Writing Across Cultures

Lab: 5-10 minutes: Book Groups: Get into your book group and see where you all are. Answer or discuss any issues with the book. How's it going? Check in. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest  by Ken Kesey (the story of a criminal who pleads insanity, then has to question his own sanity in an asylum) The Bell Jar  by Sylvia Plath (a fictionalized memoir about Plath's descent into clinical depression and madness) Name All the Animals  by Alison Smith (a memoir about Rochester native Alison Smith dealing with the traumatic death of her brother and her own sexual identity)  Flowers for Algernon  by Daniel Keyes (science fiction; a mentally disabled man undergoes experiments to "cure" him of his disability).  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  by Rebecca Skloot (non-fiction scientific journalism about a black woman whose cells were used to cure diseases. Examines medical ethics & race) Aim to finish the book by Dec. 4. For your discussion sess...

One famous psychological experiment tests your intelligent quotient ( your IQ --you can play with this but it won't give your results unless you pay them. Don't!). In it, you are sometimes asked how many ways can you think of to use or understand two unrelated objects. This develops your abstract brain. [It may be why nerds are smart]. The more unique combinations you can create, the higher your IQ. So it is with tests (as well as Art). See? A relevant connection. For our purposes (teachers, professors, academics, etc.), tests are meant to "test" your understanding of texts (usually those covered in classes). Text here refers to any literary material that must be interpreted (film, operas, media, print books, visual art, etc.) As such, you can expect to take tests as long as you engage in your academic career. While some tests objectively determine whether you know something specific, most of the ones you are likely to encounter in college test your ability to ...

Lab: This morning, please watch the following video  Mesmerism & Hypnosis: Altered States (Crash Course)  then: Hypnotism: Hypnotism , from the Greek word for  sleep , is actually really the opposite. It is a state of human consciousness, often meant to heighten one's focus and attention. A person who is hypnotized is usually relaxed, focused, and more prone to suggestion. Unlike the popular cultural notion that the patient has lost his/her free will, the hypnotized has complete control of his/her mind and mental state. It is sometimes used as a treatment in psychotherapy as a way to relax or focus the patient. Please read the short story "The Strange Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" by Edgar Allan Poe and the short summary of Abbe Faria. Some trivia: Poe's story was originally published in a collection of other medical reports. His, however, is fictional. Mesmerism  was a popular topic when Poe wrote this story. Learn about the topic at the lin...

Lab: 10 minutes: Book Groups: Book groups: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest  by Ken Kesey (the story of a criminal who pleads insanity, then has to question his own sanity in an asylum) The Bell Jar  by Sylvia Plath (a fictionalized memoir about Plath's descent into clinical depression and madness) Name All the Animals  by Alison Smith (a memoir about Rochester native Alison Smith dealing with the traumatic death of her brother and her own sexual identity)  Flowers for Algernon  by Daniel Keyes (science fiction; a mentally disabled man undergoes experiments to "cure" him of his disability).  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  by Rebecca Skloot (non-fiction scientific journalism about a black woman whose cells were used to cure diseases. Examines medical ethics & race) Meet with your book group. Decide how far to read over the November break. Aim to finish the book by Dec. 1. Answer any questions that might arise. Then, note:  ...

Look! Chocolate. Don't eat it. Yet. LAB: please use your time in the lab to research/write about/reflect: Check out this wordpress: wisdom stories to live by . Popular culture: Gun violence. Why is America so crazy for guns? Reflect on your discussion yesterday and write about the topic in some creative way during the lab. Popular culture: Education. Write about the future of education in America. Any hope? Why should we educate the poor--they don't take advantage of what's given to them anyway...? College visits versus the city school district. What's the difference? Reflect on your experience from the field trip. What's better, for example, SOTA or MCC; high school classes where the teacher thinks for you vs. seminar classes in college where people talk about stuff; high school students vs. college students; high school lunches vs. college lunches? Elementary teaching/learning vs. High school teaching/learning, etc. Write a story using slang . See how far ...

Lab: Please complete and turn in your Equus character psychological analysis. These are due today and will count as a quiz grade. If you finish before the period ends, please do the following: Prepare for our field trip tomorrow by reading the article handouts; think about recent gun violence in America. Please be in the Commons by 8:00 tomorrow. You will need your journals/writing utensils, and you may wish to bring the articles, but little else is needed. Lunch will be provided by the college.  Read the following 8 Charts That Explain  America's Unique Gun Violence  Problem. Take notes. Prepare readings for the coffeehouse tonight. 7:00, Ensemble Theater. Classroom: Notes/comments about your portfolios. Protagonists should protag; without a character making decisions, your work is boring Show don't tell--we need to remove abstraction and generalization for the specific Imagery  Research Essays: reflect...write structure as you would a story or...

Lab: Period 1 Please read the handout on the psychologists. Boris Cyrulnik: Our history does not determine our destiny Life sucks. Tragedy strikes. Bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people. Resilience is not inherent within a person; it is developed over one's lifetime, mainly through relationships. Humor and positive emotions build resilience. Some people have a greater ability to "bounce back" from problems or are able to manage or cope. Pain is determined often by how we react to it. The brain adjusts to pain or trauma (ventricles and the cortex shrinks), but it can recover in a well supported environment. Lawrence Kohlberg: Morality Develops in Six Stages Children develop a moral code and awareness of respect, empathy, and love through the interaction with others.  Preconventional stages (childhood): behavior is determined by conditioning (punishment, reward, and reciprocity). Conventional stages (adolescence-early adulthood): ...

Lab: Period 1 I am giving you an extension on A Clockwork Orange . Realize that there will only be one test grade for this marking period and that may affect your final marking period grade (depending on how you did on that test...); Instead of a test on A Clockwork Orange , the character analysis for Equus will count as a test score next marking period. With the time in the lab, please do the following activities: Please read the handout on psychologists Solomon Asch on social conformity, Virginia Satir & Guy Corneau about family and fathers, and the others: Daniel Kahneman, Nico Frijda, and Eliot Arneson. You should aim to use some of these theories, along with Freud, Anna Freud, Watson, Skinner, Pavlov, James, Janet, and the other psychologists we've studied to examine your chosen character: Dysart Alan Frank Dora Hesther Jill Write a summary (1-2 pages approx. length) of how any of these theories help explain the motivation, objectives, conscious actions o...

This morning please read Equus in class. As we read, examine the mental state of the character you chose to analyze. HOMEWORK: Please complete A Clockwork Orange (and prepare for a test on the book). We will also discuss Equus and A Clockwork Orange next class. Bring your books back with you.

Lab: Please prepare your portfolios. Your reflection should discuss issues or problems you are having with your writing, issues or questions you wish to explore further, or details that will help guide my feedback. What kind of feedback would you like from me about your writing? Print and attach all revisions. See REVISION HISTORY in your Google docs, if necessary. Proofread your work, spellcheck, do last minute revisions, etc. If necessary, you can continue reading A Clockwork Orange . Aim to finish the book by Wednesday of next week (for the test/discussion on the book). Check out these sources & videos: Peter Shaffer   Anthony Shaffer  & The Wicker Man Peter Shaffer  article Freud's theories   More  about Freud Rorschach & Freudians (Crash Course) How We Make Memories (Crash Course) Period 2: We will continue reading Equus . As you read the play, choose a character to examine and analyze. Apply Freudian and other psycholog...