ENGLISH
102, COMPOSITION II
Instructor:
Sherri Byrand
Office: Room
3106
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays:
Tuesdays
and Thursdays:
Or
by appointment
E-mail: sbyrand@uwc.edu
Note: I prefer to communicate by e-mail!
In contacting me via e-mail, you MUST use your
school account; otherwise your message might be rejected by my account!
Note: I am not on campus on MWFs
Phone: Home number: 451-1784 (but call
only between
Campus
office: 459-6621 (but I will only be picking up messages on
Tuesdays
and Thursdays)
Class materials:
Note:
In addition to buying the textbooks, you must also purchase two folders: one to
hold all of your writing assignments once I return them to you with my
comments, and one to hold all class handouts.
Note:
You must bring your textbook and Elements
of Style to every class.
·
Textbook: Axelrod and Cooper, eds.
The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, seventh edition
·
True Notebooks by Mark Salzman
·
Elements of Style by Strunk and White
·
Xerox handouts
Course
goals:
This
course is intended to help you become a better reader, writer and researcher. Toward
this end, this course is designed to strengthen your skills in the following
tasks:
·
reading and listening with comprehension and critical perception
·
conveying written information and ideas in a clear, precise, and
well-organized manner
·
constructing and supporting hypotheses and arguments
·
gathering information from printed and electronic sources, as well as
from observation
·
analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and interpreting information and
ideas
·
documenting sources and properly acknowledging within text all quotes,
paraphrasing, and material not your own
·
Using MLA
·
taking into consideration the reader’s needs and likely responses
·
understanding and using the power of words, style, and tone
·
eliminating “noise” from text that interferes with communication (e.g.,
mechanical and grammatical errors such as faulty sentence structure, spelling
and punctuation errors, typos).
Grades:
Your final grade will be based on the following
criteria:
·
research paper
·
four formal essays (all of which have a research component)
·
midterm
·
final exam (cumulative)
·
in-class assignments, short writing assignments, quizzes and class
participation.
The latter is included
because taking an active role in class and providing critical feedback to the
writing of fellow students are essential to improving your own writing ability.
All the criteria except for
research paper are of equal weight in determining your final grade for the
course (each is worth about 11 percent of class); the research paper has a
weight of about 22 percent of final grade.
Note, however, because
producing a passing research paper is an essential requirement of this class, you will receive an F for the course if you
get an F on your research paper, no matter what your average is for the rest of
the class.
Any form of plagiarism will absolutely result in an F for the
particular assignment and could result in an F for the class and a letter in
your academic file.
Because of the way this
class is structured, you will not be able to get a passing grade if you do not
attend class regularly. If you cannot attend regularly because of work/personal
obligations, then you should drop the class. If you miss a class, it is your
responsibility to catch up on what you missed from another student.
Because I am teaching two
sections of this course, it may be possible for you to catch up by attending
another class that same day (though there is no guarantee that the classes will
stay on the same timeline!)
The sections I am teaching
are 004 (Tuesdays and Thursdays from
Assessment
The
following statement comes from the English Department:
The UW Colleges-wide assessment program
was established to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum,
programs, and services of the institution. The institution-wide
assessment activities focus on analytical, quantitative, and communication
skills because they are of primary importance in the general education of our
students. This semester, students in composition will be assessed on
communication skills, specifically the ability to communicate clearly,
precisely, and in a well-organized manner.
Each department also
conducts assessment activities that address discipline-specific learning
goals. This year, the English Department
is focusing on what students learn in literature courses, specifically the
skills of close reading and interpretation.
(Last year, the department assessed composition courses, and those who
aren’t teaching literature will be re-assessing their composition courses this year.)
Writing Assignments:
A paper will be due at the end of each of the five
class units described in the course outline. Essays are to be a minimum of 800
words each. The research paper is to be a minimum of 1200 words.
All assignments must be written by you, the student,
during this semester.
You MUST keep a portfolio of all of your writing
assignments and any revisions. Purchase a folder for them.
You MUST turn in this portfolio with every essay
assignment.
Assignments
MUST be turned in by the day they are due, barring school closure for weather
or teacher absence. Late assignments will drop one letter grade for each day
they are late unless they are accompanied by a medical excuse for yourself or
child from doctor or official documentation that there was a death in family. I
will take into consideration other exceptional cases, such as being called up
for active duty in military. (If you know you must miss class on the day an
assignment is due, you should hand in the assignment early!) Computer problems,
printing errors, etc. do not constitute an exceptional case!
The
easiest solution for avoiding deadline problems is to start your assignment
early and not wait until the last moment. This promptness will also help your
overall performance, giving you a chance to rewrite and improve upon your
original draft after you have had some time to let it sit!
All work done outside of class must be wordprocessed
according to specific guidelines that will be presented by instructor. Failure
to comply with any of these specifications will result in the assignment
dropping one full letter grade.
Three of the papers must also follow a specific text
format, to be discussed in class; if you
do not follow the text format, you will receive an F on the assignment.
Special Resources:
All students at UW-Sheboygan are
eligible to have peer writing tutor review their papers. See http://www.waukesha.uwc.edu/academics/owl/
Note, that site says you must “submit
your draft at least three days before it is due (the earlier the better).” The
site also has a number of links to resources to help you with rules of grammar
and gives tips on writing particulars, such as thesis statements and
transitions.
If in presenting your paper, advice
you get from a peer tutor conflicts with commentary from me, please see me
immediately so I can determine if a change in grade is in order.
Testing:
You will be
required to know information from the textbook even though the material may not
be covered directly in class! You must do all assigned readings!
Midterm: Date will be announced as
soon as possible.
Final
Exam:
Date will be announced as
soon as possible.
Course Outline
(Tentative)
Unit 1: Personality Profile
Emphasis
for research will be on the use of field research methods of observing,
interviewing, and note-taking in conjunction with thoughtful analysis and
imaginative synthesis.
Emphasis
for writing will be clarity and audience, narrative and anecdote, with
discussions on such topics as descriptive language, denotations and
connotations, formal vs. informal English, regionalisms, offensive language,
jargon, and common pitfalls.
Essay by Amy Wu, “A
Different Kind of Mother,” in text, pp. 97-99
Essay by Jan Gray,
“Father,” in text, pp. 101-103
First draft by Jan Gray
and student comments, in text, pp. 126-131
Examples of “Tinman”
profiles
Segment from Tom Wolfe’s
The Right Stuff
Essay:
You will construct a personality profile of at least
800 words using the “Tinman” strategy that will be presented in class. You must
choose a CLASSMATE. Your choice must have the instructor’s approval prior to
undertaking the assignment, and it cannot be duplicated by another classmate.
Your text will be based in part on an interview you
conduct with your subject. As such, you must attach to your assignment a list
of the questions you posed and the notes you took during your interview(s).
Note: The essay must follow precisely the form
strategy model presented in class. If not, you will receive an F for the
assignment.
Note: No portfolio to turn in with this assignment!
Unit 2: Writing
as a Way to Make Meaning
Research
will focus on gathering material from printed and electronic sources. Interview
may also be incorporated.
Writing
will focus on incorporating outside sources into your text and using MLA
citation.
Handouts: David Noonan’s “Inside the Brain”; Jasmine Innerarity’s “Code
Blue: The Process”; Student paper “Making Good Pasta”
Essay:
You will write a sharply focused essay of at least 800
words that describes to a nonexpert how writing will figure into your career
(specifically, how you will need to use writing in your future job plans). If
you do not have a specific career goal, you must pick an ideal job or focus on
how writing will be required in your particular major while in college.
You must include in your essay at least one quote
from a printed or electronic source, at least one paraphrase from a source, a
simile, a metaphor, a sentence definition, and an extended definition — and you
must clearly mark and identify them; if missing, your grade will be lowered one
letter grade for each of these missing components!
You must provide Xerox copies of the sources you are
quoting or paraphrasing, with the material you are quoting or paraphrasing
clearly highlighted.
You must use at least three sources for this paper;
at least two must be from a legitimate printed and/or electronic source. (One can
be an interview.) You must make a good faith effort to use MLA in your paper
and required Works Cited page.
You must turn in a portfolio folder with your Tinman
assignment (with my comments).
Unit 3: Researching
and Writing to Expand Horizons
Research
will focus on finding material outside your immediate realm of understanding
and trying to come to terms with it. You must read the book in its entirety and
use it to find a topic for this essay, while also incorporating at least one
other source from a legitimate publication (print or electronic).
Writing
will focus on incorporating what has been learned thus far. As with Salzman’s
own work, this essay can take a personal approach. Topic ideas will be
generated through class discussion of the book.
Essay:
You will write an essay of at least 800 words and
incorporate quotes (at least two) and paraphrases (at least two) from True Notebooks into that essay (and they
cannot all be from just the first 100 pages of the book!). You will also use at
least two other outside sources (either print or electronic), providing at
least one quote or paraphrase from each.
You must use MLA in citing sources in text and in
required Works Cited Page.
You must use both the Salzman book and at least two
other non-interview sources (a legitimate print or Internet source).
You must provide Xerox copies of the sources you are
quoting or paraphrasing, with the material you are quoting or paraphrasing
clearly highlighted.
You must turn in a portfolio folder with your Tinman
and career assignments (with my comments).
Unit 4: Argumentative Writing—Issue/Defense
Supporting Reasons Strategy
Emphasis
will be on how to apply logic and persuasive techniques in writing an effective
essay, using legitimate research sources.
Handout: Logic Fallacies
Essay:
Issue/Defense Supporting Reasons
You will construct an essay of at least 800 words that
attempts to persuade the reader to agree with one side of an issue or to accept
a solution to a particular problem by providing supporting reasons for your
opinion.
You must have some sort of personal connection to
the topic and show this connection in the paper!
All topics require instructor approval before
assignment is undertaken. (No papers can be written on anything related to
Pro-Life/Pro-Choice, Second Amendment Issues, Death Penalty, Graduated License,
or Marijuana Legalization. You can only write about Stem Cell Research of
Evolution/Creationism if you are a science major with at least two
college-level science courses under your belt.)
You must incorporate at least two sources into your
paper (at least one must be non-Internet derived). These sources must be from
written material – if you want to incorporate personal interviews, TV shows,
etc., you may, but they must be in addition to the two written sources.
The essay must follow the form strategy model
presented in class. If not, you will receive an F for the assignment.
You must follow MLA strategy both when citing the
source in text and in presenting the required Works Cited page. If not, you
will receive an F for the assignment.
You must provide Xerox copies of the sources you are
quoting or paraphrasing, with the material you are quoting or paraphrasing
clearly highlighted.
You must turn in a portfolio folder with your
Tinman, career, and True Notebook
assignments (with my comments).
You must identify your thesis statement.
Unit 5: Research
Emphasis
will be on improving skills in library and Internet research and on
incorporating material from several sources into a coherent and interesting
essay.
Essay:
Research
You will write a research paper of 1200 words
(minimum) plus Title page, Outline and Thesis Statement page, and Works
Cited page. You will tackle an issue of
personal, local, national, or international importance in which you can
successfully summarize and support your position on the issue and
effectively and FAIRLY summarize the opposition’s position. Then you will
refute that position.
For this paper, you may use a topic related to that
covered in Essay 4, but it must be substantially different in text.
You must follow the form strategy model presented in
class during this unit. You must also incorporate outside research into the
essay, following the research requirements below. Your topic must meet
instructor’s approval and cannot be duplicated by another class member.
You will need to use a minimum of four sources — not
counting encyclopedias (book or CD-ROM), dictionaries, or brief Internet
entries (You may use these, but you must also have the four required sources).
At least two of the sources must be print, preferably at least one book and one
periodical. Note, however, your basic four sources may not rely on more than
one issue of the same periodical (You may, however, use different issues of the
same periodical as additional sources). You may conduct an interview, but that
will NOT count as one of the main sources.
All sources used must be cited in the essay’s Work
Cited page, following the format specified in class (MLA). You must also attach
Xeroxed pages of the printed material you relied on (e.g., specific pages of a
book and copies of the journal articles). You must also attach printouts of any
electronic sources and notes from any interview. They must be arranged in an
easy-to-follow format, with page numbers visible and quoted/paraphrased
passages highlighted.
The essay must follow the form strategy model
presented in class. If not, you will receive an F for the assignment, and thus
an F in the course.
You must follow MLA strategy both when citing the
source in text and in presenting the required Works Cited page. If not, you
will receive an F for the assignment and an F in the course!
You must provide Xerox copies of the sources you are
quoting or paraphrasing, with the material you are quoting or paraphrasing
clearly highlighted.
You must turn in a portfolio folder with your
Tinman, career, True Notebook, and
Issue Defense assignments (with my comments).
You must identify your thesis statement.
Expectations:
I WILL YOU WILL
Provide you with an opportunity to learn Take responsibility for your
education
Provide you with relevant course information Participate in class
Keep you informed of course schedule Hand in your work on time
Respectfully critique your work Respect your
fellow classmates
Not only encourage your critique of Contact me if you are
having difficulty
my work, but also reward it: You will Contact a fellow student if you
miss a receive bonus points for any
mistakes class student to discover what you
you point out to me missed.
I will not tolerate any form of academic misconduct, which is discussed by the UW-System as follows:
As a student at the
You
can access more information about academic misconduct by going to
http://www.uwc.edu/student_services/student_R&R.asp
Academic misconduct will result in an F for the assignment and can result in an F in the course and inclusion of the incident in your academic records; it could even result in your expulsion.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is more than copying someone’s work word for word. While using someone else’s words as if they were your own is definitely plagiarism, so is using another person’s ideas as if they were your own.
To avoid plagiarism, you must be sure to always do the following:
· Put any exact wording you use into quotation marks AND give proper credit to the source that used those words, identifying it in your text.
· Paraphrase wording that you don’t want to quote exactly AND give proper credit to the source you are paraphrasing, identifying it in your text.
Note: Paraphrasing requires more than just substituting words that mean relatively the same thing; it also requires changing the sentence structure and putting the information into your own voice.
Note: Paraphrasing also requires that you keep the original meaning intact, rather than distorting it.
· When you are using someone else’s ideas, give proper credit to that person/source, identifying them by name in your text. If you cannot remember the name, you still must somehow reference it, e.g., I once heard a comedian say, “The Internet is a bathroom wall.”
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form and will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Egregious plagiarism, such as taking papers off the Web, using exact wording without quotation marks, or stealing from another person will result in my reporting the act to the Dean, for inclusion on academic records, and may result in your failing the course and perhaps expulsion. (Note: There are now Web sites available for instructors to check papers, and I have caught several students by using these resources.)
Plagiarism on final research paper will definitely result in
your failing the course.