1. What happens if I can't make it to the first meeting?
You'll be dropped.
2. How many of the fourteen essays may I miss without my grade being lowered?
Two.
3. How many parts does each assignment have?
Four. 1: thesis, 2: first paragraph, 3: the complete essay, 4: the revised essay.
4. Must I do all four parts to get full credit for the assignment?
Yes.
5. May I hand in Parts 1 and 2 at the same time?
No. Send me Part 1 (your thesis) and get it okayed. Then send Part II (your first paragraph) and get it okayed. Then send Part III. I promise a response to all papers within twenty-four hours, which means you should start sending me each paper at least three days before the paper is due.
6. My deadline date for Assignment One is Mar 3. What does that mean?
You must get 1.3 to me by midnight, Mar 3.
7. What happens if I miss a deadline?
Any credits you have earned (1.1 and 1.2, say) are credited to 2.1 and 2.2.You get zero for the one you missed.
8. My assignments are due on Saturdays, but I don't have access to a computer on Saturdays. What do I do?
Get your assignments to me by Friday.
9. When do I tell you which format(s) my paper fulfills?
When you send Part 4. That's why you need to do all four parts to get full credit.
10. I keep seeing the word "Ref". What does that mean?
Check out my grading symbols at http://members.home.net/bmckinne/symbols.html
11. What does "RT 21-22" mean?
It means check what Rules of Thumb, pp. 21-22, has to say about this problem.
12. What are the texts?
Writing with a Thesis
Rules of Thumb
and any two of the following novels:
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (what if Charles
Lindbergh had been elected president instead of FDR?)
Word of Honor by Nelson DeMille (post Vietnam suspense)
Boone's Lick by Larry McMurtry (a short saga of the Old
West)
Rose by Martin Cruz Smith (love and mystery in a British
coal mine)
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver (you can go
home again, but it's not easy)
Body and Soul by Frank Conroy (the life of a classical
pianist)
The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell (don't read on Mother's
Day)
A Widow for One Year by John Irving (like most Irving novels,
lots of commentary on quirky folk, and a fair amount of sex)
The Edge of the Crazies by Jamie Harrison (a Montana archeologist
becomes a sheriff, to his great dismay)
I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (the Man in the White
Suit writes about college students)
Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian (the first in the celebrated
series about a British sea captain and his best friend, the doctor/spy).
Find the first two under "McKinney, English 122," in
the bookstore. Most of the novels should be available from your
local library. If you belong to the Contra Costa Country Library,
you can reserve books by going to the library's
webpage.
13. What formats should I use for the papers on the novels?
Whatever format you want. You need to convince me that you have read the book. Aside from that, you might want to look at the required formats: comparison-contrast (The General's Daughter by Nelson DeMille would be a better novel for the class to read than Word of Honor), narration (I Am Charlotte Simons bears an amazing resemblance to an experience I had two years ago), cause-effect (reading The Crocodile Bird changed my life).
14. If I combine formats on some of my papers, do I still have to write at least twelve essays?
Yes. Once you have fulfilled all the formats (and done the two papers about novels and six research papers), you may use any format you wish on the remaining assignments, but you must do them.
15. What if I haven't fulfilled all my formats in twelve essays? May I write more?
No.
16. What do I do if I disagree with you?
Write back, sending me a copy of the decision with which you disagree, explaining why you disagree. I read a lot of papers and bits of papers in cyberspace and pass judgment in a hurry. Of course I make mistakes, and I'm happy to reverse those mistakes if you point them out clearly and specifically.
17. When is the last day I can hand in assignments for Fall?
Dec 19..
19. How many papers must I write? Are the papers about the novels separate?
You must write 12 papers to earn a B. Two of those papers must be based on the two novels you select from the list (#12, above).
Online guides for writers:
Purdue's
online resources for writers
Capital Community-Technical
College's guide to grammar and writing
Jack
Lynch's guide to grammar and style (Rutgers)
Common
errors in English (and non-errors to which some English teachers
object)
Questions? bmckinne@silcon.com