Quick Look Unit 15

4/19/2011 Begin North Country

4/21/2011 Finish North Country

These class sessions can be "working" class periods in which you watch and tie up loose ends.

Course Update

We are pushing back the last hand-in date. I was gone Tuesday, and that set us back a little, so I think it only fair that we all get another Tuesday for getting materials done.

Let's extend the date for handing in materials to April 26, 2011. Therefore, the due date for the final, final research paper, any outstanding writing projects, and e-portfolios will be Tuesday of Finals Week, April 26.

However, because we won't be having class on that Tuesday, April 26 of Finals Week, we'll have to move the hand in spot to my office on the 3rd floor of Walker, room 330.

So, this section, the 3.35-4.50 pm section (American Working Class), will have until 4.50 pm to hand in materials to me in the office. Additionally, the e-portfolio will be due by 4.50 pm, but can be sent to me via email at gakaunon@mtu.edu.

e-portfolio directions

Your e-portfolios are due with your final paper and any other work on 04-21-2011.

All students enrolled in UN2001 this semester will submit an “e-portfolio” for program assessment. This is easy to do. Please submit one zip file containing pdfs of the documents you submitted for evaluation using specific filenames (see naming procedures below).

Save these files as pdfs or I will not count the portfolio as completed!

Make sure to include all Works Cited pages and any other materials included in the individual writing project files. So, if you saved a Works Cited page as an individual file separate from the writing project file, combine the files into one writing project file.

*Also, as an important note: these portfolios will be used as an assessment tool, perhaps in a longitudinal study. This means these could be around for a while, so if there is content you may not want someone looking at a decade down the road make sure to erase, delete, scrub clean the document (or your entire) portfolio of any traces of your name. One never knows when “Big Brother” may be watching.

What you include in your zipped pdf files will, of course, be contingent upon how many writing projects you completed.

In short, just name the file after the writing project:
001 wp1.pdf
002 wp2.pdf
003 wp3.pdf
004 wp4.pdf
005 wp5.pdf
006 brochure.pdf
007 finalpaper.pdf

Submit the zip file containing these documents as an attachment to me via email at gakaunon@mtu.edu.

Thank you for your compliance with this Humanities Department requirement.

No Class Tuesday, April 12

Sorry, but I have to cancel class for Tuesday, April 12, due to sickness related circumstances.

Class for Thursday, April 14th is on at this time.

Fellow Student Peer Review and Grading Particulars

1) The paper needs to be six pages long (not counting works cited or bibliography), double-spaced using 12 point Times-New Roman font and have either 0.5" or 1.0" spaced margins.

2) The paper needs at least 6 different sources. Of these six sources at least 3 sources need to be primary sources, meaning something obtained from an archive or similar repository.

3) The paper must have at least four different types of sources, an example: your paper may use a book, scholarly journal, oral history, and historic photograph.

4) This paper should demonstrate what we have learned as a class over the duration of the semester. In this paper, be sure to use sound rhetorical principles in the paper: be sure to identify your audience; make a strong, but balanced and supported argument, if you write with bias be sure to make that bias transparent; and include the three rhetoreers (ethos, logos, and pathos) in your writing.

5) This paper to employ the 4 Cs (clear, concise, concrete, current/flow) in the writing, while using some of the techniques we discussed in class to make your writing more readable.

6) The works cited page needs to be formatted properly, entries in alphabetical order, and containing the proper style (IEEE, MLA, or APA). Citations are needed in proper places and if block quotes used, these should be formatted properly.

7) Paper should begin with an abstract.

Quick Look Unit 14

4/12/2011 View North Country, WP 5 due, "Who are the Working Poor?"

4/14/2011 Finish North Country, Rough draft of Final Research Paper due

Writing Project 5--Who are the Working Poor?

In this writing project, the final of our Writing Projects, we will attempt to answer the question, “Who are the working poor?”


In endeavoring to answer this question, draw upon 1) the text, The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler; 2) our discussions of various ideas of class that have been discussed and introduced in the course; 3) one media reference from class of your choice (i.e. the Wal-Mart documentary, the doc Class Dismissed, Utah Phillips YouTube videos, a working class music video, etc); and 4) at least one outside source obtained from an on-line journal accessible from Tech’s Library database. A link to that follows: http://www.lib.mtu.edu/eresources/eressearch/eressearch.aspx, just scroll down and look for the database quick links. Hint: JStor is likely to have a number of good articles for such a writing project dealing with issues of cultural, economic, political and/or social class.


This is one of those writing projects that will require an ability to think critically and as such, of course, there are no absolutely correct answers. Rather, there will be many shades of grey in your analysis of “blue collar” Americans. While this may drive you batty, especially at the end of the semester, it is a chance to be creative in thinking about how to organize and structure the paper, as well as in providing an answer to this very difficult question.


Standard fare for the writing project is in play. Have a works cited page, 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1” standard margins, and the like. Best of luck with this final writing project.

Quick Look Unit 13

4/5/2011 "Working Class Songs," WP 4 due "IWW Image" 4/7/2011 Oral report on songs, listening time, have TWP, Chps. 11-Epilogue, read for class

Quick Look Unit 12

3/29/2011 "Images of Discontent," have TWP, Chps. 7-8 read for class

3/31/2011 Wobbly image auction, have TWP, Chps. 9-10 read for class

Writing Project 4--Wobbly Image Analysis

For this writing assignment, we will be using an image from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) or the "Wobblies," image archive at: http://www.iww.org/en/graphicslibrary. Another source that you may use is the IWW exhibit on the Labor Art web site at: http://www.laborarts.org/exhibits/iww/title.cfm.

This assignment will be a straightforward undertaking...select an image that appeals to you or infuriates you, and write a rhetorical analysis of this image. This will be a good opportunity to see how a labor organization uses graphic images to influence and create an argument for an audience.

The image can be a logo, a work of formal art, a cartoon, or a photograph, but part of this assignment will be to figure out what the argument of the image is, who is the audience, and if the image's argument contains elements of either ethos, logos, or pathos; if the argument contains two of the three or all three of the "rhetoreers."

Generally, there is a lot going on in these images, so careful study and examination of details within the image will be essential toward earning your 3.0 on this assignment. I would advise doing a bit of background reading on the Wobblies either from their web site or from other print sources. Other things that will contribute to the grading will be correct assessment of ethos, logos, and/or pathos in the image, 3C writing style, sentence structure, and proper citation of the image and/or other sources used for the writing project.

Writing project follows standard format we have been using including font, etc., and the standard format we have been using for rhetorical analysis. Also, for this assignment, please copy and paste the image into the document at the end of the text. If these instructions are not followed in a concrete manner, I will not grade the writing project.

Thoughts on the Final Research Paper

Core mastery of the course material will be demonstrated in the form of a final research paper. Instructor and student will agree upon the paper’s topic. The paper will be six pages long (not counting works cited or bibliography), double-spaced using 12 point Times-New Roman font and have 1" margins.

An abstract presenting an outline or main point of your paper must begin your final research paper. This abstract should be 4-7 sentences long, in italics, and single-spaced.

In this paper, you will need to cite at least 6 different sources. Of these six sources at least 3 sources need to be primary sources, meaning something obtained from an archive or similar repository. Also, the paper must have at least four different types of sources, an example: your paper may use a book, scholarly journal, oral history, and historic photograph.

As this final research paper replaces a "test" final, it is weighted quite heavily in class grading. As such, the paper should demonstrate what we have learned as a class over the duration of the semester. In this paper, be sure to use sound rhetorical principles in the paper: be sure to identify your audience; make a strong, but balanced and supported argument, if you write with bias be sure to make that bias transparent; and include the three rhetoreers in your writing.

Also, be sure to employ the 4 Cs (clear, concise, concrete, current/flow) in your writing, while using some of the techniques we discussed in class to make your writing more readable.

Additionally (also again), be sure to begin the final with your abstract. The abstract should be single-spaced and in Italics before your paper’s introduction.

Writing Project 3--Oral History Write-up

Writing Project 3 is a special project because the actual writing is the secondary part, the stuff that comes before the writing is the really unique part of this writing project.

So, as a part of Writing Project 3 you will be interviewing a wageworker; in essence you will be doing an oral history with a person that you select over Spring Break. Part of this process will be to sit-down with the person, record an oral history, and then report back on your experience.

I would suggest taking this opportunity to interview a relative and perhaps turn this into the start of a type of family history project. We will be going over the process of doing an oral history in class, so in this entry, I will detail the outcomes needed for this writing project.

This writing project will entail doing a two-page paper. The first page of the paper will be a short history of the job that your interviewee did as a wageworker. Be sure to incorporate recollections from your interviewee into the short history of the person's wagework, but also include a reference from a book or scholarly journal.

For the second page of this writing project, transition into the experience of doing your oral history. Attempt to analyze what you learned from this process, what you liked or disliked about the process, or what you might do different if you were to do this again.

Third page will be the works cited page, which should include the entry for your oral history interview and the entry for your book or scholarly journal.

I will be looking forward to reading about your experiences doing an oral history interview.

Quick Look Unit 11

3/22/2011 View Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, WP 3 due "Oral History"; have TWP, Chps. 2-4 read for class
3/24/2011 Finish Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, be sure to take good notes on doc; have TWP, Chps. 5-6 read for class

Quick Look Unit 10

3/15/2011 Student meetings WP 2 due, "Compare and Contrast"
3/17/2011 No class, Instructor Gone, begin reading The Working Poor (TWP), Preface-Chp. 1

On How to Do an Oral History...

As one of the writing projects is based on the successful completion of doing an oral history...following are a few suggestions and sites that detail the process of doing an oral history interview:


Perhaps the most essential part of doing an oral history is the development of rapport with the interviewee. For many of you who may be interviewing relatives, this may be easy as you will already have rapport with your relative, but regardless the development of a "good vibe" with the person you are interviewing is an integral part of establishing ethos with the person you are talking with.

So, oral history is not just sitting down and talking with a person. There is the development rapport, writing out questions before the interview, the recordation (with either an analog or digital device or taking notes) of the interview, and development and management of the interview to assure that the oral history questions and answers flow with some continuity.

Below are a two links that will help in this process, and as always if there are any questions on any of this material, please email.

Read this great site on how to do oral history: http://dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/oralHistory.html

This is a site from Finlandia University with audio samples of oral history interviews: http://www.kentsgenealogy.com/finnamericanoralhistories/

Writing Project 2--Compare and Contrast

For this writing assignment, you will be doing a compare and contrast rhetorical analysis of a documentary film we watch in class titled, Letters from Karelia, and the assigned reading, Challenge Accepted: A Finnish Immigrant Response to Industrial America in Michigan's Copper Country.

Letters from Karelia is a pretty incredible documentary, and shows the power filmmaking can have in telling an objective historical story about a very controversial and subjective historical topic. The doc was not made with much money, but has a very powerful tale to tell regarding the struggle for life among the competing "isms" in various social settings.

Challenge Accepted is a non-traditional look at one of the many ethnic groups that have made Michigan an incredibly diverse state. The book was written using a New Social History framework, which chooses to analyze history not from a top down perspective, but rather focuses on the history of people and groups who are customarily overlooked by standard and traditional histories.

We spent last week watching the doc in class. Writing Assignment 2 will consist of doing a rhetorical analysis that compares and contrasts Letters from Karelia and Challenge Accepted. This analysis will look, in form, much like the analyses we have done on the board in class.

So, the idea is to write, in a formal manner, identifying the audience of the doc and book, the doc and book's arguments, and specific instances of the use of ethos, logos, and pathos in Letters from Karelia and Challenge Accepted. In addition to the identification of the above, also compare and contrast how these two sources present similar and different perspectives on social history. Be sure to include some type of analysis of how the documentarian and book author use sources, what types of sources are used, and the effectiveness of such sources.

We will use the format presented on the board to outline the rhetorical analysis; so a good way to maybe format this writing project might be as such:

Audience: The audience for Letters from Karelia is..., while the audience for Challenge Accepted is…
Argument: In Letters from Karelia the filmmakers try to get the audience to realize..., while in Challenge Accepted the author attempts to…
Ethos: Give two examples of the use of ethos in the doc and one in the book
Logos: Give one example of the use of logos in the doc and two from the book
Pathos: Give two examples of the use of pathos in the doc and one from the book
Conclusion: In this section include the analysis of sources, and general thoughts on how the doc is like the book and how the doc is different in content, style, and source from the book

We are going to deviate from the structure of a formal essay, so make sure to format your assignment as such. Identification of the audience should take roughly one paragraph; identification of the argument should be approximately 1 or 2 paragraphs; and the sections on ethos, logos, and pathos should be standard 4-7 sentence paragraphs each. Your conclusion should be around 1 to 2 paragraphs. Work hard to keep this writing project "concise" and right around 2 pages, but if you spill over onto a third page that is fine.

A short, two-entry works cited on a third page should contain the correct MLA, APA, IEEE, or Chicago-Turabian entries for Letters from Karelia and Challenge Accepted.

At play for grading this assignment will be the "4Cs": be clear, concise, concrete, and have a current or flow to your work.

For this assignment, especially work on getting the flow or "current" of your writing in good working order. So, no short, choppy sentences that have no lead into one another. Short sentences are fine, as are medium and long sentences, but the trick to writing a good, flowing paragraph is variation of sentence length and structure.

An example of bad short, choppy sentences:

Dick wore short shorts. These shorts were red. Dick did not notice that his shorts had a blue stain on them. When he did he felt embarrassed. He felt so embarrassed. He got as red as his short shorts.

This type of writing is very boring. Again, short sentences are okay to break-up longer sentences, but should be used in conjunction with longer or "medium" sized sentences to complete a paragraph. The reader will get used to the short, choppy sentences and loose interest over time with the writing.

An example of better sentence variation in a paragraph:
Dick wore short, very red short shorts. It happened so, that one day, Dick had a large blue stain on his shorts that caused him to be really embarrassed. He was mortified. At this point Dick became as red as the red on his very short, red shorts.

The above short paragraph's sentences vary in length and structure, and make for a more enjoyable reading experience. Work with this in your rhetorical analysis because the type of analytical writing we are doing in this rhetorical analysis has a chance to become formulaic and that is exactly what we do not want to do for this writing assignment. The documentary is intriguing and powerful; your writing should be the same.

A final note: as with the tests, you need to earn a 3.0 on this assignment (and all other writing assignments) to pass the unit. If you do not receive a 3.0, you will have to edit or re-write your returned writing assignment until it receives a 3.0. As with the test, you also may not move onto another unit until you have passed a unit.

Your assignment will need to be at least two full pages in length, double-spaced, standard 1" margins, 12-point Times New Roman font. Name and class info, of course, need to be on the first page as well.

Best of luck, I am looking forward to reading your work.

Quick Look Unit 8

3/1/2011 Finish Capstone presentations, begin Letters from Karelia, WP 1 due, "Grant Writing"

3/3/2011 Finish Letters, oral history practice, Final Research Paper abstract due, test if needed

Writing Project 1--Grant Writing

Working Class Site Preservation Grant Writing

For this assignment you will be writing a mock grant proposal for a working class historical site that you select. The grant will be in an effort to procure funds (cold hard cash…or check) for the preservation of the chosen working class site.

In this writing assignment you will use a shortened format for the grant application. You will not be completing an entire grant application, but if you are interested you can view the guidelines for a full grant application at: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/IAHP_Implementation.html#howto.

Most grant applications differ substantially in form, length, and content from one another, but have similar elements or guidelines needed to complete the form or document.

For the purposes of this assignment, we will substantially alter the grant application guidelines. You will be addressing the historic preservation grant writing in the following five sections (make sure to clearly title and label these sections in your grant application writing):

Section 1: Your name and/or name of the group applying for the grant
Section 2: Statement of your site’s significance to working class history
Section 3: Site description, including 3 photos, following the text
Section 4: Project description, what are you identifying as the need for the grant monies
Section 5: Proposed outcomes, what will you do with the money granted to you or the organization

How this writing assignment should be formatted, an example:

Section 1: John MTU Student and the Society for the Preservation of Bob’s Iron Foundry

Section 2: Statement of Site Significance to Working Class History or Studies
This site is significant because…

Section 3: Site Description
Bob’s Iron Foundry is comprised of five buildings…

Section 4: Project Description
Since 1980 the site has stood silent, now we are hoping to open the site to tourism by…

Section 5: Proposed Outcomes
With this grant money, in Project Phase 1 we will renovate the former furnace building…

At the end be sure to include a short, but proper Works Sited Section

Remember, for this assignment key concepts from class will heavily influence the grading you earn for this writing assignment. Be sure to 1) identify the audience; 2) clearly state your argument; 3) work into the grant writing your argument, ethos, logos, and pathos; and 4) use proper citation (you may use APA, IEEE, MLA, or Chicago-Turabian) and evaluation of resources. For this writing assignment you will need to use at least 3 different resources. In this assignment, alone, all three of these may come from reputable on-line resources…key to that statement is “reputable.”

You may not use Wikipedia or another tertiary source though.

Also, make sure that your argument for preservation of your working class historic site has the four “Cs.” It must be clear, concise, concrete, and have a current or flow. This writing assignment will be a bit of a departure from our other ones in that it is not a formal essay, so to speak, in that you will not have to organize it with a thesis statement, body, and conclusion.

However, a thesis statement of sorts should be included in “Section 2: Statement of your site’s significance to working class history.” This section will outline the reason or your argument for preservation of the site, so here is a good place to start with a one to two sentence statement that guides or sets the tone for your entire argument.

Due to the hopefully varied nature of your sites and resources available to you, I will let you determine how long each individual section should be, but total length of the grant application should be two pages… a full two pages or longer. Longer, of course, does not always mean better, so again the 4 Cs.

A final note: as with the tests, you need to earn a 3.0 on this assignment (and all other writing assignments) to pass the unit. If you do not receive a 3.0, you will have to edit or re-write your returned writing assignment until it receives a 3.0. As with the test, you also may not move onto another unit until you have passed a unit. Standard margins and 12 pt Times New Roman font should be used.

Best of luck, I’m very interested to see which sites are selected, and your arguments for their preservation. Put some thought into these grant applications and be creative with your solutions.

Quick Look Unit 7

02-22-2011 Capstone presentations, have CA, Chps. 4-5 read for class

02-24-2011 Capstone presentations, have CA, Chps. 6-Epilogue read for class

Quick Look Unit 6

2/15/2011 Field trip Copper Country Historical Archive, Quest 4 (start class), have CR, Sections IV & V read for class

2/17/2011 Instructor Presentation Example, have Challenge Accepted (CA), Intro-Chp. 3 read for class

Quick Look Unit 5

2/8/2011 Citations, Citations, Citations, have CR, Sections IV & V, pgs. 190-202 3rd ed. read for class
2/10/2011 No class Winter Carnival

Quick Look Unit 4

2/1/2011 View Dancing Outlaw, have CR, Section III read for class
2/3/2011 View The Wild World of Hasil Adkins, discuss Quest 3 (end of class), have CR, Section III read for class

Quick Look Unit 3

1/25/2011 View Class Dismissed, have CR, Section II read for class
1/27/2011 Finish Class Dismissed, discuss, Quest 2 (end of class) CR, rest of Section II

Quick Look Unit 2

1/18/2011 Zinn on class, view working class music vids, "The 3 Rhetoreers," have read Craft of Research (CR), Section I for class

1/20/2011 View Utah Phillips doc, discuss, Quest 1 (end of class), have read CR, Section I for class