Action List for Thursday, December 4

There is nothing you have to do for class on Thursday, December 4. It may help if you have chosen a topic for your final project. But we're going to storyboard in class.

Do remember than any revisions of essays one and two must be sent to me by noon on Wednesday, December 3. I will not accept any late revisions.

Action List for Tuesday, December 2

There are only a couple of weeks left in class, believe it or not. But there are still things to do.

• Go back to the book assigned to you and find five specific pages where you think the author is doing something interesting and effective with her or his use of words and/or images. Team One has Bechdel, Team Two has Thompson, Team Three has Spiegelman, and Team Four has Satrapi.
  
• Compose a blog post that lists those pages and describes why you think they are so effective and post it before class.
  

Be prepared to discuss your choices in class.

Action List for Tuesday, November 25

As you have been told ad naseum, essay three is due by noon on Sunday, November 23. For class next week, you do not need to prepare anything. I will be going over the final project in detail, showing you the different ways you can complete it (including different technologies you can use).

Action List for Thursday, November 13

On Thursday, we're watching the film version of Persepolis, and there's nothing to do to prepare for it. Just come ready to watch!

Action List for Tuesday, November 11

Are we really just about done with the last reading for the course?

• Finish Persepolis (different than the pages listed on the schedule); prepare for Reading Quiz #14.
• Prepare to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic D, Team Two has Topic A, Team Three has Topic B, and Team Four has Topic C).
• Create a blog post responding to Persepolis that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.

Action List for Thursday, November 6

We're starting the last book!

• Read up to page 110 of Persepolis (different than the pages listed on the schedule); prepare for Reading Quiz #13.
• Prepare to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic D, Team Two has Topic A, Team Three has Topic B, and Team Four has Topic C).
• Create a blog post responding to Persepolis that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.

Action List for Tuesday, November 4

Same old story:

• Read the rest of book two of Maus; prepare for Reading Quiz #12B.
• Prepare to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic C, Team Two has Topic D, Team Three has Topic A, and Team Four has Topic B).
• Create a blog post responding to Maus that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.

Action List for Thursday, October 30

According the schedule, you have all of volume two to read of Maus, but I'm going to give you a bit of a break on that.

• Read chapters one and two of book two of Maus; prepare for Reading Quiz #12A.
• Prepare to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic C, Team Two has Topic D, Team Three has Topic A, and Team Four has Topic B).
• Create a blog post responding to Maus that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.

Action List for Tuesday, October 28

We're moving on to the next unit.

• Email your second essay to me in the correct format by noon on Sunday.
• Read book one of Maus; prepare for Reading Quiz #11.
• Prepare to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic C, Team Two has Topic D, Team Three has Topic A, and Team Four has Topic B).
• Create a blog post responding to Maus that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.

Action List for Thursday, October 23

The main thing, of course, is to get the essay done.

• Read (or re-read) the following sections in A Writer's Resource: (sections 6c [pgs. 70-5] and 10a-c [pgs. 121-30]).
• Bring A Writer's Resource to class.
• Bring at least two pages of a draft of this essay to class.
• Start reading Maus because we will be discussing the entire thing next week.
  

Action List for Tuesday, October 21

There is no class on Thursday, October 16, as I will be attending the Who Owns Writing conference at Hofstra University. The timing is pretty good since you can use the break to start working on your second major essay.

• Read and be prepared to answer questions about the following sections in A Writer's Resource: (sections 5c and 5d [pgs. 48-52], 6c [pgs. 70-5], 10a-c [pgs. 121-30]).
  
• Bring A Writer's Resource to class on Tuesday.
• Review the strategies for developing ideas in A Writer's Resource and use some of them to develop ideas for your second essay.
• Draft paragraphs for your essay if you think you have developed strong ideas and are ready to go.
• Email Lauren with a sense of the focus you are going to take with this essay. Try to shape it into as strong of a thesis as possible. She'll take a look at it and reply with questions and such to get you thinking a bit more about what to do next. Just copy-and-paste into an email; don't worry about attachments. Get it to her by 4:00 PM or so on Monday, October 20 (I've told her she is under no obligation to offer feedback to anyone who sends it late).

Basically, get to work on that next essay now so that you can see me and/or Lauren if you have questions or to talk about drafts. There is plenty of time to get lots of feedback, but you have to use that time well.

Action List for Tuesday, October 14

Things can move fast in a college course. Next week, we'll finish the second book, and you all will be starting serious work on the next essay.

• Review the new policy on laptops in class.
• Finish Blankets.
• Prepare to take Reading Quiz #10 and to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic B, Team Two has Topic C, Team Three has Topic D, and Team Four has Topic A).
  
• Create a blog post responding to Blankets that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.

Action List for Thursday, October 9

We have finished the first major text of the course and will move on to the next.

• Read chapters one and two of Craig Thompson's Blankets.
  
• Prepare to take Reading Quiz #9 and to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic B, Team Two has Topic C, Team Three has Topic D, and Team Four has Topic A).
  
• Create a blog post responding to Blankets that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.
• Bring A Writer's Resource to class; at this point, you should be bringing Understanding Comics to class whenever we are discussing one of the major texts, too.
• Read my suggestions on how to review your graded essays, and review your essay when I email it back to you.
  

Action List for Tuesday, October 7

As you know from the course schedule, there is no class meeting on Thursday, October 2, because I will be attending the Visible Memories Conference at Syracuse University. For our next meeting, you will have to have completed the reading that we would have done for both this Thursday and next Tuesday.

• Check out the background information I have posted about Alison Bechdel.
  
• Finish reading all of Fun Home.
• Prepare to take Reading Quiz #8 and to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic A, Team Two has Topic B, Team Three has Topic C, and Team Four has Topic D).
  
• Create a blog post responding to Fun Home that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.

Action List for Tuesday, September 30

The work we have been doing for the past few weeks has been preparing us for next week when we get into the texts that form the true substance of the course. That is, we're into it after you email the first essay to me.

• Email Essay One to me following the guidelines I presented in class and list here; remember that the deadline is noon on Sunday, September 28.
• Read chapters one and two of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.
• Prepare to take Reading Quiz #7 and to discuss with the class how your team's discussion topic is at work in the text (Team One has Topic A, Team Two has Topic B, Team Three has Topic C, and Team Four has Topic D).
  
• Create a blog post responding to Fun Home that focuses not just on your response but on how you see your team's discussion topic working in the text.
  

Action List for Thursday, September 25

It's most important now to continue work on the essay so that you are not writing it at the last minute.

• Continue drafting essay one; contact Lauren and Nels with any questions. If you wish to schedule an appointment with Nels to go over your draft, please do so.
  
• Read Understanding Comics (chps. 4-9).
• Compose a blog post about the reading, and prepare for Reading Quiz #6.

Action List for Tuesday, September 23

You've got just over a week to complete the first essay, and we're going to transition to looking at graphic texts.

• Email Lauren with a page or so of text for your first essay. It does not have to be perfectly formed and can just be two or three separate, disconnected paragraphs. She'll take a look at it and reply with questions and such to get you thinking a bit more about what to do next. Just copy-and-paste into an email; don't worry about attachments yet. Get it to her by noon on Monday, September 22 (I've told her she is under no obligation to offer feedback to anyone who sends it late).
  
• Read Understanding Comics (chps. 1-4).
• Compose a blog post about the reading, and prepare for Reading Quiz #5.
  

Action List for Thursday, September 18

There is not a lot of reading for Thursday, so think about your writing while you have some time.

• Read the essay by Beth Richards and bring any questions about it to class since she will be joining us; remember that we have Reading Quiz #4, too.
• Post a response to the Richards essay on your blog; in this response, try to move away from simple expressions of like or dislike and dig into the writing more, perhaps by looking for the modes that we discussed in class or stating what you think the essay is about while explaining what in the essays makes you think what you think.
• Fastwrite a few paragraphs for the portrait you are writing for class; try writing a paragraph in each of the modes we discussed in class.
• Begin posting comments to the blogs of your colleagues; see the Prompt for Blog Postings for ideas of how to construct comments.
  

Action List for Tuesday, September 16

As a reminder, the purpose of these Action Lists is to guide you so that you can produce the best work and earn the highest grade possible in this class (and, subsequently, in your other classes, too). I list the things I list so that you can know what concrete steps you can take to do well. Do everything, and you will be on the right track.

In addition to the same kind of reading you've been doing, it's time to start thinking about the writing.

• Choose the person you are going to write about for your portrait and brainstorm some ideas, images, and memories for this person. Just sit down for a few minutes and write down everything that comes to mind about this person. Do not discard anything that comes to mind; keep a record of it all at first.
  
• Download and print the three essays for Tuesday (Benson, Gropnik and Orlean); they are available on Blackboard (remember that I will print them for you if you come to me).
• Read the essays and post responses to them on your blog; remember that Reading Quiz #3 is on Tuesday.
  
• Bring the essays to class to help you during discussion.

Action List for Thursday, September 11

You had a lot to do for Tuesday, I know. For Thursday, things are easier.

• Download and print the two essays for Thursday (Strayed and Sedaris); they are available on Blackboard (remember that I will print them for you if you come to me).
• Read the essays and post responses to them on your blog; remember that Reading Quiz #2 is on Thursday.
  
• Bring the essays to class to help you during discussion (I often ask people to read passages out loud or to find quotations for us to discuss).