Writing Across Cultures

EQ: What is Psychology & Psychotherapy? What contributions/concepts did Sigmund Freud make to the field of Psychology & Psychotherapy? How can a writer use psychology to understand herself or her characters? This morning, after Radezia's presentation on race, please watch the following videos:  Intro to Psychology  &  Psychotherapy . As you watch please take notes on key points in the video on your KWL charts. Use the back of the form to take notes on Sigmund Freud . These notes are due at the end of class today and may guide you as you study this topic. Sigmund Freud  (1856-1939) and another  video on him . Freud in a nutshell: Freud created "Freudian Psychology" (psychoanalysis): interpreting what people say and do in order to figure out what their root problems are. Freudian psychology is used by literary critics using psychoanalytical criticism. In order to use this type of criticism, you need a basic understanding of Freud's ke...

This morning, please watch the following video:  Intro to Psychology  & Psychotherapy . As you watch please take notes on key points in the video. What is psychology? The science and/or philosophy that attempts to understand human behavior and development.  Psychology studies environment, culture, how we think, learn, and remember; how we communicate, and how we differ from one another in personality and abilities. It often uses experimental and observational science to measure and observe behavior. It is not simply the study of mental illness, but a scientific approach to understand the human mind. Like philosophy, there are various branches of psychology where each type attempts to address questions or problems in a specific way. The  major branches of psychology  include: 1.  Abnormal psychology : examines abnormal behavior and mental disorders. Counselors and clinical psychologists often study this branch of psychology. 2.  Beha...

What's the solution to our race problem(s) in America?  The task: Alone or in small groups find out the answer and prepare an essay, or a Prezi, or some sort of organized speech on the topic that you will share with the class (remember any electronic text or presentation material does count for your portfolio!) The presentations/participation: Race and American Identity is closely linked. Our history has several really bad blemishes on its face. One of these is the legacy of slavery and buying into the idea culturally that certain cultures (usually outsiders, minorities, or foreigners) are inferior or do not deserve the same rights and protections under the American Constitution. This is a paradox: how can America see itself as the "land of the free, home of the brave" and follow the idea that "all 'men' are created equal" when this sort of thinking continues to raise its ugly head? Since emancipation we have struggled with this issue. No gener...

This morning you have 50 minutes to complete your open book/note test on your chosen novel. You may type or write by hand. All papers (even those students late) will be collected at 8:55. The question:  Explain how the author unlocks one of the key themes central to African American literature in his/her novel. Please also discuss how important "race" ideology (philosophy) contributes to this "discussion" by the author. Feel free to use information about DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Hegel, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Franz Fanon, Elija Anderson, Paul Gilroy, etc. Please include textual citations and examples from the book you read or from your annotated notes/articles we read to support your answer.

First things first: welcome back. Get together in your reading groups and discuss the novel you have chosen to read. You will want to annotate and find textual evidence in your novel about issues central to Race in America and American culture. How to do this: What seems to be the link between being an "outsider" or being marginalized in America and crime or violence? Why is it important that the character you read about needed a community or family? What might be the connection between the breakdown of the family unit and Black culture? What fills the space left by the absence of a strong community or family? How are the philosophers we've been studying (DuBois, Hegel, King, X, Mandela, etc.) and their ideas prevalent in the book you're reading? Discuss these central African American themes as they relate to your novel: History/Roots or identity (and their absence: alienation ) Slavery & the importance of Freedom Men/Women relationships & intima...

This morning, please complete our jigsaw on the variety of topics covered last class. After that, head up to the lab to write, reflect, work on your homework assignment for next class, or continue reading your chosen novel. Turn in any work you completed this week to me by end of class today. Here are a few writing prompts: What 'races' are overlooked in education's 'apology' to fail to understand racism in America? Write about one of them from the perspective of that student. Which philosopher or philosophy about race issues is correct? Who do you believe in? Why? Write a personal reflection essay. Put 2-3 philosophers in a setting and have them talk. Write the script of that scene. Put a philosopher in a setting with one of the characters in the book you are reading. Write that scene. Write the story of an alien who visits earth. How is the alien treated? How might the alien invader treat different races or view human 'races' as insignificant (or...

Please gather in your reading groups this morning. Take 10 minutes to share a passage in the book that you annotated or noticed that you liked. Read the passage to the rest of the group. [if you haven't read the book yet, pick a passage and read it...--you can still participate!] Native Son  by Richard Wright Song of Solomon  by Toni Morrison Manchild in the Promised Land  by Claude Brown As you read feel free to annotate the text with questions (problem areas), observations, or interesting lines/passages. What to do with these annotations: Research questions--find out the answers; or ask during class; use these questions to predict or consider "why" the author writes the passage this way. Observations--share your observations with the other group members; examine what the author does in the book...how is the author's style unique or effective?  Use observations to write your own poems, plays, scenes, essays, etc. Steal an interesting line and use it...

This morning, please take 1st period to work on your writing. Please print out and leave copies of the work you completed this week with the sub. Use any of the 10 prompts below to create something. You may (of course) use your own ideas, or combine any of these prompts as you'd like. Write a traveler's tale about a secret place that no human has visited...until now (this could be a planet, a country, an island, a city, a house, or anything imaginable).  Write a short story or poem in which you deliberately use a metaphor to say something about the human condition. Pick your favorite "classic" novel, short story, or poem. Steal a line from this literary work and/or use this allusion to enhance your own story (or choose to revise something you've already written and use allusion to enhance the piece). From the article "Believe in Life: William Du Bois", write your own epitaph/funeral speech. What message would you leave the world?  Argue whether ...

Turn in any field trip forms. Mitchell/Shai: you need to complete a nurse's form in order to attend the field trip. Let's quickly examine the poem "The Sun Rising" by John Donne. Any questions about The Stone Gods ? After our quiz and writing exercise this morning, please use the lab to creatively respond to The Stone Gods , black history/race issues, or revise one of your pieces in your portfolio, etc. Use any of the 10 prompts below to create something. You may (of course) use your own ideas, or combine any of these prompts as you'd like. Write a traveler's tale about a secret place that no human has visited...until now (this could be a planet, a country, an island, a city, a house, or anything imaginable).  Write a short story or poem in which you deliberately use a metaphor to say something about the human condition. Pick your favorite "classic" novel, short story, or poem. Steal a line from this literary work and/or use this allusion to...