English 112

Professor Julianne Newmark

Fall 2006

ÒPlaces and PeopleÓ

 

Section             08                                                                                               Phone:  505-835-5901   

M-W-F: 11:00 to 11:50 a.m.                                                                                  Email: jnewmark@nmt.edu

Room 218                                            

 

Office hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m. and by appointment

 

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 TechÕs 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 Òwriting journal.Ó  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)                                     60

Essay two (four to five pages)                                     60

Conference attendance and preparedness (three)30

Quizzes                                                                            50

Participation and attendance                                     55

Final research paper (ten pages)                                 120

Writing journal                                                               65

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


 

 

The Writing Journal

Your writing journal will need to include all assignments that I ask you to complete during class time.  These will include expository exercises (writing intended to inform your reader) and formal, argument-based research exercises. Some of these exercises will be completed in groups and some will be completed independently.  You may also be asked to complete grammar and citation exercises; I will ask for these in the writing journal as well.  I will provide you with a checklist of exercises that need to be included in the Writing Journal.  In addition to the exercises that you complete during class time, you will also need to include in your journal all of your graded work, with drafts, notes, and revisions.

 

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 Òextraordinary.Ó 

 

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 elseÕs 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, August 23                                                                           First-day writing, questionnaire.

Review: summarizing, difference between summarizing and analyzing

 

Friday, August 25                       GR: 1-22 (Ch. 1)                                     Summary exercise.

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

LOGICAL FALLACIES

                                               

Week two:

Monday, August 28                    Handouts from Taking Sides                  Response one assigned

                                    Active reading and analysis

                                                                                                            Creating debate: in-class pollution exercise                    

Wednesday, August 30               GR: 23-38 (Ch. 2)                                   Purpose and Thesis

                                                                                                            Inventing an argument about a text        

                                                                                                            What are Ògood reasonsÓ?

 

Friday, September 1                   RESPONSE ONE DUE                       DEFINITION ARGUMENT

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

 

 

Week three:

Monday, September 4                LABOR DAY – NO CLASSES

 

Wednesday, September 6           Abe Whaley essay, handout                    Abe Whaley exercises, discussion                      

                                                                                                            Essay One assigned – definition argument

                                                                                                            WhaleyÕs thesis

 

 

Friday, September 8                   Idea map for essay one (GR, pg. 34)        On-board class idea map

EW 62-70, on revising, editing, and        Creating a definition argument from map

                                                peer review.

 

Week four:

Monday, September 11              Essay one draft due for peer review:      Peer review exercise

Bring three copies to class.

                                                       

Wednesday, September 13         ESSAY ONE DUE                     Mountain-top removal slideshow

                                                                                                           

Friday, September 15                 NO CLASS – CONFERENCE PREPARATION

                                                Begin reading: National Geographic handout                                                                 

Week five:

Monday, September 18              CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

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

 

Wednesday, September 20         CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

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

           

Friday, September 22                 Complete reading National Geographic  Discuss National Geographic handout

handout                                                and slideshow.  Visual and textual arguments

EW: 77-78

Week six:

Monday, September 25              GR: 39-60 (Ch. 3)                                   Logic, credibility, voice

                                                EW: 70-76

 

Wednesday, September 27         Wendell Berry essay handout                 Rhetorical analysis of Berry

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

 

Friday, September 29                 Catch-up, review day.

                                                Review outcomes, thus far, and Òpolluting landÓ sequence.

 

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, October 2                   http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22937

Discuss American Lung Assoc. website.

Using digital sources

 

Wednesday, October 4              Handouts from Taking Sides                  Response two assigned

(pro/con smoking essays)                      REBUTTAL ARGUMENTS

                                                GR: 173-184, 186-187 (Ch. 10)

 

 

 

Friday, October 6                      http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22937

                                                EW: 79-98                                             Discuss government womenÕs body image

                                                                                                            website.  View magazine covers slideshow.

Week eight:

Monday, October 9                   RESPONSE TWO DUE                       Male body image.  View slideshow.

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

 

Wednesday, October 11            GR: 135-143 (Ch.7)                                 CAUSAL ARGUMENTS                       

                                                            In-class exercise

 

Friday, October 13                    http://www.dare.com/home/default.asp Evaluating arguments, sources

http://www.drugfree.org/                     Multi-sided issues

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Misc/roe1.htm

Refer to upcoming section, ÒConducting Research,Ó from EW.

Week nine:

Monday, October 16                 Handouts from Taking Sides                  Discuss scholarly sources

                                                (pro/con drug essays)                            Style and voice

 

Wednesday, October 18            EW: 49-62                                             Discussing paragraphing

                                                                                                            Essay Two assigned – causal or

rebuttal argument

 

Friday, October 20                    NO CLASSES – FALL BREAK

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

 

Week ten:

Monday, October 23                 CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

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

 

Wednesday, October 25                        CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

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

 

Friday, October 27                    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 eleven:

Monday, October 30                 ESSAY TWO DUE                            View censorship slideshow

 

Wednesday, November 1           http://www.ncac.org/                           PROPOSAL ARGUMENTS

                                                GR: 189-209 (Ch. 11)

 

Friday, November 3                   Academic journals: censorship articles    Assign Final Research paper.                                                                                                                                                      Citing sources in argumentative essays

 

Week twelve:

Monday, November 6                Academic journals: censorship articles   

 

Wednesday, November 8           GR: 253-270                                          In-class exercises

                                                Review EW 139-180

 

Friday, November 10                 Handouts from Taking Sides

 

Week thirteen:

Monday, November 13              LIBRARY RESEARCH DAY.  MEET IN LIBRARY.

 

Wednesday, November 15         Research paper presentations.                                       

                                                                       

 

Friday, November 17                 Research paper presentations.

 

Week fourteen:

Monday, November 20              Meet in computer classroom.              

GR: 271-295                                          Discuss plagiarism again.  Do exercises.

Plagiarism and citation tutorials              Discuss citation.  Do exercises.

BRING EW CD-ROM

 

Wednesday, November 22         First draft of research paper due.           Peer review exercise.                

 

Friday, November 24                 NO CLASSES! THANKSGIVING         

 

Week fifteen:

Monday, November 27              CUMULATIVE READING and CLASS EXERCISES QUIZ.

 

Wednesday, November 29         Bring journals to class                           Review journals checklist.

 

Friday, December 1                   WRITING JOURNALS DUE                Research paper Q&A day.  Checklist.

                                                                                                            Course evaluations.

Week sixteen:

Monday, December 4                CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

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

 

Wednesday, December 6                       CONFERENCES – MEET IN MY OFFICE

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

 

Wednesday, December 8                       FINAL PAPER DUE in class.