lcom1100

• A good overview list of tools.
• Remember the Milk
• Dropbox
• Google Calendar
• Google Docs
• Google Calendar
• Study Rails

• A good overview list of tools.
• Remember the Milk
• Dropbox
• Google Calendar
• Google Docs
• Google Calendar
• Study Rails

Here is the time tracking form, in case you need more copies.

For most of its history literature has taken the form of epic poetry. This history is long: five thousand years, perhaps much longer. And within the genre of epic poetry — from the Egyptian Pyramid Texts to Homer to the Kalevala — every word counts. The rhythm counts. Resonance and fluidity count. No slack exists in these texts, no lazy meanderings of phrase or structure. These ancients texts are spare, clean, and tight. We could learn a great deal from these archaic authors. There are reasons for the enduring quality of their texts.

So, to be an epic poet:

1. Write one sentence at a time.
2. Review the sentence before moving on. Make it as perfect as you can. Spend all day on one sentence if required (but don’t spend too long…)
3. Make sure your sentence contains the best words for what you are trying to say.
4. Examine the phrase order. Look for a tighter order, more spare or visceral or elegant.
5. Speak the sentence aloud. Find its rhythm and sonority. Tweak as required. Don’t rush.
6. Take out all extra words and lazy phrasings, especially those that are habitual. Excise adverbs, gerunds, and verb phrases (“there is…”, “I’ve done…”, “We’re going…”) whenever possible.
7. Shorten the sentence if you can (without diminishing its meaning).
8. Take a short break, gaze out the window, return to the sentence, and review it once more.
9. Leave it alone. Build your next sentence.

Good writing, in my view, builds sentence upon sentence. Each new contribution adds to the structure and the framework of clarity. Why go farther (Quick Tip: “farther” refers to distance or extent; “further” denotes an action in service of) — why go farther down your creative track when the foundation is not yet established? I know, you have probably been told to just write, to get words on the page, to come back to them later and try to make sense of your scratchings. No, I am not a fan of this approach. I prefer to approach writing as a Zen-like activity, an action of the razor-sharp mind and open heart working together. Writing, for me, is not catharsis but clarity.

Let’s take a practical example. Here’s a possible sentence:

Down on Granville Street, where my grandfather's jewelry store used to be, there are now a bunch of old, boarded-up buildings waiting quietly to be renovated.

Alright, this is a start. I’m trying to say something in this sentence: about change, nostalgia, perhaps about renewal. It’s not yet clear. So, let’s start with the beginning:

Down on Granville Street

Down and on are both prepositions, only one of which is required. Therefore we can make this first phrase more succinct:

On Granville Street

Next up, the second phrase:

where my grandfather's jewelry store used to be

This phrase is the heart of the sentence; it needs to be clear and strong. Used to be is an awkward verb phrase. It tries to articulate, in three words, the nostalgia and ambivalence of the sentence. And yet, used to be is almost devoid of meaning here. It is a marker and nothing more. Let’s try something more robust and imaginal:

where my grandfather's jewelry store once stood

By using once stood in this way, we’re indicating the past in more resonant terms. We are also implying a fall — what once stood, then fell. Also, we’re implying a steadfastness of the old place, a sense of presence that was previously lacking. So far so good. Now, onto the tricky part:

there are now a bunch of old, boarded-up buildings waiting quietly to be renovated

Well, this is a tidy mess. Too many things going on, too many overt indications when subtlety is called for. Not to mention the awkward phrase a bunch of. Yikes. Where to begin? How about with some editing:

there are now a bunch of old, boarded-up buildings waiting quietly to be renovated

OK, this makes things a bit easier. Now we have the rudiments of a decent clause, something about old buildings:

boarded-up buildings waiting quietly to be renovated

We know that the gerunds and adverbs are typically (except right here!) to be avoided, so we can clean up the phrase:

boarded-up buildings wait to be renovated

Now, tumbledown is a better word than boarded-up (ramshackle would be good here, too). And wait to be renovated is awkward and anthropomorphic in a way that doesn’t seem to suit the imagery of the sentence. And we might spruce up the language a bit with some alliteration (use sparingly!):

tumbledown buildings lie in lethargy

Better. But I keep thinking about ramshackle and tumbledown. Could I use both? Let’s see:

ramshackle buildings lie in lethargy upon the tumbledown street.

I like this. But it will require that I abandon my theme of renewal. The sentence will be more sad without it, yet probably more authentic too. And less self-conscious. Let’s try the whole thing out:

On Granville Street, where my grandfather's jewelry store once stood, ramshackle buildings lie in lethargy upon the tumbledown street.

Not bad. The sentence embodies nostalgia, sadness, personal and social loss, and something else — but we don’t know what yet. It’s something about what happens next, or later, the contrast between the past and the present. The sentence itself leads me on, as its writer, to the next stage. It provokes me to think about contrasts, about words such as glittering and forlorn, and about what we preserve and discard. I cannot write the next sentence without first the polished catalyst of the first.

(An expanded and more detailed version of this document — in PDF format — is attached to this post.)

Learning Communities 1100
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Langley campus, room 2580

For most of its history literature has taken the form of epic poetry. This history is long: five thousand years, perhaps much longer. And within the genre of epic poetry — from the Egyptian Pyramid Texts to Homer to the Kalevala — every word counts. The rhythm counts. Resonance and fluidity count. No slack exists in these texts, no lazy meanderings of phrase or structure. These ancients texts are spare, clean, and tight. We could learn a great deal from these archaic authors. There are reasons for the enduring quality of their texts.

So, to be an epic poet:

1. Write one sentence at a time.
2. Review the sentence before moving on. Make it as perfect as you can. Spend all day on one sentence if required (but don’t spend too long…)
3. Make sure your sentence contains the best words for what you are trying to say.
4. Examine the phrase order. Look for a tighter order, more spare or visceral or elegant.
5. Speak the sentence aloud. Find its rhythm and sonority. Tweak as required. Don’t rush.
6. Take out all extra words and lazy phrasings, especially those that are habitual. Excise adverbs, gerunds, and verb phrases (“there is…”, “I’ve done…”, “We’re going…”) whenever possible.
7. Shorten the sentence if you can (without diminishing its meaning).
8. Take a short break, gaze out the window, return to the sentence, and review it once more.
9. Leave it alone. Build your next sentence.

Good writing, in my view, builds sentence upon sentence. Each new contribution adds to the structure and the framework of clarity. Why go farther (Quick Tip: “farther” refers to distance or extent; “further” denotes an action in service of) — why go farther down your creative track when the foundation is not yet established? I know, you have probably been told to just write, to get words on the page, to come back to them later and try to make sense of your scratchings. No, I am not a fan of this approach. I prefer to approach writing as a Zen-like activity, an action of the razor-sharp mind and open heart working together. Writing, for me, is not catharsis but clarity.

Let’s take a practical example. Here’s a possible sentence:

Down on Granville Street, where my grandfather's jewelry store used to be, there are now a bunch of old, boarded-up buildings waiting quietly to be renovated.

Alright, this is a start. I’m trying to say something in this sentence: about change, nostalgia, perhaps about renewal. It’s not yet clear. So, let’s start with the beginning:

Down on Granville Street

Down and on are both prepositions, only one of which is required. Therefore we can make this first phrase more succinct:

On Granville Street

Next up, the second phrase:

where my grandfather's jewelry store used to be

This phrase is the heart of the sentence; it needs to be clear and strong. Used to be is an awkward verb phrase. It tries to articulate, in three words, the nostalgia and ambivalence of the sentence. And yet, used to be is almost devoid of meaning here. It is a marker and nothing more. Let’s try something more robust and imaginal:

where my grandfather's jewelry store once stood

By using once stood in this way, we’re indicating the past in more resonant terms. We are also implying a fall — what once stood, then fell. Also, we’re implying a steadfastness of the old place, a sense of presence that was previously lacking. So far so good. Now, onto the tricky part:

there are now a bunch of old, boarded-up buildings waiting quietly to be renovated

Well, this is a tidy mess. Too many things going on, too many overt indications when subtlety is called for. Not to mention the awkward phrase a bunch of. Yikes. Where to begin? How about with some editing:

there are now a bunch of old, boarded-up buildings waiting quietly to be renovated

OK, this makes things a bit easier. Now we have the rudiments of a decent clause, something about old buildings:

boarded-up buildings waiting quietly to be renovated

We know that the gerunds and adverbs are typically (except right here!) to be avoided, so we can clean up the phrase:

boarded-up buildings wait to be renovated

Now, tumbledown is a better word than boarded-up (ramshackle would be good here, too). And wait to be renovated is awkward and anthropomorphic in a way that doesn’t seem to suit the imagery of the sentence. And we might spruce up the language a bit with some alliteration (use sparingly!):

tumbledown buildings lie in lethargy

Better. But I keep thinking about ramshackle and tumbledown. Could I use both? Let’s see:

ramshackle buildings lie in lethargy upon the tumbledown street.

I like this. But it will require that I abandon my theme of renewal. The sentence will be more sad without it, yet probably more authentic too. And less self-conscious. Let’s try the whole thing out:

On Granville Street, where my grandfather's jewelry store once stood, ramshackle buildings lie in lethargy upon the tumbledown street.

Not bad. The sentence embodies nostalgia, sadness, personal and social loss, and something else — but we don’t know what yet. It’s something about what happens next, or later, the contrast between the past and the present. The sentence itself leads me on, as its writer, to the next stage. It provokes me to think about contrasts, about words such as glittering and forlorn, and about what we preserve and discard. I cannot write the next sentence without first the polished catalyst of the first.

(An expanded and more detailed version of this document — in PDF format — is attached to this post.)

This assignment builds upon, and in many ways is similar to, the first self-reflection essay. But this second assignment is more focused on your specific goals, priorities and intentions while at university.

There are there parts to this assignment, as follows:

Creating Awareness

During the first week of the assignment you will be asked to keep track of your time. This includes time spent sleeping, preparing food and eating, getting ready, commuting, attending class, studying, working, taking care of dependents, exercising, watching TV, playing video games, socializing, etc. At the end of one week, you will make a tally of how much time you spent in each of these activities and reflect on your thoughts about these findings. You will be asked to consider what each of these activities contributes to or detracts from the quality of your life.

Determining Goals, Priorities, and Commitments

During the first week of the assignment you will also be asked to outline at least two goals for the semester, two goals for the year, and two goals that you would like to achieve throughout your time at Kwantlen. In addition, you will be asked to consider the various activities and relationships in your life and what priority they have for you and why. You will be asked to discuss whether you believe that you are currently living in a way that is moving you towards or away from these goals and priorities and why this is happening.

You will also be asked to create a schedule for the semester ahead, including various details of coursework, deadlines, assignments, work commitments, personal commitments, and so on.

Living with Intention

During the second week of the assignment you will be asked to begin each day with ten to fifteen minutes of silence in which you mindfully contemplate what it is you most want to accomplish (the process of developing mindfulness will be discussed in class and will be practised through a series of exercises). You will be asked to use these periods of mindfulness to consider which changes you would like to make to your current approach to your lifestyle and time allocation. In this second week, you will once again track your time, but this time you will focus on making your desired changes.

The assignment concludes with a short analysis (roughly 500 words) that explores your learning within the context of the assignment. What did you learn in the first part of the assignment? What stood out most in the second part of the assignment? How did things change across the weeks? What did you do differently? How did reality line up with your expectations? What got in the way? What will you continue to do differently, or what might you work on in the future to continue moving towards your goals? These and other suggested lines of inquiry will be discussed in class.

This assignment is worth 20 percent of your final grade.