Computer Lab Wednesday

Several activities for today!

1) Internet for research?

First, let me say that I don’t want you to do outside research for this paper! That said, I know it can be helpful to see what others out there are saying (as long as you cite them properly). Fine—but make sure your paper is your idea (the irony of you using technology to get around thinking for yourselves to write about a novel in which characters can’t think for themselves because of technology is beyond telling). And sometimes internet sources can be very helpful.

Some in-class activities:

·  What RELIABLE sites can you find, and what might be useful from them? How do you know if they are reliable sites? Do some clicking around and see what you find.

·  When you find something you think you might be useful and reliable, post it to the d2l discussion board I’ve started. In your post, give the title of the web site (the home page), the portion of it you are on, and a sentence or two as to what people might find interesting from that page/site.

2) Documentary Photos

Your homework was to “read” one of the photographs on pages 213-16, trying to interpret it in some way. What makes it timeless? Why is it famous, in the Library of Congress (and in our texts)? What moves it from being merely “early 20th century photo” to art? How does it reflect on our humanity?

In the lab today, I want you to perform a similar task with a photo of your own. You were to bring some with you (cell phones!) and now I want you to flip through them and develop a case to bring back to your peers for why your image is deserving of examination of the kind you did with the photos from our text.

·  Find a photo you think is worthy of analysis.

·  List several reasons you feel it can be analyzed, using the same tools you did for homework: what makes it stand out? why is it interesting? What does it show others about the human condition? What makes it “timeless”? Write a solid several paragraphs, organized by idea.

·  Guess what? odds are, this reasoning can be transformed into a thesis for a literary analysis essay! Take a stab at developing one a thesis based on what you’ve discovered.

I’d like to be able to examine a few of these photos and hear your reasoning, so we’ll stop work at 9:40 and I’ll let you make a case for your “documentary-worthy” photos. Let’s make some art! You’ll hand in both your homework and your in-class work on this at the end of class.

3) If you’re finished early:

… begin your homework for Friday: two more questions from the sheet. Remember you should be finding solid textual evidence to support your ideas. You should also start trying to determine which kinds of questions overall you are interested in answering—it might give you a hint as to what topic you might want to work on for your paper.