Exercises (350 points)

Short essays, more formal than an in-class response paper, but not as formal as a research paper.

You are welcome to use "I" and refer informally to things we have discussed in class, but

• choose a specific thesis to defend
• quote assigned readings directly and usefully
  
• follow MLA style (including a Works Cited list)
  

Assigned about every other week. 3-4 pages long, sometimes broken up into several shorter parts).

Upload these to Turnitin.com.

Check the course outline page for the due dates and assigned subjects. I will provide more information as the due dates approach, but the list below offers an idea of what the exercises will cover.

1. Of Books and Me (a personal essay)
2. In Defense of Oral Culture
3. In Defense of Manuscript Culture
   
4. Of Books in Culture (a social essay)
   
5. In Response to the Kindle [or, if the Kindle class project falls through... In Defense of X (choose something of value that is threatened by Facebook, text-messaging, videogames, Wikipedia, or some other influential artifact of digital culture)]
   
6. Of Books as Books (an analytical essay)