English 101

Bellevue College

Winter 2010

Section: R

Item: 1207

Syllabus

Monday & Wednesday

530-7:40

Instructor Information

Nick Dybek

Office: R230 L or K

Cell: 319 621 6760

Office Hours: TBA

Email: ndybek@umich.edu

English 101 Outcomes

By the end of the quarter, the student should be able to:

Demonstrate various invention practices: brainstorming, free writing; outlining, journaling
Demonstrate ability to write in various modes: personal narrative, expository,
analytical, descriptive, argument
Demonstrate the phases of writing: draft, revision, final copy
Explore sources of writing: reading, thinking, analyzing, discussion
Create a thesis statement that suggests the focus of the paper; does not point out the
obvious, and is written as a sentence.
Develop and include enough details and examples to support the identified thesis and
reinforce focus
Demonstrate various patterns of organization and
use the organization pattern that suits your identified purpose & audience.
Illustrate the concept of Audience in your writing.
Artfully combine Audience, Purpose, and Tone in compositions written in and outside of class
Write in a vocabulary appropriate to your subject and identified audience.
Begin and conclude a paper effectively.
Show effective control of mechanics: paragraphing, punctuation, spelling.
Differentiate between key ideas and supporting details in reading
Locate the thesis statement in reading assignments
Practice good group skills: how to give useful feedback, and how to make use of
feedback you receive
Develop self-assessment skills

This Course

This is, first and foremost, a class designed to improve your writing skills. Every piece of writing has the same essential aim: to convince the reader of the value of its argument. This can be a surprisingly difficult task. To improve our skills, we’ll closely examine writing in three different forms: Narrative, Persuasive, and Analytical/Critical. Over the next ten weeks we’ll read and discuss a number of texts in each form and do plenty of writing of our own, including a 3-5 page paper in each unit, revisions of at least two of these papers, and several shorter writing assignments. You’ll also be expected to keep a writing notebook that will contain informal assignments and journaling completed both in and out of class.

In-class discussion is crucial and will account for a significant portion of your grade, so please be prepared to talk. It is also crucial that we get to know one another as writers and thinkers so that we might identify our common strengths and weaknesses. With this aim in mind, I’ll often ask you to share your work in class, by reading it aloud or through informal workshops. I will never ask you to share work that you do not feel comfortable sharing for personal reasons, but you should expect to have your writing seen by the class at some point in the quarter. You should expect to be assigned at least one shorter writing assignment and to read at least 50 pages of published work each week. Pay attention in here. You’ll be using these skills, in some form, for the rest of your life.

Required Texts

Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference, 6^th edition

Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried

Robert Atwan, ed. Best American Essays: Fifth College Edition

William Shakespeare, Othello

Assignments and Grading Weights

The three major papers will account for sixty percent of your final grade, twenty percent each. The other forty percent of your grade will be determined by your attendance and participation and your performance on shorter assignments and quizzes. As you’ll notice, attendance and participation account for a considerable portion of the final grade. You will be allowed two unexcused absences before your grade is affected. If you must miss class make sure to let me know before hand. Four or more unexcused abscesses may result in an F for the quarter. We have a lot to cover, so it is essential that we start class on time. Three tardies will result in an unexcused absence. If you arrive to class fifteen minutes late or more, you will be marked absent for the day. While in class, please be respectful of your peers. Please turn off your cell phone and refrain from engaging in private conversations with classmates. Please do not disrupt class by getting up to use the bathroom (except in the case of an emergency). Please do not read, sleep, or surf the net on your laptop. Making a habit of any of the aforementioned behaviors will affect your participation grade dramatically.

Paper #1: 20%

Paper #2: 20%

Paper #3: 20%

Attendance/Participation: 20 %

Shorter Assignments/Quizzes/In-Class Essay: 20%

All of the major essays must be turned in order to pass. All work must be typed on white paper and double-spaced. All work is expected to be handed in on time. Shorter assignments cannot be handed in late for credit. The final drafts of longer papers will be marked down a 1/3 of a grade (B+ to B, etc.) for every day past the due date they are turned in. Due to the scheduling necessities of the revision process, first drafts must be turned in on the date assigned. I do not accept writing assignments via email attachment.

Grading

A few words on how I determine grades: generally, the work that earns an A is consistently outstanding and superior; B work is consistently strong and occasionally outstanding; C work fulfills the minimum requirements of the assignment and is merely adequate. The D grade-range is reserved for work that reflects little attention and effort, and the F range for incomplete work, plagiarism, etc.

I will endeavor to make my expectations for each assignment as clear as I can. I will also do my best to explain how I determine grades for major essays and the like.

Division Statement

At your earliest convenience please consult www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/policy.htm. For additional policies and expectations applicable to all course in the arts and humanities division at Bellevue College. Please pay special attention to the section regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

It should go without saying that you are expected to turn in your own original work. Plagiarism will earn you an F on the assignment in question and may also jeopardize your grade for the entire quarter.

Units

Unit 1: Narrative Writing

In this unit we will examine methods of self-exploration and -analysis by means of the personal essay. Personal essay writing is a two-step process. The writer must first make sense of his or her experiences, and then use language and craft to translate these experiences for others. In this unit we will read works of fiction and non-fiction that successfully complete those two steps.

Unit Goals:

-Think critically about personal experience

-Employ specificity and significant detail

-Achieve sentence-to-sentence fluency (informal language)

-Practice self-critique and complete a successful revision

Essay First Draft Due: 1/27/10

Essay Second Draft Due: 2/8/10

Unit 2: Persuasive Writing

In this unit we will extend our study of critical thinking from the personal to the public sphere. Using a wide array of readings as models, we will examine how to construct and present arguments with both logic and passion. We will attempt to find new forms for these arguments other than the five-paragraph essay form you might have learned in high school.

Unit Goals:

-Comprehend and respond to complex arguments

-Support complex arguments with evidence

-Identify and avoid poorly constructed arguments, logical fallacy, and sensational appeals to emotion

-Master research strategies for factual support, and assess credibility of

sources

-Comprehend and apply notions of audience and context

-Achieve sentence-to-sentence fluency (formal and informal language)

-Practice self-critique and complete a successful revision

Essay First Draft Due: 2/24/10

Essay Second Draft Due: 3/3/10

Unit 3: Analytical Writing

Our final unit focuses on textual analysis. We will closely examine a variety of texts. You will be asked to critically engage with the text and offer a close interpretation of it, to be supported with quotations from the text.

Unit Goals:

-Master close reading of texts

-Construct text-based, analytical arguments

-Account for context and bias

-Engage in various forms of analysis, including character study, compare/contrast etc.

-Learn to approach the text from multiple perspectives

-Achieve sentence-to-sentence fluency (formal language)

Essay Final Draft Due: 3/22/10

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.

We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp

Student Code

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.” The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp

Course Schedule:

Note: Readings and dates are subject to change; if anything on this syllabus changes, I will inform you as soon as possible.

1/4 Introductions

1/6 “Reunion” (Handout)

“Powder” (Handout)

1/11 “Car Crash While Hitchhiking” (Handout)

“The Things They Carried” (O’Brien)

1/13 “On the Rainy River” (O’Brien)

“Mirrorings” (Handout)

1/18 No Class

1/20 “How to Tell a True Story” (O’Brien)

“Shooting an Elephant”(Handout)

1/25 “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” (O’Brien)

“Silent Dancing” (BAE )

1/27 High and Low (film)

2/1 Conferences

2/3 Conferences

2/8 Finish The Things They Carried

“Poverty” (Handout)

2/10 “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”(BAE)

“Life Boat Ethics” (Handout)

2/15 “Shouting Fire” (BAE)

TBA

2/17 “Killing Game” (BAE)

“Dramaturgy of Death” (Handout)

2/22 “Think About It” (BAE)

2/24 “Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes” (Handout)

3/1 Peer Workshop

3/3 Othello Act 1

3/8 Othello Acts 2 & 3

3/10 Othello Act 4

3/15 Othello Act 5

3/17 TBA