Friday, April 16, 2010

Composition Resources

This is a link to the "Thesis, Organization, Development" section of Randy Rambo's composition web pages. This section includes the two pages we looked at yesterday in class: Organizing and Developing Persuasive Paragraphs, which gives an 'x-ray' of a persuasive paragraph, and Example of a Persuasive Paragraph, which takes a complex paragraph from a student paper and breaks it down into its component parts. Along these lines, I also recommend Bad Paragraph/Good Paragraph, which provides contrasting examples of a "bad" (under-developed and poorly organized) paragraph and a good (well-developed and tightly organized) paragraph, and discusses each one in detail.

The "Thesis, Organization, Development" page includes many other topics that apply directly to your work for this class, including The Thesis Statement and Creating an Outline for an Essay.

On the left hand side of the "Thesis, Organization, Development" page, you'll find links to other sections on the writing process, grammar, and style.

Jim Gaffigan on Processed Foods


Here's a hilarious Jim Gaffigan routine on Hot Pockets, a microwaveable processed food.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Three Annotated Bibliographies

In ENG103, we'll be working on annotated bibliographies over the next few weeks. Each Monday, a five-entry annotated bibliography is due on your blog. Although we discussed the assignment and how to write an annotated bibliography earlier this week (4/12), I though it would be useful to post a follow-up here because several of you have emailed me with questions.

The annotated bibliographies should relate directly to the Research Essay that is due at the end of the semester. Remember that I'm asking you to define your own topic for that essay (related to the theme of the cluster, of course) and to conduct independent research that will allow you to formulate a persuasive argument about that topic. The annotated bibliographies are supposed to help you arrive at a topic for that essay and get some research done along the way.

First Annotated Bibliography
due on blog 4/19

For the first bibliography, you should choose a general area of research for your final essay. You can use any sources -- web, books, databases. You must cite those sources in MLA format, and the assignment should be titled "MLA Annotated Bibliography on [your general area of research]."

What is a general area of research? The example I gave in class was "the food system and disease." Notice what this example tells us and what it doesn't tell us. We know that it focuses on the dominant system of food production, but we don't yet know what specific part or parts of the food system will be considered. (Farming? Government policy? Meatpacking? Food processing? Fast food chains? Grocery stores?) Similarly, we know that the example focuses on the relationship between the food system and disease, but we don't yet know what disease or diseases. (Type II Diabetes? E. Coli infections? Heart disease?)

This relatively loose definition of terms is what defines a general area of research. At this level, the task of the researcher is to get an overview of this general area, looking into several diseases and how they are connected to different parts of the food system. That way, when it comes time to the focus on a specific topic within that general area, the researcher can make an informed choice.

Our title in this case would be "MLA Annotated Bibliography on the Food System and Disease."

Second Annotated Bibliography
due on blog 4/26

For the second bibliography, you'll need to focus on a specific topic for your final essay within that general area of research. You need to use subscription databases or books -- no web sources. You must cite those sources in MLA format, and the assignment should be titled "MLA Annotated Bibliography on [your specific topic]."

What is a specific topic? The example I gave in class was "meatpacking and the spread of e. coli." Notice that this example falls under the general area of research I gave above: e. coli infection is one specific disease, meatpacking is one specific part of the food system. However, although it is related to our general area of research, the new example excludes a number of things that were part of our general area of research. For instance, an annotated bibliography on "meatpacking and the spread of e. coli" would not include any sources related to Type II Diabetes.

Our title in this case would be "MLA Annotated Bibliography on Meatpacking and E. Coli."

Third Annotated Bibliography
due on blog 5/3

For the third bibliography, you'll need to have a specific persuasive thesis in mind -- that will be the thesis of your final essay. You need to use subscription databases or books -- no web sources. You must cite those sources in MLA format, and the assignment should be titled "MLA Annotated Bibliography on [brief summary of your thesis]."

What is a persuasive thesis? The example I gave in class was, "The centralization of U.S. meatpacking operations over the past 40 years has created a system that produces meat cheaply and efficiently. However, it has also created a massive network for the distribution of the e. coli throughout the American public, leading to increasingly frequent and widespread outbreaks of e. coli infection." Notice that instead of just announcing a topic, this example takes a position on that topic. A reasonable person could disagree with that position ("The centralization of meatpacking is not the most important cause of these outbreaks") or agree but see the issue differently ("True, but the advantages of the system in feeding the population cheaply still outweight the risks").

Notice too that each part of our specific topic has been refined and given more detail: "meatpacking" has become "the centralization of U.S. meatpacking operations over the past 40 years" -- presenting a specific transformation in the meatpacking industry over a specific period of time. "E. coli" has become "increasingly frequent and widespread outbreaks of e. coli infection" -- presenting a specific problem with e. coli and the development of that problem over a specific period of time. The thesis also clearly states a relationship between these two terms, which gives it a persuasive element.

Our title in this case would be "MLA Annotated Bibliography on the Centralization of U.S. Meatpacking and Its Role in Outbreaks of E. Coli Infection."

**

As I mentioned in class, the annotated bibliography is a cornerstone of the large research project. It solves several problems that arise when you try to write a long, complex research essay:

1. It helps you to arrive at a complex thesis for your essay, because each stage of your research prepares you to do more specific research in the next stage. By the time you reach the third bibliography

2. It helps you to gather all of your sources in one place and to remember those sources in detail -- always an issue when you are writing a paper that requires a lot of research or any semester-long research project.

3. It gives you a broad context for your thesis, which makes you better informed and can be useful in framing your argument.

If you have questions about how to write the annotated bibliography, you can find a sample (in APA, not MLA format) here. You may also find Cornell University's How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography page useful.

The Best Damn Pizza in the World


This is a link to Slice, a serious blog dedicated to New York City pizza. Slice reviews pizza places in all boroughs, covers restaurant openings and closings, and even does some international news. Their "NYC Pizza Maps" will help you find the best pizza anywhere in the city. Highly recommended and delicious.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

MLA Citation

The college library provides a useful online guide to MLA Citation: look closely and you'll find links on in-text citation and sample papers at the top of the page. For the "Works Cited" page, I recommend that you use Easybib.com, which automatically generates bibliographic entries in MLA format (and other formats too) based on the information you provide.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

New York City "Food Drought"


The Gotham Gazette has an excellent article on unequal access to whole foods in New York City and the so-called "food drought" in the outer boroughs. The article demonstrates a direct link between access to fruits and vegetables and income: Chelsea, with a median income of $100,000 per year, is filled with fruit stands and whole food groceries, whereas you can hardly buy lettuce in West Harlem, which has a median income of about $30,000. Great use of testimony from New York City residents and a useful map that shows the distribution of groceries stores in each neighborhood in New York City.

You can find links to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's plan to fix the food drought here.

Essay #1 Topics

ENG101-2610: Ethics of Food
Prof. Alexander

Essay #1 Topics

Due: Thursday, 4/22

Please write an 3-4 page persuasive essay (typed, double-spaced) on one of the following topics. The essay should take a position on your topic in a thesis statement, develop that thesis through detailed explanations of several major claims, and provide support for each major claim. You are encouraged to use personal experience to support your argument, but you must use textual support from the course pack and at least two pieces of independent research gathered through the library’s subscription databases or book research. You must provide MLA in-text citations and a “Works Cited” entry for all references.

1. In “Your Trusted Friends,” Eric Schlosser discusses “the explosion in children’s advertising” that has taken place in the past three decades (42), noting that alongside conventional advertising fast food restaurants use a number of specialized tools and “marketing alliances” to entice children and to gather information about them and their food preferences (48). More recently, according to Schlosser, this advertising has been extended to the hallways and even the classrooms of public schools. Should fast food advertising be allowed in schools?

2. In “Behind the Counter,” Eric Schlosser describes efforts to unionize McDonald’s restaurants over the past 50 years and the company’s organized resistance to such efforts, both passively through the use of Fordist systems of production and the franchise structure of the corporation and actively in the form of “flying squads” and restaurant closures (76). Should fast food restaurant employees be allowed to unionize?

3. A persuasive topic of your choice, based on your reading of Schlosser’s “Behind the Counter” and “Your Trusted Friends.” If you choose this option, you must present your topic to me in a brief paragraph by Tuesday, 4/13.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Schedule Change for Thursday (4/8)

Due to a scheduling conflict, our ENG101 class will meet this Thursday from 2-3:15pm. Don't forget!

Assignment: Response #3

Due: Thursday 4/8 by 10am
Requirements: 400-500 words, 2 quotations

Write a response for your blog in which you take a position on the soda tax we discussed in class today. Explain the reasons for your position (at least two) and support your reasons with quotations from the articles in the soda tax handout or from sources you find through independent research. Cite your sources at the bottom of the post using the following format
Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Publication. Date of Publication.
You must cite your sources even if they are taken from the soda tax handout. We'll be discussing MLA format next week: you may use MLA here, if you are already familiar with it.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Backwards Hamburger





"Backwards Hamburger" is a promotional cartoon that was made for the release of the film "Fast Food Nation." It's short and fun, with good quality Flash animation, but it also introduces a number of the issues around fast food labor, ranching, and the meatpacking industry that are covered in Schlosser's book.