Course Title: Composition II Instructor: Laura Apfelbeck e-mail: lapfelbe@uwc.edu
Course Description: A rhetoric course that focuses on writing that presents information and ideas effectively, with attention to the essay and techniques of documentation. Emphasis will be on academic writing that is applicable across the curriculum.
The achievement of the following skills:
(1) to develop ideas and to write effective expository and argumentative prose
(2) to use secondary print and electronic materials as sources for student essays
(3) to use techniques of research and documentation
(4) to read and interpret critically professional and student writing.
Grading Formula:
Essay #1
Comparison/Contrast 150
points
Essay #2 Classification 150 points
Essay #3 Argument/Persuasion 150 points
Essay #4 Research Paper 300 points
Journal 150 points
In-class Work & Participation 150 points
Quizzes 150
points
Grading Scale:
98-100% = A+ 88-89% = B+ 78-79% = C+ 68-69% = D+
93-97 = A 83-87 = B 73-77 = C 63-67 = D
90-92 = A- 80-82 = B- 70-72 = C- 60-62 = D-
(Notes: A
score of 59% or lower will earn a grade of F.
Those seeking associate degrees need a solid C or better.)
Reading Assignments: Complete all reading assignments in advance
of the day they will be discussed. Read
more than once and take notes on the readings.
It helps to meet with your group to discuss the readings and to answer
assigned questions. You will need to
have studied the works in order to understand and discuss them, of course. You may have a reading quiz, as well.
Writing Assignments: For all essays, you are required to submit your discovery techniques, rough draft(s), revising &
editing materials, and a final draft. I
will provide a list of required materials before the paper is due. Papers will be 3-5 pages for all except the
Research Paper, which will be 8-10 pages.
Final copies should be typed in 12 point Times New Roman, double spaced
with standard one-inch margins. Use MLA
style for the first page of the paper.
See “Part Four: Student Essay in MLA Style” (p295+) in The Curious Researcher for an
example. Check the format for heading,
title, pagination, etc. Label your work
and place the required materials into a folder before submitting.
Save all your revisions and returned work in your
portfolio for the entire semester. Throw
nothing away—it may be useful later.
(Packrats, indulge yourselves.)
Never hand me your only copy of anything. Keep an extra copy of all written work. I do not accept late papers. Your paper is due at the beginning of the
class period on the due date.
Essay #1 (Comparison/Contrast)
In this unit, we will read
several essays and short stories concentrating on similarities and differences
between the works. For your essay, you need
to choose one of the following options in your Bedford Reader:
Ø “Suggestions for Writing” #4
on p90, #1 on p. 94 (comparing and contrasting your own experiences w/Tan’s
and/or Angelou’s)
Ø “Suggestions for Writing” #4 on p110
Ø Watch the film Smoke Signals and compare and contrast
with “Indian Education”
Ø Compare and Contrast the
handout on Indian education with Alexie’s story—in what ways do the two texts
seem similar? What ideas from the
research are reflected in the narrative? How are they different? Why might there be differences? Consider the audience and purpose of each
document and discuss the effectiveness of each as a piece of writing.
Ø Compare and contrast two
versions of American Gothic—see p
212-13 for ideas.
Ø “Suggestions for Writing”
#1, 2, or 3 on p. 226
Ø “Suggestions for Writing” #1
p232
Ø “Suggestions for Writing” #4
p232, comparing and contrasting the humor.
Which essay is funnier and why?
Ø Do you have another idea for
a comparison/contrast essay based on our readings and discussions? See me after class or during office hours.
Essay #2 (Classification)
In class, we will read and
discuss several essays that use the classification technique. Ultimately, you will choose one of these
options for your own essay:
·
“Suggestions for Writing” #1 on p379
·
“Suggestions for Writing” #1 on p387
·
Branch out from your journal response on p 396 and classify the types
of lies you tell or classify the consequences of your own lying.
·
Based on the “Suggestion for Writing” #2 on p 397-98, classify
stereotypes or the people who believe them.
·
One of the “Additional Writing Topics” p409
·
Another topic of interest to you.
See me to discuss your idea.
Essay #3 (Argument &
Persuasion)
Again, we will read several examples of argument and persuasion
in class. You will need to select a
controversial subject and, with a partner who holds the opposing view, gather
sources and create your drafts. The
final paper will be individual work, but the process of using your partner as a
sounding board for your arguments is intended to help you solidify your points.
Each of you will need to use two outside sources. Topics include but are not
limited to
ü “Suggestions for Writing” #1
on p520
ü “Suggestions for Writing” #1
on p527
ü “Suggestions for Writing” #3
on p440
ü Like Menken, Vidal, and
Daum, you can choose a highly controversial subject and argue against the
politically correct view.
ü For more ideas, see p 563,
items 2, 3, 4. See me to discuss your
ideas.
Essay #4 (Research Paper).
The research paper is the
final exam for English 102. Everything
we’ve learned about analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting, as well as what
we’ve studied in terms of documentation and style, culminates here. Your mission is to comb libraries and use
computer resources to study a topic in depth and then create an 8- to 10-page
paper. For this paper, one option is to
conduct research for another course, provided you have written consent from the
instructor and the paper meets standards for both Eng. 102 and the other
course. A second option is to research
a topic of personal interest, perhaps related to your future career. A third option is to write an extended
analysis of a topic used for Essay 1, 2, or 3.
Your paper will need to include Internet research and interviews, as well
as printed periodicals, reference books, etc.
Plan to visit the library of a four-year university as well as
frequenting the UW-Manitowoc library!
Sharing Papers: On the days first drafts are due, please
bring enough copies for the members of your writing group. Sharing your work and reading the drafts of
others is one of the best ways to improve your critical reading skills and to
get ideas for writing.
Attendance: I do take attendance daily. You will have frequent in-class assignments
that will be included in your participation grade and may be collected as part
of your required writing materials.
These cannot be made up if your absence is unexcused. If you must be
absent on a day an assignment is due, you will need to hand the work in BEFORE
class time or provide a doctor’s excuse.
Although assignments must always be handed in on time, I will allow two
absences without penalty if no work was due on that day. Use the two absences
for emergencies. Students with more than
two unexcused absences will not be allowed to revise their papers after I’ve
graded them. Please do call or e-mail me if you will be absent; also, contact
your group members for notes. That way,
your absence will not cause you to be unprepared for the next class period.
Revision Policy: After essays are graded, you may revise once. A revision will include corrections of any
editing oversights, but primarily it is an opportunity to overhaul the content,
improve the organization, and tighten the focus. You must hand in the old version
with the revision. Usually, students do
improve—at least somewhat—but grades may go up or down. The new grade will
replace the old grade. This revision
option will be available ONLY to students who attend class regularly and
complete the entire writing process (see “Attendance” and “Writing Assignments”
above).
Journals: Before class, you will need to complete a
minimum of one page of typed, double-spaced writing based on the assigned
reading. Please note, the word minimum
above means “C” level work. While a
student might earn an A or B by writing one high quality page, a student cannot
earn a C if he or she does not write one full page The topic for the journal
will be found at the end of each assigned reading under the heading “Journal
Writing.” Journals are collected twice during the semester and, like essays,
cannot be submitted late.
Conferences: You will have opportunities to confer with me
in class during writing workshop time, during office hours, or by
appointment. I strongly encourage you to
come to me with your questions or drafts.
Feel free to contact me at my office, at home, or by e-mail. I am not always on campus on Tues./Thurs., so
e-mail may be slow. Please call.
Writing Groups: All students will be grouped for purposes of
discussing reading assignments, working on study questions together, revising
papers, and editing papers. An
enormously important part of the writing process is learning to revise, edit,
and improve your own writing. Other
writers are an invaluable resource to you as you agonize over word choices,
organization, and the horrors of the comma splice. You will need to find a way to meet with your
group at least one hour per week. You
may decide to discuss readings, answer questions, revise or edit, compare
journal entries, or just complain about English 102. However, each Friday your
group will submit a typed one-page report of what you accomplished. You may
confer in person or via e-mail or telephone.
My personal recommendation? Meet
in person with food. Coated with enough
chocolate, any task becomes palatable.
Grammar, Punctuation, and
Usage: I
will help you pinpoint areas you need to improve in your writing, and I will
give grammar, punctuation, or usage goals for this course on an individual
basis. You are expected to follow the
dictates of correct grammar, punctuation, and usage for all final drafts. (Journal entries are an exception because
they remain in first-draft form.) Refer
to a grammar text such as Diana Hacker’s A Pocket Style Manual for
review.
Writing Help:
(1) You can bring questions to
me.
(2) You can talk to your writing
group.
(3) The English Department has a
Writing Laboratory (F121) available for one-to-one help from a student tutor
either by appointment or during lab hours.
(4) The UW-Center system offers
an online writing lab through UW-Waukesha
at this website: http://waukesha.uwc.edu/academics/owl From the site, you can e-mail your writing,
and a tutor will respond--usually within a day or two.
Participation: All students are expected to offer EXUBERANT
participation both in class discussions and in the writing groups. (Participation is included in the
grading.) I often collect materials
worked on in class for credit toward the participation points. These are fairly easy points to earn, so it
makes sense to take advantage of the opportunity.
Extra
Credit: Students who use the writing lab (online or
on campus) will earn bonus points if they submit the appropriate form. Students who miss NO classes, excused or
unexcused, throughout the semester will earn bonus points tacked on to their
final grades. Also, students who select
a topic appropriate for UW-Manitowoc students as an audience and submit their
essays for publication in the campus newspaper The Free Press will earn extra credit.
Final Exam: In English 102, each essay is a type of exam, with the research paper as the final.
Tentative Course Schedule for English 102
After
the first day of class, you are expected to complete assigned readings and
journal before class. For example, read
the Angelou assignment and complete the questions & journal entry before
class on Sept. 13th. (See
syllabus for details about the journals.)
Our text for the first 10 weeks is The
Bedford Reader by
Kennedy, Kennedy, and Aaron. For the
last five weeks, as we work on the research paper, we’ll use The Curious Researcher by Bruce Ballenger.
Week |
Monday |
Wednesday |
|
Sept 6 & 8 |
No Classes |
Introduction to English
102, Syllabus, Writing Process, Writing Groups, Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks” p
92-94 w/journal (J1) based on “Journal Writing” topic on p93. |
|
Sept. 13 & 15 |
Read
Maya Angelou “Champion of the World” p86-88 w/journal (J2) based on question
#4 “Suggestions for Writing” on p90. |
Read
Bedford Reader p212-22. Answer ques.p 212 & take notes on
comparison/contrast information as your journal (J3). |
|
Sept. 20 & 22 |
Read
|
Read
both Suzanne Britt’s “Neat People vs. Sloppy People” p 223-25 and Dave
Barry’s “Batting Clean-up and Striking Out” p 229-31. As your journal entry (J5), write one page
about Barry or Britt by completing the
“Journal Writing” activity (p225 OR
p231) and the “From Journal to Essay” activity under “Suggestions for
Writing” (p 232, p226) |
|
Sept. 27 & 29 |
Workshop: |
Workshop:Use p40 in Bedford
Reader for self-editing; review p46 for sample edited work. Bring your edited draft to class. Journals 1-5 DUE |
|
Oct. 4 & 6 |
Comparison/Contrast Essay
Due;
Intro to Classification Bedford Reader p356-65. Answer questions p356 & take notes on
classification info (J6). |
Read
Deborah Tannen “But What Do You Mean?” p372-78. As your journal, respond to “Journal
Writing” p378 and “Suggestions for Writing” #1 on p379 (J7). |
|
Oct. 11 & 13 |
Read
Stephen King “Ever Et Raw Meat?” p382-86.
As your journal, respond to “Journal Writing” p386 and “Suggestions
for Writing” #1 on p387 (J8). |
Read
Stephanie Ericsson “The Ways We Lie” p389-96.
As your journal entry, respond to “Journal Writing” on p396 (J9). |
|
Oct. 18 & 22 |
Workshop:
Choose a topic. Use journal & other discovery techniques to yield 3-4
pages on one topic. Workshop: Use the
revising checklist in |
Workshop: Bring your group-revised and self-edited
draft to class. |
|
Oct. 25 & 27 |
Classification Essay Due; Intro to Argument & Persuasion. As Journal 10, write your response to
the “Journal Writing” topic on p 526. Do
so BEFORE reading Kroll or Menken.
|
Read
both H.L.
Menken “The Penalty of Death” p516-19 and Michael Kroll “The Unquiet Death of
Robert Harris” p522-27. As your
journal answer question #4 under “Suggestions for Writing” on p520 (J11). |
|
Nov. 1 & 3 * |
Read
Gore Vidal “Drugs” p437-39 and Meghan
Daum, “Safe-Sex
Lies” p 442-446. In your journal (J12)
write a page based on the idea in “Suggestions for Writing” #4 on p440 . |
Choose
a topic for your essay; write tentative thesis & list of 3-5 supporting
arguments. Try Toulmin method p504-06
and Aristotle’s method p506-08 In class, gather sources with Electronic
Library research Journals 6-11 Due |
|
Nov. 8 & 10 |
Gather
sources; add supporting ideas from experts to your paper |
Workshop: Use p511 to revise your own draft. Bring
the revised rough draft to class today for group analysis. |
|
Nov. 15 & 17 |
Workshop:
Bring revised & self-edited paper to class today. |
Argument Essay Due; introduce research
paper. Curious Researcher p25-49 Bring
topic idea(s) |
|
Nov. 22 & 24** |
Curious Researcher p49-62; Topic Proposal Due w/research
question |
Curious Researcher p63-105; gather sources |
|
Nov. 29 & Dec. 1 |
Curious Researcher p106-145 Bring
5 sources & citations; Typed Works Cited Page Due (5 or more) |
Curious Researcher p145-60 Bring notes for 5 more sources |
|
Dec. 6 & 8 |
Curious Researcher p160-72 Bring notes for all sources
with citations if not already done. Outline due today. |
Curious Researcher p173-220; writing the draft |
|
Dec. 13 & 15 |
Draft due today—bring 3 copies; Curious
Researcher p221-25; Curious Researcher p225-28 (do
w/groups) |
Curious Researcher p229-50; Last day of classes, Course
evaluation
|
|
Dec. 20 |
Final
Exam Week: Research paper due by noon on Monday, Dec.
20, in administrative office |
|
*Midterm
grades will be available this week.
**The
last day to drop, change, or withdraw from classes is November 10th If your grade is below a C, you may want to
consider this option.