Highly Cynical People Seminar Prewrite

Announcments
Reminder that you have until FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 to add or drop honors!  Talk to me if you'd like to add, talk to Laurel if you'd like to drop.

Jess Adams here!
She is here to talk to you about colleges.  Do what she tells you!

Starter 3

1. What needs to happen for a class to have a successful seminar (from students, from teacher, preparation, etc.)?
2. Do you prefer to have seminars graded or ungraded (the post-seminar writing will be graded regardless).  Why?  If graded, how should they be graded?

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Finish "The Habits of Highly Cynical People" Coaching
In groups of 4-5, do the following tasks to ensure your understanding.

1. Summarize the main point of this article.  What, in one sentence, 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. Have your group write two thought-provoking seminar questions on post it notes and give them to me.

 
Seminar Prewrite
Answer two of the questions below.  Must be typed, and answered thoroughly in well organized paragraphs.  Be ready to show me on Monday (you can share with me before class, or pull it up on the screen).

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?

HOMEWORK
Finish seminar prewrite (see above for details), have it ready to go at the start of class Monday.