfolio using Google Sites. These instructions will help you set up yours.
Note: You must use the version of Google Sites available through your Kean email account.
Creating a Site
To create your portfolio site:
1. Log onto your Kean email account.
2. Select “Sites” from the menu at the top of the screen. A new window or tab will appear.
3. Click “Create.”
4. Type in a name for your site using the following format: your Kean email login and the word portfolio. Everyone must use this format for naming their site.
· For example, a student named John Southton with the email address southtoj@kean.edu would name his portfolio “southtojportfolio.”
5. Click “Select a theme.” Thumbnails of possible background designs for your portfolio will appear.
6. Select your site’s theme by clicking on it. Your professor may require a specific theme, or you may be able to select your own. Ask your professor to be sure.
7. Click “More Options.”
8. Click on the textbox next to “Site Categories.” A cursor should appear in it.
9. Type “College Composition Portfolio.”
10. Scroll down until you see “Collaborate With.”
11. Click the radio button next to “Only people I specify can view this site.”
12. Click “Create.” The main page of your site, on which you will put your reflective introduction, will appear.
Adding Pages to Your Site
When first created, your site will only contain one page. You will put your reflective introduction on it. You must add additional pages for your other work. Each document placed in the portfolio must go on its own page.
To create a new page:
1. Look on the upper-right hand corner of any page for a button with a paper icon on it. If you hold your cursor over it, the words “Create Page” should appear.
2. Click the button.
3. Enter the page name in the box labeled “Name.” You must name each page with the genre of the assignment (summary/response, argument, analysis, endpoint) and draft (planning, rough, final).
4. Make sure “web page” appears on the button next to “select your template.” You must use the web page template.
5. Select the level on the website the page will occupy. This will determine how it is connected to other pages in the site:
· “Put page on the top level” will make the page separate from other pages on the site. Its title will appear in the sidebar, allowing readers of your site to go directly to it by clicking on the link in the side menu.
· “Put page under. . .” will set up a sub-page that is linked to another page. The reader clicks on the page above it in order to reach this page, unless you create a link to it. You can use this choice to create interconnected pages that all deal with the same assignment.
6. Click “Create.” The new page will appear.
Note: To change the format of a page after it is created, select “Page Settings” using the “More” button. This section allows you to add or remove the page title and links to sub-pages, as well as allow or disallow attachments or comments.
Adding Your Writing to a Page
Each document you put in the portfolio must go on its own page. For example, the planning work for an essay goes on one page, the rough draft on a second page, and the final draft on a third.
To add material to a page, click the button on the top right labeled with a pencil icon. The screen will change, with textboxes appearing over the page title and the body of the page.
You can type material directly into the textboxes. Use the menu to select font styles, highlighting, and other functions. You can also paste material from another program, such as Word. I recommend you work in another program before pasting your work into the site.
Copying and pasting into a web page works just like it does in Microsoft Word. If you’re working in the campus labs, you may need to use the following shortcut keys:
· CTRL+A: to highlight your entire document
· CTRL+C: to copy
· CTRL+V: to paste
Sometimes the formatting of your work will change when it is copied from Word to the site, and you will need to correct it. To minimize the possibility of this happening:
· Single space the text, putting a double-space (or blank line) between paragraphs.
· Remove any paragraph indents or tabs.
After adding material to the page, click “Save.” The screen will show your work as part of a web page.
Note: You only need to include your name, and the course and section number on the main page, with the reflective introduction. Leave this material off of the other pages of the site.
Note: While you may choose to attach files containing your writing, you must also paste it into the site itself. Software can change, and Kean’s faculty may not always be able to open an attached file. We will always be able to use a web browser.
Creating Links Among Pages
Your portfolio is a website, with the individual pages linked together. These links could be embedded in multiple ways, affecting how readers experience your work.
Note: Creating your site will be easier if you plan how to link pages and create the individual pages before adding links.
To create links:
1. Highlight the text that will become a link.
2. Click the button on the tool bar with a chain icon on it. A window will appear.
3. Choose “Existing Page.” A list of pages on the site will appear.
4. Select the page to which you want to link. A check mark will appear next to it.
5. Click “OK.”
You can also create a link to a page outside your portfolio, such as to a source you used for a research project. To do this, choose “Web Address” instead of “Existing Page” in step 3. Then enter the address in the box labeled “Link to this URL” and click “OK.”
Moving Pages
Except for the homepage, you can change which pages are subordinate (or sub-pages) to others. For example, you could put your planning and rough draft work subordinate to the final draft of an essay.
To move pages:
1. Go to the page you want to move.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Select “Move Page.” A new window will appear, listing all of the pages on your site.
4. Click on the page you want to make above the page you are moving. A green check will appear.
5. Click “Move.”
Modifying the Site’s Appearance
You may want to change the site’s appearance after creating it. To do so:
1. Click on “More Actions.” A menu will appear.
2. Select “Manage Site.” The screen will change to include a menu on the left-hand side.
3. Scroll down on the left-hand frame until you see one of these links. Select the one you want:
· “Site Layout” will allow you to change the position of the objects on the screen and edit the sidebar.
· “Colors and Fonts” will allow you to change the colors on the page and the default font style.
· “Themes” will allow you to change the background.
Changing the Sidebar
The sidebar contains links to your site’s main pages. By default, those links are presented in alphabetical order. They can be changed.
To change the order of the material in the sidebar:
1. Click “Edit Sidebar.” The site layout menu will appear.
2. Look for a box labeled “Navigation.” It should be inside a box labeled “Sidebar.”
3. Click “Edit.” A new window will appear.
4. See if a checkmark appears next to “Automatically organize my navigation.”
5. Remove the checkmark by clicking on it. A new text box will appear that will allow you to edit the sidebar:
o To add a page to the sidebar, click on “Add page.” A new window will appear, listing all of the pages on your site. Select the page name you want by clicking on it. Then click the “OK” button.
o To move links in the sidebar, click on the link. Then, use the arrow-shaped icons on the right to change the order.
o To remove a link from the sidebar, click on the link. Then click the icon of a box containing an X.
5. When you have made all the changes you want, click “OK.”
Deleting Pages
If you no longer want to include a page in your portfolio, you can delete it. Deleted pages CANNOT be recovered.
To delete a page:
1. Go to the page you want to delete.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Click “Delete Page.” A warning window will appear.
4. Click “Delete.”
Monday, March 12, 2012
Project 3 Assignment--Analysis Paper
Please CAREFULLY review, and note, the due dates listed for this assignment.
Project III--Analyzing Opinion Pieces
A definition of analysis:Analytic writing identifies the elements within a text and describes the relationships among those elements. Text, here is broadly defined to include any aspect of culture that can be interpreted. Analysis focuses on structural elements over meaning. Examining meaning or theme is the focus of the explication.
Conventions of analytic writing:
• establishes a frame for analysis. For example and editorial can be analyzed in terms of the three classical appeals (ethos, logos, pathos), the author’s voice, larger cultural discourses, etc.
• a brief summary or description of the text.
• a clear statement of what the analysis shows, usually defined in a thesis statement.
• an exploration of the role each significant elements serve in the text.
• specific evidence, taken from the text, that supports the writer’s claims about what the analysis shows.
An introduction to our assignment:
Our society debates multiple issues: the limits of free speech, the definition of life, health care, the most responsible plan for the economy, and numerous others. Few of these debates have only two sides. Most of them, however, affect how we live, which makes them interesting and important. Many of these debates occur through writing, particularly via opinion pieces published in newspapers, magazines, and blogs. In order to be active, responsible citizens, people must be able to navigate these debates, figuring out where different writers stand and determining the major elements of their arguments. This assignment will help you gain this critical skill.
Task:
Below are examples of the type of topics in “Today’s Debate” column in USA Today. “Today’s Debate” is a section of the editorial page that presents two columns arguing different positions on the same issue.
• Teacher tests separation of church and state. Opposing view: Government shouldn’t pick ministers
• What debit card fee critics miss on capitalism Opposing view: Investigate “unfair and abusive” bank fees
• Feeling poorer? You have plenty of company Opposing view: Concerted action is needed to create jobs.
• No excuse for US infant mortality ranking Opposing view: Misleading neonatal data distort rankings.
Use the link http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/index.htm ,also on the class blog, to select one pair of articles.
Write an essay that compares and/or contrasts the strategies the authors use to construct their arguments, focusing on their use of logos, pathos, and ethos. You do not have to discuss all three strategies in your essay, but you will need to focus on a point of similarity and/or contrast between the articles. Assume you are writing for the same audience as your response essays: an Honors high-school English class focusing on popular culture.
Purposes:
This assignment builds on the analytical, critical reading, and critical thinking skills we practiced with the last response and argument essays, applying them to written texts. This essay will also introduce you to some of the common moves used to construct persuasive arguments, moves you can apply in your other academic courses.
Hints:
This assignment is intended to help you learn how to break the articles apart, identify the strategies used to create them, and determine how those strategies further the writer’s purpose for his or her chosen audience. Use the same strategies for analysis that we practiced in class. For this assignment, I want your analysis to emphasize the three major appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. You must use one or all of these terms correctly in your essay. Assume that your audience has read the articles. As a result, you do not have to spend much time or detail summarizing them. A sentence or two giving the main points should be enough. However, you must draw on specific evidence from the articles to support your points. This means you should paraphrase and quote selectively. I am willing to let you write about another set of articles that are not included in our textbook or USA Today. However, you must provide me the copy of the articles, and I must give you written permission. If you do not meet either of these criteria, your essay will not be accepted, and you will lose points from your portfolio.
Length: 1000 words. Your essay may go over the requirement.
Evaluation Criteria:
I will use the conventions listed above and the criteria on the College Composition Student Information Sheet to evaluate your essay. You will earn a deadline draft grade for this assignment. It will be a required piece in your portfolio.
Assignment Steps (dates are subject to change):
• March 13: Assignment distributed. Select articles.
• March 15: Project III proposal due to Gotprofkiefer@gamil.com by noon. Whole-class and group practice on text analysis. Bring hard copies of articles to class.
• March 27: First draft due. Bring it to class as two a printed, hard copies.
• March 29: Catch-up/review as needed. Time to draft. Conferences: bring your draft for feedback.
• April 10: Revision work on second drafts. Bring second draft in two hard copies.
• April 24: Deadline draft due by noon today. Email to Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com
Project III--Analyzing Opinion Pieces
A definition of analysis:Analytic writing identifies the elements within a text and describes the relationships among those elements. Text, here is broadly defined to include any aspect of culture that can be interpreted. Analysis focuses on structural elements over meaning. Examining meaning or theme is the focus of the explication.
Conventions of analytic writing:
• establishes a frame for analysis. For example and editorial can be analyzed in terms of the three classical appeals (ethos, logos, pathos), the author’s voice, larger cultural discourses, etc.
• a brief summary or description of the text.
• a clear statement of what the analysis shows, usually defined in a thesis statement.
• an exploration of the role each significant elements serve in the text.
• specific evidence, taken from the text, that supports the writer’s claims about what the analysis shows.
An introduction to our assignment:
Our society debates multiple issues: the limits of free speech, the definition of life, health care, the most responsible plan for the economy, and numerous others. Few of these debates have only two sides. Most of them, however, affect how we live, which makes them interesting and important. Many of these debates occur through writing, particularly via opinion pieces published in newspapers, magazines, and blogs. In order to be active, responsible citizens, people must be able to navigate these debates, figuring out where different writers stand and determining the major elements of their arguments. This assignment will help you gain this critical skill.
Task:
Below are examples of the type of topics in “Today’s Debate” column in USA Today. “Today’s Debate” is a section of the editorial page that presents two columns arguing different positions on the same issue.
• Teacher tests separation of church and state. Opposing view: Government shouldn’t pick ministers
• What debit card fee critics miss on capitalism Opposing view: Investigate “unfair and abusive” bank fees
• Feeling poorer? You have plenty of company Opposing view: Concerted action is needed to create jobs.
• No excuse for US infant mortality ranking Opposing view: Misleading neonatal data distort rankings.
Use the link http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/index.htm ,also on the class blog, to select one pair of articles.
Write an essay that compares and/or contrasts the strategies the authors use to construct their arguments, focusing on their use of logos, pathos, and ethos. You do not have to discuss all three strategies in your essay, but you will need to focus on a point of similarity and/or contrast between the articles. Assume you are writing for the same audience as your response essays: an Honors high-school English class focusing on popular culture.
Purposes:
This assignment builds on the analytical, critical reading, and critical thinking skills we practiced with the last response and argument essays, applying them to written texts. This essay will also introduce you to some of the common moves used to construct persuasive arguments, moves you can apply in your other academic courses.
Hints:
This assignment is intended to help you learn how to break the articles apart, identify the strategies used to create them, and determine how those strategies further the writer’s purpose for his or her chosen audience. Use the same strategies for analysis that we practiced in class. For this assignment, I want your analysis to emphasize the three major appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. You must use one or all of these terms correctly in your essay. Assume that your audience has read the articles. As a result, you do not have to spend much time or detail summarizing them. A sentence or two giving the main points should be enough. However, you must draw on specific evidence from the articles to support your points. This means you should paraphrase and quote selectively. I am willing to let you write about another set of articles that are not included in our textbook or USA Today. However, you must provide me the copy of the articles, and I must give you written permission. If you do not meet either of these criteria, your essay will not be accepted, and you will lose points from your portfolio.
Length: 1000 words. Your essay may go over the requirement.
Evaluation Criteria:
I will use the conventions listed above and the criteria on the College Composition Student Information Sheet to evaluate your essay. You will earn a deadline draft grade for this assignment. It will be a required piece in your portfolio.
Assignment Steps (dates are subject to change):
• March 13: Assignment distributed. Select articles.
• March 15: Project III proposal due to Gotprofkiefer@gamil.com by noon. Whole-class and group practice on text analysis. Bring hard copies of articles to class.
• March 27: First draft due. Bring it to class as two a printed, hard copies.
• March 29: Catch-up/review as needed. Time to draft. Conferences: bring your draft for feedback.
• April 10: Revision work on second drafts. Bring second draft in two hard copies.
• April 24: Deadline draft due by noon today. Email to Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com
Friday, March 2, 2012
Important Announcements and Reminders
Dear Comp Students:
A few important announcements for the coming week:
1) Argument papers are due to Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com by NOON on Thursday, 3/8/12.
2) There are still Wednesday, 3/7, A-Team sessions available for help on this paper at 6, 7 and 8. Please take advantage of the opportunity to improve your paper (and grade!)
3) A-Team for this Thursday, 3/8/12 is CANCELLED.
4) If you cannot make an A-Team appointment, please be considerate and send me an email to Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com. This keeps me from coming to Kean unnecessarily, or waiting 45 minutes for you assuming you are stuck in traffic.
5) Please plan ahead so that you can arrive to class on time. The policy for tardiness is in the syllabus.
6) **A reminder ONLY for students with multiple absences and missing assignments: The last day to withdraw from the class with a "W" is March 18.
Thanks so much and have a good weekend.
Happy Writing,
Prof. K.
A few important announcements for the coming week:
1) Argument papers are due to Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com by NOON on Thursday, 3/8/12.
2) There are still Wednesday, 3/7, A-Team sessions available for help on this paper at 6, 7 and 8. Please take advantage of the opportunity to improve your paper (and grade!)
3) A-Team for this Thursday, 3/8/12 is CANCELLED.
4) If you cannot make an A-Team appointment, please be considerate and send me an email to Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com. This keeps me from coming to Kean unnecessarily, or waiting 45 minutes for you assuming you are stuck in traffic.
5) Please plan ahead so that you can arrive to class on time. The policy for tardiness is in the syllabus.
6) **A reminder ONLY for students with multiple absences and missing assignments: The last day to withdraw from the class with a "W" is March 18.
Thanks so much and have a good weekend.
Happy Writing,
Prof. K.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Tonight Thursday March 1
We made it to March! Only 19 more days until Spring!
Tonight we will celebrate the new month with a distribution of updated grade sheets that include Project I grades and Attendance grades for the first six weeks of class.
In addtion we will learn, discuss and review everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about ....Documentation: How to create a Works Cited page and in text citations!
Tonight we will celebrate the new month with a distribution of updated grade sheets that include Project I grades and Attendance grades for the first six weeks of class.
In addtion we will learn, discuss and review everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about ....Documentation: How to create a Works Cited page and in text citations!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 23
Tonight we read an essay and began planning for an argumentative essay based on that essay. During class we shared our engaging openings for these essays and then reflected on our processes.
This weekend you should be finalizing your body pargragphs and using evidence from your articles (a minimum of three) to build and support your main ideas. Bring these drafts to class on Tuesday. Thanks!
This weekend you should be finalizing your body pargragphs and using evidence from your articles (a minimum of three) to build and support your main ideas. Bring these drafts to class on Tuesday. Thanks!
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