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Schedule

March 6

In Class: Introduction to each other and the course.

Review our Course Syllabus

Fill out Student Information Sheet

Watch: Introduction to Poetry: What Makes a Poem a Poem?

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March 13

CLASSES SUSPENDED

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March 20

Watch: Judith Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the disability community and a lifelong civil rights advocate for disadvantaged people.  In this interview she discusses her new biography, Being Heumann , her lifelong advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities, and the upcoming Netflix documentary “Crip Camp.”

Read: Poetry Packet and review these Poetry Terms

Write: Select a minimum of three lines from any of the poems and write a Double-Entry Journal and email me a copy.

Here is some background info on some of the poets we read for the week: Poets: Short Bios.

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March 27

Watch:  Stella Young was an Australian comedian, journalist and disability rights activist.

Read:  It’s Perfectly OK to Call a Disabled Person Disabled

Write: Reflect on the video and article for this week. Think of three points/ideas and post them on Blackboard in the Discussion Forum for 3/27. Respond to at least one other person’s post. (You can use the Double-Entry Journal template to organize your ideas before posting them.)

Draft of Essay #1 Due. SUBMIT YOUR PAPER ON BLACKBOARD

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April 3

Watch: Susan Robinson is a business leader, inspirational speaker, blogger, entrepreneur and TED Resident. And she is legally blind.

Watch: Before you read the play, watch this short animated video on the elements of drama.

Read: “Shoot!” by Lynn Manning  and review the list of Drama Terms.     

Write: Take a look at this diagram of a Story Arc:

Identify the following elements of the play:

Exposition (also known as the set-up)

Rising action (What do the characters want and how do they try to get it?)

Climax or conflict (Think of this as the turning point.)

Resolution (What happens in the end?)

Write your response to the questions above and post them in Discussion Forum for April 3 on Blackboard.

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April 10

NO CLASS SPRING BREAK

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April 17

Read: Good Kings, Bad Kings pages 1-164

Write: Download the Literature Circle Character Summary.  Prepare your character summary based on the character(s) you have been assigned. Upload the Literature Circle Character Summary to the Discussion Board on Blackboard.

OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT:

Watch: Willowbrook was a complex of buildings on Staten Island housing children and adults with developmental disabilities. Understaffed, overcrowded and underfunded, the institution’s overcrowding fostered abuse, dehumanization, and a public health crisis.

In 1972, ABC News investigative reporter Geraldo Rivera  drew national attention to Willowbrook with a television exposé that was watched by millions. The documentary below,Willowbrook: The Last Disgraceexposed the institution’s dangerous conditions and regular abuse of residents. As a result parent advocacy groups took take action in federal court. WARNING: This video contains graphic images of the conditions inside Willowbrook. It is not easy to watch but it is an important part of disability history.

Today, the original site of Willowbrook is the College of Staten Island. If you’d like to learn more information on the closing of Willowbrook, visit https://disabilityjustice.org/the-closing-of-willowbrook/.

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April 24

Watch: Maysoon Zayid is an American actress and comedian. Of Palestinian descent, she is known as one of America’s first Muslim women comedians and the first person ever to perform stand-up in Palestine and Jordan.

Read: Good Kings, Bad Kings pages  165-225.

Write: Select TWO questions from the Literature Circles Questions for Discussion sheet. Upload your completed assignment to the Discussion Board.

Identify at least one topic related to disability that you are interested in writing about for your research paper. Post it to the Discussion Board on Blackboard. 

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May 1

Watch: Jess Thom is a British theater-maker and comedian best known for Touretteshero, an alter-ego and project aimed at increasing awareness of Tourette’s Syndrome, the neurological condition which she was diagnosed with in her early twenties.

Read:  Good Kings, Bad Kings pages 226 -243 and the essay “My Disability Was Nothing Personal

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May 8

Watch: Kathy Buckley is known as America’s first hearing impaired comedienne. She is a five-time American Comedy Award Nominee as Best Stand-Up Female Comedienne, and the winner of countless other awards for her work. She is an author, humanitarian, and one of the country’s leading motivational speakers

Read: Good Kings, Bad Kings pages 244-294

Write: Complete the Literature Circle Research sheet and post it to Blackboard.

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May 15

Write: Essay #3: Introduction and Literature Review Due. SUBMIT YOUR PAPER ON BLACKBOARD.

Use the  Template for Literature Review to write your introduction and summary of 3 sources you will use in your essay. Share it with your group.

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May 22

“Presentations”

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May 29

Class Evaluation and Wrap-up

Write: Final Essay Due

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June 15

Grades and attendance due.

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