Day 9
Mon. Feb. 8
Speakers and discussion: Xiaoyi, Tanya, Tianji
The Art of Definition
Observations and discussion: Intersections articles
Homework
➤ Finish essay 2 draft by wednesday midnight
Please finish your draft of Essay 2 by midnight (11:59pm) on Wednesday (Feb. 10). Upload it as a .doc or .docx file to our Box folder.
➤ Be read to talk about “What Does It Mean to Be Cool” and excerpts from The Chinese Have a Word for It
Don’t forget about these readings! We’ll address them next class:
Read “What Does It Mean To Be Cool” by Thorsten Botz-Bornstein (an article from the magazine Philosophy Now) and the excerpts from the book The Chinese Have a Word for It by Boye Lafayette de Mente.
As you read, record three phrases (collocations) that you think you might like to use in your own writing. Come ready to share them and tell us why you chose those phrases, and use them to describe something related to word you’re planning to write about for your next essay.
➤ (optional) Get started on response letters
This homework will be due on Wednesday after we return from vacation (Feb. 24). If you want, you can get started on it:
Read your two assigned classmates’ essay drafts and write brief (1-page double spaced) response letters to them in which you a) summarize their argument; and b) respond to the ideas in the essay.
Remember, the goal here is not peer review, it’s not to praise it or point out the draft’s shortcomings. (That’s my job!) Instead, the goal is to help your classmate to develop their ideas, or to consider their ideas from an angle they haven’t thought of before. You could do this by raising an interesting question, or drawing a connection to something else, or anything, really, that contributes to your classmate’s thinking about their subject in an interesting and meaningful way. (I will give a small amount of extra credit to the student who offers the most thoughtful, interesting response!)
Group 1: George, Chris, Rachael
Group 2: Xiaoyi, Derrick, Wu You
Group 3: Jerry, Jingheng, Tanya
Group 4: Tianji, Rixin, Kaige
➤ Speakers: Chris, Derrick, Jingheng
Tell us about the word you wrote about: In 2-3 minutes, give us a brief definition and explain to us why you think the concept is interesting. Please end by posing a question to the class to get discussion started.