ENG 122 – for 9/18

Here is a definition and explanation of quantitative research methods:
Quantitative research is the systematic scientific investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and hypotheses pertaining to natural phenomena. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships.

Here is a definition and explanation of qualitative research methods.
Research involving detailed, verbal descriptions of characteristics, cases, and settings. Qualitative research typically uses observation, interviewing, and document review to collect data. Simply put, it investigates the why and how of decision making, as compared to what, where, and when of quantitative research. Hence, the need is for smaller but focused samples rather than large random samples, which qualitative research categorizes data into patterns as the primary basis for organizing and reporting results.

Now think about the peer reviewed journal articles you're read. Do they seem to be using qualitative or quantitative methods? How can you tell? ? How can you tell?

LIT 145 - reading for 10/18

For each poet, the biographical info is optional; the poems are not.

Info on Audre Lorde. Poems: “Inheritance—His” and “A Woman Speaks”

Info on Maxine Kumin. Poems: “Woodchucks” and “Morning Swim”

Info on Denise Levertov. Poems: “The Mutes” and “People at Night”

Info on Carolyn Forche. Poems: “The Colonel” and “The Visitor”

Info on Rita Dove. Poems: “Adolescence II” and “Dusting”

Rita Dove reading her poems

LIT 145 - reading for 10/9

For each author listed, the poems are required reading; the biographical information is optional.

Info on Lucille Clifton . Poems: “Homage to My Hips” and “The Lost Baby Poem”

Info on Adrienne Rich. Poems: “Cartographies of Silence” and “For the Dead”

Info on Anne Bradstreet. Poem: “The Author to Her Book”

Info on Emily Dickinson. Poems: Read as many of these as you like.

Info on Anne Sexton. Poems: “The Truth the Dead Know” and “Unknown Girl in a Maternity Ward”

Info on Sylvia Plath. Poems: “Childless Woman” and “Poppies in October”

LIT 145 - reading for 9/25

Here's the information on Magical Realism.
Here's the offical Isabel Allende Website.

LIT 145 - link for reading for 9/18

Here's the info on the lives of Ancient Greek women.

ENG 122 - links to YouTube videos from 9/4 class

• Evolution (shows the model being made up, airbrushed, etc.)
• The Machine is Us/ing Us (about how Web 2.0 is changing everything)
• Shift Happens (about how size really does matter)

scholarship for bloggers

Look! There's a scholarship for bloggers!

ENG 121 – reading for 9/5 from The Sun

Find the August 2007 issue of The Sun. The RRCC Library has it with its recent periodicals (if you have trouble finding it, ask a librarian for help).

Skim through the entire issue, noticing how it is organized and the different types of writing published (essays, letters, poems, etc.).

Read “Correspondence” and note what the letters reveal about readers of The Sun and about The Sun itself.

Then, photocopy and read any of the pieces under “Essays, Memoirs, and True Stories.” Bring the photocopy to class.

LIT 145 - links for readings due 9/4

• “No Name Woman” by Maxine Hong Kingston
• “Scent of a Woman’s Ink” by Francine Prose

ENG 122 - link to article about Wikipedia

Here's “All the News That’s Fit to Print Out” by Jonathan Dee

LIT 145 - links for readings due on 9/11

• Perkins Gilman’s “Yellow Wallpaper”
• excerpt from Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own”

What is the difference between a summary and a response?

A summary expresses the main points of something without personal opinion or critique. It is a very “just the facts, ma’am” type of document. For example, I might summarize my summer by saying, “I was very busy this summer. I traveled to Illinois and Texas, worked on several writing projects, and did some work around my house.” Notice that the summary doesn’t indicate whether I enjoyed my summer or what my favorite part of the summer was.

You can find more information about summaries here.

A response expresses personal opinion, such as agreement or disagreement, or critiques something. For example, I might respond to my summer by saying, “I was hoping my summer would be very relaxing, but an unexpected trip to Texas threw me off. After I got back from Texas, I was stressed out and didn’t get as much done around the house as I wanted to. I’m really disappointed that I didn’t finish painting the basement.” Notice that the response indicates several emotions: surprise (about the trip to Texas), feeling stressed out, and disappointment.

You can find more information about responses here.