*ENGH 302 Section s13, Spring 2012 TR 1:30-2:45pm Innovation 319 Course Syllabus* Dr. Kenneth C. Thompson Office: Robinson A 353G Office Phone: 703-993-2781 Office Hours: TR 3-4pm and by appointment Email: kthomps4 gmu.edu 302-s13-s12 Syllabus: http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/302-s13-s12/index.html 202-s11 Blog: http://302s13s12.wordpress.com/ REQUIRED TEXTS: * Diana Hacker, /A Pocket Style Manual/. Bedford/St.Martin's. 6th Edition. Spiral bound * Gregory Black, /Hollywood Censored: Morality Codes, Catholics, and the Movies/. Cambridge UP. Paper * Steven Johnson, /Everything Bad is Good For You/. Riverhead. Paper WEB SITES AND RESOURCES: * Diana Hacker's online exercises * Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation Online * GMU Writing Center * Library Catalogs (GMU) * Internet Movie Database * MUTUAL FILM CORP. v. INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION OF OHIO, 236 U.S. 230 (1915) * JOSEPH BURSTYN, INC. v. WILSON, 343 U.S. 495 (1952) * U.S. Constitution: First Amendment * Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center , GMU databases * PBS Culture Shock Series : Are the Arts Dangerous OPTIONAL TEXTS AND TEXTS AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY: * Todd McCarthy, /Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood / at http://books.google.com/ * Stephen Prince, /Classical Film Violence: Designing and Regulating Brutality in Hollywood Cinema, 1930-1968 ,/ available on both http://books.google.com/ or in electronic form on the George Mason library website at http://library.gmu.edu/ * Kutner and Olson, /Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do /, available at http://books.google.com/ * Anderson, Gentile, and Buckley, /Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research and Public Policy , /available at http://books.google.com/ COURSE FRAMEWORK: Engh 302 will provide you with an opportunity to improve your writing and develop your research skills while you study whether rights that we associate with democratic principles and practices like free speech should ever be limited in the interest of other values. We will look at the emergence of new entertainment technologies like video/computer games and place them in historical perspective by studying anxieties generated by earlier forms of art and entertainment. We will pay particular attention to the constitutional issues raised by censorship; you will have the chance to develop your own ideas while writing papers on film censorship, the regulation of children's television and/or computer games. You have the option of writing a final research paper on one of these topics. I will comment extensively on your writing over the course of the semester and tie my comments to specific pages in Diana Hacker's /A Pocket Style Manual/. You are required to study the explanations and examples on the pages in Hacker I refer you to and do the onlineexercises listed. I will expect each of your succeeding papers (especially your guided research paper and final research proposal and paper) to demonstrate improvement in the areas I note, so its very important you talk to me if you have any questions. You will also regularly write short responses in class and online as well as go over paper plans and drafts with me during in-class workshops.Writing Center tutors will be available to go over drafts and help you with your work and you will comment on each others drafts using editing sheets I will prepare. WRITING TUTORS and LIASON LIBRARIANS: I highly recommend making an appointment with on of the GMU liaison librarians to go over your research strategy and the resources available to you. Seehttp://library.gmu.edu/research/liais.html for a list of the librarians and instructions on how to contact them. REQUIREMENTS: 1) Regular attendance. Participation in all class activities including workshops, group projects, and individual presentations. 2) Completion of all assigned reading. 3) On-time completion of all written work including paper editing sheets, quizzes, papers, bibliographies, blog postings, and proposals. After two late assignments, each succeeding late project will be lowered half a grade. I will accept no assignments that are over one week late. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day indicated on the syllabus. NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: The English Department defines plagiarism as "using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another source without giving that source credit. Writers give credit through the use of accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes; a simple listing of books, articles, and websites is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in an academic setting." I will not tolerate plagiarism in my classes and will report incidents to the Honor Committee. See http://honorcode.gmu.edu/ for more detailed information. The English Department statement on plagiarism goes on to note that "student writers are often confused as to what should be cited. Some think that only direct quotations need to be credited. While direct quotations do need citations, so do paraphrases and summaries of opinions or factual information formerly unknown to the writers or which the writers did not discover themselves. Exceptions to this include factual information which can be obtained from a variety of sources, the writer's own insights or findings from their own field research, and what has been termed common knowledge." DISABILITIES: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Resources at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. ENROLLMENT: Students are responsible for verifying their enrollment in this class. Schedule adjustments should be made by the deadlines published in the Schedule of Classes. Schedule adjustments should be made by the deadlines published in the Schedule of Classes. Last day to add is Jan 31st; last day to drop is Feb 24th. After the last day to drop, withdrawing from this class requires the approval of the Dean and is only allowed for nonacademic reasons. Undergraduate students may choose to exercise a selective withdrawal. See the Schedule of Classes for selective withdrawal procedures. GRADING: SHORTER PAPERS: 33% FINAL PAPER AND RESEARCH PROJECT: 33% PARTICIPATION (BLOG, IN-CLASS DISCUSSION, & GROUP WORK): 33% SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO REVISION) Date Assignments Tue Jan 24 Introduction to the class. Before our next meeting, print a copy of the Information Sheet and fill it out. I will collect them Thurs. Also set up mail forwarding if you do not check your GMU email several times a week. I can also help you add my email addresses to your safe list if you were not in my class last semester so messages about the class will not be blocked by GMU's spam filter . During or after our meeting today, introduce yourself to the class on the blog following page/prompt 3 at http://302s13s12.wordpress.com/ The first time you go to the site you will need to register on Wordpress.com unless you already have an account. Click on /Get started here /on the upper left. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR A BLOG BUT JUST A USER NAME (see the /signup for just a user name/ to the right of the blog address box). Use your GMU user name and email address; write down your password (or use one you will remember). If your user name is already taken on Wordpress, add letters or numbers to your GMU user name. DO NOT click on /Sign up for a blog, too/. Agree to the terms of service and click /Sign up/. How you fill in your profile on the next page is up to you. Click submit and then go to your GMU email account and open the message from Wordpress and click on the verification link. I will then use your GMU email address to give you write privileges on the blog. Because this may take a while, you may want to begin your writing using an HTML editor or Word (saving the file as a filtered web page). Once you are fully registered and logged onto the class blog, you should see a /New Post/ link at the top of the page. Give your post a title (see below) and enter the text of your post in the box under the tool buttons. Once I have given you authorship privileges on the blog and added your first name and last initial to the category list, you should see a check box with your name under /People/ at the right side of the posting page (its one of the "categories"). Also check Introduction (under /Assignments/) before you click on /Publish/. For this and all subsequent posts, title the post with the assignment number/name (in this case 03-Intro) and your first name/last initial. (Note: you can edit your published posts by clicking on the edit button underneath the post.) Before next class respond to at least one of your fellow students' intros using the /Leave a Comment /or/#Comments/ link under the post. Note: To update your email address because its changed from @gmu.edu to @masonlive.gmu.edu since you registered on Wordpress for a previous class, take the following steps: first, sign on to Wordpress.com. Then click on /My Account/ on the top left of the page and select your /Global Dashboard/. Then click on /Profile/ part way down the left side of the page and click on /Personal Settings/. Scroll down to your email address under /Account Details/, put in your new @masonlive.gmu.edu email address and click /Save Changes/. Then send me an email indicating you have updated your email address on Wordpress to your new Masonlive address and I will give you /Write Permissions/ on this semester's course blog. After you have completed your own introduction on the blog, read your fellow students intros and respond to at least two. Before class Thurs you should have finished these initial responses and replied to at least two comments on your own post. If no one has left a response, you should talk to those near you in class on Thurs and start up a conversation online. If you finish your introduction before other students, read the first page on /Scarface/ at filmsite.org site , up to the plot summary, section 1. Also familiarize yourself with the Internet Movie Database by looking up /Scarface/ (1932; directed by Howard Hawks, 93 minutes) at http://imdb.com/. Thur Jan 26 Today, you will begin working on the initial project in the class, /a *guided research paper*/ on film censorship and the production history of /Scarface /(1932; directed by Howard Hawks, 93 minutes), by watching around 30 minutes of the film in class. This paper sequence will include a series of assignments (both on the blog and in print) that build on each other. The sequence will culminate in a research paper where I give you most of the sources and train you how to best incorporate them in the kind of research paper you will be asked to write in the second half of this class as well as in your other courses. You will then have the opportunity to pick a related topic on your own from a list of options that includes children's TV, video game censorship, and the educational value of gaming as well as film censorship and write a final research paper where you do some of your own research as well as draw books we have read selections from like Black and Johnson. After we have watched and discussed the film in class today, *post to the blog * short response (250+ words) following page/prompt 4 detailing your reactions to the film*/. /*You post is due *by Sun at 11:59pm*. Include in your response, your view Tony Camonte's character and your thoughts on whether the film glorifies gangsters and violence. You should consult The Internet Movie Database if you are having trouble remembering the names of the characters. Before you complete your post, read the first page on /Scarface/ at filmsite.org site , up to the plot summary, section 1. Note that a copy of the film is currently on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tU3mDG5D38 but that it will probably not stay up long and is incomplete--it's missing, for example, the ending most people saw in 1932. I will introduce the film by talking about Robert Warshow's ideas about gangster films as modern tragedies. See "The Gangster as Tragic Hero," from/The Immediate Experience/ (1962). The article is currently available at http://davidlavery.net/courses/Gangster/warshow.htm Tue Jan 31 /Scarface/, continued, in class. Before class, study the text added at the behest of the Hays' Office, available at: http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/stills/scarface/scar-text.htm . Be prepared to discuss what you think the text adds to the film. If you have forgotten the user name and password required to view the files, email me. Also read the account of the writing of /Scarface/ at http://creativescreenwriting.com/csweekly/picture/06_01_07_Scarface.html . After class, study the list of the film's characters on the Internet Movie Database. Go to http://imdb.com/ and look up /Scarface/ (1932). By last Sun, you should have posted your reaction to Camonte and thoughts on whether the film glorifies gangsters (see page/prompt 4 for details). *Before class today, comment* on at least two of your fellow student's posts on /Scarface/, briefly summarizing their views of Camonte, the film, and its glorification of gangsters. Then talk about whether you agree with each posts' points or not and why. BE SPECIFIC AND INCLUDE DETAILS FROM THE FILM. Once we have finished the film, **update ***your own post on Camonte (page/prompt 4)*, indicating (in a new paragraph marked UPDATE) whether your views have changed and why after watching the rest of the film. Also make sure to address your fellow students' comments on your initial post. Jan 31--Last Day to Add Classes; Last Day to Drop No Tuition Penalty Thur Feb 2 *Before class, read* Gregory Black, /Hollywood Censored/, pp. 107-111 (up to discussion of Little Caesar), 121-132 (up to discussion of prison films). *By Sun at 11:59pm post to the blog *a 250+ word account of: 1) what you learned from the reading in Black about why gangster movies upset critics and citizen groups; and 2) any other points he covered you thought were interesting. (see page/prompt 5 for details). BE SPECIFIC AND INCLUDE PAGE CITATIONS TO BLACK IN PARENTHESES. During class, we will watch the rest of the film *in class* and go over: 1. the changes made to the film at the behest of the Hays Office 2. the techniques used in filming of /Scarface's/ action sequences as opposed to the Chief's and Publisher's condemnations of gangsters 3. the portrayal of violence and criminal behavior 4. the impact the film's comic scenes on our view of Camonte. Tue Feb 7th, during class, we will watch the alternative filmed ending. Before class on Thurs Feb 9th, you will post to the blog**on the three endings of /Scarface/ (the script, the 'coward' runs, and the hanging) following page/prompt 6 . Tue Feb 7 Before class review the account of the writing of /Scarface/ at http://creativescreenwriting.com/csweekly/picture/06_01_07_Scarface.html . I also recommend you read chapter 8 (pp. 122-155) of Todd McCarthy's /Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood / (on reserve in the JC library), an assignment you will need to draw on in writing your guided research paper. (Note: pp. 130-131 in McCarthy is particularly useful if you are going to write about the incest plot.) Paper #1 is *due at the beginning of class*--a 2-4 page (typed and double spaced) description and analysis of two or more changes made in the movie at the behest of the Hay's Office You will exchange papers in class and fill out a paper editing sheet . Note: always print a copy of the editing sheets and bring them to class along with your paper the day a print paper is due. You are required to describe in detail the scenes you are discussing, so reviewing the film in the JC library as well as the relevant clips on the assignment sheet or is essential. The film is also available through Netflix (DVD & streaming) and Amazon (DVD and VOD). For March 1st/8th, you will analyze and evaluate these changes as you incorporate a revised version of your account into a longer position paper. But for now all I am asking you to do is describe the changes in detail. After you exchange papers, we will *watch the second filmed ending. Before next class, post* to the**blog**on the script, the 'coward' runs, and the hanging endings. Describe each ending and then take a position on: 1) whether the ending in the original script, which was never filmed, glorified Camonte; and 2) whether it makes a difference for our view of Camonte and the government whether he is killed as he runs from his hideout (the first ending filmed and the one we see today) or is tried and punished by government officials. See page/prompt 6 for further details. You can review part of /Scarface's/ 3rd ending at: http://classweb.gmu.edu/kthomps4/video/scar-sm.mov . The hanging ending is the version most viewers saw at the time. Thur Feb 9 Before class, read Amendment I of the Bill of Rights and Section 12 of The Virginia Declaration of Rights (the Declaration was written by George Mason). We will discuss the 1st Amendment and the Virginia Declaration in class. Before our next class, *post* to the blog a paragraph on whether you think censorship of the kind we see in the production history of /Scarface/ is consistent with the 1st Amendment and/or democratic principles more generally (page/prompt 7 ). Make sure to discuss specific kinds of changes made to the film at the behest of the Hays’ Office (the film industry censorship group, not a government agency) and tie your reasoning to particular passages from the 1st Amendment and the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Before posting you should therefore review Black, /Hollywood Censored/, pp. 125-132. Comment on one of your fellow students' posts for prompts 5-7 (one comment each) by the end of next week. Remember that your post on the three endings of /Scarface/ (page/prompt 6 ) is due before class today. Describe each ending and then take a position on: 1) whether the ending in the original script, which was never filmed, glorified Camonte; and 2) whether it makes a difference for our view of Camonte and the government whether he is killed as he runs from his hideout (the first ending filmed and the one we see today) or is tried and punished by government officials. You can review part of /Scarface's/ 3rd ending at: http://classweb.gmu.edu/kthomps4/video/scar-sm.mov . The hanging ending is the version most viewers saw at the time. Any posts through page/prompt 6 not completed by the end of the week will not receive credit. During class, we will go over Diana Hacker section 12b on pronoun reference, pp. 32-34, and you will do the exercises on pronoun reference (12-4 through 12-6) at http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/pocket5e Tue Feb 14 Before class, read Gregory Black, /Hollywood Censored/, pp. 3-46 (restricting entertainment and the Hays office); 151-154 (Payne study), and 302-308 (Lord-Quigley proposal). Quiz on Block v. Chicago (1909), The National Board of Review, the film industry in the 1920s, and the early days of the Hays Office. There will be a quiz on the Payne Fund Study (pp. 151-4) next class. These quizzes are open book; you can use notes but cannot copy answers you wrote ahead of time. Keep in mind that you will be required to use and cite historical information from Black and use sources like the Mutual Decision and the Hays Code in your next paper. That means using short quotes, paraphrases and summaries with in-text cites to page numbers in the appropriate text. It is therefore very important you take notes, uses post-its or some other system so you can find relevant information quickly when you write this paper. After the quiz, we will discuss in detail /Mutual Film Company v. The Industrial Commission of Ohio /. *Print a copy of the * *Mutual decision* *before class and bring it with you*. Also review Black on the decision, pp. 15-18. Before next class (Feb 16th), do eitherblog post 8a or 8b below : * *8a-*post a summary of the arguments in the case. Summarize the issues in the case, the arguments on both sides, and Justice McKenna's reasoning in the decision. Then talk about whether the case was difficult to read (or not) and why. Conclude by saying how the decision might be relevant to the censorship history of /Scarface/. * * 8b--*rewrite the paragraph from the decision and post your rewrite to the blog. See page/prompt 08a Mutual Decision; 08b Mutual Rewrite for details. Feb 14th--Last day to drop classes with 33% tuition penalty Thur Feb 16 Quiz on the Payne Fund Study (pp. 151-4) . After the quiz, we will discuss in detail Father Lord and Martin Quigley's draft of the Production Code (Black 302-8). *By Sun at 11:59pm, post* to the blog on the Code (page/prompt 9 ). It will help in reading the Code to remember that there are several sections in the document. You should make sure to cover more than one in your post: * Assumptions about film and entertainment, pp. 302-4 * General principles, p. 305 * Particular applications (through crimes against the law), p. 306-7 * Particular applications (sex to repellent subjects), pp. 307-8 Before class on Tues Feb 21st vote for the best rewrite of the Mutual decision paragraph (see page/prompt 08 for details ) using the blog's comment function. Any posts or comments not completed by that date will receive a no-credit grade so make sure you have 7 posts and 9 comments. Tue Feb 21 We will watch selections from the 1999 PBS /Culture Shock / documentary /Hollywood Censored: Movies, Morality, and the Hollywood Production /Code *or* selections from a documentary on censorship in the 1930s that is part of the /Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2 /DVD from TCM Archives. Both of these sources are on reserve in the JC library and are well worth reviewing carefully before you write your next paper. If there is time you will write in class on David Denby's distinction between representational complexity and teaching unambiguous moral lessons from the /Hollywood Censored/ documentary. At some point in the next few classes, we may also watch selections from the documentary /Breadline: The Great Depression at Home/ (22-46 min) to give you a more immediate sense of what the Great Depression was like. Start working on paper #2 and make an appointment at the Writing Center if you want to hand the paper in on March 8th rather than March 1st. *To create a tutoring appointment*, go to the Writing Center’s website at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/ and register as a new user if you have not done so before.Then login and schedule an appointment.Choose “Fairfax, Robinson A 114" in the drop-down menu for face-to-face tutoring.Choose “Online Writing Lab (OWL)” for online tutoring. Choose "Fairfax, Robinson A 114 ESL specialist" if English is not your native language and you would like to work with an ESL tutor. Open times are marked in white.Click on a time that fits your schedule, fill in the form, and click on Save Appointment.Make sure to bring a print copy of your draft and the assignment prompt to face-to-face sessions in Robinson Hall; email your draft and prompt to owl@gmu.edu at least an hour before your scheduled online session. If you have any questions call the Writing Center at 703-993-1200 or send an email to wcenter@gmu.edu During class, we will also discuss the Mutual rewrite paragraphs (post 8b) voted: 1) the easiest to follow and most clearly written; 2) the most complete, covering all the points in the original paragraph; and 3) the best combination of the two. Thur Feb 23 *Bring to class a typed introductory paragraph and outline *for a 4-6 page historical argument and position paper on whether /Scarface/ was a dangerous movie and should have been censored (paper #2 ). The format of your outline is up to you. But make sure you: 1) lay out the sections you will use to explore the three main questions listed in the third paragraph of the assignment sheet; and 2) for each section, rough out how you will use the sources detailed in the last paragraph of the assignment sheet. I will give you time in class to work on your drafts while I talk to you individually both about your last paper and your plans for the new one. The revised paper will be due at the beginning of class on Thurs March 1st. If make an appointment with a tutor before then and substantially revise a 4 page+ draft after your session, the paper is due at the beginning of class on Thurs March 8th (or in my English Dept box on the 4th floor of Robinson A by Fri at 5pm). The paper must include a works cited page /list of references and indicate whether you are following MLA, APA or Chicago (see Hacker's online documentation guide ). *To create a tutoring appointment*, go to the Writing Center’s website at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/ and register as a new user if you have not done so before.Then login and schedule an appointment.Choose “Fairfax, Robinson A 114" in the drop-down menu for face-to-face tutoring.Choose “Online Writing Lab (OWL)” for online tutoring. Choose "Fairfax, Robinson A 114 ESL specialist" if English is not your native language and you would like to work with an ESL tutor. Open times are marked in white.Click on a time that fits your schedule, fill in the form, and click on Save Appointment.Make sure to bring a print copy of your draft and the assignment prompt to face-to-face sessions in Robinson Hall; email your draft and prompt to owl@gmu.edu at least an hour before your scheduled online session. If you have any questions call the Writing Center at 703-993-1200 or send an email to wcenter@gmu.edu *Before class, read* Hacker on MLA (pp. 120-154) or APA (pp. 166-195) documentation, depending on your major. Also review Hacker on quoting a source quoted in another source (p. 124 for MLA; p. 170 for APA) and using signal phrases (pp. 112-115 for MLA; pp. 163-165 for APA). Finally, familiarize yourself with and use Hacker's online documentation guide at: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/ Next Tues we will review how to put together an MLA works cited page using the drop-down menus on Hacker's online site as well as go over the reading listed above. * *Feb 24th--Last day to drop classes with 67% tuition penalty; last day to drop classes Tue Feb 28 Review of MLA, APA, and Chicago documentation styles, particularly how to use the drop-down menus on Hacker's online site . *Before class, review* *Hacker* on MLA (pp. 120-154) /*or*/ APA (pp. 166-195) documentation, depending on your major. Also review Hacker on quoting a source quoted in another source (p. 124 for MLA; p. 170 for APA) and using signal phrases (pp. 112-115 for MLA; pp. 163-165 for APA). Finally, familiarize yourself with and use Hacker's online documentation guide at: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/ Today we will review how to put together an MLA works cited page using the Hacker text and the drop-down menus on the companion web site. Since APA is designed for peer reviewed social science papers, it does not cover as many types of sources as MLA. The APA Style Blog is therefore a useful supplementary source for looking up how to cite sources not covered in Hacker or the APA Style Manual . To use the APA Style Blog enter your search terms in the /Search the APA Style Blog/ box on the top right of the home page. Here, for example, is the entry on how to cite the US Constitution: http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2010/06/how-to-cite-the-us-constitution-in-apa-style.html Feb 27-Mar 30--Selective Withdrawal Period (undergraduate students only) Thur Mar 1 Paper #2 due at the beginning of class. If you have made an appointment with a tutor at The Writing Center and substantially revise a 4 page+ draft after your session, the paper is due at the beginning of class on Thurs March 8th (or in my English Dept box on the 4th floor of Robinson A by Fri March 9th at 5pm). The paper must include a works cited page /list of references and indicate whether you are following MLA, APA or Chicago (see Hacker's online documentation guide ). *To create a tutoring appointment*, go to the Writing Center’s website at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/ and register as a new user if you have not done so before.Then login and schedule an appointment.Choose “Fairfax, Robinson A 114" in the drop-down menu for face-to-face tutoring.Choose “Online Writing Lab (OWL)” for online tutoring. Choose "Fairfax, Robinson A 114 ESL specialist" if English is not your native language and you would like to work with an ESL tutor. Open times are marked in white.Click on a time that fits your schedule, fill in the form, and click on Save Appointment.Make sure to bring a print copy of your draft and the assignment prompt to face-to-face sessions in Robinson Hall; email your draft and prompt to owl@gmu.edu at least an hour before your scheduled online session. If you have any questions call the Writing Center at 703-993-1200 or send an email to wcenter@gmu.edu Note that any paper handed in after the beginning of class on March 1st without a fully documented tutoring session and a substantial revision will be lowered one full letter grade. If you are unable to attend an appointment, please cancel prior to the start time of your appointment. You can do so by going to http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/, logging in, selecting your appointment time, and clicking "Cancel this Appointment" on the bottom of the pop-up window. We will review David Denby's distinction between representational complexity and teaching unambiguous moral lessons from /Hollywood Censored/. We will then watch selections from the documentary /Breadline: The Great Depression at Home/ (2:50-8:20; 16:00-20:32; 22:11-36:00 min) to give you a more immediate sense of what the Great Depression was like. Tue Mar 6 We will begin by going over two useful websites for looking up how to document sources in APA and MLA papers. As we discussed last week, since APA is designed for peer reviewed social science papers, it does not cover as many types of sources as MLA. The APA Style Blog is therefore a useful supplementary source for looking up how to cite sources not covered in Hacker or the APA Style Manual . To use the APA Style Blog enter your search terms in the /Search the APA Style Blog/ box on the top right of the home page. Here, for example, is the entry on how to cite the US Constitution: http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2010/06/how-to-cite-the-us-constitution-in-apa-style.html Two other very useful supplementary sites are the Purdue OWL pages for APA and MLA . See, for example, the Purdue OWL pages for *citing online/electronic sources* in APA and MLA . Grammar Review (bring your copy of Hacker to class). During class, we will go over active verbs (pp. 3-5) and dangling modifiers (pp. 11-12). We will then quickly review pronoun reference (32-34) and go over fragments and run-ons (pp. 40-45). You will then do exercises 2-1 to 2-3 under Clarity; 14-1 to 14-3, and 15-1 to 15-3 under grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket Thur Mar 8 Paper #2 due at the beginning of class if you had an appointment with a tutor at The Writing Center and substantially revised a 4 page+ draft. You can also hand the paper in to my English Dept box on the 4th floor of Robinson A (room 487) by Fri at 5pm. The paper must include a works cited page /list of references and indicate whether you are following MLA, APA or Chicago (see Hacker's online documentation guide ). Put the revised paper on top, and include under that the draft you went over with your tutor, your intro/outline, a typed statement about what issues came up in your tutoring session and what you changed, and any feedback you received from your fellow students or your instructor. Include a form signed by the tutor (or the email from your OWL tutor). The portfolio must be in a folder or clipped/stapled together. I will not accept any papers that do not include all these components. We will watch D.W. Griffith’s /Musketeers of Pig Alley /(18 min). Note that D.W. Griffith's 1912 film, /The Musketeers of Pig Alley/, (18 min.) is often considered the first gangster feature. The film is available on the web at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG5hbpL8Njo and http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6324080369173435884# We will also look at a photograph from 1888 by Jacob Riis, /Bandit's Roost / (Scan courtesy of Masters of Photography ). See the Masters of Photography site for images and commentary on Riis, whose work is often seen as a precursor of the approach Griffith took to visualizing the world of gangsters. If there is time, we will begin selections from a documentary on censorship in the 1930s that is part of the /Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2 / DVD from TCM Archives. Tue Mar 13 NO CLASS-SPRING BREAK MARCH 12TH-18TH Thur Mar 15 NO CLASS-SPRING BREAK MARCH 12TH-18TH Tue Mar 20 Read Steven Johnson, /Everything Bad Is Good For You/, pp. 17-47 and 62-80. Also watch Steven Johnson's talk at the 2008 Handheld Learning Conference: http://www.handheldlearning2008.com/handheld-learning-conference-and-exhibition/video/905-video/122-steven-johnson-author Blog posting on your own experience with computer/video games and what you see as their dangers and/or educational value due by Sun at noon (page/prompt 10 ). In class discussion of Johnson and his claim that gaming and other forms of contemporary popular entertainment are good for you. You will begin working on your blog post and paper at the end of the class. We will watch Stanford Professor Robert Sapolsky's talk on Dopamine in class. Its available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axrywDP9Ii0&feature=fvst or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axrywDP9Ii0 Thur Mar 22 Bring to class a *1-2 page draft* (typed and double spaced) of paper #3 , an argument summary and response paper on the benefits and dangers of computer/video games. Begin by setting out the thesis Johnson advances in the selections you read and the arguments/evidence he uses to support it. Then talk about whether you agree with his position or not and why. Johnson's primary focus in on the often unacknowledged cognitive benefits of gaming and other forms of contemporary popular culture. Make sure to cover more than one of these benefits (decision making, probing and testing, pattern recognition, system thinking, etc.) as well as the argument Johnson advances about the reward structure of the brain. Include short quotes, paraphrases and summaries in your account of Johnson's views as well as in-text citations. Indicate whether you are using MLA or APA. A *revised 3 page paper* with works cited page is due by the beginning of class on *Thurs March 29th unless you work with a tutor*. In that case, you can have till Thurs April 5th at the beginning of class to hand in the paper. You will have time in class to work on blog post 10 on computer games as well as to work further on paper #3 while I talk to you individually about your draft and plans. Make sure to bring the materials you need to work on your paper (flash drive, copy of Johnson, etc.). Tue Mar 27 Read Stephen Prince, /Classical Film Violence/, pp. 11-29 (especially pp. 20-29) and pp. 87-119 available in electronic form on the George Mason library website at http://library.gmu.edu/ or in print form at the JC library. We will go over the following pages from Diana Hacker's /A Pocket Style Manual/: wordy sentences (2-3), shifts in point of view (8-9), commas after intro word groups (55-56), restrictive & non-restrictive elements (57-58), research questions(105-6 or 164-5), and the checklist for global revision (near end of the book). Thur Mar 29 Revised paper #3 on Johnson and gaming due at the beginning of class unless you go over a substantial draft with a tutor. In that case, you can have till Thurs April 5th to hand in the paper. Today and/or next Tues I will have individual conferences with you on your guided research paper on /Scarface/. Blog posting on the applicability of Prince's ideas about violence to the 1932 /Scarface/ due by Sun at 11:59pm (page/prompt 11). After we have watched the ending of the 1983 /Scarface/ (10 min) and discussed Griffith’s /Musketeers of Pig Alley/, you will add to your initial posting. Indicate whether you think Prince’s ideas about the way violence has been represented and regulated over time apply to /Musketeers/ and the ‘83 /Scarface/. Also discuss key similarities and differences between the endings of the 1932 and 1983 Scarface and whether the less restrictive environment in which the 1983 film was made, made it a more or less entertaining/more or less dangerous film. . March 30th--Incomplete work from f11 due to instructor Tue April 3 At the beginning of class, we will follow up on our discussion of the ending De Palma's 1983 /Scarface/ by watching a brief excerpt from an interview with the Director on the Anniversary Edition DVD (Disk 2, Creating, 21:50-24:50) where he discusses his negotiations with the MPAA ratings board. If there is time, we will also listen to selections from an NPR interview with Kirby Dick on his documentary, This/Film Is Not Yet Rated/ (2006). If you are interested in a research paper on the ratings system, you should look at the limited preview of Stephen Vaughn's /Freedom and Entertainment: Rating the Movies in an Age of New Media/ at http://books.google.com/books?id=B7MkaxKGTGAC The book is on reserve at the JC library. *Before class, read Hacker* on finding an appropriate voice (16-19) and review pronoun reference (34-35), fragments (42-44), and run-ons (44-47). During class we will go over parallelism (5-6), the semi-colon/colon (65-68), the dash (75-6), and parentheses (76-7). During class you will then do the online exercises at http://dianahacker.com/pocket for parallelism (3-1 to 3-3 under clarity) and for semi-colon use (18-1 to 18-3 under grammar/punctuation) as well as the exercises for any grammatical problems I noted in my comments on your last paper. Thur April 5 *Revised paper #3 on Johnson due if you saw a tutor*. If you take this option, put the revised paper on top, the draft under that and a typed statement about what issues came up in your tutoring session and what you changed. The portfolio must be in a folder or clipped/stapled together. I will not accept any papers that do not include all these components. If you are interested in doing a final research paper on video games, I recommend that you look at the following limited previews on http://books.google.com/ . Both books are on reserve at the Johnson Center Library: * Kutner and Olson, /Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do / * Anderson, Gentile, and Buckley, /Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research and Public Policy / Another place to begin if you are interested in working on gaming is the Entertainment Software Ratings Board site at http://www.esrb.org/index-js.jsp . Also see ESRB's parent organization, The Entertainment Software Association If you are interested in doing more research on the potential educational value of games, see the overview article by Sarah Glazer, CQ Researcher, Nov 10th 2006. For those of you interested in writing about video games and the policy and legal implications of social science research, see Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Assn , particularly the account of the questions presented near the beginning of the petition. The Supreme Court agreed in April of 2010 to hear the case. Note that last April on the Diane Rehm Show, Craig Anderson (Psychologist specializing in video game research ), Cheryl Olson (Harvard Medical School and co-author of /Grand Theft Childhood )/, Eugene Folokh (Law Professor UCLA), Richard Taylor (Entertainment Software Association ), and Leland Yee (California State Senator) discussed violent video games. Audio is up at http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-04-28/violent-video-games April 6th--Incomplete grade changes from f11 due Registrar Tue April 10 Starting today, I will demonstrate how to use the CQ Researcher for topic searches and the LexisNexis Academic database for newspapers, periodicals and legal cases. I will also show you how to use ProQuest Research Library . Over the next three classes, you should do the following exercises: 1. Use LexisNexis to find the text of the 1909 Illinois Supreme Court decision in Block v. Chicago 2. Use CQ Researcher to find an overview article on at least one of the subjects you are considering for your final research paper proposal. One possibility here is the Nov 10, 2006 overview article /Video Games: Do they Have Educational Value/ by Sarah Glazer. 3. To see how the library guide can be used, click on the subject tab, then use the drop down menu to find the Humanities, and scroll down to Film and Media Studies. Here you will see that Laura Jenemann is the Media Services, Film Studies Librarian. Then Search for Psychology under Web. 4. Now, click on Psychology , then Electronic Databases , and find the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Now look for a full text article by full text articles by Robert Sapolsky. We watched his brief talk on Dopamine in class on March 22nd. 5. Find an article by at least one of the following researchers from the list below--Lawrence Kutner, Cheryl Olson, or Craig Anderson--trying out each of the databases we have covered as well as others you think might be useful based on your study of the research sources and writing guides put together by GMU's specialist librarians at: http://infoguides.gmu.edu/browse.php . 6. Use the databases to put together a preliminary list of peer-reviewed articles for your research paper proposal. To see the required format for citing articles you find in online databases (provided by the library or other services) see Diana Hacker's online site for MLA and APA . As you are doing your research, make sure you save information on the databases you used to find articles and the date you accessed them (and the DOI if you are using APA). In your research paper proposal, you will need have an annotated bibliography of at least ten sources including three books, three websites and three peer reviewed articles (the latter found through the online databases provided by George Mason). *Start work on your final research paper. See the assignment sheet at * http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/302-s13-s12/final-paper.htm using the GMU Library databases and guides, look for articles on the final paper choices that interest you. Thur April 12 During class today, we will quickly review the use of CQ Researcher to find topic overviews, LexisNexis to find newspapers, periodicals and legal cases, and ProQuest for peer-reviewed articles and old newspapers. By the end of class you should have completed any of the exercises you did not finish during our first research training session on April 14th. Also review the research sources and writing guides put together by GMU's specialist librarians at http://infoguides.gmu.edu/browse.php and the Writing Across the Curriculum guide at http://wac.gmu.edu/supporting/guides.php . You can also use many of these subject guides to find relevant professional organizations. For Psychology, for example, go to Professional Organizations and then the American Psychological Association . Note the Topics list in the middle of the page as well as the search box near the top on the left. I highly recommend making an appointment with on of the GMU liaison librarians to go over your research strategy and the resources available to you. See http://library.gmu.edu/research/liais.html for a list of the librarians and instructions on how to contact them. You will receive two points extra-credit for working with a liaison librarian and two points for seeing a tutor as you work on your final paper. Make sure to document your visit and include a statement in your final portfolio about what you went over and how the visit helped you on your paper. Tue April 17 *NO CLASS, work on your final research paper plan. It is due at the beginning of class next Tues in print form and should include the following: * 1. A research question. See Hacker, pp. 92-3, on how to pick a research question that is narrow, challenging, and grounded. 2. An introductory paragraph for the paper you are proposing to write that sets up the paper that follows, including the position you will take on the issue you will address. 3. A detailed outline indicating what each section will contribute to your paper and what sources you would use. 4. An annotated and alphabetized works cited (MLA) or references (APA) section. You will use MLA or APA format but then add several paragraphs after each entry summarizing the argument and information in the source, how you will use it, and credible it is. Do not try and cover too much since you have only several weeks to complete your research and writing. Make sure to include a detailed account of the reliability of the sources you found and their usefulness in answering your research question. Also include an account of how you found your sources (library database, LOC subject heading, search engine, etc.). Include at least three books (specific chapters or sections), three web pages or other sources, and three articles from refereed journals (or other sources you found using the library databases). Follow Diana Hacker's model for MLA citations (unless you have been trained in another format in a course in your major). Put your annotations in a new paragraph under each citation entry. For your three peer reviewed articles found through the online databases provided by George Mason, see Diana Hacker's online site for MLA or APA . Thur April 19 *Preliminary plan for you final research paper *due at beginning of class in print form*. * See the required see the list of required components on the syllabus for last class. The exact form of the outline is up to you (bullets, numbers, etc.). I will be looking for how you see the sections of the paper relating to one another--and to your thesis--as well as what kind of evidence you will use in each part. Include three peer reviewed articles you found using the library databases and cite them in the proper form. Note: you can substitute other sources you could only find using one of the databases (like newspaper articles from the 1930s). During class, I will meet with each of you and go over what you have done while you work on your paper. While I am meeting with students individually, you should work on your papers so bring materials to work with (including laptops if you have them). Remember that your plan should include a research question, a tentative intro paragraph, a detailed outline, and an annotated and alphabetized works cited (MLA) or references (APA) section. You will use MLA or APA format but then add several paragraphs after each entry summarizing the argument and information in the source, how you will use it, and credible it is. Do not try and cover too much since you have only several weeks to complete your research and writing. Make sure to include a detailed account of the reliability of the sources you found and their usefulness in answering your research question. Also include an account of how you found your sources (library database, LOC subject heading, search engine, etc.). Include at least three books (specific chapters or sections), three web pages or other sources, and three articles from refereed journals (or other sources you found using the library databases). Follow Diana Hacker's model for MLA citations (unless you have been trained in another format in a course in your major). Put your annotations in a new paragraph under each citation entry. For your three peer reviewed articles found through the online databases provided by George Mason, see Diana Hacker's online site for MLA or APA . *Before the start of next class, post to theblog an account of your final research paper plan*.*Your post should include your research question, intro paragraph and outline. Posting your annotated and alphabetized works cited (MLA) or references (APA) section is optional. * Tue April 24 During class, comment on the research paper plan of at least one student sitting next to you and talk about what you have proposed. Hacker's glossary of usage (pp. 232-242) will be a useful resource as you revise your paper as will the Checklist for Global Revisions at the end of the handbook. We will do some of the exercises from the Diana Hacker site for /A Pocket Style Manual/ at http://dianahacker.com/pocket/. Pick exercises on areas where you are having difficulties--or aren't sure you understand the rules. While you are doing these exercises I will talk to you about your research papers. Thur April 26 *Paper workshop*: you are responsible for bringing to class two copies of your final paper draft. First, you will read your intro and the next paragraph or two out loud to a fellow student, stopping when either you or your listener senses there may be a problem. You will then exchange drafts of the paper with another student and fill out a paper editing sheet. Your draft should be at least 6 pages (longer if you are revising an earlier paper). Take notes on what you discussed since you will need to include an account of what you learned from the session with your final paper. Note: keep the edited paper and editing sheet to hand in with your revised paper on July 27th. Make sure to bring a copy of the paper editing sheet is available at http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/302-s13-s12/finalpaper-edit.doc At the end of class, I will begin meeting with you to go over your papers During this time, you should work on further research and revision so bring the materials you need. NOTE: I will be having extended office hours to work with you on revisions. I will be in my office (Robinson A 456; 993-2781) this week on Mon 11-4, Tues 4:30-6:30, Wed 11-4, Thurs 4:30-6:30, and Fri 11-4; the following week, I am available Mon 11-5pm. Several of you have reserved spaces so call ahead if you want to come without an appointment. Tue May 1 Paper Workshop: I will meet with as many of you as I can during class to go over your papers During this time, you should work on further research and revision so bring the materials you need. We will review Hacker on citing periodicals in MLA (134-136) and APA 174-7); citing articles found using databases in MLA (140) and APA (178); and citing online sources in MLA (137-143) and APA (177-181). Here are links to the corresponding sections of Hacker's online site: 1. citing articles from periodicals (MLA or APA ) 2. citing articles you found using one of the library databases (MLA or APA ) 3. citing online sources (MLA and APA ) NOTE: I will be having extended office hours to work with you on revisions. I will be in my office (Robinson A 456; 993-2781) this week on Mon 11-4, Tues 4:30-6:30, Wed 11-4, Thurs 4:30-6:30, and Fri 11-4; the following week, I am available Mon 11-5pm. Several of you have reserved spaces so call ahead if you want to come without an appointment. Thur May 3 Make sure you arrive at 1:30 so you can do course evaluations. *Final research paper due either at the beginning of class today or during our scheduled final exam time next Thurs. * Once you do course evaluations you can leave unless you want to have a conference with me about your final paper and hand it in next Thurs Remember that the final paper needs to be in a folder--or held together with a substantial clip--with the last preliminary draft (with comments and editing sheets), your original paper plan, the paragraph structure sheet, and an account of what you changed as you worked on your project (including what you went over with your student editor and with me). If you see a tutor from the Writing Center , include a Visit Verification Form. I you saw a liaison librarian , include his or her name, the date you met, and what you went over. Finally, indicate which citation format you used (APA, MLA, Chicago or one of the Sciences listed on the Hacker documentation site ). Put your revised paper on top and your draft on the bottom with the other materials in between. . Last Day of Classes Sat May 5th; Final Exams May 9th-16th. Thur May 10 The scheduled final exam time is in our regular classroom on Thurs May 10th 1:30-4:15pm. *Final research paper due today during the scheduled exam time if you did not hand it in last Thurs. * Remember that the final paper needs to be in a folder--or held together with a substantial clip--with the last preliminary draft (with comments and editing sheets), your original paper plan, the paragraph structure sheet, and an account of what you changed as you worked on your project (including what you went over with your student editor and with me). If you see a tutor from the Writing Center , include a Visit Verification Form. I you saw a liaison librarian , include his or her name, the date you met, and what you went over. Finally, indicate which citation format you used (APA, MLA, Chicago or one of the Sciences listed on the Hacker documentation site ). Put your revised paper on top and your draft on the bottom with the other materials in between.