Friday- Coaching + Seminar Prewrite

DUE DATES- ON TIME

1. Syllabus signed by you and parent/guardian. DUE: Monday, 8/29, Start of Class.
2. ​Seminar Prewrite. DUE: Monday, 8/29, Start of Class.

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)

1. ​Habits of Highly Cynical People Annotations/Vocab. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 9/2, Start of Class.

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Announce- 

1. Modified Schedule Next Tuesday (periods 3-4 all together, periods 5-6 work time in Lori’s room)

Starter 3- Seminar Norms

1. What needs to happen for a class to have a successful seminar?  What behaviors do you need to see, and what kind of thinking and preparation need to occur?
2. Do you prefer to have seminars graded or ungraded?  Why?  If graded, what kind of grading system makes sense?

Highly Cynical Coaching : In your small groups, do the following

1. Summarize the main point of this article.  What, in 1-2 sentences, is it saying?
2. Go paragraph by paragraph.  Pay special attention to paragraphs 3-7, 20, 23
   1. Summarize main idea
   2. Answer questions/clarify meaning
   3. Share favorite sentences or thought provoking sentences
3. Have your group write two thought-provoking seminar questions on an index card and give them to me.

Seminar Prewrite
Answer at least two of the questions below.  Must be typed!

1. What is Solnit’s definition of a naïve cynic?  What are the two types (see paragraphs 8 and 11), and what characterizes their thinking?
2. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
3. In paragraph 6, Solnit makes a number of points about complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity.  To what extent are you comfortable with complexity and uncertainty?  Give a concrete example.
4. In paragraph 7, Solnit offers a number of criticisms of naïve cynicism.  What is the most important/cutting critique she offers in this paragraph?  Why?
5. In paragraph 20, Solnit says, “Accommodating change and uncertainty requires a looser sense of self…”  What does she mean by this? 
6. To what extent is cynicism useful?  Harmful?
7. What kind of thinking habits do we need to cultivate to move beyond naïve cynicism?
8. How does this article connect to your education?  To your goals this year in Humanities?