Dr. Ray L. Winstead
Professor of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

General Biology II
Supplemental Reading Assignment - Spring 2009

         This course is part of the university's Liberal Studies program and therefore, as mandated by the program, requires that you have a supplemental reading assignment beyond the textbook. The required supplemental reading as chosen by your lecture professor for the Spring semester  is the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales  by Oliver Sacks.  Read the entire book.
           
This assignment is worth 25 "lab points" and is due March 23rd, 24th, or 26th, depending on your regular lab day. Follow the instructions below EXACTLY.  Because of the subjectivity of the assignment, this assignment will be graded primarily on how closely you follow the instructions.  Also see the required Turnitin.com procedures.  The assignment consists of both a written and oral component as follows:

I. Written Assignment.

         Referring to THREE different "Tales," give your REACTION to each tale, and tell me why you think the way you do in some depth. (Also include a very brief summary of the chosen tale plus the page numbers in the book.) Perhaps you find that some of the author's attitude or interpretations about different issues, as reflected not only by his explicit statements but also by his choice of words, is something you wish to make a comment about. Tell me what you think. You might also include some different conclusions than the author's conclusions that you might draw from the tale about "normal" behavior based upon your own experiences.  One purpose of this assignment is to stimulate some independent thought. Note that just a summary, description, or evaluation of the book's contents is NOT what I am asking for. To fulfill this assignment you must give your reaction to specific parts of the book, based upon your own previous experiences and current perspectives. Your reaction is the most important part of this assignment and should make up most of the paper.  In addition to your comments about three tales from the book, tell me your reaction to the book as a whole - and tell me why. Furthermore, clearly organize and explicitly label the different sections of your paper in the following way:

     I. First Reaction.
           A) Brief Summary and Page numbers
           B) Reaction
     II. Second Reaction.
           A) Brief Summary and Page numbers
           B) Reaction
     III. Third Reaction.
           A) Brief Summary and Page numbers
           B) Reaction
     IV. Overall Reaction to the book

The written part of this assignment must be at least 1,000 words long.  (In Microsoft Word, go to Tools, then Word Count for this information.)  Be aware that plagiarism, e.g., copying from the Internet, on the supplemental reading assignment on this book will result in my strongly recommending to both the university and your lecture professor as the "instructor of record" for this course that a failing grade for the entire course be recorded as an appropriate sanction.  (Be aware that this penalty has been officially implemented in this course in the past.)

II. Oral Presentation.

During your supplemental reading assignment lab (March 23rd, 24th, or 26th, depending on your regular lab day), tell the rest of the lab class your reaction to one tale from your written report, plus tell the class your reaction to the entire book. You may read the quote or a short summary of an event, however the rest of the oral report is not to be read. The oral report should be about five minutes long.
NOTE: Although the lowest score of the lab tests will be dropped, the grade for this assignment will not be dropped. 

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Dr. Ray L. Winstead
Direct e-mail Link: RWinstea@iup.edu