Dear Students,

Today we started talking about Project 2.  It is important to note that Project 2 has us going in a few directions before we actually get to the essay portion of the project, which will be a 3+ page essay.  For now, don't get bogged down by thinking about the eventual essay that will come out of the research that you are beginning to do now.  We won't even get to a real discussion of the essay for another couple of weeks.  For now, just focus on the spirit of the research, the intellectual event of discovery, the exploration of information: the Freewrite!

So, a few more words about the Freewriting due for Monday.  First, this activity truly is mean to be a Freewrite, as in FREE FROM the constraints of formal writing, because it is FREE FROM a formal audience and, thus, an audience's expectations (I mean, I will read it when it appears in your portfolio and I might glance at it on Monday, but this is not a draft of your essay or anything, it's just a free flow of ideas, brainstorming, prewriting).   So, while this writing activity is a focused activity, meaning that it has specific goals attached to it (as stated on the schedule), you are FREE TO go about achieving those goals in whichever way you find is the most effective. 

To recap, on Monday you will bring to class two separate documents, the (1) prewriting Freewrite and the (2) web document.

1. The prewriting Freewrite will mostly be a prose piece (for a definition of "prose" check out this link: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/prose) that begins with a list of the subgroups/discourse communities to which you belong (such as red head, chapstick user, horse racer, poker player, gamer, swimmer, fraternity member, ROTC member, sister, Ambassador, vegetarian, math major, lesbian, cancer survivor, Catholic, dog owner, person who is allergic to avocados, polygamist, gardener, gun owner, etc), as well as a discussion of the questions posed on the schedule (http://www.longwood.edu/staff/miskecjm/150fall08sched.html).

2. The web document (see example here: http://www.longwood.edu/staff/miskecjm/150web.htm) will demonstrate your ability to focus in and get creative.

This is a playful, fact finding document.  Enjoy it!