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(S1C24a) Our Posthuman Future -- Chapters 5-6

10/30/2014

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Essay: Frankenstein essay revisions are due today. Be sure to follow the directions on the self-evaluation sheet! This essay must be printed out and stapled to your in-class essay -- or it will not be accepted.

In-Class Today
After we finish the discussion questions from our previous class, we will be discussing Chapters 5-6 of OPF on "Genetic Engineering" and "Why We Should Worry." You will have another in-class group assignment. Your group today -- and throughout this unit -- will be your biotech research group.
 
1. Download this set of discussion questions: Chapters 5-6 (DOC)

2. Again, your group will be responsible for answering the question that corresponds to your group number and defining the one vocabulary term that corresponds to your group number.
You will have approximately 15 minutes to formulate your responses, which you will record on your eWorksheet.

3. In addition, you will also formulate one analytical question raised by the questions you answered or the responses you gave. This should be a question that can potentially generate class discussion.

4. Your group will then present your responses to the class -- for discussion. Your presentation is worth 15 points.

BIOTECH PRESENTATIONS for next class
Biotech projects/presentations are due. Be sure to review all the specifics for presentation requirements, sources, etc.

1. PowerPoint (or other format visual) presentations are due by 7:50 a.m. on the day of class. If it is not in by 7:50 a.m. it will be counted late. Obviously, I need only one PowerPoint per group. You must deposit this on the X drive at the following location

    Teacher Folders/Rose/Biotech A3 or B1

2. The written portion of your group project (including the works cited) is to be printed out and handed to me at the time of your presentation. This written report should be approximately 3 double-spaced pages PLUS a page for your "Works Cited." Remember: You must cite your sources -- or you will not pass! The paper and the Works Cited must be in MLA format.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

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The next book we'll be reading is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Your first reading assignment for BNW will be for November 11 /12(Chapters 1-3). If you'd like your own book, plan ahead to buy one in time. I have some copies available for $5. See me.

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(S1C23) Our Posthuman FutureĀ -- Chapters 3-4

10/28/2014

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In-Class Today
After we finish the discussions from our previous class, we will be discussing Chapters 3-4 of OPF. You will have an in-class group assignment. Your group today -- and throughout this unit -- will be your biotech research group.
 
1. Download this set of discussion questions: Chapters 3-4 (DOC)

2. Your group will be responsible for answering the question that corresponds to your group number and defining the one vocabulary term that corresponds to your group number.
You will have approximately 15 minutes to formulate your responses (including an analytical question for discussion), which you will record on your eWorksheet.

3. In addition, you will also formulate one analytical question raised by the questions you answered or the responses you gave. This should be a question that can potentially generate class discussion.

4. Your group will then present your responses to the class -- for discussion. Your presentation is worth 15 points.

For next class -- Thurs (A3)/Fri (B1)
Your final OPF reading assignment is Chapters 5-6 (pages 72-104). Be prepared for a quiz and/or class discussion on this material.

Frankenstein essay revisions are due. Be sure to follow the directions on the self-evaluation sheet! This essay must be printed out and stapled to your in-class essay -- or it will not be accepted.
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(S1C22) OPF & A Tale of Two Dystopias

10/23/2014

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Not coincidentally, the first chapter of Our Posthuman Future deals with the dystopias of Brave New World and 1984 -- the two novels we'll read as a class this quarter.

In-Class Today
Today we will be discussing Chapters 1-2 of OPF. You will have an in-class group assignment. Your group today -- and throughout this unit -- will be your biotech research group.
 
1. Download this set of discussion questions: Chapters 1-2 (DOC)

2. Your group will be responsible for answering the two questions that correspond to your group number and defining the one vocabulary term that corresponds to your group number. You will have approximately 15 minutes to formulate your responses, which you will record on your eWorksheet.

3. In addition, you will also formulate one analytical question raised by the questions you answered or the responses you gave. This should be a question that can potentially generate class discussion.

3. Your group will then present your responses to the class -- for discussion. Your presentation is worth 15 points.

For next class -- Tues. (A4), Wed. (A2)
Your second reading assignment is Chapters 3-4. Be prepared for a quiz on this material.

Revised & developed Frankenstein essays
Today, I will be returning your in-class essays with a self-evaluation checklist. Your assignment now is to revise and develop this essay out of class. Use the self-evaluation checklist as a guide. You will be turning in your in-class essay, the self-evaluation, and the revised essay all together on A3:Thursday, October 30/ B1:Friday, October 31. Must be printed out!
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Pearls before swine -- Allusion of the Day (8)

10/22/2014

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—In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus admonished his followers to “cast not your pearls before swine.”  
 
—That is, his followers were to deliver their message to those who would appreciate it, not to those incapable of appreciating something of value.  Swine, or pigs, would be unable to appreciate pearls if the jewels were given to them.

—To “cast one’s pearls before swine” is to offer something precious to someone, or a group of people, unable to appreciate the value of what they are being given.
--
Example: When Mr. Whitman makes a profound point that we students just do not understand, he sometimes shakes his head and mutters, “Pearls before swine.”

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(S1C21) Frankenstein unit exam + OPF

10/21/2014

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Reminder: Be sure to bring your LRJ with you today. I will be collecting these for grading. You have four LRJ prompts to respond to -- for a total of 100 points.

For next class  -- (Thu./Mon.)
Between now and November 5/6, when your biotech group project is due, we will be reading Part I of Our Posthuman Future by Francis Fukuyama. Please see the "Posthuman" web page for full resources. You can download the full text of the book below, if you do not have your own hardcopy of the book. Reminder: You may donate your copy of the book to the school for 10 points extra credit.

    DOWNLOAD FULL BOOK: Our Posthuman Future (PDF)

Your first assignment is to read Chapters 1-2 (pages 4-40). You will have a "quiz" on this reading on Thurs.(A3)/Mon.(B1). The quiz will be in a different style/format than you are used to. In preparation for this unit, please read the following unit objectives:

UNIT OBJECTIVES
The guiding questions for this unit concern views of humanity and personhood. We will be evaluating the fiction we read in terms of 21st century real-world applications. The unit will culminate in a reading of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
 
Guiding questions for the unit:
    - What is human dignity? What are human rights? What is personhood?
    - What is human nature? Do we have a right to manipulate human nature?
    - When does one begin to be and cease to be human? 
    - When does a person go beyond being human? Or is it even possible?
    - What are the ramifications of today’s biotechnology revolution?
    - What does literature have to say about today’s biotechnology revolution?
    - What can we learn from literature to help us live in the 21st century? 
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Ivory Tower -- Allusion of the Day (7)

10/20/2014

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—A French poet, Alfred de Vigny, was said to have shut himself in an ivory tower so that he could compose his poems.  Furthermore “ivory towers” are mentioned in various 18th-century fairy tales. The term thus refers to a beautiful, unreachable place. It has come to have negative connotations of being out of touch with reality.

—A person who is secluded or protected from the real world and thus out of touch with reality is said to be residing in an “ivory tower.” Professors in academia are often said to being living "in their ivory towers."

Example: The engineers feared that the leaders of the company, sitting in their ivory tower,
did not understand why the people in the field needed increased resources to insure the new bridge truly would be safe.


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(S1C20) In-class essay & Biotech Project

10/17/2014

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Today, after the in-class essay, you will choose/be assigned a biotech issue to research for a presentation that will be due on November 4/5. You should refer the download from the previous blog post for the assignment sheet, which includes all the gory details and expectations for this project. In case you didn't download it last class, here it is again:

    DOWNLOAD: Biotech Research Project Assignment Sheet 

You will be given a number. You have five minutes to conduct any trades. The numbers correspond to the following topics:

1. Transhumanism & Posthumanism
2. Designer Babies, Egg Harvesting & “Eggsploitation”
3. Animal-Human Hybrids / Chimeras
4. Human Cloning
5. Genetic Engineering
6. Human Embryo Stem Cell Research & Embryonic Beauty Treatments
7. Selective Reduction Eugenics
8. Neuropharmacology (Psychopharmacology) 

Preparing for the Frankenstein unit exam
Next class (Tues-A3/Wed-B1), you will have your unit exam for Frankenstein and all the related topics we've discussed during the unit (not including the biotech material). Download the study guide below to assist you in preparing for this exam.

    DOWNLOAD: Frankenstein unit exam study sheet (PDF)

Please note you will be asked to write a passage analysis of a passage from Frankenstein. In order to prepare to do this, be sure to review the following handout:

     DOWNLOAD: How to Write a Passage Analysis of Prose (PDF)

Frankenstein LRJ's due
I will be collecting your LRJ's at the beginning of next class, before the unit exam. You should have prompts #1-4 complete by that time. You should already have the first three completed. Number 4 "The Criminal Daemon" is due also.

Biotechnology Project Assignments

A3 Class Assignments
1. Transhumanism & Posthumanism:  Farrell and Painter
2. Designer Babies, etc:  Tull and Bruggemann
3. Animal-Human Hybrids:  Scales, Burns, and Nymberg
4. Human Cloning:  Fazlani and Buehler
5. Genetic Engineering:  Hansen and Andrews
6. Human Embryo Stem Cell Research:  Mullinger, Schaffer, and Cordier
7. Selective Reduction Eugenics:  Gill and Frohman
8. Neuropharmacology:  Gilliland and Burandt

B1 Class Assignments
1. Transhumanism & Posthumanism:  Gorczynski and Poch
2. Designer Babies, etc:  Buller and McNamara
3. Animal-Human Hybrids:  Quehl
4. Human Cloning:  Hill and Bayliff
5. Genetic Engineering:  Gray and Cusmano
6. Human Embryo Stem Cell Research:  Toelke and Stock
7. Selective Reduction Eugenics:  Orkwis and Heuker
8. Neuropharmacology:  Balogh and Allbright
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Sirens -- Allusion of the Day (6)

10/16/2014

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—In Greek mythology, Sirens were sea creatures who lured sailors to their deaths on the rocky shores by singing a beautiful, irresistible song.  They are usually depicted as half-woman, half-bird.

In modern usage, “sirens” can refer to anything that tempts a person away from safety and toward a destructive path. A “siren song” is the temptation used to lure a person.
 
—Example: In his Speech in the Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry urged his listeners not to be fooled by an “illusion of hope,” saying, “We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts.” He is comparing false hope to the sirens and to Circe, who turned Odysseus’ men into swine.

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(S1C19) Frankenstein & A.P. Essay Prompts

10/14/2014

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Today in class
We'll be finishing the novel today with our final quiz. Your Biotech worksheets should already be in the dropbox. Next class, after the in-class essay, we'll talk about the second semester research project and you'll be assigned a biotech topic.

Up Next...
We'll soon be reading Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotech Revolution by Francis Fukuyama. I have seven used copies for purchase ($5) if you'd care to buy your own copy. See me.

Preparing for the A.P.-Style Frankenstein Essay -- Tues.
Finally, in order to prepare for the Frankenstein in-class essay, you should download today's in-class assignment: Open-Ended Essay Prompts for Frankenstein (PDF)and complete the assignment, which will be drop-boxed at the end of class. The Open-Ended Prompts are those included on the exams from 1970 up until this year. You will be reading through these prompts and picking three that you believe would apply to Frankenstein. Then you will justify your picks by explaining how you would organize an essay to respond to these.

Please drop-box this assignment by the end of class!

Although I will not let you know which prompts I will be giving you for the in-class essay, I will be choosing the most popular ones that you pick in class.

Preparing for the AP Open-Prompt In-Class Essay
The following download will provide you with some insight on how you might best approach the AP open prompt essay:

     DOWNLOAD: The Official AP Scoring Rubric for the Open-Prompt Essay (PDF)

Step-by-step approach to pre-writing
1. Read the prompt carefully.
2. Begin with a thematic statement that is clearly related to the prompt but is not a simple restatement.  Get right into the “meat” of your argument.
3.  If the prompt is topical, organize by topics indicated within the prompt. If the prompt asks you to analyze elements or techniques, organize accordingly.  
4. Summarize your story in THREE sentences! Rather than stating events, focus on the universal truths the author seems to be unveiling through the actions of the story .
5. Consider how the author uses literary elements or techniques to illustrate his/her beliefs. You may need to consider the direction of the prompt here (some prompts say to focus on a symbol, character, etc.) Consider the interrelatedness of some of these literary elements or techniques.  (An author’s tone/attitude is often revealed through diction, character choices or motivations, etc.) Shift your language in how you discuss literary elements  
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Mrs. Grundy -- Allusion of the Day (5)

10/13/2014

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—In Speed the Plough, a 1798 play by Thomas Morton, Mrs. Grundy is a character who never appears on stage.
—
—However, other characters frequently ask, “What would Mrs. Grundy say?” Mrs. Grundy is a narrow-minded, conventional, prudish person.

—The word “Grundyism” and the phrase “Mrs. Grundy” refer to such an attitude of narrow-minded prudishness.
—
Example: My mother said, “At the risk of being a Mrs. Grundy, I really don’t think you should go out in public in that outfit.”

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