Writing Assignments

Activity Sheet per French 149 Novel

two Cheikh Hamidou Kane’s Ambiguous Adventure:

Part I, chapters 8-9 & Part II, Chapters 1-4 (1) You need to prepare these activities at home, type them on your computer and bring your

work to class on the dates indicated below. These will count as a journal entry. You will give all of your activities on the date indicated below to your teacher.

(2) All written answers need to be in coherent paragraphs and/or clear complete sentences.

Deadlines:

 Monday, February 19: Presidents Day, No Class.

 For Monday, February 26: → I will prepare the activities #1-5 as described below. → I will write Essay #1 on Camara Laye’s Dark Child, bring a paper copy of this essay

with proof of submission to Turnitin, and submit it to Turnitin by class time. → If I prefer, I have the option to write my Film Essay #1 on Africa, bring a paper copy

of this film essay with proof of submission to Turnitin, and submit this essay to Turnitin by class time.

→ I will decide if I want to do a creative/semester project or not and submit my proposal for such a project no later than March 5.

 Note that all activities about Ambiguous Adventure are due on the day we finish with the reading of this book, namely Monday, March 5.

Activity #1: At home.

 Read the sections you have not read before (i.e. Sections 3-8) in the second document, “Introduction to Cheikh Hamidou Kane.” These are: “A Brief Intro Islam” (#4), “Concept of Négritude” (#5), “Two French philosophers discussed in Ambiguous Adventure” (#6), “Christianity as discussed in AA” (#7) & “Ideological conflict between Islam and the Western World” (#8).

 Answer the following questions about these sections, in coherent paragraphs and/or complete sentences: (1) Section #4: What are 5 facts you have learned about Islam? Explain why they are

significant in 1-2 lines. (2) Section #5: Explain as completely as possible and in 3-4 lines what “Négritude” means. (3) Sections #6 & #7, answer each of the following questions in 4-5 lines:

→ Who is St Augustine? You might want to use the Internet to answer this question. → How do Descartes and Pascal differ from each other in terms of faith?

 If you have not done so yet, you may want to check the last two pages of this second document, namely:

→ Section 9 summarizes all the chapters of the books → Section 10, a map of Senegal, shows where the Samba Diallo of Ambiguous

Adventure comes from. Activity #2: At home.

 Read Parts I, ch. 8-9 & II, ch. 1-4 of Kane’s novel Ambiguous Adventure.

 When you have done the assigned reading, do the following in writing: (1) Give each of these chapters a short title (5-6 words) that summarizes each of these

chapters. (2) Choose one of the new characters appearing in the first 4 chapters of Part II. Present

this character in a 10-line paragraph and write down two quotes pertaining to that character. Explain why these two quotes strike you.

Activity #3: At home.

 Have you subscribed to the New York Times on line?

 If not, check the first Activity Sheet for Ambiguous Adventure or the Announcements for instructions as to how to subscribe to the New York Times for FREE.

 Which two articles are you going to read for the next class? A reminder: No need to download and/or to summarize them. We will be discussing them in class.

Activity #4: At home. No need to comment about Activity #4.

 Do you want to improve your reading skills?

 If so, go to the “How To” folder on Blackboard (the sixth blue folder from the top on the left side of your screen on Blackboard).

 Open “How to Read?” in the “How To” folder.

 Read one or all first three documents in “How to Read?”, namely: → “Types of Reading” presents the many ways you can read a text based on the on the

materials you need to read and the different reading purposes. → “Speed Reading Self-Pacing Methods: A Crash Course” proposes different reading

techniques to read faster. Click here if you want a demonstration of these techniques.

→ “How Do I Read a Novel Faster?” gives you some tricks to be a more efficient reader.

 I hope these three documents will help you with your future reading assignments. Activity #5: At home.

 Do you want to do a creative/semester project?

 If so, check the description of such a project on page 7 of your syllabus.

 For instructions as to how to develop such a project, go to the “How To” folder on Blackboard (the sixth blue folder from the top on the left side of your screen on Blackboard).

 Open “How to Develop a Semester Project/Creative Activity?” in the “How To” folder.

 Read the following documents:

→ “What is a creative/semester project?” summarizes in 2 slides what it is. → “What kind of semester project could I do?” suggests different projects you could do.

BTW: The sky is the limit. The list is not restrictive! → “How Do I Write a Proposal for my Creative Activity/Semester Project?”: You need to

submit a proposal if you consider choosing to do such a project. This document tells you how to do it. BTW: Such proposals are routinely used in graduate schools! This activity will prepare you for graduate school.

 You might want to discuss your future project with your instructor before writing your proposal so as to know beforehand whether your idea is acceptable or not.

A reminder: Do not forget the two essays on 2 different books and your 2 film critiques. You need to write your 650-700 word for each essay. Use double spaces 3-4 pages. Or if you prefer, create a semester project and write 1 essay on a book and one on a film. Check the deadlines for these on your Overall Course Reading & Assignment Schedule.