Detailed Schedule | English Reading Skills

Week 1	Aug. 10	The Power of Books 1: The Power of Reading with a Pen Reading Mortimer J. Adler, "How to Mark a Book," The Saturday Review of Literature (1941; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) epigraph–part 1 chapter 3 In-class questionnaire: (download) The first book I read by myself is _______. I was _______ years old. The book I’ve read the most times is _______; _______ times. This is a picture of my favorite place for reading: <draw picture>
Week 1	Aug. 12	No class (Mother's Day) Mother interview: The first book I read by myself is _______. I was _______ years old. The book I’ve read the most times is _______; _______ times. This is a picture of my favorite place for reading: <draw picture> The book I'd like to recommend to others is _______.
Week 2	Aug. 17	2: The Use and Misuse of Books Reading David Crabtree, "Why a Great Books Education Is the Most Practical!," Gutenberg College (1996; responses and discussion) Mikita Brottman, "Why Books Are Overrated," The Solitary Vice: Against Reading (2008; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) chapter 4–7 (end of part 1)
Week 2	Aug. 19	3: The Potential of Digitization Reading "Not Bound by Anything," The Future of Books, The Economist (2007; responses and discussion) Readers and reading survey: (2 minutes each) Students present mother interview results and introduce mother's recommended book.
Week 3	Aug. 24	4: Creating a Habitat for Biblio-diversity Reading Pamela Druckerman, "The French Do Buy Books. Real Books," The New York Times (2014; responses and discussion) Megan Thompson, "Praise for the Printed Page: Will Amazon Leave French Bookstores in Peril?," NewsHour, PBS (2015; with video, 7:36 min.) Eliza Mackintosh, "France vs. Amazon in a Battle over Book Prices," The Denver Post (2013) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 2 chapter 1–4
Week 3	Aug. 26	5: Personal Impact of Books Reading The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them (2007) Jeff Benedict, "The Little Engine That Could" Graeme Base, "The Lord of the Rings" Glimpses into the Power of Books: (2 minutes each) Students share with class an instance they have found that illustrates the power of books.
Week 4	Aug. 31	The Gender Gap 6: Studies and Realities Reading Jessica Bennett, "A Master’s Degree in ... Masculinity?," The New York Times (2015) "The Reverse Gender Gap," Lehigh University Lee Mwiti, "17 Simply Astonishing Facts about Africa's Gender Gap," Mail and Guardian Africa (2014) Two Spirits, dir. Lydia Nibley, PBS (2009) A Map of Gender-Diverse Cultures, PBS Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 2 chapter 5–7 (end of part 2)
Week 4	Sep. 2	7: Words and Actions Reading Gwynn Guilford, "Big in Japan: Frozen's Feminist Rallying Cry," The Atlantic (2014; responses and discussion) Neha Sharma, "How India's Elites Encourage Rape," The Daily Beast (2014; responses and discussion) Pop quiz 1: Big in Japan: Frozen's Feminist Rallying Cry Quiz Discussion
Week 5	Sep. 7	8: "Masculine" and "Feminine" Knowledge Reading Susan Jacoby, "When Bright Girls Decide That Math Is a 'Waste of Time'," The New York Times (1983; responses and discussion) Alice Park, "Girls Beat Boys in Every Subject, and They Have for a Century," Time (2014) John Bohannon, "Women Aren't Bad At Math, But New Study Suggests Both Genders Think They Are," Huffington Post (2014) "Kanpur girl calls off marriage after groom fails ridiciously simple math test," India Today (2015) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 3 chapter 1–5
Week 5	Sep. 9	9: Nature vs. Nurture Reading Art Spiegelman, "Nature vs. Nurture," The New Yorker (1997) Deborah Blum, "The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over?," Utne Reader (1998; responses and discussion) "Testosterone," This American Life, WBEZ (2002; audio clips and transcript; full show is 59:18 min.)
Week 6	Sep. 14	10: Gender Expressions Reading Sarah Showfety, "Field Guide to the Tomboy: High Heels and Pink? No Way," Psychology Today (2008; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 3 chapter 6–part 4 chapter 1 *Assignment 1 (summary) due in class Download the article from Blackboard Summary Writing Writing Tips: Summaries (with example) Summary Writing Principles Procedures and Rules Summary (introduction, basics, advanced, samples, activities) How to Write a Summary How to Write a Summary (with example) Writing a Summary (with "Walter Mitty" short story example) Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Sample Essay for Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting Good and Poor Examples of Executive Summaries Sample Article Summaries (six examples of student work) Yoder et al, "Exploring Moderators of Gender Differences: Contextual Differences in Door-Holding Behavior," Journal of Applied Social Psychology 32 (2002): 1682–86 (research article; Chula access) Controlling Idea Identifying the Controlling Idea What Is a "Controlling" Idea? Topic Sentences Paragraphs Summary Rubric (grading criteria)
Week 6	Sep. 16	11: Gender Receptions Reading Mary Norris, "When Brother Becomes Sister," The New York Times Magazine (2010; responses and discussion) Practice Vocabulary Quiz Quiz (15 points; 10+ minutes; in the actual quiz, the fill-in-the-blanks sentences will be short and vocabulary choices will be given in a box) Answers
Week 7	Sep. 21	Cultures in a Globalized World 12: Sports Reading Sam Murphy, "London 2012 Olympics: Is Measuring Athletes' 'Femaleness' Ever Acceptable?," The Guardian (2012; responses and discussion) Rowan Kane, "Europe Is Starting to Take American Soccer Seriously (Seriously!)," The Atlantic (2014; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 4 chapter 2–4
Week 7	Sep. 23	13: Economic Class Reading Rana Dasgupta, "Capital Gains," Granta 107 (2009; responses and discussion) *Vocabulary quiz 1 (15 points, 10 minutes) Quiz Discussion Practice Reading test 1 Test Discussion
Week 8	Sep. 28	(Midterm week: September 28–October 2, 2015)
Week 8	Sep. 30	(Midterm week: September 28–October 2, 2015) *Reading test 1 Cindy May, "The Problem with Female Superheroes," Scientific American (2015) Reading test 1 discussion
Week 9	Oct. 5	14: Competition Reading Nicholas D. Kristof "In Japan, Nice Guys (And Girls) Finish Together," The New York Times (1998; responses and discussion) "China Finds Right Strategy with Girl Chess Champion," The Scotsman (2011; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 4 chapter 5–7 (end of part 4) (study guide)
Week 9	Oct. 7	15: National Identity Reading Dan Bilefsky, "Chinese Tourists Find a Movable Feast Best Left Behind," The New York Times (2014; responses and discussion) Simon Winchester, "On Becoming an American Citizen," Newsweek (2011; responses and discussion) Duncan Jepson, "Reconciling My Two Cultures," The New York Times (2011; responses and discussion)
Week 10	Oct. 12	The Urban Environment 16: City Character Reading Paul Theroux, "Paul Theroux Reflects on Honolulu, Hawaii," Newsweek (2011; responses and discussion) Alain de Botton, "Alain de Botton Reflects on Zurich," Newsweek (2011; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 5 chapter 1–3 (study guide) *Assignment 2 (summary) due in class Download the article from Blackboard A checklist for summary writing is available in the Assignment 2 folder Guidelines for the course are available under the Course Documents menu (ex. how to summarize, how to paraphrase, glossary, and examples of summaries and textual analyses)
Week 10	Oct. 14	18: Tourism Reading Eric Weiner, "Slum Visits: Tourism or Voyeurism?," The New York Times (2008; responses and discussion)
Week 11	Oct. 19	19: Urban Connections Reading W. S. Robinson, "Life in the Real World," The New York Times (2008; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 5 chapter 4–7 (end of part 5) (study guide)
Week 11	Oct. 21	20: Nature in the Urban Consciousness Reading Oliver Morton, "End of Nature," Newsweek (2000; responses and discussion) Eugene V. Weinstock, "Confessions of a Nature Hater" (responses and discussion)
Week 12	Oct. 26	21: Megacities Reading David Pilling, "The Rise of the Megacity," Financial Times (2011; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 6 chapter 1–4 (study guide)
Week 12	Oct. 28	We Are What We Eat 22: Food Cultures Reading Food: A Taste of the Road (1996) Donald W. George, "The Way of Iced Coffee" (1989; responses and discussion) Claudia J. Martin, "Give unto Others" Mark Gruber, "Breaking Bread" Susan Llewelyn Leach, "Table Etiquette for the Uninitiated" Vocabulary quiz 2 Review Check your answers Final exam practice: Students draw lots to determine which mini final they will be taking.
Week 13	Nov. 2	23: Reading Jhumpa Lahiri, "Rice," The New Yorker (2009; responses and discussion) Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) part 6 chapter 5–7 (end) (study guide)
Week 13	Nov. 4	24: Eating Adventure Reading Ryan McLendon, "Live Octopus? Goat Kidneys? It's What's for Dinner," Boston (2010; responses and discussion) *Reading test 2
Week 14	Nov. 9	25: Reading "Study: Abstinence-Only Lunch Programs Ineffective At Combating Teen Obesity" The Onion 45.31 (2009; responses and discussion) Michael Pollan, "The Vegetarian's Dilemma," The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006; responses and discussion) Eric Schlosser, "Why McDonald's Fries Taste So Good," The Atlantic Monthly (2001; responses and discussion)
Week 14	Nov. 11	26: Conscientious Eating Reading Mark Bittman, "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler," The New York Times (2008; responses and discussion) Lars Eighner, "On Dumpster Diving" (1990; responses and discussion) *Assignment 3 (summary and analysis) due in class Pairs Article 1 (Somjit): Manaporn and Mevarath Article 2 (Puckpan): Pichaya T. and Winatcha Article 3 (Tapanat): Panittra and Werapat Article 4 (Nipaporn): Sirimada and Pitchaya R. Article 5 (Raksangob): Supatra and Naphasorn Article 7 (Oltmann): Jirawan and Auttasit Example assignment 3
Week 15	Nov. 16	No class (CU Open House)
Week 15	Nov. 18	Review Reading Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2014; study guide) *External reading test Discussion of responses
Week 16	Nov. 23	Oral Presentations Pairs of students lead class discussion on given prompts.
Week 16	Nov. 25	Oral Presentations Pairs of students lead class discussion on given prompts.
Week 17	Dec. 2	Final Exam (8:30–11:30 a.m.) You will be asked to read two articles and answer questions about them. One of the articles will have a summary component.