15 TUE OCT 23

Wake up

Housekeeping

  • Deadline Reminder
    • The middle of the semester comes knocking. And the consequences seem real and immediate. The White Paper that a few weeks ago was a vague pledge to “donate when I get my tax refund” is suddenly an overdue bill, and the Rebuttal Argument certainly can’t be accomplished until my Hypothesis is nailed down to something like a firm Thesis that another author might want to refute.
    • About half of my students are usually ready for this drastic rise in the sea level. The other half feel as if they’re suddenly drowning.
    • Right on cue, students who aren’t ready to fully commit to their research miss a class, maybe two classes. They ignore emails and texts from their professor, figuring that he’s too busy to pester them more than once.
    • Once the deadlines for the Short Arguments are past, they no longer feel like a weight around the neck. It’s easy to let those delinquencies slide for a few days. A week. After 48 hours, they’re already worth no more than 50/100 points, so “what’s the point?”
    • For some, this slide is irreversible.
    • For the in-betweeners, interaction with the professor is something to dread. Coming to class late, leaving early, or sneaking out to avoid confrontation, seems like a reasonable survival technique.
    • I get it.
    • I too put things off.
    • I do them when I absolutely have to.
    • I do them poorly sometimes because I haven’t left myself enough time.
    • But I’m an idiot.
    • You don’t have to be.
    • The people I have to report to are reasonable people who gladly work with me when I acknowledge my thoughtless procrastination, my dread at confronting the problem.
    • Don’t be like me.
    • Be an enlightened version of me.
    • Don’t miss classes. Don’t ignore my texts or emails. Don’t think you’re too late, or too far behind, or too confused to catch up, or too fill-in-the-blank.
    • IT’S THE HALFWAY POINT. (Well, to be honest, it’s past half way.)
    • You can turn this sucker around.
    • I will push you up that hill like nobody else who ever had your back.
    • But I won’t pull you up.
    • You have to take the first step.
    • If you haven’t posted your first Short Arguments yet (Definition/Categorical), and if you’re not ready to post your Causal Argument by Thursday, your Refutation Argument a week later, then post them immediately as soon as you can. Post something that looks like a Definition Argument. Ask for very specific feedback. Get into the game. Pretend it’s essential to you. It might not feel like it right now, but I am your biggest supporter and fan. Until you let it slide.
    • Don’t. Let. It. Slide.
    • Very few of the 50% who start to fade at the Midterm do well at the end of the course. Beat those odds. Right now.

In-Class Workshop

  1. Start a post titled “Causal—Username.”
  2. If you’re ready to start an actual Causal Argument, use this class time to begin the actual process.
  3. If you’re not ready to start writing for real, address your Professor in the first sentence, “I could use some help getting started, Professor.” Something like that.
  4. “Here’s what I have so far,” you might continue, “Since I’m researching the connection between actual crime and crime statistics, I think the cause-and-effect relationship is crucial to my thesis. We THINK that when more crime is committed, the CRIME RATE will reflect that in higher numbers. But actually, it’s the NUMBER OF CRIMES REPORTED AND LAWS ENFORCED that count in the statistics. So . . . “
  5. And before you know it, you’ll be writing your causal argument.
  6. Put the post into the Feedback Please category and the Causal Argument category, and publish it before the end of class.
  7. I’ll be around to help for anyone who wants live feedback or discussion.

 

43 thoughts on “15 TUE OCT 23”

  1. Oct 23 Notes
    -There are plenty of causes for the Challenger explosion. Experts said there was a problem with the O-rings. The day of the launch was very cold for Florida. The success rate of recent launches also played a role for taking the risk.
    -Roman built there chariots are the width of two horses, so the horses wouldn’t pull the chariot through a too small of a place. This distance was 4 feet 8-1/2 inches, which is still used today for train tracks. This led to train tunnels sizes through mountains. The parts of the Challenger traveled from Utah through these tunnels.
    -Begin Causal Argument

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  2. Started class with the shuttle exploding where it contained a civilian. Discussed possible causes for the failure of the launch. Was it the O-rings, temperature, pressure? Deciding what the cause was gave a way to think critically, and look at contributing factors that are potential sources for the accident. The 4’8’’ standard that the Romans created for horse and carriages, that led other Roman territories to follow due to the ruts, one of them being England where following the organization of America, the standard for railroads are still at that standard. The fact that the standardization of “two horse’s width”, after a lengthy explanation, could be the reason for the death of the civilian in the launch. Causal essay due this coming Thursday. For class work, we are starting out Causal essay.

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  3. – The length of two horses is a standard measurement that it has followed civilization since the rule of the Roman Empire. It is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. This length is what is used for railroads today.
    – We discussed how the Challenger failed in January 28, 1986. There are multiple theories on why it failed, the common idea being that O rings failed. The idea that the length of two horses caused the failure. The Challenger had to go through the mountains and travelled a great distance from Utah to Florida, so it was broken down and put back together. if it was made in Florida, the O rings might not have been a problem.
    – Write a causal essay for Thursday before class.

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  4. Today we discussed the “Challenger” Space Shuttle exploding and its reason behind it. There are many reasons behind it and no one knows the real reason. We then talked about the evolution of the chariot and how it started out with the size of two horses side by side. Later the railroad started and the evolution behind them, the tracks were close together.

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  5. – A theory of why the challenger exploded was because of the width of two horses asses

    – On the date of October 23, 2018 I can find phrases to help me figure out where I stand for the semester and if I need to catch up on anything

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  6. Oct 23rd.
    Same Mechanics who made chariots started making same sized train cars.
    Chariots and horses may have caused the challenger crash.
    Dessert Causal Post

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  7. -be the kind of person who thinks that ‘i can do that too.’
    -the Challenger failed in January 28, 1986. There are multiple theories on why it failed, the common idea being that O rings failed. also surprisingly the temperature was also very cold in Florida.
    -several causes are:
    – o-rings failed
    – The design required a warm temperature at launch.
    – NASA ignored the cold weather warnings.
    – to send a civilian to space created pressure to launch.
    – in the era of roman empire, the civilization followed standard measurements which was the length of 2 horses i.e., 4 feet, 8.5 inches. Even though, This length is what is used for railroads today.

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  8. – Stay on top of work, do not give up and do not fall off track. It is extremely important to continue to turn assignments in on time and come to class every meeting.
    – Keep Professor Hodges involved, he can’t help without us asking.
    – Look back on the agenda for October 23, 2018 on how to stay on track and what there is to catch up on thus far in the semester.
    – The challenger exploded because of many reasons, there is not one real reason that we can identify. One of the reasons being the Romans decided to build the chariots as wide as they did.
    – Begin the causal argument that is due in a few days because it helps get started, it gets rid of anxiety, it forces us to put words on our paper.

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    1. That’s very nice, BeachGirl.

      So far, you’re the only student who reports that “there were several reasons” the Challenger exploded instead of wrongly reporting that “there are several THEORIES” about why it exploded.

      I think that means you understand that the whole list accurately identify actual reasons. We can emphasize whatever causes suit our argument, or we can be honest and name all the causes.

      In the case of today’s long explanation about horses and trains, I was—for effect—emphasizing just one very distant cause. The immediate or proximate cause of the explosion is still the failure of the O-rings (or the escaping of the explosive gases).

      4/3

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. Causal arguments are due this Thursday, and it can’t be put off. Procrastination is a bad habit to get into at this point in the semester.
    The challenger explosion is something that has tons of cause and effect. The cause could be anything from 5 minutes before the explosion, to 1 thousand years before the explosion. Cause and effect can be molded to create an argument of one’s own choice.

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  10. 10/23/18
    CAUSAL ARGUMENT essay due before Thursday’s class!
    *Make sure you are keeping in touch with Hodge with any concerns or questions regarding upcoming due material* Don’t give up 🙂

    WHY DID THE CHALLENGER EXPLODE?
    -The story of the challenger that exploded in January of 1986
    – 7 passenengers, including one schoool teacher were all killed in the explosion.
    -Investigation suggested many reasons for the explosion including uncommonly cold weather on the day of the launch, failure of the O rings, and NASA ignorning warnings.
    -The true causal of the explosion? The way Romans built their horse drawn carriages. They all died because of the width of two horse’s asses.

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  12. – Discussed the Challenger Space shuttle and how it had a regular citizen on it.
    – In Florida it was very cold, ice had formed on the launch pad overnight. The launch proceeded despite the known risk of low ambient temperatures.
    – Christa McAuliffe was the ordinary citizen that was apart of the shuttle crew.
    – The launch was broadcast on live TV.
    – The immediate cause of the explosion was the failure of the O-rings to contain immense pressure of the combustion of the rocket.
    – No single cause can be isolated.
    – The width of Roman chariots was determined by the width of two horses rear ends yoked side by side to the chariot.
    -By 1850, the 4 feet, 8-1/2 inch spacing had become known as the “standard gauge” for railroad cars.
    – Casual argument essay due this coming Thursday, for classwork we started to work on our essays.

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  13. Joke/story about the Challenger shuttle exploding during launch. There was a few causes to why it blew up. The main reason is that the o-rings failed due to the cold temperature. The 2 horses asses are to blame. Roman chariots were built with wheels spaced 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches apart. Train tracks today are spaced the same distance apart as chariots because the same people that made chariots began to make rail cars. This is all because of the width of 2 horses asses. The Challenger exploded because of the width of 2 horses asses. Professor Hodges wants us to start our causal argument in class.

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  14. -do not let yourself fall behind. Make a consistent effort to stay afloat.
    -it’s around mid semester now. Get back on track before it’s too late.
    -the professor has your back. He will not abandon you, but you have to accept his help. You have to make the first step.
    -the first step for presentation is always the hardest.
    -post the causal argument’s first draft in the “feedback please” area.
    -if assistance is required in getting started, directly address the professor in the beginning of the paper.
    -the first step isn’t easy. The following steps make things much simpler.

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  15. 10/28/18

    Wake up call:
    – Middle of the semester is here
    – Don’t put off work
    – Don’t miss classes, or ignore any kind of contact between student and teacher

    The issue with causation:
    – There can be many cases relating to one effect
    -For the challenger space shuttle: The o’rings failed, NASA ignored too cold weather warnings, and the decision to send a civilian to space created pressure to launch
    – The challenger exploded because of the width of chariots in the Roman empire. – They were the width of two horses asses.

    In class exercise:
    – Start working on causal assignment
    – The causal paper is a lot like listening and speaking in public speaking
    – Professor can help us set up simplified steps to help with the process
    – Publish draft by the end of class

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  16. *Casual argument is due Thursday
    *Don’t let yourself fall behind or slack in the amount of work given
    * Keeping in touch and asking for feedback from the professor will help you stay focused and on track.
    * Discussed why the Challenger exploded to reflect on a cause and effect argument

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  17. 10-23-18

    Housekeeping
    – As always, late penalties: (0-24 hours 10%) (24-48 hours 20%) (48+ hours, 0 grade)
    – Keep open communication with Professor, ask for help

    Why did the challenger explode?
    Because thousands of years ago Roman’s decided to build chariots the width of two horses. This led to future sources of transportation to be the same width, which led to the rocket parts having to be built a certain way to fit through the sizes of tunnels and such, which caused the development of o-rings, whose failure caused the challenger to explode.

    Causal Argument Exercise- post by end of class, discuss ideas/questions for causal

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  18. -there is still plenty of time now to improve. Even though it is the middle of the semester, there is still enough time to come back and succeed
    -many causes why the challenger exploded: o rings failed, or sending a civilian into space created pressure to launch, NASA ignored warnings that it was too cold outside
    -Roman chariots and horses transformed to trains for transportation. The tunnels are the width of two horses together, which is where parts of the Challenger were transported. This can be the cause of the Challenger exploding. It is because of the specific width of 4 feet and 8 and a half inches
    -The Challenger exploded because thousands of years ago, the Romans built chariots at a specific width

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  19. – Causal arguments are part of everything that exists. If you think in depth about it, you will realize that any situation has a cause and an effect (It could be multiple causes or effects) even if it is not expose in the most explicit manner. For example, you can be considered a cause and effect yourself. There is a reason why you are here, and your existence might have a purpose. It does not matter what the purpose of your existence is, you are the cause of that purpose.

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  20. Forgot to take notes during class but want to leave something here for credit of my being there.

    What I got from today’s lesson-There are many ways to look at a “thing” and break it down to its cause. Example from today was the Roman’s chariots standard length affecting modern lengths for railways, effecting tunnel construction, led to the crash of a spaceship.

    Need to get to work on causal and strong opening.

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  21. – The Challenger exploded on January, 1986, due to a catastrophic failure of the booster rockets. In order to bring the spacecraft from Utah to Florida, it had to go through the Rocky Mountains disassembled because the spacecraft wouldn’t fit through the railroad tunnels. To reassemble those parts, O-Rings were used to seal the parts together. However, the O-Rings were not able to handle the pressure exerted from the booster rockets. One odd causality to this is the set standard size of how wide chariots were by the Roman Empire, which was approximately the width of two horses. This standard was adopted by the English and later used with railroad tracks, which affected the size of tunnels making them as small as they are now.
    – All the essays in class are 1000 words which are part of the 3000 word essay where it will generate a proposal.
    – Housekeeping: meet with the professor, finish assignments by deadline, ask for feedback, and don’t give up.
    – Today would be used to start our causal argument essay in class which gives us the opportunity for some live feedback.

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  22. – In class workshop – start causal argument
    – Challenger exploded in 1986 due to catastrophic failure of booster rockets
    – Housekeeping – stay on top of work

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