English 101: College Writing

Instructor: Chelsea Haring

Fall 2007

M, W, F 8:00-8:50am

Hayes 113

 

Contact Information: Chelsea Haring

Office: Jefferson Clubhouse (Career Center)

Email: charing@wingate.edu

Telephone: 8249

AIM: CTHaring

Office Hours: M, W 11:00am-1:00pm and by appointment

 

Course Description: ENG 101 is designed to help you develop your writing skills so that you can communicate effectively in situations both within and outside an academic setting. To accomplish this goal, you will be required to do a great deal of reading, writing, and discussion of professional authors as well as your own writing and that of your classmates.

 

Course Goals and Learning Objectives:

 

Required Materials:

Aaron, Jane E. The Little Brown Compact Handbook (LBH)

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Halpern, Daniel. The Art of the Story: An International Anthology (AOS)

 

Assessment Overview:

Visual Text Group Project: 10%

Informal Writing Journal: 10%

Reading/Grammar Quizzes: 10%

Essays: 50% (This course requires you to draft, revise and submit four essays. Your grade will include participation in peer review sessions, drafting and revision exercises.)

Final Exam: 20%

Grading Scale: A (90-100) B (80-89) C (70-79) D (60-69) F (59 or below)

 

Course Rules:

  1. Keep copies of all work until you receive official notice of your course grade.
  2. Contact me if you have personal concerns about any aspect of the course.
  3. Written work must be double-spaced, 12pt. font and typed in Times New Roman or Arial fonts.
  4. Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated (Please see the University Honor Code).
  5. Attendance is MANDATORY. You are allowed to miss 3 classes only. You must clear these absences with me in advance. If you do not inform me in advance, you will not be eligible to make up the work from the class. After three absences, your final grade will be lowered for each additional grade missed.
  6. You must meet with me at least twice throughout the semester for individual writing conferences.
  7. We will visit the library twice during the semester. You must attend both of these sessions. The first session is an overview of the library resources and the final visit will assist you in completing research for your final group project. I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus schedule to accommodate these library visits.
  8. If you need accommodations because of a disability, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible or contact the office of disability support services in the Academic Resource Center at 704-233-8269.

 

Assignment Descriptions:

 

Writing Journal (10%): The purpose of the writing journal is to help students engage the text and prepare for class discussions. I will ask you to spend 10-20 minutes in your writing journal before days when we will be discussing literary texts. Focus questions for your journal assignments are outlined and detailed in the syllabus. I will collect the journal every other Friday to check in with your progress and give you comments to help you develop your close reading skills. I will ask you to use the writing journal to complete grammar exercises on days we will be discussing topics surrounding Standard English Grammar. The journal is also a resourceful tool for generating ideas for the four essay assignments.

 

Reading/Grammar Quizzes (10%): Quizzes will be given without warning over reading assignments or grammar exercises. The purpose of the quizzes is to encourage students to read the assignment prior to class. Questions for the quizzes will primarily come from writing journal assignments. If you miss a quiz, you cannot make it up. I will omit your two lowest quiz grades at the end of the semester. Occasionally, I will give extra credit questions as part of a quiz, which will be calculated into the final grade.

 

Essays 1-4 (50%): You will be writing four essays throughout the term. Essays 1-3 must be 4-6 pages. Essay 4 needs to be 5-7 pages long. I will hand out assignment descriptions detailing the specific focus of each essay prior to you beginning writing. I will ask each of you to complete drafting assignments in your writing journals, participate in peer review sessions, meet with me for individual writing conferences, and revise each draft extensively. All of these aspects will be outlined in the individual essay assignments. Your grade for each final draft you submit will include participation in drafting, peer review and revision exercises, in addition to evaluation of the final draft. Each student will also be given one extra credit point for meeting with a writing tutor during the writing process for each essay. Save all drafts. You will be asked to submit multiple drafts for each essay and will be evaluated on the entire writing process.

 

Visual Text Group Project and Presentation (10%): We will be using the final novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood to create visual texts. I will assign you to a group of three or four students. Each group will choose a theme discussed in Satrapi’s novel and create a webpage including various electronic forms of writing. Each person in the group will be responsible for a piece of the website. We will discuss different options for the web pages. Some may include a book review, blog, resource section, close reading, video etc. We will visit the library as a class after you have received the assignment to conduct research for the webpage.

 

Final Exam (20%): Your final exam will consist of writing a timed essay. You will be given the text you will use for your final exam prior to the test. I will hand out an assignment description during the beginning of the final exam period. The essay you generate will be evaluated on content knowledge as well as application of academic writing (focus, organization, development). Your essay should include at least 800 words. The exam will take place in the Bridges computer lab. There will be a study session the class before the final exam.

 

Course Schedule:

 

Week 1

W

8/29

Course Introduction, Review Syllabus

HW: Read “The Writing Situation” & “Invention” (LBH 1-14).

 

 

F

8/31

Diagnostic Test A, Writing Journal Assignment Review

HW: Read “Academic Writing” (LBH 69-94). Journal Assignment: Writing Exercise--Choose a picture, ad in a magazine, or website visual and place a copy in your journal. Write for 15 minutes about that image. Think about the following questions…What do you see? What is the subject of the image? What is the overall effect of the image?

 

Week 2

M

9/3

Discuss Journal Entries, Grammar Exercise, Introduction to International Writers

HW: Read “Amor Divino,” Julia Alvares (AOS 15-24) & “The Story of the Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining on His Wives,” Eduardo Galeano (AOS 291-294). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

W

9/5

Discuss Alvares and Galeano

HW: Read “Wilderness Tips,” Margaret Atwood (AOS 42-57). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

F

9/7

Discuss Atwood, Essay 1 Assigned, Brainstorming Session

HW: Work on Essay 1 first draft. Read “Thesis & Organization” and “Drafting” (LBH 14-24).  Journal Assignment: Writing Exercise 3.1 &3.2 in LBH.

 

Week 3

M

9/10

Writing Exercise Review, Introduce Peer Response Groups

HW:  Work on Essay 1. “Revising and Editing” (LBH 24-37). Journal Assignment: Writing Exercise: Describe the writing process you used to draft Essay 1. What worked for you/did not work for you?

 

 

W

9/12

Essay 1 first draft due, Peer Review Session

HW: Read “In the Shadow of War,” Ben Okri & “Africa Kills her Sun,” Ken Saro Wiwa (AOS 477-480, 519-526). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

F

9/14

Bibliographic Instruction—Library Session

Writing Journals Due

HW: Finish Essay 1 Revision.  Read “Paragraphs” (LBH 38-53). Journal Assignment: Writing Exercise: Pick one paragraph from your paper and completely revise it using suggestions in the “Paragraphs” section of LBH. Complete this exercise on an extra sheet of paper that you can attach later to your writing journal.

 

Week 4

M

9/17

Discuss Okri and Saro-Wiwa, Introduction to African Fiction
Essay 1 Due

HW:  Read “My Father,” Nruddin Farah & “Minutes of Glory,” Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (AOS 276-278, 557-566).  Finish Essay 1 Revision. Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

W

9/19

Discuss Ngugi and Farah, Grammar Exercise

HW: Read “A Gift from Somewhere,” Ama Ata Aidoo and “The Canebrake,” Mohammed Mrabet (AOS 1-8, 432-434). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

F

9/21

Discuss Ata Aidoo and Mrabet, Finish African Fiction

HW: Read “Parts of Speech,” “Phrases and Subordinate Clauses,” and “The Sentence” (LBH 188-208). Journal Assignment: Grammar Exercises 21.1, 21.2, 22.1, 22.2, 23.1, 23.3, 23.8.

 

Week 5

M

9/24

 Essay 2 Assigned, Discuss Grammar Exercises

HW: Read “The Free Radio,” Salman Rushdie and “G-String,” Nicola Barker (AOS 63-68, 513-518). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

W

9/26

Discuss Rushdie and Barker, Essay 2 Brainstorming Session

HW: Read “Management of Grief,” Bharati Mukherjee (AOS 435-447) and “Emphasis” (LBH 141-152). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions. Essay 2 Generative Writing Exercise. Grammar Exercise: Exercise 15.7 in LBH.

 

 

F

9/28

Discuss Mukherjee
Writing Journals Due

HW: Work on Essay 2.  Read “Parallelism” and “Variety and Details” (LBH 152-160). Journal Assignment: Grammar Exercise—16.2 & 17.1 in LBH. Complete your assignment on a separate sheet of paper you can attach in your writing journal.

 

Week 6

M

10/1

Essay 2  Draft Due, Peer Review Session

HW: Start revising Essay 2. Read “Never Marry a Mexican,” Sandra Cisneros (AOS 179-188). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

W

10/3

Discuss Cisneros, Essay Revision Exercise

HW: Read “Appropriate and Exact Language” (LBH 160-175). Journal Assignment: Grammar Exercise—18.2, 18.3, 18.5 in LBH.

 

 

F

10/5

Essay 2 Due, Grammar Exercise, Literature Review

HW: Read “My Mother’s Memoirs…,” Russell Banks and “Mark of Satan,” Joyce Carol Oates (AOS 63-68, 466-476). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

Week 7

M

10/8

Discuss Banks and Oates

HW: Read “Night Women,” Edwidge Danticat and “The Glass Tower,” Reinaldo Arenas (AOS 33-41, 196-198). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

W

10/10

Individual Writing Conferences

HW: Read “Sentence Types” and “Verb Forms” (LBH 208-224). Journal Assignment: Grammar Exercise—24.1, 25.2, 25.3, 25.4, 25.6.

 

 

F

10/12

Essay 3 Assigned, Discuss Danticat and Arenas

HW: Read “Verb Tenses,” “Verb Mood,” “Verb Voice” and “Agreement of Subject and Verb” (LBH 225-244). Journal Assignment: Essay 3 Generative Writing. Grammar Exercise: 26.1, 26.2, 26.3, 27.1, 28.1, 28.2, 29.1

 

Week 8

M

10/15

NO CLASS—ENJOY FALL BREAK!

 

 

W

10/17

Essay 3 Brainstorming Session, In class exercise: (LBH 371-76) Generate Research Questions

Writing Journals Due

HW: Read “All Because of the Mistake,” Daniele del Giudice (AOS 203-210). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

F

10/19

Essay 3 Draft Due, Peer Review Session

HW: Read “Moving House,” Pawel Huelle and “Encounter,” Roy Jacobsen (AOS 331-337, 346-348). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

Week 9

M

10/22

Discuss Giudice, Huelle, and Jacobsen

HW: Read “Conciseness” and “Writing the Paper” (LBH 177-183, 427-429). Journal Assignment: Grammar Exercise: 20.1, 20.2 in LBH. Continue Revising Essay 3

 

 

W

10/24

Essay 3 Due, Grammar Exercise, Writing Journal Review

HW: Read “Helix,” Banana Yoshimoto and “The Elephant Vanishes,” Haruki Murakami” (AOS 453-465, 650-655). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

F

10/26

Discuss Yoshimoto and Murakami

HW: Read “The Child Who Raised Poisonous Snakes,” Can Xue (AOS 644-649). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

Week 10

M

10/29

Discuss Xue, Special Topic

HW: Read “The Keeper of Virgins,” Hanan Al-Shaykh (AOS 9-14). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

W

10/31

Discuss Al-Shaykh, Special Topic

HW: Read “Dharma,” Vikram Chandra (AOS 152-161). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

F

11/2

Essay 4 Assigned, Discuss Chandra

HW: Journal Assignment: Writing Exercise—Essay 4 Generative Writing.

 

Week 11

M

11/5

Individual Writing Conferences

 

 

W

11/7

Essay 4 Draft Due, Peer Review Session

HW: Read Persepolis (3-39). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

F

11/9

Discuss Persepolis, Overview of Iranian History/Culture/Literature

Writing Journals Due

HW: Revise Essay 4.

 

Week 12

M

11/12

Essay 4 Due

HW: Read Persepolis (40-71). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

W

11/14

Discuss Persepolis

HW: Read Persepolis (72-102). Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

 

F

11/16

Group Project Assigned, Brainstorming Session/Topic Selection

HW: Finish Persepolis. Journal Assignment: Reading Questions.

 

Week 13

M

11/19

Library Visit—Researching Persepolis

HW: Work on virtual text project. HW: Read “Online Writing” (LBH 114-123). Journal Assignment: Discuss how the group project is going. Are you comfortable with online writing, creating a webpage? Have you had experience before in this area? What is the most challenging aspect about the assignment?

 

 

W

11/21

NO CLASS—THANKSGIVING BREAK

 

 

F

11/23

NO CLASS—THANKSGIVING BREAK

 

Week 14

M

11/26

Web Design Demonstration, Documenting Sources

HW: Read “Working with Sources” (LBH 397-412). Begin creating your works cited page for your group project in your journal. Use MLA format to cite the sources you are using for your portion of the webpage project.

 

 

W

11/28

Group Work for Visual Text Project, Writing Journals Due

HW: Read “Oral Presentations” (LBH 123-127). Finish Visual Text Presentation.

 

 

F

11/30

Group Presentations/Visual Text Due

 

Week 15

M

12/3

Group Presentations/Visual Text Due

 

 

W

12/5

Diagnostic Test B, Final Exam Reading: “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldua

HW: Journal Assignment: Reading Questions/ Final Exam Prep Questions.

 

 

F

12/7

Final Exam Review, Course Evaluations, Writing Journals Due

 

Week 16

TBA

TBA

Final Exam

 

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