This will be two different assignment, the first one is five short discussion questions. The second one is two short essays.
They both ask about the same book so you will only need to read it once. I have examples and samples from every question so don’t hesitate to ask if you want to be on the same page.
Textbook: Edmundson, Mark. Heart of the Humanities: Reading, Writing, and Teaching. I got my free copy from this website http://libgen.rs/search.php?req=Edmundson%2C+Mark…..
Discussion questions:
1-For this discussion, please write at least 100 words describing your experiences in English courses thus far: Which texts have you read? What are your primary approaches to interpreting a piece of writing? How familiar are you with rhetorical analysis? (its study and application) (write as a freshmen student, out of topic)
2-Edmundson claims that there is great danger in living a life which “dwells in possibilities”: that is, internet technology allows us, like no medium before, to have infinite possibilities and choices before us twenty-four hours a day.
Is this healthy? (intellectually, psychologically, emotionally)
What is the logical conclusion (if there is one) of our current technological trajectory? How will new digital technologies impact our lives in the future? Do you see those changes as beneficial to human existence?
3-Edmundson makes a passionate case that human beings are able to create the meaning of their own lives if they understand the forces which have socialized them. I’m interested in how much power you believe individuals genuinely have over the circumstances into which they are born: does Edmundson have it right? Can we all create our own visions of existence and create meaning in our own lives? Are we at all limited by circumstance, perhaps in ways that the power of reading, writing, and thinking cannot overcome?
4-In “Pop,” Edmundson makes a clear contrast between popular culture and what is traditionally called “canonical” literature or “high culture.” Edmundson insists that most of the pop culture is a waste of valuable time and attention because it merely reflects our own desires back to us (i.e., it is entertainment) He especially believes this to be true for college students, who should be encountering ideas that reflect “the best of what has been said and thought.”
Where do you stand in this discussion? Is pop culture a waste of time? Can we find the same meaning in a work of popular culture that we can in more “serious” works?
How would you make the distinction between popular culture and “high culture,” if you believe such a distinction exists?
5-The question this week seems simple on the surface: “Do Sports Build Character?”
After reading Edmundson’s thoughts on this theme, I’m interested in how you might respond to him (for those of you who play a sport, think of your own experiences and observations. Weigh them against Edmundson’s. Where do you stand?)
(100 words for each question is enough, and also in one file)
The two short analytical essays:
Please select a rhetorical strategy you see at work in one of the readings we have read thus far. Identify examples of the strategy and its function (i.e., how does the author use this strategy to have an impact on a specific audience?) within the text.
Write two different essays about this question. (sample is attached)
If you have any questions or if you needed any help just let me know.
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