Guidelines for the Publication

1. Each student needs to have at least two items: a description of your object, and one of your longer essays (literacy autobiography, website analysis, or unwritten rule). You may also include one additional piece, such as a poem, story, in-class writing or a second essay or object description. The supplemental work may be shorter, but will require the same degree of revision.

2. To be published, the assignments must meet minimum word requirements: 175 words for the object description; 600 words for the essay.

3. Nothing will be published until I give it the OK, regardless of how many drafts it takes to get there.

4. An average piece will require three drafts, for: overall organization; paragraph structure; final proofreading/editing. NB: You will not have time to accomplish all of this work in class.

5. You are encouraged to collaborate with the revision, but the final product must reflect your own work.

6. Once your pieces have been approved for publication, you may work on the layout in Microsoft Publisher. The first student to have both pieces approved will be listed as editor in the publication.

7. You are encouraged to add graphics to your pieces. These may be photos, drawings, etc. that you produce or clip art or non-copyrighted material from the Internet.

8. The deadline for having pieces approved is Monday July 27. Final layout must be complete by Wed. 7/29 or the publication cannot be printed.

9. Passing this class is contingent upon being represented in the publication.

10. A complete up-to-date blog is a prerequisite for moving into publication phase.

Here's an interesting article on unwritten rules.

Blog requirements/Passing at Midterm

Only a handful of students are up to date with all the work, and no-one has all the required length. Anyone who does not have the following posted on your blog by Monday will be reported as failing this class at the midterm:

1. Literacy Autobiography (600-900 words)

2. Visual Analysis of website (600-900 words)

3. Prediction of consequences of breaking an unwritten rule (250-350 words)

4. At least 5 journal entries (175 words)

For the publication you'll need to expand/revise what you've done thus far, so it makes sense to start now.

Unwritten Rule Essay

Part I: Describe an unwritten rule you intend to break. Predict what you think will actually happen when you break this rule in a specific place and time.

Part II: After you have broken the rule, describe what really happened. How good were your predictions?

Part III: What generalizations can you make about your rule? Is it more important to men or women? Is it limited by age or ethnicity? Does the place or time matter?

Sample Essay

The website samedayessay.com is designed to sell essays to college students. Its appeal is based on the premise that a student’s time is more valuable than learning. The visual details support this viewpoint.

The first thing I noticed was the large amount of white space. The site is clean and not cluttered. Most of the headlines and graphics are blue, with splashes of yellow.

Towards the top of the page is a rectangular box containing shifting graphics and text. The pictures feature attractive college-aged women. One of the graphics shows the woman looking at a clock, while in another corner there is a clock with rapidly spinning hands.

Above that box is the logo and phone number for the company, in the same dark blue color. Next to the logo is a picture of a white man in a business suit running. His shoe is on fire, and there is a giant stopwatch behind him. On the other side of the logo is a graphic in the same blue color of people in outline. These graphics visually divide the top of the page from the rest.

Below the rectangular box there are a couple of paragraphs of text in a moderately small black font, with some words in the prevailing blue color. A graphic next to the first paragraph features a pen, an essay, and a clock. Below those paragraphs are three boxes of gold/yellow with graphics of a trophy, an essay, and a file folder. Bullet points with yellow arrows are contained within a light blue shadow box below these icons.

A couple more paragraphs of text follow, and a thin blue with a graphic of a file folder creates another visual divider. Below that divide is a graphic of a prize ribbon. Below that are icons for credit cards. A thick yellow line divides this from the dark blue section at the bottom containing fine print.

On each side of the paragraph there is text with yellow bullet points. There is a photo of a young white woman with a cell phone on one side, and another depiction of a clock on the other side.

These details all point to the attitude that the student’s time is more important than learning. The clean white layout requires very little concentration to understand. The layout is easy to follow and the blue text stands out against the white and within the mostly black-text paragraphs. This would appeal to someone who doesn’t have time to puzzle through things.

Because it is at the top and shows movement the rectangular box is the most prominent feature. There is no hint of writing, only concern for time, as evidenced by the woman looking at the clock and the spinning hands on another clock.

The running man reinforces this perception. Time is literally bearing down on him. He is running so hard his shoe is on fire. There is a sense of urgency that does not leave room for the sustained thinking writing requires.

The text in the middle seems serious and business-like. It is similar to the font found on many legitimate academic sites. It is arranged in conventional paragraph structure. This would be reassuring to buyers who want their essays to look like proper academic writing.

The graphics of the trophy and the award ribbon are also intended to inspire confidence. They suggest that a reputable outside authority has evaluated the company and approved of its services. There is no suggestion that this authority has academic standing. The focus is consistently shifted away from actual learning.

Paragraph Structure

PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE

A body paragraph is like a miniature essay itself. Like the essay as a whole, the paragraph needs to follow a logical structure so the reader can keep track of your argument. You can help the reader by answering the questions he/she is likely to have in reading the paragraph. A dialogue between a reader and body paragraph might look like this.

READER: I wonder what this paragraph will be about?

PARAGRAPH: Legalizing marijuana will help the economy.

READER: Sounds good. But I need some proof.

PARAGRAPH: The government will be able to tax marijuana, just like it taxes alcohol and tobacco.

READER: OK, but does the writer really know why that point helps support the thesis.

PARAGRAPH: Taxes from marijuana can support drug treatment programs to train users for productive jobs. In addition, the government will save money on law enforcement and prison construction.

READER: This paragraph is convincing. Now, how’s the writer going to get to the next point?

PARAGRAPH: The monetary savings in the criminal justice system are not the only benefit to people previously considered lawbreakers.

READER: Nice transition. Let’s just peek ahead to make sure the next paragraph follows up on this.

PARAGRAPH: Marijuana users will no longer be relegated to the fringes of society.

Legalizing marijuana will help the economy. The government will be able to tax marijuana, just like it taxes alcohol and tobacco. Taxes from marijuana can support drug treatment programs to train users for productive jobs. In addition, the government will save money on law enforcement and prison construction. The monetary savings in the criminal justice system are not the only benefit to people previously considered lawbreakers.

Marijuana users will no longer be relegated to the fringes of society.

THE QUESTIONS IN ORDER

1. What is this paragraph about? (Topic sentence)[1]

2. What evidence will support this assertion?[2]

3. Why is this evidence convincing?[3]

4. How does this paragraph relate to the next?[4]

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[1] Without a topic sentence you’ll lose serious credit for organization. A topic sentence will also help you as a writer keep your focus on one main idea per paragraph.

[2] Outside the MCET, this is the point where a reader will expect a specific quote, fact, statistic etc.

[3] Giving the evidence is important, but you also need to prove that you understand its significance in the context of your own individual argument.

[4] This is the least important question to answer. If no good transition suggests itself you can skip it as long as it is clear how each body paragraph supports the overall thesis.

Visual Analysis Essay

For this essay, select a web site that sells papers to college students. 

1. Provide a link to the web site. We will o over this in class today.

2. Describe the appearance of the home page. Look at its overall layout, the colors, fonts, graphics, blank spaces.  We will work on this in class today.

3. For tonight's homework, post your description on your blog. This should be about one page (250-300 words).

4. How does this visual information appeal to student buyers? What shared attitudes towards education does this suggest between the makers of the site and potential clients? This section is to be posted on your blog by Tuesday July 14 before class.