Syllabus for English 1301 Composition & Rhetoric Fall 2011 Instructor Sean Ferrier-Watson, MA Course ENGL 1301.

43 TR 2:25-3:40PM PJC-GC 123 Office Hours after class, or by appointment Website

www.SeanENGL1301.wordpress.com

Office PJC-GC 201

E-mail/Phone # Seanwatson08@yahoo.com 903-454-9333 Required Texts

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2007. ISBN-13:978-0-312-60152-2 Hacker, Diana. A Writers Reference. 7th ed. New York: Bedford, 20011. ISBN-13:9780312601430 Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine Books, 1996. ISBN0-345-41001-7 Course Content This course is a study of grammar and composition through analysis of sentence structure, paragraph organization, and theme development. You will be expected to conduct an analysis of written discourse with emphasis on the writing of class themes, including critical observations about your own work and material from the textbook and handouts. Course Prerequisites English 0302 with a grade of C or above, or placement by department based on admission information. Purpose This course is a composition and rhetoric course. The class, for approximately 15 weeks, will concentrate upon improving thinking and writing skills. It will emphasize the aims the whyand the modesthe howof composition as they apply to the communication process. Assignments will include pre-writing activities, essay writing, editing, revision, oral discussion, group work, and reading of novels, as well as lectures. Homework will include readings and exercises in the textbooks. A major portion of the course will be devoted to writing and will include documented papers when appropriate. The close of the course will focus upon reading and discussion of the novels. COURSE OBJECTIVES Successful students in English 1301 will: Improve attitudes towards written communication Refine writing skills for college level discourse by:  Identifying and utilizing Standard Written English

 Identifying and utilizing basic Academic Discourse Increase critical reading skills Build analytical thinking skills Successfully complete preparation of mode and argumentative essays and a properly documented research paper. Successfully identify and utilize MLA style for citing and documenting sources.

Assignment Policy With the exception of some daily grades, all assignments should be completed on time and formatted correctly to be considered for full credit. Major essays must be formatted in accordance with MLA guidelines and typed in legible twelve point font. The page length and other detailed specifications are listed further below. These assignments will be submitted in class on the deadline listed on the course schedule. I will NOT accept late papers.

Procedure Daily lecture, class discussion, some group workshops, some creative writing. Regular attendance is required. Assignments will demonstrate comprehension of subject matter and modes of writing; by end of semester, essays and tests should demonstrate practical use of modes and academic discourse and substantial mastery of the basics of Modern Language Association style.
Class Disruption Policy/Active Participation Policy/ Dismissal Policy Disruptions will not be tolerated in my class. Cell-phones, laptop computers, audio/music devices, and any other technological device that does not pertain to the lesson will be banned in my classroom. If the device is used as a note taking instrument or as a way of performing class activities, I will grant an exception to this policy. Newspapers, magazines, and any other material not pertaining to the subject at hand may also constitute a violation of this policy. Leaving class early (without permission) or arriving more than ten minutes late is another violation. Any violation of this policy can result in the students immediate dismissal from the classroom for the day and a grade of zero being entered for daily participation. Failure to participate in class activities or behavioral disruptions will also constitute grounds for dismissal for the day or worse. Successful Students ENGL 1301 students will improve attitudes towards written communication Refine writing skills for college level discourse Increase critical reading skills, build analytical thinking skills Successfully complete argumentative essays effectively using modes Successfully complete a properly documented research paper. Successfully identify and utilize MLA style for citing sources Attendance Policy Attendance is mandatory. As with any college class, attendance is a vital part of the learning process. If a student misses more than three class sessions, a deduction will be applied to the students participation grade (attendance is an important part of your grade, so please do not underestimate the attendance policy). Absences are considered to be unauthorized unless due to sickness, valid emergencies (i.e. hospitalization of family or friend), or sanctioned school activities. The student must present proof of the incident before an excuse will be issued. If, through a misfortune, a student should arrive after the instructor has recorded absences, it is the

students responsibility to talk with the instructor immediately after class in order to discuss changing the unauthorized absence to a tardy. Excessive absences can result in a failing grade for the class. If the problem is serious enough to miss a significant amount of class, then the student should consider dropping the course or speaking with the university. There will be no make up for missed assignments, but the instructor may allow for extra daily assignments for students with authorized absences. Late Policy I will accept late major grades for partial credit up until one week after the due date. The grade for these assignments will be determined by the papers merit and number of days past the due date. Daily grades and attendance are not redeemable under this policy. If you are absent or fail to complete a daily assignment, I will not allow a make-up grade. You are responsible for getting all of your papers in on-time. Special Needs or Learning Disabilities The Student Development Center is responsible for coordinating services for students with special needs. Individual students have the right and the responsibility to decide whether and when to choose among accessible service offerings. Paris Junior College provides equal opportunities for students with disabilities and ensures access to a wide variety of resources and programs. The College will make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with a documented physical, psychological, or learning disability who have been admitted to the College and have requested accommodations. Any student who has special needs or disabilities is encouraged to feel free to discuss his or her concerns with me privately. Your concerns will remain confidential. Daily Grade/ Homework Policy Daily coursework and homework will be assigned periodically throughout the semester. These assignments are graded pass/fail. In other words, if you fail to complete the assignment or approach it incorrectly, you will not receive credit for the assignment. Note: daily grades and homework are not replaceable. If you miss a daily assignment, please do not ask to make it up. I will, however, offer extra credit assignments for daily grades from time to time, but you should not make a habit of missing these assignments. Rewrite Policy Students will be allowed to rewrite one major essay for full credit. I will not permit students to rewrite a paper with a grade above an 88%. All rewrites must be submitted one week after the graded assignment has been returned to the student. Since the final essay is due the last day of class, it will of course be an exception to the rewrite policy. I recommend that students only rewrite papers with a grade of C+ or lower. If you have any concerns about the rewrite policy, please address these concerns with me as soon as possible. (Note: this policy will not apply to late submissions.) Peer Editing Criticism is an important part of the writing process. It provides insight, awareness and perspective to any well written work. As students of writing, you will need to practice well developed and constructive criticism. To help cultivate this process, I will divide you into peer editing groups. These groups must be composed of three to five students and will be expected to meet in and out of class. Since many of you are new to college writing, I highly recommend that you seek as much feedback as possible on an assignment before submitting it for a grade. Peer editing and other in-class activities are an essential part of class participation. If you are not participating in peer editing, then it is reasonable to expect a deduction in your final grade.

Grading Policy Participation 20% y Attendance 10% y Homework/Daily Work/Peer Editing 10% Weekly Response Papers 20% y to 1 page in length, typed and double spaced y Respond to the reading or activity for the week y Do not merely summarize the content of the reading y Try to respond to what you find interesting or engaging about the reading y These assignments are due Thursday of every week. Essay #1: Persuasive/Argumentative Essay 20% y 3-5 pages in length y Check handout for details Essay #2: Informative Essay 20% y 3-5 pages in length y Must contain a work cited page y Check handout for details Essay #3: Critical Analysis/Research Paper 20% y 3-5 pages in length y Research Proposal (300 words) y Must contain a work cited page y Must contain a working bibliography to accompany proposal y Check handout for details Class Assignments & Reading Schedule Spring 2011 August Week 1 30First Day! y Class Introduction y Review of Syllabus & Class Schedule 1Narration & Description y Sandra Cisneros, Only Daughter, 97p y Martin Gansberg, Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didnt Call the Police, 120p y Read 766-768 y View the I Hate Writing (video on the website) y Who Said 'Johnny Can't Write'? (video on class website) September Week 2 6Argumentation and Persuasion y Read 547-563p from our textbook (glance over) y Al Gore, The Time to Act Is Now, 617p y Daniel B. Botkin, Global Warming Delusions, 623p 8Argumentation Cont.

y y

Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, 588p Linda Chavez, American Dreams, Foreign Flags, 648p

Week 3 13Argumentation Cont. y Patrick Buchanan, To Reunite a Nation, 671p y Michael Levin, The Case for Torture, 681 y John McCain, Tortures Terrible Toll, 696p 15Peer Editing for Essay #1 y Bring a draft of your essay to class Week 4 20Cause and Effect y Robin Tolmach Lakoff, The Power of Words in Wartime, 363p y Jonathan Kozol, The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society, 248p y Essay #1 Due 22Exemplification & Process y Lillian B. Rubin, Gun and Grief, 350p y Linda M. Hasselstorm, A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carriers a Gun, 357p Week 5 27Compare and Contrast y Ellen Laird, Im Your Teacher, Not Your Internet-Service Provider, 416p y Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America, 411p 29Definition y Judy Brady, I Want a Wife, 520p y Roberto Santiago, Black and Latino, 537p October Week 6 4 Classification and Division y William Zinsser, College Pressures, 462p y Jonathan Koppell, On the Internet, Theres No Place to Hide, 495p 6Classification & Division Cont. y Amy Tan, Mother Tongue, 477p y Nancy J. Peters, Milestones of Literary Censorship (handout) y Stanley Fish, Getting Coffee Is Hard to Do 287p Week 7 11Classification & Division Cont. y Stephanie Ericsson, The Ways We Lie 485p y MLA Lecture

13Peer Editing for Essay #2 y Bring a draft of your essay to class Week 8 18Combining the Patterns y Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal 745p y David Kirby, Inked Well 738p y Essay #2 Due 20MLA Style & Revision y Watching out for Plagiarism, 766-768p y Drafting A Thesis Statement, 769p y Documenting Your Sources, 772-782p Week 9 25 Controversial Texts and Literary Genres y Howl (handout) y Charles Bukowski, Hot Lady (handout) y Marguerite Krause, Harry Potter and the End of Religion (handout) 27 Victorian Ghost Stories y Charles Dickens, To be Taken with a Grain of Salt (handout) y R. L. Stevenson, The Body-Snatcher (handout) November Week 10 1 Fiction & Poetry y Shirley Jackson, The Lottery 311p y Janice Mirikitani, Suicide Note 377p 3 Poetry y Charles Simic, The Scarecrow (handout) y Charles Simic, The Fork (handout) y Wallace Stevens, The Emperor of Ice-Cream (handout) y Wallace Stevens, The Snow Man (handout) Week 11 8 Fiction & Poetry y Gwendolyn Brooks, Sadie and Maud 443p y Grace Paley, Samuel 258p 10 Fiction & Poetry y Kate Chopin, The Storm, 109p y Edwin Brock, Five ways to Kill a Man, 501p Week 12 15Fiction & Poetry y Philip Levine, What Work Is, 542p y Sherman Alexie, Indian Education, 135p 17Fiction & Poetry y John Updike, A&P (handout) y Jack Kerouac, Good Blonde (handout) Week 13

22Novel y Fahrenheit 451, Part 1 24Novel y Fahrenheit 451, Part II December Week 14 29Novel y Fahrenheit 451, Part III (first half) 1Novel y Fahrenheit 451, Part III (to end) y Peer Review Week 15 6Peer Review and Research in Library 8Proposal Due & Final Discussion over Research Week 16 (Finals Week) 13Final Paper Due y 3:45 p.m. (I will collect papers for the first 30mins)