Category: English

Assignment Requirements:

First, please read Andrea Fishman’s

, which is new. You will probably want to return to

as well.

To help you learn to read critically and incorporate effective textual support, you will complete reading responses for several of the assigned readings this semester. Reading responses ask you to use direct evidence from the course readings to answer a prompting a question. This means that each reading response should include at least one quote or paraphrase from the assigned text.

Reading Responses should be uploaded as a Microsoft Word document using MLA or APA formatting (including an APA title page or MLA header) and in-text citations and a Works Cited/References page. There is no word count for these responses, but you should be thoroughly answering the question with specific evidence that is incorporated into your own writing. To do this, I recommend around 250 words, but you’re welcome to write more or less if you feel like that’s what you need to answer the question.

This Week’s Prompt:

As we begin our work in Unit 1 of our course, we are looking at what Literacy is and how we can apply and understand it, as well as understanding how we as individuals become literate and what literacy means not just to each individual, but as a cultural, social, and contextual concept. For this reading response I want you to use Fishman and Brandt to consider how you feel your own culture values literacy. What is the “purpose” of being literate for your culture? What does it do/not do? Why or why not does it matter to be literate, etc? This prompt wants you to specifically think about the way Fishman is studying Eli Jr.’s literacy and comparing it to general American cultural values, as well as how Brandt defines the different paths to literacy each individual person goes through. Instead of asking you “why do YOU value literacy”, this is about thinking about the ways your culture (your upbringing, your cultural contexts, where and how you became literate, things like politics, religion, etc. influenced it) values it.

Reflect back on the Andrea Fishman piece and Deborah Brandt‘s piece on literacy sponsors. In it, she describes how Eli Jr.’s contexts of literacy and what they mean to his culture. Fishman is also rhetorically analyzing the context of literacy as a whole, and argues that while to ‘mainstream’ culture Eli’s life may seem backwards or even simplistic, the concept of literacy to the Amish is seen as extremely important in a way that is almost foreign to outsiders. At the same time, Fishman’s words can also be rhetorically analyzed; she has a very obvious argument that she is trying to make in her ethnography of Eli and the Amish that goes beyond the family’s interactions and looks outward into how American culture teaches literacy and values (or doesn’t) value literacy beyond technical ability. Feel free to use any other readings so far too, if you want to draw connections between the readings.

Be sure to read this week’s MLA and APA content pages before completed this assignment.

Rubric

Reading Response (1) (1)

Reading Response (1) (1)

Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeResponse to Prompt	8 ptsFull MarksYour response to the prompt thoroughly answers the question with evidence from the assigned reading for the day.6 ptsAbove AverageExcels in some areas but does not fully succeed. Shows good examination or discussion of texts, synthesis of ideas, and writing technique but perhaps falters in length, depth, or other areas. 4 ptsMet ExpectationsYour response to the prompt began to answer the question, but your textual support was not effective as evidence in your argument and/or you missed a portion of the prompt2 ptsNeeds ImprovementYou have not effectively answered the prompt and/or used textual support from the assigned reading as evidence.0 ptsNo Marks	8 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCitations and Formatting	2 ptsFull MarksYour in-text citations and formatting of the Word document effectively meet all of the requirements of MLA or APA formatting.1 ptsNeeds ImprovementYour formatting and/or citations need improvement. Check Easy Writer and the APA/MLA slides for help or come by my office hours! I’d be happy to help you revise before the next assignment. 0 ptsNo Marks	2 pts

Total Points: 10

Response essays usually have a 250 or 500 word minimum (essay only, not including works cited or any headers or titles), unless otherwise noted, and must be uploaded in .doc or .docx format.

Response Essay One:

If, in some sense, “The Story of an Hour” is about a symbolic journey, where does Mrs. Mallard “travel”?

Support your answer with details from the story. Remember to cite these details, even when they are paraphrased. Do not use any direct quotes from the story.

Remember to properly cite in MLA format, both in text (parenthetical) and a Works Cited at the end of the assignment. The response must be 500+ words, not including works cited, header, or title.

We are seeking a talented content writer to create a 500-word blog post focused on current and emerging technology trends. This project is ideal for writers who understand modern tech and can explain complex ideas in a clear, engaging, and reader-friendly way.

The article should focus on one main tech trend such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, blockchain, fintech, automation, or green technology. Writers should research the topic independently and present accurate, up-to-date information with real-world relevance.

Responsibilities include writing original, plagiarism-free content, structuring the blog with a strong introduction, clear subheadings, and a concise conclusion, and following basic SEO best practices. The tone should be professional, informative, and accessible to a general online audience.

Requirements include strong English writing skills, prior experience with blog or article writing, the ability to meet deadlines, and openness to minor revisions if needed.

Payment is $75 USD for one completed 500-word blog post. This is a paid test project with potential for ongoing work.

To apply, please submit a short introduction and relevant writing samples, preferably related to technology. Long-term cooperation may be extended to exceptional writers worldwide.

Learning Styles TruTalent Discussion

Goal

This assessment reveals the ways you learn best and how you can be most productive. Your report includes a chart showing sixteen preferences at a glance. The 16 preferences are grouped into three categories: Sensory, Environmental and Mindset.Each category requires a slightly different approach to improve your learning and productivity. Read the introductions carefully so that you understand these different approaches before you choose and apply the recommendations in the report. This assessment will show you how to improve learning, productivity and study habits.

Instructions

Review your 16 preferences and then download the full report onto your computer and read the recommendations for you. Download the PDF onto your computer (you will see a report summary option in the upper right hand corner of your report in which you can download or print your report). Upload the PDF of this report along with your discussion post.

Submission

What are your top learning preferences and what are the recommendations for how you should study and learn to be the most productive in college? Write a short reflection summary description of your Learning Preferences in this Discussion post. Upload a PDF along with your Discussion post as well.

Please take this assessment and create a PDF of your report. You will be uploading this report in your Discussion.

Personality TruTalent Discussion

Goal

People are happiest and most successful in work that allows them to use their greatest gifts, and personality is the best way to determine what those gifts are. Personality is the innate way people naturally see the world and make decisions. Unlike values, skills and interests, which can change as we age, personality remains constant throughout a persons life and contains a set of basic drives and motivations that can be instrumental in selecting a career.

This assessment will help you understand you personality type and will allow you to explore their careers that will work best for you by matching your personality type. After taking this assessment, you will better understand yourself and others. This assessment will help you make more informed decisions about their future employment.

This assessment will show you college majors and career paths best suited to your 4-letter personality types.

Instructions

Review your Personality report. Download your report and save onto your computer (you will see a summary report in the right upper corner in which you save a PDF on your computer or print out your full report). There are 16 Personality types. What is your four letter personality type? Is this accurate? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your Personality type? Go to career match and research careers.

Submission

What is your four letter personalty type? Is this accurate? Please describe who you are based on these four letters. Write a short reflection summary description of your Personality Type in this Discussion post. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Upload the PDF report along with your Discussion post as well.

Please take this assessment and create a PDF of your report. You will be uploading this report in your Discussion.

Personality TruTalent Discussion

Goal

People are happiest and most successful in work that allows them to use their greatest gifts, and personality is the best way to determine what those gifts are. Personality is the innate way people naturally see the world and make decisions. Unlike values, skills and interests, which can change as we age, personality remains constant throughout a persons life and contains a set of basic drives and motivations that can be instrumental in selecting a career.

This assessment will help you understand you personality type and will allow you to explore their careers that will work best for you by matching your personality type. After taking this assessment, you will better understand yourself and others. This assessment will help you make more informed decisions about their future employment.

This assessment will show you college majors and career paths best suited to your 4-letter personality types.

Instructions

Review your Personality report. Download your report and save onto your computer (you will see a summary report in the right upper corner in which you save a PDF on your computer or print out your full report). There are 16 Personality types. What is your four letter personality type? Is this accurate? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your Personality type? Go to career match and research careers.

Submission

What is your four letter personalty type? Is this accurate? Please describe who you are based on these four letters. Write a short reflection summary description of your Personality Type in this Discussion post. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Upload the PDF report along with your Discussion post as well.

Goal

After taking the TruTalent Skills assessment, you will measure your skillset, match it to careers, then build the skills critical for your success at work.

This assessment looks at the skills that are critical in both the workplace and for learning. They ensure you are prepared and work-ready with a greater understanding of their skillset and ways to develop those skills, as well as access to a searchable career database and Indeed job search.

This assessment will show you your top aptitudes and soft skills, how they can be built over time, and their relationship to career selection.

This assessment provides insight into the complex skills identified as critical for learning and employment success. 15 distinct skill facets comprise five skills within the report: conscientiousness, creativity, critical thinking, leadership and social-emotional. Along with their results, youll find details for each skill, ways to develop independent skills, a list of careers that match top skills, and included job search.

Instructions

Take the TruTalent Skills Assessment. Go through each part of the assessment report. Rate your report, take a look at careers, and developing skills. What are your strongest skills and which skills do you want to work on? Reflect on your report and write about it in this discussion. Save your report in a PDF on your computer (see a PDF/Printer icon at the top right of the report). Upload your PDF report to your Discussion post.

Submission

Respond to this Discussion by writing and reflecting on your top skills and which skills you would like to develop. What career choices match your skills? Are there skills you need to develop for the career choices you are interested in? Upload the PDF of your report to this discussion.

Goal

After taking the TruTalent Skills assessment, you will measure your skillset, match it to careers, then build the skills critical for your success at work.

This assessment looks at the skills that are critical in both the workplace and for learning. They ensure you are prepared and work-ready with a greater understanding of their skillset and ways to develop those skills, as well as access to a searchable career database and Indeed job search.

This assessment will show you your top aptitudes and soft skills, how they can be built over time, and their relationship to career selection.

This assessment provides insight into the complex skills identified as critical for learning and employment success. 15 distinct skill facets comprise five skills within the report: conscientiousness, creativity, critical thinking, leadership and social-emotional. Along with their results, youll find details for each skill, ways to develop independent skills, a list of careers that match top skills, and included job search.

Instructions

Take the TruTalent Skills Assessment. Go through each part of the assessment report. Rate your report, take a look at careers, and developing skills. What are your strongest skills and which skills do you want to work on? Reflect on your report and write about it in this discussion. Save your report in a PDF on your computer (see a PDF/Printer icon at the top right of the report). Upload your PDF report to your Discussion post.

Submission

Respond to this Discussion by writing and reflecting on your top skills and which skills you would like to develop. What career choices match your skills? Are there skills you need to develop for the career choices you are interested in? Upload the PDF of your report to this discussion.

When you observe a piece of art, your response is influenced by who you are as a human being: your life experience, your temperament, your preferences, your worldview, your feelings, values, and beliefs even your mood that particular day. All of these factors can all influence how you respond to an artwork.

Because of this, a work of art can have very different, but equally valid, meanings for different people.

This essay will give you an opportunity to observe, consider, and interpret what an artwork means for you.

You do not need to know anything about art. You are considering it as a thoughtful observer, and sharing your views with your reader.

NOTE: I do not care nor do I want to hear what a chatbot has to say about it. I am not interested in an art history analysis. I want to understand how you, as a human being, interpret it from your own point of view. ETA: Because of this, you absolutely can and will use the first person “I” instead of the more distanced third person typical of some academic writing.

The artwork well use for this essay is the untitled work, often called Your Body Is a Battleground (1989) by American artist Barbara Kruger.

Barbara Kruger – Your Body Is a Battleground

Your audience

Your reader will be someone interested in art that is open to interpretation. (They may or may not be familiar with this particular piece.) They are curious to hear what this artwork means for you and why; i.e. what has led you to your personal understanding of it.

Process: how to prepare:

1. Guided brainstorm:

This brainstorm will exercise your critical thinking by making inferences based on observation.

Consider whether you will approach this brainstorm using deductive reasoning (having a broad first impression then looking at details that support it) OR inductive reasoning (examining the details first to form a more holistic impression.

Look at the above image (on a laptop or other computer, not your phone) and write down the following by hand (handwritten brainstorming is strongly preferred):

What stands out to you? What basic elements comprise the design? What seems significant about them? When you look closer, or for a longer time, what new details do you notice? What connections can you make, either among the elements or with your ideas and inferences? What do these elements remind you of? How do you relate to them personally?

Gather your thoughts in your brainstorm (free write, list, journaling clustering, etc., whatever works for your purpose) and set them aside. Come back later with a fresh mind and review. Collectively, what do your notes point to as a core idea? In other words, what is a central point you want to make about how you interpret and relate to this piece? That idea will lead to your draft thesis.

NOTE: You have several options in terms of the lens through which you interpret this image. Your inferences can be personal (i.e. about your own direct life experience), or your take on this might be political, or social, or psychological, etc. It’s up to you which interpretation you find most compelling, but ultimately focus on one in particular for your essay.

You will post your brainstorm as your Essay 1 Prep 1: Brainstorm assignment.

2. Draft thesis:

Your thesis draft will be a sentence that expresses the main point you want the reader to understand about what this artwork means for you. See the module lesson on thesis statements here: Intro to Thesis Statements

3. Outline:

Based on your thesis, think about the key points you want to make to expand on your main idea. Look again at your initial brainstorm from when you were closely observing the artwork. (You can do a follow-up brainstorm too.)

In your outline, each supporting claim / topic sentence (one per body paragraph) will express a thought you have about the specific visual or word-based elements you noticed and how they led to your interpretation of this piece and how you relate to it.

In one paragraph youll also compare what you believe may have been the artists original intent versus how youre interpreting it. (See next section.)

NOTE: You will post your draft thesis & outline as your Essay 1 Prep 2: Thesis & Outline assignment.

4. Consider the original context:

After youve come to your own conclusions / interpretations of the artwork and drafted your main thesis and outline, read more about the artist and context for this piece here: The Broad Museum: Barbara Kruger: Untitled (Your body is a battleground)

Consider what the artist may have intended by making this artwork. (Its fine if its different from your take!) In one paragraph of your essay, youll compare your interpretation vs. what the artist may have intended.

However, WAIT to look up the original context until after youve formed your own interpretation. You need your own unfiltered impressions first for your essay to be authentically you.

No other research is necessary for this essay.

5. Draft essay:

Using your outline as a map, draft an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. See the lessons in this module for guidelines on these basic essay elements.

As you draft, here are three questions to ask yourself (and clarify):

What does my reader need to know or understand at this point?

What am I trying to say?

Why does it matter? (i.e. what are the implications?)

6. Review, revise & format:

Review your draft and revise as needed to ensure: your intro sets up your topic for your reader; your thesis and supporting claims are clear and consistent; and each body paragraph develops its focused point in a thoughtful way with supporting details and elaboration. (Again, see the module lesson content for tips.)

Format your paper in MLA format, do a final proofread, then submit. Your Works Cited will consist of the artist and artwork information; see our textbook A Writer’s Reference, section MLA 4-b, #51 (which includes an example of how to format and what to include).

Resources

For more guidance on your essay, in our textbook A Writer’s Reference review:

C1: Planning

C2: Drafting (especially the section on argumentation thesis statements)

C3: Writing paragraphs

C4: Reviewing, revising, editing

For full specifications (page length, etc.) and to submit the assignment, click here: Essay 1: Interpretive argument

AI Policy

This essay is based on your own perceptions, experiences, and opinions. Only you can write this. AI cannot do it for you, at least not convincingly, and your grade will reflect any attempt at taking a shortcut. Do your own work independent of AI from the brainstorm through producing and revising the paper. Your essay should be based entirely on your own insights and the voice should be exclusively your own.

Intelligences TruTalent Discussion

Goal

This assessment reveals and strengthens your unique intellect and explores recommended careers with emotional and multiple intelligences for you. Your assessment report will help you recognize your unique multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence, boost confidence levels, strengthen all of your intelligences, and set you on a career path in motion. Founded on Howard Gardners multiple intelligences theory, this assessment provides a more rounded view of your intelligence strengths by looking at the following types of intelligence: bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, naturalist, spatial and existential.

The objectives of this assessment will allow you to apply multiple intelligence results to careers, recognize your whole intellect, and build your self-esteem and self-knowledge.

Instructions

Review your Intelligences report. Download your report and save onto your computer (you will see a summary report in the right upper corner in which you save a PDF on your computer or print out your full report). There are 9 multiple intelligence types. What are your intelligence strengths? Is this accurate? What would you like to build more of? What are famous people who share your intelligence strengths? What are your Emotional Intelligence Trait strengths and challenges? Go to career match and research careers that work with your intelligence strengths.

Submission

What are your intelligences? What are your challenges and strengths? What are your Emotional Intelligence Traits? Is this report accurate? Please describe your strengths and famous people who have your same intelligence strengths. What are your challenges and areas you’d like to work on? What careers match your intelligence strengths? Write a short reflection summary description of your Multiple Intelligences in this Discussion post. Upload the PDF report along with your Discussion post as well.

• Click on “REPLY” to respond to these questions in your post of about 200 words.
• Write two responses to other student posts (respond to two different student posts). Each response post needs to be approximately 150 words. A response post can include similarities you noticed, suggestions that have helped you personally and/or questions you may have.
• See rubric for details.