Final Exam

Final Exam

You will be asked to write answers of a few sentences each in response to eight questions chosen from the list below. Your answers should draw from your reading of The Ethics of What We Eat. No other research is necessary.

1.     Aside from the chickens themselves, who is harmed by factory farm production of chickens?

2.     What is unethical about most commercial dairy farming?

3.     What does it mean for eggs to be labeled organic?

4.     What is unethical about farm raising salmon?

5.     What are some of the benefits of buying produce locally?

6.     When is it less ethical to buy produce locally?

7.     What does fair trade mean?

8.     What are the benefits of organic farming?

9.     What are some ethical arguments for going vegan? 

10.  In what ways are vegans better for the environment?

11.  Why is meat, particularly beef, an inefficient food source?

12.  What is ethical about practicing freeganism?

Thoughts About Thesis Statements

Ideas About Thesis Statements

THE THESIS STATEMENT

The thesis is the ONE sentence that contains

the foundation, the premise, the argument

you are presenting to your readers.

It is the core of the essay.

Strive to make it strong and clear.

ELEMENTS OF THESIS:

• It must be ARGUABLE.

This means it presents an opinion, an argument, or an illustration of a view or experience.  It is not a mere statement of fact. 

• It must ADDRESS the TOPIC.

While this element seems obvious too, writers often get going and one thought leads to another and another and the topic gets left behind. Re-read the prompt several times to make sure you haven’t gone off topic beyond the parameters of the assignment. 

• It must be specific enough to be covered in the paper.

What is the length of the assignment: two pages? ten pages? The length determines how broad or narrow the scope of your thesis will be. Adjust accordingly. 

• It must MAKE SENSE.

This is the catch-all element that asks you to re-consider your wording, syntax, diction, and grammar. Make changes as you see fit.

 

Prompt for the research paper

Class, below you'll find the prompt for our research paper. 

In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, we read that in the mid-1990s, when the Taliban first took power in Afghanistan, their arrival was welcomed by many people. Further investigation showed that signs of that welcome were difficult to find within a couple of years. Investigate the conditions that once made the people of Afghanistan hopeful that the Taliban regime would bring about a positive change. Also investigate the changes that turned some of those same people against their so-called liberators in the Taliban. 

Write a six to eight page paper describing the welcome that came and then disappeared. Rather than skip quickly over a number of reasons, I'd prefer that you to find one things to explore - the Taliban policy toward educating women and girls, for instance - that interests you and dig deeply into it. Ask yourself what life was like that made people happy to have the Taliban take over the country. Then find out why many people began to turn against them. Use what you find to write about this important period in the recent history of Afghanistan. You must use MLA formatting and citation guidelines, and at least five sources. Of those five, three must be from a newspaper or magazine article, one of which must be published by and English-language publisher based outside the United States; one must use video footage; one must be from a published book. 

MUST READ: Second half of semester

English 101

Mr. Tompkins

10/31/2014

I feel it would be helpful if I clarify my expectations for the class for the remaining weeks of the semester. 

November 6: Students must read the first three chapters of The Ethics of What We East

November 13: Essay 2 is due Research paper discussed, library orientation (tentative)

November 20: In-class essay on Ethics, Research paper works cited due, 

December 4: Outline of research paper due, works cited due

December 11: Draft of research paper due

December 18: Research paper due, Final exam, including in-class essay about Ethics of What We Eat

In order to ensure that you will have an interesting, informative record of each class - I am asking that you take notes of everything we discuss in class each Thursday between now and mid-December. I expect to see a record of the agenda for each class (copied from the board), and the material discussed in class. The quality of your notes will be weighted as if each week an extra homework grade has been added to your overall grade.

Until recently I have urged students to bring their digital devices to class to be able to search out information during discussions and to access class handout material during class. This is a college level class, and for that reason I don’t treat students as if they were high school students. It shouldn’t be necessary for a teacher to look over shoulders or to try to follow students’ digital footsteps during class time. However, it’s been brought to my attention that some students have been taking advantage of this. For that reason, I’m asking students to keep phones, iPads etc. in their backpacks unless we have a particular reason to bring them out. Students who aren’t wiling to cooperate will be asked to leave the class for the day.

I have dropped several students for poor attendance. Several others can not miss any more classes without being dropped.

prompts for Kite Runner essay

Essay Assignment #2 – Literary Analysis of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner

Write a four-to five-page literary analysis essay on one topic from the list below. 

1. Discuss the significance of kites in the novel. Consider both the function and symbolic significance of the kites. How do the traditions and practices of kite fighting and kite running portrayed in The Kite Runner express cultural values and replicate aspects of Afghanistan’s ethnic caste system?
2. Discuss the significance of giving and receiving gifts in The Kite Runner.  Consider both the function and symbolic significance of the gifts. How does the practice of giving gifts evolve over the course of the novel? How does the theme of gift giving enhance the main themes of the novel?
3. Compare and contrast the relationship between Soraya and her father with the relationship between Amir and his father. How do these relationships evolve from childhood through adulthood? How are these relationships affected by traditional attitudes about gender.

4. Could Amir and Hassan ever be true friends in the Western sense? What were the challenges their friendship faced: cultural, class, and personal? 

      5.  Hassan’s death could be looked as a suicide. He left his son without a father, which – given the hurt that missing parents caused both he and Amir – seemed like a bewildering and even selfish act. Defend or argue against this statement, using examples to make your point: Hassan had no choice but to return to Baba’s house where in the end he refused to flee the Taliban.

You may propose a topic of your own. However, you must get it approved by your instructor before you begin writing. 

Your essay 

• Should contain a clear thesis statement asserting your view, evaluation, or interpretation of a narrowly defined, focused aspect of your topic.
• Should abide by the conventions of writing about literature (e.g. use the present tense to describe fictional events and avoid attributing motive to the author).
• Should draw on detailed, concrete, specific evidence from the text of Kite Runner. Be sure to include in-text citations following direct quotations and specific text references. Example: According to Amir, “Winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul” (Hosseini 48).
• May include research material, as long as you cite your sources properly. However, you are not required to use research, and your evidence should consist primarily of your own analysis of the text.  

Bring a printed copy of your paper to class AND submit it electronically to Turnitin.com before class!

Ideas About Thesis Statements

THE THESIS STATEMENT

The thesis is the ONE sentence that contains

the foundation, the premise, the argument

you are presenting to your readers.

It is the core of the essay.

Strive to make it strong and clear.

ELEMENTS OF THESIS:

• It must be ARGUABLE.

This means it presents an opinion, an argument, or an illustration of a view or experience.  It is not a mere statement of fact.

• It must ADDRESS the TOPIC.

While this element seems obvious too, writers often get going and one thought leads to another and another and the topic gets left behind. Re-read the prompt several times to make sure you haven’t gone off topic beyond the parameters of the assignment.

• It must be specific enough to be covered in the paper.

What is the length of the assignment: two pages? ten pages? The length determines how broad or narrow the scope of your thesis will be. Adjust accordingly.

• It must MAKE SENSE.

This is the catch-all element that asks you to re-consider your wording, syntax, diction, and grammar. Make changes as you see fit.

 

MLA Cheat Sheet

MLA Format Cheat Sheet

This handout provides a quick reference to the basics of using MLA style. For complete guidelines, consult MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7^th ed., call number: LB2369 .G53 2009. 

Major Updates from the New (7^th) Edition

·       MLA no longer requires underlining. Titles, such as books and periodical titles, are now italicized rather than underlined.

·       All entries in a reference list, whether print or electronic, must now include the medium in which they have been published (Print, Web, DVD, Television, etc.)

·       URLs are no longer required in citations. MLA recommends that writers only include a web address if the audience is unlikely to find the source otherwise.

·       New Abbreviations: Some sources do not have a date, publisher or pagination. MLA advises, where applicable, to write n.d. for no date, n.p. for no publisher, and n.pag. for no pagination given.

Formatting Basics

·       Double space throughout paper, with no extra spaces between paragraphs.  

·       Do not right justify.

·       Top, bottom, and side margins should be one inch.

·       Indent the first word of each paragraph by ½ inch or 5 spaces.

·       Do not use a title page for the research paper: instead simply type your name, instructor’s name, course number, and date. This should be flush with the left margin. 

·       Center the title of the paper. Do not underline the title, or put in “quotation marks,” or set in ALL CAPITALS. 

·       Number all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, ½ inch from the top and flush with right margin.  Type your last name before the page number, and do not use “p.” before the number.

 

SAMPLE FIRST PAGE:

       

 Works Cited

MLA style requires that the list of Works Cited start on a new page at the end of your paper.  Formatting rules include:

·       Continue page numbering from the body of your paper.

·       Center the title “Works Cited,” one inch from the top.

·       Alphabetize entries by the author’s last name. If no author, alphabetize by the title (ignore A, An,The).

·       Use a hanging indent.

For books:

·       Name(s) of authors or editors.  If only citing one chapter within a book, the author and title (in “quotation marks”) of the chapter.

·       Title of book (including subtitle) italicized.

·       City of publication, name of the publisher, and year of publication.

·       Medium of publication.

·       Edition (only if 2nd ed. or later).

·       Volume number (if there is one).

·       If citing one chapter within a book, the page numbers of the chapter.

For print journal and magazine articles :

·       Names of authors.

·       Title of article in “quotation marks.”

·       Title of journal or magazine italicized.

·       Volume number (for a journal).

·       Issue number (for a journal, if available).

·       Date of publication (for journal article, note year only).

·       Page numbers of the article.

·       Medium of publication (Print).

For journal and magazine articles acquired using a library database:

·       Names of authors.

·       Title of article in “quotation marks.”

·       Title of journal or magazine italicized.

·       Volume number and issue number (for a journal).

·       Date of publication (for journal article, note year only).

·       Page numbers of the article as originally published in print journal.

·       Name of the database italicized.

·       Medium of publication (Web).

·       Date of access (day, month, and year).

For websites:

·       Name of author or editor (if given).

·       Title of the work italicized if the work is independent; in quotation marks if it is part of a larger work.

·       Title of the overall website italicized, if distinct from above.

·       Publisher or sponsor of the site; if not available, use n.p.

·       Date of publication (day, month, and year), if not available, use n.d.

·       Medium of publication (Web).

·       Date of access (day, month, and year).

Examples of Citations

Book with one author:

Steele, Timothy. The Color Wheel: Poems. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1994. Print.

Book with two or three authors:

Broer, Lawrence R., and Gloria Holland. Hemingway and Women: Female Critics and the Female

                  Voice. Tuscaloosa: U of Alabama P, 2002. Print.

Book with four or more authors:

Jones, Terry, et al. Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery.  New York: Thomas Dunne Books,

2004. Print.

Chapter in a book:

Naremore, James. "Hitchcock at the Margins of Noir." Alfred Hitchcock: Centenary Essays. 

Ed. Richard Allen and S. Ishii-Gonzales. London: BFI, 1999. 263-77.  Print.

Translation:

Murasaki Shikibu. The Tale of Genji .  Trans. Royall Tyler.  New York: Viking, 2001.  Print.

Print journal article:

Levine, June Perry. “Passage to the Odeon: Too Lean.” Literature Film Quarterly  

14.3 (1986): 139-50. Print.

Journal article acquired using a library database:

Letemendia, V. C. “Revolution on Animal Farm: Orwell's Neglected Commentary.” Journal of Modern Literature 18.1 (1992): 127-37. JSTOR . Web. 6 July 2009.

Website:

Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web.  7 July 2009.

Newspaper article:

Daker, Susan.  “No Happy Holiday for Refiners.” Wall Street Journal 3 July 2009: C10.  Print.

Film:

Chocolat.  Dir. Lasse Hallstrom.  Perf.  Alfred Molina and Juliette Binoche. 2000.  Miramax, 2003.  DVD.

Parenthetical Citations

•        References in your paper must clearly point to specific sources in your list of Works Cited.

•        In most cases, providing the author’s last name and the page number is sufficient: 

Medieval Europe was a place both of “raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion” and of “traveling merchants, monetary exchange, towns if not cities, and active markets in grain” (Townsend 10).

•        If you have several works by the same author, also include the title (abbreviated if long):

(Frye, Double Vision 85).

•        If no author is listed, use the title (shortened if long):

Voice of the Shuttle has many electronic sources.

•        If using the title, remember to use correct punctuation: italicize book titles, use quotation marks for journal articles, short stories, book chapters, etc.

•        The author’s name can be referred to within the sentence:

Tannen has argued this point (178-85).

         …or the author’s name can be referred to within the parenthetical reference:

This point has already been argued (Tannen 178-85).

For additional help

•        Consult Joseph Gibaldi’s MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7^th ed,
available at the Reference Desk and on Reserve.

•        Refer to the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/15/

•        Utilize bibliographic management tools such as…
                  -RefWorks - https://www.refworks.com/Refworks

                           - Zotero (Firefox only) - http://www.zotero.org/

         - Knight Cite - http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/