In Spring 2004 several English Department faculty volunteered to pilot 223. Below are several syllabi and documents from that experience. Choose the instructor's name to take you to the information.
Roark Mulligan
Office: 224 Ratcliffe, Office phone: 594-7685
English 102:7P (1502): College Writing II
Class: T,Th: 8:00-9:15 a.m., 104 Ratcliffe
Office hours: M,W,F 8:00-10:00; 11:00-1:00, T, TH 11:00-12:00 or by appointment E-mail: mulligan@cnu.edu
"Only the existence of an argumentation that is neither compelling nor arbitrary can give meaning to human freedom, a state in which a reasonable choice can be exercised." Chaim Perelman
Required textbooks and supplies:
Gordon. University Writing Guide
Website: http://www.cnu.edu/library/gender.html
Troyka. Quick Access
A good dictionary and a folder to be used as a portfolio.
Course Description:
Has art copied life or life copied art? In movies and TV shows, are men and women represented realistically or stereotypically? Are those representations helpful or harmful? Over the last fifty years, have the gender roles for men and women changed? This course will explore the representations of men and women in the media and will allow you to develop a unique research project. This seminar will encourage you to continue practicing and reflecting upon the conventions of reading and writing appropriate for liberal arts learning, in particular the ability to evaluate, synthesize, and represent primary and secondary sources in a research project.
Portfolio:
All of the work that you do for this class will be kept in a portfolio. Since the portfolio represents your work, you should keep it well organized. Clearly date and title each assignment; for example, indicate whether an assignment is a first draft, a second draft, or an in-class writing. Besides being a folder in which work is accumulated, the portfolio will be a reference source for you and me to evaluate your progress.
Assignments:
I. Weekly analyses: Each week, write a brief summary and response to a reading. These responses should identify ideas or issues that interest you, but they should also summarize the reading. These brief writing assignments should help generate good classroom discussion and should help you in selecting and developing ideas for your papers. These responses are due on or before the day that the reading is to be discussed, and they will not be accepted late. I will record the number of satisfactory responses you submit, and they will count as part of your participation grade.
II. Informal and formal oral presentations: The informal presentations of readings should develop into discussions involving the entire class. These informal presentations will not receive a letter grade, but they are required, and they become an essential part of your participation. At the end of the semester you will present your final paper, and this will be a graded formal presentation. But it will also become part of your overall participation grade.
III. Shorter papers: Instead of writing just one long paper at the end of class, I would like you to write several papers and many drafts, but the first papers will be drafts of the final paper. (Each formal paper will receive a separate grade, but you will write several drafts of each paper.)
A. The first formal essay (about three pages) should define the relationship of gender and the media, using at least one theoretical work. In developing your definition, you should include brief summaries of the issues and the theories that surround your project. In addition, this short essay should present the focus for your project. In other words, this paper will have a working thesis.
B. In the second formal paper (about six pages), you should revise and expand your first paper. At this point, you should have a clear thesis, and you should begin developing your topic using numerous sources.
IV. Final paper: The final paper (10-15 pages) should revise and expand your earlier papers. This final draft should include an extended argument that is supported by multiple sources. But the entire paper must be guided by your thesis.
Grading:
Paper I and drafts 20%
Paper II and drafts 20%
Final paper and drafts 40%
Participation (including weekly summaries,
presentations, drafts, class activities, and attendance) 20%
***You must complete all formal papers and do the formal presentation to pass the course.***
***At least once during the semester, I will expect you to take one draft to the Writing Center.***
Participation:
Since this is a writing class, participation is essential. Almost daily, we will write or read in class. If you miss class, you miss the writing activity, I expect everyone to be in class everyday. If you are unable to attend class, I would like you to let me know. If you miss more than 10% of the class, your final grade will be lowered by one letter grade. If you miss more than 25% of the class, you will receive an "F." You must have papers in class on the day they are due, including rough drafts. This is an essential part of participation.
Christopher Newport University Honor Code:
I pledge to support the Christopher Newport University Code for Academic Work. I will refrain from any dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarizing, which are honor violations, on any and all academic work. I am further aware that as a member of the academic community I should report any suspected violations to the professor or Examiner of the Academic Hearing Board as stated in The Student Handbook.
Course Schedule: (Readings are from our website, from the Troyka Handbook, or from The Craft of Research.)
1/13 Introductions; Handout
15 Gender and Television ; Maude ; Research, 9-34
20 Television and Gender Roles ; Handbook, 36-44 ( Thinking Critically )
22 Present a category from the website, giving examples
27 Depiction of Women
29 The Mock-Macho Comedy
2/3 The Mock-Macho Comedy ; Research, 35-74
5 Recognition and Respect
10 Recognition and Respect
12 Class and Gender
17 The Family on Television
19 The Family on Television
24 Rough Draft of First Paper Due; Research, 75-108
26 First Paper Due
3/2 Spring Break
4 Spring Break
9 Conferences
11 Conferences
16 Brief Presentations
18 Research in Library; Draft of Second Paper Due
23 Second Paper Due
25 Research in Library
30 Research in Library
4/1 Research in Library
6 Read Research, 109-182
8 Research, 109-182
13 Draft of Final Paper Due
15 Presentations
20 Final Paper Due
22 Presentations
Final: Tuesday, April 27, 8:00 am, Presentations
College Disability Policy:
Any student who believes that she or he is disabled should make an appointment to see me to discuss his or her needs. In order to receive an accommodation, your disability must be on record in the Academic Advising Center (594-8763; 125 Administration Building).
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College Writing II: Pilot Course
Writing Across the Divide: Cultures of Control and Resistance
Spring 2004
Dr. John Nichols Eng 102-9p/13p; 1505/1515, Ratcliffe 107/105
Office: Ratcliffe 226
Office hrs: TTH 11-1, 2:15-4; W 6:30-7 and by appt. TTH 9:30-1045, 4-5:15, and by appt.
Contact info:jnichols@cnu.edu. Office phone: 594-8896
Course Description and Philosophy
In this course, we will investigate the issues involved in developing an individual research project, an opportunity for you to select a particular interest (something you have worked on before, something you have a particular personal interest in, or something you think will be important in your future major or vocation) and deepen its resonance with additional sources, texts, and voices. As with the other sections of this pilot course, this course features a particular topic: how writers, through sophisticated manipulations of language, promote as well as resist certain cultural values, ideologies, and philosophies. How do, for instance, persons, groups, or institutions in power in America maintain their power through what they publish, in what genres they publish, and how they argue? How do those who wish to acquire power develop ways of writing that push aside accustomed ways of thinking and make a space for new or alternative ideas? You will draw from your own research to develop these questions further and engage an academic community of writers who are also interested in the ways people assert and resist certain cultural beliefs.
As a class, we will read a set of common readings that exhibit particular strategies that help writers sustain or oppose dominant cultural values, strategies that you will wish to examine in greater depth with your own materials. In addition to analyzing texts of control and resistance (such as poems, cartoons, newspaper columns, essays, diaries, films, and paintings), we will read a few broadly theoretical or historical essays that will provide key terms, overviews, and a scholarly take on this issue. You will draw from your individual research to interrogate, add to, complicate, and extend these theoretical and historical essays, situating your interests as significant contributions to the production of knowledge in this field of study.
Our discussions about cultures of control and resistance will provide the context for another conversation, more methodological and practical for your future at CNU: how do we as writers and readers engage in long, complicated research projects that ask us to delve into particular historical moments, debates, and issues? In other words, this course will deal with specific issues in conducting research that can be adapted to later courses and writing projects, such issues as: relating the past and present; incorporating multiple texts into our own texts; making disparate materials of the past and present converse with one another; writing ourselves into ongoing cultural debates and academic discussions; citing sources; and determining the validity and usefulness of print, visual, and internet based archives in conducting research.
As we progress through the course and assemble our particular research projects, we will want to ask, then, what does it mean to be a researcher (and not just a writer of opinion), a writer who incorporates multiple source materials, and a reader of foreign, even disturbing archives? What constitutes research (as opposed to simply finding sources)? How can research distinguish one s voice (even as it involves others voices and texts)? Ultimately, this course will ask you to consider the act of writing as a powerful, yet subtle, engagement with myriad voices, texts, and philosophies, past and present, that vie for our acceptance and attempt to persuade us of their validity, but that in the hands of a skillful research writer, work with us to strengthen and deepen our understanding of complex ideas.
Course Texts: The American 1890s: A Cultural Reader. Durham: Duke UP 2000. Panopticon. Michel Foucault. On reserve in the library under course and instructor name Highbrow/Lowbrow. Lawrence Levine. On reserve in the library under course and instructor name Arts of the Contact Zone. Mary Louise Pratt. On reserve in the library under course and instructor name
Note: Both should be xeroxed and brought to class every day.
QuickAccess or a similar grammar and style handbook that contains a section on research writing
A good dictionary and thesaurus.
Schedule of Assignments:
Week One: Introductions
Jan. 13 Tuesday: Overview of course; philosophies of control and resistance; Writing Assignment #1 due in class
Jan. 15 Thursday: Writing Assignment #2 Due; discussion of WA#2
Week Two: Thinking Outward: Working from Zitkala Sa
Jan. 20 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #3 Due; discussion of Sa's School Days of an Indian Girl
Jan. 22 Thursday: Continued Discussion of Sa with regard to theorizing control and resistance
Week Three: Thinking Inward: Applying Levine to Sa
Jan. 27 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #4 Due; Discussion of Levine
Jan. 29 Thursday: Writing Assignment #5 Due; Discussion of Levine and Sa
Week Five: Applying Pratt to Sa
Feb. 10 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #7 Due; Discussion of Pratt and Sa
Feb. 12 Thursday: Discussion of WA#7
Week Six: Broadening the Scope
Feb. 17 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #8 Due; form reading groups
Feb. 19 Thursday: Groups formed, discussion of individual research initiated
Week Seven:
Feb. 24 Tuesday: Group work continued
Feb. 26 Thursday: Writing Assignment #9 Due;
Week Eight: No Class Spring Break
Mar. 2 Tuesday Mar. 4 Thursday: Spring Break
Week Nine: Looking Backward, Looking Forward
Mar. 9 Tuesday: Discussion of WA#9 and 1890s culture
Mar. 11 Thursday: Discussion of 21st century cultures of control and resistance
Week Ten: Selecting Contemporary Texts
Mar. 16 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #10 Due; group discussion on selections
Mar. 18 Thursday: Continued group discussion
Week Eleven: Drafting from Primary Sources
Mar. 23 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #11 Due
Mar. 25 Thursday: Discussion of papers
Week Twelve: Revisions
Mar. 30 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #12 Due
Apr. 1 Thursday: Discussion of papers
Week Thirteen: Adding 1890s materials
Apr. 6 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #13 Due
Apr. 8 Thursday: Discussion of papers
Week Fourteen: Final Drafts
Apr. 13 Tuesday: Writing Assignment #14 Due; Discussions of drafts
Apr. 15 Thursday: Final Drafts returned
Week Fifteen: Final Papers, Final Considerations
Apr. 20 Tuesday: Final Research Paper Due
Apr. 22 Thursday: Final Portfolio Due
Course Components and Their Philosophies
Writing Assignments:
The final paper of this course is a formal research paper, some 10-15 pages in length, that positions your research, your archive of materials, your views about those materials and their ideas, within a host of other texts and authors. There are several other kinds of writing that are designed to aid in the writing of this research paper. Some will be shorter, semi-formal analytical pieces that ask you to focus on a single text or to apply a theoretical or historical term or concept. Some will be informal pieces (like journal entries or note taking) that ask you to reflect upon your work as a researcher, to raise questions about the process of doing research so that those questions may be made public and discussed in class. All the writing assignments, consequently, are important, either to developing your facility with dominant and resistant writing or to enhancing your thinking about what it means to be a researcher. In effect, they break open the process of research writing, asking you to practice and perfect particular stages of such writing and to consider the writerly challenges and negotiations of such stages.
The writing assignments' focus on the writing process may seem unusual in comparison to other kinds of research writing assignments you have seen before, where you've ve been given free rein to write on anything so long as it contains so many sources and a clear thesis in the opening paragraph. While such things are important, academic writing, or the writing you will be asked to produce at CNU, also asks of you to do more than think of writing as simply ticking off a list of things to do (I have five sources in my paper, check! My thesis is the last sentence in the first paragraph, check! ). Instead, this course emphasizes how you may use your research as a way to authorize yourself in ongoing debates and conversations that scholars, government officials, religious leaders, philosophers, and writers continually engage in. Consequently, the writing assignments slow down the process of how researchers enter culturally relevant debates so that you may reflect and inquire into why and how one writes research papers (What kinds of sources do I have? How do they develop my argument? How can I establish the significance of my thesis with regard to other authors who have written on my topic? ). You will be, in effect, writing yourself into a discourse and considering that process of initiation as you write. So read the writing assignment questions carefully and always feel free to ask for more information or guidance as you write in response to them.
Texts for the course:
There are several kinds of texts for this course. There are the common readings that we will read as a class, the ones that model for you the kinds of texts and kinds of issues you may wish to find and illuminate with your own research. There are the broadly historical or theoretical essays that are designed to contextualize our discussions and provide you with the key terms and debates about cultures of control and resistance that you will be asked to incorporate and contribute to given your project. There are the readings you assemble with regard to your individual research project. There is also your writing, which will be used in class to help initiate discussions, provide models of how to conduct research, help us pose questions about our topic, and generally to offer you the chance, in writing, to publicize your research, opening it up for constructive criticism and enlightened admiration. We will move frequently among all these texts, so it is important to bring them to class, read and mark them seriously with your questions and responses, and treat them with a kind of respect that enables you to understand their intentions, but not necessarily agree with their views or their ways of promoting those views.
You may wonder why have any common readings at all; why not send you out to conduct your research and report back every once and a while? In more advanced seminars, where there exists a commonality of interests or approaches, this may be possible. But, for this course, there is what could be named a discrete archive of materials that provide you with enough texts to make choices and provide a common basis for class discussion, rather than an open archive that floods you with sources and disperses our attempts to discuss our research projects with one another.
Oral Presentations:
At various times throughout the course, you will be asked to speak about your work, either the particular aspect of dominant and resistant cultures of writing or how you work as a researcher. Some times this will be done informally in groups, other times, formally in terms of a presentation to the class. Speaking about one' s topic is not a substitute for writing about it; but speaking about it can help you in your writing by gauging audience response and facilitating advice.
Portfolio
All original fourteen writing assignments (with my comments, your own, your peer reading group' s), as well as any worksheets and group notes, must be turned in at the end of the semester as a portfolio of all your work for the course. A portfolio may be as simple as a binder or folder with pockets that organizes your work. You may write a brief introduction to its contents, describing your work and progress as a writer if you wish. Print clearly your name and contact information (email address, phone number here at school and at your permanent address). Include a disk (compact or floppy) of all writing assignments as well. Include a campus mail address so that the portfolio may be returned to you.
Grading:
All writing assignments will receive written suggestions on how to improve and enhance your argument, style, and analysis, especially as each assignment builds upon the other to form the final research paper. However, the following assignments mark significant points in the progress to the final paper, and will receive grades in addition to the comments. The final research paper, though it will consist of other writing you have produced during the term, will be graded on its own merits, and not as a amalgam of other grades you have received so far.
Writing Assignment #5 Essay Applying Levine to Sa: 10%
Writing Assignment #7 Essay Applying Pratt to Sa: 10%
Writing Assignment #9 Essay Applying Pratt, Levine, and Foucault to Selected 1890s texts: 15%
Writing Assignment #12 Essay Applying Pratt, Levine, and Foucault to Contemporary texts: 15%
Writing Assignment #14 Final Research Paper (combining and augmenting essays on 1890s and contemporary culture): 30%
Oral Presentations: 10%
Participation (in peer group readings, library visits): 10%
Course Requirements and Policies
Participation/Attendance/Lateness:
This class is run as a seminar and a workshop centered on your papers, a style of classroom work in which we will often review your papers, either collectively or in reading groups. Consequently, your active participation in this course is more than simply turning in papers. In fact, it is to your benefit to be in class to discuss your essays and your fellow students essays as this will improve your writing. That said, you are permitted to miss four classes during the course of the term. More than four classes constitutes not participating in the reading, writing, and discussion of the course and is grounds for failure. If you miss more than four classes, you should visit the Dean of Students to discuss what steps should be taken to explain the legitimacy of your absences to me.
If you miss class, there is no need to provide me with an explanation, but you should e-mail me immediately and/or see me during my office hours. There's no need to be embarrassed if you miss a class, but you still need to keep up with the work you have missed.
As for being late to class, don't be. If you are habitually late, it will begin to count as an absence and affect your final grade.
Late Papers
In order for you to keep up with the regular activity of writing, you must turn in your papers on time. I will not accept late papers, except in cases of medical or familial emergencies. Try your best to keep on schedule and turn in as much of the essay as you can. However, if it appears that you cannot turn in a reasonable paper (tackles most the assignment, proofread, etc.) on time, continue working on it and finish it as best you can and as quickly as you can. Listen to our class discussions about other students' writing, and use it to help you revise the paper later. Don't give up writing if you won't finish it on time; because you are submitting your writing in portfolio form at several points during the turn for a grade, you must have all your assignments. If you have a sense that you will not be able to turn in a paper on time, contact me by e-mail, office phone, or stop by during my office hours to inform me of your status. If you are continually late in submitting papers, you are not doing the work of the course, and I will ask you to leave.
College Disability Policy:
Any student who believes that s/he is disabled should talk with me to discuss his or her needs. Students should also contact the Academic Advising Center (125 Ad. Building/ 594-8763).
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is a serious act of academic theft and will not be tolerated. All language that you use from another source (the anthology essays, assignment questions, a paper we used in class, other papers written for previous classes such as this one) must be acknowledged with proper use of quotation marks and citation [see Citation below]. In a writing course such as this, it would be absurd to plagiarize. The work of the course is centered on drafting and revising your own writing; consequently, revising someone else s writing is even more difficult. Moreover, it is incredibly easy to spot a plagiarized word, phrase, sentence or paragraph. However, if you do choose this route, I will have no choice but to fail you for the course and report you to the university on grounds for expulsion.
WRITING YOUR ESSAY
Format:
All writing for the course should be typed in a readable font (10 or 12 cpi), double-spaced, and on numbered pages. Your name, the course' s title, my name, and date you are turning in the assignment should appear in the upper left or right hand corner on the first page. Your essay should also have a title. For instance,
Jack Rhimer
College Writing II Dr. John Nichols
WA#2 1/14/04
Controlling Education Zitkala-Sa
Style and Citation:
All essay and article titles should be in quotes; All book titles should be in italics or underlined.
Quotation of any word or phrase from a published piece of writing should be cited in the text. For this course, we will rely upon parenthetical documentation of sources. A full list of citation can be found in an MLA Guide. Below are a few examples:
Ellison argued that, my point is not its violence, but the contradiction ... (273).
[Note that the ellipsis (...) marks that the sentence continues, but you as a writer have decided to omit the rest; Note that the page number (without a p or pp or page) is placed in parenthesis after the quotation marks and that a period concludes the sentence.]
Block quotations (quotations that are more than four lines long in your paper) must be indented ten spaces from the left margin. No quotation marks go around block quotations. Finally the page number, is placed at the end of quotation after the period, not before as with the sentence quotation.
Reading my comments:
As you will notice, my comments in the margins and at the end of your essay are more than a terse, "Good" or "Awkward." Because all your essays are works in process (until the end of the course when you will polish a select few), my comments are directed at global issues (foregrounding your underlying argument or position, focusing your textual analysis, exposing your notions of reading and writing) and local ones (strengthening paragraphs, tightening sentences). Usually my comments ask you to do more than change a word or two; instead, they suggest a general reorientation to how you approach a particular task of writing. Often, the revisions I suggest in one part of the essay should be made elsewhere, so use the revision you make in one place as a model for similar places in your essay. Margins are small, so if you can t read my handwriting, ask me to decipher it.
At this stage as a writer, you are responsible for correcting your own grammatical and punctuation errors. When I find them, I will place a check in the right hand margin at the end of the line to which the error occurs (more than one check means more than one error). I will also direct you in an end comment to the kinds of errors you make. It will be your job to look them up in a grammar handbook, proofread the line, and make the corrections. You should also visit the ...
Writing Center:
The Writing Center is a free center for advice on your writing. You can work with a writing specialist on a variety of writing issues, from proofreading to paragraph structure to reading with assignment questions. Bring your essay, assignment question, and reading anthology to the meeting, and be focused about what you want to work on (though the specialist might suggest other options). The Writing Center phone number is 594-7684 to set up an appointment and its email address is wcenter@cnu.edu. The website (www.cnu.edu/wcenter) contains many useful guides on writing as well.
Checklist for turning in a paper:
" Format:
name, course title, teacher's name, assignment #, date in upper right or left corner
essay has a title
essay is double-spaced
essay has page numbers
" Proofread for:
correct use of quotation marks
correct use of citation
titles in quotation marks (if it is an essay, short story, television episode or newspaper article) or italics (if it is a film, book, television show, epic poem, magazine, or newspaper).
grammatical mistakes and spelling errors
" Assignment:
Answered all parts of the assignment question
" Revision:
Attended to most or all parts of the commented sections of previous versions
Applied what was discussed in class to the revision
Dr. Mary Wright
Office: 232 Ratcliffe Hall mwright@cnu.edu
Office Phone: 594-7716
Office: RATC. 232 Hours: MWF 1:00-2:00, W 6:00-7:00 and by appointment
English 102
"People react to fear, not love. They don't teach that in Sunday school but it's true."
Richard Nixon
"In politics, what begins in fear usually ends up in folly."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Course Contract
Please review this document carefully as accepting the conditions herein binds you them and makes you liable for any grade infractions that may occur throughout the semester.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the second section of freshman writing! Similar to ENGL 101 where you experimented with several writing styles or genres and a myriad of topics, this course provides you with the unique opportunity to develop your research skills and reflect a scholarly sophistication that will serve you well in the university atmosphere. As a researcher, you are expected to find a focus and concentrate on a central theme culled from the course's concentration, out of which you will produce several smaller papers that build into a final research project. Like your peers, once you choose a single idea from the course theme briefly sketched below you will utilize the semester to explore, problematize, and question that concept or topic through your research based writing, producing larger more evolved articulations as you grapple with your focus.
Together the class will achieve two goals through our examination of selected textual materials and writing exercises that will help you see the intricate relationship between written communication and critical learning. You will practice principles of close analyses in order to learn the difficult art of personalizing the research process, such as methods to find your authentic, scholarly voice, weaving outside sources into your work, conduct effective research on primary and secondary source materials; concurrently while building those techniques you will learn the value of connecting disparate ideas to establish relationships between, for example, different cultures, time periods, concepts, or other applicable elements. Essentially, this course will help you develop lifelong writing and critical thinking skills so that you can think and write your ways through complicated topics with confidence.
AREA OF FOCUS
As the course title implies, the theme surrounds the many cultural interpretations of a base instinct, driving force, or emotion we are all hardwired with: FEAR. Throughout the semester we will focus on fear and its various incantations because, like all great (pop) cultural explorers, we task ourselves with the examination of textual artifacts in order to "read" the culture that wrote them and about which they are written. Essentially, we will study the signs of our current culture, evident in books, magazines, films, and so forth in an effort to separate myth from reality, define authentic fear or elements that prose real threat or danger from disingenuine attempts at trickery. One could argue that ultimately we are embarking on a close analysis of how agendas, like the packaging and selling of fear to influence individuals, groups, cultures, nations, and the global community, are formed and become successful. Through conversations during the semester we will question this seemingly private emotion or reaction and how it has become a central component in American and world culture.
What is fear and why is it so recognizable on so many levels?
How does this emotion dictate our choices?
Why does a reasonable body of people permit itself to be manipulated by such wily, crafty, and dishonest manipulations?
Why is the lack of fear a bragging right?
How has the concept become a commodification that sells t-shirts, bumper stickers, movies, newspapers, books, television shows and, most recently, war?
How do groups or individuals dominate people by playing on our fears?
What can we do as a culture and as individuals to resist unwarranted attempts to control our behaviors by making us afraid?
Ultimately, in this course we shall use fear as simply a springboard for divergent, more focused discussions of your choosing. One person, for example, finds merit in pursuing a research thread concerning how the Reagan administration used fear in the 1980s to discourage or even prohibit early research on AIDs, thus feeding instead of arresting the epidemic that continues to kill today. Another researcher may focus on identifying fear as the driving force in racism, as evidenced in photographs of various events during the 1960s, such as the school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, the integration at the Woolworth's luncheon counter, and other moments of protest.
We probably will not or should not always agree with the texts or each other, but our discussions are guaranteed to make the semester interesting!
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS
Barry Glassner. The Culture of Fear. Basic Books, 1999
Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, eds. The Craft of Research 2nd edition. University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Access to a computer for word processing and accessing articles on the internet
Theme folder
HOW WE WORK
Your success in this course is entirely dependant upon your behavior and decisions. No one but you can predict how you will do and you will be evaluated upon the following items: Attendance. Attendance is mandatory. Those participating in CNU sports and activities are excused with proper documentation in the form of signed notes from coaches and sponsors. You may use six (6) absences without grade penalty, except that absences reasonably affect your class participation grade, as you must attend to participate. After you have used your seventh (7th) for a MWF class absence, I will AUTOMATICALLY FAIL YOU REGARDLESS OF THE REASON. In order not to fail, guard your absences wisely and remember that you will probably get sick, and people you care about may become ill, pass away, or need you, so save the absences for these times. Come to class on time and with your homework completed. This is a student-centered course where class discussions generate from the class and not the instructor, although I will insert my thoughts and opinions too! Coming to class late is disrespectful and rude. Each day you come to class late you will receive an F for your participation grade for that day. And yes, we all know parking is difficult, even for me, so plan accordingly. You will be required to participate (10%) in class by presenting your valued and wonderful opinions and findings as based on the readings. If you fail to familiarize yourself with the readings and I call upon you, you will receive an F for that particular day. To ensure your success, keep up with the readings. Papers and Oral Presentation Particulars
2 summaries or brief analyses of primary or secondary sources which may be used as sources for final paper.
Class/group guided investigations, discussions, and presentations of research topics
1 short paper that treats the research project, and may include a working thesis, a methodology, and sources (about 3 pages). This writing assignment may focus on writing a prospectus, an annotated bibliography, or a recognizable chunk of the extended paper such as the theoretical, critical, or historical section.
1 paper (about 6 pages), a short essay that takes the previous paper one step further such as revising or developing the working thesis, considering opposing research findings, articulation of student voice, or other building block elements that take the short paper further into the writing process and goal of final paper.
1 paper (about 10 pages), a revision and expansion of the six-page paper with a clear thesis and an appropriate number of sources.
1 final research paper (10-15 pages) that represents the culmination of all the previous papers' best elements and augmented by your last and best work. This paper is the jewel in your crown and should show traces of all the previous submissions plus a concentrated effort to supplement with new work.
Discussion Lead: you will sign up for a block of time at the end of the semester in which you will make an oral presentation to the class about your research. The material you choose to present is up to you; for example, you may elect to discuss your growth as a researcher, how the research shaped your own ideas about our culture and your role in it or you may focus on the research findings or a part thereof.
So, the final grade percentage breakdown is:
Summaries, short paper = 10%
6-page paper= 10%
10-page paper= 20%
Final paper= 40%
Participation= 10%
Discussion lead= 10%
(No final exam for this course)
ALL PAPERS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO ME AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER IN A CNU WRITING FOLDER IN ORDER TO PASS THE CLASS. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN AN "F" FOR THE COURSE. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE PERMITTED.
Grading Criteria The A paper is a piece of writing that is an all-around superior submission of an error-free piece of writing; the subject is well-focused and appeals on many levels to a specified audience by employing strong evidence to support main points; the writing is finely developed, utilizes a sophisticated vocabulary and varied sentence structure that is mechanically and grammatically free of error; the thesis is rich enough to lend itself to interesting development and support.
The B paper is clearly above average in the criteria explained above. There are a few errors in mechanics and grammar but no alarming syntax problems. The paper is essentially focused and appeals to the intended audience, and vocabulary is average but not stellar.
The C paper is adequate in that it satisfies the assignment and may demonstrate understanding of the topic, but the argument is not as rich, detailed, and well-supported as it should be in a college paper; errors block the reader from the argument; thesis is weak; evidence is generally faulty or illogical; does not stretch vocabulary; and is generally hovering in the average but not noteworthy range.
The D paper is missing a thesis, ignores or does not engage the intended audience, is fraught with mechanical and grammatical errors, and does not indicate effort or thought; is much shorter than assigned length, and doesn't make a discernable point.
The F paper is a piece of writing that falls short of all categories and cannot possibly represent collegiate level work.
If you are absent the day an assignment is due, you must make arrangements to get it to me on time. Printer problems, disk error messages, and that the friend you chose to deliver the paper forgets are not excuses for late work.
Conferences
You will be required to attend at least one conference with me to discuss a paper. I encourage you to come by during office hours or email me. Despite my seemingly rigid rules, I am very approachable and only want the best for you during your time in my class and beyond. If you find yourself stuck, in need of topic advice or method of writing, or just want to discuss an idea you have, drop by during my office hours or email me.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the deliberate use of words or ideas of another without proper documentation. The university honor code states that this offense will lead to automatic failure in the course and possible expulsion from the university. All students must adhere to the CNU Honor Code that states:
"On my honor, I will maintain the highest possible standards of honesty, integrity and personal responsibility. That means I will not lie, cheat, or steal and as a member of this academic community, I am committed to creating an environment of respect and mutual trust."
Theme Folders
You are responsible for assembling and maintaining a folder with all work connected to this course, which includes any prewriting, all drafts, all peer review, and revised final drafts. This folder must be filled out completely and have no missing work. In order to receive a passing grade, you must hand in the completed folder at the end of the semester.
Paper Format
All papers submitted for grade must be typed, double-spaced, and utilize the standards including left justification, 1" left margin and 1 ½" top margin, in 12 point Times New Roman type.
Readings and In-Class Assignments
As readers, we all approach a text with our personal agendas and issues. Throughout this semester we will examine controversial materials and our subsequent reactions to them. Hopefully, we will learn various viewpoints from one another so that we will then possess additional skills with which to approach our reading and writing processes. Please be forewarned that this classroom is a safe forum for expressions and opinions, but is not a place for unmerited or ill-spirited discussions. Prejudicial or intolerant opinions concerning race, religion, sexual orientation, and other personality elements have no place in the classroom.
Alice F. Randall Writing Center
This statement is issued from the director of the center: "Because all writers can benefit from readers' responses to their work, I strongly encourage-and may occasionally require-you to visit the CNU Writing Center. Consultants there can help you at any stage of the writing process, from invention, to development of ideas, to polishing a final draft. The Center is not a proofreading service, but its consultants can help you to recognize and correct grammar and punctuation errors in your work. The Writing Center is in Ratcliffe 110; you can call (594-7684) or email wcenter@cnu.edu for an appointment or just drop in. Go as early in the writing process as you can, and go often! I will announce hours in class. The Writing Center's web site provides handouts and links to other writing resources on the web: it is available at Alice Randall Writing Center which is located on the first floor in Ratcliffe Hall.
Special Needs. If you have a disability, which is a matter of record at CNU, you may be entitled to modification of course material. Please present me with proper documentation from the Office of Career Planning and Counseling Services to assess your needs.
CNU Honor Code. Please know that enrolling in CNU and this class is pledging to support the academic honor code that requires you, as expressed in the code, to "refrain from any dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarizing, which are honor violations, on any and all academic work." Basically, cheating in any form will result in automatic failure from this course and possibly from the university. Don't do it and don't make me look for it.
You will do well in this class if you simply do your homework, submit your best work, come to class on time, and participate in a thoughtful and engaging manner. Success is so simple!
If weather or other mitigating factors prevent us from meeting for class, you are still responsible for the assigned work. Also be on notice that this course schedule is subject to change, and I have deliberately left some dates open.
For your convenience, meaning in the event you must print the 102P Course Schedule, I've put it on a separate web page.
This schedule is subject to change at my discretion. You will be notified of any changes by email and/or in class. There will be additional assignments, particularly in the area of research, as we progress in the course.
WEEK ONE
Mon 1/12 Intro to class and Syllabus.
HW Write a paragraph or two about why you chose to take this particular topic course. What
is your interest in the topic of The Family Left Behind ? If you chose the course because
of scheduling, try to think of some way you may identify with the topic. Do you know a
single-parented family? What single-parent family (SPF) situations might you be interested in investigating?
Wed 1/14 Discussion of course topic
HW Read prologue and Ch 1, pg. 3-16 in The Craft of Research (COR). Begin to search for
credible articles on our topic. This can be anything related to families who have either
parent absent for any reason, i.e., death, divorce, long-term deployment, never married, etc. Be ready to discuss your article on Monday.
Fri 1/16 Discussion of HW readings.
HW Write a summary of the article you chose. (Choose something that interests you.) Bring
your summary and a copy of the article to class. Always record on any article the biblio-
graphic info. NOTE: On-going research is a major emphasis. Keep our course topic in
mind as you read online, in magazines, in newspapers, etc, and bring articles to class.
Read Ch 2, pg. 17-33, in COR.
WEEK TWO
Mon 1/19 Reading and discussion of summaries and articles. Listen for emerging topic ideas.
HW Review Ch 2 TIP: The success of this research community depends on each student doing the assigned readings and research (not to mention your success in this class.) It
is always a possibility that class discussion may not allow for complete coverage of a
chapter in class. You must stay current in readings in order to participate.
Wed 1/21 Promptly meet at your class time in the Smith Library lobby. This is a class you will not be able to make-up, so be certain to attend.
HW Be prepared for continued summaries and discussion of Ch 2 on Fri. Continue to search
for information on our topic, especially on any area you are considering for research.
Keep a record of the sources you locate, either electronically or in your notebook. Also,
jot down your ideas or questions about our topic.
Fri 1/23 Continued summaries and Ch 2
HW CAREFULLY read Part II prologue and Ch 3, pg. 37-55. (This will aid in our topic choices.)
WEEK THREE
Mon 1/26 Complete Ch 2 and begin discussion of Ch 3.
HW Begin reading Ch 4 and Ch 5, pg. 56-89 (for Wed. Fri. class discussion)
Write a paragraph or two discussing your thoughts on a possible topic, question, problem, or area of interest. As we progress, it is likely that you may change your mind several times about what sounds like a great investigation to you. As we discuss as many areas as possible, you ll begin to form research groups based on your interests. For now,
we will share ideas and information as a class.
Wed 1/28 Discussion of Ch 3, your paragraphs, and Ch 4, as time allows
HW Finish reading 56-89
Fri 1/30 Complete this week s discussion.
HW Read Ch 5 and Ch 6, pg 75-107. Consider whether the sources you have already located
meet the requirements of credibility.
WEEK FOUR
Mon 2/2 Discussion on sources. During this week, we will check out various sources you have
located in your research. You should continue to research/read for sources of data as we
work towards our project.
HW Write your working thesis and bring to class for peer team work.
Wed 2/4 Continued Discussion and peer work on theses.
HW Read Part III prologue and Ch 7, pg. 111-126
Fri 2/6 Beginning discussion on Argument
HW Read article on pgs. 1-12 in the course pack. Highlight the thesis and major points and make marginal notes for class discussion on Monday. A summary of this article is due on Wednesday. (You may read ahead for next week& Ch 8 and Ch 9, pg. 127-150)
WEEK FIVE
This week we will work on Claims, Arguments, and Evidence. Additional Readings and Assignments may be announced in class as we move rapidly toward Stage One of our projects. Continue to build your collection of data.
Mon 2/9 HW Read Ch. 8 (127-137). For the article beginning on pg. 1 of the course pack, write a summary of the purpose, process, and discussion of the study. Due Wed.
Wed 2/11 HW Read Ch. 9 (138-150). Read the course pack article on pg. 113; highlight and note for in-class discussion of incorporating statistics accurately and anticipating audience questions.
Fri 2/13 HW Read the two articles in the course pack on single fathering, beginning on pgs. 19 & 69.
Be prepared to argue a stance on the question, Are single fathers as qualified as single
mothers to raise their children? (You may wish to return to the article on 113 on single mothers for evidence.) We will divide the class for opposing arguments.
WEEK SIX
Mon 2/16 HW Write an argument (approximately one and one-half pgs.) on Friday s topic. Make a clear
claim and support it with reasons and evidence. Due Wed.
Wed 2/18 You will receive the assignment sheet for the rough draft of Stage One, due 2/23.
HW Read Ch. 10 (151-164). Review and be familiar with Ch. 8-10.
Fri 2/20 Discussion on projects. Consider visiting Alice Randall Writing Center with draft.
HW Rough draft of Stage One due Mon, 2/23. Follow assignment sheet carefully.
WEEK SEVEN
Mon 2/23 Due: Stage One; bring 2 copies for peer review team members. Discussion and beginning peer review of Stage One.
HW Peer Review your team members papers, following the questions on the guide sheet.
Fri 2/27 Formal drafts due. Sign up for conferences. Presentation of selected papers.
WEEK EIGHT
SPRING RECESS& ..otherwise known as Spring Catch-Up on Everything I Need To Do Week
(One would be wise to continue the research and note-taking for one s project! The Second Stage is due on 3/19. Our text has several helpful chapters such as Ch. 12 on Drafting and Revising or Ch. 14 on Introductions & Conclusions.)
WEEK NINE
Mon 3/8 Formal draft returned. Presentations of selected papers.
HW Read through your returned draft and come to your conference prepared to discuss the
progress and development of the next stage of your project.
Wed 3/10, Fri 3/12, and Mon 3/15: 20 minutes conferences in my office Ratcliff 229. Arrive promptly!
During this week of conferences, read Ch. 12 on Drafting and Revising (185-207) and Ch. 13 on Revising
Your Organization and Argument (208-222).
WEEK TEN
Wed 3/17 Due: Annotated Bibliography. Discussion of Chs. 12 and 13.
Consider visiting Alice Randall Writing Center with draft.
HW Stage Two assignment due Friday.
Fri 3/19 Due: Stage Two; bring 2 copies for your peer team members and 1 copy for Prof. Bunch.
HW Peer Review your team members papers, following the questions on the guide sheet
WEEK ELEVEN
Mon 3/22 (Last Day to withdraw.) Peer Review work in class.
HW Read Ch. 14 on Introductions and Conclusions. Revise Stage Two due Friday.
Wed 3/24 Continued discussion of projects. Bring your revision-in-progress copy of Stage Two.
HW Complete your Formal draft of Stage Two
Fri 3/26 Due: Formal draft of Stage Two.
WEEK TWELVE
Mon 3/29 Research in Library and conferences
Wed 3/31 Research in Library and conferences
Fri 4/2 Research in Library and conferences
WEEK THIRTEEN
Mon 4/5 Class discussion on titles and writing abstracts (pg. 219-20).
HW Write an abstract for your project. Due in class on Wednesday.
Wed 4/7 and Fri 4/9: Bring your abstract and projects to class for work-shopping.
HW Complete your 10-15 page paper for submission to peer reviewers on Monday.
WEEK FOURTEEN
Mon 4/12 Due: Completed draft for in-class review
Wed 4/14 Formal Paper Due
Fri 4/16 To be announced
WEEK FIFTEEN
Mon/Wed/Fri: Presentations of Projects
EXAM WEEK
Presentations Continue: 102-1P Wed., 4/28, 8:00 am 10:30 am
