HW#5 -- DQ's on The Weather Underground

Please answer the following questions individually. When finished with the film, you met with your group to discuss your answers and reactions. Each individual should then post their responses to these questions below by Mon. 4/23/12.


1. Name three of the eight key players from the Weather Underground who speak during the film.

2. The Weather Underground began as the Weatherman and was the militant faction of what political student organization? Please provide the full name, not the acronym.

3. In 1969, SDS was the leading anti-war organization in the United States. How many members were active at this time? Where was their annual convention?

4. Describe what the “gut check” was.

5. In the summer of ’69, what was the Weatherman’s plan? What was their motto and what was the philosophy behind their motto?

6. Describe what occurred during the “Days of Rage,” particularly in the Gold Coast area of Chicago in August 1968.

7. December 1969 signaled the end of an era, as many have argued. Fred Hampton, for example, was murdered. Who was he? To which organization did he belong? What was the result of his death?

8. Terry Robbins planned to bomb an important military site in the United States, yet his device accidentally exploded on March 6, 1970 in New York City’s West Village. What was the outcome of this foiled bomb attempt?

9. In a few sentences, provide your general reaction to this film and its contents.

10. Do you think revolution will occur? If so, what path will it take, that of violence or that of nonviolence?

HW#4 -- DQ's on Sountrack for a Revolution

Please answer the following questions individually. When finished with the film, you met with your group to discuss your answers and reactions. Each individual should then post their responses to these questions below by Wed. 4/18/12.


1. Describe the role has music played in your own life. How was music an integral part in the Civil Rights Movement? What tradition did it recall? What quality did it touch upon so strongly?

2. Define the law regarding “reckless eyeball.” How does this law highlight segregation in the social system? Name other instances mentioned in the film of institutionalized segregation in the United States during this time.

3. Dr. Martin Luther King advocated for a variety of political and social changes which “depend[ed] on moral and spiritual forces.” What was the basis of his protest philosophy? By whom was he inspired?

4. Describe the importance of the Greensboro Sit-Ins, particularly those occurring at the Woolworth’s department store chain in February 1960. How do these political actions mirror actions seen in Occupy Wall Street today?

5. What were the small- and large-scale results of the 1961 Freedom Rides, especially the event that occurred in Anniston, Alabama on May 14?

6. Who helped “turn the tide” during the Birmingham Campaign in May of 1963? What was the result?

7. Who is credited with writing the freedom song “We Shall Overcome”? Which president later referenced this important Civil Rights anthem in an address to Congress?

8. Detail the historical significance of the Selma to Montgomery Marches in March, 1965.

9. In a few sentences, provide your general reaction to this film and its contents.

As we move into Spring Recess...

Good evening everyone. I want to alert you to a number of important matters as we approach our last week before Spring Recess at the College.

First, here is the link to The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, which I displayed in pamphlet form in class Monday. I highly encourage you to look at the entire document, still of particular note and new to you are the Preface and Publisher's Note (2-3), the Letter to the Occupy Movement from Tahrir Square (20-23), and the Resources (26-28). You can certainly use this document or any part within it as an outside source for your final project. Furthermore, you may seek out the listed resources for other potential research material for your paper.

Second, I want to remind you all of the various assignments due next week. Below, I have reproduced the class schedule for easy reference; however, I want to stress two things.

1. I have extended the due date for the revision of the second paper until Wednesday, 4/4. This is so that this weekend you can solely focus on researching for the annotated bibliography, which is due this upcoming Monday, 4/2.
2. The first rough draft of the research project is merely a one-page (minimum) outline of the final project-to-be. Please bring extra copies to class Wednesday.

M 4/2
: Writer's for the 99%, "POCcupy, People of Color Occupy Wall Street Too!" 
: Writing in the Disciplines (WR, 100-108), and Document Design (WR, 45-56)
: Annotated Bibliography 1st Submission Due

W 4/4
: Thesis Proposal Due
: Paper Two Revision Due
: Research Project 1st RD Due (Paper Outline) – Bring two extra copies of your outline to class for a peer-edit

F 4/6 – Su 4/15
: No Classes (Spring Recess)

Hey fellow classmates and Professor I need some advice on my topic.

This is what I have so far. Any ideas or advice that could help me. Please comment thank you.


Police have abused their rights by using brutal force against criminals and even helpless people to protect american citizens. There have been many cases of police brutality throughout the united states. I will be focusing  on the cases of police brutality that have occurred here in New York for example on wall street with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Protesters are being attacked and injured for their freedom of speech which is unfair. The police should be focusing on violent acts not on speeches being made by american citizens.

Harddy Ceballos

OWS at Six Months, Clashes w/Police, & The Media

In order to provide you with the most current information on the Occupy Movement, I have located a particularly good video from a Canadian news source, The Globe and Mail, that covers the weekend's events of March 17th, the six-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street.

In sum, there were some heated conflicts between protesters and police, resulting in nearly 100 arrests and the complete barricading of Liberty Square. So far it seems that individuals on both sides are culpable... a handful of protesters are being accused of assaulting police officers, while numerous officers are being accused of unlawful arrests and violent brutality.

Different news sources have portrayed these events in contrasting lights. For instance, if you were to perform a brief web search such as this one you will find varying reports from CNN, The Boston Herald, The Washington Post and many more. Yet, against such corporate news sources the people have also provided coverage of this past weekend's events. A YouTube search string such as this one will offer many live-recorded videos from March 17th.

Analyzing the differences between these news reports---that is, closely reading them as you would any other critical text---will illuminate much about the media's role in the current Occupy Movement. How is "organized" mass media similar and how does it differ from the "grassroots" media offered through citizen reportage? What are the similarities and differences in their messages? The mediums? Which source(s) do you consider to be most biased? Which are closer to the truth?

---

UPDATE

Also, view this interesting video regarding a recently passed anti-protest law here in the United States.

Publication Information

For readings from the Cultural Resistance Reader, i.e., Duncombe, Hill, Bey, Marx, and others.

Editor: Stephen Duncombe
Publisher: Verso
City of Publication: London
Date of Publication: 2002

For Occupying Wall Street use the following:

Authors: Writer's for the 99%
Publisher: OR Books
City of Publication: New York
Date of Publication: 2011

For This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% use the following:

Editor: Sarah van Gelder
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
City of Publication: San Francisco
Date of Publication: 2011

Note: Each chapter within This Changes Everything has a separate author and a separate title. Therefore treat this text as an anthology when citing it and referencing it in your bibliographic page.

HW for 3/14 & Comments (due 3/16)

In lieu of today's class cancellation, I want everyone to post their HW for 3/14 below as a reply.

Then, by Friday 3/16, you all are required to evaluate and again reply (in 200 words or less) to at least one group member's HW post. Additional replies (and you may each offer up to two more) will be counted as extra credit. Therefore, active engagement with your fellows' thesis statements and paper outlines is highly encouraged.

Remember that when submitting your revision of Paper #1, the original marked-up draft must be included with the revised copy in order for any credit to be given for the assignment. Please staple the draft beneath the revision. Also remember to bring three copies of Paper #2 to class on Monday.

Please email me with any specific questions and concerns you may have regarding Paper #2 and the revision of Paper #1, both due Monday 3/19.

s.

Schedule Updates and HW for Wed 3/14

Hey folks. So I've moved the due date for Paper #2 and the revisions of Paper #1 to Monday 3/19. See the Schedules, Readings, & Rubrics page, as it has been updated. Importantly, I would like for everyone to complete a homework assignment for class on Wednesday, 3/14.

In a typed document, compose the following:

1. A draft thesis statement or introductory paragraph for Paper #2. Crucially, your thesis statement needs to be argumentative. That is, it needs to express convergent/supporting or divergent/opposing views on one aspect of the Occupy movement.
2. A complete outline of the forthcoming written assignment. Here, be sure to include as much information as possible. Therefore, list and identify your main points. Offer any supporting evidence you have discovered, and be sure to include preliminary explanations and connecting points regarding the evidence you have chosen. Remember that you need to utilize two primary sources and one secondary source for Paper #2. 
3. Please bring two copies of this typed assignment to class, as we will be workshop these documents in class.  

I will accept the revision of Paper #1 on Wednesday if anyone wishes to turn it in early. Also, I will accept any questions or concerns, via email, that you may have regarding your work on Paper #2.

Good luck in your writing!
s.

Important OWS Links

Here is a list of links to pages related to Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement in general. Contributions to this list are encouraged, and should be shared as replies below. Report broken links when encountered.

• adbusters.org/campaigns/occupywallstreet
• alignny.org
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street
• familiesforfreedom.org 
• greenchimneys.org 
• howtooccupy.org
• nycga.net 
• nystudentsrising.org
• nyu4ows.org
• occupiedmedia.us
• occupytheory.org
• occupytogether.org
• occupywallst.org
• studentunitedforafreecuny.wordpress.org
• wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/
• womenoccupy.org

Recent Updates

Hello All,

You will notice that I added a new page to the blog titled Formal Paper Descriptions. Seeing as you have your first formal writing assignment due tomorrow, it would behoove you to read over this information so that you comprehend the various qualities of academic essays.

Also, I updated the course syllabus to include the weights of your group assignments. Please view, download, and print the newest version (v.1.2) for your records. The old syllabus can be properly recycled.

Thank you.

Publication Information

For readings from the Cultural Resistance Reader, i.e., Duncombe, Hill, Bey, and Marx.

Editor: Stephen Duncombe
Publisher: Verso
City of Publication: London
Date of Publication: 2002

For William's Keywords, seek relevant publication information on the first few pages of the PDF file.

For The Penguin Gandhi Reader use the following:

Editor: Rudrangshu Mukherjee
Publisher: Penguin Books
City of Publication: New York
Date of Publication: 1996

GW#2 - Readings from Gandhi

After your group has completed the in-class discussion questions on the readings from Gandhi, have the chosen Editor post your collective answers and reactions below. As with the previous assignement, be sure to include a list of roles performed. (Due 2/27)

Paper One Rubric Posted!

The guidelines for Paper One have been posted on the Schedule, Readings, & Rubrics page. Please refer to this document when composing your first formal essay, due next Wednesday 2/22.

---

UPDATE

I recently received an email inquiry from a student asking me to clarify the prompt to the first paper. I responded with the enclosed message below. The recipient found this further explanation to be helpful, so I hope that you will too!

Importantly, I wish to encourage any further questions to be posted as a reply to this post. I will offer what feedback I can, yet others are invited to reply with their thoughts and comments as well. Remember, this space is a forum through which ideas can be expressed and explored... let us utilize it to the greatest capacity.

Reread the prompt I provided carefully. As Duncombe argues before
Hill's text, there are four chracteristics common to acts of cultural
resistance. I am saying that we should aruge for a fifth: space, both
intangible, such as mental, spiritual, ideological space; and
tangible, such as land, the commons, a building, a park, etc.

In your paper you need to argue that space is also an archetypal
characteristic of culturally resistive acts, using at least two
readings as support.


s.

---

UPDATE #2

Below is an excerpt taken from the introduction to a student's paper. I thought I'd share.

When thinking of space, one may think of the black mass outside our planet's atmosphere. Space is usually seen as empty and useless, but it is actually the backbone to the beginning of unidentified elements waiting to be known and welcomed into existence.

GW#1 -- Summary of Hill's Text

Below the Editor of each group should post the summaries of their assigned sections of Hill's "Levellers and True Levellers" before class on Wednesday 2/15. Remember that at least one bullet point should be generated from a paragraph of text. Your group's summary can be formatted as a list of important points, as an outline, or as a short paragraph... yet, each must include the specific section's thesis or main idea. Please indicate the roles performed by each group member for this assignment. (Due 2/15)

Intro: How to Join and Contribute

As a member of our WRIT 303 course it is your responsibility to join this e-journal blog and, crucially, to participate when asked throughout the semester. You will do this in three ways: (a) by submitting journal entries as replies to posts of at least 250 words, (b) by following the prompt's directions, and (c) by turning-in these assignments before the class period in which they are due.

Importantly, this site will also serve as a message board from me to you and you to me. I will most likely have to pass on important information regarding class meeting times, assignment deadlines, changes in the syllabus, etc. throughout the term. Therefore, be sure to check this site frequently, especially on days before and after we meet for class, to be sure you are current with the goings-on of the course.


Okay, so what's next?
Below I am going to detail how to join this blog and how to contribute. If you are unfamiliar with using blogs have no fear, Blogger is quite user-friendly and you should catch on quick. Remember, you can always email me with questions. What you should do is email me immediately if you are having trouble with the site, for journal entries may be submitted via email and handed in hard copy the day they are due if such internet hiccups arise.


How to Join
Via email you'll receive a link allowing you to gain authorial access to this blog. Follow the link and you'll have the opportunity to create a new Google username and password and officially join Blogger and the course e-journal. If you already use Gmail, you can use your existing account log-in information without having to create anything new. Please use your last name as your username!

From now on you'll use that username and password you select or create to log into this blog before you add a comment or a post. So write it down or email it to yourself so you do not forget this information!


How to Comment and Post
First, you must log in.

To comment to any post click on the post's title or on the ## replies link at the bottom of the post. You can also click on the post's title found under the archived posts on the right side of the site. At the bottom of the post you'll find an editable text box. Remember to write at least 250 words! You can offer something in response to the main post thread, or you can reply to a comment written by another student. If the debate gets intense enough then you, or I for that matter, may decide to move the discussion into a new thread (i.e., post) all its own.

To post a new topic or thread once logged in, go to the top of the site and at the right of your email address/username on the navbar you'll see a link titled "new post". This is your ticket. Once you've arrived at the post-editing screen you'll notice it's a bit more complicated than the comment box; yet, think of it like a word document screen and you'll catch on quickly.


More Editing and a Vital Disclaimer
If you happen to know html and/or java scripts you can use these to edit your posts to a greater degree---adding images, video, links, and more.

If a you should choose to add media to a post, keep in mind that inappropriate material and language will be subject to immediate removal. Depending on the level and degree of inappropriateness, the student faces disciplinary action such as receiving a zero on the assignment (minimum) or being reported to the Dean of Student Affairs (maximum). Please see the CUNY Computer User Responsibilities webpage for information concerning such disciplinary processes.


In Closing...
Be sure to bookmark this site on your personal computer so that you can check the blog frequently. As I recommended above, nearly once a day you should be visiting our e-journal. While you are required to only submit one writing per e-journal assignment, you may write as much at you wish on this blog. Contributing more with extra effort certainly weighs positively on your overall class participation!

Remember, the point of this blog is not only for me to impart important class announcement nor for you to just submit a weekly journal entry; rather, it serves as a birthplace for written ideas. The things discussed and argued here will undoubtedly come up in class, and should, so feel free to verbally reference the blog's content while we are in the classroom. Paper topics and sites of argumentation will also present themselves here. This is a vital component and goal of this site: for as we test and share ideas with one another, we further understanding of specific subject matter, thereby developing and deepening our ability to discuss the course's texts and topics to a greater degree.

I hope you join as soon as possible so that you can begin adding to your classroom e-community by contributing commentary and content to what is now our new WRIT 303 course blog!

How to Access Library Databases When Off-Campus

• To access York's licensed databases off-campus, you must be a currently enrolled student or a faculty/staff member with an active ID in the York library system. Check at the York Library circulation desk to make sure your ID is active. See CUNY's FAQ for more information about remote access to licensed resources.
• You then need to enter the 14-digit Library I.D. (barcode) number from the back of your York I.D. card.
• Users can also access all of the licensed resources after logging into York's VPN (Virtual Private Network): use these links to connect to the Faculty/Staff VPN or the Student VPN. Contact Academic Computing's helpdesk (ext. 5300) for more information about VPN.
• AOL users may need to launch Internet Explorer in order to access online databases.
• Several New York State Library databases now offer remote access using your New York State DMV Driver License or Non-Driver Photo ID Number.
• You can also access CUNY-wide E-journals and Reference Databases off campus by logging into the CUNY Portal. Logon to the Portal and click on: E-Journals and Reference Databases.
• See information on using Find It!

Still have problems/questions connecting to the library databases remotely? Send e-mail to: helplibrary@york.cuny.edu

Include your name, barcode number (i.e., Library I.D. #), name of the database you were trying to access, and the time of day you attempted access. Also include the error message, if any.  You can also try calling the CUNY Computing Center Help Desk at 212.541.0981 or 212.541.0982.
 
Have problems/questions concerning the York College Library website? Send e-mail to: helplibrary@york.cuny.edu

Accessing Your York College Student Email

Visit this FAQ site for questions and answers regarding the initial activation and access to your York College Student Email account.

The direct link to your email appears on this blog's left sidebar under On-Campus Links for future convenience.