English 108
syllabus
Fall
2004, T/Th 11:00-12:15
Kathleen
McCartan, Ph.D.
Asst.
Clinical Professor
Office:
V, Room 222, SSC Bldg.
Student/Teacher
Conferences: Please see me to arrange time/place
Office
phone:
E-mail:
welchka@umkc.edu or katmacartan@comcast.net
Course
Description
Welcome
to English 108: Writing, Healing, and the Humanities-a sophomore-level
composition class utilizing classroom discussion, academic research, and
revision in order to consider the real meaning of ?health? and ?illness? in our
lives today. We will look at how interpretations and misunderstandings of
terms (e.g., ?alternative healing,? ?traditional medicine,? ?curing,?
?healing?) distort the reality of what it means be a human being grappling with
life?s mysteries: illness, pain, joy, happiness, life, death, suffering,
growth and healing. Together we will move through a sequence of
integrated reading and writing assignments that focus on the relationships
among stories, language, health, illness, life/death/morality/ethics and
choice. Our central text, a novel, individually chosen by each student
from either the following list or another instructor-approved petition letter,
will explore various interpretations of the dilemmas we face in ?modern? life
situations. We will also do some other readings. I HIGHLY
ENCOURAGE STUDENT PARTICIPATION AND WELCOME STUDENT-DIRECTED DISCUSSION DAYS,
esp. EVERY TUESDAY, reading-discussion days.
In the
first unit, ?Narrative Representations: The Power of Stories,? we will consider
the impact of storytelling on self/other/subjective/objective
identity. Your assignment for this unit asks you to reflect
on the significance stories or possessions play in your own life. The
second unit, ?Interpreting a Novel,? focuses on interpretation, reading, and
the value of reflective reading. Each student examines one particular
book and focuses on ?reading? the text and ?writing? about its symbolic, real
and perceived layers of meaning. In your essay for this unit, you will
research and analyze your novel, engage with additional sources, and write an
interpretive novel review essay. In our final unit, ?Ethical
Dilemmas: What Kind of a (????), do I want/not want to Become?, we
will wrestle with the ethical challenge of how perception influences long and
short-term professional behavior as it is both understood and practiced in a
particular setting. This unit asks you to explore your own goals, beliefs
and practices and how you wish to function in a particular professional setting.
By taking up these challenging issues, we will be developing our own capacities
as thoughtful, attentive, and sophisticated language users who can move among a
variety of roles, contexts, and discourses as we examine the culture of health
and illness, and their roles in our everyday lives.
Texts & Materials
Successful
Writing, Maxine Hairston, Michael Keene
ONE
Novel of Democratic Class-Vote Choice:
Access
to Reference Handbook
A
folder for your reading/writing log
Portfolio
Notebook
Attendance
Because
class discussion, small group work, and in-class writing will be important
components of our class, your regular attendance and participation are required
in order for you to be successful in this class. If you are absent from
class, you are responsible for making up whatever work you miss and for finding
out what assignments are due during the next class period. For every
absence over four, your grade will be affected, unless you meet with me to
discuss your situation and work out additional e-mail correspondence; if you
miss class more than 8 times, your grade will be significantly lowered. You may
make up two to three absences by doing additional e-mail and/or Reading/Writing
activities. Please see me for additional details if you wish for further information
about this option.
Reading/Writing
Logs
Throughout
the semester you will be asked to do a number of informal writing assignments
in response to the reading, writing, and other activities that we are working
on in class. Some of this writing will be done in class and some will be
assigned as homework. The purposes for these writings are:
*to help you
prepare for class discussion
*to help
you work through ideas for your paper assignments
*to help
you think critically about your writing and reading habits
*to record
some of the thinking you have done about your reading and writing.
These
writings can be short. One double-spaced typed page is sufficient.
You may write longer ones if you wish. There will be one assigned
reading/writing log given per week this semester and you are required to
complete 10 by the end of 1st of December. You may choose which ones to
complete, but you must complete five by October 29th in order to receive full
credit. Turn them into me when you complete and I will return
promptly. Be sure to keep all of your entries together in a folder
or notebook. IF YOU COMPLETE MORE THAN 10, you may receive extra
credit for overall class participation. YOU ARE RESONSIBLE FOR KEEPING
ALL YOUR WRITTEN r/w LOGS TOGETHER UNTIL THE END OF SEMESTER. I will
collect all December 1st and assign a r/w log grade. I will return this
on the last day of course.
Portfolio: Over the course of the
semester, you will write three short focused (3-6 page) essays.
More specific prompts for the essay assignments will by distributed as
noted. You will receive my feedback and response to your essays, but
drafts will not receive individual grades. Instead, your portfolio as a
whole will be graded at the end of the semester, and you may continue revising
any of your essays until the final portfolio is due during exam week. You
will also have an opportunity to write a cover letter for your portfolio in
which you assess your own progress and performance. I will be talking
with you about my assessment of your work throughout the semester, and you
should feel free to ask at any time where you stand. Generally, though,
you will know how you are doing from comments on your papers. If there is
a major concern about your progress I will inform you immediately.
Peer
Response Work: Early in the semester, we
will form small groups whose primary responsibilities will be to read and
respond to group members? writing. During the peer response session, you
will be asked to respond carefully and conscientiously to each group member?s
draft. For each peer response workshop, you will be responsible for
making notes about the feedback your peers offer to you and for keeping track
of the feedback you offer to your peers. These written responses must be
turned in with the final draft. After each peer response session, you
will be asked to reflect upon your own roles in the peer response workshop and
to reflect upon the roles played by your fellow group members. These
reflections, along with your written responses to the drafts of your fellow
group members? texts, will help determine your grade for peer response and
class participation.
Paper
Format: All drafts and all essays must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch
margins, and you must turn in all previous drafts (and peer response notes)
along with your final drafts. Having all your notes and drafts available
when I read your final draft allows me to offer you more specific and detailed
responses to your work and helps me better understand how you?re developing as
a writer and reader.
Plagiarism: Intentionally using
someone words (or ideas) as your own is a serious offense in the
university. If you have questions about proper citation and documentation
of any sources you are using, please see me. YOU WILL RECEIVE AN F FOR THIS
COURSE IF I DON?T SEE THE DRAFT PROCESS FOR ALL PAPERS WRITTEN IN THIS
CLASS. Since roughly 25% of college students CHEAT today, I WILL NOT GIVE
CREDIT TO ANY WORK DONE WITHOUT PROOF THAT YOU ARE DOING YOUR OWN WORK AND
ENGAGING IN THE PROCESS of READING, WRITING, and THINKING. SEE ME IF YOU
ARE CONCERNED ABOUT VERIFYING ORIGINALITY OF YOUR WORK.
Grade
Distribution
In
order to receive credit for the course, all of the following must be
completed. Failure to complete any one assignment will result in failure
of the course.
Portfolio of 3 Essays & Cover Letter
60%
Reading/Writing Logs (Due Dec. 1st)
20%
Peer Response Group & Class Participation
15%
Individual
Presentation
05%
COURSE CALENDAR
English108-FALL
2004
(Tentative,
ONGOING)
Monday,
September 7th
Discuss
Syllabus/Class Policies
Discuss
?The School,? Reading Assignment
Assign
Weekly r/w log Assignment/Distribute reading assignment
Thursday,
September 9th
READING
DISCUSSION DAY, Read Chapter 1 and 2, Successful Writing
Distribute
Day-to-Day Schedule for First Essay Unit