Course
Syllabus
Justin George Watson
Spring semester, 2004
Three credits
Office: 186 Vincent
Office phone: 239-8367
Office
hours:
Home phone: 273-3986
E-mail: jwatson@hcc-nd.edu
Required Texts and Materials:
1. George
Miller's Prentice Hall Reader
2. Jeanette Woodward’s Writing Research Papers
3. Donald Daiker’s The Writer’s Options
4. A good college dictionary (This will be explained further.)
5. Two folders (This will be explained further.)
This course is based on the premise that
writing is best understood as a process composed of stages (prewriting,
writing, and revision), and students will use this process to improve writing
skills. The major goal in this course is that all students will be able to
apply the basic principles of expository writing—focus, development and
support, organization, mechanics, and the rhetorical situation (writer, reader,
and subject)—to the writing situations that are encountered in academic and
professional contexts. Whatever students’ ultimate career plans might
be—engineer, doctor, business person, or teacher—the skills they develop in
this class will help them achieve their goals.
Goals
and Objectives:
•Write effectively
•Refine writing
•Write appropriately for a variety of audiences
•Recognize and use multiple ways of thinking
•Ask relevant questions
•Distinguish among fact, opinion, and judgment
•Make connections among subjects
•Analyze, interpret, and appreciate thoughts/works of others
•Demonstrate proficiency in reading competency
•Define the purpose and goals of a scholarly investigation
•Evaluate and use available sources of information
•Interact and cooperatively work with others
•Use technology
to access information
Grading:
The grades for this class will be calculated according to the scale found in the Student Handbook. Assignments are due at the beginning of indicated class periods; generally speaking, late work will not be accepted. Late assignments that are accepted will be penalized with one full grade reduction for each day they are late. All assignments must be turned in directly to the instructor during regularly scheduled class times; the instructor will not be responsible for any assignments that are turned in under an office door, in a mailbox, etc. The class plagiarism policy will follow the general guidelines indicated in the Student Handbook. The specific plagiarism policy in this class is an “F” for the assignment on the first infraction, an “F” in the course for a subsequent infraction.
Class assignments will be graded according to the following formula:
•Five out-of-class, typed essays (lengths will vary according to syllabus guidelines). For each essay all stages of the writing process, not just the final draft, will be used for assigning grades. 10 points will be subtracted from a paper for any missing prewriting tasks required for that assignment. 20 points will automatically be subtracted for any paper that does not have a working draft.
500 points
•One
in-class essay to be administered during the final class period. There are
no makeups for missed exams.
50 points
•One
research essay, approximately eight typed pages in length (minimum 2000 words)
200 points
•One
annotated research bibliography
50 points
•Twelve
quizzes on the readings and vocabulary. Two lowest grades will be dropped; the
remaining ten will count toward the final grade. There are no makeups for
missed quizzes.
100 points
•Homework.
Any assignments that are not considered satisfactory by the instructor will be
returned to the student for immediate revision. Assignments will be issued one
of three evaluative marks: "-," unsatisfactory; "check,"
satisfactory; and "+," excellent. If an assignment is turned in on
time and is considered satisfactory by the instructor, then the student
receives full points.
100 points
900 and above A
880-899 A-
860-879 B+
800-859 B
780-789 B-
760-779 C+
700-759 C
680-699 C-
600-679 D
599 and below F
Attendance Policy:
1. You
are expected to attend every class meeting and conference and to be on time.
2. Whenever
possible students should inform the instructor of forthcoming absences.
3. Students
with absences are expected to contact the instructor as soon as possible to
discuss any work missed. Absence is not an excuse for late assignments.
4. Be aware that it is the student's
responsibility to drop or withdraw from this class: the last day to drop is
Wednesday,
COURSE ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
The instructor reserves the right to adjust the syllabus; however, any changes will be announced in advance.
Week 1, Jan.14 and 16
Wednesday: administrative matters; diagnostic essays
Friday: class introductions; introduction to prewriting and the writing process; sample essay "Real Man"
Week 2, Sep. Jan. 19, 21, and 23
Monday: PHR, 90-101 (narration) and Cofer’s “Marina”
Wednesday: sample essays “No Gays in the Military” and “Happy Hour”
Friday: working draft of essay one (narrative) due; workshop in peer editing
Week 3, Jan. 26, 28, and 30
Monday: PHR, Reilly’s “The Biggest Play of His Life”; mechanics review
Wednesday:
audience draft of essay one (narrative)
due; workshop in peer editing;
mechanics review
Friday: final draft of essay one (500 words minimum) due; mechanics review
Week 4, Feb. 2, 4, and 6
Monday: PHR,
Wednesday:
WO, unit three (relative clauses),
first three exercises due
Friday: WO, unit four (participles), first three exercises and “Underground Railroad” due
Week 5, Feb. 9, 11, and 13
Monday: PHR, 39-49 (gathering and using examples), Greene's "Cut" and “Plugging the Kegs”
Wednesday:
WO,
unit five (appositives), first two
exercises and "Cookie Monster" due
Friday: zero draft of essay two (gathering and using examples) due; WRP, chapter one (“Understanding the Research Process”)
Week 6, Feb. 16, 18, and 20
Monday: WO, unit six (absolutes), first four exercises due
Wednesday:
WRP, chapter two (“Selecting a
Topic”) and three (“Planning a Research Strategy”)
Friday:
final draft of essay two (750 words
minimum) due; mechanics review
Week 7, Feb. 23, 25, and 27
Monday: PHR, 374-86 (cause and effect), Brumberg’s “The Origins of Anorexia Nervosa” and Butterfield's “Why They Excel”
Wednesday: WO, unit seven (coordination and subordination), first three exercises and "No More Burgers" due
Friday:
zero draft of essay three (cause and
effect) due; WRP, chapter four (“
Week 8, Mar. 1, 3, and 5
Monday:
WO,
unit eight (prepositional and infinitive
phrases), first two exercises and "Inca Express" due; WRP, chapters five (“Getting to Know the
Library”) and six (“Investigating Library Resources”)
Wednesday: WO, unit nine (noun substitutes), first three exercises due; WRP, chapter seven (“Exploring the Internet”)
Friday: final draft of essay three (1,000 word minimum) due; mechanics review
Week 9: midsemester vacation
Week 10: Mar. 15, 17, and 19
Monday: PHR, 434-43 (definition), Brady's “I Want a Wife,” and Greene’s “Adults Only”
Wednesday:
WO,
unit 10 (coherence), first three paragraphs and “Losing Its Grip”
Friday:
zero draft of essay four (definition)
due; WRP, chapter nine
(“Documenting Your Sources”)
Week 11: Mar. 22, 24, and 26
Monday: PHR, 251-64 (comparison and contrast); Daum’s “Virtual Love” and Samuelson’s “Fun Ethic vs. Work Ethic”
Wednesday:
fallacies in reasoning presentation; WO, unit 12 (tone), paragraphs B and C
in the first exercise due, and unit 13 (paragraph structures), first four
paragraphs due
Friday: final draft of essay four (1,000 words minimum) due
Week 12: Mar. 29, 31, and Apr. 2
Monday:
fallacies in reasoning presentation continued
Wednesday: zero draft of essay five (comparison and contrast) due
Friday:
research reports (annotated works
consulted) due
Week 13: Apr. 5, 7,
and 9
Monday:
final draft of essay five (1,000 words
minimum) due; WRP, chapter eight (“Writing
the Rough Draft”); quotation techniques presentation
Wednesday:
quotation techniques presentation continued
Friday:
Easter Break
Week 14: Apr. 12, 14, and 16
Monday:
Easter Break
Wednesday: WRP,
chapter ten (“Revising your Paper”); mechanics review
PHR,
Friday:
first working draft of research essay (extremist group) due
Week 15: Apr. 19, 21, and 23
Monday:
482-96 (argumentation and persuasion) and King's “I Have a Dream”
Easter Break
Wednesday: sample essay analysis
Friday: audience draft of research essay (extremist group) due
Week 16: Apr. 26, 28, and 30
Monday: sample essay; discussion of persuasion
Wednesday: final draft of research essay (2,000 words minimum) due; sample essay
Friday: preparation for final
The final exam will be administered from