Exercise for Saturday, 27 January

For this class I want students to get into groups of three or, at the most, four. I don't want you to work in groups of two. Having grouped together, I want you to choose one of the readings you were assigned to read for today, discuss it, and then compose a group response. You may disagree with each other in your response, or you may focus in your response on talking about views you have in common about the piece you have chosen. Whatever approach you choose, you need to map out your response, compose it, revise it, and turn it in to me by the end of the class as printed copy. Please do not email me your final product for this exercise--please print it out. The printed copy should show the names of the people in your group, the title of the essay you chose, and the class title and section number. Your written response should be at least two full pages of text, formatted per the specifications on the course syllabus.

To get you started, I have some questions for you to consider:

What do you think Jacob Bronowski's intention was in writing "The Reach of Imagination"? Is he giving information, trying to change your mind about something, or trying to get you to behave differently? Does he talk about imagination in ways you find new? How does he employ the idea of seeing in his essay? Do you note anything about his choice of words that strikes you in any particular way? How do you feel as you read the essay? How do you feel after having read it? Did the essay have any effect on you, emotional or otherwise?

Concerning Amy Cunningham's "Why Women Smile," what would you say is the central point of the essay? Do you find anything ironic about the essay? Does the essay help you to see anything new about the idea of smiling? Do you think what Cunningham says applies mostly to women, or could any of it apply equally to men? Does the essay make you think at all about how you--or anyone you frequently deal with--use smiling as a coping strategy in your daily life? Did the essay surprise you in any way? Is there anything about what Cunningham chooses not to say on this subject that strikes you in any particular way? What overall effect did the essay have on you: did you feel a certain way, did you find yourself thinking about something in particular, or was there anything else you noticed about your own awareness after you read this essay?