English 102
Spring 2005
Dr. Holly Hassel
Office:
338
Phone:
715-261-6265 or 715-842-0995
The work of English 102 will
primarily be writing that presents information and ideas effectively, with
attention to the essay and techniques of documentation. Students should master the following goals
and skills by the end of the course:
This particular section of English 102 is a demanding one:
the readings are engaging but challenging. I will be asking you to read several
books that grapple with difficult and often controversial subject matter.
Further, this English 102 section is demanding in workload. You will have either reading or writing most
days in this class. To facilitate the functioning of our daily meetings,
students must complete the assigned readings.
Something
to note: I don’t give lots of assignments and ask you to read and write a lot
just to make your life horrible. English 102 is one of the two required courses
that every single student at the UW colleges must take for a reason: it is the
foundation for the writing and reading that you will do in many, many of the
subsequent courses you will take. Having a strong command of the skills
required to read academic writing, conduct research and evaluate sources
effectively, write essays that combine research and analysis, and just
generally communicate well is essential for surviving college. I want to make
sure that you have a grasp on all these skills before proceeding to the rest of
your college education. If you are nervous, anxious or just downright scared of
writing and research, then this is the place to get rid of those feelings and
gain confidence in your abilities to master those skills. If you are ready to make such a commitment, I
assure you that the writing, reading, thinking, and talking we do throughout
the course will be challenging, interesting, and occasionally fun. Welcome to
English 102!
Materials
“I would
not be hurried by any love of system, by any exaggeration of instincts, to
underrate the Book. We all know, that,
as the human body can be nourished on any food, though it were boiled grass and
the broth of shoes, so the human mind can be fed by any knowledge.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson,
“The American Scholar”
Nickel
and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in
The
The
Elements of Style
by Strunk and White
Worlds
Apart: Why Poverty Persists in Rural
The
Culture of Fear by
Barry Glassner
A good dictionary of your choice
A
three-ring binder for your projects
About $10
for photocopying expenses
Requirements
Three projects: 15 % each The primary, formal writing
work of this course will take the form of three projects that you will plan and
carry out individually. I will ask you to follow a specific rhetorical purpose,
described in a project proposal and determined by you. The only limitations on
these projects will be that each responds to the objectives for the course (see
bulleted objectives above) and each project should be related to an idea raised
by the text—what the text exposes, critiques, addresses, or narrates. For
example, each project should draw upon outside investigation, research, and
secondary sources. I will provide a handout with more detailed requirements as
we begin work on our projects.
Three project proposals: 5% : a two-page topic proposal for each major project.
Academic Honesty Paper: 5%: a three-page research essay with an
assigned topic.
Reading Quizzes, In-Class Writing,
Peer Review and Citizenship 35%: Each week we will have quizzes on the week’s readings.
Quizzes will be short answer, multiple choice, and
fill in the blank with possible extra credit questions. This portion of the
grade also includes in-class and out of class writing and short homework
assignments. Citizenship is something like participation but entails a bit
more; it means being a good student: arriving to class on time and prepared;
participating in large and small group discussions actively, attentively, and
effectively; refraining from distracting or obnoxious behavior in class;
bringing copies on workshop days, and consistently engaging and investing in
the work of the course and in one’s own development as a writer, reader, and
thinker. This letter grade will be
assigned based on how active you have been in class (active meaning making an
informed comment during discussions, being consistently prepared for the day’s
activities, etc.). A-level will indicate
almost constant involvement, B-level will indicate solid, frequent involvement,
and C-level will indicate minimal involvement.
I will expect an active commitment toward learning from each and every
student in the course; we will be working hard this semester, but it will be
worth it! Excessive absences (more than 1) will be reflected in this grade.
Fishbowl: each student will sign up to
participate in leading a day’s discussion of the reading. More
information to follow.
Policies and
Procedures
Grades:
Grades are
equal to the following percentages:
A+ 98-100
A 93-97
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D 63-66
D- 60-62
F 59 and below
I reserve
the right to assign borderline grades as I deem appropriate.
A Note on Grades: An “A” grade is not a gift you get
at the end of the semester for always coming to class and participating and
completing your work on time. For that,
you earn a “C.” Beyond that, your work must be more than average—it must be
good to earn a “B” and excellent to earn an “A.” Please also remember that you are not your
grades—you are a person, not a letter.
Good people can get average grades and vice versa.
Attendance: Students should plan to attend
every class meeting. Work done in class cannot be made up unless exigent
circumstances present themselves (hospitalization,
natural disaster, arrest) and you provide me with documentation of such an
event. Since much of the learning we do
in class will be collaborative—exercises, group work, revision and reading
discussions—it is impossible to recreate the experience of being in class once
one has been absent. Excessive absenteeism (anything more than one or two
absences) will adversely affect your final citizenship grade. Attendance and
in-class work make up about a third of the final grade, so poor performance in
these areas has a very significant impact on your final grade: make every
effort to be here on time and in class, with work completed, every day!
Classroom
Environment and Structure: You will find this a very participatory class; I expect students to be
actively engaged in the work of the class everyday, prepared and ready to be
vocal, active, and thinking. Our class will follow something of a routine: on
Mondays, we will discuss the assigned readings and conduct rhetorical analyses
and close readings of the professional writing we will read; Wednesdays will involve
a writing or revision activity of some kind; Fridays will be devoted to peer
review, where you will be responsible for bringing three copies of your current
project to share with your group members and reading and responding to others’
work. Be sure, however, to always check the schedule on the syllabus.
Study Partners: Early in the semester, we will set up study partnerships. Your partner will be responsible for providing detailed notes and handouts for you if you are absent, but it is your responsibility to contact your partner if you are absent. He or she will just gather handouts and take notes for you. List the contact information below.
Partner Name
________________________ phone
number __________________________
Backup
Partner Name __________________ phone
number __________________________
Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism is a kind of academic dishonesty that involves the use of
another person’s language/words or ideas without proper citation. If you use
more than four words in a row from another source, you should put quotation
marks around them. If you borrow an idea from a published source, you need to
use parenthetical documentation to give proper credit to that source. Any
quote, paraphrase, or indirect quote must be cited appropriately. The
consequences of plagiarism are spelled out in the Student Rights and
Regulations handbook. For the purposes
of this course, deliberate misuse of language or ideas will result in, at the
least, failure of the assignment or paper, and possibly failure of the course
with referral of the student to a disciplinary committee for further action by
the university.
Portfolio Style: A note on turning in your work: all
the work for this course will be turned in portfolio style, which means that I
will evaluate your project on both the final product and the writing process.
In order to document this for me, you should save everything you write for the course. From the beginning stages
of the project—brainstorming, free-writing, pre-writing, through drafting,
revision, editing, and research—you should keep every bit of work that
contributes to the final product and turn it in with the final draft. Moral of
this paragraph: do not throw anything
away for this course.
Policy on Late Work: Late work will not be accepted
except in apocalyptic situations.
Assignments are due on the date listed in the syllabus. Students will be
granted one 24-hour grace period (see attached form). One major assignment may
be turned in late using this “coupon.”
Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities that will
in any way affect their work in this course should let me know so that I can
work with you. Also, please contact an
advisor in Student Services to make arrangements for any necessary special
services.
Policy Policy:
Ideally, this
syllabus would cover every contingency of every possibility that might arise in
the course of the semester. Of course, reality dictates that
will not be the case. Thus, I reserve the right to make changes to this
syllabus as the need arises.
Assessment: 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 will be assessed on
communication skills, specifically the ability to communicate clearly,
precisely, and in a well-organized manner.
Week one: January 24-28
Monday
ü Introduction
to class and each other
ü Syllabus
ü Distribute
Student Job Description and Composition Rubric handouts to discuss Wednesday
ü
Syllabus
Quiz
ü
Why
these readings? What our books are for
ü
How
I teach
ü Student Job Description and
composition rubric: review and discuss in groups
ü
Review
Academic Honesty Paper, assignment one
ü
Invention
Activity
ü
Review:
author’s notes, small group peer review procedures
Monday
ü
Read:
ü
Bring
to class: A topic for your paper
ü
Writing
a thesis statement: in-class
Wednesday
ü
Library
Orientation (This is ESSENTIAL! You must be at this meeting or you will be at a
disadvantage the rest of the course!)
Friday
ü
Read:
ü
Library Quiz
ü
Bring
to Class: an introduction for your paper, an outline, and a conclusion
ü
Conference
sign-up
Monday
ü
Introduction
to MLA Documentation
ü
Evaluating
sources: bring three sources you will be using in your paper
ü
Portfolio
style paper submission: review
Wednesday
ü
Small
Group Peer Review: Bring a draft of your paper (3 pages) plus
three additional copies for your small group, be sure to refer to the 102
rubric
Friday
ü
No
classes-meet in my office for conferences instead
Week Four: February 14-18
Monday
ü
Academic Honesty Paper Due: turn in portfolio style according to
the handout
ü
Writing
a Project Proposal
ü
Introduction
to Project One
ü
Read: Nickel and Dimed:
“Introduction and
Section One (1-50).”
ü
Aesthetic/Rhetorical
Analysis
Wednesday
ü
Read:
Elements of Style: Forward, Introduction, Rules 1-5
ü
Read: Read:
Friday
ü
Small
Group Peer Review: Bring three Copies of your project proposal for your Small Group
ü
Select
Permanent Groups
Week Five: February 21-25
Monday
ü
Read:
Nickel and Dimed: Chapter 2: “Scrubbing in
ü
Research
Investigation: How do published authors use sources? Locate one source cited in
Ehrenreich’s book and bring it to class to discuss
today (to be collected, worth 20 points)
ü
Answer
the Question “How is this book related to my writing?” One-minute paper.
ü
Project Proposal One Due
Wednesday
ü
Read:
Elements of Style: Elementary Rules of Usage 6-11
ü
Signal
Phrases and Orphan Quotations
ü
Read:
Friday
ü
Small
Group Peer Review: Bring three copies of a draft or detailed outline about
three pages in length
Week Six: February 28-March 4
Monday
ü
Read:
Nickel and Dimed: Chapter Three: “Selling in
ü
Round
Robin discussion
ü
Answer
the Question “How is this book related to my writing?” One-minute paper.
Wednesday
ü
Review
Fishbowls and Sign-up
ü
Read
Elements of Style: Elementary Principles of Composition 12-15
ü
Read: Read:
Friday
ü
Small
Group Peer Review: Bring three copies of a draft about three pages in length
Week Seven: March 7-March 11
Monday
ü
Read:
Nickel and Dimed: “Evaluation”
ü
Fishbowl
One
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
Wednesday
ü
Read
Elements of Style: Elementary Principles of Composition 16-19
ü
Documentation exercise: in the computer lab bring all the
sources you are using for your paper (should meet the source requirements)
Friday
ü
Small
Group Peer Review: Bring three copies of a draft about three pages in length
Week Eight March 14-18
Monday
ü
Project One Due
ü
Introduction
to Project 2
ü
Read:
The Culture of Fear: Introduction, Chapter 1 (“Dubious Dangers”) and
Chapter 2 (“Crime in the News”
ü
Rhetorical
and Aesthetic Analysis—in class
Wednesday
ü
Read
Elements of Style: Elementary Principles of Composition 20-22
ü
Read:
Elements of Style: Section III “A Few Matters of Form”
Friday:
ü
no
class—instructor out of town for conference
Spring Break!
Week Nine: March 28-April 1
Monday
ü
Read:
The Culture of Fear: Chapter 3 (“Youth at Risk”) and Chapter 4 (“Monster
Moms”)
ü
Research
Investigation: How do published authors use sources? Locate one source cited in
Glassner’s book and bring it to class to discuss
today (20 points)
ü
Answer
the Question “How is this book related to my writing?” One-minute paper.
Wednesday
ü
Read
Elements of Style: Words and Expressions Commonly Misused: “Aggravate”
through “Due to”
Friday
ü
Small Group Peer Review: Bring three Copies of your project
proposal for your Small Group
Week Ten: April 4-April 8
Monday
ü
Read:
The Culture of Fear: Chapter 5 (“Black Men”) and Chapter 6 (“Smack Is
Back”)
ü
Round
Robin Discussion
ü
Project Proposal 2 Due
Wednesday
ü
Read
Elements of Style: Words and Expressions Commonly Misused: “Each and
Everyone One” through “Loan”
ü
Integrating and Evaluating Sources: Bring three sources for your
paper: scholarly journal article, a magazine article, and a website (worth 10
points each!)
Friday
ü
Small
Group Peer Review: Bring three copies of a draft or detailed outline about
three pages in length
Week Eleven: April 11-15
Monday
ü
Read:
The Culture of Fear: Chapter 7 (“Metaphoric Illness”), Chapter 8 (“Plane
Wrecks”) and Chapter 9 (“Final Thoughts”)
ü
Fishbowl
2
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
Wednesday
ü
Read
Elements of Style: Words and Expressions Commonly Misused: “Meaningful”
through “The Foreseeable Future”
Friday
ü
Small
Group Peer Review: Bring three copies of a draft about three pages in length
Week Twelve: April 25-29
Monday
ü
Project Two Due
ü
Introduction
to Project 3
ü
Read:
Worlds Apart: Chapter One, “Blackwell: Rigid Classes and Corrupt
Politics in
ü
Rhetorical/Aesthetic
Analysis—in-class
Wednesday
ü
Read
Elements of Style: Words and Expressions Commonly Misused: “The Truth
Is” through “Would”
ü
Grammar
Q and A
Friday
ü
Small
Group Peer Review: Bring three Copies of your project proposal for your Small
Group
Week Thirteen: May 2-6
Monday
ü
Read:
Worlds Apart: Chapter Two “Dahlia: Racial Segregation and Planter
Control in the
ü
Research
Investigation: How do published authors use sources? Locate one source cited in
Glassner’s book and bring it to class to discuss
today (20 points)
ü
Answer
the Question “How is this book related to my writing?” One-minute paper.
Wednesday
ü
Read
Elements of Style: Section V: “An Approach to Style”
Friday
ü
Small Group Peer Review: Bring three copies of a draft or
detailed outline about three pages in length
Week Fourteen: May 9-13
Monday
ü
Read:
Worlds Apart: Chapters 3 and: “
ü
Round
Robin Discussion
Wednesday
ü
Read:
Chapter 4: “Social Change and Social Policy”
ü
Fishbowl
3
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
ü
__________________
Friday
ü
Small Group Peer Review: Email a copy of your complete draft to your group members before class
so they can read it ahead of time—these drafts are likely to be more
substantial than previous papers, so you should be sure they have enough time
to read them over before peer review.
Week Fifteen
ü
Final Portfolio Due
ü
Final
course narrative/learning reflection—in-class: bring copies of all your
projects so far, project proposals, and my comments for use on this.
ü
Meet
in Computer Lab