The due date for the final draft of the trend essay has been moved back to Thurs. 7/9.
For tomorrow, the NEW homework assignment is to read SMG pages 333-341 and do the AWS on page 338.
On THURS. We will meet in the Library classroom again to do some more research.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Reminder
Engl. 121-5. Class will be held in the Auraria Library instruction room (on the first floor). I will be in the lobby.
Please bring your Speculating About Causes topic proposal, typed, to class.
Please bring your Speculating About Causes topic proposal, typed, to class.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Welcome
Welcome to the Summer 09 version of Engl. 121.
This blog will feature prominently in this class. It is a place where I will post lectures and other materials we go over in class. It is a place I will post readings and viewings that I want to talk about in class.
Also, they syllabus and schedule will be posted here, as well as any class business that I need to take care of.
To receive emails each time I update this page, please sign up in subscription thing over there in the corner. See it? Now just enter your email and you will stay informed with this class (you can also unsubscribe when this class is over).
Welcome.
This blog will feature prominently in this class. It is a place where I will post lectures and other materials we go over in class. It is a place I will post readings and viewings that I want to talk about in class.
Also, they syllabus and schedule will be posted here, as well as any class business that I need to take care of.
To receive emails each time I update this page, please sign up in subscription thing over there in the corner. See it? Now just enter your email and you will stay informed with this class (you can also unsubscribe when this class is over).
Welcome.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Logos
Using Warrants
This is a direct quote of a page at:
http:/writing.colostate.edu/guides/index.cfm?guides_active=argument&category1=31m
Presenting Your Evidence
In your paper you must demonstrate why a given piece of evidence supports your thesis, claim or position. You must explain the reasoning process by which they are logically connected. (This is called the Toulmin method where the explanations are referred to as warrants.)
If I walk up to you and scream “Immigrants deserve rights” in your face. I am not arguing, I am fighting. However, when we stop to define the reasoning behind our statements, and attach those reasons to evidence, we are now in a position where someone might agree with us.
The Colo. State Univ. writing lab website, a leader in web references for writers, states, “First, for each claim that is debatable, or open to question, a reason is offered that supports the claim's validity. A warrant-consisting of a sentence or two-then follows, explaining the reason. Finally, evidence is supplied that supports connecting the reason to a given point or the overall claim of the paper.” Their organization is as follows:
Thesis, Claim or Position: Grading should be optional in non-major courses.
Reason/Point #1: Non-major courses are designed to help students become intelligent, well-rounded citizens. If the goal of such courses is the exploration and acquisition of knowledge, grades only get in the way.
Warrant #1: Rather than learning for the sake of becoming a better person, grades encourage performance for the sake of a better GPA. The focus grading puts on performance undercuts learning opportunities when students choose courses according to what might be easiest rather than what they'd like to know more about. [Introduces why proof is relevant to point]
Evidence: For example, students polled at CSU in a College of Liberal Arts study cite the following reasons for choosing non-major courses:
1. Easy grading (80%)
2. Low quantity of work (60%)
3. What was available (40%)
4. Personality of teacher (30%)
5. Something they were interested in knowing more about (10%)
Similarly, in an interview I conducted with graduating seniors, only two of the 20 people I spoke with found their non-major courses valuable. The other 18 reported that non-major courses were a waste of time for a variety of reasons:
1. I'm never going to do anything with them.
2. I just took whatever wouldn't distract me from my major so I didn't work very hard in them, just studying enough to get an A on the test.
3. Non-major courses are a joke. Everyone I know took the simplest, stupidest, 100-level courses needed to fulfill the requirements. I can't even remember the ones I took now.
Warrant #2: Although not everyone in the interviews or the CLA poll cited grades explicitly as the reason for choosing easy, irrelevant, non-major courses, we can read such reasoning into many of the less explicit references as well. Clearly, students are not choosing courses based on what they can learn from them. Yet they are fairly consistent in their choices: 100-level courses with little work. Although laziness might be seen as the cause of such choices, it is just as likely that choosing according to the amount of work, selecting simple courses, or only studying for the exam are a result of the GPA system. Higher workloads and more complex topics obviously could mean receiving a lower grade; thus, they should be avoided. [Demonstrates how proof leads to point as necessary conclusion.]
This is a direct quote of a page at:
http:/writing.colostate.edu/guides/index.cfm?guides_active=argument&category1=31m
Presenting Your Evidence
In your paper you must demonstrate why a given piece of evidence supports your thesis, claim or position. You must explain the reasoning process by which they are logically connected. (This is called the Toulmin method where the explanations are referred to as warrants.)
If I walk up to you and scream “Immigrants deserve rights” in your face. I am not arguing, I am fighting. However, when we stop to define the reasoning behind our statements, and attach those reasons to evidence, we are now in a position where someone might agree with us.
The Colo. State Univ. writing lab website, a leader in web references for writers, states, “First, for each claim that is debatable, or open to question, a reason is offered that supports the claim's validity. A warrant-consisting of a sentence or two-then follows, explaining the reason. Finally, evidence is supplied that supports connecting the reason to a given point or the overall claim of the paper.” Their organization is as follows:
Thesis, Claim or Position: Grading should be optional in non-major courses.
Reason/Point #1: Non-major courses are designed to help students become intelligent, well-rounded citizens. If the goal of such courses is the exploration and acquisition of knowledge, grades only get in the way.
Warrant #1: Rather than learning for the sake of becoming a better person, grades encourage performance for the sake of a better GPA. The focus grading puts on performance undercuts learning opportunities when students choose courses according to what might be easiest rather than what they'd like to know more about. [Introduces why proof is relevant to point]
Evidence: For example, students polled at CSU in a College of Liberal Arts study cite the following reasons for choosing non-major courses:
1. Easy grading (80%)
2. Low quantity of work (60%)
3. What was available (40%)
4. Personality of teacher (30%)
5. Something they were interested in knowing more about (10%)
Similarly, in an interview I conducted with graduating seniors, only two of the 20 people I spoke with found their non-major courses valuable. The other 18 reported that non-major courses were a waste of time for a variety of reasons:
1. I'm never going to do anything with them.
2. I just took whatever wouldn't distract me from my major so I didn't work very hard in them, just studying enough to get an A on the test.
3. Non-major courses are a joke. Everyone I know took the simplest, stupidest, 100-level courses needed to fulfill the requirements. I can't even remember the ones I took now.
Warrant #2: Although not everyone in the interviews or the CLA poll cited grades explicitly as the reason for choosing easy, irrelevant, non-major courses, we can read such reasoning into many of the less explicit references as well. Clearly, students are not choosing courses based on what they can learn from them. Yet they are fairly consistent in their choices: 100-level courses with little work. Although laziness might be seen as the cause of such choices, it is just as likely that choosing according to the amount of work, selecting simple courses, or only studying for the exam are a result of the GPA system. Higher workloads and more complex topics obviously could mean receiving a lower grade; thus, they should be avoided. [Demonstrates how proof leads to point as necessary conclusion.]
Focussing Your Topic
The Research Process Part 2
(General Guidelines For Building a Good Paper)
Focusing Your Topic
By this point you know a lot about what you will be writing about. You’ve done background research—reading about the history of the topics, discovering who some key players are in this debate and mapping out the various positions held in the controversy. Now, you are ready to add your opinion to the larger academic discussion about this topic.
But why?
Failing to focus a topic is a common mistake students make. When the topic is too broad, there is too much to cover, which results in a paper that feels superficial or shallow. If you topics is too narrow—i.e. “what are the psychological effects of 7 am classes on CCD students with brown, well kept hair…” you won’t be able to find enough evidence to support your points.
What does this mean?
Focusing a research topic (or occasionally broadening it) is narrowing your topic (and choosing to focus on specific parts of it) so that you can demonstrate your expertise on a subject and effectively argue a position in that debate.
Let’s say you like animals. Developing a focus for your paper (and your research) means you start here:
Animals have feelings
And go here:
The use of dogs in the United States Military is useful, but at what cost?
This isn’t necessarily your thesis, but it has narrowed your interests into something you can work with. The point is with the later you have specific research needs; you are working with a specific type of animal in a specific situation—something you can tackle in 10-15 pages.
Note: You will not immediately know what your focus should be. It will come to you, most likely, through trial and error, through reading a lot articles and other literature that you will not ultimately use. Realize, you are shaping your thinking on this topic and as you learn more, your thoughts will change.
Start by defining your terms. How can your terms be broken down?
Example:
War is wrong
Defining the terms:
"War": What type (self-defense, aggressive preemptive strikes, rooted in ideology…)? By whom? What commonalities do you see in the wars you think are wrong?
"Wrong": How so? Results in unnecessary bloodshed? Has a drastic effect on the economy? Fail to foresee and plan for the complexities on the ground?
Focused:
In American history, wars that are rooted in ideology often have dire consequences for the economy.
You can always define again, and again, if need be. Do you see how this is putting the proper restraint on the topic? How you can now find specific examples and evidence to support this idea?
Try focusing on:
A specific location: Colorado’s community colleges have the best students.
Age group: Violence on television begets violence among pre-Kinder kids.
Species: While testing cosmetic products must be done, Chimpanzees should be spared because…
Ethnicity: What are the effects of our current immigration laws on Mexican-American families in the US?
Do Not Merely Restate Terms. War is bad because it’s war. No. Don’t do it.
Most of all, this is the moment to consider your approach to the subject. Are you writing about a specific element of smoking (marketing to children in Third World Countries) or about its more general elements (Smoking is still a big problem among today’s youth). You have to figure out where to go and how to get there.
Test your topic early. The night before a draft is due is a poor time to discover your topic is still too broad. The research process is a recursive one. You will need to come back to your topic time and time again if it isn’t working out. A lot of this is Goldilocks and porridge. You have to try a lot to find what is just right. Remember—Writing takes time.
(General Guidelines For Building a Good Paper)
Focusing Your Topic
By this point you know a lot about what you will be writing about. You’ve done background research—reading about the history of the topics, discovering who some key players are in this debate and mapping out the various positions held in the controversy. Now, you are ready to add your opinion to the larger academic discussion about this topic.
But why?
Failing to focus a topic is a common mistake students make. When the topic is too broad, there is too much to cover, which results in a paper that feels superficial or shallow. If you topics is too narrow—i.e. “what are the psychological effects of 7 am classes on CCD students with brown, well kept hair…” you won’t be able to find enough evidence to support your points.
What does this mean?
Focusing a research topic (or occasionally broadening it) is narrowing your topic (and choosing to focus on specific parts of it) so that you can demonstrate your expertise on a subject and effectively argue a position in that debate.
Let’s say you like animals. Developing a focus for your paper (and your research) means you start here:
Animals have feelings
And go here:
The use of dogs in the United States Military is useful, but at what cost?
This isn’t necessarily your thesis, but it has narrowed your interests into something you can work with. The point is with the later you have specific research needs; you are working with a specific type of animal in a specific situation—something you can tackle in 10-15 pages.
Note: You will not immediately know what your focus should be. It will come to you, most likely, through trial and error, through reading a lot articles and other literature that you will not ultimately use. Realize, you are shaping your thinking on this topic and as you learn more, your thoughts will change.
Start by defining your terms. How can your terms be broken down?
Example:
War is wrong
Defining the terms:
"War": What type (self-defense, aggressive preemptive strikes, rooted in ideology…)? By whom? What commonalities do you see in the wars you think are wrong?
"Wrong": How so? Results in unnecessary bloodshed? Has a drastic effect on the economy? Fail to foresee and plan for the complexities on the ground?
Focused:
In American history, wars that are rooted in ideology often have dire consequences for the economy.
You can always define again, and again, if need be. Do you see how this is putting the proper restraint on the topic? How you can now find specific examples and evidence to support this idea?
Try focusing on:
A specific location: Colorado’s community colleges have the best students.
Age group: Violence on television begets violence among pre-Kinder kids.
Species: While testing cosmetic products must be done, Chimpanzees should be spared because…
Ethnicity: What are the effects of our current immigration laws on Mexican-American families in the US?
Do Not Merely Restate Terms. War is bad because it’s war. No. Don’t do it.
Most of all, this is the moment to consider your approach to the subject. Are you writing about a specific element of smoking (marketing to children in Third World Countries) or about its more general elements (Smoking is still a big problem among today’s youth). You have to figure out where to go and how to get there.
Test your topic early. The night before a draft is due is a poor time to discover your topic is still too broad. The research process is a recursive one. You will need to come back to your topic time and time again if it isn’t working out. A lot of this is Goldilocks and porridge. You have to try a lot to find what is just right. Remember—Writing takes time.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Don't Forget
Welcome Back. Please bring three copies of your Trend Essay rough drafts tomorrow. To the people that volunteered to serve as the in-class workshopper, be sure you have an extra draft for me.
If you have having trouble, refer to the articles in the Speculating About Causes chapter.
Thanks,
Jeff Becker
If you have having trouble, refer to the articles in the Speculating About Causes chapter.
Thanks,
Jeff Becker
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Research Process
Start Here:
1. Research to learn more about your topic. Develop background info. Build expertise.
For this paper: Establish the trend
Your topic is broad. Example: Immigration
Use:
*CQ Researcher
*Subject Encyclopedia/Handbooks (IE: Handbook of Immigration)
*Books (introductions/conclusions) / Newspapers
*Google (only to sift through to get to better sources).
Go Here:
2. Focus your topic. Example: There has been an increase in illegal immigration from Mexico the the U.S. (I have defined my terms).
Find specific articles from academics and other credible sources to use as evidence in your paper.
Use:
*Academic Search Premier
*Journal Databases
*Reference Librarians (the reference desk in the library)
For this paper: FOCUS ON CAUSES. CAUSES, NOT EFFECTS.
Causes->Trends
Trend: Economic Collapse in the U.S.
Causes: Unregulated Financial Products; Mortgage crash; greed
For paper find 5-10 academic sources
1. Research to learn more about your topic. Develop background info. Build expertise.
For this paper: Establish the trend
Your topic is broad. Example: Immigration
Use:
*CQ Researcher
*Subject Encyclopedia/Handbooks (IE: Handbook of Immigration)
*Books (introductions/conclusions) / Newspapers
*Google (only to sift through to get to better sources).
Go Here:
2. Focus your topic. Example: There has been an increase in illegal immigration from Mexico the the U.S. (I have defined my terms).
Find specific articles from academics and other credible sources to use as evidence in your paper.
Use:
*Academic Search Premier
*Journal Databases
*Reference Librarians (the reference desk in the library)
For this paper: FOCUS ON CAUSES. CAUSES, NOT EFFECTS.
Causes->Trends
Trend: Economic Collapse in the U.S.
Causes: Unregulated Financial Products; Mortgage crash; greed
For paper find 5-10 academic sources
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thurs. 3/19
REMEMBER: Class will be held in the following locations.
ENGL. 121-05 8:30-9:45 Auraria Library Rm 245
ENGL. 121-17 11:30--12:45 Auraria Library Rm 245
ENGL. 121-13 1:00--2:15 Writing Center (SO rm 142) Room E.
See you there.
ENGL. 121-05 8:30-9:45 Auraria Library Rm 245
ENGL. 121-17 11:30--12:45 Auraria Library Rm 245
ENGL. 121-13 1:00--2:15 Writing Center (SO rm 142) Room E.
See you there.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday
DON'T FORGET MEET IN AURARIA LIBRARY
Due: Topic Proposal. Use pages 485 - 488 in the The St. Martin's Guide To Writing to develop some trends you are interested in. Use page 489 for help in establishing some of the causes of those trends.
Pick 3 to 4 of them and propose them to me, listing both the trend you are interested in and several causes of them.
ALSO...if you forgot to hand in your Analyzing Writing Strategies questions from the Goode and Saporito articles, please turn them in on Tues. (For those of you that are still confused about this: After each article is a section entitled "Analyzing Writing Strategies." This section asks you to engage the text and answer two or three questions about it. When I write on the board that I want you to answer these questions, what I am looking for you to do is ANSWER THEM. I don't see what is confusing about this, so if you are still having trouble please come talk to me).
Due: Topic Proposal. Use pages 485 - 488 in the The St. Martin's Guide To Writing to develop some trends you are interested in. Use page 489 for help in establishing some of the causes of those trends.
Pick 3 to 4 of them and propose them to me, listing both the trend you are interested in and several causes of them.
ALSO...if you forgot to hand in your Analyzing Writing Strategies questions from the Goode and Saporito articles, please turn them in on Tues. (For those of you that are still confused about this: After each article is a section entitled "Analyzing Writing Strategies." This section asks you to engage the text and answer two or three questions about it. When I write on the board that I want you to answer these questions, what I am looking for you to do is ANSWER THEM. I don't see what is confusing about this, so if you are still having trouble please come talk to me).
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Trend Paper
ENG 121: Essay 3—Speculating About Causes
Write an essay exploring the causes behind a current trend in American society. The essay should contain an opening paragraph which introduces this trend to the readers and offers a thesis forecasting the direction of your essay. The body of the paper should develop two or three main causes, or categories of causes, which examine both "surface" (obvious/practical/necessary) causes for the trend and "underlying" (less obvious/sociological/psychological) causes. When exploring causes, you must take into account a reason for the increase in whatever issue you’re looking into. For example, sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) among teens may be caused by teens having unprotected sex. However, this does not explain why more teens have STD’s now than 10 years ago. A look at changing attitudes about casual sex or a decline in parental supervision, though, might help explain why more teens are engaging in unsafe sex
Each of the main causes you give should be developed in a paragraph using evidence in the form of examples, facts & figures, anecdotes, etc. While it will be important to discuss a variety of possible causes, it will also be important to finally focus on a particular cause which you would like to explore in some depth. You may choose this primary focus because you think it is the most important cause or simply because it is of particular interest to you.
Your analysis of this trend must be supported by limited research. You must include a minimum of two researched sources in your paper that should come from the Auraria library databases. We will go to the library as a class and learn about research, so use those techniques to develop your paper. Researched sources may include books, magazines, newspapers, personal interviews, and reference materials (i.e., encyclopedias, statistical abstracts, etc.). Online sources are only acceptable if they come from a credible source (ie it must end in .gov, etc). Other online sources WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. All sources must be documented. Format for in-text citations and Works Cited page will be based upon MLA style, as discussed in Ch. 22 of The St. Martin's Guide to Writing and the MLA section of A Writer’s Reference.
The final draft must be accompanied by an outline
Your essay will be evaluated upon the following criteria:
• Appropriate introduction which sufficiently establishes the topic and ends with a clear, strong thesis
• A clearly established trend, either in the introduction or in a body paragraph, depending on the topic
• Body section exploring a variety of possible causes
• Body section exploring one particular cause in some depth
• Proper and effective use of researched information
• A complex discussion of the topic appropriate for an academic paper
• Correctly formatted Works Cited page
• Effective use of transitions between paragraphs
• Careful editing for mechanical errors
• Appropriate conclusion
Requirements: 3-5 pages, typed, MLA format including Works Cited page. Keep all brainstorming materials, drafts, peer comments, outline and other materials, including print outs of your research.
Example Outline Format:
I. Intro
A. Background establishing (naming/describing) the trend
B. Thesis: “X is a trend because of A, B & C” or
“We are seeing more and more of X because of...”
II. First Possible Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
(e.g., “One reason for the increase in X is...”)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
III. Second Possible Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
IV. Third Possible Cause/Primary Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
V. Brief Conclusion
Trend Topic Ideas (these are just ideas to get you thinking, not fully developed topics):
• Spots: Increased in doping in sports; Increased technology; Increased pay
• Well being: Increased speed in everything we do. Multitasking, instant gratification,
• Food: Global and local. We live in a global world, but more and more people are calling for local food; Fast food culture; Famous food personalities;
• Global politics: China’s emergence as a superpower; Shipping jobs overseas; terrorism
• Money: Failing economies (overpaid CEOs, Fed. Bailouts, housing foreclosures, failing banks, food stamps); the growth of the income gap; struggling to stay in the middle class
• Green living: (and the Green movement in general), alternative fuels, lifestyles, etc.
• Education: Rising tuition; alternative high schools, charter schools, community colleges
• Fashion: Fast fashion; “low-riding”???; hip vs. classic
• Rights: Gay marriage, more gays on television sit-coms;
• Youth: technology; STDs and drug use; financial independence; stress
• Family and Relationships: Divorce; working parents
• Technology: Octomom and in-vitro, Ipods and cell phones, social networking
• “Reality” television; Failing newspapers, more blogs.
• Music: Hick hop, Mp3 and the dying major record labels, MySpace,
Use the Pew Research Center to find ideas: www.pewtrusts.org
Write an essay exploring the causes behind a current trend in American society. The essay should contain an opening paragraph which introduces this trend to the readers and offers a thesis forecasting the direction of your essay. The body of the paper should develop two or three main causes, or categories of causes, which examine both "surface" (obvious/practical/necessary) causes for the trend and "underlying" (less obvious/sociological/psychological) causes. When exploring causes, you must take into account a reason for the increase in whatever issue you’re looking into. For example, sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) among teens may be caused by teens having unprotected sex. However, this does not explain why more teens have STD’s now than 10 years ago. A look at changing attitudes about casual sex or a decline in parental supervision, though, might help explain why more teens are engaging in unsafe sex
Each of the main causes you give should be developed in a paragraph using evidence in the form of examples, facts & figures, anecdotes, etc. While it will be important to discuss a variety of possible causes, it will also be important to finally focus on a particular cause which you would like to explore in some depth. You may choose this primary focus because you think it is the most important cause or simply because it is of particular interest to you.
Your analysis of this trend must be supported by limited research. You must include a minimum of two researched sources in your paper that should come from the Auraria library databases. We will go to the library as a class and learn about research, so use those techniques to develop your paper. Researched sources may include books, magazines, newspapers, personal interviews, and reference materials (i.e., encyclopedias, statistical abstracts, etc.). Online sources are only acceptable if they come from a credible source (ie it must end in .gov, etc). Other online sources WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. All sources must be documented. Format for in-text citations and Works Cited page will be based upon MLA style, as discussed in Ch. 22 of The St. Martin's Guide to Writing and the MLA section of A Writer’s Reference.
The final draft must be accompanied by an outline
Your essay will be evaluated upon the following criteria:
• Appropriate introduction which sufficiently establishes the topic and ends with a clear, strong thesis
• A clearly established trend, either in the introduction or in a body paragraph, depending on the topic
• Body section exploring a variety of possible causes
• Body section exploring one particular cause in some depth
• Proper and effective use of researched information
• A complex discussion of the topic appropriate for an academic paper
• Correctly formatted Works Cited page
• Effective use of transitions between paragraphs
• Careful editing for mechanical errors
• Appropriate conclusion
Requirements: 3-5 pages, typed, MLA format including Works Cited page. Keep all brainstorming materials, drafts, peer comments, outline and other materials, including print outs of your research.
Example Outline Format:
I. Intro
A. Background establishing (naming/describing) the trend
B. Thesis: “X is a trend because of A, B & C” or
“We are seeing more and more of X because of...”
II. First Possible Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
(e.g., “One reason for the increase in X is...”)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
III. Second Possible Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
IV. Third Possible Cause/Primary Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
V. Brief Conclusion
Trend Topic Ideas (these are just ideas to get you thinking, not fully developed topics):
• Spots: Increased in doping in sports; Increased technology; Increased pay
• Well being: Increased speed in everything we do. Multitasking, instant gratification,
• Food: Global and local. We live in a global world, but more and more people are calling for local food; Fast food culture; Famous food personalities;
• Global politics: China’s emergence as a superpower; Shipping jobs overseas; terrorism
• Money: Failing economies (overpaid CEOs, Fed. Bailouts, housing foreclosures, failing banks, food stamps); the growth of the income gap; struggling to stay in the middle class
• Green living: (and the Green movement in general), alternative fuels, lifestyles, etc.
• Education: Rising tuition; alternative high schools, charter schools, community colleges
• Fashion: Fast fashion; “low-riding”???; hip vs. classic
• Rights: Gay marriage, more gays on television sit-coms;
• Youth: technology; STDs and drug use; financial independence; stress
• Family and Relationships: Divorce; working parents
• Technology: Octomom and in-vitro, Ipods and cell phones, social networking
• “Reality” television; Failing newspapers, more blogs.
• Music: Hick hop, Mp3 and the dying major record labels, MySpace,
Use the Pew Research Center to find ideas: www.pewtrusts.org
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Essay Two: The Profile
Important Dates:
2/24 Due: Topic Proposal
3/3 Due: Rough Draft (3 copies to group).
3/3 Due: Interview/Observation notes (to Instructor)
3/5 In-Class Workshop Due; End Comments to group (2 copies of each)
3/10 DUE: Profile Essay (Revised. Manila folder with: Final, workshop
Assignment Description:
Write an essay about an intriguing person, place, or activity in your community. Observe your subject closely, and then present what you have learned in a way that both informs and engages readers.
From Axelrod and Cooper, “A profile is an informative and entertaining report based on a writer’s firsthand observations and interviews…It asks students to rely not on their memories or books they’ve read, but on their abilities to attend to what they see and hear” (bedfordstmartins.com). Profiles take the familiar and show its unique and exotic character. Profiles take the exotic and introduce it to us in a manner that makes it more familiar.
For the Narrative Essay, you relied on your memories of events and your ability to narrate those memories so that the reader lived through them with you and was thus allowed to consider something larger (at your bequest) from this experience. In the Profile Essay, however, you won’t use memory, but your own primary research to compile the necessary information to present an essay that invites the reader to see your subject in a new way. A good profile reveals feelings, exposes attitudes, and captures habits and mannerisms. The finished story should be as entertaining as it is informative.
To this end, this assignment will require that you perform at least one (probably more like two) detailed observation/interview (or both).
Seek out unusual/interesting activities, people, or places and AVOID topics with which you are overly familiar (e.g., the summer job they you had for the last four years, your apartment, etc.). Unless otherwise approved by me, relatives, your house, your dog, your boyfr./girlfr., your workplace, etc. are off limits. If you have limited transportation please consider choosing a subject from the campus community (ie an organization, the cleaning personnel, etc.). Two problems with selecting a profile topic are those of accessibility and security. Subjects that may sound exciting in theory may not be possible or appropriate in practice: A doctor or scientist may not be available for interviews; a military installation or a nuclear power plant may be off-limits to the general public. Similarly, you should only explore topics that will NOT jeopardize your safety.
In summary, for this project you will:
A) Conduct an interview/observation (Ch. 20) of a person, place, group, etc.
B) From that observation/interview prepare a cleanly written, two-to-five page, interesting profile of your subject.
Ideas:
A hospital waiting room, an American Legion hall, a great/quirky restaurant, someone who lived through the Great Depression, a midnight basketball league, a soup kitchen, an online “reality” like Second Life, something interesting in your community, someone interesting in your community.
NOTE: DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS OF THIS CLASS it is imperative that you chose a subject for this essay as soon as possible and schedule an interview or observation.
Requirements:
2-5 pages, Typed, MLA format, Work’s Cited (if necessary).
2/24 Due: Topic Proposal
3/3 Due: Rough Draft (3 copies to group).
3/3 Due: Interview/Observation notes (to Instructor)
3/5 In-Class Workshop Due; End Comments to group (2 copies of each)
3/10 DUE: Profile Essay (Revised. Manila folder with: Final, workshop
Assignment Description:
Write an essay about an intriguing person, place, or activity in your community. Observe your subject closely, and then present what you have learned in a way that both informs and engages readers.
From Axelrod and Cooper, “A profile is an informative and entertaining report based on a writer’s firsthand observations and interviews…It asks students to rely not on their memories or books they’ve read, but on their abilities to attend to what they see and hear” (bedfordstmartins.com). Profiles take the familiar and show its unique and exotic character. Profiles take the exotic and introduce it to us in a manner that makes it more familiar.
For the Narrative Essay, you relied on your memories of events and your ability to narrate those memories so that the reader lived through them with you and was thus allowed to consider something larger (at your bequest) from this experience. In the Profile Essay, however, you won’t use memory, but your own primary research to compile the necessary information to present an essay that invites the reader to see your subject in a new way. A good profile reveals feelings, exposes attitudes, and captures habits and mannerisms. The finished story should be as entertaining as it is informative.
To this end, this assignment will require that you perform at least one (probably more like two) detailed observation/interview (or both).
Seek out unusual/interesting activities, people, or places and AVOID topics with which you are overly familiar (e.g., the summer job they you had for the last four years, your apartment, etc.). Unless otherwise approved by me, relatives, your house, your dog, your boyfr./girlfr., your workplace, etc. are off limits. If you have limited transportation please consider choosing a subject from the campus community (ie an organization, the cleaning personnel, etc.). Two problems with selecting a profile topic are those of accessibility and security. Subjects that may sound exciting in theory may not be possible or appropriate in practice: A doctor or scientist may not be available for interviews; a military installation or a nuclear power plant may be off-limits to the general public. Similarly, you should only explore topics that will NOT jeopardize your safety.
In summary, for this project you will:
A) Conduct an interview/observation (Ch. 20) of a person, place, group, etc.
B) From that observation/interview prepare a cleanly written, two-to-five page, interesting profile of your subject.
Ideas:
A hospital waiting room, an American Legion hall, a great/quirky restaurant, someone who lived through the Great Depression, a midnight basketball league, a soup kitchen, an online “reality” like Second Life, something interesting in your community, someone interesting in your community.
NOTE: DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS OF THIS CLASS it is imperative that you chose a subject for this essay as soon as possible and schedule an interview or observation.
Requirements:
2-5 pages, Typed, MLA format, Work’s Cited (if necessary).
Thursday, February 12, 2009
ENGL 121 Narrative Essay Peer Review/Revision Guidelines
Subject• The essay does not meet the criteria for an event essay, but seems more like a personal essay, reflection essay, or some other type of writing.
• The topic is too broad (“my childhood,” “our championship season”).
• The event does not seem important to the writer.
• The essay either trivializes a major event or overstates a minor one (this second case can be effective if handled humorously).
Narrative Structure of the Event
• The event sprawls over too much time or space.
• The event is not clearly framed for the reader; it should begin or end at another point.
• The narrative drags in places, or skips over important episodes too quickly.
• The narrative lacks dramatic tension or suspense.
• The dialogue is undramatic and uninteresting; it does not move the action forward.
Anecdotes and Scenes• They are either too brief or much too extended.
• They do not seem to relate well to the event, or are poorly chosen or badly framed.
• The essay lacks telling details to build a dominant impression.
• The writer has not selected relevant details, or includes too many trivial, irrelevant ones.
• People do not seem believable in their actions or dialogue.
Significance to the Writer• There is no apparent significance, stated or implied.
• The significance is heavy-handed, inflated, oversimplified, or sentimentalized; the writer moralizes about the event.
• The essay is not very thoughtful in exploring the event’s significance; the writer may come off as a hero or a blameless victim.
• The essay does not give the reader a vivid impression of the writer.
Language
• What language problems do you repeat. Use pages 60-61 to help.
• The topic is too broad (“my childhood,” “our championship season”).
• The event does not seem important to the writer.
• The essay either trivializes a major event or overstates a minor one (this second case can be effective if handled humorously).
Narrative Structure of the Event
• The event sprawls over too much time or space.
• The event is not clearly framed for the reader; it should begin or end at another point.
• The narrative drags in places, or skips over important episodes too quickly.
• The narrative lacks dramatic tension or suspense.
• The dialogue is undramatic and uninteresting; it does not move the action forward.
Anecdotes and Scenes• They are either too brief or much too extended.
• They do not seem to relate well to the event, or are poorly chosen or badly framed.
• The essay lacks telling details to build a dominant impression.
• The writer has not selected relevant details, or includes too many trivial, irrelevant ones.
• People do not seem believable in their actions or dialogue.
Significance to the Writer• There is no apparent significance, stated or implied.
• The significance is heavy-handed, inflated, oversimplified, or sentimentalized; the writer moralizes about the event.
• The essay is not very thoughtful in exploring the event’s significance; the writer may come off as a hero or a blameless victim.
• The essay does not give the reader a vivid impression of the writer.
Language
• What language problems do you repeat. Use pages 60-61 to help.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
End Comments
Here are the guidelines for completing a peer review.
1st: Read the paper once to get an impression of the work
2nd: Read it again, this time with a pen and mark your suggestions/corrections to the work. Be sure to give advice, not criticism.
3rd: Write end comments.
I. I a letter to the author detail:
A. Three to four positive comments, specifically detailing what the author is doing that you find effective. No "I thought it was good." Yes: "The scene when your father comes home really slows down and describes the narrative action effectively. This helped build the suspense of the story."
B. Three to four suggestions (not criticisms) to the author that reflect your ideas for how the essay can be more effective. Use pages 58-59 as a reference since that is what I will use to grade the essays.
1st: Read the paper once to get an impression of the work
2nd: Read it again, this time with a pen and mark your suggestions/corrections to the work. Be sure to give advice, not criticism.
3rd: Write end comments.
I. I a letter to the author detail:
A. Three to four positive comments, specifically detailing what the author is doing that you find effective. No "I thought it was good." Yes: "The scene when your father comes home really slows down and describes the narrative action effectively. This helped build the suspense of the story."
B. Three to four suggestions (not criticisms) to the author that reflect your ideas for how the essay can be more effective. Use pages 58-59 as a reference since that is what I will use to grade the essays.
ENG 121
Schedule Spring 2009
New Due Dates:
Essay 1 = 2/17
Essay 2 =3/10
Essay 3 =4/7
Essay 4 =4/28
Essay 5 (in class final) = 5/5
SMG= St Martin’s Guide to Writing
Week 1 1/20 - 22
T: Writing Sample
TH: Introductions/ General Information
Read: SMG CH. 1
Week 2 1/27 – 29
T: Narratives
Read SMG: Dillard
TH: Narrative
Read SMG: Wolf and Bragg
Week 3 2/3 – 5
T: Narrative Drafting
Read: SMG: pgs. 625-633
Due: Topic Proposal
TH: Narrative Drafting
Read Ch. 13
Week 4 2/10 - 12
T: Student Samples
DUE ROUGH DRAFT of NARRATIVE ESSAY (3 copies)
TH: In-Class Workshop
Due: Typed End Comments (two copies of each)
Week 6 2/17 – 19
T: Intro. To Profile
DUE: NAR. ESSAY (Revised. Manilla folder with: final, workshop drafts).
TH: Profile Brainstorming
Read: SMG pgs100-102; 85-97
Week 7 2/24 – 26
T: Profile Brainstorming / Drafting
Read: SMG pgs 75-85, Ch. 20
Due: Topic Proposal
TH: Drafting
Read: SMG Ch. 13 AND SMG pgs103-112
Week 8 3/3 – 5
T: Student Samples
Due: Rough Draft (3 copies to group)
TH: In-Class Workshop
Due: End Comments to group (2 copies of each)
Week 9 3/10-12
T: Intro. To Analyzing Causes
DUE: Profile Essay (Revised. Manila folder with: Final, workshop drafts)
TH: Analyzing Causes
Read: SMG CH. 9
Week 10 3/17 - 19
T: Library Tour (meet at Auraria Library lobby)
Read: SMG CH. 21
Due: Topic Proposal
TH: Meet in Library
Read: Documenting Sources Ch. 22
SPRING BREAK 3/23 to 3/27 NO CLASS
Week 11
3/31-4/2
T: Student Samples
Due: Rough Draft
TH: Trend Paper Workshop
Due: End Comments
Week 12 4/7-9
T: Writing Arguments
DUE: Trend Essay (Revised. Manila folder with: Final, workshop
drafts)
TH: Arguments
Read: Ch. 6
Week 13 T: Arguments
4/14-16 Read: Ch 7
TH: Arguments
Read; Ch 19
Week 14 T: Sample Essay
4/21-23 Due Rough Draft of Argument Essay
TH: Workshop
End Comments
Week 15 T: How to Take In-Class Essays
4/28-30 Read: SMG Ch 23
DUE: Argument Essay (Revised. Manila folder with: Final, workshop drafts)
TH: No Class
Week 16 T: In-Class Essay Final
5/5
• this schedule can (and almost certainly will) change
Schedule Spring 2009
New Due Dates:
Essay 1 = 2/17
Essay 2 =3/10
Essay 3 =4/7
Essay 4 =4/28
Essay 5 (in class final) = 5/5
SMG= St Martin’s Guide to Writing
Week 1 1/20 - 22
T: Writing Sample
TH: Introductions/ General Information
Read: SMG CH. 1
Week 2 1/27 – 29
T: Narratives
Read SMG: Dillard
TH: Narrative
Read SMG: Wolf and Bragg
Week 3 2/3 – 5
T: Narrative Drafting
Read: SMG: pgs. 625-633
Due: Topic Proposal
TH: Narrative Drafting
Read Ch. 13
Week 4 2/10 - 12
T: Student Samples
DUE ROUGH DRAFT of NARRATIVE ESSAY (3 copies)
TH: In-Class Workshop
Due: Typed End Comments (two copies of each)
Week 6 2/17 – 19
T: Intro. To Profile
DUE: NAR. ESSAY (Revised. Manilla folder with: final, workshop drafts).
TH: Profile Brainstorming
Read: SMG pgs100-102; 85-97
Week 7 2/24 – 26
T: Profile Brainstorming / Drafting
Read: SMG pgs 75-85, Ch. 20
Due: Topic Proposal
TH: Drafting
Read: SMG Ch. 13 AND SMG pgs103-112
Week 8 3/3 – 5
T: Student Samples
Due: Rough Draft (3 copies to group)
TH: In-Class Workshop
Due: End Comments to group (2 copies of each)
Week 9 3/10-12
T: Intro. To Analyzing Causes
DUE: Profile Essay (Revised. Manila folder with: Final, workshop drafts)
TH: Analyzing Causes
Read: SMG CH. 9
Week 10 3/17 - 19
T: Library Tour (meet at Auraria Library lobby)
Read: SMG CH. 21
Due: Topic Proposal
TH: Meet in Library
Read: Documenting Sources Ch. 22
SPRING BREAK 3/23 to 3/27 NO CLASS
Week 11
3/31-4/2
T: Student Samples
Due: Rough Draft
TH: Trend Paper Workshop
Due: End Comments
Week 12 4/7-9
T: Writing Arguments
DUE: Trend Essay (Revised. Manila folder with: Final, workshop
drafts)
TH: Arguments
Read: Ch. 6
Week 13 T: Arguments
4/14-16 Read: Ch 7
TH: Arguments
Read; Ch 19
Week 14 T: Sample Essay
4/21-23 Due Rough Draft of Argument Essay
TH: Workshop
End Comments
Week 15 T: How to Take In-Class Essays
4/28-30 Read: SMG Ch 23
DUE: Argument Essay (Revised. Manila folder with: Final, workshop drafts)
TH: No Class
Week 16 T: In-Class Essay Final
5/5
• this schedule can (and almost certainly will) change
Friday, January 30, 2009
Topic Proposal
Due Tuesday. One page, typed.
Write: Briefly describe the story you want to tell. Write a brief synopsis of the event, include any characters present, the setting, the dramatic action, etc.
Include any conclusions/reflections you think you can draw from this experience.
Read. Pages625-633; 50-53 in St. Martin's Guide
Remember:
A good narrative essay makes some attempt to find meaning in this event for the reader. It may represent a theme that is common to many people, thus highlighting what is important in this shared experience. However, Some essays share with the reader an experience few of us have lived through (ie going off to war, getting out of prison, parenting as a teen, skydiving, etc). These essays then present the "truth" of that experience to those of us who haven't lived through it.
Both styles attempt to transcend beyond the merely personal story in that they attempt to draw a conclusion about what it means to be human. In the Dillard piece she relates how some of the greatest moments of our life come when we throw ourselves fully into something (and the glory therein). While this in not monumental conclusion, it is an interesting and important idea.
PS here is the link to the story by John Updike, a great American writer who died this week.
Write: Briefly describe the story you want to tell. Write a brief synopsis of the event, include any characters present, the setting, the dramatic action, etc.
Include any conclusions/reflections you think you can draw from this experience.
Read. Pages625-633; 50-53 in St. Martin's Guide
Remember:
A good narrative essay makes some attempt to find meaning in this event for the reader. It may represent a theme that is common to many people, thus highlighting what is important in this shared experience. However, Some essays share with the reader an experience few of us have lived through (ie going off to war, getting out of prison, parenting as a teen, skydiving, etc). These essays then present the "truth" of that experience to those of us who haven't lived through it.
Both styles attempt to transcend beyond the merely personal story in that they attempt to draw a conclusion about what it means to be human. In the Dillard piece she relates how some of the greatest moments of our life come when we throw ourselves fully into something (and the glory therein). While this in not monumental conclusion, it is an interesting and important idea.
PS here is the link to the story by John Updike, a great American writer who died this week.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Narrative Essay Assignment
Narrative Essay Assignment
Final Draft 100 pts.
Rough Draft 10 pts.
Workshop 10 pts
Due Dates.
Rough Draft: Feb. 10
Final Draft: Feb. 17
Assignment Description:
Writing a narrative appeals to one of humankind’s oldest instincts—to tell a story. Across time and cultures, stories have served to tell us who we are, where we come from and how all this came to be. Our most sacred texts are stories, and we connect with narratives more than any other form (few children cry, “mommy, mommy read me another newspaper article).
You assignment is to write a narrative essay that relates an event, but at the same time describes the significance of this event (above what happened and why) to help the reader understand what was important about this instance in your life. Write about yourself to explain how your meaningful experience led to some important realization or conclusion about your life or about the world, in general (Aim for more complicated conclusions than the obvious, “therefore don’t drink and drive” or “you shouldn’t talk to strangers,” etc unless you can get your reader to rethink that). Think about why the experience was significant: Did it challenge your feelings/beliefs about something? Did some aspect of your life change as a result? Did you discover something about yourself or others? Tell us a story. Note to James Frey fans: non-fiction only please (it can be subjective, but rooted in the truth).
Present the results in a two- to five-page (double-spaced) essay. Use description to show your audience what happened, so that they feel as though they have experienced it with you (consider sensory information: sight, sound, taste, feel, etc.). A note: you are going to be sharing this essay with your workshop group, so please do not choose a topic that you don't want others to see (or one which they would be uncomfortable reading, but also don’t be afraid to take some risks in writing).
Workshop drafts and final versions of essays should be word processed in a 12-point standard font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.); follow the manuscript format described in A Writer’s Reference. Please proofread carefully. If you use a source, you must include citations and a works cited list; please use MLA parenthetical documentation format for citing sources (see A Writer’s Reference).
Schedule:
Jan. 27-29—Analyze texts/ Brainstorm-Invention Tech.
Feb. 3-5—The elements of story / Planning and Writing your story
Feb. 10-12—Workshop of Narrative Essay Draft
Feb. 17 Narrative Essay-Final Draft Due. / Intro to Profiles
Requirements:
2-5 pages
typed
double-spaced
Final Draft 100 pts.
Rough Draft 10 pts.
Workshop 10 pts
Due Dates.
Rough Draft: Feb. 10
Final Draft: Feb. 17
Assignment Description:
Writing a narrative appeals to one of humankind’s oldest instincts—to tell a story. Across time and cultures, stories have served to tell us who we are, where we come from and how all this came to be. Our most sacred texts are stories, and we connect with narratives more than any other form (few children cry, “mommy, mommy read me another newspaper article).
You assignment is to write a narrative essay that relates an event, but at the same time describes the significance of this event (above what happened and why) to help the reader understand what was important about this instance in your life. Write about yourself to explain how your meaningful experience led to some important realization or conclusion about your life or about the world, in general (Aim for more complicated conclusions than the obvious, “therefore don’t drink and drive” or “you shouldn’t talk to strangers,” etc unless you can get your reader to rethink that). Think about why the experience was significant: Did it challenge your feelings/beliefs about something? Did some aspect of your life change as a result? Did you discover something about yourself or others? Tell us a story. Note to James Frey fans: non-fiction only please (it can be subjective, but rooted in the truth).
Present the results in a two- to five-page (double-spaced) essay. Use description to show your audience what happened, so that they feel as though they have experienced it with you (consider sensory information: sight, sound, taste, feel, etc.). A note: you are going to be sharing this essay with your workshop group, so please do not choose a topic that you don't want others to see (or one which they would be uncomfortable reading, but also don’t be afraid to take some risks in writing).
Workshop drafts and final versions of essays should be word processed in a 12-point standard font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.); follow the manuscript format described in A Writer’s Reference. Please proofread carefully. If you use a source, you must include citations and a works cited list; please use MLA parenthetical documentation format for citing sources (see A Writer’s Reference).
Schedule:
Jan. 27-29—Analyze texts/ Brainstorm-Invention Tech.
Feb. 3-5—The elements of story / Planning and Writing your story
Feb. 10-12—Workshop of Narrative Essay Draft
Feb. 17 Narrative Essay-Final Draft Due. / Intro to Profiles
Requirements:
2-5 pages
typed
double-spaced
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Homework for Tuesday 1/27
Please read the Annie Dillard essay on pgs. 22-24 in the St. Martin's Guide to Writing.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Syllabus
The Community College of Denver
The Center for Arts & Sciences / Language, Arts & Behavioral Sciences Department
ENG 121-005: ENGLISH COMPOSITION I
ENG 121-005 CRN #: 30018
T/TR 8:30-9:45 am, SO 104
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
General Information:
Instructor: Jeff Becker
Office: SO 307
Office Hours: Tuesday, 10am to 11am; Wed. 8:30am to 9:30am or by appointment
Email: Jeffrey.becker@ccd.edu
Required texts:
Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R . Cooper. St. Martin's Guide to Writing (Short 8th ed.)
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference, 6th ed.
Teaching Philosophy: I enjoy teaching writing and rhetoric and take great pleasure in my students’ developing proficiency in academic reading, writing, and critical thinking. I approach my teaching like a coach or mentor, but please be advised that I consider higher education an exercise in self-reliance. That said, I will not rescue students from the consequences of their choices. Please understand that enrolling in this class does not mean that you should expect me as your teacher to be solely responsible for your unique learning experience. I will do my utmost to ensure that you do improve your writing abilities and leave my class better equipped to handle future courses and job requirements; however, you must take responsibility if you fail to live up to the demands of the course. I expect that students will familiarize themselves with the course requirements and policies and do their best to follow these guidelines.
In other words, I will do my part, you do yours.
BASIC COURSE SPIEL:
Course description: This course emphasizes the planning, writing, and revising of compositions, including the development of critical and logical thinking skills. This course includes a minimum of five compositions that stress analytical, evaluative, and persuasive/argumentative writing.
Prerequisites: ENG 090 with a grade of “C” or better or minimum college level English assessment score (Accuplacer Sent. Skills 95 or above).
Course Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the class, the student should be able to:
1) Write vivid, focused narratives that compellingly illustrate a theme.
2) Write unified, coherent and well-developed analytical/argumentative essays.
3) Write a small-scale, researched argument using at least 1-2 sources from the library.
4) Read a piece of writing, of any sort, and identify the author's intent.
5) Read critically, outline, and summarize complex analytical essays/articles.
6) Continue to master and apply the writing process.
7) Write grammatically correct sentences.
CLASS FORMAT: This class will adopt the style of a seminar. In a few instances, when I think the class can benefit from it, I will offer lecture on specific points of the writing process. For the most part, however, this means that this is a DISCUSSION- based course, not a lecture course, and what we learn will be driven by the questions, comments, ideas and energies that you bring to our in-class discussions.
In each class session you should be prepared to read, write and discuss the topics relevant to that day’s topic of interest.
GRADED WORK:
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: This class will focus on the successful completion of five major essays. Each essay assignment will be described in a handout and posted on the blog (see below) so you can look over it as needed. Each major essay will be worth 100 points.
Paper 1: Narrative. 3-5 pages. Due: 2/24
Paper 2: Profile. 3-5 pages. Due: 3/19
Paper 3: Analyzing Causes. 4-7 pages. Due: 4/14
Paper 4: Arguing a position. 5-7 pages. Due: 4/30
Paper 5: Final In-Class Essay Due: 5/5
DAILY WORK: The majority of the class will be dedicated to reading, writing, and writing about what we read. The easiest way to fail this class is to refuse to do your homework. A lack of preparedness is like stepping into the batters box with a golf club in your hand.
A common feature of this course will be in- and out-of-class writing assignments. These will be brief (1-2 typed, double-spaced pages, unless assigned as in-class writing) informal opportunities for you to practice the skills you will need for the major assignments in the course. Although these assignments are not heavily weighted individually, they are important cumulatively to your final grade and invaluable for the learning they encourage. They will be graded with an “S” (10 pts) for satisfactory or “U” (5 pts) for unsatisfactory.
PRESENTATION: All of your work, be it a major essay or a daily assignment, must be edited and proofread before you turn it in. The work should appear neat and professional, but small handwritten corrections to the work are acceptable. Please feel free to discuss with me any issues or concerns you have with grammar and punctuation, editing and proofreading, etc. Work that is unreadable and filled with mistakes is impossible for me to grade (because I can’t access your ideas if they are not communicated in clear language) and will be returned to you for a mandatory revision.
REVISIONS: All good writing is rewriting. This process of creation, evaluation, and revision is the key to all good writing. Even after you have received a grade on an essay, you may still revise your work again. Depending on the improvement of your work, the revision may not raise your grade at all, or it may raise it substantially. A revision will never lower your grade. The grade will be determined as the average of the scores of the original and the revised essay.
In cases that I see fit, papers will be returned with a “R” which means the student must meet with me and revise the paper before it will be graded.
NOTE: Please turn in the original and a revision self-analysis with the revision. This analysis should explain what you have changed in your paper, why you think it is better, and what weaknesses it still has. I cannot accept your revision without these items.
Assignment Format: Apart from in-class mini-papers, all written assignments should be typed. Always double-space. In the upper left-hand or right-hand corner of the first page, write your name, the date, the course and section number, my name, and the assignment (Ie “Ch. 1 summary”). Skip a few lines, write your title, and begin the assignment. Number the pages. Please make a copy for yourself of each assignment. Computers are available in the Writing Center (SO 142) and in TE 104. Files saved in MS Word format are almost universally “openable.”
Course Grading:
Your final grade will be the average of your grade on the following six factors:
Essay 1 Narrative................………………….........................100 pts
Essay 2 Profile..................…………………............................100 pts
Essay 3 Analyzing Causes..............………………………………….100 pts
Essay 4 Arguing a Position.............................…………………..100 pts
Essay 5 In-Class Final Essay………………………………………….100 pts
Mini-papers and other homework…………..….............10 pts. Each
Participation………………………………………………………………..50 pts
Attendance.............................................................................50(-5 for each absence)
The grading scale is:
A 90-100% Superior mastery or achievement.
B 80-89% Better than average mastery or achievement.
C 70-79% Acceptable mastery or achievement.
D 60-69% Less than acceptable mastery or achievement.
F Below 60% Fails to demonstrate achievement of course objectives.
COURSE RULES AND PROCEEDURES:
ATTENDENCE in each class meeting is required. Students that miss more than SIX classes will lose up to 50 points. (Students that miss more than EIGHT classes will be encouraged to drop the class). Important: Students will be held responsible for any and all information missed due to absence, including assignments.
In addition, please be punctual. This class starts at ________. Late arrivals disrupt the class and are inconsiderate. Two late arrivals count as an absence. In extreme circumstances, say the morning of a snow storm, certain leniencies will be granted but they must be cleared by me.
PREPAREDNESS: You are required to do every iota of reading and writing BEFORE class starts in exactly the format required. Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class and NO LATE WORK will be accepted. Chronic lack of preparation (which is easy to spot) will result in a point deduction from your final grade.
PARTICIPATION: I try to design this course to help you develop your skills as an academic writer. While each student struggles with a unique set of challenges in his/her writing, it is important that we, as a group, discuss those issues and offer our ideas. As noted above, your participation is essential to the quality of this class, and without it, our time together will be reduced to me asking questions followed by 45 minutes of silence, which will be horrible in all kinds of ways. I am interested in creating an in-class environment in which we all feel safe to request clarification, share our ideas, respond to the reading, respond to someone’s response, ask a question, object and offer alternate points of view (though respectfully). In short, I want this to be a place of honest exchange, so you do your part and I’ll do mine.
I addition, all students are encouraged to visit with me during my office hours.
BE MELLOW: This classroom is a safe haven for all ideas. There are no rights and wrongs, just opinions. Throughout the class we will discuss topics on which we will not all agree. Respect everyone as an equal, even if you really, really, disagree with what they are saying. That means no punching, no cussing, no belittling/degrading a person’s pov, no yelling, etc. Basically, be cool. We are all unique individuals entitled to our own opinions and beliefs, however, any comments, jokes, actions, remarks, or sounds that denigrate the worth of an individual’s race, creed, culture, ethnic background, sexual preference, and gender are inappropriate and will not be tolerated. In other words, remember the golden rule, and everything will be fine. If you don’t think you can handle this, please drop now.
SCHEDULED CONFERENCES: On at least one occasion before the end of the semester you will be required to hold a conference with me to discuss your writing, your performance in this class, and any issues you have that pertain to this class. This will be “graded” in that attendance at this conference will be awarded points towards your final grade.
CLASS BLOG: I will keep a blog for this class that will act as a place for me to make notes, handouts, the syllabi, important information regarding the class, etc available to you. This blog is available at www.jeffbeckers121class.blogspot.com.
DISRUPTIONS: The use of cell phones, iPods and other such devices are disruptive to the class. Therefore, these gadgets must be turned off before class and anyone caught using them in class will be marked absent for that day.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses and represent violations of college policy. These violations will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to the college’s Academic Integrity Procedures. The college defines plagiarism as intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise. The following are considered to be forms of plagiarism:
• Word-for-word copying of another person’s ideas or words
• Interspersing one’s own words within a document while, in essence, copying another’s work.
• Rewriting another’s work, yet still using the original author’s fundamental idea or theory.
• Inventing or counterfeiting sources.
• Submission of another’s work as one’s own.
• Neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged.
Clear cases of plagiarism will result in a failing (zero) grade on the assignment and the student will be required to redo the entire project. In some cases, such a failing grade may result in a lowered or failing grade for the course. In the most serious cases, the instructor may pursue grievance procedures through the Dean of Students to administer a punitive failing grade or other appropriate disciplinary action.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Students with a documented disability who need reasonable accommodations to achieve course objectives should notify the instructors and apply for services at the Center for Persons with Disabilities with the first week of class.
Writing Center: All students are encouraged to work with tutors in the Writing Center or in the Online Writing Lab (OWL). The mission of the Writing Center is to provide a learning environment with rich and varied resources where a student may become an active learner. A student can work with a tutor on any part of a writing assignment or at any point during the writing process. The Writing Center is located in South Classroom, Room 142. The OWL can be accessed at: owl.ccd.edu.
IN SHORT: Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Write beautiful sentences, participate, be alive, try and when you are in this class find something you are interested in and run with it. Your enjoyment/happiness with this class, and all classes, is primarily wrought in your ability to make it your own. Put forth the effort. You are paying for it after all. If you aren’t interested in anything, well, I can’t really help you, that is your responsibility.
This syllabus acts as a contract. I have read and understand all parts of this syllabus.
Signed _________________________ Date __________________
The Center for Arts & Sciences / Language, Arts & Behavioral Sciences Department
ENG 121-005: ENGLISH COMPOSITION I
ENG 121-005 CRN #: 30018
T/TR 8:30-9:45 am, SO 104
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
General Information:
Instructor: Jeff Becker
Office: SO 307
Office Hours: Tuesday, 10am to 11am; Wed. 8:30am to 9:30am or by appointment
Email: Jeffrey.becker@ccd.edu
Required texts:
Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R . Cooper. St. Martin's Guide to Writing (Short 8th ed.)
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference, 6th ed.
Teaching Philosophy: I enjoy teaching writing and rhetoric and take great pleasure in my students’ developing proficiency in academic reading, writing, and critical thinking. I approach my teaching like a coach or mentor, but please be advised that I consider higher education an exercise in self-reliance. That said, I will not rescue students from the consequences of their choices. Please understand that enrolling in this class does not mean that you should expect me as your teacher to be solely responsible for your unique learning experience. I will do my utmost to ensure that you do improve your writing abilities and leave my class better equipped to handle future courses and job requirements; however, you must take responsibility if you fail to live up to the demands of the course. I expect that students will familiarize themselves with the course requirements and policies and do their best to follow these guidelines.
In other words, I will do my part, you do yours.
BASIC COURSE SPIEL:
Course description: This course emphasizes the planning, writing, and revising of compositions, including the development of critical and logical thinking skills. This course includes a minimum of five compositions that stress analytical, evaluative, and persuasive/argumentative writing.
Prerequisites: ENG 090 with a grade of “C” or better or minimum college level English assessment score (Accuplacer Sent. Skills 95 or above).
Course Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the class, the student should be able to:
1) Write vivid, focused narratives that compellingly illustrate a theme.
2) Write unified, coherent and well-developed analytical/argumentative essays.
3) Write a small-scale, researched argument using at least 1-2 sources from the library.
4) Read a piece of writing, of any sort, and identify the author's intent.
5) Read critically, outline, and summarize complex analytical essays/articles.
6) Continue to master and apply the writing process.
7) Write grammatically correct sentences.
CLASS FORMAT: This class will adopt the style of a seminar. In a few instances, when I think the class can benefit from it, I will offer lecture on specific points of the writing process. For the most part, however, this means that this is a DISCUSSION- based course, not a lecture course, and what we learn will be driven by the questions, comments, ideas and energies that you bring to our in-class discussions.
In each class session you should be prepared to read, write and discuss the topics relevant to that day’s topic of interest.
GRADED WORK:
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: This class will focus on the successful completion of five major essays. Each essay assignment will be described in a handout and posted on the blog (see below) so you can look over it as needed. Each major essay will be worth 100 points.
Paper 1: Narrative. 3-5 pages. Due: 2/24
Paper 2: Profile. 3-5 pages. Due: 3/19
Paper 3: Analyzing Causes. 4-7 pages. Due: 4/14
Paper 4: Arguing a position. 5-7 pages. Due: 4/30
Paper 5: Final In-Class Essay Due: 5/5
DAILY WORK: The majority of the class will be dedicated to reading, writing, and writing about what we read. The easiest way to fail this class is to refuse to do your homework. A lack of preparedness is like stepping into the batters box with a golf club in your hand.
A common feature of this course will be in- and out-of-class writing assignments. These will be brief (1-2 typed, double-spaced pages, unless assigned as in-class writing) informal opportunities for you to practice the skills you will need for the major assignments in the course. Although these assignments are not heavily weighted individually, they are important cumulatively to your final grade and invaluable for the learning they encourage. They will be graded with an “S” (10 pts) for satisfactory or “U” (5 pts) for unsatisfactory.
PRESENTATION: All of your work, be it a major essay or a daily assignment, must be edited and proofread before you turn it in. The work should appear neat and professional, but small handwritten corrections to the work are acceptable. Please feel free to discuss with me any issues or concerns you have with grammar and punctuation, editing and proofreading, etc. Work that is unreadable and filled with mistakes is impossible for me to grade (because I can’t access your ideas if they are not communicated in clear language) and will be returned to you for a mandatory revision.
REVISIONS: All good writing is rewriting. This process of creation, evaluation, and revision is the key to all good writing. Even after you have received a grade on an essay, you may still revise your work again. Depending on the improvement of your work, the revision may not raise your grade at all, or it may raise it substantially. A revision will never lower your grade. The grade will be determined as the average of the scores of the original and the revised essay.
In cases that I see fit, papers will be returned with a “R” which means the student must meet with me and revise the paper before it will be graded.
NOTE: Please turn in the original and a revision self-analysis with the revision. This analysis should explain what you have changed in your paper, why you think it is better, and what weaknesses it still has. I cannot accept your revision without these items.
Assignment Format: Apart from in-class mini-papers, all written assignments should be typed. Always double-space. In the upper left-hand or right-hand corner of the first page, write your name, the date, the course and section number, my name, and the assignment (Ie “Ch. 1 summary”). Skip a few lines, write your title, and begin the assignment. Number the pages. Please make a copy for yourself of each assignment. Computers are available in the Writing Center (SO 142) and in TE 104. Files saved in MS Word format are almost universally “openable.”
Course Grading:
Your final grade will be the average of your grade on the following six factors:
Essay 1 Narrative................………………….........................100 pts
Essay 2 Profile..................…………………............................100 pts
Essay 3 Analyzing Causes..............………………………………….100 pts
Essay 4 Arguing a Position.............................…………………..100 pts
Essay 5 In-Class Final Essay………………………………………….100 pts
Mini-papers and other homework…………..….............10 pts. Each
Participation………………………………………………………………..50 pts
Attendance.............................................................................50(-5 for each absence)
The grading scale is:
A 90-100% Superior mastery or achievement.
B 80-89% Better than average mastery or achievement.
C 70-79% Acceptable mastery or achievement.
D 60-69% Less than acceptable mastery or achievement.
F Below 60% Fails to demonstrate achievement of course objectives.
COURSE RULES AND PROCEEDURES:
ATTENDENCE in each class meeting is required. Students that miss more than SIX classes will lose up to 50 points. (Students that miss more than EIGHT classes will be encouraged to drop the class). Important: Students will be held responsible for any and all information missed due to absence, including assignments.
In addition, please be punctual. This class starts at ________. Late arrivals disrupt the class and are inconsiderate. Two late arrivals count as an absence. In extreme circumstances, say the morning of a snow storm, certain leniencies will be granted but they must be cleared by me.
PREPAREDNESS: You are required to do every iota of reading and writing BEFORE class starts in exactly the format required. Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class and NO LATE WORK will be accepted. Chronic lack of preparation (which is easy to spot) will result in a point deduction from your final grade.
PARTICIPATION: I try to design this course to help you develop your skills as an academic writer. While each student struggles with a unique set of challenges in his/her writing, it is important that we, as a group, discuss those issues and offer our ideas. As noted above, your participation is essential to the quality of this class, and without it, our time together will be reduced to me asking questions followed by 45 minutes of silence, which will be horrible in all kinds of ways. I am interested in creating an in-class environment in which we all feel safe to request clarification, share our ideas, respond to the reading, respond to someone’s response, ask a question, object and offer alternate points of view (though respectfully). In short, I want this to be a place of honest exchange, so you do your part and I’ll do mine.
I addition, all students are encouraged to visit with me during my office hours.
BE MELLOW: This classroom is a safe haven for all ideas. There are no rights and wrongs, just opinions. Throughout the class we will discuss topics on which we will not all agree. Respect everyone as an equal, even if you really, really, disagree with what they are saying. That means no punching, no cussing, no belittling/degrading a person’s pov, no yelling, etc. Basically, be cool. We are all unique individuals entitled to our own opinions and beliefs, however, any comments, jokes, actions, remarks, or sounds that denigrate the worth of an individual’s race, creed, culture, ethnic background, sexual preference, and gender are inappropriate and will not be tolerated. In other words, remember the golden rule, and everything will be fine. If you don’t think you can handle this, please drop now.
SCHEDULED CONFERENCES: On at least one occasion before the end of the semester you will be required to hold a conference with me to discuss your writing, your performance in this class, and any issues you have that pertain to this class. This will be “graded” in that attendance at this conference will be awarded points towards your final grade.
CLASS BLOG: I will keep a blog for this class that will act as a place for me to make notes, handouts, the syllabi, important information regarding the class, etc available to you. This blog is available at www.jeffbeckers121class.blogspot.com.
DISRUPTIONS: The use of cell phones, iPods and other such devices are disruptive to the class. Therefore, these gadgets must be turned off before class and anyone caught using them in class will be marked absent for that day.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses and represent violations of college policy. These violations will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to the college’s Academic Integrity Procedures. The college defines plagiarism as intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise. The following are considered to be forms of plagiarism:
• Word-for-word copying of another person’s ideas or words
• Interspersing one’s own words within a document while, in essence, copying another’s work.
• Rewriting another’s work, yet still using the original author’s fundamental idea or theory.
• Inventing or counterfeiting sources.
• Submission of another’s work as one’s own.
• Neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged.
Clear cases of plagiarism will result in a failing (zero) grade on the assignment and the student will be required to redo the entire project. In some cases, such a failing grade may result in a lowered or failing grade for the course. In the most serious cases, the instructor may pursue grievance procedures through the Dean of Students to administer a punitive failing grade or other appropriate disciplinary action.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Students with a documented disability who need reasonable accommodations to achieve course objectives should notify the instructors and apply for services at the Center for Persons with Disabilities with the first week of class.
Writing Center: All students are encouraged to work with tutors in the Writing Center or in the Online Writing Lab (OWL). The mission of the Writing Center is to provide a learning environment with rich and varied resources where a student may become an active learner. A student can work with a tutor on any part of a writing assignment or at any point during the writing process. The Writing Center is located in South Classroom, Room 142. The OWL can be accessed at: owl.ccd.edu.
IN SHORT: Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Write beautiful sentences, participate, be alive, try and when you are in this class find something you are interested in and run with it. Your enjoyment/happiness with this class, and all classes, is primarily wrought in your ability to make it your own. Put forth the effort. You are paying for it after all. If you aren’t interested in anything, well, I can’t really help you, that is your responsibility.
This syllabus acts as a contract. I have read and understand all parts of this syllabus.
Signed _________________________ Date __________________
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