Course Notes for February 20

Fast Food Nation

The two chapters for Friday's reading focus on ranchers and meatpackers (the cows themselves probably don't get the attention they deserve).

You have a substantial amount of reading for Friday, so I do not want to burden you with too much to look for, but I would like to discuss Hank from Chapter 6 and how elegantly Schlosser uses his story to frame the chapter. His focus on Hank in many ways exemplifies Schlosser's approach to the entire book. So we will want to spend some time talking about Hank in class. I also think you should keep an eye out for Schlosser's thesis in this chapter. Where is it? What relationship does his thesis have to the "speculating about causes" paper we are now writing?

In Chapter 7, the focus shifts to the factory and the creation of rural ghettos. What techniques does Schlosser employ to personalize the abstract economic forces he is describing? Does the chapter succeed in your mind? Compare the methodology and structure of Chapter 7 with Chapter 6? Which works for you and why?

And don't forget to check out some useful links: Chapter 6/7 Links

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Paper #3 Peer Critique

With two exceptions, you will use the critical reading guide prompts and questions on page 449-450 for your peer critique.

For #2, instead of talking about how well presented the topic is, you should evaluate the writer's thesis. Does the thesis clearly present the causes of the problem? Does it do so in a qualified way that insulates the writer from the criticism that he or she is thinking too simplistically about the problem? Does the ordering of the causes in the thesis mirror the ordering of the causes presented in the essay.

For #6, instead of broad comments on organization, you should focus on the body paragraphs of the essay. Do they have effective transitions and topic sentences? Is the support presented in a clear manner and fully explained? Is there a clincher sentence that pulls the paragraph together and links it back to the topic sentence or thesis of the paper? Point out places where one or more of these elements is missing or weak and make suggestions for how to correct or strengthen these elements. Also point out examples where the presents these elements well. Finally, take a look at the conclusion. Does it effectively bring the writer's argument to a close? What other approaches to the conclusion might the writer wish to consider?

Please type your answers directly into this word document form and email word attachment copies to me and the writer before class: critique #3 form

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Page last updated: 20 February, 2004