Assignments for Monday, Oct. 5, Wednesday, Oct. 7, and Friday, Oct. 9

Monday, Oct. 5: Student's choice. Bring something of intellectual interest to you to share with the class. It may be something to read (in which case you should give it to me to photocopy ahead of class), view, or listen to.

Wednesday, Oct. 7: Read and annotate ch. 1 of Shklar's American Citizenship, "Voting" (pp. 25-62).

Friday, Oct. 9: Read and annotate ch. 2 of Shklar's American Citizenship, "Earning" (pp. 63-101).

Wednesday, Oct. 14: Essay due on Wilson's The Piano Lesson, Shklar's American Citizenship, and related readings.

Assignment for Tuesday, September 29

Read and annotate the "Introduction" to Judith Shklar's American Citizenship (pp. 1-23). Unlike last class, you actually will have a quiz on this reading.

Assignment for Friday, September 25

Finish reading and annotating Wilson's The Piano Lesson (to p. 108). You have nothing to write, but you will have another quiz. Also, in The Craft of Research, read and annotate pp. 3-15.

Assignment for Tuesday, September 22

Read and annotate to p. 65 in Wilson's The Piano Lesson. Write one well-developed paragraph (6-8 sentences) in response to one of the following questions. (Be sure to type and print your response.)

1. After Doaker explains the history of the piano and its place in the Charles and Sutter families, Boy Willie says, "All that's in the past" (p. 46). Do you think Boy Willie is justified in thinking of the piano only in terms of the present? (You might find it helpful to consider more than just Boy Willie's lines on p. 46 to support your position.)

2. In Act One, Scene 2, Berniece and Boy Willie  lay out their claims on the piano (pp. 51-54). Who makes the better case? Who do you think is right? Why?

Assignment for Friday, September 18

Read and annotate up to Scene 2 (p. 28) of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. Be prepared to answer specific questions about the reading.

Homework for Wednesday, Sept. 16

Read this article by David Blight about the continuing relevance of the Civil War. (It's long, so give yourself some time to get through it.) As you read, think about the following questions (you do not have to write your answers): Is this article reliable? Is Blight persuasive? Why or why not? Lastly, why should anyone care about this topic?

If you missed class, we watched this video about the Civil War. You should apply the principles about evaluating sources while watching it.

Revisions to the STP Research Paper

For most of you, revisions to your STP research paper are due by Friday, May 22. For those of you who received the paper this week, you have until Tuesday, May 26 (preferably) or Wednesday, May 28 (if absolutely necessary). You must return the original version to me so I can compare it to the revision. You may email the revision to me, but if you do, be sure you get a confirmation email from me. If you do not get a confirmation email from me, then I do not have your paper. Also, even if you email it to me, you must return the original version to me. If I don't have the original version, I can't assure you that your revision will improve the original grade. As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.