Syllabus
English 103 ADVANCE Wednesday, 6-9 p.m.
Summer, 2002 MC
553
Grant T. Smith, Ph. D.
Office: MC 536 --
Office Hours Before or After Class
Phone: 796-3485
E-mail: gtsmith@viterbo.edu
Text: Rereading
America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, Eds. Gary
Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle.
New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. Click here
for the Rereading America web site. It has interesting links to the
different themes.
You will also need a good English handbook and a college
dictionary. Keep your notes and journal
entries in a separate tablet, journal or binder. If you plan to do much of your work on a computer, keep two
floppy diskettes for class writing—one primary, one backup.
Description:
English 103 prepares you for the kind of writing you will be asked to
produce in college and work. You’ll write in
response to readings from Rereading America as well as readings from
other students. Do not expect that everything assigned for reading will be
dealt with specifically in class or will be given equal treatment if dealt with
in class. A major strategy of teaching is for the instructor to select and
emphasize those matters of special consequence relevant to the needs of a
particular class or those which have intrinsic importance. You can best
contribute to class discussions if you have read all of the assignments before
class.
You will write
descriptive essays, summaries, and criticisms of the assigned readings. The “capstone” project for this class is a 7
to 10 page research paper. Think of
this class as a preparation for your writing in other classes and work that you
will do. You will write about your
ideas as well as others’ ideas. You
will progress in your writing from representing those ideas to incorporating
them into your own arguments.
For every essay you read in class, ask yourself these
questions:
Ø What
was the essay about? This is sometimes
called the thesis.
Ø What
evidence supported that that thesis?
Ø What
assumptions does the author make about audience? Evidence?
As you answer these questions, you will begin to ask: “How
reliable is the evidence that the author uses?
How valid are the author's assumptions and conclusions? The editors of Rereading America state that critical
thinking involves asking questions rather than memorizing information. Critical readers don’t simply collect facts,
they probe those facts looking for underlying assumptions and ideas. A critical thinker also relies upon his or
her experiences to validate others’ claims. It is good to be open and skeptical (2). Click here
for the
Viterbo University web page on critical thinking.
We will also spend time exploring the process of
research. Where does information come
from? How did you find it? How can you tell what information is useful
and reliable? How can you distinguish
from good information (facts?) from bad information (propaganda?).
Goals:
Ø Accurately
quote, paraphrase, and summarize others’ writing
Ø Critically
analyze and evaluate others’ arguments. This means we share opinions,
thoughts, conclusions, and questions about the readings in class discussions
Ø Locate
information you need in libraries, on line, or elsewhere to make your case
convincing
Ø Build
arguments that provide clear claims (theses), sound support, and justified
assumptions
Ø Integrate
outside writing (sources) into your own arguments
Ø Understand
grammar, style, and tone as tools of careful argument
Ø Use
proper documentation in your writing (either MLA or APA).
Required Work:
Ø Weekly
journal responses to assigned readings (two to three pages a week). Journals will make up 25 percent of the
final grade. I will read your journals each week and make marginal
comments, but I will not assign a letter grade for the entries; rather, I will
give you full credit at the end of the semester for this completed writing
assignment. Click here
for journal entry suggestions.
Ø Attendance
and participation: Because we meet only once a week, if a student misses more
than two sessions, that student will be asked to withdraw from the class or
receive an F. The students will be
expected to participate actively and positively in in-class workshops. Attendance and participation will count for
5 percent of the final grade. I will accept "late" work, but
please don't abuse this privilege.
Ø One
descriptive essay, and two
one-page summaries of readings from the text (25 percent of final grade).
Ø Two
three-page criticisms of readings from the text (25 percent of final grade).
Ø A
seven to 10-page research paper (with required drafts). A student cannot pass 103 without passing
the research paper (50 percent of final grade).
Formatting and Documentation: All work must be word processed.
You may use recycled paper (8 ½” x 11” white). Double space the text, and maintain one-inch margins on all
sides. Use twelve-point Times New Roman
font. Put your name, the course number,
my name, and the date in the upper left-hand or right-hand corner. Title each essay and put page numbers on
each essay (right upper corner or center bottom).
Academic Honesty: Plagiarism
is a serious offense at any university. If you plagiarize another person's
work, you may fail the assignment or the class, and you may be expelled from
school. Properly cite what you borrow, from words to
ideas. If in doubt, ask me.
Don't be afraid to over document! This class aims to show you the differences
between common knowledge, acknowledged use of sources, and theft, deliberate or
accidental. Gray areas certainly exist,
but when in doubt, cite. (Note: Much of
this syllabus is taken directly with his permission from Dr. Rolf Samuels' web
page for English 103. To see his web page, click here.)
Click here for Hamilton
College’s web page on plagiarism http://www.hamilton.edu/academics/resource/wc/AvoidingPlagiarism.html. Click here for the Viterbo Faculty
Development web page on plagiarism http://www.viterbo.edu/personalpages/faculty/GSmith/plagiarism.html.
Course Schedule (subject to revision as necessary)
July 3
Introduction: “Thinking
Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths” (1-15); “High School Lowdown”
(handout). Slide presentation: "Advertising." Click here
for the Benetton web page.
Discussion of George Catlin's
painting, Pigeon's Egg Head.
Journal
Assignment: “Write about
something you're angry about that
affects (or has affected) you personally. Draw upon a personal
experience that has broader implications.” or "What do I believe in
that I don't think will ever change. For example, I don't think my
attitude
toward _________will ever change, or I think I will always ________."
Reading
Assignment: “Westward Ho: The Myth of Frontier Freedom”
Class Reading Assignments: “The Significance of the Frontier in
American History” (683); “The Twilight of Self-Reliance: Frontier Values and
Contemporary America” (694); “Freedom
and Want: The Western Paradox” (814)
Individual Summary: Any of the non-assigned essays from
“Westward Ho.”
"Quoting,
Summarizing, and Paraphrasing"
July 10
Class Discussion: “What do I want to learn about composition?”
and the journal assignments, and the three assigned readings from “Westward Ho.”
Reading Assignment: “Created Equal: The Myth of the Melting Pot”
(534)
Class Reading Assignments: “I’m Black, You’re White, Who’s Innocent?”
(573); “C.P. Ellis” (562);
“Assimilation” (625).
Journal Writing Assignment: from Visual Portfolio (750)
Individual Summary: Any of the non-assigned essays from “Created
Equal.”
July 17
Class
Discussion: from “Created Equal.”
Reading Assignment: “Money
and Success: The Myth of Individual Opportunity” (294)
Class Reading Assignments:
“Ragged Dick” (298); “Colin Powell: Straight to the Top” (305); “The Invisible
Poor” (356)
Journal Writing Assignment:
“Causes of Prejudice” (548)
Descriptive Essay:
Describe a person who has achieved the American Dream.
Individual Criticism: “Colin
Powell: Straight to the Top”
Finding Topics for the Research
Paper
Idea
Generator (Old Dominian)
www.researchpaper.com
Research
Paper and Argument Topic Ideas (Tidewater Community College)
O’Keefe
Library (Best Information on the Net)
July 24
Discussion of assigned readings for
“Money and Success”
Begin discussion of the research
project
“Evaluating
Information Found on the Internet,” Elizabeth Kirk
“Tips
for Evaluating a World Wide Web Search,” U of Florida Libraries
Class Discussion: from
“Money and Success”
Reading Assignments: ”True
Women and Real Men: Myths of Gender” (402)
Class Reading Assignments: “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt”: Advertising
and Violence” (444); “The Gender Wardens” (479)
Journal Writing Assignment:
“Appearances” (492)
Individual Criticism: Any non-assigned essay from “True Women and
Real Men”
July 31
Slide
Presentation: Calvin Klein ads
Discussion of assigned readings
from “True Women and Real Men” and individual criticisms
Research project title, thesis, and
bibliography due
Workshop in
the library
Using EBSCO Host databases
August 7
Draft of
research paper due
Workshop
research papers
Final Checklist for the research paper
August 14
Final
research paper is due with accompany drafts.
Responses to the research papers
and evaluations of the class.
Helpful Links
Center for Critical Thinking Library
APA
style for Web sources (Online! Bedford-St. Martin’s)
Electronic
Reference formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association
Think
Tank Links (NewsMax.com) (Good for
strong opinions on political issues.)
Arguments
and Their Evaluation (T.K. Trelogan, Dept. of Philosophy, U of Northern
Colorado)