WRITING NATURE:

DISCOURSES on NATURE, CULTURE, and TECHNOLOGY

 PWR 1-12 ~ Fall 2003

Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6 / Week 7 / Week 8 / Week 9 / Week 10 / Week 11 / Exam Week

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

WEEKLY TOPICS

September 22

 

September 23

 

September 24

 

September 25

First Class: Introductions, Policies, and Procedures

September 26

 

 

WEEK #1

Who ARE You?

and

What Do We Mean by Rhetoric?

 

September 29

 

September 30

DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ Writing #1 (Leap-of-Faith), Part 1
READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ June Jordan, "Nobody Mean More to Me Than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan" (handout)

€ John Muir, Selections from Chapter 1 (Writing Nature)

€ John Muir, Further Selections (handout)

October 1

 

October 2

DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ Writing #1 (Leap-of-Faith), Part 2
READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ rhetorical introduction to Chapter 2 (Writing Nature)

€ Ralph Waldo Emerson, from "Nature" (Writing Nature)

€ Joyce Carol Oates, "Against Nature" (Writing Nature)

October 3

 

WEEK #2

It's All about Audience & Purpose

Rhetorical Analysis

reading like a writer

Transcending the 5-¶ Essay!

induction and deduction

thesis and level of generalization

October 6

 

 

October 7

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ rhetorical introduction to Chapter 3 (Writing Nature)

€ Chaps 10-12, pp 121-149 (Penguin Handbook)
DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ Writing #1 (Leap-of-Faith), Part 3

October 8

 

October 9

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentations:

#1: Quammen, "The Face of a Spider"

#2: Walker, "Am I Blue?"
READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ rhetorical introduction to Chapter 4 (Writing Nature)

€ David Quammen, "The Face of a Spider" (Writing Nature)

€ Alice Walker, "Am I Blue?" (Writing Nature)

October 10

 

WEEK #3

Presentation Materials As Effective (and Ineffective) Texts

From Writer to Reader

Connecting personal and analytical writing

Drawing on Sources to...

contextualize, illuminate, and extend your ideas and experience

 

 

October 13

 

 

October 14

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ L'enfant sauvage (Film: on Reserve at Green Media/Microtext)
DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ Writing #1 (Leap-of-Faith), Draft

October 15

Peer Review Conferences
DUE TODAY:

€ Written peer review at conference

October 16

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentation:

#3: Eckstein, "Two Lives"
READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Henry David Thoreau, from Journals (handout)

€ Gustav Eckstein, "Two Lives" (handout)

€ Appendix, "Weaving the Threads: an Overview of the Research Process" pp. 598-604 (Writing Nature)
DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ 3 possible research topic ideas

October 17

Peer Review Conferences
DUE TODAY:

€ Written peer review at conference

 

WEEK #4

Rhetorical Analysis of Film Texts

From Reader to Writer

Peer Review and Constructive Critique

Overview of the Research Project

Research reports vs. documented arguments, analyses, interpretations

Research topics: what's a "good" one?

Developing a Research Question

 

October 20

 

October 21

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ rhetorical introduction to Chapter 6 (Writing Nature)

€ Chap 16 , pp 179-187 (Penguin Handbook)
DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ Research Proposal and (We'll complete the Research Topic Form during class)

October 22

 

October 23

IN CLASS TODAY:

Library Workshop

Meet at 11:00 in the foyer of Green Library. See "Green East/South Portal" in Green's Online Tour
READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Appendix, "Weaving the Threads: an Overview of the Research Process" pp. 604-609 (Writing Nature)

€ Chap 17 , pp 187-206 (Penguin Handbook)

€ Modules 1 and 2 in SKIL (Stanford's Key to Information Literacy)

DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ Writing #1 (Leap-of-Faith), Revision

October 24

 

WEEK #5

Refining Your Research Question

Preliminary Research

Kinds of Sources: Reference, Primary, and Secondary

Library research

Online research

Interviews, surveys, field work

Using Stanford's Library and Other Resources in Research

 

October 27

 

October 28

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentation:

#4: Two Creation Stories

#5: Pollan, "Two Gardens"

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Two Creation Stories: "Marumda and Kuksu Make the World"

€ Michael Pollan, "Two Gardens" (handout)

€ rhetorical introduction to Chapter 7 (Writing Nature)

€ Modules 3, 4, 5 in SKIL (Stanford's Key to Information Literacy)

DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ Working annotated bibliography in class

October 29

Optional check-in Conferences re: Research Topics & Bibs

October 30

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentation:

#6: Perrin: "Forever Virgin"

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Noel Perrin, "Forever Virgin" (Writing Nature)

€ Chap 18 , pp 207-214 (Penguin Handbook)

October 31

Optional check-in Conferences re: Research Topics & Bibs

WEEK #6

Evaluating and Refining a Working Bibliography

Balance, variety, currency

Critically Evaluating Sources

Research Methods and Strategies

Note-taking

Summary, paraphrase, quotation

November 3

 

November 4

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ rhetorical introduction to Chapter 8 (Writing Nature)

€ Koyaanasqatsi (Film: on Reserve at Green Media/Microtext)

€ Aldo Leopold, "A Land Ethic" (Writing Nature)

November 5

 

 

November 6

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentations:

#8: Abbey, "Even the Bad Guys Wear White Hats"

#9: Riggs, "Access to Public Lands: A National Necessity"

READ/VIEW BY TODAY:

€ Edward Abbey, "Even the Bad Guys Wear White Hats" (Writing Nature)

€ Cynthia Riggs, "Access to Public Lands: A National Necessity" (Writing Nature)

€ Module 6 in SKIL (Stanford's Key to Information Literacy)

November 7

 

 

WEEK #7

Arguments

The subjects of and motives for argument

Elements and styles of argument

Evaluating Arguments

Context, authority, logic, and bias

 

November 10

 

 

November 11

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentations:

#10: Dillard, "Sojourner"

#11: Dillard, "Heaven and Earth in Jest"

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Annie Dillard, "Sojourner" (Writing Nature)

€ Annie Dillard, "Heaven and Earth in Jest" (Writing Nature)

€ Consult Chap 26-31, pp 327-368 (Penguin Handbook)
DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

Draft of Writing #2

November 12

 

November 13

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentations:

#12: Rifkin, " "A Heretic's View of the New Bioethics"

#13: Gould, "On the Origin of Specious Critics"
READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Jeremy Rifkin, "A Heretic's View of the New Bioethics" (Writing Nature)

€ Stephen Jay Gould, "On the Origin of Specious Critics" (Writing Nature)

€ Chap 19 , pp 215-223 (Penguin Handbook)
Individual Conferences on Writing #2

November 14

Individual Conferences on Writing #2

 

WEEK #8

Style

Its relationship to audience and purpose

Voice

Bringing your self into all kinds of writing

Maintaining Intellectual Control in Research Writing

Writing with sources

Plagiarism

 

November 17

Individual Conferences on Writing #2

November 18

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentations:

#14: Huxley, Chapter 1 from Brave New World

#7: Film: Gattaca

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Aldous Huxley, Chapter 1 from Brave New World (Writing Nature)

€ Gattaca (Film: on Reserve at Green Media/Microtext)

€ Appendix, "Weaving the Threads: An Overview of the Research Process," pp. 609-612 and 624-628 (Writing Nature)

November 19

 

November 20

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Peter Singer, "When Are Experiments on Animals Justifiable?" (Writing Nature)

€ David Quammen, "Animal Rights and Beyond: the Search for a New Moral Framework and a Righteous Gumbo" (Writing Nature)

€ Appendix, "Weaving the Threads: An Overview of the Research Process," pp. 612-616 and 628-640 (Writing Nature)

€ Chap 20 , pp 223-230 (Penguin Handbook)

November 21

 

 

WEEK #9

Outlining the Research Paper: Planning Organization, Coverage, and Use of Evidence

Beginning and ending

Induction or deduction?

Establishing exigence

Presenting and explaining essential background

Patterns of claim, evidence, and warrant

 

 

November 24

 

November 25

IN CLASS TODAY:

Presentation:

#15: Singer, "When Are Experiments on Animals Justifiable?"

David Quammen, "Animal Rights and Beyond: the Search for a New Moral Framework and a Righteous Gumbo"

READ BY CLASS TIME TODAY:

€ Chaps 21-24 , pp 356-460 (Penguin Handbook) and Appendix, "Weaving the Threads: An Overview of the Research Process," pp. 616-624 (Writing Nature)

DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

Research paper rough opening, closing, outline, thesis

November 26

 

November 27

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

November 28

 

WEEK #10

Documentation Styles

Sharing the (Considerable) Work... and Narrowing It down for Presentation

 

December 1

 

December 2

IN CLASS TODAY:

Research Project Presentations
DUE IN CLASS TODAY:

€ Draft of research paper

December 3

DUE TODAY:

€ Written peer review of Research Paper draft at conference
Peer Review Conferences on research paper drafts

December 4

IN CLASS TODAY:

Final Class

Research Project Presentations
Peer Review Conferences on research paper drafts
DUE TODAY:

€Revision of Writing #2 due by today

December 5

Peer Review Conferences on research paper drafts

WEEK #11

Revision Strategies

Sharing the Work

Wrap-up and Celebration

December 8

 

December 9

December 10

DUE TODAY:

Complete Portfolios (including cover letter, and revised research paper by 5 p.m. at my office.

December 11

December 12

EXAM WEEK

 

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