OK, so now that you’ve read almost three pages of information about the course, you’re ready for some specifics. On the next four pages you’ll find the schedule of activities and assignments for the semester. You’ll also see the list of your Reading and Response assignments, and there is also a grading rubric that tells you the characteristics of an essay that earns an “A” grade all the way to a failing essay. On the last page of the syllabus you’ll see a sample of the Evaluation Matrix I will use to grade your essays. That should help you understand my expectations of you and areas where your writing can improve.
I am looking forward to working with you!! Please feel free to come to me with questions. Enjoy the semester!
Your English 101 Instructor,
C. Norris
Schedule of Assignments & Activities
Week 1
2/5
Super Tuesday! Introductions; Brief overview of course syllabus; Syllabus Quiz
Student Background Survey
2/7 Due: Reading and Response 1; Student Background Survey
Class business; Pass out and discuss Reading 2/3 – Active Reading Process; Discuss Responses (Questions about the course)
Week 2
2/11 Due: Reading and Response 2
Diagnostic Writing
2/13
Last day to add 2/14 Due: Reading and Response 3
Response 1 (address questions); Discuss Orwell; Orwell’s main points; Summary Assignment sheet; MLA Format
Week 3
2/18 Due: Reading and Response 4; One-Page Summary
Speeches; Candidates and Orwell; Essay 1 Assignment Sheet; Discuss Prewriting and thesis
2/20 Due: Reading and Response 5; Prewriting and thesis for Essay 1
Drafting and Organization; Incorporating Quotations; MLA Format
Week 4
2/25 Due: Reading and Response 6; Draft 1 Essay 1 (At least 2 pages)
Essays; Works Cited Page
2/27
Last day to drop with no “W” 2/29 Due: Reading and Response 7
LIBRARY RESEARCH ORIENTATION (Tentative)
Pass back drafts and discuss
Week 5
3/4 Due: Reading and Response 8; ESSAY 1: Final Draft
Reflect on Essay 1; Introduce and preview Stupid White Men; Discuss researching; Works Cited Practice
3/6 Due: Reading and Response 9
Pass Back and Discuss Essay 1
Stupid White Men – First impressions; Sentence Skills Review
Week 6
3/11 Due: Reading and Response 10
Presenting an argument; Discuss 2 samples; Essay 2 Assignment (end of class)
3/13
Due: Reading and Response 11; Read Essay 2 Assignment Sheet; Complete Essay 2 Prewriting and Thesis
Are we an idiot nation? Presenting arguments; Discuss possible topics and sources
Week 7
3/18 Due: Reading and Response 12; Sources Essay 2
Essay 2 Research (Library)
3/20 Due: Reading and Response 13; Remaining Sources Essay 2
Integrating sources, Moore’s argument in Chapter 2
Week 8
4/1 Due: Reading and Response 14; ESSAY 2: Draft 1 (Bring Graded Essay 1)
Essay 2 Peer Review
4/3 Due: Reading and Response 15; ESSAY 2: Final Draft
Reflect on Essay 2; Discuss reading
Week 9
4/8 Due: Reading and Response 16
Return Essay 2, more reflection, discuss midterm
4/10 Due: Reading and Response 17
MIDTERM EXAM – BRING A BLUEBOOK!
Essay 3 Assignment
Week 10
4/15 Due: Reading and Response 18; Essay 3 topic, and sources
Midterm Reflections; Discuss Essay 3; Sources – Small Groups; Works Cited Page;
4/17 Due: Reading and Response 19; Sources and Outline Essay 3
Peer Review Form; Essay 3 Group Meetings
Week 11
4/22 Due: Reading and Response 20; Essay 3 Draft 1
Cause and Effect – Introduction and assignment sheet
4/24 Due: Reading and Response 21; Peer Review, Draft 1 and Final Draft Essay 3
Reflect Essay 3; Intro Essay 4
Week 12
4/29 Due: Reading and Response 22; Topic for Essay 4
Topics; Essay 4 Small Group Meetings
5/1
Due: Reading and Response 23; Sources for Essay 4
MLA Review; Groups discuss sources; Essay 4 Peer Review Forms
Week 13
5/6 Due: Reading and Response 24; Outline Essay 4
Discuss Reading Essay 4 Group Meetings
5/8
Last day to drop with “W” 5/9 Due: Reading and Response 25; ESSAY 4: Peer Review, Draft 1 and Final Draft
Essay 5 –Revision and Expansion Assignment Sheet
Week 14
5/13 Due: Reading and Response 26
Essay 5
5/15 Due: Reading and Response 27; Essay 5 Sources
Research Review; Sentence Skills
Week 15
5/20 Due: Reading and Response 28; Draft 1 ESSAY 5
Essay 5 Group Meetings
5/22 Due: Reading and Response 29; Final Draft Essay 5
Discuss Reading and Final; Evaluation
Finals Week
Due: All Responses in order in a neat folder and Writing Improvement Journal —You will only earn full credit for responses that were turned in on the due date.
FINAL EXAM 5/27 8:00-10:00AM – BRING A BLUEBOOK!
Reading and Response Assignments
Response Assignments: Students will write one typed or hand written approximately 1- page response to each reading and bring each one to class prepared to share with classmates. To earn full credit for your response, it must be turned in on its due date and again on the day of the final exam. YOU MAY TURN THESE RESPONSES IN EARLY FOR FULL CREDIT.
1. Course Syllabus: Write down two questions you have about the course.
Steps to Writing Well “To the Student” (Before Ch 1) and Chapter 8: Did you learn anything new from this chapter? Have you used any of these techniques before? If so, which ones, and did they help you? What info from this chapter are you most likely to use?
2. “Politics and the English Language” George Orwell pp. 1-6: Did the previewing we did in class help you follow the essay? If so, what was most helpful? So far, what seems to be Orwell’s basic thesis (main point)? Do you agree with him? List and briefly define in your own words the four “tricks” or “bad habits” Orwell focuses on in the first half of his essay. Find 3 words in the essay that were not familiar to you. Look them up and copy the dictionary’s definition.
3. “Politics and the English Language” George Orwell pp. 7-12: Have you ever encountered any of the “bad habits” or “tricks” Orwell cites in his article? If so, when? Where? Are you guilty of any of these “bad habits” or “tricks” in your own writing? If so, which ones and when? Now that you’ve finished the essay, what do you see as Orwell’s main point? . Find 3 more words in the essay that were not familiar to you. Look them up and copy the dictionary’s definition.
4. Recent speech given by one of the 2008 presidential candidates: Follow the directions on the Essay 1 Assignment sheet to select a speech given by one of the candidates. Read the speech, or if it is a long speech, read at least four pages of the speech carefully. Do you see any “dying metaphors”, “operators or verbal false limbs”, “pretentious diction”, or “meaningless words”? If so, where? Did anything about the speech surprise you?
5. Steps to Writing Well Chapter 1 pp. 3-4, 6-22, 29 and Chapter 2
How do you usually feel about starting an assignment? Have you ever used any of Wyrick’s suggestions? If so, which ones? If not, which ones do you think you’ll try? Why?
Complete the “Practicing What You’ve Learned” activities on pp. 39 and 40.
6. Steps to Writing Well Chapter 3
*BE SURE READ THIS CHAPTER BEFORE YOU COMPLETE YOUR DRAFT OF ESSAY 1. THEN USE THE INFORMATION FROM THIS CHAPTER TO WRITE BETTER PARAGRAPHS.
Once you’ve completed your draft, copy and paste one paragraph onto a separate document. Then, print it, and use a bright colored pen to revise and edit that paragraph using the “Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing” directions on pp. 58, 64, 67,68, and 78. Once you’ve improved it, make the changes on your original essay. Turn in the lone marked up paragraph for this response. Be prepared to explain what changes you made to your paragraph in class.
7. Steps to Writing Well Chapter 4: Copy and paste your Essay 1 conclusion on a separate document for Response 7. Reread your conclusion. Then reread the directions for “How to Write a Good Conclusion Paragraph” on pp. 82 – 85. Have you followed all the directions? Did you use one of the techniques suggested? Write an alternate conclusion using another technique. Choose the best one for your final draft. On the same paper write down the title of your essay. Look at it carefully. Then reread the directions on “How to Write a Good Title” on pp 85 and 86. Write three alternate titles for your essay based on these suggestions. (Remember that your title must be original.) Choose the best one for your final draft. Be prepared to share your alternate titles and conclusions with your classmates.
8. Steps to Writing Well Chapter 5 pp. 91-108 and 112-115: Which techniques from the chapter did you use to revise and edit your essay? Did they help? How did the instructor advise you to revise and edit your essay? How easily were you able to fulfill those suggestions?
9. Stupid White Men “Forward” and “Introduction”: Reread “How to Write a Good Lead In” in Chapter 4 of Steps to Writing Well. Which of the 12 methods does Moore use in his introduction? Are they effective? Do you disagree with anything Moore has said so far? If so, what? If not, what is one thing he says that you strongly agree with?
10. Steps to Writing Well Chapter 10: When was the last time you presented an argument to someone? What did you argue? How did you try to prove your point? List three important things you learned about presenting an argument in this chapter.
“Two Mommies is One Too Many” James C. Dobson http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1568485,00.html/
“Two Mommies or Two Daddies Will Do just Fine Thanks” Jennifer Chrisler http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1569797,00.html
What is each writer’s claim? What evidence do they use? What opposing views do they anticipate? Do you see any fallacies? Which writer is more persuasive? Why?
11. Stupid White Men Chapter 5: What evidence does Moore use to try to prove that we live in an “idiot nation”? Do you agree that we live in an “idiot nation”? Why or why not? What do you think of Moore’s advice to students? Would you pass it on to your children? Why or why not?
12. Steps to Writing Well Chapter 14 pp. 364-371 and 380-403: Do you think learning to conduct research is a useful skill? Why? Why not? When did you last write a research paper? What do you think is the purpose of documenting sources using MLA style? List three important ways to evaluate your sources. Why should you avoid plagiarism? How can you avoid plagiarism?
Stupid White Men Chapter 2: What claims does Moore seem to make about President Bush in this chapter? Do you think he is serious? What evidence does he provide?
13. Sources for Essay 2
Read your sources for Essay 2. How did you determine that they are reliable? How will you use these sources to prove your claim? Now write or type the works cited entries for both sources. (Remember to alphabetize, double-space, place all article titles in quotation marks.)
Stupid White Men Chapter 3: This chapter focuses on alleged American, particularly corporate, greed. How do you define greed? What do you think of Moore’s claims? Do you disagree with any of them? Do you see any fallacies?
14. Steps to Writing Well Chapter 6
Check your graded Essay 1. List your most common grammatical/mechanical errors in that essay. Use Chapter 6 and A Writer’s Reference to help you list ways to eliminate those errors. Then, carefully edit your draft of Essay 2 to eliminate those errors.
Your graded Essay 1 and Essay 2 Draft 1, Essay 2 Peer Review Form
Read the entire Essay 2 Peer Review form, and complete the appropriate area on the back.
15. Stupid White Men Chapter 4: What do you think of Moore’s frank discussion of race in the U.S.? Does it make you uncomfortable? Do you agree with his claims? Do you disagree? Why?
16. Your diagnostic essay from the second week of class: What have you learned about essay writing since this essay? How will you make the midterm better?
Steps to Writing Well Chapter 15
How do you feel about writing essay exams? What recommendations from the chapter do you think you’ll apply for our midterm?
17. Stupid White Men Chapter 1: What is a coup? Why does Moore call this chapter “A Very American Coup”? Moore lists members of Bush’s first term cabinet. Name two members of Bush’s current cabinet and their positions. Look it up if you don’t know any.
18. Steps to Writing Well “Strategy Three: Development by Comparison and Contrast” pp. 215-23
Have you ever written a comparison and contrast essay? If so, when and what was your topic? What did you learn from this section about writing this type of essay?
19. Sources for Essay 3: Read your first two sources for Essay 3. How did you determine that they are reliable? How will you use these sources to prove your claim? Now write or type the works cited entries for both sources. (Remember to alphabetize, double-space, place all article titles in quotation marks.)
20. Steps to Writing Well Chapter 7: Reread your Essay 3 draft. Then list at least three ways you will use the recommendations in Chapter 7 to edit and revise it. Then apply them!
21. Stupid White Men Chapter 6
What do you think of Moore’s treatment of the environment? Does he provide reasonable explanations for this treatment? How do you treat the environment? What are your explanations?
22. Steps to Writing Well “Strategy Six: Development By Causal Analysis” 259-270
What is a causal analysis?
Stupid White Men Chapter 7: What is Moore’s claim in this chapter? What do you think of it? Do you think he is serious? Why?/Why not?
23. Sources for Essay 4: Read your sources for Essay 4. How did you determine that they are reliable? What was the most shocking thing you learned about the effect your behavior has on the environment? Now write or type the works cited entries for the sources. (Remember to alphabetize, double-space, and punctuate correctly.)
A Writer’s Reference MLA 2 and 3
List three specific pieces of information about MLA format and citing sources you gained from this text that you didn’t learn or remember from Chapter 14 of Steps to Writing Well?
24. Stupid White Men Chapter 8: Did anything surprise you about Moore’s “We’re number one” list? Choose one of the four international conflicts that Moore covers starting on p. 178, and write anything you already know about the conflict. Then, choose a different present-day conflict and write what you know about that one.
25. Stupid White Men Chapter 9: Moore seems to argue that the US justice system is unfair in this chapter. What evidence does he use to support this claim? Do you agree or disagree? Why? What evidence do you have?
26. All of your previous graded essays: Which essay will you revise and expand? Why did you choose that essay? What techniques will you use to revise and expand it?
27. Stupid White Men Chapter 10 & 11: What is the purpose of Moore’s opening for Chapter 10? What is the effect? What do you know about the Democratic Party? What has Bill Clinton done recently that stood out to you?
What do you think of Moore’s prayer in Chapter 11? Is it offensive? Comical? Ironic? Why?
28. Stupid White Men Epilogue: Write one sentence that sums up the basic thesis of this book. Based on your reading, what might Orwell and Moore have agreed on? Compare the two men’s perspectives. What might they have disagreed on? Does Moore use any of the “tricks” or “bad habits” Orwell criticizes?
29. Midterm Exam, Review Steps to Writing Well Chapter 15 and Chapter 10
How will you make your final exam better than your midterm?
30. Response number 30 will be in response to one public literary/cultural event any time during the semester on campus or elsewhere. These may include a play, a reading, a documentary film, an instructor approved film, a lecture etc. The playbill, program, ticket stub etc should be attached to the journal entry. This is a required element due with your other responses. For example, there are readings, lectures, and affordable play productions at Santa Monica College every semester. One immediate option any film showing at the Pan African Film and Arts Festival at the Magic Johnson Theaters February 7-17. Go to www.paff.org.
The response should just provide your impressions of the event. How did you feel about it? What did you think of the plot? Acting? Setting? Themes? Atmosphere? Did you learn anything new? Would you recommend the event to a friend?
GRADING RUBRIC
An "A" Paper is considered "excellent" and shall be characterized by the following: outstanding preparation; keen observance of the writing process; insightful understanding and development of the topic; excellent use of structure at the essay level (Introduction, Body, Conclusion), the paragraph level (Topic Sentence, One Paragraph = One Idea), and at the sentence level (appropriate knowledge of sentence combining strategies and sentence boundaries); mature use of language; proper consideration of audience; proper use of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; the essay should be as close to error free as possible—however, it does not need to be perfect in order for a student to receive an "A" on an assignment
A "B" Paper shall be considered "competent/able/solid" and should demonstrate the following: good preparation; competent understanding and development of topic—this essay should make solid use of the subject matter, but it is clearly not as developed or as insightful as the "A" paper; able use of the writing process; competent adherence to structure; good use of language; a consideration of audience—although not as clear as in the "A" paper; able use of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; errors may occur, but they are relatively few and do not interrupt the flow of the paper.
A “C" Paper is "adequate" and is the minimum standard for acceptable college-level writing: It is characterized by the following: adequate preparation, sometimes .even marginally so; satisfactory understanding and development of the topic and subject matter—however, one may notice occasional deviations from the topic, and the essay is clearly not as developed as the "B" paper; appropriate adherence to writing process; proper use of structure, but occasional breakdowns will be apparent; the paper may not have a clear understanding of audience; marginal use of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; errors become more frequent and may become a hindrance to comprehension.
A "D" Paper is "inadequate" and represents an unacceptable level of expertise for college-level writing. It is characterized by the following: inadequate preparation; unsatisfactory understanding and development of topic; frequent deviations from subject matter; inappropriate use of writing process; poor use of structure, with more than occasional breakdowns; the paper has little or no idea of audience; inadequate use of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; errors are definitely a hindrance to comprehension.
An “F" Paper is "inferior" and is characterized by the following: little or no work on the writing assignment at all; gross miscomprehension of subject matter; no understanding of audience; little or no use of the writing process; little or no development of topic; gross misuse of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; the paper is so riddled with errors as to be virtually incomprehensible.
