English 301 - Advanced Composition
MWSC Division of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, & Journalism
12:00-12:50 MWF MC 211
Fall 2000 Instructor: Dr. Cynthia Jeney
Office: JMG T-309 (temporary location for Fall 2000)
Phone: 271-4447
Email: jeney@griffon.mwsc.edu
Office Hours: MW 3:30-4:30p.m. | T-Th 10 a.m. - 12 noon | By appointment Required texts and materials:
- Meyers, Lewis. Findings: Readings for Critical Writing.
- Williams, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace
- A working email account
- Journal (non-spiral) notebook
- 3.5” PC-formatted floppy disks
- A good college dictionary
- A good handbook (Guth, Hacker, Scott-Foresman, St. Martins, etc.) Course Objectives:
· To study and practice the tools writers can use to adapt their texts to various purposes and audiences.
· To learn to analytically and critically respond to the written discourse of others.
· To practice revision with your writing and the writing of others.
· To improve your ability to write clear, graceful prose.
· To “take risks” and establish your voice as a writer. About the course: This course will be conducted primarily as a writer’s workshop. We will do some writing nearly every class period, so always come with writing materials (including 3.5” floppy disks). We will be reading and commenting on each other’s writing both as a class, and in small groups. Each student will be required to keep a writer’s journal. This is not a diary, nor is it necessarily a reading journal. Use the journal as a way to explore different subjects—ideas that interest you, thoughts about any current writing projects, explorations of subjects that interest you, commentary of writing, speeches, programs, news stories, significant events, or whatever intrigues you. This course is an LAS Area of Focus class for writing. The course meets the objectives for an LAS writing course through formal writing assignments (the five essays) and informal assignments (short daily writing and the journal). Through practice, students will improve their writing. Through the study of, and experimentation with, essays, students will become familiar with the diversity of texts available to them as writers and as students of English. Assignments: There will be five essays assigned during the semester. The final essay will be a revision of an earlier piece. Early in the semester, I will give you very specific assignments, but later in the semester, you will have more freedom to choose your own topics. Grades will be weighted as follows:
10% Essay #1 (required)
15 % Essay #2 (required)
15% Essay #3 (required)
15% Essay #4 (required)
15% Essay #5 (required)
10% Journal and exercises
20% Class presentations and workshop participation
100% Total
Grading: I expect papers to have a clear thesis, reasonable organization and development, focused paragraphs, and sentence-level competency. During the course of the semester you should integrate the stylistic features we have been practicing. I also reward experimentation. If you want to try an unconventional approach to the essay, please do so. It is a good idea to see me with a draft and to explain what you are attempting, so I will know that when I grade your paper.
Note: Papers turned in late without an acceptable excuse will lose one letter grade for each business day they are late. Absences: Students with four unexcused absences will have their grade lowered one letter grade. In-class presentations and workshops cannot be made up. If you must miss class and know in advance please contact me. Allowances can be made for true emergencies and hardships (Note: trips to Baja and cousins’ weddings are not classified as emergencies or hardships) Academic honesty: “Since honesty in the classroom is required, cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college constitutes a violation.” Policy Guide II, B, C. In short, the work you turn in should be your own. Disabilities: Please let me know during the first week of class about any physical handicap or learning disability if you need special help or accommodation in order to do your best work. Tentative Course Schedule*
WEEK 1
August
M 21 Introduction. Syllabus & Schedule. Textbooks. Computers.
W 23 Williams 3-13 “Understanding Style”; Meyers 131-140 (Steinem,
White, Read, Anonymous, St.
Augustine)
F 25 Williams 14-37 “Correctness”; Meyers 152-177 (Manegold,
Tolstoy, Gomez, Galsworth,
La Rochefoucauld)
WEEK 2
M 28 Brainstorm Draft Due, Assignment #1--Literacy Narrative.
W 30 Meyers 7-42 “Introduction”
September
F 1 177-203 (Baldwin, Caras, Mukherjee, Fitzgerald)
WEEK 3
M 4 LABOR DAY HOLIDAY—NO CLASS MEETING
W 6 Meyers 227-238 (Arbus); Study groups – assign Williams Lessons
3-6 (41-137).
F 8 Groups continue planning presentations.
WEEK 4
M 11 DRAFT DUE: Assignment #1—Literacy Narrative. Workshop.
W 13 Williams 41-137 (group presentations: 3 & 4)
F 15 Williams 41-137 (group presentations: 5 & 6)
WEEK 5
M 18 FINAL DRAFT DUE: ESSAY #1; Assign Essay #2 (Supported Position)
Strategies of Persuasion.
W 20 Classical Rhetoric & written argument: Appeals, Stasis, Kairos,
Aristotelian Topoi (Handout)
F 22 Modern rhetorical strategies; Evaluating sources – Print, Web,
Primary research.
WEEK 6
M 25 Meyers 241-259 (Ovid, Aristotle, Emerson, Thomas, Corey,
Sagan); First Journal Check.
W 27 Developing a Primary Research Question: (Why do people believe
_______________?)
F 29 Meyers 260-283 (Hesse, Lévy-Strauss, Audubon Society, Strutzel)
WEEK 7
October
M 2 WORKING DRAFT DUE: Supported Position.
W 4 Meyers 283-316 (Markham, Dillard, Angier, NYT, Stegner)
F 6 Continue Discussion: Meyers 241-316; Research questions;
Strategies for argumentation.
WEEK 8
M 9 COLUMBUS DAY – NO CLASS MEETING W 11 FINAL DRAFT DUE: ESSAY #2 (Supported Argument);
Assign Essay #3 (‘Zine, E-zine or Special Interest Website)
F 13 Working the Web (Mondo 2000, Planning, Research, Design)
WEEK 9
M 16 Meyers 356-362 (Williams, Cicero, Kolakowski)
W 18 Meyers 362-387 (Anderson, Kael et. al., SDS, Chiaromonte)
F 20 Meyers 390-410 (Shapiro, Brittain, Takaki)
WEEK 10
M 23 WORKING DRAFT DUE: ESSAY #3
W 25 Williams 219-249 “Ethics in Prose”
F 27 Second Journal Check. Meyers 420-444
WEEK 11
M 30 FINAL DRAFT DUE: ESSAY #3; Assign Essay #4 (Social Problems Then & Now).
November
W 1 Traditional Tales – Meyers 44-54; 66-82 (Eliade, Hamilton,
Radin; Crossley-Holland; Lagerkvist;
Bullfinch, Guerber, Ross, Capek, Kafka).
F 3 Library day: Folktales & Myths.
WEEK 12
M 6 Workshop: Stories, Myths, Tales, Allegories, Parables.
W 8 Informal presentations: Traditional Tales & Social Problems
F 10 Informal presentations: Traditional Tales & Social Problems
WEEK 13
M 13 FINAL DRAFT DUE: ESSAY #4; Assign Essay #5
W 15 Voice (cf: Bakhtin); Imitation exercises.
F 17 Parody, Politics, & Art.
WEEK 14
M 20 WORKING DRAFT DUE: Essay #5
W 22 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY -- NO CLASS MEETING
F 24 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY -- NO CLASS MEETING
WEEK 15
M 27 Impersonation workshop – read aloud if you like!
W 29 Third (final) Journal Check.
December
F 1 Last class meeting. Open. FINALS WEEK 16
W 6 11:30-1:20 FINAL DRAFT DUE: ESSAY #5
* Schedule is subject to change, to accommodat
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