English 1102 Course Blog

Group Blogs and Film Screenings

I think I'm still missing 2-3 Group Blogs. Check the list on the right margin. Also, I'll be on campus on Tuesday afternoon, so why don't we do a screening of 25th Hour Tuesday night at 6 PM 3 PM? The screening will not be mandatory, of course, as long as you view the film by Wednesday of this week.

French Cinema Series

Quick advertisement for Tech's "French Cinema Series," sponsored by the School of LCC and The Global Learning Center. Featured films include Agnes Varda's The Gleaners and I, Francois Ozon's Under the Sand, and Patrice LeConte's Man on the Train. Students who attend one of these films may write a blog entry for credit about their experience. Students can also get blog entry credit for writing about MovieNite.

Register for free tickets to the French Film Series here.

Go to the Internet Movie Database for more information about the films.

Adding Group and Individual URLs

Please check to make sure that your group and individual blogs are listed below. I've been unable to access the blogroll for this class, so some individual and group blogs are listed at the top of the right-hand corner of the page.

White Noise Blog Entries

You can do either one or two entries in response to the following questions:

1. We've discussed the ways in which DeLillo's White Noise enacts sensory overload through its dense prose style and sudden bursts of advertising jargon and misinformation. In order to think more carefully about this "overload," complete the following activity: Go to a public place (a grocery store, a hardware store, a bookstore, the student center, a shopping mall). Observe and record all of the sensory data that you witness over the course of one hour. Then try to filter through that data, seperating out what seems relevant and irrelevant.
2. In response to DeLillo's satire of academic discourse, find an interesting example of academic language, whether a syllabus, a course catalog, or some other text that seems to reinforce academic hierarchies. What type of language does the author use? What words might be used to exclude "outsiders" to the academic community? How is authority described?
3. On page 258, Murray comments that "nostalgia is a producrt of dissatisfaction and rage." Soon after Murray's comment we see Jack digging through teh garbage to find evidence of his wife's drug use. Given our previous discussions of consumer culture (including Jack's mad shopping spree), offer your interpretation of this section of the novel.
4. On page 200, Jack comments that "we're the sum of our chemical impulses." He then asks how this fact changes our understanding of good and evil. This conversation is in the context of Jack learning about Dylar. How do you read this passage?
5. Find a passage after page 150 that you want to address and offer an explanation of why you find it interesting.

Best Research Paper Ever

Courtesy of South Knox Bubba, a fun read whenever you need a break, comes this research project, "one of the finest examples of academic excellence" you'll ever see.

News

On Monday, we will be discussing the schedule over the next few days, including anticipated deadlines. Wednesday we will continue our discussion of DeLillo (a blog entry is due that day, questions forthcoming). Friday, I will ask that you turn in a short annotated bibliography, just to make sure that you are able to find good sources.

On the following Monday, March 22, we will have a peer workshop in class. Your paper should be in draft mode, so if you only have completed about half of the paper, don't worry. Because of a travel conflict, classes on March 24 and 26 will be cancelled. Use the time to work on your papers and to begin work on your group projects.

The final version of the paper will be due on Wednesday, March 31. I may have announced that it was due earlier, but I'd like to use time on Monday to allow students to ask questions before turning in their papers. As always, if you have any questions, let me know.

Photography and Memory Revisited

A quick note to students who were in my English 1101 class. Miles Hochstein, whose photo-essay we discussed last semester, has contacted me to comment that he read many of your comments about his project. He writes:

I was just reading through your students' blogs commenting on my web site
(located via Yahoo search for my name) and enjoying their musings very
much. Please convey to them my thanks if you have a means to do so,
including the guy who thought I was a "weirdo". I love that comment and
thank him for it. It reminds me of the amusing social norms that seemed so
important when I was growing up. I would say to him with a smile now
"that goes without saying!" Discovering your own unique individuality,
your own inner weirdo, is something that I would commend to any young
adult. Is there any other happiness?

I enjoyed all the comments, including the negative ones, and particularly
the thoughts people had about their own relationships to photography and
memory.

I learned from the experience of being the object of commentary. Please
feel free to post this on your blog if you'd like.

I just thought that some of you might be interested to know his reactions.

Reminder

I may have forgotten to announce in the 3 PM class that you need to bring with you to class a bibliography listing 3 scholarly soucres you've found thus far. You should also plan to discuss any questions you have about your research thus far.

Happy Monday.