Choose a book, movie or article, fiction or non-fiction, Japanese or English, to respond to (see a list of suggestions below).
Email me your choice.
When I say “OK” (by email), you can start writing your response (Essay 5)
Email me your Essay 5 draft 1 by Jan. 10th 2020.
Print it out and bring it to class Jan. 10th, 2020.
You can use something you have read before, e.g. Bastiat’s Broken Window story, an essay by George Orwell (I recommend “Politics and the English Language”) or Francis Bacon, “Philosophy: Who Needs It?” or choose something new.
If you would like something challenging to read, below are some suggestions.
Background information about the author (objective information)
Summary of the story or content of the article/essay (objective information)
(The order of 1 and 2 above can be reversed)
Your evaluation (can include subjective elements but try and keep it as objective as possible; NOT whether you agree or disagree, but whether it is a well-written article/essay/story or not and why).
Works cited:
list all the resources you used, including of course the original.
Re-write the draft you gave me today, based on what you learned in today’s class (see the points below). Save your file as “AW1 Essay2 Draft2 (Your Name)”. Send it to me by email, with the subject of the email being the same. Print it out and bring it to class next Friday to exchange with classmates.
Does your introductory paragraph contain a clear explanation of the problem (including WHY it is a problem)?
Does your introductory paragraph contain a complete thesis statement?
Does your essay contain claims + evidence + warrants?
Does your conclusion repeat and summarize the intro and the topic sentences of the body paragraphs? Remember: no new information in the conclusion!
Do your sentences follow logically from each other?
Have you replaced negative sentences (“not…”) with positive ones?
Have you avoided using “we” (you need to specify who “we” is, first)?
Have you avoided using “I” (your personal experience, though useful,, is not by itself sufficient; you need more objective evidence to support your argument)?
Today’s class
reading classmates’ essays (essay #2, draft #1)
textbook
p. 31 Conclusion (read the checklist)
p. 53 Practice 8
p. 57 Practice 9
p. 58-9 Practice 10
1-to-1 conferences about last week’s writing (introduction)
Read again your free writing. Can you find sentences which could be or should be combined? Combine them.
Every claim needs evidence. Read again your free writing and add evidence that you could provide to prove that you did what you said you did in your vacation.
Write an essay discussing the arguments for and against the topic of “Organ Transplants”. Choose two arguments for, and two arguments against to discuss in your essay.
Today’s class
Discussion of arguments for and against the topic of “School Uniforms”.
Which arguments are strong and which are weak?
Discussion of arguments for and against the topic of “Legalized Gambling”.
Which arguments are strong and which are weak?
Choose arguments from the “for” list, and two arguments from the “against” list and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
Write a short conclusion giving your judgement about the “for” and “against” arguments. Which side has the stronger arguments, do you think?
Re-type your problem-solution essay. Print out and bring it to class next week. If you are absent next week, email me your essay as soon as possible. Document name = “AW1_Essay2_Final_Name” (without the “”).
Today’s class
p. 60 Hedging (read)
p. 61 Practice 11 & 12 – on your textbook
Textbook p. 63 Practice 13 – on looseleaf
Textbook p. 63 Practice 14 – on your textbook
Practice 15 – on looseleaf
“These days, low-carbohydrate diets are popular. However, a study conducted by the U.S. military using a zero-carbohydrate diet resulted in muscle loss and weakness among the participants.” Discuss. Do not give your opinion about diets, or low-carbohydrates diets.
Comment about last week’s writing – “Certain kinds of weapons… must be outlawed for civilian ownership. ”
Being against something does not necessarily mean that a government ban is the best, or the only, solution.
Today’s writing topics:
“Technology will soon mean that no-one will need to learn a foreign language, therefore English should be an optional subject only in junior and senior high schools.” Discuss (30 minutes).
“School vacations are a waste of time and money.” Discuss (20 minutes).
the thesis statement – does it include the problem and a summary of the solution?
the evidence – are there references for the claims made?
conclusion – does it repeat the problem and solution(s)?
the hook – is there one? Is it a good one?
Thinking critically. It is important, although difficult, to think critically about your solution. Consider the solution of more and stricter gun control laws in the United States as a solution to the problem of mass shootings, such as the recent one in Charleston, South Carolina. Can you think of reasons why this might not solve the problem?
Stricter gun control laws will make it more difficult for all people to obtain a gun for self-defence.
Criminals can always get guns. They are not deterred by laws. The shooter in Charleston recently did not buy his gun in a gun shop – he stole it! Therefore, even if gun control laws were already stricter, it would not have prevented this case from happening.
Therefore, stricter gun control laws will probably not solve the problem of mass shootings.
President Obama has asked for body cameras for police after the shooting by police of unarmed Michael Brown in Ferguson last year (reference: “Obama Requests $263 Million for Police Body Cameras, Training”, NBC News, Dec. 1, 2014. Accessed July 10, 2015). Can you think of reasons why this might not solve the problem?
Cameras can break down.
Video can be easily edited.
More severe punishment for police shootings, and more prosecutions would be more effective and also cheaper.
