?English 1A: College Composition Spring 2008@
The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best - and therefore never scrutinize or question. –Stephen Jay Gould
What kind of world would we live in if no one questioned what they already knew or believed? From Aims of Argument
It is not the writer's task to answer questions but to question answers. To be impertinent,
insolent, and, if necessary, subversive. –Edward Abbey
Instructor: John Johnston Office hours: M 2:30-3:30; W 7:45-8:45
Email: John-Johnston@redwoods.edu Eureka Office Hours: Friday 10-1
Telephone/voice mail: 962-2688 Lab hours: MW 11-12:45; T 1-2
Office: MB 301
Contacting your instructor: The best way for you to contact me is via email. Doing so enables me to send to you any course documents handed out in class or PowerPoint presentations we discussed. When you email me, be sure to put ENGLISH 1A in the subject heading so I don’t mistake your email for junk mail and delete it.
· Gage, John T. The Shape of Reason: Argumentative Writing in College 4th ed. NY: Pearson, 2006.
· Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. NY: Norton, 2006.
· Lunsford, Andrea. The St. Martin’s Handbook 6th ed. NY: Bedfords St. Martins, 2008.
· Daily (including weekends) access to an internet-connected computer.
· Obsessive commitment to being on time and prepared.
· Burning curiosity.
· Boundless enthusiasm.
· An unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
· Steadfast dedication to your learning.
Welcome to what can be an exciting and deeply rewarding (and fun!) course. Before we begin discussing specific requirements, I’d like to give you a sense of the overarching ideas behind this course and its goals. A number of years ago, I overheard two students talking with one another on the breezeway outside my office door. “That stir-fry I made last night was da bomb,” one said. He then went on to describe in careful detail what was in the meal. “Got any left?” asked the other. “Yeah, mega. Let’s get a bunch of beers and polish it off after class.” When I turned to see who these two were, I was a bit surprised: they were two of the best students I had in a very difficult, sophomore-level humanities class the previous semester. I was surprised because I had never heard them talk like this before. In class discussions and in their essays, they both used “elevated,” precise language and spoke carefully and contemplatively. Now, here they were talking in slang with a kind of New-Jerseyesque inflection in their voices. More striking, though, was that in class they seemed to have zero tolerance for trivial or “empty” discussions and comments. They, along with other students in that class, had consistently used their essays and our class discussions to push past the obvious and ordinary to “deeper,” much more intellectually satisfying levels of complexity. In class, they seemed to hunger not for stir-fry and beer but for fresh ideas and insight into difficult, unresolved issues.
The scene was a delightful one for me because it illustrated how adeptly these students were able to balance and enjoy different parts of their lives. They recognized (as you probably recognize) that the questions one asks, the answers one offers, and the ways one offers those answers differ depending on the situation/context. This doesn’t mean we are imposters or hypocrites or schizophrenics; it simply means that we understand, respect, and control the unique conventions that govern different rhetorical situations (a rhetorical situation is the total environment in which a purposeful conversation takes place). Having this understanding, respect, and control certainly enriches our lives (imagine how exhausting and limiting it would be to be stuck in formal intellectual postures 24/7). And at least equally important to enrichment, having this understanding, respect, and control empowers us (imagine how terrifying it would be to be excluded from important conversations because we lack the “tools” for engaging meaningfully in those conversations).
The purpose of English 1A is to introduce students to the foundational intellectual tools of inquiry and reason that allow them to participate meaningfully in the reasoned, intellectual discussions (often called “academic inquiries”) that take place in our culture’s richest sources of knowledge: our colleges and universities. In this course, you will learn to develop or further develop your ability to think philosophically (this is key); to use reason and inquiry to deepen your understanding of complex issues; and to communicate your insights and judgments effectively to an audience. We will practice finding and responding to genuine “questions at issue” (another key concept). We will work to develop and sharpen the habits of mind that characterize college students. We will develop the reading, research, thinking, and writing skills that allow you to communicate your insights into important issues to an academic audience. By the end of the semester, you should be more confident in your ability to know what questions to ask, how to ask them, how to explore answers to them, and how to communicate effectively your discoveries and ideas.
Word of advice: Students who have completed this course in previous semesters have indicated that it would be helpful to give students a bit of counsel at the beginning of the semester: While this can be an intensely satisfying course, it can also be very challenging (As one CR graduate put it in her graduation speech last Spring: “English 1A is really hard but worth it.”). The goal of this course is to help you develop the reasoning and communication skills that allow you to create your own arguments and to avoid getting trapped in and simply reproducing “prepackaged” or preexisting ones. This means that to be successful as a “college writer,” you’ll have to go beyond what you and others already know and discover fresh insights into and construct new ways of thinking and communicating about complex issues that matter to you and your audience (this last sentence actually sums up the essence of what “college writers” do). To do these things, you’ll have to engage in intensive, sustained, self-directed research; you’ll have to think deeply and critically; you’ll have to develop workable strategies for turning your informed insights into actual essays: and you’ll have to experiment with language and different ways of communicating ideas. There are no tricks or shortcuts for doing these things. It takes a lot of effort, serious thinking, and ceaseless determination. When you finish the course successfully, you will probably find that you are a much deeper thinker and a more skilled writer. However, students who are working a lot of hours or who are taking a tough load of classes this semester or who aren’t genuinely committed to improving their thinking and writing skills may find this course frustrating and, ultimately, unhelpful. I don’t say any of these things to discourage or frighten you. I just want you to know what you’re getting into. This course is, in the best sense of the phrase, a “college-level course.” If you think there are factors that may stand in the way of your success this semester, talk with me ASAP so we can, together, explore your options and develop strategies for your success.
English 152—English Lab: English 152 is a credit/no credit lab that has proven to be a valuable companion course to English 1A for many students. Enrolling in English 152 gives you access to three English faculty (Joe Smith, Charlotte Gullick, and me) who are in the ASC for over 10 hours per week to work individually with students on their writing, reading, and research assignments. We can help you brainstorm; discuss ideas, outlines, and essay drafts; learn how to edit for grammatical correctness and style more effectively; eliminate specific kinds of errors from your writing; understand difficult reading assignments….the possibilities are nearly limitless. You can enroll in the course for .5 unit, 1 unit, or 2 units, and the only requirement for credit is “logging in” the required amount of hours in the ASC by the end of the semester. I strongly encourage you to enroll in this companion lab course. Feel free to ask for more information.
Struggling: It is a requirement of this course that you struggle. Your books and I are not simply going to present a body of information for you to consume and then regurgitate on exams or in reports. You are not going to learn some magic formula for writing essays. I’m not going to lecture to you about the meaning of an issue, and I’m not going to tell you “the way it is” or expect you to know “the way it is” (although I do want you to figure out what, if anything, is worth believing about a topic based on thoughtful consideration of what is known about it). As I described above, this is a course focused on learning how to use reasoning to wade our way through and communicate about messy, complicated, unresolved issues. We will explore deep and complex historical, moral, cultural, philosophical, and political questions, and if you don’t struggle with these, it means you’re either God (in which case we’ll make an exception) or a human being thinking about these things only superficially. In other words, if you don’t struggle, it probably means you are not thinking. And if you’re not thinking….well, how can you write something that offers fresh insight if you’re relying only on what you and others already know?
Reading: The pattern that’s emerged over the years is clear: those who carefully and actively read their course texts score higher on their essays and exams than those who read them only superficially (those who “skim” the reading or who read for the “gist” tend to score far below their potential and usually don’t understand why). Write in your books (doing so doesn’t affect the buyback price at all) and on your handouts. Make notes of what you read and bring questions about what we’ve read to class. The more actively you read, the more you’ll learn and the better you’ll perform. If you find yourself falling behind in your reading, don’t suffer in silence. Come talk to me, and hopefully, we can figure out a way to keep you from becoming swallowed up.
Computer: You must have regular access to an internet-connected computer. Very few students who could not access computers on evenings and weekends have successfully completed this course because all assignments are word processed and much of what we do requires use of our course webpage and online research databases. Talk with me ASAP if you anticipate computer access problems (seriously: don’t underestimate the importance of computer access).
Essays: If you honestly and rigorously grapple with questions that matter, you will gain insight into the reading, the issues we discuss and, ultimately, the world you live in and the ideas that shape our understanding of it. The arguments you’ll write this semester are opportunities to explore and present your questions and discoveries.
Although all of the essays we write will be analytical arguments, there are four different kinds of essays you’ll write this semester: 1) Timed, in-class essays. These essays will be in response to our reading and discussions and your research, and you will draft, compose, and edit them in class; 2) One out-of-class expository argument. This essay responds to an issue we read about and discuss in class, and you’ll plan, write, edit, and revise this essay outside of class. 3) One, out-of-class source-based essay that correctly integrates information and quotes from a CQ Researcher report; 4) One extended, MLA documented, researched argument that uses information you’ve gathered from subscription databases.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON ESSAYS:
*In-class essay cannot be revised/rewritten after submitted.
*Your first two out of class essays will receive comments and grades. You may, if you choose, consider my feedback and rewrite ONE of these essays one time after it has been graded and resubmit it for reevaluation (you must attach the previous, commented-on/graded draft and a bulleted detailed description of what you’ve done in the revision to your rewrite). I will raise your grade if the draft is better, but I will not lower your original grade if the revised draft is inferior. Rewrites are due by the beginning of the last class meeting, and you cannot rewrite an essay if you did not turn it in by the scheduled due date unless you have written documentation of a medical, legal, or family emergency that prohibited you from meeting the due date. Late essays will be lowered one half letter grade for each day late (please pay attention to these last two sentences).
*Your research essay is due on the last class meeting of the semester. Late research essays will not be accepted. I strongly encourage you to involve me and the ASC writing tutors in your research essay process. Get feedback on ideas, what’s working and not, and drafts in progress. Your research essay is the most heavily weighted assignment of the semester because it is the only single assignment that requires you to demonstrate your knowledge of all core English 1A skills and competencies (think of the research essay as something like a comprehensive final exam). Commit to doing everything you can to produce an essay that truly reflects your skills as a college writer and thinker.
Tutorials: One of the most valuable resources available to you as an English 1A student is the ASC. The ASC provides a number of para-professional and professional writing tutors who can help you understand an assignment, brainstorm ideas, organize and plan an essay, give you feedback on a rough draft, help you understand particular grammar/punctuation concepts, edit an essay, use MLA citation correctly, understand a complex reading….they can help you with just about any writing/reading assignment, and the more you take advantage of their free services the better you will probably do in this course. At minimum, you must meet with a writing tutor in the ASC at least once during February, March, and April to work on English 1A coursework. At the conclusion of your tutoring session, you should request a “Tutor Confirmation” slip, which you will turn in to me by the last weekday of each month to receive credit. Discussing your work with former English 1A students, your relative who’s an English teacher, and your classmates can all be helpful in your development as a writer, but doing these things does not substitute for a session with a professional CR tutor. Therefore, you needn’t ask if these kinds of sessions earn you tutorial credit.
Quizzes and Question Cards: We will frequently have quizzes on the day’s reading at the beginning of our class meetings and/or take-home quizzes or question cards due at the beginning of our class meetings. Sometimes, we will have quizzes at the end of class on material we discussed that day. If you are late or absent or leave class early for any reason (and I do mean any reason) and you miss a quiz, you will receive a “0” for the quiz. Take home quizzes and question cards are due in class at the beginning of class on the due date and will not be accepted after that. In addition to question cards not being accepted after the class meeting in which they due, they will not be accepted unless you attend the entire class meeting at which they are due (in other words, you cannot turn them into my mailbox and then not come to class).
Exams: Given in class at midterm and at the end of term, these exams are short answer and fill-in-the-blank and involve identification of argument features, analysis of arguments, and grammar/logic problems. If you know you are going to miss an exam, notify me at least 24 hours before the scheduled exam time so we can arrange for you to take it in the ASC. If you miss the exam without notifying me ahead of time, you must present me with written documentation of a medical, legal, or family emergency in order to take a makeup. You must schedule any approved makeups with the ASC.
MLA Format: Essays brought to workshop and essays turned in for comments and grades must be double-spaced and typed in accordance with MLA guidelines (MLA format is described in The St. Martin’s Handbook and in the MLA formatting handout linked to our course webpage).
www.turnitin.com: In addition to the stapled, hard copies of each of your essays that you submit, you will also submit electronically each of your essays to www.turnitin.com. Instructions for using turnitin.com—including course ID and password—are available on our course webpage (see “Turnitin.com Instructions” link). At the end of the semester, the recorded grades for any essays that have not been submitted to turnitin.com will be deleted from the gradebook and you will receive a “zero” for the essay.
Note: I will not accept essays that are not stapled.
Attendance: In order to establish an atmosphere of community and camaraderie, everyone must be here regularly, on time, and prepared. Each of you brings a unique perspective to this course, and you should be here regularly not just to do the work but to share your insights as well. You can inspire us. However, if you miss three classes in a row without contacting me or if you miss more than four meetings in the semester, I may stop accepting your work and/or drop you from the class. Don’t depend on me to do this, though. If you have missed three in a row or a total of four, it is your responsibility to protect your transcript and initiate an official withdrawal. Any student who is not withdrawn is still enrolled, and final grades reflect a student’s current level of activity and achievement. I cannot sign withdrawal slips after April 4, 2008 without documented extenuating circumstances (things like being in a coma and so forth), and I am required to issue grades for all enrolled students at the end of the semester. Do not have your academic transcript blemished by an F for a class you stopped attending.
Plagiarism: Offering someone else’s words or ideas as if they are your own (whether you do this intentionally or unintentionally) is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Any assignment with plagiarized material may receive an F. Substantial or repeated plagiarism and cheating may result in an F for the course and possibly suspension from the college. We’ll discuss in class how to avoid plagiarism.
Grading: The grading for this course breaks down as follows: Points Earned Course Grade
Out-of-class Essay #2 15 points 89-87 B+
Research Essay 30 points 86-83 B
Exams 20 points 82-80 B-
Quizzes and Question Cards 10 points 79-77 C+
ASC Tutorials 5 points 76-70 C
69-60 D
Checking Your Grade
It is your responsibility to check your grade regularly and keep informed about your course performance (You can access a complete, current breakdown of your grade by clicking the “Check My Grade” link on the English 1A homepage). You should save ALL returned graded work in case I neglect to enter the grade or enter it incorrectly.
Barriers to English 1A Success You Should Watch For
There will be circumstances this semester that challenge your ability to complete this course successfully. You or your kids may get sick; a relative may die; you may have to start a new job. What exactly will happen in your life outside this course that makes it difficult for you to succeed is impossible to say at this point. There are, however, a few things inside this course that every single semester cause people to drop or fail. You should learn from the struggles of others and avoid the following barriers:
Course intro; syllabus.
Focusing Question: What is a question and how do college writers use questions?
Week of January 28 (Days 2&3)
Theme: Questioning, Thinking, and Anti-Intellectualism
PATH #1: Discuss pages 2-5 & 8-10 (Discourse Communities) in The Shape of Reason; “Dimensions of Thinking” (attached to syllabus); “Deep Thinkers Missing in Action” (linked); "Why Critical Thinking?" and "The Problem of Egocentric Thinking" (attached to syllabus).
Week of February 4(Days 4&5)
Focusing Question: Where does argument begin?
PATH #1: Discuss Noisy, Naked, Stinky Smokers readings (linked)
Question Card #1 due
Bring print out of out-of-class essay #1 prompt to discuss
St. Martin’s Hndbk pages 651-653 & 675-679 exercises 37.2 & 41.1 (in 41.1 you need to offer only ONE revision)
Workshop: Parallelism and Illogical Wording
Week of February 18 (Day 8)
Monday: No class
Essay #1 Due at the beginning of class
PATH #2: Discuss assigned readings and question cards
Pages 12-17 & 26-29 The Shape of Reason; discuss “All Animals are Equal” (linked in Path #2)
Take Home Quiz #1
Week of February 25 (Day 9&10)
Focusing Question: What about those who think differently?
Theme: Handling differing points of view
Ch. 4 in They Say; pages 42-52 in Shape of Reason; discuss Essay #2 & CQ Researcher; QAI and Thesis workshop
Pages 199-202 in St. Martin’s Hndbk discuss how to develop and explain ideas.
Discuss “Communication: Its Blocking and Its Facilitation” (linked in Path #2), Chapters 2 (“Her Point Is”) & 3 (“As He Himself Puts It”) &
5 (“And Yet”) & 6 (“Skeptics May Object”) in They Say, I Say;
Essay #2 Due
Review for midterm exam
Midterm Exam (bring an annotated copy and a blank copy of “The Warrior Culture” linked in Path #2)
Week of March 10 (Day 13&14)
Prepare for in-class essay #1
Pages 903-908 in St. Martin’s Hndbk (“Essay Examinations”)
In-class essay #1 in ASC
Week of March 17 (Day 15&16)
Week of March 24 (Day 17 & 18)
Focusing Question: What role does research play in inquiry?
Theme: Using the Library Databases
Pages 710-725 & 727-730 in St. Martin’s Hndbk (“Commas” & “Semi-Colons) and Take Home Quiz #4,#5 Discuss essay #3; Pages 222-237 in St. Martin’s Hndbk (“Conducting Research”); Print, read, and annotate “Looking Good..”, “Safe and Sorry,” & “News of America’s Decline…” (Path #3); Using the library and course web page and evaluating arguments (ASC)
Week of April 7 (Day 19 & 20)
Theme: Evaluating Sources
Week of April 14 (Day 21 & 22)
Discuss chapter 6: “Giving Reasons” in The Shape of Reason
Discuss preparing for research system quiz
Research system quiz
Revealing the Assumptions of Enthymemes
Pages 270-287 in St. Martin’s Hndbk (Summarizing, paraphrasing)
Chapter 10: The Art of Metacommentary” and review chapter 2: “Her Point is” in They Say, I Say
Week of April 21 (Day 23 & 24)
Theme: Integrating Sources
Citation quiz
Review pages 270-287 and be familiar with how to use pages 300-336 in St. Martin’s Hndbk (MLA format and integrating source material)
Week of April 28 (Day 25 & 26)
Research essay workshop: bring four, typed, completed copies of a rough draft of essay #3 (worth 4 quizzes)
Print and read student samples “Intelligent Design,” “Conscription Controversy,” (Path #3) and “Children Need to Play Not Compete” (handout)
Week of May 5 (Day 27 & 28)
Focusing Question: What does it mean to be a “college writer”?
Discussion of question at issue for in-class essay #2
Review for final exam
In-class essay #2
Week of May 12 (Day 29)
Final Exam
Rewrites of one essay due (Optional)
Research Essay Due