reading notes wall of fame

1. reading notes wall of fame • Amy McClellen • Amanda Gladding • Abe Olsen

2. class plan • Wikipedia groups and topics • I will approve topics and email groups by tomorrow morning. Please add email addresses to topic list. • If you don’t have a group yet, find one during the break and then come up to be added to their topic list. • Individual proposal drafts due Monday, Revised collaborative proposal due Wednesday. Proposal template is online. • discussion of collaboration • norms of collaboration • division of labor according to skills and strengths • past experience • collaboration contracts • a bit of context: conquest & war • genre confusion in WotW

3. norms of collaboration • Presume positive intentions • Pause • Paraphrase • Probe for specificity • Put ideas on the table without personal attachment • Pay attention to yourself among others • Pursue a balance between advocacy and inquiry

4. sample collaboration contract The three group members ___________, __________, ___________ will agree to the following conditions for group success during the process of writing the term project: • Condition one: we shall communicate constantly via email • Condition two: we shall establish clear division of responsibility on the first group meeting; there should not be confusion or doubt within the group. • Condition three: workload shall be divided evenly and fairly; no one shall do more or less work than the other two group members. • Condition four: upon the first group meeting, we shall setup a series of deadlines, each before the actually due date of the term project; specific tasks must be accomplished by each deadline. For each deadline, we shall possibly arrange a physical or online meeting. • Condition five: the work done by each member shall be subjected to the respectful and tactful scrutiny of the other two members; if a conflict should occur, we shall be open to compromises and new ideas. • Condition six: control freaks shall be executed on sight. • Condition seven: we shall be open and honest regarding our progress and quality.

5. Good Member strengths Development of relationships Firm timeline Clear, effective communication Trust other members Fantastic product Feedback from group members Staying focused, be prepared Be flexible Improvise Don’t be a jerk Bad Poor communication Single leader Lazy folks Group think and risky shift Unequal standards No leader/single leader Unproductive meetings collaboration notes

6. break

7. conquest & war 1876: peak of British imperialism, Darwinism 1898: H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds published 1914-19: WWI 1938: Orson Welles’ radio WotW 1939-45: WWII

8. the British Empire, 1897

9. WWI weaponry • machine guns: rejected by British 1885 • flamethrowers: tested 1900 / in battle 1914 • poison gas: chlorine, tested in battle 1915; mustard gas: 1917 • tanks: “motor war car,” 1899; combat ready 1916

10. week 3: guiding questions • What does it mean for genre to be “a universal dimension of textuality” (Frow 2)? • What is the relationship between particular texts and genres? • Why such detail about location and setting in the novel? • In (H.G.) Wells’ story, some characters don’t believe the attack is really happening. Thinking in terms of genre, why would real people believe (Orson) Welles’ radio play?

11. week 4: guiding questions • How do genres organize knowledge? • Where do you notice implicature at work in I, Robot? • In terms of formal organization, rhetorical structure, and thematic content, what similarities do you notice between the three samples of SF we have read so far? What differences?