English 111 -- Spring 2007
Professor Julianne Newmark
“Writing Across Communities: Community Safety and Health”
Sections
07 and 08 Phone: 835-5901 Room: SPEARE 116
M-W-F:
9:00 to 9:50 and 10:00 to 10:50 a.m. Email: jnewmark@nmt.edu
Office hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:50 a.m. and by appointment
Welcome
to English 111. Our course will be
designed around various concepts of “community” – this can mean the
community from which you come, the community to which you aspire to belong
professionally, or the community of which you are currently a member, the
university community. We will be
“Writing Across Communities” in our course this semester, and I will ask you to
draw upon the writing experiences you have had already to help you to enter new
community discussions. One of the
most important communities we will discuss this term will be the community of
our classroom. We will examine the
ways in which our community of students engages with itself and with the
outside world, at various removes.
How do you all – as students – interact with the larger
university and its various academic departments, with the city of Socorro, with
New Mexico as a state, with our nation, and with our world? We will bring all of these various communities
into conversation through the texts that you read and, more importantly, that
you create this semester. How do
we express community through writing?
How do we create community through writing?
New
Mexico Tech’s objectives for English 111 are that you will learn to:
To read
and think critically
-define
problems
-examine
claims and evidence
-organize
and evaluate information
To write
and speak coherently
-present
a strong thesis
-write
coherent paragraphs with clear topic sentences
-write clear sentences using correct grammar and
punctuation
Required
texts:
Lunsford,
Andrea A. The Everyday Writer. Third Edition.
The
Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing, Concise Edition.
I will also make available several required readings over
e-reserve or WebCT. I will provide
information on these readings as necessary.
Required
work and grading scale:
Your
grade will be based on various factors, including attendance, participation,
completion and quality of written work.
You will be expected to participate in peer review exercises, group work
in class, and conferences with me.
The “reading responses” are marked in the course calendar with the
symbols Πthrough . Below is the point distribution:
Point
Distribution
Paper 1 (drafts and final) 70
Paper 2 (drafts
and final) 100
Paper 3 (drafts and final) 125
Group project and presentation 200
(100 each part)
Five reading responses (P/F) 100
(20 points ea.)
Conferences (3) 30
Quizzes (3 – 25 points ea.) 75
Revision 50
Particip./Attend./In-Class
Work 50____________
Grading
scale:
A 744
and above
A- 720-743
B+ 696-719
B 664-695
B- 640-663
C+ 616-639
C 584-615
C- 560-583
TOTAL 800
Revision
Over the
course of the semester, we will be working on revision, with assignments small
and large. Your group project will
include a large revision component as will both essays in the first
sequence. You must turn in revisions in the last
week of class, and I will provide you with more information about this as the
end of term approaches.
You
will be evaluated on your ability and willingness to participate in classroom
discussions and other activities.
Keep this in mind and be sure to be alert in class, prepared for class
work, and engaged in our subject matter.
If you miss more than four classes, you will
be asked to drop the course or you will receive a failing grade. There are, of
course, extraordinary situations in which absences might be excused. A stay in the hospital, for example, is
what I would call “extraordinary.”
I do take attendance into consideration in the
calculation of your final grade, along with the above-mentioned factor of
participation. Be sure to attend
all class meetings and to be on time.
Every three days that you are tardy (more than five minutes) count as
one "absent" day. I
consider this syllabus, incidentally, as your contract with me, and mine with
you. If you choose to continue in
this class, after reading this syllabus, I expect that you will abide by the
requirements of this course.
Papers must be turned in at the beginning of
our class time on the day the assignment is due. After this time, for each day an assignment is late, I will
deduct one letter grade (meaning, if the paper begins at an "A" and
is one day late, I will begin grading it from an "A-" --
etcetera). Again, extraordinary
circumstances might excuse a late assignment, but these are rare. I will not accept emailed versions of
papers; you must come to class, or arrange to see me in my office, to turn in
your paper-copy of your assignment. I reserve
the right not to accept late writing portfolios or group projects.
We will be covering some sensitive topics in this
class. So, I will expect you to
behave appropriately and be open to different opinions. Above all, be courteous to your
classmates. One sign of
courteousness is that you turn off your cell phone before entering class. If there are repeated problems with
your cell phone, I will ask you to leave the classroom for the day. You will take an absence that day.
Qualified students with disabilities needing appropriate
academic adjustments should contact me as soon as possible to ensure your needs
are met in a timely manner. Handouts are available in alternative accessible formats
upon request.
In our course, we will spend ample time covering what is
required of you in terms of correct citation, academic honesty, and
intellectual property. After this
information has been presented to you in class, you are responsible for it and
cannot claim ignorance as a defense against an accusation of academic
dishonesty.
Plagiarism, in very general terms, is the use of someone
else’s words or ideas without proper citation. Your style guide, Everyday Writer, includes information about
plagiarism. I suggest that you
become familiar with pages 168 and 173-175 and commit to memory the information
regarding plagiarism that I provide for you in class. Also, the NMT library offers a handy website addressing many
plagiarism issues and provides advice on avoiding plagiarism:
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~nmtlib/INFO/ORef/plagiarism.html
All work that is to be handed in must be
typed, double-spaced, printed on white paper in black ink, and must use
twelve-point font (preferably Times New Roman). If your paper does not conform to these stylistic requirements,
I will hand it back to you without a grade and you will be required to reformat
in and will suffer a late-paper penalty.
Conferences
On the course calendar, you will notice that
several class sessions have been cancelled in order to accommodate individual
student conferences with me. These
conferences are mandatory, and your failure to show up will affect your grade:
not only will you not receive any of the participation points for the
conference, your failure to show up will count as an absence.
Course
calendar:
SEQUENCE
ONE – Paper One
TOPIC:
“Public Health and the Right to Smoke”
Week
one: Item
Due: In-class
Activity/Outcome
Wednesday,
January 17 First-day
writing, questionnaire.
What
is “WAC”?
Discuss
EW 1-9.
Friday,
January 19 Log
in to WebCT and post to Message Discuss
community-based responses
Board,
in response to question. to
smoking.
EW
9-22 and AB 115-142 (Chapter 6) Common
grammar errors, exercises
Your
job as a reader; how to use AB
Week
two:
Monday,
January 22 AB
142-151 (from Chapter 6) Logical
fallacies
Handout:
“Why Stop Smoking?” Œ Summary
exercise, AB 148
Wednesday,
January 24 AB
5-23 (from Chapter 1 ) Assign Paper One
Closed
and open form, “global and local”
Common grammar errors, exercises
Exercise,
AB 22
Friday,
January 26 AB
230-233 (from Chapter 9) Discuss
Stephen Bean’s essay
EW
26-30 and 36-40 Invention
strategies, starting the writing
process. Paper format.
Week
three:
Monday,
January 29 Paper
One due “Believing
and Doubting game,” AB 41-42
AB
Chapter 2 (all) Paper
Two assigned
Wednesday, January 31 EW
49-62 Discussion,
producing examples,
AB 47-60 (Chapter 3) comparisons
and contrasts, etc. Audience.
Friday,
February 2 EW
62-76 Review
logical fallacies. Opening
paragraphs. Summary/strong
response.
Week
four:
Monday,
February 5 EW
79-91 Review
student essay by Sean Barry for
format. Pathos, logos,
ethos. Arguable
claims
and argument structure.
Wednesday,
February 7 CONFERENCES
– MEET IN MY OFFICE
Friday,
February 9 CONFERENCES
– MEET IN MY OFFICE
Week
five:
Monday,
February 12 Cumulative
reading and course content quiz.
Wednesday,
February 14 Paper
Two, peer review day number one:
Bring
two copies to class.
Friday,
February 16 Paper
Two, peer review day number two:
Bring
two copies to class and
**email
or bring me an electronic copy**
Week
six:
Monday,
February 19 Review
papers as class on projector
Ten-minute
writing exercise
SEQUENCE
TWO – Group projects and presentations
TOPIC:
“Food, Our Bodies, and Public Wellness”
Wednesday,
February 21 PAPER
TWO DUE: INCLUDE Group
project assigned
ALL
PLANS, DRAFTS, REVIEW SHEETS, Groups
chosen, begin
&
FINAL “scaffolding”
Friday,
February 23 EW
93-98, 139-154
AB
182-183 (from Chapter 8)
Handout:
“O.K., So I’m Fat”
Week
seven:
Monday,
February 26 Complete
group project worksheet (WebCT)
Wednesday,
February 28 Handout:
“Bodily Harm” Ž
Review
website: http://www.unpac.ca/economy/g_food.html
EW
154-168 Global
food, global communities?
Discuss
note cards: citations,
summary, main question that you
have.
Friday,
March 2 Handout:
“The Body Myth”
Bring
in five note cards to discuss with group. Choose
topic. Begin “problem
proposal.”
Week
eight:
Monday,
March 5 Group
“problem proposal” due. Do
“audience analysis” worksheet
Wednesday,
March 7 Group
“audience analysis” due Do
“solutions report” worksheet
Friday, March
9 Group
“solutions report” due Do
“problem-solving report” worksheet
Week
nine:
Monday,
March 12 SPRING
BREAK
Wednesday,
March 14 SPRING
BREAK
Friday,
March 16 SPRING
BREAK
Week
ten:
Monday,
March 19 GROUP
CONFERENCES
Wednesday,
March 21 GROUP
PRESENTATIONS
Friday,
March 23 GROUP
PRESENTATIONS
Week
eleven:
Monday,
March 26 GROUP
PROJECT, INCLUDING
“Grammar game,”
with prizes!
REVIEWS
OF OTHER GROUPS’
PRESENTATIONS,
DUE
SEQUENCE
THREE – Paper Two
TOPIC:
“Violence, Public Safety, and Individual Rights”
Wednesday,
March 28 AB
Chapter 4 (all)
Friday,
March 30 AB
Chapter 7 (all) Assign
Paper Three
Handout:
“One Violent Crime” In-class exercise, (AB 90)
Week
twelve:
Monday,
April 2 Cumulative
reading and course content quiz Discuss
Leigh and Taylor
AB
Chapter 10 (all) student
essays from AB.
Exploratory vs. argumentative
essays
Wednesday,
April 4 EW
168-179 (and review earlier part of Following
AB 239, model
“Conducting
Research” section) “argument
in classical style” on
board.
Friday,
April 6 NO
CLASSES
Week
thirteen:
Monday,
April 9 AB
Chapter 13 (all) Continue
discussion of AB
Chapter
10. Discuss the rhetoric
of
web sites. AB Chapter 12 (all)
Wednesday,
April 11 Paper
Three peer review day:
Bring
one copy to class and
email
or bring me an electronic copy.
Friday,
April 13 CONFERENCES
– MEET IN MY OFFICE
Week
fourteen:
Monday,
April 16 CONFERENCES
– MEET IN MY OFFICE
Wednesday,
April 18 Review
papers as class on projector
Friday,
April 20 PAPER
THREE DUE: Discuss
“nutshelling” and revision
INCLUDE
ALL PLANS, DRAFTS. REVIEW
SHEETS, AND FINAL
Week
fifteen:
Monday,
April 23 Bring
Paper Two to class Revise-for-credit
day
Wednesday,
April 25 Course
evaluations
Friday,
April 27 Paper
Three returned Revise-for-credit
day
Week
sixteen:
Monday,
April 30 Revise-for-credit
continued
Wednesday,
May 2 Cumulative
reading and course content quiz
Friday,
May 4 Revision
due.