Author Archives: davidbdale

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About davidbdale

My name honors my mother Beatrice (Bea) and my father Dale. I am the author of 299 Very Short Novels and several plays and the Artistic Director of Must See Theater company.

A08: Definition Essay

Posted on March 1, 2012 by davidbdale

Your first paper is due THU MAR 08. It will make an argument essential to your Research Paper, which is not due until late April. You’ll write three short papers in total this semester, each proving something essential about your … Continue reading →

Posted in Assignments, David Hodges, Professor Posts, x Definition Essay | 23 Comments

A07: My White Paper

Posted on February 28, 2012 by davidbdale

White Paper: Your Research Thesis The time has come for you to produce a White Paper on your chosen research topic. For Thursday you’ll owe me a post which, like my sample White Paper “Why We Still Have Polio,” will … Continue reading →

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Quotation Skills

Posted on February 23, 2012 by davidbdale

Rarely does the perfect quotation offer itself up for us to use right “out of the box.” Sources are notorious for phrasing their remarks awkwardly, or in ways that don’t fit into the sentences we had planned for them, or … Continue reading →

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Tips for Better Proposals

Posted on February 22, 2012 by davidbdale

Your classmate Brett Lang was smart. He published his Proposal, 5 Sources post early, to benefit from feedback before the deadline so his revised draft will be as good as it can be. His willingness to invite scrutiny early will … Continue reading →

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A06: Proposals, 5 Sources

Posted on February 21, 2012 by davidbdale

The oral presentations you’ve been making are essentially pitches. If you make a strong enough case that I can feel confident you have a narrow topic and a good plan, I’m happy for you to proceed to do your research … Continue reading →

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Does Fame Kill?

Posted on February 19, 2012 by davidbdale

Those who claim, such as Kathleen Parker, that fame killed Whitney Houston, must mean that if her first album had bombed she would be alive today. How provable is that thesis? How sufficient is the evidence? How relevant, how accurate, … Continue reading →

Posted in Counterintuitivity, David Hodges, Professor Posts | 2 Comments

India Polio-Free for One Year

Posted on February 19, 2012 by davidbdale

Anyone still interested in the polio story will want to know that the last reported case of polio infection was just more than one year ago and did not result in permanent paralysis. Since January of 2011, no case of … Continue reading →

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3 More Counterintuitivities

Posted on February 18, 2012 by davidbdale

CAN A CHEESEBURGER BE A PLACEBO? This is really hard to believe. You’re all familiar with the placebo effect, I imagine. Patients engaged as subjects in a study to test the effectiveness of a new medication routinely receive one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Counterintuitivity, David Hodges, Professor Posts | 2 Comments

More Topics for Students Looking to Counter Their Intuitions

Posted on February 18, 2012 by davidbdale

Bad Economy keeps couples together It seems illogical, but a bad economy might keep couples from divorcing. Of course, the legal process of divorce can be expensive, what with all the legal fees, but it’s also very difficult to split … Continue reading →

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Counterintuitive Budget Cuts

Posted on February 18, 2012 by davidbdale

I try to keep my politics in check in the classroom and just be upset about everything no matter which side of the House it comes from, so I apologize that the article this post links to has Republicans in … Continue reading →

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