1. Operation Empathy: Week 6
DAY 1: October 2nd, 2017

3. Freewrite….
This week, we will be reading and discussing a piece written by a psychologist who is, by his own admission, “against empathy.” In your journals….
Predict the argument that this expert might make for why empathy can be a bad thing. What might be the downsides of empathy? Explain.

4. Reminders….
Book club meeting #3 is tomorrow. Come ready with your role sheet completed!
Honors students, our 3rd honors seminar is tomorrow during lunch. Make sure to comment on somebody else’s comment on your online discussion forum.
Bring in an edited copy of your college essay on Thursday.

5. “Against Empathy” – an essay by Paul Bloom
You have this hour plus one hour tomorrow to read the article along with 2 of the selected responses to it (available online). On Wednesday, we will have a graded socratic seminar about this text. It’s your choice how you prepare for this seminar, but some options are:
Read the article out loud with a buddy or small group, pausing to annotate and to summarize what you’ve read in your own words.
Launch the article by reading out loud with a buddy and then, once you’re both clear, read silently.
Read the article on your own silently and then find someone with whom to talk about it.

6. Interviews: “dos”
DO tell the interviewee why you want to interview them.
DO tell the interviewee that you are genuinely curious about their experiences and that you really appreciate their willingness to share these experiences with you.
DO ask if it’s okay to record the interview. Tell the interviewee that you will not use their name later unless they are comfortable with it.
DO start with easier questions that help to establish a strong relationship.
DO push for specificity. If an interviewee is being too general, ask, “can you think of an example of a time when that happened?” or something along those lines.
DO ask follow-up questions, such as, “Can you tell me more about how that felt?” or, “What makes you say that?”

7. Interviews: “don’ts”
DON’T make the interviewee feel like he/she is being asked to speak for every member of his or her “group.”
DON’T communicate your own views; this isn’t about you.
DON’T just jump into big, hard, deep questions.
DON’T let the interviewee stay only in the realm of generalizations.
DON’T end the interview without thanking them for their time and insight
DON’T forget to invite the interviewee to our exhibition night: 6pm on Tuesday, 11/14, at HTHCV.

8. In your groups, draft and/or revise your interview protocols!

9. Project reflection 1 (individual)
Open a new document in your group’s shared folder. Title it: “FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_PROJECT REFLECTIONS.” Then write the date and respond to the prompts below.
What are you most excited about in this project so far? Why?
What are you anxious or confused about with respect to the project? Explain?
On a scale from 1-10, with 10 being “highly productive,” how productive have YOU been as a member of your group during project-time this week? Give specific evidence.

10. Operation Empathy: Week 6
DAY 2: October 3rd, 2017

11. Book club meeting #3!
“When you’re writing a book that is going to be a narrative with characters and events, you’re walking very close to fiction, since you’re using some of the methods of fiction writing. You’re lying, but some of the details may well come from your general recollection rather than from the particular scene. In the end it comes down to the readers. If they believe you, you’re OK. A memoirist is really like any other con man; if he’s convincing, he’s home. If he isn’t, it doesn’t really matter whether it happened, he hasn’t succeeded in making it feel convincing.”
--Samuel Hynes

12. “Against Empathy…” Finish reading and annotating the essay.
Read and in your own words summarize 1-2 of the responses to Bloom’s essay (responses are online).
Prepare notes to help you respond to the seminar question for tomorrow:
We have spent the last 5+ weeks operating under the assumption that empathy is good and desirable. How does Bloom’s argument complicate this assumption? Do you find his arguments convincing? Why or why not? Try and draw in other texts and/or experiences from this class into your conversation.

13. Operation Empathy: Week 6
DAY 3: Ocbtober 4th, 2017

14. Socratic seminar!
We have spent the last 5+ weeks operating under the assumption that empathy is good and desirable. What is Bloom’s argument about empathy, and how does it complicate this assumption? Do you find his arguments convincing? Why or why not? Try and draw in other texts and/or experiences from this class into your conversation.

15. Sentence-combining workshop: part 1

16. Operation Empathy: Week 6
DAY 4: Ocbtober 5th, 2017

17. Sentence-combining part 2

18. Operation Empathy: Week 6
DAY 5: Ocbtober 6th, 2017

19. Book club meeting #4
Open a google document and make a list of major themes.

20. Fill out the reflection form fully
Book club debrief….
Fill out the reflection form fully
Share out your goals with your group

21. Honors discussion #3:

22. Reminders…..
Your next book club meeting is next TUESDAY at the start of class! Read and prepare your role sheet over the weekend.
Honors students, don’t forget to read & post your responses on your online forum by Sunday night.
We will be doing a workshop on your college essays on Thursday of next week. Polish them!

23. Book club meeting 2: noticing your author’s choices
“Memoir isn’t the summary of a life; it’s a window into a life, very much like a photograph in its selective composition. It may look like a casual and even random calling up of bygone events. It’s not; it’s a deliberate construction. ”
--William Zinsser, in On Writing Well

24. Advisory: gratitude circle
Think of TWO people in the circle that you would like to offer your gratitude or appreciation to for something specific from this week. When it’s your turn, explain who you’re offering gratitude to and why. Choose the person out of your two that has received the least gratitude so far.