Remember, all conferences are in my office, HM 348, right next to our classroom. If you need to reschedule, just let me know and I'll find another time for you to come.
MONDAY
11:00 Destiny
11:10 Linea
11:20 Chandler
11:30 Laney
11:40 Ahlyra
11:50 Grace
2:00-2:50 (Open)
WEDNESDAY FRIDAY
9:30 Caitlyn
11:00 Cristal 11:00 Oladotun
11:10 Trevor 11:10 Harley
11:20 Easton 11:20 Donovan
11:30 Brittney 11:30 Lilly
11:40 Caleb 11:40 Alec
11:50 Kylie 11:50 (open)
2:00-2:50 (open, both days)
If you missed class on Monday, we started watching the British documentary, 49-Up, which is a series of films that started in 1964, when the filmmakers chose a bunch of 7-year olds to interview about what they thought about life, love, and society. They then decided to follow up with these kids every 7 years to watch them grow and develop. Well, in this documentary they're now 49, and the film shows clips of them at all different ages before interviewing them again at 49. We don't have time to watch them all, so we watched 3 interviews today, and will watch another 3 on Wednesday. On Friday we'll do an in-class writing response based on it, which will play into your Paper #2 assignment, which I'll give you on Friday (it will also ask you to use Humans of New York, so don't get rid of the book!).
Here are some ideas from the documentary to consider as you watch:
* Does a child's social class (rich, poor, divorced, etc.) determine what kind of adult they become? Do divorced children get divorced? Do poor kids stay poor? Do rich kids become happy?
* What things seemed to make the kids happy at 7 and 14? Did they change dramatically at 49? Were they the same 'kids'?
* Why do you think so many of the people interviewed have the same challenges and troubles in their 30's and 40's? Why, especially, does marriage become problematic at this age?
* Why are so many of them reinventing themselves or trying new things in their 40's? And why does one of them, Jackie (the second interview we watched on Monday) want to go back to school and basically, "do my entire education over again?"
* What do many of the people interviewed seem to think has been lost over the past 30 years? How has society changed the most for them? What do they miss in the England from their past?
* All the kids had kids of their own by their 30's, and most had more than one. Do you think this is typical of people today? Or was it more expected of people born in the 1950's (as they were)?
* What differences do you see between people growing up in England as compared to America (or elsewhere)? Can we relate to their ups and downs?
* Why does it seem like their children often have it harder than they did? Why might fewer of their kids becomes as successful as independent as they are?
* Why might many of them also be more active and involved parents than their parents were?
* How do these people seem to define success? Is it the same way we do? Could we call them all successful? Why or why not?
* Do you think a documentary like this gives a fair picture of who these people are and what their lives are like? Why does Jackie (the second interviewer from Monday) get so angry at Michael, the director? What does she accuse him of?
Remember, even though school is still canceled tomorrow, your Paper #1 is due via e-mail by 5pm (or thereabouts). E-mail it to me at jgrasso@ecok.edu. The paper assignment is below in case you've forgotten to look it over again--be sure to do so before you write it! Also remember the in-class writing from Wednesday's class, which might help you get started!
Paper #1: Acting Human in Public
INTRO: In Brandon Stanton’s book, Humans of New York, we meet dozens of New Yorkers (and some from out of town) going about their daily business. Some pose for pictures, others wait for loved ones, some give advice, while others are lost in the moment. Yet all of them are in some way relatable, and they all say something about who we are as human beings, in any city, in any country, trying to figure out the greatest question of all: why am I here?
PROMPT: For this assignment, I want you to choose THREE photos that you feel answer the question, “this is what being human means to me.” The photos should be related in some way, and you need to help us see how they’re related in your paper (especially if it’s not obvious). In your paper, you need to use the photos to help us understand how you define the idea of being a ‘human,’ and how these people represent your ideas, emotions, and experience. Think about which pictures moved you, inspired you, surprised you, or made you laugh. Why did you connect with them? What do they say about you and your own journey as a human being?
REQUIREMENTS: Your paper should do all of the following:
MLA FORMAT: When you quote from a
picture in your paper, it should look something like this: Before taking the
girl’s photo,
Also include a WORKS CITED
Stanton,
NOTE: Paper #1 IS DUE IN TWO WEEKS:
FEBRUARY 4th, BY
Remember, Paper #1 is due next Friday! Our next two classes will give you some last-minute tips to write that paper. The questions below are designed to help you get 'inside' the paper, so you might use some of it in your final paper.
Choose ONE image from the book, preferably one you haven't written about yet. Then answer Q1 and ONE other question beneath it:
Q1: Describe the picture is enough detail that we could reasonably imagine what t looks like. Try to go beyond, "It's a picture of a guy wearing a suit." Tell us what he looks like, what kind of suit, the background, the colors, the time of day, etc. Imagine that your really needed to help someone find this picture in the book.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
Q2: If the picture has a caption, explain how the caption changes how we see the image, or what we see in the image. Make sure we understand the significance of the caption, especially if it's not immediately apparent.
Q3: If your picture doesn't have a caption, or only has a very short one, add your own to the image. What do you think this picture should say about itself? How would you want other people to view this picture, and what words could you add to make sure we see that?
Q4: Discuss one small detail in the picture that most people probably won't notice, but that you think is actually important to the image. What does this add to the picture? Why should people notice it?
Answer TWO of the following for Wednesday's class:
Q1: Though primarily a book of portraits, Stanton includes a few longer stories in the book to complement one or two images. Focus on one of these longer stories and explain why you think he gives us the extra information. What does knowing this person's story add to our perception of the "human" behind it?Q2: Why do you think Stanton shows so many pictures of people with their dogs and other pets? Are there actually more people in relationships with their pets than other people in NYC, based on these photos? Why might this be significant?
Q3: What strikes me most about Humans of New York is the portrait it paints of "your" generation (meaning high school and college-aged). Do you think it's an accurate portrait? Do you identify with many of these people and their struggles and desires? What could older people (like me) learn about your generation from this book?
Q4: If you could put one of these images in a time capsule, to be opened up in 50 years, which one would it be? What would you want this image to communicate to future ECU students about our world?
Answer TWO of the following questions by reading through the book and finding the pictures that help you answer them!
Q1: Find one picture that you feel represents who you are right now. It doesn't have to look like you or even be the same sex/age as you, but how do they somehow embody your own identity at this moment in time? It could be their style, clothing, attitude, or what they're communicating in the caption.
Q2: Find one picture that you feel represents who you most hope to be 10-15 years from now. Again, it can be a different age/sex than you, but what about them seems to represent an identity you hope to attain or realize in the future. Why is this? How might this person underline the connotation of "success" or "happiness" or even "being an adult" for you?
See the due date below...this is NOT due next class period. I want you to spend some time working/thinking about this. We'll do some in-class writings to help you with this paper as well, so don't feel you have to rush on this. Let me know if you have any questions!
Paper #1: Acting Human in Public
INTRO: In Brandon Stanton’s book, Humans of New York, we meet dozens of New Yorkers (and some from out of town) going about their daily business. Some pose for pictures, others wait for loved ones, some give advice, while others are lost in the moment. Yet all of them are in some way relatable, and they all say something about who we are as human beings, in any city, in any country, trying to figure out the greatest question of all: why am I here?
PROMPT: For this assignment, I want you to choose THREE photos that you feel answer the question, “this is what being human means to me.” The photos should be related in some way, and you need to help us see how they’re related in your paper (especially if it’s not obvious). In your paper, you need to use the photos to help us understand how you define the idea of being a ‘human,’ and how these people represent your ideas, emotions, and experience. Think about which pictures moved you, inspired you, surprised you, or made you laugh. Why did you connect with them? What do they say about you and your own journey as a human being?
REQUIREMENTS: Your paper should do all of the following:
MLA FORMAT: When you quote from a
picture in your paper, it should look something like this: Before taking the
girl’s photo,
Also include a WORKS CITED
Stanton,
NOTE: Paper #1 IS DUE IN TWO WEEKS:
FEBRUARY 4th, BY
