English 104, Section 22: College Writing and Rhetoric

MWF 1:00-1:50 Eder 216

 

Dr. Michael Charlton, EFLJ, Eder 212F

Office Hours:  M 2:00-3:30

T 11:00-12:30

W 12:00-1:00

F 12:00-1:00

mcharlton@missouriwestern.edu

 

Course Description:

This class is intended as a continuation of your experience with writing, whether that was in high school or in English 100.  Specifically, we’re here to talk about what college writing is and how standards and expectations for college writing differ from your previous experience.  We want to prepare you not just for the second comp course, English 108, but for much of the writing you will be expected to do in college, whether your major is literature, business, or nursing.

 

Some of the goals for this class include analytical reading skills and the ability to closely read texts, critical writing skills in a variety of genres and modes, using research and credible sources in your writing, and learning to write with a greater awareness of and focus on your audience and purpose (particularly the red-pen-wielding college professor audience). 

 

Required Materials:

  • Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings
  • A course folder in which you submit all major assignments – this simple manila or pocket folder is cumulative, so that when it is turned in at the final exam it should include all of your graded final drafts
  • In an effort to save you some textbook costs, I did not order a second book for this class.  However, we will actually be reading another book: Helen Keller’s autobiography The Story of My Life.  If you want to purchase a print copy of this book, there are editions on Amazon.com as low as two dollars (several of you could get together and save on shipping costs).  If you don’t mind reading it online, there are free copies at Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2397) and an illustrated edition at the University of Pennsylvania (http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/keller/life/life.html#I)

 

One Big Content Note:

In an effort to save paper and printing costs in these difficult economic times, Western has pushed us to limit the amount of handouts and printouts we use in class.  All of these materials (syllabi, assignment schedules, assignment sheets, handouts, etc.) can be found either on the O drive (look for EFLJ/Charlton/Fall 2009/Comp) or on WebCT.   

 

Major Assignments and Grading:

There will be four major papers, each worth 20% of the final grade (200 points each).  Our first paper will focus on using readings in They Say, I Say and a couple of external sources to argue about the merits of mass media like television, movies, and video games.  Our second paper will focus on learning what types of writing you will be expected to do in your major and in your future career through observations, interviews, and other research.  Our third paper will focus on autobiography, as you read Ms. Keller’s moving story and tell your own.  Our fourth paper will focus on music, as you make an argument about protest songs (and write your own).     

 

The remaining 20% of the grade will be made of homework, quizzes, and class participation.  Homework is generally short reading or writing assignments.  Quizzes may or may not be announced beforehand.  Broadly speaking, if the class as a whole is keeping up with the reading and response assignments, quizzes tend to be few and far between; conversely, if the class as a whole does not seem to be keeping up with the reading and response assignments, quizzes become more frequent (and of the “pop” variety).  Class participation does not mean simply attending class on a regular basis.  It means coming prepared and taking an active and constructive role in class discussions and group work.  People who seldom ask questions or make comments in class rarely receive the best class participation scores.    

 

This course uses a normal grading scale: 90-100% (900-1000 points earned) is an A, 80-89% (800-899 points earned) is a B, 70-79% (700-799 points earned) is a C, 60-69% (600-699 points earned) is a D, and 0-59% (0-599 points earned) is an F.

 

To anticipate a few grading questions: no, I do not curve; no, I do not assign extra credit; no, I do not normally round up.  Generally speaking, I think the normal coursework and the re-write policy (see below) offer you ample opportunities to demonstrate your work in this class.

 

Re-write Policy:

With a few exceptions, I will normally allow you to re-write a paper receiving a grade of 75% or below.  This does not include papers found guilty of cheating and/or plagiarism, papers which were incomplete or not turned in at the due date, and any other circumstances which I feel would make it unfair to other students for you to receive a second chance (such as papers that were obviously intended as a rough draft). 

 

Any person wanting to re-write a paper must schedule an appointment outside of class with me within a week of the graded paper being returned in which we will discuss the original paper and your plans for revision.  We will set a deadline for the re-write at this time (generally a week to two weeks from the conference date). 

 

Your grade on the re-write will be the two averaged scores.  For example, if your original draft received 70 points and your re-write received 130 points, you would receive 100 points for your final score.   

 

Since it is turned in at the final exam, Paper 4 cannot be rewritten.

 

Final Exam:

Monday, December 7th at 11:30-1:20 in our regular classroom

 

Attendance:

You are allowed five unexcused absences.  The sixth unexcused absence will result in automatic failure of this course.  Please note that this is Western’s policy and that I have no control over it, though it is my job to enforce it.    

 

Students representing the university in officially sanctioned activities must give notice before their absence.  All absences due to illness must be documented in order to be excused.  Documentation must be presented immediately after the student returns to class.

 

Be to class on time.  Being late or leaving early will result in absences.

 

Academic Honesty:

Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors.  Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity.  Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University.  When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.

 

Please see the 2009-10 Student Handbook for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

 

Special Needs:

Any student who has a special need or disability that might affect performance in this course should contact the appropriate MWSU coordinator for assistance. Also, let me know immediately so that arrangements can be made to make sure your needs are met as quickly and completely as possible.

 

Final Notes:

Please visit me in my office.  If you cannot come by during my posted office hours, please make an appointment.

 

I encourage lively discussion but please show appropriate respect for the learning environment, including your peers.  If your behavior is insulting or disruptive, you may be asked to leave and counted absent for the day.

 

Please turn off all cell phones upon entering the classroom.  I think I’m a fairly reasonable person but I really, really hate ringing cell phones.  It interrupts discussions, lectures, and activities and can make it difficult to get back on track.  For the same reason, don’t check or send messages during class (trust me, you’re not as stealthy as you think you are).     

 

Assignment Schedule:

All assignments are tentative and subject to change.  Unless otherwise noted, reading assignments refer to They Say, I Say.

 

8/24 – Introductions

Homework for Next Class:  Read Introduction

 

8/26 – Paper 1 Assignment Sheet / Entering the (College) Conversation

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 1; Zinczenko, “Don’t Blame the Eater” and Balko, “What You Eat is Your Business”

 

8/28 – “They Say”

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 2; Banzhaf, “Lawsuits . . .” and Engler, “Obesity”

 

8/31 – Summarizing

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 3; Schlosser, “Your Trusted Friends”, Orbach, “Fat as a Feminist Issue”, Campos, “Being Fat is OK”

 

9/2 – Quoting

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 4; Sklar, “The Growing Gulf”, Bartlett, “The Truth about Wages”, The Economist, “Inequality and the American Dream”, Obama, “A More Perfect Union”

 

9/4 – Responding

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 5; Krugman, “Confronting Inequality”, Olsson, “Up Against Wal-Mart”, Mallaby, “Progressive Wal-Mart”, Draut, “The Growing College Gap”

 

9/7 – Labor Day Holiday/No Class

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 5; Krugman, “Confronting Inequality”, Olsson, “Up Against Wal-Mart”, Mallaby, “Progressive Wal-Mart”, Draut, “The Growing College Gap”

 

9/9 – Distinguishing Your Viewpoint / Paper 1 Assignment Sheet

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 6; Johnson, “Watching TV”, Stevens, “Thinking Outside the Idiot Box”, Goldwasser, “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?”

 

9/11 – Skeptics

Homework for Next Class:  Reader Chapter 7; Rushkoff, “Bart Simpson”, Peacocke, “Family Guy and Freud”, Turkle, “Can You Hear Me Now?”

 

9/­14 – Establishing Significance and Presence (Kairos)

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 8; Chast, “The I.M.s of Romeo and Juliet”, Rockler-Gladen, “Me Against the Media”, Will, “Reality Television”, Graff, “Hidden Intellectualism”

 

9/16 – Knitting It Up / Structuring the Argument

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 9

 

9/­18 – Your Voice

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 10

 

9/21 – Metacommenting

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 11

 

9/23 – The Professor as Reader (Purpose, Ethos, Pathos, Logos)

Homework for Next Class:  Read Chapter 12

9/25 – Research as Learning the Conversation

Homework for Next Class:  Locate your two external sources, print, and bring to class

 

9/28 – Integrating Your Secondary Research / Citation

Homework for Next Class:  Attend scheduled conference with professor

 

9/30 – Paper 1 Conferences, Day 1

Homework for Next Class:  Attend scheduled conference with professor

 

10/2 – Paper 1 Conferences, Day 2

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Paper 1 Rough Draft

 

10/5 – Paper 1 Peer Review

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Paper 1 Final Draft

 

10/7 – Paper 1 Due / Paper 2 Assignment Sheet / Writing Your Career

Homework for Next Class:  Write one-sentence topic proposal (major, planned career)

 

10/9 – Midterm Break/No Class

Homework for Next Class:  Write one-sentence topic proposal (major, planned career)

 

10/12 – Reading Job Ads and Employment Profiles

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Job Ad Activity

 

10/14 – Observing the Environment

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Observation Activity

 

10/16 – Interviewing

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Draft of Professor Interview Questions

 

10/19 – Practice Interview

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Interview / Bring In Notes

 

10/21 – Integrating Primary Sources

Homework for Next Class:  Continue Work on Rough Draft; bring drafting materials (notes, etc.) to class

 

10/23 – Workshop Day

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Paper 2 Rough Draft

 

10/26 – Paper 2 Peer Review

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Paper 2 Final Draft

 

10/28 – Paper 2 Due / Paper 3 Assignment Sheet / Reading Autobiographies

Homework for Next Class:  Read Keller, Chapters 1-7 

 

10/30 – Autobiography as Personal Reflection

Homework for Next Class:  Read Keller, Chapters 8-14

 

11/2 – Autobiography as Argument

Homework for Next Class:  Read Keller, Chapters 15-21

 

11/4 – Your Autobiography

Homework for Next Class:  Read Keller, Chapters 22 and 23; complete one-sentence topic proposal (event, significance)

 

11/6 – Setting the Scene

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Scene Description Activity

 

11/9 – Describing the Characters

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Character Description Activity

 

11/11 – Making the Speeches

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Dialogue Activity

 

11/13 – Creating a Dominant Impression

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Paper 3 Rough Draft

 

11/16 – Paper 3 Peer Review

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Paper 3 Final Draft  

 

11/18 – Paper 3 Due / Paper 4 Assignment Sheet / Defining Protest Songs

Homework for Next Class:  Complete Protest Song Activity

 

11/20 – Listening to Protest Songs

Homework for Next Class:  Complete topic proposal (song, topic protested)

 

11/23 – Arguing about Protest Songs

Homework for Next Class:  Complete introductory paragraph

 

11/25 – Thanksgiving Break/No Class

Homework for Next Class:  Complete introductory paragraph

 

11/27 – Thanksgiving Break/No Class

Homework for Next Class:  Complete introductory paragraph

 

11/30 – Writing Your Protest

Homework for Next Class:  Complete draft of your own protest song 

 

12/2 – Linking Past and Present

Homework for Next Class:  Complete draft of comparison paragraph; bring drafting materials in for workshop

 

12/4 – Workshop

Homework for Final Exam:  Complete Paper 4 Final Draft for Final Exam slot

 

Final Exam:  Monday, December 7th at 11:30-1:20 in our regular classroom

Paper 4 Due