English 112

Professor Julianne Newmark

Spring 2007

“Places, People, and Pollution”

 

Section             07                                                                                             Phone:  835-5901                      

M-W 2:00 to 3:15 a.m.                                                                             Email: jnewmark@nmt.edu

CRAMER 120

Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:50 p.m., and by appointment, in 005 Fitch

 

Welcome to English 112.  In this course, you will read public arguments and use written reasoning to respond persuasively to these arguments. You will grapple with texts of various kinds and will create your own written texts, of varying lengths.  As a student in 112, you will conduct research, taking into account issues related to our course topic that you find interesting or that concern you. Your course papers will take into consideration the broad aims and objectives of 112 as well as the specific focal issues of our class. 

 

New Mexico Tech’s objectives for English 112 are that you will learn to:

 

In this course, you will write two short assignments (of two pages each), two four- to five-page papers (which will develop out of your two-page papers), and one ten-page formal research paper.  You will be expected to complete many in-class writing assignments, which you will collect in a “writing journal.”  At the end of the term, you will submit this writing journal, along with all of your completed papers, for a grade.

 

You will also be required to meet with me in a one-on-one conference three times during the term.

 

Required texts: 

Lunsford, Andrea A.  The Everyday Writer.  Third edition.

Faigley, Lester, and Jack Selzer.  Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments.  Third 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 reviews exercises, group work in class, and the above-mentioned conferences with me.  Below is the point distribution:

 


Response paper one (two pages)                               30

Response paper two (two pages)                               30

Essay one (four to five pages)                                     75

Essay two (four to five pages)                                     75

Conference attendance and preparedness (three)                   45

Quizzes                                                                            50

Participation and attendance                                     75

Final research paper (ten pages)                                 120

TOTAL                                                                            500                                                                                                     

Grading scale:

A                                                   465 and above

A-                                                  450-464

B+                                                435-449

B                                                   415-434

B-                                                  400-414

C+                                                385-399

C                                                   365-384

C-                                                  350-364


Class Participation

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.

Attendance and Tardiness

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.

 

Quizzes

There will be a series of unannounced reading quizzes throughout the term. 

 

Late Papers

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 journals or final papers.

 

Courteousness and Cell Phones

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.

 

Equal Access

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.

 

Plagiarism

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

 

Essay Format

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 – Polluting land?

Outcomes on which we will concentrate in this sequence:

• Invention

• Peer critique

• Purpose and Thesis

• Active Reading and Analysis

• Summarizing and/or Paraphrasing

• Responsible Use of Sources/MLA Style/APA/Chicago

• Pathos, Logos, and Ethos

 

Week one:                                Item Due:                                              In-class Activity/Outcome

Wednesday, January 17                                                                          First-day writing, questionnaire.

Review: summarizing, difference between summarizing and analyzing

                                                                                                            GR: 1-22 (Ch. 1)-- discuss in class

                                                                                                            Summary exercise.

Discuss types of arguments.  Back leaf of textbook, to start.         

                                               

Week two:

Monday, January 22                   Handouts from Taking Sides                  Response one assigned

                                    Active reading and analysis

                                                                                                            Creating debate: in-class pollution exercise                    

Wednesday, January 24              GR: 23-38 (Ch. 2)                                   Purpose and Thesis

                                                                                                            Inventing an argument about a text        

                                                                                                            What are “good reasons”?                                             

Week three:

Monday, January 29                   RESPONSE ONE DUE                    DEFINITION ARGUMENT

                                                GR: 105-117, 125-126                              What is a definition argument?

 

Wednesday, January 31              Abe Whaley essay, handout                    Abe Whaley exercises, discussion                      

                                                Take a look at GR 34                             Essay One assigned – definition argument

                                                EW 62-70, on revising, editing, and        Whaley’s thesis                                                                                       peer review.                                          Creating a definition argument from map

                                               

Week four:

Monday, February 5                   National Geographic PDF on WebCT    Discuss National Geographic

                                                GR: 39-60 (Ch. 3)                                   Visual and textual arguments

                                                EW: 70-78                                             Logic, credibility, voice

 

Wednesday, February 7              Wendell Berry essay handout                 Rhetorical analysis of Berry

                                                GR 81-83                                              Appeals to pathos, logos, and ethos

 

Week five:

Monday, February 12                 Essay one draft due for peer review:      Peer review exercise

Bring three copies to class.

                                                       

Wednesday, February 14                        ESSAY ONE DUE                     Mountain-top removal slideshow

           

 

Week six:

Monday, February 19                 CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

                                                ***I will return your Essay One at your conference. ***                        

 

Wednesday, February 21                        CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

                                                ***I will return your Essay One at your conference. ***

 

SEQUENCE TWO – Polluting bodies?

Outcomes on which we will concentrate in this sequence:

• Pathos, Logos, and Ethos

• Problem articulation and development

• Context

• Development and complexity of ideas

• Active reading and analysis

• Style and voice

• Paragraphing

 

Week seven:

Monday, February 26                 http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22937

Discuss American Lung Assoc. website.

Using digital sources

 

Wednesday, February 28                        GR: 173-184, 186-187 (Ch. 10)                 Response two assigned

EW: 79-98                                             REBUTTAL ARGUMENTS

                                               

Week eight:

Monday, March 5                      RESPONSE TWO DUE                    Women’s body image.  View slideshow.

GR: 85-99, 103-104 (Ch. 5)

 

Wednesday, March 7                 GR: 135-143 (Ch.7)                                 Men’s body image.  View slideshow.

                                                                                                            CAUSAL ARGUMENTS                       

                                                            In-class exercise

                                                                                                            Essay Two assigned – causal or

                                                                                                            rebuttal argument

                                                                                                           

Week nine:

Monday, March 12                     SPRING BREAK

 

Wednesday, March 14                SPRING BREAK

 

Read EW 139-180 over break.  You will need the information for Essay Two and the Final Research Paper

Also, review these websites: http://www.dare.com/home/default.asp, http://www.drugfree.org/, http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Misc/roe1.htm

 

Week ten:

Monday, March 19                     Review websites you examined.              Evaluating sources, arguments

                                                Discuss Benson Roe essay

 

Wednesday, March 21                Essays from Taking Sides                       Discuss scholarly sources

                                                (pro/con drug essays)                            Style and voice

                                                EW: 49-62                                             Discussing paragraphing

 

 

 

Week eleven:

Monday, March 26                     CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

                                                *** Bring five-page Essay Two draft and all articles ***

 

Wednesday, March 28                CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

                                                *** Bring five-page Essay Two draft and all articles ***

 

SEQUENCE THREE – Polluting minds?

Outcomes on which we will concentrate in this sequence:

• Overall organization and unity

• Grammar, mechanic, surface features

• Responsible use of sources

• Research

• Use of rhetorical strategies

• Revision

• Peer critique

• Purpose and thesis

 

Week twelve:

Monday, April 2                                    ESSAY TWO DUE                            View censorship slideshow       

                                                http://www.ncac.org/                           PROPOSAL ARGUMENTS

                                                GR: 189-209 (Ch. 11)                              Assign Final Research paper.

                                                                                                            Citing sources in argumentative             

                                                                                                            essays

 

Wednesday, April 4                   GR: 253-270                                          In-class exercises

                                                Review EW 139-180

                                                Academic journal articles, WebCT

 

Week thirteen:

Monday, April 9                                    LIBRARY RESEARCH DAY.  MEET IN LIBRARY.

 

Wednesday, April 11                 GR: 271-295                                          Discuss plagiarism again.  Do exercises.

Plagiarism and citation tutorials              Discuss citation.  Do exercises.

 

Week fourteen:

Monday, April 16                      Research paper presentations.

           

Wednesday, April 18                 Research paper presentations.

 

Week fifteen:

Monday, April 23                      CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

                                                *** Bring ten-page Final Paper second draft and all articles ***

 

Wednesday, April 25                 CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

                                                *** Bring ten-page Final Paper second draft and all articles ***

                                               

Week sixteen:

Monday, April 30                      CUMULATIVE READING and CLASS EXERCISES QUIZ.

                                                Research paper Q&A day.  Checklist.

                                                Course evaluations.

 

Wednesday, May 2                     FINAL PAPER DUE in class.