ENGL 2000

Preparing for Class on November 4, 2009

 
This poster was created by MA student Meghann Meeusen for the WMU Research Day Competition and for my graphic novels course.  Meghann's poster won a Research Day Award.

In class this week, we'll begin our final unit:  the development of a poster presentation on a key term or concept related to English Studies.  At the beginning of class, Dr. Richard Utz will provide an overview of the history of English Studies, and then I'll talk to you about the poster presentation assignment.  As a preview, here are the documents that I'll be handing out in class:

1. Download Guide to Creating a Poster Presentation

2. Download Abstract for Poster Presentation

3. Download Word Document Draft of Sample Poster Presentation

4. Download Powerpoint Version of Poster Presentation

5. Download PDF Version of Poster Presentation

Once you've had a chance to learn about the assignment, you'll get to brainstorm with your group and take advantage of the assistance of a number of English Studies professors who will serve as consultants during the class session.  The goal is for your team to have a clear idea of your project by the end of class and to spend the week between November 4th and November 11th working on your posters.

Annotated Bibliography Advice

 
In class on October 21, you were bombarded with Halloween candy and with advice on writing Annotated Bibliographies.  Here are copies of some of the handouts that should be relevant as you work on your own this week:

Download Revised ENGL 2000 Annotated Bibliography Assignment Sheet

Download ENGL 2000 Annotated Bibliography Rubric

Download Annotated Bibliography Guide ENGL 2000

I revised the assignment sheet to point you to the rubric that we talked about in class; I'll be using that rubric when I evaluate your annotated bibliography, as it includes the specific definitions of what makes an effective or a less effective annotation.

In order to get the latest information on MLA format, use the Purdue OWL's MLA Guide. Given that you will be using articles or book chapters from either electronic or print media, this guide should help you to create accurate citations.

Finally, if you have any questions regarding this assignment, e-mail me at gatarbox@yahoo.com.  I'd be more than happy to help out.

PS:  I uploaded my Annotated Bibliography of YA literature on my main blog -- feel free to browse, especially if you have an interest in this sort of literature.

Preparing for Kate Langan's Visit

On October 14, 2009, Kate Langan, our library liaison, will visit ENGL 2000 to help student learning teams conduct research into their assigned faculty members' areas of interest. 

In preparation for Kate's visit, students should read pages 17-22 in their course packets.  Once learning teams have developed a better grasp of their presenters' topics, they will create higher level questions to ask during one-on-one interviews to be conducted during the week of October 19th.

ENGL 2000 Course Packets

Be sure to bring your course packet to every class.  For next week, you'll want to have access to the Documentary Handout, the Pre-Interview Worksheet, and the Weekly Team Report.  If you were not in class on Wednesday, you can pick up your course packet in class next week.

Preparing for the Faculty Panel on October 7th

Two weeks from now, we'll host ten faculty members and our library liaison for a panel on the authors, texts, or ideas that influenced their growth as scholars, writers, and teachers.  In preparation for the event, I sent around a memo to faculty members, explaining how the class would be structured. 

Prior to class on the 7th of October, I'd like you to read the document, as well, so that you'll know what will happen in class that day.  I chose to have you read the faculty memo because I thought you'd be interested to learn how I've described their participation in our class.  I've also attached the Pre-Interview Worksheet, which is mentioned in the memo -- a copy of it will be in the course packet that you'll receive this Wednesday.

Download Faculty Panel Participation Guide

Download ENGL 2000 PreInterview Worksheet

ENGL 2000 Syllabus and Directory

Here's where you can Download ENGL 2000 Syllabus Final Version and the ENGL 2000 Directory.