Thursday, October 31, 2013

Assignments for Week of Nov. 5 through 8

Tues, Nov. 5          RCG             Read "The Wages of Whiteness," "What is Racial Profiling?"
                                                    and  "Race and the Drug War" in the Race Reader (pages 136-139).
                                                    Answer the following questions:
                                                     1.  Who was the author of Black Reconstruction in America and in
                                                          what year was it originally published?
                                                      2.  What is racial profiling?  Give two examples.
                                                      3.  How has the drug war produced disproportionate outcomes
                                                           across racial groups?
                                                      4.  How have drug convictions created "second class status" for
                                                           millions of U. S. citizens?

                               Literature     Read "Incident," " Yet I Do Marvel," and "From the Dark Tower" by
                                                    Countee Cullen (sent via email) twice.
                                                    Bring in three points and identify three poetic devices (metaphor,
                                                    simile, allusion, personification, hyperbole, alliteration).

Wed., Nov. 6          RCG             Read "Schools and the New Jim Crow: An Interview with Michelle
                                                    Alexander" in the Race Reader (pages 140 - 146).
                                                    Answer these questions:
                                                    1.  How does the percentage of people in prison in the United States
                                                         compare to the percentage in 1970?
                                                    2.  What forms of discrimination are legal once a person is labeled
                                                          a felon?
                                                    3.  What are some of the effects of mass incarceration on African
                                                         American children?
                                                    4.  Describe how Alexanders uses the birdcage metaphor.
                                                    5.  Alexander says that education had been defunded by the
                                                         government. Where does she say that the money has gone
                                                         instead?
                                                    6.  How does Alexander believe young people can contribute to
                                                         solving the problems created by mass incarceration of people of
                                                         color?

Thurs, Nov. 7         Literature     Read "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston.
                                                    Bring in three points to discuss in class.
                                                    Be prepared for a 5 question quiz.
                                                    Here is the link to the story.
                                                    http://lists.wsu.edu/pipermail/english/attachments/20130206
                                                    /4fdc96a6/HurstonSweat.pdf

                                Writing        Read "The Poem that Made Sherman Alexie Want to Drop
                                                    Everything and Be a Poet" by Joe Fassler at this link.     
                                                    Answer these questions:
                                                    1.  What poem made Alexie want to become a poet?
                                                    2.  What line of the poem specifically resonated with him?
                                                    3.  What was it that Alexie realized when he read the poem?
                                                    4.  Describe what the line means to Alexie.
                                                    5.  How do you relate what Alexie says in the interview to your
                                                         own writing?
                                                    6.  Is there an author or a piece of writing that has inspired you or
                                                         made you want to write something?  If so, what and why?

Fri, Nov. 9             News Bowl   Watch the news to prepare.      

                               Literature    Watch the movie Charlotte Gray and complete the writing
                                                    assignment in class.
        

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