Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Texts:
Ramage, John, John C. Bean and June Johnson. The Allyn & Bacon Guide
to Writing. Concise Ed. New York: Longman, 2009.
Gresham, Morgan and Crystal McGage. Education Matters: Exploring
Issues in Education. Custom Ed. New York: Pearon, 2009 [ISBN-13:
978-0-558-34348-4]
Our class blog at <http://availablemeans.blogspot.com/>
Blackboard 9
Materials:
Reliable and fast access to the internet with a Firefox browser
(downloadable for free at <http://www.mozilla.com/en-
US/firefox/personal.html>)
A journal for in-class and out-of-class personal writing.
A notebook for taking notes in class.
A two-pocket flat folder for turning in assignments
Pens, pencils, anything else you like to write with.
Your brain and full attention in every class!
comfy sandals, coffee, water, anything else you need to feel
comfortable writing.
McDermott ENG151, summer 2010
2
Course Description:
1. Writing: n. the act of a person or thing that writes; n. any written or
printed paper; n. a literary composition; v. ("to write") to express or
communicate in writing; v. to fill in the blank spaces (my personal favorite);
v. to cause to be apparent or unmistakable.
English 151 is designed to help you to write effectively for the academic
community, to equip you with rhetorical skills and to enhance your critical
thinking. (For complete list of course objectives per the English department,
see last page). You will be writing every day for this class. You will be
reading every day for this class. Be prepared.
Things to keep in mind: This class normally runs ten weeks. Because we
are meeting for a shortened amount of time (five weeks), you need to be
prepared for a lot of work outside of class. Though we meet the same
amount of hours as in a normal quarter, I cannot extend the amount of time
you have outside of class. So realistically, you are completing the same
amount of work as a normal quarter in half the amount of time. You cannot
fall behind.
In this course, we will be reading a variety of written and visual texts (and
combinations) that all in some way deal with the theme of our course:
education. The readings are meant to help facilitate conversation (aloud, in
writing and digital) that interrogates the theme of the course.
Civil Discourse: Discussion and peer feedback is a crucial part of this class
and we must be careful to remain civil in our discourse and respect one
another's viewpoints and feelings. We need not agree, but we must respect
one another. At this university, students and faculty are afforded an
academic environment that allows for intellectual expression: provocative or
challenging ideas may arise, but no responses to such ideas should be
expressed in an inappropriate manner, either verbally or in writing. One of
the goals of a university education is to challenge us to think again about
what we know or accept as fact. In order to achieve this goal, we all must
share responsibility for creating and maintaining a democratic and civil
learning environment in the classroom and the larger university community.
This means that each of us should be conscious of how our words and
actions may affect others. We do not speak with harmful intent of or to
any group or individual of any religious, ethnic, political, or sexual
background. Period.
Formal Papers:
Summary/Critique Series (200 pts) 20%
In the communication and rhetorical triangles above, the focus in this
assignment is on analysis of another's writing (the logos and
informative part of triangle) as well as on persuasion (audience and
pathos). This paper must be revised from within the sequence.
Exploratory Essay (250 pts) 25%
In the communication and rhetorical triangles above, the focus of this
assignment is on subject matter (logos/ exploration) as well as on the
writer (self/expressive). This paper can be substantially revised for a
better grade by the end of session.
McDermott ENG151, summer 2010
5
Researched Classical Argument (250 pts) 25%
[Research Proposal with annotated bibliography (100 pts) 10%]
Here the focus is heavily on persuasion and logos as a means for
persuasion.
Grading scale:
94-100 A 87-89 B+ 77-79 C+ 67-69 D+
90-93 A- 84-86 B 74-77 C 64-66 D
80-83 B- 70-73 C- 60-63 D-
An A paper
Shows, tells, or teaches the reader something s/he didnt know before.
Fulfills the assignment.
Is interesting and/or creative in terms of style: sentence variation, paragraph
structure, etc.
Is spelling, punctuation, and grammar error free.
Is very well organized, developed, and focused.
Shows very thoughtful attention to revision (which can mean not needing much
revision).
Supporting sources are well presented and documented.
A B paper
A C paper
A D paper
An F paper
A F Paper
3. Make sure that you have plenty of sentences that seem to but dont
really go anywhere though its possible, but end abruptly. Let the
reader figure out where you were going. Better yet, make sure that
sentence fragments never quite.
4. Just make sure readers are paying attention, try leaving out a or
two. It keeps them on the ball.
******Is This Plagiarism? (The following information was borrowed and adapted
from Professor Catherine Taylor, Ohio University)
Lets assume that youve encountered the following text on the Internet during the
course of research on Virginia Woolfs novel, The Waves:
Each of the six characters creates a space for being through the exclusion
of or, alternately, the engulfment of the difference that threatens his
or her space. Louis carves out a hollow for himself through the
practice of rigorous accounting. He becomes the colonizer of
difference, a reductive force that dilutes everything to a common
denominator of similitude. Neville locates his I in its relation to a
youa chosen beloved with whom he can expose himself to
himself. Jinny dances herself into being, pirouetting to the tune of her
body, believing exclusively in the presence of flesh as both form and
substance for identity. Susan, needing to escape from the rigors and
McDermott ENG151, summer 2010
7
rules of the city and school, plants herself in the country through her
function as reproducer, as a mother. Rhoda, who seems to have no
coherent personality, nevertheless constructs her self-perception in
terms of its possibility, consistently betraying her belief that the others
have a solidity that she alone lacks. Lastly, Bernard is the phrase-
maker who invests his funds in language, hoping for a fixed ontological
return.
In this course, the following acts are considered to be acts of conscious plagiarism.
If you engage in these practices, you will fail the course.
1. Retyping (or cutting and pasting) ANY exact language from another text
without:
a. Using quotation marks or setting the language apart from your own
text through indentation, AND
b. Citing the source parenthetically within your text using MLA style,
AND
c. Including the source in a Works Cited page.
2. Retaining the general order and sentiment of this passage but changing a
few words here and there with the help of your brain or a thesaurus. A
typical example of this practice would look something like the following with
regard to the passage above:
Each of Wolfs six characters makes space for his or her being by excluding or
swallowing the difference that endangers his or her space. Louis digs a hole for
himself through the act of accurate record-keeping. He becomes an imperialist
of difference, a force of subtraction that waters everything down to a common
denominator of likeness. Neville finds his I in its relation to a youa
selected lover with whom he can expose himself to himself. Jinny waltzes
herself into being, spinning to the song of her body, believing only in the
presence of skin as both form and matter for identity. Susan, who needs to
escape from the difficulties and restrictions of the city and her school, plants her
self in the country by being a mother, a reproducer. Rhoda, who appears to lack
a consistent personality, nevertheless builds her self-perception in terms of its
possibility, always informing on her notion that the other characters maintain a
solidness that only she lacks. Lastly, Bernard is the writer who invests his
money in language, hoping for a definite return with regard to belief and
being.
This is PLAGIARISMeven if you cite your source!!!!
The long and the short of it: If I can Google language from your writing that does
not have quotation marks around it (whether or not it is cited) and find wording
and/or reasoning akin to wording and/or reasoning in your writing, you will fail the
course.
The best way to keep from plagiarizing when summarizing or paraphrasing is
to close the source, write the ideas in your own words, then write it again, and then
check it to see how similar or dissimilar it is to what you are paraphrasing. If in
doubt, quote it and cite it.
If I suspect you of plagiarism, I reserve the right to keep your work until my
suspicions are verified or proven inaccurate.
McDermott ENG151, summer 2010
8
Tentative Schedule: *Remember corrections to formal assignments due
the next class day after I have returned them to you.
Students who successfully complete English 151, 152, or 153 should be able to practice each of the following
activities competently:
Write in various genres (both formal and informal, including summary microthemes, peer critique, focused
freewriting, textual and rhetorical analyses, thesis-driven essays, source-based writing, dialogue journals,
dialectical notebooks, etc.) while enacting appropriate rhetorical strategies that employ metacognitive
processes such as summary, analysis, response, critique, and synthesis.
Compose original arguments that evaluate, analyze, and synthesize primary and secondary texts (including
visual texts) and their structural framework (thesis statement, evidence, and support) as well as their
rhetorical purposes, audiences, and situations.
Engage in multiple drafting and revision.
Practice and control rhetorical stylistics such as effects of grammar, diction, mechanics, font, arrangement,
etc.
Evaluate, analyze, and synthesize primary and secondary texts (including visual texts) and their structural
framework, rhetorical purposes, audiences, and situations.
Identify, analyze, and employ the language of rhetorical analysis and argument while discussing texts. This
language includes ethos, pathos, logos, audience, tone, voice, evidence, etc.
Examine and evaluate in-text documentation.
Identify and analyze various genres, their conventions, and how they respond to rhetorical situations.
Identify and analyze rhetorical stylistics such as effects of grammar, diction, mechanics, font, arrangement,
etc.
Respond to and assess student writing rhetorically, which means that students should be able to:
Understand writing as a recursive process that is also collaborative and socially constructed.
Learn to develop their own ideas in relation to the ideas of others.
Employ the languages of rhetorical analysis (ethos, pathos, logos, evidence, support, etc.) and of genres and
metacognitive processes (summary, analysis, response, critique, and synthesis) to critique their own and
others' ideas.
Identify and understand their peers' rhetorical purposes, audiences, and situations and the relationship
among these throughout the drafting and revision process.
Identify correct documentation and sentence-level conventions throughout the drafting and revision
process.
Signed ____________________________________________
Date ________________________________
McDermott ENG151, summer 2010
12