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Instructor:  Dr. Bill Foreman                                                                       Office:  7C13
Phone:  762-4549 (I have an answering machine)                                         Office Hours:  M-F 9:30-11:30am
E-mail:  bill.foreman@murraystate.edu                                                         Course Time:  MWF 12:30-1:20
 

I. Course Title:  Composition

II. Catalog Description:   Instruction and practice in writing expository prose.  Students use word-processing software to write and revise essays.

III. Purpose of Course:  The course is designed to help students improve their writing processes, to improve students’ critical thinking skills, to increase the organizational effectiveness of students’ writing, and to develop students’ awareness of the importance of context in writing.

IV. Course Objectives:  ENG 101 focuses much attention on helping students learn and foster the process of writing for academia.  The course goals include helping students develop
 

• Critical thinking skills, as reflected in substantive discussion of reading and writing;
• An awareness of audience and purpose in their writing and in the writing of others;
• Effective organization and idea development skills;
• Appropriate style, diction, and voice in their writing;
• Skillful argumentation, including use of detail and supporting evidence;
• The ability to thoughtfully evaluate and productively revise their own work;
• The ability to judiciously read and analyze works by professional writers and peers, and;
• The ability to edit their own writing for usage, mechanics, and academic conventions.

V. Content Outline:  The course attempts to meet the above objectives by helping students do the following, arranged in order of minimum competence to full competence:
 

1. Know the appropriate usage, mechanics, diction, voice, and style to use in a given text.
2. Comprehend the benefits of adopting a recursive writing process and thereby of benefiting from multiple revisions.
3. Apply the evaluative strategies acquired through class discussion of readings to their own writing and to the texts they will incorporate as support for their writing.
4. Synthesize the interconnected issues of audience and purpose—of ethos, logos, and pathos—which have been handed down via Western rhetorical tradition, as they read and write arguments.
5. Analyze the rhetorical strategies used by other writers in class readings and in the writing of other students.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of an argument and reflect that newfound knowledge in effective arguments written by the student.
7. Writing assignments that move sequentially toward more sophisticated, rhetorically challenging requirements, including Narrative, Analytical, and Argumentative Writing.

VI. Instructional Activities:  In this class, students will regularly write in class and write out-of-class multiple drafts for a total of  5 papers, each 3-5 double-spaced pages (750-1250 words) long; paper revisions and/or portfolios help encourage student participation in a recursive writing process, so that students will complete one or more preliminary drafts for each formal paper.  The course also includes word processing in computer labs, readings, and critical thinking through group discussion of those readings and of other students’ texts.   Our learning activities will include group discussions, peer reviews of student writing, student-teacher conferences, presentations, and an on-line discussion list.

VII. Field and Clinical Experiences:  None

VIII. Resources:   You will use your assigned texts, the computer lab(s) (and your own computer if you have one), including word-processing software and Internet research tools.  You may also perform library research (including database and text holdings).  Students should purchase at least two standard IBM-formatted 1.44MB floppy disks;  label them with your name and the class name, save your work on them everyday, and take them with you at the end of each class meeting.

IX. Grading Procedures:   For the most part, your grade in this course is based on the quality of your written work, particularly the work you have an opportunity to revise over the course of the semester.   The greatest weight will be placed on the final portfolio of materials you present at the end of the course, with lesser grades including your active participation in class activities and discussions, your participation in our on-line discussion list, and your participation in conferences.

Grades will be calculated on the typical 10% scale:  100-90% = A, 89-80% = B, 79-70% = C, 69-60% = D, 59% or below = E.   The requirements and grading standards will be included with each written assignment.

Grades will be calculated with the following weights:
 

 Five first drafts at 5% each                               25%
 Five portfolio drafts at 10% each                      50%
 Active Class Participation                                 10%
 In-class writing and graded work (including
 Peer review workshops                                    15%
 Final Grade                                                    100%

X. Attendance Policy:   Regular class attendance is vital to your success.  Except in truly extraordinary circumstances, missing more than four class meetings (including time missed because you arrived late or left early), will result in a 10% grade penalty (one letter grade lower).  Missing more than seven class meetings will result in a 20% grade penalty (two letter grades lower).  Students who miss more than ten class meetings automatically fail the course.

XI. Texts and References:

Maasik, Sonia and Jack Solomon.  Signs of Life in the USA:  Readings on Popular Culture for Writers.     Boston:  Bedford, 1997.

Raimes, Ann.  Keys for Writers: A Brief Handbook.  Boston:  Houghton Mifflin Co., 1996.

Other readings obtainable on-line, on reserve at Waterman Library, or from the Copy Center.

In addition, check out the library's guidelines on evaluating sources, both in print, and on the internet.  Good students believe only SOME of what they read, LESS of what they hear, and are very careful about sources found on-line.  Learn how to distinguish sources you can trust from those that are weak or just trying to fool you.

Readings followed by an asterisk inside parentheses (*) are available by linking from this on-line syllabus, or in hard copy from the Copy Center in the Business Building.  Note:  Links from this syllabus require a log on name and password.  Also, you will need a version of Microsoft Word to read most of the texts.

August 21—Introductions, Inventories, web site addresses
August 23 – The Writing Process discussion; in-class writing assignment.
August 24 – Read “Spelling Yiffniff” (*), Read “Dying to Get Bigger” (*)

August 28 – Read “My Father’s Life” (*) and “The View From 80.” (*)
August 30 – Read “Stand Near My Room:  A Hallway Testimonial” (*); In-class writing assignment
September 2 – Rough Draft of Narrative Paper Due; peer-review activity

September 4 – Labor Day, no classes
September 6 – Conferences
September 8 – Narrative Paper First Draft Due;
                        introduction to rhetorical analysis; read SL 1-19 and Marchand (SL 129-1360)
                        also read "Rhetorical Analysis."(*)

September 11 –  read Shames (SL 55-61)
September 13 –  read Steinem (SL 160-179)
September 15 – In-class Writing Assignment; grammar assignment

September 18 – Grammar Lesson; Read Davis (SL 86-93)
September 20 – Return Narrative Papers; discussion of class papers; discussion of Rhetorical Analysis Model
September 22 – Rhetorical Analysis Model Draft Due

September 25 – Class-critique of model examples; discuss rhetorical analysis paper; read Lefkowitz (SL 653-656)
September 27 – Read Doskoch (SL 618-624)  and handouts.  Discussion of audience and purpose.      Ethos, pathos, logos assignment.
September 29 –  Discuss the use of quotations in an essay.   Outline due.

October 2 -- Finding and using evidence (bring topics for paragraphs).
October 4 –  Peer-review Workshop (bring draft)
October 6 -- Rhetorical Analysis Paper Due; discuss Contextual Analysis Paper; read "Synthesis" (*).

October 9 – Read Williams (SL 188-193); read Rivenburg (SL 716-719)
October 11 – Read Engle (SL 677-686); read Cross (SL 710-715)
October 13 -- Read Seger (SL 308-316); read Sietz (SL 414-417); read Ray (SL 299-307)

October 16 – Take Home Writing Assignment Due
October 18 – Grammar Lesson
October 20 –Grammar Lesson

October 23 – Take Home Assignment Returned;
October 25 – Conferences
October 27 – Conferences

October 30 – Contextual Analysis Due; discuss argument Paper
November 1 – Read “Argument Packet One” (available on reserve at Waterfield Library or from Copy Plus)
November 3 – Read “Argument Packet Two” (available on reserve at Waterfield Library or from Copy Plus)

November 6 – Discussion argument strategies;
November 8 – Discussion of argument strategies; in-class writing assignment
November 10 – Discussion of argument strategies
 

November 13 – Argument Draft Due; peer review Workshop
November 15 – Conferences
November 17 – Conferences

November 20 – Second Contextual Analysis Due; In-class writing assignment
November 22 – Thanksgiving Holiday
November 24 – Thanksgiving Holiday

November 27 – Argument Final Draft Due
November 29 – Conferences
December 1 – Conferences
 

December 4 – Conferences
December 6 -- Conferences
December 8 – Portfolio Due

No Final Exam