Thank You for a Great Class

Grades are in. Time to enjoy the season.

Thank you again for a fun class. Hope you enjoyed it.

Rock on, dudes ...

-D

Week 17: MTV

Bobby Brown, "Every Little Step" (US #3, April 1989)

Week 17: MTV

SEC. 54 FINAL EXAM: WE 12.14/SEC. 43 FINAL EXAM: FR 12.16
Due: NARRATIVE ESSAY

SEC. 54 - Meet at Flames (across from MLK Library) from 8:30 - 9:30 AM

SEC. 43 - Meet at Whispers (behind Hammer Theatre) from 8:30 - 9:30 AM

Week 16: Batman

Taylor Dayne, "Tell It to My Heart" (US #7, Jan. 1988)

Week 16: Batman

Tu 12.6/Th 12.8 (FINAL CLASS MEETING)

Class: Presentations

Due: INFOGRAPHIC (Final draft; Email by 5 PM)

Upcoming:

Week 17: MTV

SEC. 54 FINAL EXAM: WE 12.14/SEC. 43 FINAL EXAM: FR 12.16

Meet from 7:15 – 9:30 AM

Due: NARRATIVE ESSAY

Back to the Future News 12.1.16

• Yes, Die Hard counts as a Christmas movie (Post-Bulletin)
• In honor of World AIDS Day, a look back at AIDS awareness posters from the '80s (Time)
• Trump's recent tweets about flag burning hearken back to an an '80s controversy (NPR)
• Should these 15 '80s trends come back? (Bustle)
• New memoir looks to John Hughes for life's answers (NPR)
• Bruno Mars and The Weekend are going '80s (Los Angeles Times)

Week 15: The WWF

R.E.M., "The One I Love" (US #9, Dec. 1987)

Week 15: The World Wrestling Federation

Tu 11.29/Th 12.1

Class: Presentations

Due: ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT

Upcoming;

Week 16: Batman

Tu 12.6/Th 12.8 (FINAL CLASS MEETING)

Class: Presentations

Due: REFLECTION 7; INFOGRAPHIC (Final draft; Email by 5 PM)

Week 17: MTV

SEC. 54 FINAL EXAM: WE 12.14/SEC. 43 FINAL EXAM: FR 12.16

Meet from 7:15 – 9:30 AM

Due: NARRATIVE ESSAY

Narrative Essay: My '80s Rite of Passage

Adolescence is tough in any time period. The Eighties, however, offered a unique set of circumstances for anyone passing through a rite of passage (e.g. first jobs, proms, first cars, drugs, first kisses). With parents taking a more hands-off approach than previous generations, school systems facing their most severe funding cuts ever, and a society increasingly concerned with fulfilling individual needs and whims, ‘80s adolescents came of age at a time when no one was always “minding the store.” Though there were many downsides to this situation, one upside was that ‘80s youth were allowed wide latitude to explore the ins and outs of adolescence. And stories of youth from this time period often reflect that freedom.

For this final assignment, you will recount a coming of age experience of a person who was an adolescent in the ‘80s. In a narrative essay, you will tell his or her story: the settings, the emotions, the circumstances, the people. It is your job to bring back to life your subject’s youth.

Instructions:

• Interview someone who A) was a between 15-25 years old in the ‘80s and B) experienced some rite of passage during that decade—preferably in America
• Translate that interview into a 3-page magazine-style narrative essay that illustrates not only the pertinent information (time, place, etc.), but resurrects a particular moment in time 
• Remember, you are retelling your subject's story, so strive to do be accurate, but also compelling

Keep in mind that though a narrative essay typically tells a personal story from a first person perspective, it can be equally effective when someone’s experience is recounted in the third person. For examples, look below at stories from public radio’s This American Life:

• "109: Notes on Camp" (1998)
• "245: Allure of the Mean Friend" (2003)
• "449: Middle School" (2011)
• "541: Regrets, I've Had a Few" (2014)

Requirements:

• Approximately 3 pages in length
• MLA Style

Due: FR 12.16 (via email by 5 PM)

Week 14: RUN-DMC

Madonna, "Open Your Heart" (US #1, Feb. 1987)

Week 14: RUN-DMC

Tu 11.22/Th 11.24 [NO CLASS—HAPPY THANKSGIVING]

Class: INFOGRAPHIC (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)*

*Due Tue 11.22

Upcoming:

Week 15: The World Wrestling Federation

Tu 11.29/Th 12.1

Class: Presentations

Due: ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT

Week 16: Batman

Tu 12.6/Th 12.8 (FINAL CLASS MEETING)

Class: Presentations

Due: REFLECTION 7; INFOGRAPHIC (Final draft; Email by 5 PM)

Week 17: MTV

SEC. 54 FINAL EXAM: WE 12.14/SEC. 43 FINAL EXAM: FR 12.16

Meet from 7:15 – 9:30 AM

Due: NARRATIVE ESSAY