UW--Marshfield-Wood County                                              James Alexander

        Fall 2002                                                                               Professor of English

        ENG 101: Composition I                                                      OFF  Rm 433                                                                                                                                             

        Sec. 1: MWF 9-9:50  Rm. 402                                              E-mail:  jalexand@uwc.edu 

        REVISED    9/5/02                                                               OFF TEL 389-6547

                                                                                                      

       Catalog Description: A writing course that focuses on the basic techniques of composition, 

       on the composing process with attention to drafts and revisions, and on coherence and

       organization of student essays.  Prereq: a grade of C or better in in Basics of Composition or

       exemption through a sufficiently high placement test score.  3 credits.

 

       TEXTBOOKS:

       Thomas Cooley, The Norton Sampler 5th Ed. 1997. Paperb.          

       Hodges,  Harbrace CollegeHandbook. 13th Ed.  Harcourt.

      

       Week 1      W-Impromptu

        Sept. 4           Introduction to the Course        

           -6           F-Problems in Writing                            

                             Handbook, Ch. 2, Sentence Fragments                                               

 

       Week 2      M-Sampler,  Davis, “Body Imperfect” (202) [questions]

       Sept. 9           Handbook, Ch. 7, Verbs

          -13              The hardest part of writing is finding something to say

                         W-Sampler, Grice, “Caught in the Widow’s Web” (433)

                              9:26 a.m.—moment of silence

                              Handbook, 310-11

                          F-In-class: Assignment 1: Using narrative to make a point                                   

      

       Week 3       M-Revising in class (of Assignment 1)

        Sept. 16     W-Describing

                -20                Sampler, Soto, “Like Mexicans  (218)

                               Handbook, 311-12

                           F-Handbook, Ch. 7a, Subject-verb agreement

                               Sampler, McDonald, “A View from the Bridge” (272) [questions]

 

       Week 4         M-In-class: Assignment 2: Description

        Sept. 23       W- Paraphrases and summaries 

          -27             F-Revising in class (of Assignment 2)

 

       Week 5         M-In class: Assignment 3: Paraphrasing and summarizing

        Sept. 30       W-Sentence combining exercises

         -Oct. 4            Handbook, Ch. 3, Comma Splices and Fused Sentences

                            F-Handbook, Ch. 6a, b, Pronoun-antecedent agreement

                               Revising in class (of Assignment 3)

 

 

       Week 6      CONFERENCES (at instructor's office--Rm 433)

        Oct. 7         NO CLASSES SCHEDULED IN THIS COURSE FOR THE WEEK

          -11

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Week 7      M-Handbook, Ch. 17, The Comma

        Oct. 14           Sampler, Watts, “The Color of Success” (95)  [questions]

           -18         W-Use of Examples

                               Abbey, from Desert Solitaire (electronic reserve: bring copy)

                              Handbook, Ch.27, c

                          F-In class: Assignment 4: Using illustrations and examples                   

                             

       Week  8      M-Introductions and Conclusions

        Oct. 21           Handbook, Ch. 28, f

           -25         W-Revising in class (of Assignment 4)

                          F-Slang

                             Upcoming assignment: defining a slang word

                             Handbook, Ch. 13 Good Usage, Appropriateness, b, c

                                               Ch. 12, Variety, a, b

 

       Week 9       M-Parallel passages

       Oct. 28       W-Abbey, from Desert Solitaire (electronic reserve: bring copy)

        -Nov. 1          Handbook, Ch. 10, Parallelism

                          F-In class: Assignment 5: Parallel passages

                              

        Week 10     M-Use of quotes

         Nov. 4            Handbook Ch. 20, Quotation Marks

            -8           W-Revising in class (of Assignment 5)                            

                           F-Comparison and Contrast

                               Sampler, Catton, "Grant and Lee..." (206)

                               Handbook, 314-316                          

                              

       Week 11       M-Sampler, Raver, “Pulling Up Roots  (234) [questions]

        Nov. 11            Out of class: field work on slang word to be defined

           -15           W-In class: Assignment 6: Comparison and contrast

                            F-Sentence combining

 

        Week 12       M-Assignment 6 returned—peer editing                                

         Nov. 18            Out of class: Revising of Assignment 6

           -22            W-Sampler, Ackerman, “Anosmia” (183)

                             F-Handbook, Ch. 27, a, b:  Writing Paragraphs

      

       Week 13       M- Methods of Defining

        Nov. 25             Handbook, Ch. 27, d

         -27              W-In class: Assignment 7: Defining a slang word 

                           

 

                          THANKSGIVING RECESS    NOV. 28-29

 

 

 

 

 

      Week 14       M-Handbook, Ch. 19, The Apostrophe

       Dec. 2              Sampler,  Talbot, “The Potato: How It Shaped the World” (144) [questions]              

          -6             W-Assignment 7 returned

                               Out of class: Revising of Assignment 7 (due Mon. 12/11)

                               Sentence combining exercises

                               Handbook, Ch. 8, Consistency

                           F-In class: Assignment  8: Writing about fiction                                    

                             

                             

        Week 15      M-Revising in class (of Assignment 8)

         Dec. 9             Revision of Assignment 7 due

             -13         W-Handbook, Ch. 31b

                                Critical reading: data and judgments

                                Sampler, Quindlen, “The War on Drinks  (362)  [questions]

                            F-Review of course competencies                                                 

 

       Final Examination:  Tuesday, Dec. 17,  8-10 a.m., Room 402.

      

       The final examination will be comprehensive of the course: it will cover all the writing 

       techniques and principles of usage taught during the semester.

      

       Students are required to write the opening impromptu, the answers to the Understanding

       bank of questions at the end of at least one essay per week from the Norton Sampler when 

       essays are assigned, all eight writing assignments with revisions, and the final examination,

       and to attend a conference with the instructor--all as a minimal requirement for passing the

       course. 

      

       Students will be graded only on the eight numbered assignments (each revised) and on the

       final examination.  Each assignment will be worth 10% and the final exam will be worth

       20% of the course grade.  Responses of minus, check, or plus will be given to the written

      Understanding answers; the total of these will influence the course grade by a

      fraction.           

 

      The Colleges English Department  identifies the following proficiencies as the aims of ENG 

      101:  a) to analyze, synthesize, evaluate and interpret information and ideas, b) to integrate

      knowledge and experience to arrive at creative solutions; c) to read and listen with

      comprehension and critical perception; d) to write clearly, precisely, and in a well organized

      manner.

      

       English 101 prepares students for entry into the standard college composition course,

       English 102.  In 101, students are expected to learn the usefulness of the separate stages of

       writing and revision, to gain facility with a number of basic rhetorical techniques, and to gain

       an awareness of the principles of usage and mechanics.

 

 

 

 

 

       Academic integrity is central to the mission of this university.  UWS 14 identifies academic

       misconduct as, among other things, using unauthorized materials in an assignment,        

       claiming credit for the written work of another, tampering with another student’s evaluation,

       or aiding in these acts.  Remember that all writing must be done independently before it is 

       handed in. Those students who engage in academic misconduct will be treated

       according to the procedures of UWS 14, which are outlined in the Student Rights and

       Regulations handbook available to all who attend this campus.      

 

       Class attendance will not ordinarily be recorded.  Assignments are to be done or handed in

       on the day they are scheduled.  If students are absent from class when an assignment is to be

       done they will be penalized for lateness, unless they notify the instructor with a plausible  

       explanation on or before that day.  Any students who cannot be present for required in-

       class writing due to a religious observance will be given an alternative way of fulfilling that

       particular requirement,  provided they give the instructor notification within the first

       ten days of the course.

 

       If an ENG 101 class is canceled for some reason, students are responsible for that day’s 

       material on the very next class day.

      

       "Eighty percent of life is just showing up." --Woody Allen

 

        JDA