ENGH 101
Section 90, Fall 2011
Tues 4:30-7:10pm - Innovation Hall 323
| Dr. Kenneth C. Thompson |
| Office: Robinson A 456 |
| Office Phone: 703-993-1160 |
| Office
Hours: Tues/Thurs 3:15-4:15pm and by appointment |
| Email: kthomps4 [at] gmu.edu |
| Syllabus: http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-90-f11/ |
| Course Blog: http://10190f11.wordpress.com/ |
| WRITING TUTORING: The Transition Resource Center, University Life, and the Writing Center at GMU are sponsoring Living
Learning Community tutoring especially for students in this and
other LLC 1st year classes.
Our tutors--Dylan K and Brian S--have been specially
trained to help you with your writing as well as to work with you
on peer review. A flyer will be distributed to Univ100 classes as well
as the Engineering and Business/Economics LLC sections of
Engl101. You will need to bring back a signed visit
verification form for all face-to-face tutoring visits and
hand it in with your paper to receive credit for your
visit. Each student is required to attend at least two tutoring
sessions this semester. See below for more details.
|
TEXTS:
COURSE BLOG: Over the course of the semester, you will regularly post short writing assignments on the class blog. The blog will be the place to post as a place to post personal reflections and your responses to readings and films as well as try out ideas for your more formal print papers while receiving feedback from your fellow students . I will put instructions on the site and go over procedures in class. If you have problems, please contact me. The blog can be found at: http://10190f11.wordpress.com/ (note no dashes in the URL)
RESOURCES:
COURSE FRAMEWORK: This section of English 101 is specifically designed for students in Engineering, Business and Economics or for students especially interested in those subjects. About half the class is also taking University 100 as part of either the Engineering or Business and Economics Living Learning Communities (LLC). University 100 is intended to help students transition from high school to college. The main objectives of this course are to develop relationships with others in the class including the instructor and peer advisor, to establish a knowledge base of campus resources, and to acquire basic academic skills for success. Engl101 will enable you to improve your writing and research skills while you study the history of electrification in 19th century America and the development of computers in the mid 20th century from both an Engineering and Business point of view. In your English course, you will regularly post short essays on the class blog, and comment on each others longer papers using editing sheets I will prepare for each assignment. You will also be required to do exercises from Diana Hacker's Pocket Style Manual website keyed to my comments on your writing.
WRITING TUTORS: Dylan K and Brian S have excellent writing skills and have been trained as peer tutors by the Writing Center. They will be available at specified times to help you with your papers. They will have hours in an office in the reference room of Fenwick Library. For their hours starting September 28th, click here. Also see the tutoring flyer distributed to LLC Univ100s. If you see a tutor in person, you will need to bring back a signed visit verification form and hand it in with your paper to receive credit for your visit. Tutors are also available at The Writing Center Robinson Hall A, room 114 (703) 993-1200. Make tutoring appointments online at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/ You will have to register as clients in the system and then go the LLC ONLY drop-down menu to schedule your appointments with one of the LLC tutors . Note: make sure to bring a print copy of your assignment, paper/draft and other materials you want to work on with you when you visit Brian or Dylan.
REQUIREMENTS: 1) Regular attendance. Participation in all class activities including workshops, group projects, films, trips and individual presentations. 2) Completion of all assigned reading. 3) On-time completion of all written work including papers, blog posts, editing sheets, quizzes, papers, bibliographies, and proposals. After three late assignments, each succeeding late project will be lowered half a grade. I will accept no assignments that are over one week late. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day indicated on the syllabus. Students who do not earn a "C" or higher will receive the grade "NC" (No Credit) and are required to take Engl101 again.
FILM SCREENINGS: There will be three required Cinema and Supper showings with free pizza and soda at 7pm and a film at 7:30pm. The films are scheduled as follows:
NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: The English Department defines plagiarism as "using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another source without giving that source credit. Writers give credit through the use of accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes; a simple listing of books, articles, and websites is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in an academic setting." I will not tolerate plagiarism in my classes and will report incidents to the appropriate authorities.
DISABILITIES: If you are a student with a disability and you
need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of
Disability Resources at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be
arranged through that office.
PRINTING IN INNOVATION HALL: to use the printers outside the lab on the third floor of Innovation Hall, you will need to add money to your Mason ID card for printing by going to http://masonmoney.gmu.edu and clicking on the link “Buy Online.” On the next page, click “Deposit Online Now” at the top. On the next page that opens, enter your G number and your pin. If you have never used the site before, your pin is 1111. You can then use a credit card to add Mason Money to your ID.
PAPERS 1 & 2: 33%
PAPERS 3 & 4: 33%
PARTICIPATION
AND GROUP WORK (including blog posts): 33%
SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO REVISION)
| DATE | ENGL 101 |
|---|---|
| Tues Aug 30 | Introduction
to the course; fill out the class Information
Sheet and bring it to class on Thurs. Set up mail
forwarding at Mason Live if you do
not plan to check your GMU email several times a week. This week
I will also help you add my email addresses to your safe
list so messages about the class will not be blocked by
GMU's spam
filter. You should also
create a course folder in your Mason Live account so
you can easily locate course related messages. In addition, this week, 1) you will register on Wordpress.com; 2) I will give you write permissions on the class blog; 3) you will introduce yourself to your fellow students; and 4) you will comment on each other's postings. The instructions for the assignment are at page/prompt 03 on the upper right of the class blog; instructions for registering and posting are at page/prompts 02a and 02b as well as below. The full registration procedure is time consuming so after you have registered on Wordpress.com and while you are waiting for me to give you register you on the class blog, you should do you initial draft of your introduction using Word (saving as web page filtered) or an HTML editor. Once I have given you write permissions on the blog and created the appropriate categories for you to check, you can transfer what you have to the blog, continue working, and even edit your post. When you register on Wordpress.com, use your GMU user name and email address and write down your password (or use one you will remember). Leave Gimme a blog unchecked. How much information you include in your profile (the next page of Wordpress registration) is up to you; I recommend including just your first name and last initial. After you have filled out the profile page, click submit and open your GMU email account and wait for an email from Wordpress. Click the authentication link in the email and notify me that you are registered on Wordpress. I will then give register you on the class blog (you must be registered on both Wordpress and the class blog before you can log on and see the New Post link). Give your first post a
title–“03-Introduction, first name last initial,” and enter
the text of your post in the box under Post. You should see
a check box with your name under People at the top right of the Write page as one of the
categories. Also check Introductions (for your first post)
before you click on Publish. You will
follow this procedure in future posts except that you will
chose different titles and check different categories to
correspond to the assignment. If you do not check these
categories, you will not receive credit for the assignment.
The login link for the course blog is at the lower right of the page under Meta. There is also a link to wordpress.com there. During class, introduce yourself to your classmates on the blog. We will then watch selections from Edison: Miracle of Light. |
| Mon Sept 5 | LABOR DAY, UNIVERSITY CLOSED |
| Tues Sept 6 | Before
class, read Jill Jonnes, Empires of Light, Introduction
(xiii-xiv) and watch the interview with her
on CSPAN Booknotes at
http://www.booknotes.org/Watch/178806-1/Jill+Jonnes.aspx
Also read before class Empires of Light, pp. 51-85 (Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park) and pp. 3-15 (Morgan's House Was Lighted Up Last Night) and watch Thomas Edison: The Electric-Light Bulb at http://www.hulu.com/watch/87171/milestones-in-science-and-engineering-thomas-edison-the-electric-light-bulb (you will need to watch an advertisement to access the video). During class we will go over the reading and I will discuss Edison using Paul Israel's Edison: A Life of Invention (not assigned but on reserve at JC Library), pp. 119 and 167; Jill Jonnes' Empire of Light, p. 67; and Randall Stross, The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Edison Invented the Modern World (Google Books and JC), pp. 288-290. Both Stross and Israel see Edison as a transitional figure. For Israel, Edison stands at a point of transition between the individual inventor working in the context of 19th century shop culture and the modern director of research and development in a corporate lab. Stross sees Edison as a celebrity, both in his time and ours, precisely because he was not an anonymous researcher but an individual. And he ties some of Edison's failures to the burden of modern celebrity and the unrealistic expectations it entailed. We will watch the rest of Edison: Miracle of Light during class. SEPT 6-LAST DAY TO DROP WITH NO TUITION PENALTY, LAST DAY TO ADD CLASSES |
| Tues Sept 13 |
Before class read the section from the end of Empires of Light on Edison's later work (347-353), read Edison's Story from the Lemelson Center at http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/edison/, review Jonnes on Edison (51-85), and study the following resources for information and ideas about Edison's inventions in preparation for your first paper:
Group discussion of what you consider Edison's most important invention or inventions and the reasons for your views. Then post individually on what you consider Edison's most important invention or inventions. Make sure to provide reasons and evidence to back up your choice(s) and take into account contrary views on the part of your group members. See page/prompt 4 on the class blog for the assignment. During or after class, comment on at least two of your fellow group members' posts and then update your own post based on the feedback you have received (both face-to-face and in comments). Paper #1, a 2-3 page paper (typed & double spaced) essay on Edison's most important invention due at the beginning of class this coming Tues Sept 20th. You will work on your paper and blog post while I talk to you about your plans and ideas. Intro to MLA and APA citations formats using Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation online site. We will begin with MLA and an overview of the relation between in-text entries and the works cited page, look at the drop down for in-text cites and items on the works cited page, and then go over some of the works cited format for some of the sources you have available for your paper including: 1) books; 2) articles in journals; 3) articles in magazines and newspapers; 4) websites and short works from websites; 5) online video clips; 6) DVDs; 6) radio or TV programs; and lectures or public addresses. As we will see over the next few weeks, sometimes these your sources will be a mix. For the APA guidelines, see the overview, and the drop-down menu for APA in-text citations and APA list of references. Note that APA is more narrowly targeted at research publications and so does not have as many categories or types of sources as MLA. Start bringing A Pocket Style Manual to class. At the end of class, I will briefly introduce you to the use of Lexis-Nexis Academic to find newspaper articles. Next class, you will look for an article on Edison entitled The Father of Invention by Debra Galant from the New York Times, June 1st, 1997. Once you have found the article, read up to the section "Nationally Revered But Locally Ignored" and email the piece to yourself. SEPT 19-LAST DAY TO DROP WITH 33% TUITION PENALTY |
| Tues Sept 20 |
Paper #1, a 2-3 page paper (typed & double spaced) essay on Edison's most important invention(s) is due at the beginning of class. In-class editing using an editing sheet I will provide. Introduction to the War of the Currents and the issue of ethics and integrity in business and technology. Several of you in LLC Univ100s will be doing an assignment on this issue. In Engh101, we will be studying a famous case where the ethics of Edison's public relations assault on Alternating Current (AC) and Westinghouse has often been questioned. You will learn about the history of the rather vicious standards war and then write a letter supporting either Edison's or Westinghouse's position. I suggest most of you write as if you are one of their contemporaries although you also have the option of writing from the future. One final option would be to try to determine the truth of their claims by writing a letter as if you are a NYC regulator. Before you write the paper, make sure to review the interview with Jill Jonnes on CSPAN Booknotes, available online at http://www.booknotes.org/Watch/178806-1/Jill+Jonnes.aspx After I have introduced the conflict between Edison and Westinghouse, I will go over the reading for next week on Westinghouse in Empires of Light (pp. 117-124 and 129-139, especially pp. 123 and 130-132. I will also discuss Faraday's career and discovery of the principle of electromagnetic induction. Before next class, explore the following resources on Westinghouse to see what you might draw on in writing/revising your next paper:
At the end of class, I will review how to use Lexis-Nexis Academic and introduce you to ProQuest Research Library, both databases you can use to find newspaper articles. After we review the use of each database, look for an article on Edison entitled The Father of Invention by Debra Galant from the New York Times, June 1st, 1997. Once you have found the article, read up to the section "Nationally Revered But Locally Ignored" and email the piece to yourself. Also search for "Edison New York Sun" in ProQuest Historical Newspapers using both the Basic and Advanced search pages. Many papers outside NYC reprinted or quoted from articles in the NY press so we have access to the paper--the New York Sun--that played a key role in constructing Edison's reputation indirectly using ProQuest. At the end of class, we will watch selections from Edison Tech in class (4:40-20:25). For additional information on Edison's inventions, see http://edison.rutgers.edu/inventions.htm |
| Fri Sept 23th |
Edison The Man (1940) at the Eisenhower multimedia Theatre. Pizza at 7pm in the lounge; film showing in the theatre at 7:30pm. By Sun at 11:59pm, post to the class blog your reaction to the film, indicating what struck you as most interesting about the portrayal of Edison and his work and what you liked and didn't like about the film. The film showing is required but if you have to miss it because of a course conflict or family emergency, in addition to the post write a 300-500 word paper (typed and double-spaced) comparing Edison as presented in Edison The Man with what you know of him from your reading in Jonnes and Edison: Miracle of Light and Edison Tech. Be specific, cite sources (using MLA or APA) and conclude by writing about how the process of discovery is represented in Edison The Man. The paper is due at the beginning of class next Tues. If you attend the showing you can also write the paper for extra credit. |
| Tues Sept 27 | Before class, read Empires
of Light, pp. 141-152 and
165-179 (Edison Declares
War; Constant Danger)
and then post to the blog your view of Brown's role in Edison's
public relations campaign against AC (page/prompt 7).
Before you state your opinion on Brown, make sure to discuss what
he did, what his connection with Edison was, and why Edison
resorted to such tactics. In-class discussion of Brown's role in
Edison's public relations campaign against AC.
Before our meeting today, also finish the reading you began last class on Westinghouse (pp. 117-124 and 129-139, especially pp. 123 and 130-132 ). During class, you will discuss transformers in your groups and then enter a (group) post on how transformers work and how Westinghouse improved the Gaulard Gibbs design (page/prompt 6). During or after class, vote for the best group's account. To see what a technically detailed explanation by a physicist can look like, see Electricity & Magnetism, Walter Lewin, MIT Lecture 24 (21:30min- Transformers; 32min- coils) http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-02-electricity-and-magnetism-spring-2002/video-lectures/lecture-24-transformers-car-coils-and-rc-circuits/ LLC Peer tutoring begins Wed Sept 28th. I will return paper #1 to you this week. Over the next several weeks, you are required to see one of the Engineering and Business/Economics LLC tutors as you revise paper #1 or work on drafts of paper #2. Go to the Writing Center home page at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/ In the box on the right hand side of the page, Schedule an Appointment, click on New Client and fill in the registration form and submit. Then go back to the Schedule an Appointment box and click on Existing Client. Read and accept the Writing Center Policy Agreement, checking the box near the bottom of the page. Then log on using your GMU email address and password choosing LLC Students Only, Fenwick Location Fall 2011. Open times are marked in white. Click on Next Week at the bottom right to move forward in time. Click on a time that fits your schedule and fill in the form and click on Save Appointment after filling out the form completely. Give the tutor permission to share session content with your professor. Also write down your appointment time. Missing an appointment will require two tutoring sessions and a paper on what you learned from your meetings. Missing appointments will also lower you class participation grade. For Dylan's and Brian's hours starting September 28th, click here. Also see the tutoring flyer distributed to LLC Univ100s. If there is time at the end of class, I will discuss Edison by going over some key sections of Empire of Light that point to simplifications in the film Edison The Man that have their roots in Edison's own manipulation of the press in the 19th century:
SEPT 30-FINAL DROP DEADLINE (67% TUITION PENALTY) |
| Tues Oct 4 | Before
class, read Empires of
Light, pp. 198-204 (the PR
struggle over the electrocution of a Western Union lineman
in The Horrible
Experiment) and begin the preliminary draft
of paper #2 following page/prompt 8 on the blog. Imagine you
are either Edison or Westinghouse (or one of their allies, a
NYC regulator, or a visitor from the future) and enter a
post to the class blog in the form of a letter to one of the
New York papers on the Western Union lineman case and the safety
of AC and DC. You will update your post in class today after
you have read the exchange between Edison and Westinghouse
in the North American Review. During class we will review how to use ProQuest Research Library. Find the Oct 12th, 1889 New York Times article on Feeks' electrocution--"Met Death in the Wires." Read the article and email it to yourself for future use. During class, you will read the exchange between Edison and Westinghouse from the North American Review (see the paper #2 assignment for the links). Then update your post on Western Union lineman John Feeks' death from electrocution, drawing on the exchange between Westinghouse and Edison as well as the NY Times article on his death and your reading in Jonnes. Follow the lineman's death prompt on the blog (page/prompt 8). In class today, indicate who you are writing as (as well as who you really are) in the subject heading of your post. During or after class, find a post by a student who has taken a different approach than your own and leave a critique from the perspective you took in your own posting. If you cannot find a posting from a different point of view than your own, leave a friendly critique. By Tues Oct 11th at 11:59pm you should have also done a more objective critique of at least one other student's post, concentrating on the persuasiveness of their arguments, use of evidence and sources, rhetorical strategy. We will review Hacker on citing online sources in MLA, pp. 137-143 (APA (177-181); on citing articles found using databases in MLA, p 140 (APA 178); and citing articles from periodicals in MLA, pp. 134-136 (APA 174-7). Here are links to the corresponding sections of Hacker's online site:
Remember that you are required to have at least one tutoring session as you are revising paper #1 or working on paper #2. Check/make appointments or schedule a face-to-face meeting with a tutor from the Writing Center. For Dylan's and Brian's hours, click here. Also see the tutoring flyer distributed to LLC Univ100s. |
| Tues Oct 11 | NO CLASS--COLUMBUS DAY OCT 10TH, MON
CLASSES MEET TUES, TUES CLASSES DO NOT MEET By Tues Oct 11th at 11:59pm, comment on at least two of your fellow students' posts on Brown and two on Feeks' electrocution (#7 and 8). Note that one of your comments on the Feeks' postings should be an "in character" critique from the point of view of one of the parties in the debate and one a more objective critique, concentrating on the persuasiveness of their arguments, use of evidence and sources, rhetorical strategy. Email me Paper
#2 due by Thurs at 11:59pm; if you have
seen a tutor, put the documentation in my box in the English
Dept on the 4th floor of Robinson Hall A or bring it to our
next class. The paper should be 2-3+ pages, typed and
double-spaced, and include in-text cites and a works cited page.
Make sure you draw on (and cite) the exchange between
Westinghouse and Edison from the North American Review, the
Oct 12th 1889 New York Times article, "Met Death in the
Wires," and your reading in Jonnes and other sources. If you saw
a tutor, make sure to include a statement of what you went over in your
session and what you changed as a result of the feedback you
received. Put the visit verification form signed by your tutor in my
box in the English Dept office (4th floor of Robinson Hall A) or bring
it to the next class. Make sure to carefully review the
assignment prompt before you send in your paper. It's available
at |
| Tues Oct 18 |
Read Empires of Light, pp. 17-49 (Endeavor to Make it Useful). This chapter covers the history of electricity and we will come back to it several times over the next few weeks. We will go over the reading in some detail, focusing in particular on Faraday, and then watch the sections on Faraday from Einstein's Big Idea (DVD chap 3 and part of 5). The chapter is also currently available on You Tube in two clips, Part I and Part II. For an extra-credit blog post on Michael Faraday, see page/prompt 09 on the blog. IT is due Sun Oct 30th at 11:59pm. Also before class read Empires of Light, pp. 87-115 (Nikola Tesla: Our Parisian). We will discuss both the reading and go over the assignment for paper #3.During or after class, review Jonnes 87-115 and read pp. 353-367 (Tesla's later career); begin your post on what you consider to be Tesla's most important invention with a description of how it worked (or might have worked) and your view of why it was important. The post (page/prompt 10) is due by Sun Oct 30th at 11:59pm. You should comment on at least two of your fellow students' posts before class next Tues. You may find the following sites informative and interesting as you prepare your post and work on your paper:
Make sure to review the works cited format for some of the sources you have available for your next paper including: 1) books; 2) articles in journals; 3) articles in magazines and newspapers; 4) websites and short works from websites; 5) online video clips; 6) DVDs; 6) radio or TV programs; and lectures or public addresses. As we have seen, sometimes these sources will be a mixture of types. For the APA guidelines, see the overview, and the drop-down menu for APA in-text citations and APA list of references. Note that APA is more narrowly targeted at research publications and so does not have as many categories or types of sources as MLA. For example, To cite Carlson's lecture (Madrid), follow the model at http://dianahacker for lectures but add "Web" for the online source; for the On Point interview, follow the Hacker model for radio interview but also add "Web" for online access. For Tesla Master of Lightning, follow the model for Radio or Television program but add VHS or DVD (or web) depending on how you saw the program. OCT 21--MIDTERM PROGRESS REPORT DUE |
| Fri Oct 21 | Required Cinema and
Supper showing of Tesla:
Master of Lighting
at the Eisenhower
multimedia Theatre. Pizza at 7pm in the lounge; film showing in the
theatre at 7:30pm. We will also listen to selections from Mike
Daisey's
Great Men of Genius monologue on Tesla and mad scientists.
By Sun at 11:59pm, post to the class blog a brief reaction to the documentary, indicating what struck you as most interesting about Tesla and his work and what you liked and didn't like about Tesla: Master of Lighting and Daisey's stand-up routine (page/prompt 11). Also remember that your post on Tesla most important invention or inventions (page/prompt 10) is due at the same time. The film showing is required but if you have to miss it because of a course conflict or family emergency, in addition to the post write a 250 word paper (typed and double-spaced) the most interesting points you learned about Tesla from at least one of the following sources: Empires of Light (pp. 87-115, 153-163, 179-183, and 353-367), the documentary Tesla: Master of Lighting, Carlson's Nikola Tesla and the Business of Invention or Tesla in New York. The paper is due by Thurs Oct 27th. If you attend the showing you can also write the paper for extra credit. |
| Tues Oct 25 | Before
class, read Empires of
Light, pp.153-163 and 179-183.
Bring a 2-3 page typed and double spaced draft of Paper
#3 (on Tesla) to class for required for in-class
exchange and editing by a fellow student. The editing
sheet you will use is tied to the grading rubric for the
assignment. A revision of the paper is due Nov 1st, but you can have an
extension till Nov 11th (the last Cinema and Supper) if you see a tutor
and substantially revise the paper. Make sure you read Nikola Tesla and the Business of Invention or watch Tesla in New York (You Tube 7:30 min-) before you write your draft. You will need to study and cite these and other sources--in addition to Jonnes--in your revised paper. See the listing for Oct 20th above, including the interview Tesla and Innovation. We will listen to some this interview in class (On Point, NPR, 8:30-28:40). To cite the On Point interview, follow the Hacker model for radio interview but also add "Web" and date of access. To cite Carlson's lecture (Madrid), follow the model at http://dianahacker for lectures but add "Web" for the online source; for the On Point interview, follow the Hacker model for radio interview but also add "Web" for online access. For Tesla Master of Lightning, follow the model for Radio or Television program but add DVD or VHS (depending on which format you watched; at the Cinema and Supper we watched the DVD). For extra credit, review carefully pp. 153-163 and post to the blog an account of Tesla's lecture to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in 1888 (page/prompt 12). Make sure you explain the importance of polyphase AC in Tesla's induction motor. Also indicate why Westinghouse purchased Tesla's patents and difficulties Tesla had working with Westinghouse Engineers and commercializing his design. If enough students do the extra credit assignment, you will use the blog's comment function to vote on: 1) which account is the most technically correct and comprehensive; 2) which account is the most accessible and understandable to non-engineers; and 3) which account is the best mix of the two. This extra credit post (page/prompt 12) is due Sun Oct 30th at 11:59pm. By the end of this week (Sun Oct 30th) you should have had at least one session with one of the LLC tutors (Brian or Dylan) in Fenwick Library. You have the choice of seeing a tutor and substantially revising paper #1 (revision due today), working on paper #2 (a later revision is due Tues Nov 22nd), or working with the tutor on a draft of paper #3 (draft due today). In either case, you are required to have a visit verification forms signed by one of the LLC tutors and included a typed statement about what you went over with the tutor and how you changed the paper as a result of the visit. Include earlier drafts and editing sheets, put the revised paper on top and use a staple, clip or folder to secure the portfolio. You can see a tutor twice for extra credit up until October 30th, although if the LLC tutors are booked up, this may required seeing one of the regular Writing Center tutors in Robinson Hall A. For Dylan's and Brian's hours, click here. Also see the tutoring flyer distributed to LLC Univ100s. OCT 28-INCOMPLETE WORK FROM s11 AND sum11 DUE TO INSTRUCTOR |
| Tues Nov 1 | Paper #3 due
at the beginning of class. If you are handing in your paper
today, make sure to bring the editing sheet your fellow
student filled out Thurs as well as the draft they edited
and a statement of what you changed as you revised the
paper. As with your last papers, put the revised paper on
top and secure the portfolio with a clip or put it in a folder.
If you see one of the LLC tutors
(or a regular Writing Center tutor, if Dylan and Brian are
booked), you can turn in the revised paper #3 on Fri Nov
11th at the beginning of our last Cinema and Supper.
Include all drafts with comments and editing sheets. If you see a
tutor, include a visit verification form and a detailed
statement of what you went over during your session and what
you changed as a result of the feedback you received. For Dylan's
and Brian's hours, click here.
Also see the
tutoring flyer distributed to LLC Univ100s. During class we will go over how to use Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), one of the databases available through the GMU DB Portal (see the Research Databases link under Research Tools at http://library.gmu.edu. Then look for Bernard Carlson's article on Tesla, "Inventor of Dreams," published in Scientific American in 2005. Read the article and then email it to yourself. We will also go over using the libraries E-Journal Search (4th tab near the top of the library home page) to determine what databases to use to find particular journals. We will then review Hacker on citing articles found using databases in MLA, p 140 (APA 178); and citing articles from periodicals in MLA, pp. 134-136 (APA 174-7). Here are links to the corresponding sections of Hacker's online site: During class, we will watch The Machine That Changed the World, Part I, stopping to discuss and write on the issues the documentary covers. We will then go on to watch selections from Part II (0-12:07; 24:03-36) on Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation and IBM. Take notes during these classes in preparation for a blog post on why the development of computers was an important technical and social achievement and on the most important figures, ideas or devices in this series of inventions (page/prompt 14).Before class, read Hacker, pp. 2-3 (wordy sentences). We will go over the samples in class next Tues and do the online exercises on wordiness at Diana Hacker's online site (1-1 to 1-3 under Grammar Exercises/Clarity. NOTE: Priority registration for my Spring 2012 LLC Engh201 (Images of Science, Technology and Business in Literature, Film and History) is Nov 11th for 1st year students in this class and the Engineering/Business/Econ LLCs. The class meets the General Education literature requirement and should be of special interest to students in Engineering, Business and Economics. For more information or to enroll, contact the Transition Resource Center at studacad@gmu.edu or at 703-993-9082. To enroll, you will need to provide the following information: 1) name; 2) identification number (G number); 3) the LLC you are enrolled in; 4) preferred section of English 201 (see the options above). Spaces are limited. |
| Tues Nov 8 | Revised Paper
#3 due either today
or at the beginning of the Cinema and Supper Friday if you saw a tutor.
Include a visit verification
form signed by the tutor, a typed statement of what you went over at the
session and what you changed as you worked on the paper, and all earlier
drafts and editing sheets. Put the revised paper on top and use a
staple, clip or folder to secure the portfolio.
Before class, read Diana Hacker on pronoun reference, pp. 34-35; also review pp. 2-3 (wordy sentences). We will do online exercises on pronoun reference (12-4 through 12-6 under Grammar Exercises/Grammar) during class as well as the online exercises on wordiness (1-1 through 1-3 under Grammar Exercises/Clarity) at http://dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp During class today we will watch the first 35 min of The Machine That Changed the World, Part III (The Paperback Computer). Take notes as you watch all three parts of the documentary. Pay particular attention to ideas about computers as universal machines used by everyone--not just as calculating machines for scientists and engineers--and take notes on the individuals and groups involved in this shift. You will draw on this material when you write your final paper as well as in your The Machine that Changed the World blog post. During/after class post to the blog (page/prompt 14) on The Machine That Changed the World. Begin your post with your view of why the development of computers was an important technical and social achievement. Then write an account of at least three of the most important figures, ideas or devices in this series of inventions (at least one for Part I, one for Part II, and one for Part III), giving the reasons why you think your choices are noteworthy. Your posts must be completed by Sun at 11:59pm. To see an interesting anticipation of one recent trend in interface design--Microsoft Kinect--see the clip from Spielberg's 2002 film Minority Report at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwVBzx0LMNQ This class or next, complete the Fall 2011 Computer Access survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3HRWZDQ Use class code 869201 NOTE: Priority registration for my Spring 2012 LLC Engh201 (Images of Science, Technology and Business in Literature, Film and History) is Nov 11th for 1st year students in this class and the Engineering/Business/Econ LLCs. The class meets the General Education literature requirement and should be of special interest to students in Engineering, Business and Economics. For more information or to enroll, contact the Transition Resource Center at studacad@gmu.edu or at 703-993-9082. To enroll, you will need to provide the following information: 1) name; 2) identification number (G number); 3) the LLC you are enrolled in; 4) preferred section of English 201 (see the options above). Spaces are limited. |
| Fri Nov 11 | Required Cinema and
Supper showing of The
Prestige (2006) at the Eisenhower
multimedia Theatre. Pizza at 7pm in the lounge; film showing in the
theatre at 7:30pm. There will be a magic show before the film
by Jessica. By Sun at 11:59, post to the blog your reactions to the film (page/prompt 13). The film showing is required but if you have to miss it because of a course conflict or family emergency, in addition to the post write a 250 word paper (typed and double-spaced) comparing Tesla as presented in The Prestige with what you know about Tesla from at least one of the following sources: Empires of Light (pp. 87-115, 153-163, 179-183, and 353-367), the documentary Tesla: Master of Lighting, Carlson's Nikola Tesla and the Business of Invention or Tesla in New York. The paper is due next Thurs. If you attend the showing you can also write the paper for extra credit. |
| Tues Nov 15 | Read Michael
Hiltzik, Dealers of Lightning: Xerox
PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age,
pp. xix-xxvii and 163-177 (the Alto). Also read pp. 10-20
and 40-51 (Bob Taylor) and pp. 54-67 and watch as many clips as
you can from Engelbart's 1968 demo.
See the clips at http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/1968Demo.html (clips 1-14 are worth watching).
Group work on Xerox Parc and posting (page/prompt 15) on the following questions: 1) Why was the Alto important; 2) what technical difficulties did the designers have to surmount; 3) why was it so popular at Parc, even among skeptics, once people saw it; 4) What were Bob Taylor's contributions to the development of interactive computing and networking; and 5) What did Alan Kay learn from Bill English after Jerry Elkind shot down his original proposal for 30 mini-coms? Bring Dealers of Lightning to class or you will not be able to do this assignment. In your individual answers, cite specific pages in Hiltzik using MLA or APA format. You can divide up your answers to the questions above but make sure you have a page with links to all the posts by your group members and the names of those in your group are listed on the group/index/links page. The design of this index page is up to each group but I suggest assigning someone to write an introduction on the Alto with links to your answers to questions 1-5 under that. You will evaluate the effectiveness of these choices next class. During or after class, comment on Post 14 (The Machine) by the student(s) sitting next to you, indicating what you think of their choices for the most important figures, ideas or devices in the history of computing and how you would compare your choices with theirs. We will go over the following pages from Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual in class: misplaced modifiers (12-), commas after intro word groups (58-), and restrictive & non-restrictive elements (60-). We will look at the example of restrictive and non-restrictive clauses with the example from the Republican Convention in 1984 in the Language Debates section on that vs. which at http://dianahacker.com/pocket. If there is time, we will review the rules for using semi-colons and colons (pp. 65-68). |
| Tues Nov 22 | Read Michael
Hiltzik, Dealers
of Lightning, pp. 81-96
& 211-228 (Alan Kay). Over break read: 314-328 (Alan Kay
and LRG's Notetaker vs. CSG's Dorado. Also over break read
pp. 329-345 and 423-4 (Steve Jobs' visit to Xerox Parc).
By Sun Nov 27th at 11:59 post to the blog your thoughts on Alan Kay's most important contribution(s) to the development of the personal computer (page/prompt 17). Revision of paper #2 due if you saw one of the LLC tutors. Include all drafts with comments and editing sheets. If you see a tutor, include a visit verification form and a detailed statement of what you went over during your session and what you changed as a result of the feedback you received. For Dylan's and Brian's hours, click here. Also see the tutoring flyer distributed to LLC Univ100s. During class, we will watch Alan Kay's history of computer interfaces, Doing with Images Creates Symbols, part 1 at http://www.archive.org/details/AlanKeyD1987 starting with Dynabook and Parc at 26:35 min. I highly recommend watching more of the lecture on your own. Also see Space War: Fanatic Life and Symbolic Death Among the Computer Bums and The Graphical User Interface Gallery for Xerox at http://toastytech.com/guis/indexxerox.html |
| Thurs Nov 24 | THANKSGIVING RECECSS NOV 23-27 |
| Tues Nov 29 | Read Michael
Hiltzik, Dealers
of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer
Age, pp. 329-345 and 423-4
(Steve Jobs' visit to Xerox Parc). Also read pp. 314-328
(Alan Kay and LRG's NoteTaker vs. CSG's Dorado. We will
discuss Steve Jobs' visit along with Hiltzik's account of
the development of the laser printer (pp.127-144).
During class, review Hiltzik pp. 314-328 and read Alan Kay's Design Summary of the NoteTaker-2 . Then write a memo to George Pake, the Director of Parc, about why Xerox should fund the development of a small personal computer like the NoteTaker. Make sure to include an account of the purpose/uses of the device, its design, and at least four potential markets. One approach you could take is to do some in-class research on the i-Pad and write a memo from the future to on why Xerox should develop the NoteTaker. At the end of class you will vote on your fellow students' memo to George Pake on the NoteTaker (two comments). Use the blog's comment function to vote for: 1) the best memo for an audience of scientists and engineers; and 2) the best memo for an audience of business executives (see page/prompt 18). We will then discuss Gary Starkweather's difficulties convincing Xerox to market his invention in the context of the frequent claim that Xerox "blew it" (see the reading for next Tues) as well as Steve Jobs' astonishment that Xerox had no plans to market the technology he saw during his visit to Parc. If you want to listen to selections from Hiltzik, see the following: Starkweather and the laser printer (Audible 1:59:51- ); Steve Jobs visit to Parc (Audible 4:38:31 to 4:53:20); Did Xerox Blow It (Audible 5:39:40 to 5:51:55). At the end of class, we will review Hacker on balancing parallel ideas (pp. 5-6) and do grammar exercises 3-1 to 3-3 under Clarity at Diana Hacker's online site We will also study how Alan Kay uses both numbered lists and parallel grammatical form in his Design Summary. Both lists and parallelism are particularly useful when writing for busy people who need to take in information quickly. |
| Tues Dec 6 | Read Michael
Hiltzik, Dealers of Lightning: Xerox
PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age, pp. 389-398 (Did
Xerox Blow It). Also read
one of the following: Ethernet (178-193), Bravo and
Gypsy--word processing (194-210), Superpaint--graphics
(229-241), The Star--office system (242-256, 361-370). Chose
your reading based on your sense of what you can draw on in
writing your final paper as well as your interests more
generally. Those writing their
final exam paper on question #2 (Did Xerox Blow It), for
example, should consider reading the sections on the Star
and/or on the Ethernet. (Note: for those of you
who like listening to Hiltzik, the Star sections are
3:30:05-3:43:40 & 5:08:29-5:19:57; the Ethernet sections are
2:37:14-2:50:40). Another topic you could cover in question 2
is Xerox's failure to market an inexpensive Alto (261-5, 278, 283-287).
NOTE: Don't try to cover all of these points but
pick an example or two that that you find interesting and relevant to your
argument. Before class, post to the blog an account of Steve Jobs visit to Xerox Parc and your preliminary position on whether Xerox "blew it" (page/prompt 19). (see question 2 on paper #4). By the end of class, you will update your post to cover at least one specific example in detail. Some of your options here will inlcude Xerox’s failure to develop a marketable Alto and/or NoteTaker; its failure to take advantage of the Smalltalk based interface except with the Star; and Xerox’s eventual success with Ethernet and the laser printer. To introduce you to one of the options for the final paper as well as to highlight the importance of memos and other more formal kinds of writing at Xerox Parc, we will watch Bob Metcalfe talk on the History of Ethernet and look at two documents from the Ethernet Timeline: 1) Metcalfe's May 22nd Memo (click refresh page if the doc doesn't appear at first); and 2) Metcalfe and Boggs 1975 paper from the Association of Computing Machinery entitled Ethernet: Distributed Packet Switching for Local Computer Networks. I recommend that you listen to Metcalfe's talk at the Computer History Museum (5:30-14:30 min) if you are writing paper #4 on Metcalfe in question #1 or covering the Ethernet in question #2 of paper #4. To introduce yourself to other options for the paper, you could watch the interview with the developers of the Gypsy Word processing program, Tim Mott and Larry Tesler on the companion website to the book Designing Interactions. On the same site is an interview with David Liddle, who was the project leader on the development of the Xerox Star, another one of the topics for Thurs reading. If you decide to work on Liddle and the Star, you should watch his Xerox Star 8010 Final Demo at Xerox Parc from 1998. As with our discussion last class, we will go over some key points in the reading that may be relevant to your final paper. Today we will focus on the Xerox Star. If there is time, we will supplement Hiltzik (pp. 242-256 & 361-370) by watching the beginning of David Liddle's presentation at Parc in 1998, Xerox Star 8010 Final Demo. I also recommend learning more about Clayton Christensen's notion of disruptive innovation during break by looking at Christensen's book The Innovator's Dilemma along with his four part Fortune Global Forum lecture on YouTube (New Delhi, 2007). After we go over some key points in the reading during class, you will work on paper #4 and update your last blog post (page/prompt 19) with one detailed exampled while I talk to you individually about your plans for the final paper. At the end of class, we will discuss Hacker finding a voice (pp. 16-19). Her glossary of usage (pp. 232-242) will be a useful resource as you work on your paper. We will also review Hacker on fragments and run-on sentences (pp. 42-47), and do some of the exercises from the Diana Hacker site for A Pocket Style Manual at http://dianahacker.com/pocket/. Pick exercises on areas where you are having difficulties--or aren't sure you understand the rules after you do exercises 14-1 to 14-3 and 15-1 to 15-3 under Grammar (fragments and run-ons); and 18-1 to 18-3 under Punctuation (semi-colons and colons). Revision of paper #3 due if you saw one of the LLC tutors. Include all drafts with comments and editing sheets. If you see a tutor, include a visit verification form and a detailed statement of what you went over during your session and what you changed as a result of the feedback you received. For Dylan's and Brian's hours, click here. Also see the tutoring flyer distributed to LLC Univ100s. DEC 10-LAST DAY OF CLASSES, DEC 12 READING DAY, EXAM PERIOD DEC 13-20 |
| Tues Dec 13 (4:30-7:15) |
Paper #4 on Xerox Parc due at the
beginning of the exam time in our regular classroom. It should be
2-3 pages, typed and double-spaced, and include at least
three in-text cites and a works-cited page. See Diana
Hacker's Research and Documentation Online to review citation
formats etc. See Hacker, for example, on how to
reference video clips on your works cited page, and how to
cite a book. Also study carefully the sample paper on her site for how to include headers,
titles, etc. Chose one of the following questions: 1) Who is the most interesting and/or important figure who worked at Parc and why; 2) after reading Hiltzik on Steve Jobs' visit to Parc (329-345, 423-4) and on whether Xerox "blew it" (389-398), write a paper following up on the chapter title for Hiltzik's epilogue: "Did Xerox Blow It?" See the assignment sheet for details. BRING THE PAPER TO OUR CLASSROOM AT THE BEGINING OF THE SCHEDULED EXAM TIME ON Tues Dec 13th (4:30pm) |