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Advanced Composition

Lit 3304.5U1
Identity, Culture, and the Writing Connection

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out
of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As
therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the
congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near
the door by this sickness... No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the
continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if
promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death
diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
John Donne, Meditation XVII

Instructor: Stacey Donald


W 5:30-10:00
JO 4.102
Office: JO 4.134
Office hours: After class and by appointment
Email: sad011500@utdallas.edu

Course Description
Advanced composition aims to enhance your connection between active reading, critical thinking,
and thoughtful writing as you work on learning rhetorical strategies from the readings and
applying them to your own writing. This course is based on the notion that the development of
ideas is a communal process. As such, you will form writing groups devoted to the peer editing
process. As a community of writers, we will read, discuss, and react to challenging texts; write
short weekly reaction papers; and research, compose, and revise two essays of substantial length.

Texts & Supplies


Verburg, Carol J, ed. Ourselves Among Others: Readings from Home and Abroad. 4th ed.
New York: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2000.
Williams, Joseph. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 9th ed. New York: Pearson
Longman, 2007.
A grammar hand book. You can find these at Half Price Books. Usually, they have a soft cover
and are spiral bound.
A UTD email account that you check regularly.

Grading
Essay #1-15%
Essay #2-15%
Portfolio-25%
Weekly “think pieces”-25%
Peer Review (typed responses)/Participation-20%

Papers
In this course, you will complete two formal essays, several shorter “think pieces,” and a writing
portfolio that will showcase your progress over the semester.
Essay #1-You will bring in an essay of at least five pages from another class that you are
especially proud of or that you are particularly interested in. It does not matter what grade this
essay received as long as you feel strongly about the ideas presented. We will rework this essay.
Expect for it to double in length over the course of your drafts.
Essay #2-You will start this essay from scratch. It will be at least seven pages in length, involve
research, and address a topic from your chosen profession that you feel needs scholarly attention.
“Think pieces”-Think pieces are essays which give you an opportunity to reflect, consider,
ponder - that is, think about - ideas presented in the assigned readings. Think pieces are not
designed to be research papers; you draw from the readings assigned for the class and develop
your own interpretation. Think pieces are generally about 450-500 words or about 1 ¾ pages.
You will write a think piece to turn in every week except for the weeks where you turn in a draft
of essay #1 or #2.

Submission Guidelines
Submit all manuscripts in hardcopy stapled in the upper left-hand corner. Manuscripts should
conform to guidelines provided in Chapter 4 of MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
(Sixth Edition) with the following additions/clarifications. Manuscripts must be typed on white
8½-x-11-inch paper in either New Times Roman or Book Antigua typeface (12 point type). Do
not use a title page. Minor corrections or insertions may be made neatly and legibly in ink
directly above the line(s) involved. Source documentation shall be in MLA style; citations and
List of Works Cited shall conform to Chapters 5 and 6 of MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers (Sixth Edition); use italic type to indicate book and publication titles. If notes
are required for clarity, they should be formatted as footnotes and consecutively numbered
throughout the manuscript. No electronic submissions will be accepted, nor will submissions be
accepted after the due date, unless late submission is approved by the instructor before the due
date. All written work shall include a short, descriptive title.

Attendance, Participation, and Related Issues


Because we only meet for ten classes this summer, attendance is crucial to your success in the
course. Please expect to attend EVERY class period. There is no way to make up class work, and
class participation is vital to our learning community. Please expect your final grade in this course
to drop one half of a letter grade for every absence past one. Also, two tardies or leaving class
early twice will count as one absence. Two bonus points will be added to student’s final grades
for perfect attendance.

Peer Reviews/Workshops
Each class period will have a peer editing section. In each writing group, one student will have a
draft of an essay due, and the other students will have “think pieces” due. Students with a draft
due will email a copy of the draft to their group members as well as to the professor three days
before class is scheduled (so on Sundays by 5:30). Group members will bring two typed copies of
their comments on the student essay: one for the student and one for the instructor. Failure to turn
a draft in to group members or the instructor will result in a lower final essay grade as well as
point reduction for peer review. Peer edits may not be made up.

Academic Ethics:
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts, or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work
material that is not one’s own. Scholastic dishonesty may involve, but is not limited to, one or
more of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion, use of annotated texts or teacher’s
editions, and/or falsifying academic records.
Plagiarism is the use of an author’s words or ideas as if they were one’s own without giving
credit to the source, including, but not limited to, failure to acknowledge a direct quotation.
MANY CASES OF PLAGIARISM ARE THE RESULT OF CARELESS DOCUMENTATION
OR FAULTY NOTETAKING. Unfortunately, the reader who finds the error, not knowing the
writer's intent, can only assume the plagiarism is intentional. Intentional or not, plagiarism in any
paper will still carry serious penalties.

Plagiarism, because it is a form of theft, burglary, kidnapping, or dishonesty that interferes with
the goals of education, must carry severe penalties. The policy for Lit 3304.5U1 is that an
assignment containing plagiarized material receives an automatic "F," and may be turned
over to Judicial Affairs.

All final drafts of essays will be submitted electronically to turnitin.com as well as in hard copy to
the instructor.
1. Go to turnitin.com
2. Create an account (all you need is an email address and a password. Make sure you write
them down.)
3. Enroll in Lit 3304.5U1 (class ID# 2291949, password: THINK)
Upload final drafts of assignments when appropriate.

Incomplete Grade Policy


As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidable missed
and if the student has completed 70% or more of the required course work.

Student Conduct, Discipline, Academic Integrity, Handicap, and Religious Holiday


information
This information is contained in the UTD publication A to Z Guide, the Handbook of Operating
Procedures, and the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System.
All of these publications are available online at utd.edu.

Useful Information
Disability Services-SU 1.610 (972-883-2098)
Student Counseling Center-Student Union 1.608 (972-883-2575)
UTD writing center- McDermott Library, 2nd floor, room 2.402 (972-883-6707)
McDermott Library reference librarian- Linda Snow (972-883-2626)

Daily Schedule
Ourselves Among Others will be referred to as OAO
Style: Lessons in Grace and Clarity will be referred to as Style
Selections marked with an * will be available via handout or electronic course reserve

May 28th-Focus: Introduction

June 4th-Focus: Coming up with a good idea


Discuss “Lesson One” and “Lesson Ten” in Style
Discuss the “Introduction for Students” in OAO
Discuss “The Art of the Fiesta” by Octavio Paz in OAO
Bring your five-page essay with a written plan to rework it.
June 11th-Focus: Looking at All Sides of an Issue
Discuss the Appendix on punctuation in Style
Discuss “From Death to Divorce” and “Stone Soup” from OAO

June 18th-Focus: What Makes a Good Sentence?


Discuss “Lesson Three” in Style
Discuss “Woman as Other” and “Muslims, the First Feminists” from OAO

June 25th-Focus: Avoiding Talking a Lot without Saying Anything


Discuss “Lesson Five” and “Lesson Six” in Style
Discuss “The Disposable Rocket” and “What Makes Superman so Darned American?” from
OAO.
Discuss the introduction and first chapter of Between Men by Eve Sedgwick*
Final draft of essay #1 due (Please don’t forget to upload to turnitin.com)

July 2nd-Focus: Cutting the Crap (Think Feng-Shui Writing)


Discuss “Lesson Seven” in Style
Discuss “One Man’s Mutilation is Another Man’s Beautification” in OAO
Discuss “An Introduction to Female Masculinity: Masculinity without Men” in Female
Masculinities by Judith Halberstam*

July 9th-Focus: Living Thoughtfully, Writing Thoughtfully


Discuss “Lesson Eleven” in Style
Discuss “Against Interpretation” by Susan Sontag*
Discuss “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” by Walter Benjamin*

July 16th-Focus: What happens when People No Longer Value Thinking?


(Or Grammar?)
Discuss “Lesson Two” in Style
Discuss “Future Schlock” and “Yearnings” in OAO

July 23rd-Focus: Maintaining Your Voice


Discuss “Lesson Four” and “Lesson Eight” in Style
Discuss “Caste Hate, and Murder, Outlast Indian Reforms” from OAO
Discuss “Gender and Imperialism: Colonial Policy and the Ideology of Moral Imperialism in Late
Nineteenth-Century Bengal” by Mrinalini Sinha*

July 30th-Focus: What is the Responsibility of the Writer?


Discuss “Lesson Nine” and “Lesson Twelve” in Style
Discuss “The New Lost Generation” in OAO

August 6th-Essay #2 (please don’t forget to upload to turnitin.com) and Portfolio due. Please
bring them to my office by 9:00 p.m.

The contents of the syllabus are subject to change at the


instructor’s discretion.

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