Round and Square: Rewriting Assignment (Optional) 2024a

From Round to Square (and back)

For The Emperor's Teacher, scroll down (↓) to "Topics." It's the management book that will rock the world (and break the vase, as you will see). Click or paste the following link for a recent profile of the project: http://magazine.beloit.edu/?story_id=240813&issue_id=240610

A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.

Monday, January 15, 2024

Rewriting Assignment (Optional) 2024a

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Assignments"

On this day in Round and Square History
17 November 2014—China's Lunar Calendar: 2014 11-17
17 November 2013—China's Lunar Calendar: 2013 11-17
17 November 2012—Structure, History, and Culture: Electoral College Politics (k)
17 November 2011—Lectures: Scholarship

[a] Fire Write RF

This special Tuesday-before-Thanksgiving assignment has a number of functions. It is meant to highlight the importance of writing drafts and rewriting as part of the ongoing writing process. It is also a realistic approach to the confusion of Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. Take a look at the assignment and follow the instructions precisely. Please note that this assignment replaces class. It does not involve extra work (you get to choose when you do it, as long as it in by Wednesday afternoon).

All Classes

Letter Rewriting Assignment

This semester only, the rewriting exercise will be optional. Because of the nature of our spring schedule, there is no logical time to take away from class in April, so I will give extra credit (we'll discuss what this means in class) for doing the assignment.

[1] Make sure you have the following materials. They will be handed out in class on Monday, April 15. If you do not have these but wish to send your letter (for a bit of extra credit), just send me an email message, and I will get them to you.

*An index card.

* A paperclip (seriously)

*A copy of John McPhee's New Yorker essay, "Draft No 4."

(these are attached with the paperclip, which you should not lose)

*Your copy of "Writing, History, and Culture" (my writing guide, which you have)

[3] When you have time for rewriting, do the following things.

*Read the writing guide that you already own, pages 32-45, on the complete

process of writing a truly exceptional paper (as you read, just imagine doing it).

This should take about thirty minutes.

*Read John McPhee's essay (about thirty minutes).

*Think about it; really reflect upon it.

*Mark up your previous letter draft—really mark it up.

*Rewrite the letter you wrote for the first assignment of this course.

*Reread it carefully one more time (on-screen or as a print-out).

*Print the letter.

[b] Rewrite RF

[4] Take your unstapled, printed letter and make sure that the pages are in order.

[5] Take the index card and write out the full address of your reader. Then put your name on the index card, too.

[6] Put the index card on top of your letter, and attach them with the paperclip.

[7] Bring the paper-clipped materials to the MI administrative assistant, Becky Moffet (MI 219). From our classroom, walk all of the way down the hall, past the copy machine and the kitchen, and keep walking all of the way to the very end of the hallway—the office will be on your right). If you have problems, ask anyone in the building. If no one is in the office, gently slip it under the door.

Due No Later Than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1