Colorado State University HONR 193 Got Affluenza?

Dr. Anne Marie Merline e-mail: [email protected] Phone: 491-5679 AV B101 Office hours: By appointment http://writing.colostate.edu Course Description Affluence is an important part of the cultural understanding of Post Modern America. Todays generation stands on the shoulders of two generations that has lived in Post World War II America, the beginning age of affluence. This course will examine the questions of over consumption based on global and social history. The first is how did the United States get to this point of abundance? What are the expectations of American citizens? Do we have too much? What can be done to reverse the trends of over- consumption? What effect do we have on the earth due to industrialization, continued production, and a collection of wealth? This course will examine the social practice and the results on society and the environment of living in an affluent society. Based on the premise of the PBS documentary with the same name, a book that was written to expand on the ideas, and other scholarly works, we look at the effect of living in a society of overconsumption and its detriment to human culture and the environment. In light of allergy concerns, this is a perfume/cologne-free classroom Required readings: The Story of Stuff Leonard, Annie, Free Press, New York, 2010 Simple Prosperity Wann, David Format of E-mails All assignments are to be e-mailed to me. Your name needs to be recognizable in either as your e-id or in the subject line. The subject line should include 193, the type of summary/response, and the code for the reading that you are writing about or responding to (which are on the attached spreadsheet). The heading of your paper should include your name, the date, and the reading, the response type, and your email address. Please e-mail everything to [email protected] Course Expectations: Written Communication Summary and Responses During the course of the semester you will turn in one summary and three responses, for a total of four responses. Each is a response to that weeks reading. These papers should not be shorter than three pages. 25 points each.

Second Week Narrative. This is a paper on your history of consumerism. This should also give way to your thoughts and interactions that have to do with the conservation of the environment. Three to five pages in length. 100 points. The All-Consuming Journal- During the semester you will be required to post seven entries into an e-journal that chronicles your thought process concerning consumption of goods, environmental impacts of the action of you or others, and the changes that you have made as a result of your thoughts. The first entry will be your thoughts about the topic of the class, the middle five will be thoughts and actions throughout the semester (not more than two weeks apart) and the final entry will be 500 concluding thoughts about what you have learned and what thought processes have changed because of the material and discussions in this course. 200 points for the semester Final Argumentative Paper- This five to seven page argumentative paper will help me understand what you have learned in this seminar and allow me to better evaluate your research skills and skills of critical analysis. 200 points Oral Communications Informal daily seminar discussion The seminar format promotes active student learning by providing ample opportunities for you to discuss the readings. 100 points for the semester. Formal oral presentation Each student will give a six to seven minute extemporaneous speech. The content of the speech will be based on Products, Producers, or Process. The presentation should focus on content, organization, delivery, and connections with the audience. You will need to be given permission before you present your topic. There will be several minutes available for questions at the end of each presentation. 100 points.

Service Learning Component An important part of being an educated member of any community is giving back to the community through our gifts and talents. We will plan this out as a class. 100 points. Late Policy- 50% of credit for each unexcused late assignment, for up to one week.

HONR 193 Spring 2012 Second Week Narrative Purpose: To write a paper that acts as a summary of your life, as it includes issue of consumerism and thoughts and interactions that have to do with the conservation of the environment. Audience: Write this piece for others in the classroom, or others interested in the issues of conservation and environmental conservation. Write this in a way that explains your thoughts and actions, so that others can understand your personal philosophy that leads you to specific action in terms of consumerism and environmental action. Focus: Your written piece should include the following items 1. A first-person account of your experiences and opinions on the issue of consumerism and what affect humans have on the earths ecology. 2. Tell us how you make your decisions about where you shop, what things to buy, and how you make decisions on how you get rid of things. 3. An explanation of your value system and actions on the as they apply to the material culture in your life. 4. How your actions are similar or different to other people in the United States. Originality: This piece should be YOURS COMPLETELY. It is fine to include observations and experiences of others, but the synthesis should be yours alone. This should be written in the first person using I. Grading Criteria: 20%... How well your history is narrated 20%Creativity. Have fun with this paper, while representing the facts 20%... How well the paper is tied together with a theme. This should include the title, introduction, all the points included in the essay and the concluding thoughts 20%...Organization (does it give reader a sense of where your ideas are/or going, with smooth transitions between paragraphs and points) 20%...Grammar, punctuation Length: Three to five pages double spaced, traditional font and margins. Most importantly it has to be complete, and I have to get a very good sense of your experience and the depth to which you have thought about this piece. Save: Your piece to a hard drive or portable device. Due Date: January 27th

HONR 193 2012 Final Argumentative Paper

Audience: You are writing a report to Annie Leonard, the author of The Story of Stuff. Purpose: In the Story of Stuff Leonard presents facts and her perspective concerning the extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of consumer goods. You are charged with writing a paper that uses researched evidence that proves that one stage of the story of stuff is the most hazardous to human and environmental sustainability. Originality: This is a report of the scientific facts that can validate the information that we have studied this semester. Grading Criteria: 25%The depth of the examination of the issue at hand 25%The display of your critical thinking skills 20%...How smoothly you tie in evidence to support your thesis 15%...Organization (does it give reader a sense of where your ideas are/or going, with smooth transitions between paragraphs and points), grammar and punctuation 15%... Annotated Bibliography, Citations, Bibliography

Length: Five to seven pages double spaced, traditional font and margins. Most importantly, the paper has to exhibit the facts that support your thesis. Save: Your piece to a hard drive or portable device. Due Date Annotated Bibliography: March 26th Due Date Outline: April 16th Due Date Final Paper: May 4rd

Honors Seminars Speech Requirements

1. Sign up for the week/topic that you want to give your speech. 2. Two weeks before your speech you have to get your specific topic approved by Anne Marie 3. One week before you give your speech, you need to hand in a paper copy of your full-sentence outline (which is modeled in Chapter 11 of The Speakers Handbook). 4. Because extemporaneous speeches are based in research, your speech outline must include a bibliography. It must include six references above and beyond the books/chapters that have been assigned for class. Only two of these six can be internet based (not including articles from databases from the library). 5. The day that you give your speech, hand in your Critique sheet. 6. After your speech fill out the Self-Evaluation Worksheet 7. Make an appointment via email with Anne Marie to discuss your speech, and bring your self-evaluation worksheet. 8. Only after all of these steps are carried out, will you receive a grade for your extemporaneous speech.

Main Point Summary A main point summary reads much like an article abstract, giving the most important "facts" of the text. It should identify the title, author, and main point or argument. As in all types of summaries, a main point summary uses author tags, such as "In her article, Salahub states," or "Ms. Salahub argues/explains/says/asks/suggests." These tags will make it clear which ideas are those of the author and the text being summarized, not the summarizer. This type of summary might also use a quote from the text, but the quote should be representative of the text's main idea or point. A main point summary is often used when writing academic papers as a way to introduce the reader to a source and to place the main point of that source into the context of an argument or discussion of an issue. Agree/Disagree Response This type of response tells the reader what issues you agree and/or disagree with concerning any particular piece of writing. This form of response is not merely the writer's opinion. However a writer chooses to respond, he/she should show the reader how and why he/she responded to the text as he/she did. Also, in crafting a response, writers don't have to focus on one or the other. They might find that they disagree with some of the author's points, but agree with others. In that case, their response will be a combination of agreeing and disagreeing. Whether they agree or disagree, or some combination of both, the writer must support their response with details, examples, facts, and evidence. Again, this support can take the form of personal experience, evidence from the primary text, or evidence from other texts. Interpretive/Reflective Response In this type of response, writers focus on a key passage or idea from the text, explaining and/or exploring it further. They also might reflect on their own experiences, attitudes, or observations in relation to the ideas of the text. The writer might use their response to consider how the author's ideas might be interpreted by other readers, how the ideas might be applied, or how they might be misunderstood. Analytic Response This sort of response analyzes key elements of the text, such as the purpose, the audience, the thesis and main ideas, the argument, the organization and focus, the evidence, and the style. For example, how clear is the main idea? What sort of evidence is used to support the author's thesis and is it effective? Is the argument organized and logical? How are elements such as the author's style, tone, and voice working? For every claim that you make, you need to back this claim up with evidence from the text. This allows the audience to validate your criticism or praise. This type of response looks at the essay in terms of the effectiveness of specific elements, whether they are working or not. Part of the writer's response might include suggestions for how the author could have made the essay more effective.