Reading Assignment for 10 March

Remember that we don't meet on 3 March, as that is the second day of the semester break. I hope you use the time to regroup, rest, catch your breath and figure out how you can make the best of the time you have left in your courses. As for me, I'll be heading to the beach, doing a little kayaking, sleeping and eating fresh seafood.

Your reading assignment for 10 March is as follows:

Turner, P. 702

Gould, P. 720.

Be prepared to write during part of class time. I'm inclined to have you work again in small groups for this exercise. I am going to think this idea through and let you know for sure when we meet again.

Remember also that this year daylight savings time begins on 11 March. This means we have one less hour to enjoy on Saturday, but of course, we get it back in November.

Reading Assignment for 24 February

Please read the following essays in the Norton Reader for 24 February:

Carson, "Tides," Page 568

Petrunkevitch, "The Spider and the Wasp," Page 595

Please come prepared to write an in-class assignment on one of the essays.

Reading Assignment for 17 February

On 17 February during the first hour we will discuss Eric Fromm's "The Nature of Symbolic Language," which begins on P. 534 in the Norton Reader. We will also look at some handouts I have to give you that treat principles of writing clearly. After the mid-class break, we'll reconvene so you can finish up your second major essay, which will be due to be turned in by the end of the class period as a hard copy (printed out). I've finally determined I'm too poor a manager to handle having you e-mail me your work, so I need for you to submit your essay in hard-copy printout.

Suggestions for Writing

I have been asked to make a list of the essays in the Norton Reader that I think are among the best in the book. As I've looked through the book, I can hardly find fault with any of the choices that have been made by the editors. Nonetheless, here I offer a list of the essays that stand out for me as being particularly rich:

Eighner, P. 22
Bettelheim, P. 56
White, P. 82
Didion, P. 90
Wolfe, P. 123
Sanders, P. 140
Atwood, P. 171
Golding, P. 217
Asimov, P. 223
Kübler-Ross, P. 274
Gould, P. 280
Burgess, P. 286
Gates, P. 299
Steinem, P. 354
Ivins, P. 389
Welty, P.413
Rodriguez, P. 492
Orwell, P. 540
Faulkner, P. 563
Carson, P. 568
Petrunkevitch, P.595
Twain, P. 647
Tisdale, P. 713
Tuchman, P. 759
Swift, P. 857
Lincoln, P. 880
King, P. 889
Kuhn, P.928
Woolf, P. 1074


The more I think about this list, the more arbitrary I find it to be. I don't believe there is a single piece of bad writing in your book. I hope you find among my "favorites" here a few choices that help you write.