Paper #2 is a comparison paper. In this paper you should compare at least 2 stories/books from the past year, answering the question, "What stories/characters are most relevant to our particular point in American history?" Nearly all of the stories that we have looked at could be categorized as Romantic or Realist, so please include one or both of these terms in your paper. Also, please do not simply take a broad-brush, binary—this story is good, that story is bad—approach to this assignment. A much more interesting approach would be comparing two stories that you actually like (explaining the merits of each) and then explaining why one approach is more relevant to today.
Word Count: 1200-1500 words
Due Date: May 22, 2007
This years readings (by memory):
The Crucible
Selections from Walden
Emerson's Essays
Huck Finn
"The White Heron"
"A Death in the Desert"
selections from The Land of Little Rain
Frost's poems
The Great Gatsby
"A Clean Well-Lighted Place"
"Blood-Burning Moon"
Their Eyes were Watching God
"The Death of Justina"
"The Swimmer"
"Are these Actual Miles?"
The Dharma Bums
"Seeing"
selections from The House on Mango Street
Interview Advice
Set up and demeanor
• Have your questions written prior to the interview.
• If you are doing an email interview, don't just send your list of questions to the interviewee. Instead, send a few questions at a time.
• Do not conduct an interview without taking notes, tape recording it, or having an email record of it.
• If you do not understand something, ask for an explanation.
• Try to remain neutral in your demeanor--your body language, tone, and/or the way you phrase and ask questions.
• Avoid loaded questions, or if you need to ask controversial questions, ask them at the end of the interview.
• Do not get drawn into an argument.
Advice on Questions
• Start the interview with a "How" question.
• No yes/no questions.
• Don't ask questions, you already know the answer to.
• If the interviewee reveals something about themselves, ask them to discuss it further.
• Keep the discussion focused on alternative living.
• Make sure you ask the interviewee if the alternative path or practice they have chosen brings meaning to their lives in some way.
• Have your questions written prior to the interview.
• If you are doing an email interview, don't just send your list of questions to the interviewee. Instead, send a few questions at a time.
• Do not conduct an interview without taking notes, tape recording it, or having an email record of it.
• If you do not understand something, ask for an explanation.
• Try to remain neutral in your demeanor--your body language, tone, and/or the way you phrase and ask questions.
• Avoid loaded questions, or if you need to ask controversial questions, ask them at the end of the interview.
• Do not get drawn into an argument.
Advice on Questions
• Start the interview with a "How" question.
• No yes/no questions.
• Don't ask questions, you already know the answer to.
• If the interviewee reveals something about themselves, ask them to discuss it further.
• Keep the discussion focused on alternative living.
• Make sure you ask the interviewee if the alternative path or practice they have chosen brings meaning to their lives in some way.
CCC Presentations
The Contemporary Countercultural Presentations are a four part project. The whole project consists the following parts:
1) A Factual Paper. This is a 500-800 word report about your topic. This paper does not have to contain any opinions, but is simply a write up introducing your topic and highlighting the research that you have done on it.
2) An Interview. This will be a 10+ question interview with someone committed in some way to your topic. For example, if you are doing meditation, then you will want to interview a committed meditator. If you are doing a report on Food Not Bombs, you will want to interview someone who is involved in this organization. These interviews can be conducted in person or over email/phone. The school does have a voice recorder that will help you record phone conversations, however, if you want to use this machine, you will need to set up a time to use it in advance of the due date.
3) An Analytical Paper. This is a 500-800 word analytical paper on your research topic. This paper should have a thesis and contain quotes and examples to back up your points as in other analytical papers. This is a short paper, so be specific with what you want to say. Also, do not simply say that something is good or bad. You need to have real analysis going on in your paper. When grading it, I will mostly be interested in how much thought you have put into your paper and the level of insight into your topic that you have aquired.
4) A Presentation. The presentation is the culminating project. Each student will be responsible for presenting to the class an 8-10 minute presentation on exam day. This is where you get to present to the class both information on your topic as well as your analysis. Since this will be your 4th presentation of the year, I am looking for you all to step it up and make your presentations both engaging and informative. I will also be looking for you to answer a core question within your presentation, and not to simply construct your presentation around a series of unrelated facts.
Key Questions: Throughout the whole project there are a few important key questions that are important to answer: 1) Is my topic actually part of the counterculture? In other words, is this activity or group of people actually doing anything that resists on some level the mainstream, corporate-dominated consumer culture? 2) Is this an answer? In other words, does this topic—meditation, art, alternative lifeways, hiking the Appalachian Trail, etc.—actually provide people with a sense of fulfilment that the mainstream, consumer lifestyle is lacking?
1) A Factual Paper. This is a 500-800 word report about your topic. This paper does not have to contain any opinions, but is simply a write up introducing your topic and highlighting the research that you have done on it.
2) An Interview. This will be a 10+ question interview with someone committed in some way to your topic. For example, if you are doing meditation, then you will want to interview a committed meditator. If you are doing a report on Food Not Bombs, you will want to interview someone who is involved in this organization. These interviews can be conducted in person or over email/phone. The school does have a voice recorder that will help you record phone conversations, however, if you want to use this machine, you will need to set up a time to use it in advance of the due date.
3) An Analytical Paper. This is a 500-800 word analytical paper on your research topic. This paper should have a thesis and contain quotes and examples to back up your points as in other analytical papers. This is a short paper, so be specific with what you want to say. Also, do not simply say that something is good or bad. You need to have real analysis going on in your paper. When grading it, I will mostly be interested in how much thought you have put into your paper and the level of insight into your topic that you have aquired.
4) A Presentation. The presentation is the culminating project. Each student will be responsible for presenting to the class an 8-10 minute presentation on exam day. This is where you get to present to the class both information on your topic as well as your analysis. Since this will be your 4th presentation of the year, I am looking for you all to step it up and make your presentations both engaging and informative. I will also be looking for you to answer a core question within your presentation, and not to simply construct your presentation around a series of unrelated facts.
Key Questions: Throughout the whole project there are a few important key questions that are important to answer: 1) Is my topic actually part of the counterculture? In other words, is this activity or group of people actually doing anything that resists on some level the mainstream, corporate-dominated consumer culture? 2) Is this an answer? In other words, does this topic—meditation, art, alternative lifeways, hiking the Appalachian Trail, etc.—actually provide people with a sense of fulfilment that the mainstream, consumer lifestyle is lacking?
Counter Culture Presentations ideas
Train Hoppers
organic farmers
Food-Not-Bombs activists
Anarchists
Earth First! activists
Amish people
Apalachian Trail Hikers
AMC hut caretakers
Long term world travelers
Reality tour leaders (global exchange)
Burning Man
hard core libertarians
anyone who has a serious meditation or yoga practice
serious musicians
writers / poets
artists
Critical Mass riders
pirate radio operators/radio stations
rainbow hippies
evangelical church goers
primitive skills practioners
anyone who is seriously committed to a religious practice
guerilla artists
WTO protestors
anyone who has taken a vow of poverty
ecological designers
tree sitters
culture jammers (like the Yes Men)
Ad Busters
vegans
Animal liberation activists
Anyone committed to living carbon neutral
Conservative counterculture campus groups
eco-terrorists
"buy local" campaign organizers
community activists
a back to the land person (drop out)
permaculturalists
organic farmers
Food-Not-Bombs activists
Anarchists
Earth First! activists
Amish people
Apalachian Trail Hikers
AMC hut caretakers
Long term world travelers
Reality tour leaders (global exchange)
Burning Man
hard core libertarians
anyone who has a serious meditation or yoga practice
serious musicians
writers / poets
artists
Critical Mass riders
pirate radio operators/radio stations
rainbow hippies
evangelical church goers
primitive skills practioners
anyone who is seriously committed to a religious practice
guerilla artists
WTO protestors
anyone who has taken a vow of poverty
ecological designers
tree sitters
culture jammers (like the Yes Men)
Ad Busters
vegans
Animal liberation activists
Anyone committed to living carbon neutral
Conservative counterculture campus groups
eco-terrorists
"buy local" campaign organizers
community activists
a back to the land person (drop out)
permaculturalists
Dharma Bums - Character Key
Real Names -- Characters in Book
Neil Cassady -- Cody Pomeray
Allen Ginsberg -- Alvah Goldbrook
Natalie Jackson -- Rosie Buchanan
Jack Kerouac -- Ray Smith
Caroline Kerouac -- Nin
Philip Lamantia -- Francis DaPavia
Michael McClure -- Ike O'Shay
Locke McCorkle -- Sean Monahan
John Montgomery -- Henry Morley
Peter Orlovsky -- George
Will Peterson -- Rol Sturleson
Kenneth Rexroth -- Rheinhold Cacoethes
Gary Snyder -- Japhy Ryder
Philip Whalen -- Warren Coughlin
Source: Empty Mirror Books
Neil Cassady -- Cody Pomeray
Allen Ginsberg -- Alvah Goldbrook
Natalie Jackson -- Rosie Buchanan
Jack Kerouac -- Ray Smith
Caroline Kerouac -- Nin
Philip Lamantia -- Francis DaPavia
Michael McClure -- Ike O'Shay
Locke McCorkle -- Sean Monahan
John Montgomery -- Henry Morley
Peter Orlovsky -- George
Will Peterson -- Rol Sturleson
Kenneth Rexroth -- Rheinhold Cacoethes
Gary Snyder -- Japhy Ryder
Philip Whalen -- Warren Coughlin
Source: Empty Mirror Books
Contemporary Counter Cultural Presentations
While brainstorming ways to solve inherent emptiness of suburbanization and corporatization of our contemporary culture, we came up with the following list of alternatives to the dominant paradigm:
• Getting involved in actual communities.
• Buying local (farmers market, support small stores, second hand stores).
• Dropping out like Thoreau.
• Living toward your dreams / staying focused on personal happiness… hold on to creativity.
• Getting responsibilities met, but keep identity alive.
• Developing creativity with activities such as arts, music, writing, photography, etc.
• Working for political change.
• Embracing spirituality through organized religion or through contemplative practices such as yoga and meditation.
• Embracing the natural world.
• Using travel as a way of learning about alternative lifeways.
• Doing serious theraputic work that helps you identify and face critical and deep seated issues.
For your contemporary countercultural presentations, I would like you to identify an individual or group of individuals who are currently implementing one of these strategies, research their activities and philosphy.
• Getting involved in actual communities.
• Buying local (farmers market, support small stores, second hand stores).
• Dropping out like Thoreau.
• Living toward your dreams / staying focused on personal happiness… hold on to creativity.
• Getting responsibilities met, but keep identity alive.
• Developing creativity with activities such as arts, music, writing, photography, etc.
• Working for political change.
• Embracing spirituality through organized religion or through contemplative practices such as yoga and meditation.
• Embracing the natural world.
• Using travel as a way of learning about alternative lifeways.
• Doing serious theraputic work that helps you identify and face critical and deep seated issues.
For your contemporary countercultural presentations, I would like you to identify an individual or group of individuals who are currently implementing one of these strategies, research their activities and philosphy.
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