Fall 2006
English 101 - College Reading and Composition I
Wednesday 12:25 – 3:35
Instructor: Dr. Daly
Office Telephone: 818-364-7600 ext. 3311
email: cdalyca@aol.com
web page: Http://www.lamission.edu/english/daly
Office Hours: Monday 12:10-12:50
Friday 10:00 – 12:00
Office Location: Instructional Building, Faculty Offices, Cubicle 63
Syllabus
Course Objective:
The objective of this course is to help students refine their critical thinking skills and to improve their prose style. Students also further familiarize themselves with the resources of the library and learn to conduct college-level research.
Course Description:
Students will have weekly homework assignments and will write five short papers, participate in peer review sessions and teacher/student conferences in order to evaluate and improve their writing, conduct library research, and write a research paper using Modern Language Association (MLA) format. There will be weekly reading assignments from the required texts and class discussions on these readings.
Method of Instruction:
Brief lectures, class discussions, in-class and out-of-class writing and grammar assignments, quizzes and exams, teacher/student conferences, and library workshops.
Required Materials:
Textbook List:
James, Missy and Alan Merickel. Reading Literature and Writing
Argument. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2005.
Lunsford, Andrea A., The Everyday Writer. 3rd ed., Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2005.
Novels:
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale: A Novel. (in bookstore)
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451 (in bookstore)
Other Required Materials:
College dictionary and thesaurus
Two two-pocket folders—(one color will assigned to each class).
Additional folder to compiling all class materials.
stapler
access to a computer and printer
two large blue books for exams
Class Requirements:
Assignments:
5 papers (3 pages minimum or 1000 words)
(each student is allowed to submit one (and only one) late paper, the grade of which will be no higher than a “C”. Students will not receive credit for other late papers.
1 final research project (8-10 pages of text or 2500 words)
1 class presentation on research project
midterm and final exams (2000 words)
attendance of three library workshops on student’s own time
All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. All assignments completed outside of class must be typed, double-spaced and clearly labeled with student and course information and the assignment (!).
(See Lunsford, p. 403 for a sample first page of a student essay.)
Students should be prepared to expect to spend at least four hours outside of class time for reading and weekly homework assignments. Additional time will be required for writing essays, conducting library research, and attending library workshops.
Final Research Project:
The parameters for this paper will be discussed in the second week of the course. Please make sure you are present to hear the instructions. The researching and writing of this paper consists of many steps, each of which must be undertaken and evaluated by the instructor. Students who do not follow and submit each step as assigned (and when assigned!) will not receive a passing grade for this project and will not then receive a passing grade in the course.
Quizzes and exams:
There will also be pop quizzes on assigned material and class discussion. These quizzes will be given at the beginning of selected class sessions. Students who arrive late will not be allowed a make-up quiz. There will also be a mid-term and a final exam.
Assigned Reads and Exercises:
Textbooks:
Students will be expected to have completed the assigned readings and answer the “Critical Thinking Questions” that follow readings in the James textbook. The answers to these exercises should be compiled in a composition notebook or a spiral notebook that will be check periodically by the instructor; students must legibly write their responses completely and thoughtfully. On a daily basis, students will be called upon to read their responses to class, and class discussions will generate from these students observations.
Students will also be required to submit a one-page reading response for each of the assigned readings. These responses should include a brief summary of the reading and a thoughtful, original response to the issues, images, rhetorical style, etc. evident in the reading.
Also, I will be assigning additional reading and exercises from The Everyday Writer. Please bring these books to each class.
Novels:
See schedule of readings and assignments for the novel.
Students will be instructed on how to keep a dialectic journal during their reading of the novel.
Evaluation:
5 papers (5%, 5%, 10%, 10%, 10% respectively) 40%
1 final research project 25%
homework and in-class writing exercises (including quizzes) 10%
participation and preparation 10%
midterm 5%
final exam 10%
Students are expected to:
-have read the assigned materials before class;
-come to class with the proper materials (textbook, pen, paper, blue
book, etc…)
-have completed any homework assignment;
-respond intelligently to direct questions;
-contribute spontaneously to class discussions in a productive manner;
(students who do not contribute to the class discussion in an
intelligent, prepared, and constructive manner will be penalized.)
Finally, it is very important both for your grade and for the course’s success for you students to contribute thoughtfully to the discussion of the readings and the issues they raise.
Also Note:
Attendance:
-Class attendance is obligatory as is punctuality.
-Late students will be marked absent;
-Three late marks amount to an absence;
-Students who leave early may also be marked as tardy or absent;
-If you miss class, you must contact one of your fellow students to find out about
the material covered during your absence and any assignments due;
-Make sure to get the telephone numbers of at least two students whom you can
call in such a circumstance.
Phone # __________________ Classmate’s name ______________________
Phone # __________________ Classmate’s name ______________________
-Do not contact me to find out what you missed if you were absent.
-If you want your absence to be excused, you must supply appropriate
documentation.
-Please note: vacations, car problems, traffic, parking difficulties, job conflicts (in
most cases) and the like do not qualify as excusable absences.
-Four absences that are inexcusable will result in a lowering of your final grade.
-Students are responsible for material missed during an absence; therefore, “I
don’t have my homework because I was absent last class” will not be
considered a legitimate excuse for late assignments.
Conduct:
-Students who plagiarize will be failed.
-Students who do not contribute to the class environment in a productive and
informed manner will be dismissed and marked absent.
Nota Bene:
Students who choose to discontinue their enrollment in the course must file the necessary paperwork through the Admission’s Office. See the Schedule of Classes for important dates concerning adding, dropping, and withdrawing from the course. Students who stop attending and fail to file the proper paperwork will receive a “F” for the course.
Schedule for English 101
Week 1
Wednesday 9/6 Introduction to Course, Grammar, Style and Essay
Review,
Introductions to course and fellow students; review of class
policies and syllabus, grammar and style diagnostic.
Review diagnostic; review of essay-writing
conventions.
Assignment: - Read: The Declaration of Independence
(handout or web address).
- Purchase books.
- Read: Lunsford, Ch. 1 “Learning from
Common Errors”[2][2]
Lunsford, Ch. 10, “Analyzing Verbal
and Visual Arguments,”
and Ch. 11, “Constructing
Arguments”
- Read James, Ch. 1, pp. 1-21;
- Write out answers to “Chapter Activities” # 1,
2 a, and 3 on pp. 21-22 in notebooks for class discussion in James.
Week 2
Wednesday 9/13 Argument Structure: Syllogisms and Claims,
Evidence, Warrants, and Inductive vs.
Deductive Reasoning, Aristotle’s Rhetorical
Appeals and Logical Fallacies, MLA Style.
Discuss the Declaration of Independence and James (Ch 1) and prepared activities. Discuss the research paper (topic due in one week) and the readings. Discuss Lunsford.
Assignment: - Read Intro. to Ch. 2 in James
- Write out answers to James, “Chapter
Activities” #1 and 2 on pp. 59-60 for
class discussion.
- Read: James Ch. 3, pp. 61-64 - Write out
prewriting exercises #1 & 2 (pp. 64)
Read Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” (65-68) and
write out answers to Critical Thinking
Questions
- Read Lunsford’s Ch. 52, 53, 54 on
MLA style.
Read: Lunsford, Ch. 60, “Writing
for Literature and the Other Humanities”
-Type a paragraph describing proposed
research topic.
Week 3
Theme: Individuality and Community
Wednesday 9/20 Summary; Dialectic Journals, Chapter 2 and 3
Readings
Research Topic due (one page
typed.)
Discuss and practice “Summary” and how to keep a dialectic
journal.
Assignment: - Read: Lunsford, Ch. 6-9, “Exploring Ideas,”
“Drafting,” and “Revising.”
- Read Lunsford, Ch. 16 on “Preparing for a
Research Project”
-Complete Online /CD-Rom exercises
assigned)[3][3]
- Read: Bradbury pp. 1-68.
- Write a 2-3 page paper (format and topic to
be announced).
Week 4
Wednesday 9/27 Paper One due. Logical Arguments and Literature
Synthesis. Working with Research Sources;
Plagiarism; Reading Literature Analytically
Discuss the readings and homework. Discuss and
practice Synthesis.
Assignment: - Read in James, Ch. 3 : O’Brien’s “On the
Rainy River” and Vonnegut’s “Harrison
Bergerson”
- Answer responses to the “Critical Thinking
Questions” that follow the stories as well as write a one-page reading response. (See note below)*
- Read: Lunsford, Ch. 17, 18 and 19
(“Doing Research,” “Evaluating
Sources and Taking Notes,” and
“Integrating Sources and Avoiding
Plagiarism”)
- Write Paper 2 for next week.
Prompt: to be announced.
- Read: Bradbury pp. 69-110.
* In the future, students will not be explicitly reminded that they are expected to complete both of these response assignments after each text book reading.
Week 5
Wednesday 10/4 Paper Two is Due. Discuss readings and how to manage
research project.
Assignment: - Read Chapter Three (Poetry section)
pp. 125-145
- Read Lunsford Ch. 46c on “Using quotations
marks to quote fewer than four lines of
poetry”.
- Begin complying a bibliography for research
project (minimum 10 scholarly sources
due in two weeks.
- Prompt for Paper Three assigned.
- Finish reading Bradbury.
Week 6
Wednesday 10/11 Paper Three is Due. Discuss readings ( Chapter Three and
Bradbury); Set up times for student/teacher conferences during office hours.
Assignment: - Read in James, Thoreau’s “Civil
Disobedience” (p. 180)
- Read in James, King’s “Letter from
Birmingham Jail” (p. 151)
Theme: Power and Responsibility
Week 7
Wednesday 10/18 Discuss readings.
Assignment: - Read: in James, Intro. to Ch. 6
- Do
“Prereading Exercises” 1-3 ( p. 464).
- Read in James, Aristophones’ Lysistrata
pp. 572.
- Make sure you have attended at least two
library workshops.
Week 8
Wednesday 10/25 Bibliography for research project (minimum 10 scholarly
sources) Midterm; Discuss Lysistrata in class.
Assignment: - Read Chapter 6 (TBA)
Week 9
Wednesday 11/1 Discuss new theme and readings. Discuss note
taking for research paper (note cards due in two
weeks); Discuss readings and Rogerian
argumentation style versus classical argumentation
style.
Assignment: - Paper 4 is assigned. (Prompt to be
distributed)
- Read: in James, Ch. 6 (Forche’, Frost,
Housman,
- Read handout on Rogerian argumentation
style.
: - Read handouts (comparing classical vs.
Rogerian essays);
- Read Atwood: pp. TBA
Week 10
Wednesday 11/8 Discuss readings. View 1st portion of film: Minority
Report.
Assignment: - Read in James, Orwell, “A Hanging” (p. 627)
and Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address”
(p. 622) - Read Atwood (pp. TBA)
Week 11
Wednesday 11/15 Paper 4 is due. Note cards due. Discuss readings.
View 2nd of film: Minority Report
Assignment: - Write Paper 5 for next week.
(Prompt: to be announced.)
- Read Atwood, pp. TBA
- Lunsford, Ch. Ch. 55, “A Student Research
Essay, MLA Style”
Theme: Family and Responsibility
Week 12
Wednesday 11/22 Paper 5 is due.
Student/Teacher conferences to discuss research
paper. (Students who fail to attend their conference
will be responsible for making an appointment with
the instructor to reschedule . This conference must
take place by the end of the 13th week.)
Assignment: - Begin drafting research paper (due in 2
weeks)
- Complete reading Atwood.
Assignment: Read in James, Ch. 5: Updike “Separating” (p.
386 ) and Kramer, “Divorce and Our
National Values” (p. 445).
Week 13
Wednesday 11/29 Discuss Atwood, other readings, and sample student
research paper (Lunsford). Discuss readings.
Assignment: - Read in James, Chopin’s “The Storm” (p. 341)
and Gonzalez’s “ Too Much His
Father’s Son (p. 345).
Week 14
Wednesday 12/6 Draft of Research Paper is due. Discuss Atwood
and readings on “family and responsibility theme.”
Assignment: -Read Lunsford, Ch. 15, “Oral and Multimedia
Presentations”
Week 15
Wednesday 12/13 Student presentations of research project to class.
Week 16
Wednesday 12/20 Final Exam (tentative date). Research paper is due.
*Schedule is subject to changes,
additions, deletions and other alterations. It is the student’s responsibility
to keep abreast of current assignments, due dates and any changes to the
schedule.