Advanced Comp: Project 4

Purpose: This unit is based on the Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971, in which young male volunteers took on the roles of guards and inmates in a simulated prison. As experimenter Philip Zimbardo has said, "Our planned two-week investigation into the psychology of prison life had to be ended prematurely after only six days because of what the situation was doing to the college students who participated." What exactly happened and why will be one of the things we'll explore about this experiment.

But we will also tie the experiment into more general ideas about human nature by using critical thinking techniques and, in particular, by comparing the experiment's results with the theories of psychologist Carol Gilligan. In the final draft of your paper, you will develop a thesis as an answer to this question: Does what happened in the Stanford Prison Experiment support what Carol Gilligan has said about rules, relationships, and "women's morality"? Why (or why not)?

This unit will emphasize skills in critical thinking and in using informal writing to develop ideas, then developing a claim about those ideas and arguing the claim, using strong evidence, in a formal paper.

Process: Reading, rereading, using informal writing to answer questions about the text, discussing, and synthesizing an answer to the question based on techniques from the LBH used to develop ideas about Gilligan's theories and the Stanford experiment. Details on the schedule below.

Audience: You are writing to describe your experience to your peers in this class and to me, your teacher. These people have read the same materials in this unit as you have, so they know the basics of both the experiment and Gilligan's theories -- you do not have to fill us in on everything in these materials. What the audience will want to know is your answer to the question about Gilligan and the experiment, and the reasons why you think this answer is a reasonable one.

Format: Your final draft should be word-processed in a readable plain font like Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style, double-spaced, and at least 1000 words (four pages long).

Grading Criteria: I will grade your project based on the criteria for the Comp Co-op. In terms of this particular assignment, I'll be looking for:
1. The writing synthesizes the information about Gilligan's theories and the Stanford Prison Experiment to make an argument about human psychology/morality in general.
2. The argument displays the use of critical thinking skills.
3. The argument uses sufficient, accurate, and relevant evidence to support its claim.
4. Clear organization of the material, so that the reader has sufficient information to understand your point and so the reader is not confused by the order in which you present the material.
5. Grammar, spelling, and format display pride in your work and careful proofreading.

Schedule:

2/29 HOMEWORK: Read through the entire slide show presentation about the Stanford Prison Experiment, and look at the YouTube clips. Make sure you have a good handle on what happened during the experiment. Pick three of the discussion questions that you think will help you write about the experiment, and write answers to them informally (freewrite/journal style).

3/5 The Heinz dilemma. Part 2. Group Reading Activity. HOMEWORK: Watch the online documentary about the SPE. Write notes about the following question: Based on what you've read about Gilligan's theories, when are people involved in the experiment acting in a typically male way, or in a typically female way? Brainstorm/freewrite/cluster about this question.

3/7 Group Reading Activity, Continued. HOMEWORK: Do a Discovery Draft on this paper: remembering that you're trying to explore possibilities/ask questions/clarify your thinking, not finish anything. Length: 1-2 double-spaced pages.

3/12 Work period on Discovery Draft. HOMEWORK: Review the slide show presentation and the online documentary, looking for specific examples of decisions made during the SPE which Gilligan would see as determined by "male" or "female" thinking processes. Be able to say why these thought process are male or female from Gilligan's point of view. Take good notes about what you can say about these particular examples to use in your draft.

3/14 Work period of second draft. Structure: the Given-new contract; paragraph structure possibilities for this paper. DUE DATE: Revision of Project 1. HOMEWORK: Complete your second draft and bring in two copies of it for Monday's workshop.

3/19 WORKSHOP. Make sure you have TWO copies of your draft for your workshop group. Homework: Finish your paper to turn in on Wednesday. Bring your copy of Projects 2 and 3 and your handbook; we'll work on Error Logs for those papers on Wednesday and you can ask any questions you have about revising the content of these projects. Revisions for Projects 2 & 3 are due on the day we're back from Spring Break, April 2.

3/21 Project 4 due.

	Advanced Composition: Project 4
	Stanford Prison Project
	Purpose: This unit is based on the Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971, in which young male volunteers took on the roles of guards and inmates in a simulated prison. As experimenter Philip Zimbardo has said, "Our planned two-week investigation into the psychology of prison life had to be ended prematurely after only six days because of what the situation was doing to the college students who participated." What exactly happened and why will be one of the things we'll explore about this experiment. But we will also tie the experiment into more general ideas about human nature by using critical thinking techniques and, in particular, by comparing the experiment's results with the theories of psychologist Carol Gilligan. In the final draft of your paper, you will develop a thesis as an answer to this question: Does what happened in the Stanford Prison Experiment support what Carol Gilligan has said about rules, relationships, and "women's morality"? Why (or why not)? This unit will emphasize skills in critical thinking and in using informal writing to develop ideas, then developing a claim about those ideas and arguing the claim, using strong evidence, in a formal paper. Process: Reading, rereading, using informal writing to answer questions about the text, discussing, and synthesizing an answer to the question based on techniques from the LBH used to develop ideas about Gilligan's theories and the Stanford experiment. Details on the schedule below. Audience: You are writing to describe your experience to your peers in this class and to me, your teacher. These people have read the same materials in this unit as you have, so they know the basics of both the experiment and Gilligan's theories -- you do not have to fill us in on everything in these materials. What the audience will want to know is your answer to the question about Gilligan and the experiment, and the reasons why you think this answer is a reasonable one. Format: Your final draft should be word-processed in a readable plain font like Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style, double-spaced, and at least 1000 words (four pages long). Grading Criteria: I will grade your project based on the criteria for the Comp Co-op. In terms of this particular assignment, I'll be looking for: 1. The writing synthesizes the information about Gilligan's theories and the Stanford Prison Experiment to make an argument about human psychology/morality in general. 2. The argument displays the use of critical thinking skills. 3. The argument uses sufficient, accurate, and relevant evidence to support its claim. 4. Clear organization of the material, so that the reader has sufficient information to understand your point and so the reader is not confused by the order in which you present the material. 5. Grammar, spelling, and format display pride in your work and careful proofreading. Schedule: 2/29 HOMEWORK: Read through the entire slide show presentation about the Stanford Prison Experiment, and look at the YouTube clips. Make sure you have a good handle on what happened during the experiment. Pick three of the discussion questions that you think will help you write about the experiment, and write answers to them informally (freewrite/journal style). 3/5 The Heinz dilemma. Part 2. Group Reading Activity. HOMEWORK: Watch the online documentary about the SPE. Write notes about the following question: Based on what you've read about Gilligan's theories, when are people involved in the experiment acting in a typically male way, or in a typically female way? Brainstorm/freewrite/cluster about this question. 3/7 Group Reading Activity, Continued. HOMEWORK: Do a Discovery Draft on this paper: remembering that you're trying to explore possibilities/ask questions/clarify your thinking, not finish anything. Length: 1-2 double-spaced pages. 3/12 Work period on Discovery Draft. HOMEWORK: Review the slide show presentation and the online documentary, looking for specific examples of decisions made during the SPE which Gilligan would see as determined by "male" or "female" thinking processes. Be able to say why these thought process are male or female from Gilligan's point of view. Take good notes about what you can say about these particular examples to use in your draft. 3/14 Work period of second draft. Structure: the Given-new contract; paragraph structure possibilities for this paper. DUE DATE: Revision of Project 1. HOMEWORK: Complete your second draft and bring in two copies of it for Monday's workshop. 3/19 WORKSHOP. Make sure you have TWO copies of your draft for your workshop group. Homework: Finish your paper to turn in on Wednesday. Bring your copy of Projects 2 and 3 and your handbook; we'll work on Error Logs for those papers on Wednesday and you can ask any questions you have about revising the content of these projects. Revisions for Projects 2 & 3 are due on the day we're back from Spring Break, April 2. 3/21 Project 4 due.