ENGLISH 101: COMPOSITION I
FALL 2004 / TTh 4:30p-5:45p
John Pruitt 433 Laird Fine Arts Bldg
Office Phone: 389-6547 Office Hours: TTh
11a-12p & 1p-2p & by appt.
jpruitt@uwc.edu
Cheryl Glenn, Making
Sense: A New Rhetorical Reader
Diana Hacker, Rules
for Writers, 5th ed.
Small three-ring
binder for portfolios and journals
This course is
designed to help first-year students develop a process for creating,
organizing, and effectively communicating ideas through writing and speaking.
Our main interest will be to study and practice analytical expository writing,
which develops a subject through direct statement of thesis and logical
arrangement of ideas. Exposition is basic in most types of writing required of
college students and college graduates for preparing verbal works of art
including essays, examinations, reports, research papers, proposals, and
letters in all of their manifestations. Globally, the composition class is the
space conducive to empowering students with a command and mastery of the
language, which is accomplished (in the widest scope) through understanding the
uses of the language, learning proper mechanics, developing thoughts through
writing, appraising writing environments, and enhancing critical thinking
skills. Locally, daily assignments, which consist of collaboration, peer
critiques, drafting, brainstorming, audience analysis, assessing rhetorical
situations, and other concepts, will help you to accurately assess, improve,
and refine your own writing.
You must earn at least a C to receive credit for this course. So, if nothing else, please take the
following skills with you:
·
Gathering
evidence to develop a thesis
·
Determining
and stating a thesis and topic sentences
·
Creating
unity and coherence in the paragraphs that compose essays
·
Developing
paragraphs and the body of essays through details, examples, and illustrations
·
Enhancing
skills in argumentation and persuasion
·
Improving
sensitivity to grammar, style, and mechanics
You will willingly
and cheerfully complete the following assignments:
Midterm (30%) and Final Portfolio (40%): The majority of
the work we do will contribute to your midterm and final portfolios, which are
collections of drafts, polished essays, and reflective statements that
represent the best writing you are capable of at that point in the semester. I
will assess your portfolios on quality, clarity, coherence, depth, insight,
interest, syntax/mechanics, revision/process work, and reflection. A detailed
handout will precede due dates for each portfolio to give you a specific idea
of the criteria for the portfolio.
Writer’s Journal
(20%): Your journal will
consist of two parts. First, I’ll ask you to write short arguments and other
types of essays based on your readings or in preparation for larger papers. Second,
because I insist on your intelligent appraisal of current events and trends,
every Monday morning I’ll post a recent local, national, or global news story
by e-mail to which you’re to respond in a one-page essay. I’ll collect journals
twice during the semester. Sorry, but journal entries are not collaborative. If even one of your
entries looks suspiciously like someone else’s, both of you will automatically fail
the assignment.
Reading Quizzes (5%) based on the information in the chapters in the
Glenn text.
Participation
and Engagement (5%): You
will earn a C by coming to class regularly. You will earn a higher grade by
coming to class regularly and actively participating. Consistent tardiness,
lack of preparation, and disrespectful, immature, and belligerent behavior will
cause your grade to lower dramatically. It’s extremely easy to secure an A for
this part of your grade, but you must earn it.
I understand that
things happen and you have to miss class, even for a mental health day, so you
may miss two classes, including those for doctor appointments, illnesses, court
dates, weddings, road trips, hangovers, job interviews, inconvenient work
hours, auditions and rehearsals, abandonment in strange cities, distressing
break-ups, advisor meetings, registration, field trips, and any other reason.
Beyond two absences, your final course grade will be reduced by 1/3 of a letter
per absence (an A will be reduced to an A- on the third absence, to a B+ on the
fourth...), so pop an aspirin and come to class with your sniffles, sore
throats, watery eyes, headaches, and emotional baggage, even on your off days.
Keep in mind that there’s no difference between an excused and an unexcused
absence. In the case of a devastating event such as a funeral or hospital visit
that will keep you out of class for a significant amount of time, one of your
family members should contact the registrars office, which will in turn contact
your instructors. I make sure to reward perfect attendance, and I also expect
you to take responsibility for your absences and inquire independently about
announcements or missed work. I take attendance very seriously because the nature
of composition courses is based on their workshop atmosphere, which is why I
press you to come to class, contribute to class discussions, draft and revise,
and participate in peer critiques.
According to the Board of Regents, academic
misconduct includes, but is not limited to,
·
Permitting another student to plagiarize or cheat
from your work
·
Submitting an academic exercise that has been
prepared totally or in part by someone else
·
Acquiring improper knowledge of the contents of an
exam
·
Using unauthorized material during an exam
·
Submitting the same paper in different courses
without the knowledge and consent of your instructors
Punishment for such actions might include failure of work undertaken,
failure in the course, and formal disciplinary action, including suspension or
expulsion from the university. I strongly encourage you to make use of the
writing tutors via e-mail with the UW-Waukesha Online Writing Lab; instructions
are located at <http://waukesha.uwc.edu/academics/owl/>.
·
Students who require accommodations because of a
documented disability should notify Student Services and me within the first
ten days of class for further instructions.
·
I will provide students who cannot be present for a
scheduled peer critique because of a religious observance with an alternate way
of fulfilling that particular course requirement, providing that they notify me
of the scheduling conflict within the first ten days of class.
·
Mobile
phones are subject to smashing if they ring during class. If you’re expecting
an urgent call, let me know before class begins.
·
I have
very particular feelings about late assignments, stapling papers, and misspelled
words, so make sure to read the following section on Assignment Guidelines very
carefully.
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 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.)
The following
general guidelines apply to all assignments:
1. Although it’s fashionable to be late in many
circles, final assignments are due in class on the date specified on the
schedule of assignments, even if you’re going to miss class because of a university
sponsored event. I frown on receiving late assignments for whatever reason,
including malicious computers that eat disks, crash and burn, mysteriously lose
documents, or freeze up. You should always back up your work by printing hard
copies of all drafts, saving them on disks (although they’re temperamental),
and keeping e-mail attachments of your drafts in your accounts. Furthermore,
don’t leave your assignments in your printers. Unless I tell you otherwise,
I’ll lower the grade on your portfolios and journals by one full letter per day
(not class period) that they’re late, beginning with the moment that class ends
on the day the assignment is due. If you find yourself in this situation, and
unless I specify otherwise, e-mail the assignment to me before class and keep a
copy in your account. If for some reason it doesn’t reach me, I’m going to ask
you for evidence that you sent it when you claim you did.
2. Because I’m visually impaired, print all
assignments with a good quality printer only in unstreaked black or blue ink
and always attach each final paper for your portfolio (final draft, first
draft, and reflective statement) with a staple or paperclip (never tape or
complicated ripping or folding) so my cats don’t shuffle the pages when they
play in them. I hate to say it, but I have to: I won’t accept handwritten
assignments, and, if your final papers are not attached together, I’ll
automatically reduce your portfolio and/or journal grade by one full letter.
Paperclips and staplers run amok through the campus, so you’ll have no trouble
finding one or the other.
3. Make sure that your name is on each page of
an assignment, and make sure to proofread everything carefully before you turn
a final project in because typos will severely lower your grade as they show me
that you’re not paying close enough attention to your work. I consider typos to
be misspelled words, missing words, extra words, or words used incorrectly (for
example, know the difference between the commonly misused words
oppress/suppress/repress, definitely/defiantly, exert/excerpt, its/it’s,
there/their/they’re, and your/you’re). If you’re not sure how to spell or use a
word, consult a dictionary. Don’t let this rule frighten you—I just want to
make sure that you proofread your papers carefully, that you suspend your faith
in spell checking and grammar checking software, and that you have this basic
grasp on the language.
4. My assessment of your writing includes
scrutinizing final drafts, peer critiques, and reflective statements. For this
reason, each final paper must include these three documents. If your reflective
statement is missing from any final paper in your portfolio, I’ll automatically
reduce your portfolio grade by one full letter per missing reflective statement.
Furthermore, I assign an in-class grade for peer critiques of first
drafts, so if you forget to bring your own complete first draft to class on
peer critique day, you may not critique someone else’s draft. It also means
that you won’t be able to attach a peer critique of your own first draft to
your final paper when you turn it in. I hate to say this, but I have to—if your
first draft, critiqued by someone in class and not just by one of your friends,
is missing from your final draft, I’ll automatically lower your portfolio grade
by one full letter per missing peer critique. I never offer the option of turning these documents in late (especially
after I’ve handed back final grades), so be mindful of attaching them to each
final draft.
Have readings
completed by the beginning of class and bring the material that we’re covering
that day with you. The schedule of assignments is subject to change at my
discretion.
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Th |
9/2 |
Introduction to the Course Journal Entry #1: Examining Yourself as a Writer For Tuesday, read Glenn chapter 1 (2-14) |
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The
Reading-Writing Connection |
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T |
9/7 |
Exercise on practical reading strategies Journal Entry #2: Organizational Patterns |
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Th |
9/9 |
Introduction to audience, purpose, and style Journal Entry #3: Gauging Audiences For Tuesday, read Glenn chapter 2 (Description 47-56) (be prepared for your first reading quiz) and Iyer, “Where Worlds Collide” (77-88) and be prepared and write about Iyer’s purpose, language, and dominant impression; bring a picture of a famous public, political, or controversial figure to class |
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Narration and Description |
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T |
9/14 |
Introduce Narrative essay assignment Discussion of “Where Worlds Collide” Exercise on subjective/objective descriptions and honorific/pejorative language Journal Entry #4: Travel Descriptions For Thursday, read Glenn chapter 3 (Narration 125-38) and Sedaris, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” (149-53); bring the Hacker book to class |
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Th |
9/16 |
Discussion of “Me Talk Pretty” Exercise on writing transitions Journal Entry #5: Changing Opinions |
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T |
9/21 |
Narrative invention exercises and drafting For Thursday, complete first draft of narrative paper and bring four copies of your complete draft to class (remember, if you don’t have your complete draft, you’ll automatically lose a full letter from your portfolio grade; I’ll circulate to make sure that you have it and that it’s complete) |
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Th |
9/23 |
Peer Critique of narrative paper Introduce reflective statements For Tuesday, read Glenn chapter 4 (Exemplification 185-98) and Staples, “Just Walk on By” (215-17), and be prepared to discuss and write about Staples’ use of anecdotes, examples, facts,
illustrations, and description as he makes his argument |
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Exemplification |
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T |
9/28 |
Discussion of “Just Walk on By” Exercise on specifics and generalizations Journal Entry #6: Public Presence For Thursday, read Hacker “Repair Sentence Fragments” (156-64) and “Revise Run-On Sentences” (164-70) |
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Th |
9/30 |
Exercise on sentence fragments and run-on
sentences Exercise on sentence variety Journal Entry #7: Problems with Personal
Experience For Tuesday, read Glenn chapter 5
(Classification and Division 241-56), Anderson, “The
Origin of Alien Species” (275-79) and Noah, “Laura Bush” (296-99) and
be prepared to
discuss and write about their categories and examples and their
limitations |
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Classification/Division |
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T |
10/5 |
Introduce Classification/Division essay assignment Discussion of “Origin” and “Laura Bush” Exercise on classifying and dividing Journal Entry #8: Classifying and Dividing Screen Images |
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Th |
10/7 |
Practice writing introductions, conclusions, and thesis statements Journal Entry #9: Writing Out of a Difficult Situation |
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T |
10/12 |
Classification/Division invention exercises and drafting For Thursday, complete first draft of classification/division paper and bring four copies of your complete draft to class |
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Th |
10/14 |
Peer Critique of classification/division paper Journal Entry #10: Exploding a Moment For Tuesday, read Glenn chapter 6 (Comparison and Contrast 313-26) and
Barry, “Guys vs. Men” (361-68) and
Hatfield, “Smoothing Rough Edges” (356-58) and be prepared to discuss and write about their
purposes and organizational patterns; read Hacker’s “Prefer active verbs” (84-87) |
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Comparison/Contrast |
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T |
10/19 |
Introduce Comparison/Contrast essay assignment Discussion of “Guys vs. Men” and “Smoothing Rough Edges” Exercise on active/passive verbs Journal Entry #11: Comparing and Contrasting Women For Thursday, read Hacker “The Comma” (266-86) Mid-Term
Portfolio Due: final narrative and classification/division papers with first drafts and reflective statements Journal entries
#1-10 and current event reaction papers #1-6 due (you may staple them together and include them in the
binder with your final papers) |
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Th |
10/21 |
Comma exercises Journal Entry #12: Comparing Relatives |
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T |
10/26 |
Comparison/Contrast
invention exercises and drafting For Thursday, complete first draft of comparison/contrast paper and bring four copies of your complete
draft to class |
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Th |
10/28 |
Peer Critique of comparison/contrast paper Journal Entry #13: informing, convincing, persuading, entertaining, reporting For Tuesday, read Glenn chapter 7 (Process Analysis 377-89) and
Lieberman, “Deal with Any Complaint” (418-19)
and be prepared to discuss and write about his analysis and replicability |
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Process
Analysis |
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T |
11/2 |
Introduce Process Analysis essay assignment Discussion of “Deal with Any Complaint” Exercise on suggesting instructions Journal Entry #14: Avoiding Disaster For Thursday, read Mitford, “The Embalming of Mr. Jones” (403-08) and
be prepared to discuss and write about
Mitford’s informational analysis, and read Hacker’s “Tighten wordy sentences” (130-34) |
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Th |
11/4 |
Discussion of “Embalming” Exercise on wordiness Journal Entry #15: Blissful Ignorance |
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11/9 |
Process Analysis invention exercises and drafting For Thursday, complete first draft of process analysis paper and bring four copies of your complete draft to
class |
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Th |
11/11 |
Peer critique of process analysis For Tuesday, read Glenn chapter 8 (Cause and Consequence 439-53) and
Quindlen, “Leg Waxing and Life
Everlasting” (470-72) and be prepared to discuss and write about Quindlen’s purpose and
assertions |
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Cause and
Consequence |
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T |
11/16 |
Introduce Cause/Consequence essay assignment Discussion of “Leg Waxing” Exercise on primary, contributory, immediate, and remote causes and
consequences Journal Entry #16: Everyday Rages For Thursday, |
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Th |
11/18 |
Cause/consequence invention exercises and drafting For Tuesday, complete first draft of cause/consequence paper and bring four copies of your complete draft to class |
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T |
11/23 |
Peer critique of cause/consequence paper For Tuesday, read Glenn chapter 9 (Definition) and Difilippo, “Love or
Haight?” (547-49) And Trivedi, “A Big Push” (551-53)
and be prepared to discuss and write about their references |
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Th |
11/25 |
Thanksgiving
Break |
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Definition |
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T |
11/30 |
Introduce Definition essay assignment Discussion of “Love or Haight?” and “A Big Push” Journal Entry #17: Computer Literacy |
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Th |
12/2 |
Exercise on creating language
communities For Tuesday, read Hacker’s
sections on subjects, verbs, and pronouns (172-94) |
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12/7 |
Subject/verb/pronoun exercises Journal Entry #18: Pre-Definition
Invention Exercise |
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Th |
12/9 |
Definition invention exercises For Tuesday, complete first draft of definition paper and bring four copies of your complete draft to class |
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T |
12/14 |
Peer critique of definition paper Course evaluations Journal Entry #19: What I Learned in English 101 |
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F |
12/17 |
Due in my office by
10am: Final Portfolio: final comparison/contrast, process analysis,
cause/consequence, and definition papers with first drafts and
reflective statements Journal entries #11-19 and current event reaction
papers #7-15 due (you may staple them together and include them in the
binder with your final papers) |
Each of your formal
writing assignments must include a reflective statement, which is a means of
exploring how you went about writing your papers. Its focus is your writing
itself, both your draft and the processes that produced it, and its aim is
critical understanding, usually for the purpose of revision. It gives you the
opportunity to think about what’s working or not working in the draft, what
thinking and writing processes went into producing it, and what possibilities
you saw for revising it. However, it isn’t the place to be too general. Don’t
tell me that you started with a catchy introduction because it’s important to
grab the reader’s attention. We already know that. To write an effective
reflective statement, pick out a question from each section of the list below,
look at specific aspects of your paper, explore your past thinking against your
present thinking, and support your analysis with adequate details:
1. Process questions, which address the
specific writing strategies you used to complete this paper:
·
What
was the biggest problem I faced in writing this paper, and how successful was I
in solving that problem? Provide specific examples from your paper.
·
What were
my favorite sentence or word-level revisions that added some fire or spark to
my writing? Provide specific examples from your paper.
2. Subject-related questions, which address how
the subject of your paper caused you to wallow in complexity:
3. Rhetoric-related questions, which discuss
the audience you imagined and how it influenced your writing:
4. Self-assessment questions, which address the
most significant strengths and weaknesses in the essay:
5.
Peer
Critique question, which addresses your responses to those exercises:
·
How did
you revise your final paper based on your peer critique? Did you find that your
peers gave useful feedback? Did they provide feedback that you found useless?
When you answer
these questions in two to three pages (which are not included in the
page-length requirements of each assignment), write them in complete sentences
and in paragraph form. Failure to turn your reflective statement will
result in an automatic full letter deduction from your final grade. I know that this exercise seems frivolous,
but it’ll honestly, at least subconsciously, help you think about the writing
process for following papers.