Registration is Fast Approaching...

Next week you're meeting with your advisor to talk about your courses for next semester. You should sign up for a time using the sign-up sheet taped to your advisor's office door. You should show up with a couple of things:

1. A thought-through list of courses you think you'd like to sign up for in January and Spring, fortified by your having made sure that they are offered at times when you can take them all. Use the "Search for Sections" option in Pirate Port (under the "Whitnet" options) to find open sections and times. Use the Whitworth online catalog to look at requirements for your major, and go here to take a look at recommended 4-year plans for your major.
2. A few backup ideas about courses you'd like to take if you can't get the ones you're aiming for.
3. If you can figure out how to find it and print it, or if your super helpful sophomore friend can help you get it done, bring a printed-out copy of your program evaluation sheet, too. It's in Whitnet, down there under "Academic Planning."
4. A copy of your resume, as far as it has come so far.

The better prepared you are, the more we'll be able to get done in these quick sessions; if you're not perfectly well prepared, that's okay, though. Don't panic about any of this. Be aware (beware?), too, that you may have to be in touch with us about scheduling a couple of times before we get your schedule squared away, this time around. You guys are about last in line for registration, which means this semester you may have upperclassmen keeping you out of the classes you want. (That's okay. You'll be the all-powerful upperclassmen soon enough, blocking all those freshmen...)

Major’s Fair & ElectiveFest! Assignments

You will have noticed, through your careful reading of the syllabus, that you have two events to attend next week as required elements of our course.

These events are the Major’s Fair and Elective Fest (both sound exciting, no?); they are both easy to attend and have potential for gaining some knowledge of campus culture and academic study (and free candy—and it’s candy season!).

In accordance with attendance, you have a few simple tasks while basking in the academic life. (These can be completed in groups or with a buddy if you like—everything is more fun when done with friendly-type people).

Major’s Fair: Wednesday, October 31: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., HUB

On your way to lunch, or after checking your mailbox, stop by three major tables and pick up some swag. Also, talk to the representatives. Ask them to tell you something fun and exciting about the major, or to tell you why it’s a good idea to become a fillintheblank major. Write three of these things down on the back of a flier from one of the tables. Put your name on the flyer and turn it into your advisor.

ElectiveFest!: Thursday, November 1: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Westminster 252

Stop by Westminster (the home-away-from-home of your’s truly) and find out about English department electives being offered this Jan term and spring. There are good classes coming up that fulfill gen ed requirements and are taught by some darn good, smart people.

Pick up a flyer for a class you’ll think about taking and turn it into your advisor with your name and two reasons you think this class would be a good one for you.

Dine with a Mind Assignment

DUE by Friday, November 2 at 5 p.m.  (You can leave the assignment in your advisor’s mailbox or just slip it under their office door if they’re not around).

The task:
Invite a Whitworth professor out for coffee and ask them about their college experience. Then, type up a 300-ish word summary of the experience.

Tips:

*Start early! Whitworth professors love to meet with students, and love coffee almost as much, but time is always valuable. Work ahead of your deadline and offer your chosen Professor a few different options for meeting times to ensures a greater chance of success.

*Dine with a Mind vouchers are available at the info desk in the HUB. Make sure you have the voucher before the appointment

*You may certainly interview professors with whom you’re studying this semester. But also think about inviting another professor in your major, or perhaps someone who leads a study tour or teaches a Jan term class you’re thinking about taking.

*Below are some questions you might ask Professor Whatshername while you share some time. Feel free to add your own.

• Where are you from?
• Where did you go to college?
• What was your most difficult moment from your freshman year of college? How was this resolved? What did you learn from the experience?
• What was the biggest surprise from your freshman year?
• What advice do you have for freshmen about transitioning to college life?
• What were your study habits when you were a student?
• How did you decide to become a professor?

Scavenger Hunt with Katelyn, Brittany, and Amanda!

 A Sunday Morning in front of Chapel!

Newspaper Time, Autumn has arrived!

The fancy fish eye mirrors in Westminster!

Reading Response, Option 2--Davenport

Guy Davenport describes his family's ritual of hunting for arrowheads as a way to talk about his formation as an academic. Read this (smart, engaging) essay and think about the experiences that have shaped you as someone who loves to learn. (After all, that is why you are here, right?)
This piece is reprinted here (scroll down to it, or read the intro) at Harper's.

Again, use the comments field below to leave your comments on/response to this essay. Please take a second to review the reading response instructions here before posting. And, as always, don't be boring!

Reading Response, Option 1--Berry

Wendall Berry is a committed Christian activist who calls us to devote ourselves to a particular place, to live our lives with attention to the land and to the people around us. His commencement address challenges college graduates to live fully into the commitments they have made during the past four years. He also describes why a small, liberal arts college is a better educational institution than a massive research school--which is where you are right now. See? Relevance!

This text can be found online here.

NOTE: Use the comments field below to leave your comments on/response to this speech. Please take a second to review the reading response instructions here before posting. Don't be boring!

Reading Response--for real this time (and with a choice!)

The long-awaited reading reponse assignment is finally ready for you. Thank you for your patience.

There are two reading options for the response (one reading by Wendall Berry, one by Guy Davenport), both of which will have their own prompt posts, but here are the general guidelines:

TECHNICAL DETAILS/Where to Post In the sidebar, you'll see the two reading options. Once you've done one of the readings, you should use the sidebar to get to the blog post for that reading. Once at that post, you should use the comments area to post your response to the reading.

Your Required Contribution: 300 words for the reading that you choose. (Again, 500 words would be better. There is no maximum.)

How to Contribute (1): For this assignment, click "Post a Comment" at the appropriate blog entry. (See instructions below.)

• Option 1: You can do one big comment to contribute, or you can post a couple of different smaller items.
• Option2: It would be terrific to see you not only posting absolutely original comments but also commenting on each other's comments. The blog allows your response to Convocation to become a conversation in ways that plain-old paper printouts cannot. So let's converse! 

The Deadline

Your response is due by class time on 10/23....you have other work due that day as well, so manage your time and check the syllabus (and the blog) for that other stuff.

Content of Your Response

Your response to the essay should demonstrate insightful, engaged, critical thinking. Select something about the essay that you find especially interesting, provocative, enraging, truthful, controversial, or otherwise noteworthy. Explain what it is that caught your interest, and then explain why you agree or disagree. Be sure to give concrete examples from the text to back up your position. And keep in mind that explaining the author's position is important, but that second part--where you say something about this that only you would say--is where things get interesting.

Conversations

As always on this blog, it would be excellent for you to start a conversation with the rest of the class. As part of your response, you can post questions about the reading. You can also comment on and respond to things that others have already posted about the reading.
.

Belated Scavenger Hunt 2012 Post!

Please indulge the tardiness of this post, as it was due to technical difficulties.

Le fancy chapelle door handle!

Trying to capture all of us with the wee creature creation was a small challenge.

Not sure why we haven't read the papers any sooner!

The scavenger hunt was quite the success!  Though best conducted on business days, y'know, when businesses are actually open and operating and such..

Lorna, Kristen, and Hannah go on a Whitworth-y adventure!

Hey look, we found a bus stop! How cool is that? And Lorna is holding a bus pass, because she's all cool and uses public transit.

Here is an awkward cell phone photo in front of a fisheye mirror! I would like to point out that everyone in this photo has red hair. We thought that was really cool. Lorna's sister is in this picture because she came along with us for part of our scavenger hunt. She's cool like that.

Here we are in the writing center. Aren't books fascinating? Especially books about MLA formatting? We think so. Apparently.

Our Whitworth Adventure!

Kolton, Danny, Millie and Corey

 Walking through the halls of Westminster sure can make your head spin! We were just happy to be inside and out of the cold!

 We arrived just as the bus did! Can you say perfect timing?

At the start of this assignment, we made a guess as to where we could find the handle. We guessed right! 

Luke Eldredge, Tommy Bocchi, christian McKinney

In the art center with the tiny wire bird thing. Christian's head is a little hidden but what can you do. 

Westminster Hall hallways of doom. We need balls of read yarn at all the doors of that building.

In Front of the Chapel doors as you probably guessed. Pretty impressive self photography if I do say so myself.

Epic Scavenging Adventures with Holli, Amy, Rebecca, and Katie

Amy, Holli, and Katie in the library's reading room. Doesn't Holli look gorgeous?

 

We were all very impressed by the fisheye mirrors in Westminster Hall. Here we are, looking up at the mirror in childlike wonder.

 

We really enjoyed poking around the Lied Arts Center and seeing the Ben Frank Moss exhibition. This is us attempting to pose with Lied's hanging bird. :)

 

Scavenger Hunt Adventures With Jennifer, Madison, Molly, and Olivia

The four of us in the reading room of the library. We thought  this was a good newspaper to choose, considering it was the day after the debate.

Next we went upstairs to the Writing Center. The girl there was very happy to have her picture taken with us.

After wandering through the Theology Department Catacombs for awhile, we snapped this picture. We all decided that Westminster was one of the most confusing, maze-like buildings we had ever been in. 

Nick, Kevin, Julia, and Sam go on a Scavenger Hunt

Here's us in the Library reading room. I uploaded this one because Julia looks insane and that's hilarious. 

Our bus stop photo features Sam attempting to imitate an Asian tourist. I also enjoyed the incredibly hipster lens-flare that ended up in the shot (so apropos for homecoming week). 

Imagine our anguish and being unable to access the writing center! We had to settle for a mere indication that the Writing Center may or may not exist. 

Campus Scavenger Hunt

This assignment is designed to help you get to know your classmates as well as your campus. You must do this assignment with your team, together, at the same time, all wearing the same color (OK, the wardrobe coordination is optional, but could be fun).

 

DUE DATES

By Monday, October 8: Choose the THREE best group photos from your scavenger hunt and post these on our blog. With each photo, include a brief description (1-2 sentences is fine) about what’s happening. Your group will need to create your own, separate post for this assignment rather than posting in comments.

By Tuesday, October 9: Turn in this completed handout (with all relevant items you’ve collected on the way).You only need ONE completed handout for your team. Make sure all of your names are on the assignment.

Good luck and have fun!