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ENG_1020__Sample_Syllabus__(Fall,_2008).doc 

 

 

Fall, 2008

 

Section XXXXXX

 

Time: T/TH, 1:25-2:50 PM

 

Space: 335 State Hall

 

Instructor: Dr. Jeff Pruchnic

 

E-mail: jeffpruchnic@wayne.edu

 

Office: 9308, 5057 Woodward (Maccabees Building)

 

Office Hours: T, 10-11:30; TH, 3-4:30

 

Phone: 313-577-3060 (office); 814-574-0252 (mobile)

 

 

 

General Education Designation

 

With a grade of C or better, ENG 1020 fulfills the General Education Basic Composition (BC) graduation requirement.  Successful completion of Basic Composition (BC) with a grade of C or better is a prerequisite to enrolling in courses that fulfill the General Education IC (Intermediate Composition) requirement for graduation (e.g., ENG 3010, 3050, Literature and Writing courses). 

 

 

Course Description

 

Building upon students’ diverse skills, English 1020 prepares students for reading, research, and writing in college classes. The main goals of the course are (1) to teach students to consider the rhetorical situation for any piece of writing; (2) to have students integrate reading, research, and writing in the genres of analysis and argument; and (3) to teach students to develop analyses and arguments using appropriate content, effective organization, and appropriate expression and mechanics, all while using a flexible writing process that incorporates drafting, revising, editing, and documenting sources.

 

 

To achieve these goals, the course places considerable emphasis upon the relationship between reading and writing, the evaluation and development of information and ideas through research, the genres of analysis and argumentation, and the use of multiple technologies for research and writing.

 

 

Section Description

 

More specifically, our class will take up the above objectives on three levels: we will engage the critical and theoretical aspects of persuasion (the limits of and boundaries between fact and persuasion), the pragmatic process of composition (how to write compellingly and persuasively), and the mechanics of composing (grammar, sentence structure, arrangement, etc.). We will read an extensive list of texts stretching from the fourth century B.C.E. to contemporary times, and participants will produce numerous short written responses to these readings in addition to multiple drafts of larger compositions.

 

 

The bulk of your final grades will be based on your execution of six projects, evenly divided between critical works (advertising, rhetorical, and cultural analyses) and work arranged around the traditional rhetorical stases (definition, evaluation, proposal arguments). Five of these projects will be posted online to our course wiki and you are encouraged to take advantage of the possibilities of online publication (hyperlinks, image embedment, etc.). Your final project will be composed on a separate online presence of your own design. If you wish, you will have many opportunities to collaborate with your classmates. 

 

 

Learning Objectives

 

There are seven primary learning objectives for this course:

 

·        to develop analytical and critical strategies for reading complex texts with varied sources of information, multiple perspectives, and complicated arguments

 

·        to identify and analyze the structure of analysis and arguments in a variety of texts and media, identifying authors’ claims, evidence, appeals, organization, and style, and evaluating their persuasive effect

 

·        to consider the rhetorical situation for any given piece of writing, including audience, purpose, and context

 

·        to conduct research by finding and evaluating print and electronic sources, generating information and ideas from research, and synthesizing them with respect to the topic and ideas of the writer

 

·        to write effectively in multiple analytical and argumentative genres, generating a clearly defined topic and purpose/thesis, organizing and developing complex content and reasoning, and using standard text conventions for academic writing

 

·        to use a flexible writing process that includes generating ideas, writing, revising, providing/ responding to feedback in multiple drafts, and editing text and tone for multiple audiences

 

·        to make productive use of a varied set of technologies for research and writing

 

 

Required Texts

 

(All books available at campus B & N bookstore; additional readings will be provided online or via e-mail or Blackboard)

 

·        Faigley & Selzer - Good Reasons: Researching and Writing Effective Arguments (Pearson Longman, 2008)

 

·        Graff & Birkenstein - They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (W. W. Norton, 2006)

 

·        Halpern - Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America’s Favorite Addiction (Mariner 2008)

 

·        Lappe & Goldman – Shooting War (Grand Central 2007)

 

 

Course Requirements

 

In addition to our major projects (listed below), you will also be evaluated based on your completion of short responses and drafting exercises that will be assigned throughout the semester. There are no quizzes or exams in this course. Due dates for assignments and the grading rubric that will be used for evaluating assignments can be found on the Schedule page of our course website. 

 

·        Project One (Ad Analysis): 10%

 

·        Project Two (Rhetorical Analysis): 10%

 

·        Project Three (Definition Argument): 15%

 

·        Project Four (Evaluation Argument): 15%

 

·        Project Five (Proposal Argument): 15%

 

·        Project Six (Cultural Analysis Web Project): 20%

 

·        Participation / Short Writings: 15%

 

 

Attendance

 

As this is a discussion and workshop-driven class, attendance of all participants is particularly important. In accordance with English department attendance policies, enrolled students in this class must attend one of the first two class sessions; otherwise, they may be required to drop the class. Afterwards, you are allowed two unexcused absences; subsequent absences will result in a reduction of your final grade by 5% for each unexcused absence. You are also encouraged to make use of office hours either by appearing in my office in person or chatting online via the "virtual classroom" option on Blackboard.

 

 

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism Policy

 

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of ideas and information from sources without proper citation and documentation (e.g., copying from texts or pasting from websites without quoting, and not providing a complete list of Works Cited). 

 

 

Instructors are required to report all instances of plagiarism to the Department of English.  According to the WSU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences policy on plagiarism, instructors may give a failing grade on the assignment or for the course. 

 

 

Incomplete Policy

 

As detailed in the WSU Undergraduate Bulletin, the mark of “I” (Incomplete) is given to a student when he/she has not completed all of the course work as planned for the term and when there is, in the judgment of the instructor, a reasonable probability that the student can complete the course successfully without again attending regular class sessions. The student should be passing at the time the grade of ‘I’ is given.  A written contract specifying the work to be completed should be signed by the student and instructor.  Responsibility for completing all course work rests with the student.

 

 

 

 

The Writing Center

 

The Writing Center (2^nd floor, UGL) provides tutoring consultations free of charge for students at Wayne State University.  Undergraduate students in General Education courses, including composition courses, receive priority for tutoring appointments.  The Writing Center serves as a resource for writers, providing tutoring sessions on the range of activities in the writing process – considering the audience, analyzing the assignment or genre, brainstorming, researching, writing drafts, revising, editing, and preparing documentation.  The Writing Center is not an editing or proofreading service; rather students are guided as they engage collaboratively in the process of academic writing, from developing an idea to correctly citing sources.  To make an appointment, consult the Writing Center website:  http://www.clas.wayne.edu/writing/.  To submit material for online tutoring, consult the Writing Center HOOT website (Hypertext One-on-One Tutoring):  http:  www.clas.wayne.edu/unit-inner.asp?WebPageID=1330. 

 

 

The Office of Educational Accessibility Services

 

If you feel that you may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, please feel free to contact me privately to discuss your specific needs.  Additionally, the Office of Educational Accessibility Services (EAS) coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.  The Office is located in 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library, phone:  313-577-1851/577-3335 (TTD).