Thursday, January 27, 2011

2001: A Student's Odyssey - Extra Credit



Recommendation: Arthur C. Clarke and legendary director Stanley Kubrick worked closely together while making the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The novel was written in tandem with the film’s making and expands upon some of the ideas presented in the film. Watch the opening of the film before beginning the first part of the book; it might help you decipher the book.

Requirements: Your extra credit assignment, should you choose to complete it, requires you to read the first section of Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey, "Primeval Night", about 35 pages.

Once you've read this, write a response, in the form of a formal essay. Do not summarize. I've read almost a dozen times; there's not anything you can tell me about what happens in it that I don't remember. This assignment is about presenting something new to the reader who has already read this work.

Criteria: What you need to answer, while giving evidence from the text and from your classroom experiences is this:
  • How does this relate to English 111 or 112?
  • Consider why I would ask you to read and write about this. How does it relate to teaching, learning, students, instructors, classroom mysteries, etc.?
  • Use at least three direct quotations, properly cited, to support your analysis.
If you need help, contact me or visit the Writing Center.

Suggestion: Use the Writing Center handouts on Character Development and Literary Analysis. There is also this How to Read Literature Handout. These may very well help you figure out what is going on in the story and why it is happening.

Also review your textbook chapters on analyzing literature.

Word Count: 600+ words

Value: A possible 15 points, and an extra point of student posts on their blog (in which case you must email me a link to your post)

Submission: Responses accepted as blog posts or Google Doc for online only students. Non-blog responses must be in MLA format, etc. Treat it as any formal essay I assign. Blog posts should have spaces between paragraphs.

Any major formatting, spelling, or grammar errors will cause your essay to be invalid.

Due Date: 30 April 2011

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