1.2.doc

Assignment 1. 2 PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 2 (Now, ?BLOG?) Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal. (Darwin) Charles Darwin?s The Origin of Species is the first theoretical work that we will read in this class ? and, for good reason. Darwin?s theories, whether you agree with them or not, have been immeasurably influential for our inquiry, as we confront questions such as ?what is human?? ASSIGNMENT Compile a short overview of the chapter from The Origin of Species that you were assigned in class. This overview may deliver: a clear sense about the important aspects of the chapter useful quotes personal, relevant opinion questions, and/or points of problem Post this overview on the designated discussion board Read other posts in the discussion board so that you get a general sense about The Origin of Species as a whole Write one claim that articulates one major similarity or difference between you and Darwin, in the ways that you define and value ?feral? bodies. This claim should present a clear argument about feral bodies, using Darwin as either support or counter-argument. The claim is about your view of feral bodies. APPROACH I know how difficult and strange reading nineteenth-century texts can be ? Victorian were not known for their terse style! As you read Darwin?s chapter, use commonsense strategies. Skim it! No one wants to read Darwin word for word. This assignment gives you the chance to practice your skimming skills. Keep your eyes peeled for bold sentences. You should spend less than one minute per page. Darwin concludes each chapter with a summary! After skimming, you should focus much of your attention on his summaries. This will help you to grasp the main ideas of the chapter, as Darwin saw them. Not sure what you should pull out of the reading? Look for odd statements, powerful observations, confusing points, interesting imagery or metaphor, or useful illustrations. Writing a claim about your stance on ?feral? bodies versus Darwin?s can be intimidating! But think of yourself as a kind of authority figure, too. Be specific. You don?t want to write a claim about Darwin?s theories as a whole! That?s just too broad and too much?plus, you?d be generalizing! Choose ONE major point that you support or reject in terms of ?feral? bodies. FORMAT This assignment is two-fold. The first part of the assignment asks that you write a brief overview (see above). The second part requests that you compose a claim that situates your views concerning ?feral? bodies with Darwin?s. Blogs should be no more than one page, single-spaced. You do not need formatting for blogs. Claims can be any length, as long as they do a good job of accomplishing the criteria that claims should achieve.