Eric Drown – Page 3 – ENG 110-O1 Summer 2020

On “The Limits of Friendship” – Pre-writing 2

Respond in lengthy paragraphs to each of the following prompts. Use the They Say/I Say structures from “Entering the Conversation” to incorporate key concepts and brief quotations from Konnikova in your responses. Be sure to use signal phrases and parenthetical citations (referencing paragraph numbers) whenever you quote or paraphrase another writer’s words.

Also, imagine what Konnikova might say in response to one of your points and incorporate that into at least one of your responses, using phrases like “Konnikova might agree that ________” or “Konnikova would counter that _______” to signal that you’re speculating about her response.

Does the Dunbar number remain relevant in the digital age?
How do technologies such as email, social media sites, and mobile phones enable us to sustain relationships?
What is lost and gained when we use technology to do so?
How does your own experience confirm or complicate Konnikova’s argument?

In order not to lose work from an unexpected glitch, don’t compose your answers in the Leave a Reply box below this post. Instead, compose and save your answers in a word processor or Google Docs and then copy-and-paste your responses into the Leave a Reply box.

Entering the Conversation 1

Activities like this one contribute to your Integrating Your Ideas with Those of Others grade (10%), Writing Process grade (10%) and your Active Reading Process Grade (10%)

In this activity you are going to use what you learned reading “Entering the Conversation” to engage your classmates in written conversation about “The Limits of Friendship.” You’ll post replies to your classmates here, but continue reading this post to get a sense of my expectations.

By doing so, you will be practicing skills essential to three of the most important course learning outcomes: 1. Approach Writing as a Recursive Process, 2. Integrate Ideas of Your Own with Those of Other Writers, and 3. Active Reading Process.

First, turn to the end of the “Entering the Conversation” chapter of They Say/I Say and find the exercise that starts with the following sentence: “Read the following paragraph from an essay by Emily Poe, a student at Forman University.” Depending on which edition of They Say/I Say you have, it will either be Exercise 1 or 2.

Study the Poe paragraph carefully in the way Graff and Birkenstein suggest, paying careful attention to the italicized phrases that Poe uses to structure her paragraph around the They Say/I Say template. You are going to use similar phrases to structure long-paragraph length responses to 3 of your classmates’ first posts on “The Limits of Friendship.”

Notice how Poe’s paragraph doesn’t stop after just one They Say/I Say exchange. Nor does she move on to an entirely different point. Instead, the back and forth between what They Say and what Poe says develops and deepens readers’ understanding of the idea being discussed. Your paragraphs should do the same thing.

Your responses to classmates’ posts should start by referring to some specific point they make, considering the merits of what they say and then respond to it with your own view.

Expectations:

Respond to at least two different classmates’ posts.
Use the fundamental They Say/I Say structure in your paragraph
Use specific templates drawn from “Entering the Conversation”

Confused about how to submit your responses to other students’ posts? Watch this video.

On “The Limits of Friendship” – Pre-writing 1

Activities like this one contribute to your Writing Process grade (10%) and your Active Reading Process grade (10%)

Respond in lengthy paragraphs to each of the following prompts. Incorporate key concepts and brief quotations from Konnikova in your responses. Be sure to use signal phrases and parenthetical citations (referencing paragraph numbers) whenever you quote or paraphrase another writer’s words.

As you read, mark passages where Konnikova defines the Dunbar number and the rule of three. Then explain these terms in your own words, referencing specific passages from Konnikova to support your response.
What do you think makes a good friend? List the qualities of close friendship. As you read, consider the effect of social media on friendship.
What’s the role of biology in social organization? Examine closely those places where Konnikova draws from the research of Robin Dunbar and others. Does biology determine society? (PRO TIP: Click on the link to read the definition of determine.)
Examine your list of friends on the social media site you use most. How many of them are “real” friends? Try applying the rule of three to your list of friends. Does your analysis of your friendship group confirm or challenge Konnikova’s argument? How?

Confused about how to submit your pre-writing homework? Watch this video.

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Send me an email that accomplishes the following tasks:

Demonstrates your ability to attach an image to an email by taking a picture of your copy of They Say/I Say 3rd or 4th edition and attaching it to your email.
Demonstrates your ability to insert a link into an email by linking to a PG-13 song on Youtube you think I should listen to.
Demonstrates your understanding of How to Thrive In ENG 122 by explaining which two pieces of advice in that infographic seem most useful to you and how you’ll use them in this class.
Tells me something you think I should know about your academic reading and writing experiences over the last few years and anything else you think I should know about you to help you succeed in this class.