Prof. Linda A. Cohen

EN 102-31/27

                                   Email: Lcohen@bridgew.edu

Cell: 508-243-8815

Home fax: 508-230-5560

BSC Room 324 Tilinghast

Office hours: Tues. & Thurs. 8:15-9:15

and by appointment

 

Required Text: Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments 2nd ed. by Lester Faigley & Jack Selzer

Recommended Texts: Rules for Writers 4th edition by Diana Hacker; or The Elements of Style by Strunk & White; or MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi; a good dictionary, and a good thesaurus.

Class Materials: In addition to the required texts, you will need a folder or binder for your class notes and handouts, a folder for your journal, pens with dark ink, red pen (please, no assignments completed in pencil), highlighter, and a small stapler. Also, you will frequently be required to have 3 copies of whatever paper we are working on, so you may need to budget $10-$20 for supplies.

Course Goals and description from the BSC catalog:

English 102 continues to develop essential skills; the writer learns and practices various techniques of argumentation. Special attention will be given to learning basic research skills and to integrating the ideas of others into one’s own text. Emphasis is on longer and more substantive essays and a research paper. This course satisfies the GER in Writing.

Writing: You will write five essays of various lengths ranging from 3-10+ pages. The last paper will be a research paper and will be 10+ pages long. There will be a variety of other writing exercises done in class. Our focus will be on seeing writing as a process, and I will emphasize the importance of revision. Your papers will be graded on what you accomplish, as it is impossible for me to evaluate effort. Your writing should be grammatical and free of spelling errors, and it should demonstrate increasingly complex critical thinking and analysis as the semester progresses. You will earn an A if your paper develops a specific, focused, interesting thesis in a well-organized, well-argued, well-supported fashion.

Journals: You will frequently be required to write journal entries of approximately 100 words. Often these entries will consist of 50-word summaries of selected essays from your textbook or editorials, followed by 50 words expressing your personal response to the reading. Your journal entries will form the basis for classroom and group discussions as well as serving as initial brainstorming for your formal essays. Journal entries will be graded entirely on content. You need not be concerned with spelling, conventions, form, and so on. Journal entries should be on loose-leaf paper (handwritten or typed) and labeled with your name and the date. Save all of your journal entries in a folder in order by date; they will be collected checked periodically in class.

Reading: Most reading assignments are listed in your syllabus on the day they will be discussed in class. You should read each assignment carefully (preferably twice) and practice active reading. Our readings and discussions will serve as a springboard for your writing and will help you to consider how other writers in the class and in your reader handle complex issues.

Group Work: You will be assigned to a peer group for the semester. Group work will include peer editing sessions, group evaluation and discussion of readings from the text, shared research and other assorted tasks and activities. Keep the following guidelines in mind:

·      Everyone can and must contribute to group activities.

·      Mistakes are evidence of someone trying to learn.

·      Nobody is "wrong." People disagree because they have different perspectives; listening and responding to different perspectives makes our thinking more complex.

·      Expressions like "maybe," "sometimes," "I believe," and "from another perspective" are examples of commonly used qualifiers. The use of such qualifiers will aid you in explaining your point of view.

·      Because the success of our endeavor as a class depends in large measure on our creation, as a group, of a body of knowledge about the analysis of certain kinds of arguments, participation in class discussions and group work is one of the most crucial aspects of the course. If you do not attend class, you cannot participate. Likewise, if you have not prepared adequately for class, you cannot participate in useful ways. Thus, both attendance and preparedness will be reflected in the participation portion of your grade.

Grading: Your class grade will be based on a 100-point system as outlined below.

·      60%—Formal essays. Over the course of the semester, you will write five formal essays. The first four essays will count for 10 points each, the fourth for 20 points.

·      40%—Is divided amongst daily work, participation, homework, and journals. Regular attendance and participation are required and include active involvement not only in class discussions but also in group work. In order to participate, it is necessary for you to have all assigned work done before class begins each day. Completion of daily homework assignments and individual contributions to collaborative work will be a vital component of your grade. Daily work will be graded on a check/minus basis. The point value of each daily work, participation, homework and journal task will depend on the total assigned over the semester but should fall between 0.2 and 0.4 points.

Grading Scale:

.A = 96–100 pts.

C = 72–75 pts.

 

A- = 92–95 pts.

 

C- = 68–71 pts.

 

B+ = 88–91 pts

D+ = 64-67 pts.

B = 84–87 pts.

 

D = 60–63 pts.

 

B- = 80–83 pts

D- = 56–59 pts.

 

C+ = 76–79 pts.

F = 0-55 pts.

 

Participation and Attendance: To participate, it is necessary for you to have all assigned work done before class begins each day and be in class. Because peer feedback and discussion are essential components of this class, regular attendance is required. All students lead busy lives and become ill on occasion; therefore, I will not judge whether absences are excused or unexcused. An absence is simply an absence (this includes absences for school-sponsored activities).

·      *Debates, editing days, and in-class writing cannot be made up. Students who are unprepared or who fail to attend editing sessions will have their related paper grade lowered one full letter. Students who are absent on days when in-class writings are scheduled will receive a “0” for those assignments

·      All essays are due at the beginning of the indicated class and will be penalized a ˝ letter grade for each day late.

·      I do not repeat class lectures or assignments, so if you miss a class, it is your responsibility to ask a member of your group to go through the presentation and share his or her notes with you.

*Check with me if you are absent from class; depending on individual circumstances, I may allow you to make up in-class assignments.

Editing Days

Preparation for editing days means being in class on time with three photocopies of a complete typed rough draft. I suggest that you do not wait until the morning of the due date to make your copies---computer failures & printer problems happen at the most inopportune times!

Classroom Conduct: You will speak to and behave toward one another and me in a mature, respectful, and courteous manner. This includes giving your full attention to whoever is speaking, whether the speaker is me, one of your classmates, or a guest. This also means no reading or studying of outside materials; no walkmans, cell phones, or pagers; and no cross-talk. You may not interfere with other students' learning or with my teaching. While I will never censor your ideas or opinions, if necessary, I will censor the language or behavior you use to express them. Failure to comply with acceptable classroom conduct will result in expulsion from class.

Portfolios: Your success in this course is heavily dependent on your efforts to engage in consistent and constructively critical self-reflection on your work as a writer. To facilitate that process, you will be required to collect most or all of your work at various intervals (NEVER throw your written work away) and to write a brief evaluation of your work. Each portfolio will include a self-reflective essay about your own writing in the course to date.

Manuscript Format: All essays are to be submitted in the proper manuscript form—that is, typed in 12-point font, times new roman, with one-inch margins, double-spaced, with your name, class and section number, assignment number or description, and the date in the upper-left corner. I do not require a title page. Pages are to be numbered in the right hand side in multiple page works with your last name preceding the page number. All essays that make use of outside sources require correctly formatted MLA in text citations and a works cited page. For each formal essay, you will submit all of your work, including prewriting and brainstorming, outlines, notes, drafts, revisions, and group evaluations and feedback---stapled to the back of your completed work. Because papers sometimes go astray, are dropped off in the wrong office, misplaced or lost, keep a copy of every formal essay you hand in.

·      Errors in the recording of grades do sometimes occur. For your own protection, please keep all of your class work until you have received your final grade for the semester.

·      I will not accept assignments on paper torn out of spiral notebooks. Invest in smooth-edged loose-leaf binder paper, or be prepared to trim all spiral bound paper edges before submitting your assignments.

·      I do not provide office supplies. Make sure that multiple page assignments are stapled before you come to class.

Rewrites: You have the option of rewriting any of your essays to achieve your desired grade, provided that the following requirements are met:

·      You have an individual conference with me about the paper before beginning your rewrite. This conference must be scheduled within one week of receiving your original grade.

·      Your rewrite constitutes substantive revision, not just editing based on my and your classmates' comments.

·      You must include your entire original portfolio with all rewrites.

·      Your final grade will be an average of your original grade and the grade you receive on your rewrite.

Also, be aware that you need to manage your time effectively; do not let your current work fall behind because you are involved in doing a rewrite.

The Writing Center: The Writing Center, located downstairs in the Library Building, is an excellent resource that provides all students with free, drop-in help in all phases of the writing process. Making use of the Writing Center will very likely raise your grade; if you are having difficulty with your writing, I encourage you to visit the Writing Center. In some instances, I may specifically refer you to the Writing Center; in these cases, your visit to the Center is a required class activity.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism means using another person’s words or ideas without giving that person credit. It is a form of cheating and theft. It will not be tolerated in any form, whether intentional or unintentional. Those caught plagiarizing will, at the very least, receive a failing grade for the paper and will most likely fail the course.

Disabilities: In accordance with Bridgewater State College policy, I am available to discuss appropriate accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Requests for accommodations should be made during the drop/add period so that proper arrangements can be made. Students should register with the Disability Resources Office in Boyden Hall for disability verification and determination of reasonable academic accommodations.

I reserve the right to add to or change items on this syllabus as circumstances warrant. In the event that changes are required, I will alert you to them within a reasonable and sufficient time frame.

 

Major Tasks for English 102

Select a Topic: For your semester-long research project, you will select a topic dealing with a significant controversial issue in your community. I suggest that you choose something you are interested in and that has some relationship to your general field of study.

Paper #1

Formal assignment: Analyze the rhetorical appeals of a persuasive text linked to your topic.

Paper #2

Formal assignment: Write a definition argument or a causal argument regarding your topic.

Paper #3: Annotated Bibliography with a summary that involves locating and objectively summarizing the best arguments for both sides of your chosen topic

Paper #4: Write a rebuttal to an argument about your topic. You might consider a rebuttal to your definition or causal paper.

Paper #5: A researched argument:

This paper will argue in favor of your stance on your selected topic. It will require skillful summarizing and evaluation, the use of various methods of persuasion (logos, ethos, pathos), and correct documentation procedures.

UNIT ONE: PERSONAL NARRATIVE

Coverage

·      Subject and goals of the course

Readings

·      Chapter 1, "What to Argue About" (pp. 5-27)

In-Class Activities and Short Assignments

UNIT TWO: FORMS OF SHORT ARGUMENTS

Coverage

·      Definition, causal, evaluation, and rebuttal arguments

Readings

·      Chapter 5, "Definition Arguments" (pp. 107-127)

In-Class Activities and Short Assignments

UNIT THREE: EFFECTIVE RESEARCH

Coverage

·      Proposal Arguments

Readings

·      Chapter 10, "Proposal Arguments" (pp. 197-210)

In-Class Activities and Short Assignments

UNIT FOUR: VISUAL AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Coverage

·      Visual Design

Readings

·      Chapter 12, "Effective Visual Design" (pp. 225-253)

In-Class Activities and Short Assignments: