English 60: Composition II Fall 2011

T-TR11:00-12:15; BCH 215 Instructor: Office: Office Hours: Email: Phone: Alex Wulff H-SS 230 10:00-11:00 T, TR

alexandermwulff@gmail.com
(773)439-0583

Course Description and Goals: English 60 builds upon the basic writing skills developed in English 20. It also engages various academic disciplines and the writing you will be expected to do throughout your college career. This is an advanced writing course, which means that we will do a lot of writing this semester. Unlike many of your other courses, a large amount of this writing will occur weeklyif not daily. This course aims to not only improve student reading and writing over the semester, but provide students with the tools necessary for continued self-improvement after the semesters end. Unlike the above cartoon, this class will be useful long after your final paper has been submitted. We will approach writing as both process and product, which means we will be looking to change habits as well as polishing prose. You will be exposed to academic genres of writing and will be expected to write within those genres throughout the semester. Special attention will be paid to the development of a mature style of writing and to the research, mechanics, and writing of documented, argumentative research essays. The research essay offers understanding of previous work in a field, but also allows the writer to create new methods or rhetorical positions within that field. By the end of the semester you should be writing clear, persuasive essays. You will be able to introduce quotations and document your research using standard academic formatting. You should be able to generate a working argumentative thesis that you can use to drive your research. You should be able to write an effective summary or paraphrase of academic arguments. You should be able to identify the parts of an argument and apply them in your own persuasive essay. You will be able to identify credible and non-credible sources, query research topics using scholarly search engines and develop your own point of view based on a synthesis of the sources you gather in your research. This is a hands-on, discussion-oriented course that requires engagement with the texts we will read, your own writing practices and the work of your peers. Any behavior that creates a distracting, uncomfortable, or hostile learning environment for your peers is unacceptable and may result in your being asked to leave the classroom or being involuntarily withdrawn from the course. You will create three short original written works summary, analysis and synthesisthat build toward the final paper, an eight-page research paper based on an inquiry question that matters to you. The goal of all these works will be to bring you into conversation with your environment, other scholars, and the research of your classmates. You will be asked to critically analyze the readings you have done (both inside and outside the classroom) and to add your voice to the conversation. Course work includes weekly writing, assigned reading, four essays and participating in projects in cooperation with your peers. Course Responsibilities: Everyone is required to contribute to discussion during every meeting. This means that you need to come prepared to contribute to discussion and that attendance is required. Attendance is not simply considered quantitatively (being in class), but qualitatively (what you do and say in class). You are allowed one week of absences (3 hours of class) with no penalty, but please save these 3 absences for emergencies. Each class you miss after those three absences may result in a letter grade deduction for your course grade. If you miss more than six hours of class time you will fail the course.

You must notify me in advance if you will miss class for an official school function, in which case any scheduled exam or paper must be completed before the absence. Please keep in mind that I reserve the right to change the course schedule at any time to meet the needs of the class. This might mean changing a reading assignment or a due date. Any time you are absent, you are responsible for information discussed or assignments given in class that day. Punctuality is also important. Late arrivals and early departures are a distraction to everyone, and I reserve the right to treat either as an absence without notice. I also will count sleeping, failure to bring books, and working on or reading material for other courses as an absence. If you arrive after I take attendance and wish to be counted tardy rather than absent, you must inform me immediately after class. This responsibility is yours. Required Materials and Texts: Students are expected to dedicate a notebook to this class for taking notes and doing inclass writing projects. This means you will need a journal of appropriate size. You will also need a folder or envelope for submitting assignments. I will not accept a Writing Assignment that is not in a folder or envelope. This ensures that your drafts stay with your final papers rather than becoming lost or mixed in with someone elses assignment. Also, keep a folder for returned drafts and paper handouts. All of our writing assignments build on what we have written earlier. Your previous assignments will be one of your most important guides for creating successful research papers. Seeing your writing process is also helpful in evaluation. You are required to have the following books and to bring them to class. Failure to bring books to class may result in your being counted absent Kennedy, Mary Lynch and William Kennedy. Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010. (WITD) Maimon, Elaine P. et. al., ed. The McGraw-Hill Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. (MHH) Bibliography: In addition to the required texts, you may find the following helpful in this course and selections may be used throughout the class: Bacon, Nora. The Well-Crafted Sentence: A Writers Guide to Style. New York: Bedford St. Martins, 2009. Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein-Graff. They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. NewYork: W.W. Norton and Company, 2006. Lanham, Richard A. Revising Prose. 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. Kolln, Martha and Loretta Gray. Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. Williams, Joseph M. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity & Grace. 9th ed. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 2006. Zinsser, William. On Writing Well. HarperCollins College Publishers, 2006. Greene, Stuart and April Lindinsky. From Inquiry to Academic Writing. New York: Bedford St. Martins, 2008. Students with Special Needs: If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodations for participation in this course, you are strongly encouraged to meet with me at the start of the semester. I understand this meeting might not be one you want to have, but I have experience teaching students with dyslexia and will want to work with you (no matter what your disability) to make this a successful course. As with any course, you will need to contact Disability Services at the beginning of the semester so that they can coordinate your accommodations.

Grading Scale and Late Assignments: 90100 = A; 8089 = B; 7079 = C; 6069 = D; 59 and below = F. Written assignments not turned in at the specified time are already one day late. Assignments will be penalized 10% for each class period late. An assignment has not been submitted until it is in my hands; only submit papers by email as a time-stamp. Computer and printer problems are not valid excuses for missed deadlines. Do not count on the reliability of equipment in the computer labs; you should have back-up plans. Academic Honesty: A student who submits a paper, at any stage of the writing process, which (in whole or part) has been written by someone else or which contains passages quoted or paraphrased from anothers work without acknowledgment (quotation marks, citation, etc.) has plagiarized. Be overzealous to give credit where it is due. If you ever are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, ask me. The name of any student who has been found to have plagiarized will be turned into the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the case will be handled by VPAA after that point. Each of the following is a type of plagiarism and must be avoided in all academic work:
Copying directly from a source without quotations and source citation Paraphrasing or summarizing another's idea without attribution Changing a sentences structure but copying words Submitting a paper written by another student and claiming it as your own Purchasing or downloading a paper from another source and claiming it as your own

It is always better to ask for assistance and clarification than to purposefully or accidentally plagiarize. If you have questions about citing sources, start by meeting with me. You can also find helpful information in writing handbooks such as The Brief McGraw-Hill Reader, which is currently used in composition courses at Missouri S&T. Works Cited Fowler, H. Ramsey, and Jane E. Aaron. The Little, Brown Handbook. 9th ed. New York: Pearson Longman Press, 2009. Plagiarism Defined: Part 3. Plagiarism Tutorial: Indiana State University Library. 15 June 2004. Indiana State University. 10 June 2005 <panther.indstate.edu/tutorials/plagiarism/defined3.html>. Email and Phone: I love to hear from students via email. Dont hesitate to send an email with a question or a concern, but I do not accept work via email. Also, you have my cell phone number. This should primarily be a way for use to get in touch to schedule meetings and relay important information. Please feel free to call, but please call at reasonable times with reasonable requests. I have a ten month old son who needs his sleep as much as I do. Writing Requirements for the Course: In this course, you will complete four writing projects. Detailed descriptions of each project are included in the appendix of this syllabus and the course is divided according the time we will spend on each project. Besides the four writing projects you will also complete smaller weekly writing assignments like the two I listed directly below the grade break-down. Your final writing project, the Research Paper, will be the culmination of the thinking and writing skills you develop over the course of the semester. In addition to these writing projects you will contribute weekly to discussions on blackboard. A complete draft of each assignment should be submitted for peer review. Although this draft will not be graded by the instructor, failure to submit a working draft will adversely affect your grade. All Writing Assignments must be submitted in a timely fashion and those that are submitted in physical copy should be typed, double-spaced and stapled. Use one inch margins and Times New Roman font. Please title all work on a title page with your name. You should also make appropriate grammar choices in these assignments. For example, you might use contractions a blackboard post, but you would rarely use contractions in the formal essays. Writing Project 1: Summary Writing Project 2: Analysis 15% 20% Writing Project 4: Research Paper and Portfolio 30% Class Participation/Blackboard Reflections 15%

Writing Project 3: Synthesis

20%

1. BlackBoard Reflections: a. Everyone will be required to post to blackboard at least once, sometimes twice a week and almost every class for the first week or two. This means you will need to check to see if you have blackboard access ASAP. You can access Blackboard at http://blackboard.mst.edu/webapps/login/ . You may also use the MS&T homepage, http://www.mst.edu as a portal to enter Blackboard. The syllabus will indicate when a blackboard post is required, though these requirements are subject to change. Additionally, readings posted to blackboard will be marked BB. The minimum requirement for each post is one double-spaced page, or 250 words. All work must be submitted prior to the next class. There will be two main types of blackboard reflections: i. The first type of post will be a Reading Reflection. Each Reading Reflection post should: (A) briefly summarize the most important elements of the reading, (B) critique or endorse the argument of the reading, (C) ask several questions about the argument that you believe are important to answer, and (D) attempt to answer one of your own questions. ii. The second type of post will be a Writing Reflection. Each Writing Reflection post should: (A) discuss your writing plan, (B) question the editing choices you have made in a piece of writing, (C) consider other choices you could have made, and (D) muse about what you could do to improve this piece or your next piece. Both forms of posting are called reflections because you must move beyond summary. It is not enough to summarize a reading or what you have written. You must reflect and examine the choices made by the writer in question. These responses are meant to reflect the depth of your understanding and your willingness to engage both the material of the course and the complexities of the writing process. As the semester progresses your reflections should incorporate elements of summary, synthesis and analysis. We will define these terms as the class progresses. Midway through the course I will ask you evaluate your own message board posts and to grade your effort. 2. Grammar Scavenger Hunts: a. SCAVENGER HUNT: We will begin the semester with a scavenger hunt of grammar concerns that you have found in your own writing. We may return to this scavenger hunt format at different points throughout the semester. When you submit one of these shorter writing assignments you will get either a plus, check, check-minus, or minus. If you get a plus it means you went above and beyond and will receive extra credit. A check means full credit for the assignment. A check-minus means partial credit will be given. A minus means little credit will be given.

Schedule
WRITING PROJECT ONE: SUMMARY
WEEK ONE Tuesday, August 23rd Activity: Introductions. Course explanation and syllabus review. In-class Writing Prompt: What is academic writing and what are the rules of academic writing? Discussion: We will start our larger discussion with an examination of the prompt, but we will then ask what grammar is and where it comes from. Introduction to Blackboard: Explanation of what is available on Blackboard and how to best utilize Blackboard. For Thursday: Reading: WITD 1-34 As you read the introduction of WITD practice the first four of the five-steps of active reading:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Preview (skim) the text and ask questions that will guide your reading. Mark your text. Decide upon a marking system that works for you, but you need to be able to return to sections of the text you found important. Note your own ideas either in the margins or in a separate piece of writing. Pose and answer questions about the texts content, genre, organization and rhetorical context Sketch out the connections between this current reading and other readings related to this course/your project.

You will also need to read the syllabus for the course. What would you like to change? What doesnt make sense to you? What kind of expectations do you have for the course? Does this syllabus match your expectations? This syllabus is as close to a class Constitution as we will have. You didnt get to write it, but you can at least comment and make suggestions. Blackboard (Two Paragraphs): In your first paragraph, evaluate the introduction of WITD. What is the central inquiry in this book? In other words, what is this book going to be about? To what kind of situation does this book respond? Why do you think we are reading this book? Then, in a separate paragraph, write what you hope to get out of reading/working with this book. What are your reservations about the book? Do you see argument and writing in the same way as the authors? Thursday, August 25th Activity: We will get into groups and share our reactions to the class blackboard posts. What was good? What needs to be improved to link the electronic to the physical classroom? Discussion: What is the difference between summary and paraphrase? In groups, practice paraphrasing with Joshua Foers The Kiss of Life on page 23 of the introduction to WITD. (We will talk a little bit about groupwork and the positions of organizer, scribe and presenter.) Activity: We will do exercise 1.4 (page 16) in WITD Discussion: Introduction to Summary, Synthesis and Analysis. Discuss methods of reading for content. I will also introduce Writing Project 1, the Summary paper. We will discuss summarizing with a purpose. For Tuesday: Reading: WITD 30-32, which will require reading 433-439; WITD Chapter 2 35-68 Writing: Do the Questions for Analyzing Writing Assignments on page 33 for the Summary Assignment attached to the bottom of this syllabus. I will not collect your answers, but we will talk through your answers on Tuesday. Blackboard: Using the model of Rhetorical Analysis in WITD on page 29, write a rhetorical analysis of a single paragraph from your favorite writer. This could be someone who writes an on-line sports column or William Faulkner. Think about the kind of language used by your favorite author. What is the authors purpose? Who is the audience? What is the situation? What are the claims being made? [This will be the first of many Rhetorical Analysis assignments. What might appear straightforward will become increasingly complicated as we begin to comment on the discourse elements of the texts we read, meaning the elements and structures used to demonstrate linguistic relationships in the text. This includes formal elements such as introductions, discussion and methods sections, but also includes smaller elements, such as paragraph and sentence structure (grammar). In the introduction to her book, Rhetorical Grammar, Martha Kolln asserts that we all have internalized systems of grammar that we call on subconsciously. (One of the major reasons for having a course such as this one is that for most of us, the systems and structures used in Academic Discourse are different from our internalized systems in both subtle and obvious ways.) As we continue to develop your Rhetorical Analysis skills you will demonstrate your systematic study of Academic Discourse systems by commenting, analyzing and critiquing texts as examples of this particular language system.] WEEK TWO

Tuesday, August 30th In-Class Writing: I will present a few rhetorical structures during class. Use one of those rhetorical structures to evaluate the above paragraph that beings This will be the first of many How do I successfully (or unsuccessfully) use these techniques to indicate the purpose of my paragraph? Discussion: How can a summary have a thesis? Peer Editing Preview: We will pretend the Sample Response Essay on pages 40-41 of WITD is a Summary Paper for this course. How would we help this student turn this response into an argumentative summary? For Thursday: Read: Either Kerry Howlers Who Owns Your Body (WITD 290) or Kristen E. Schleiters Donors Have No Rights to Donated Tissue (WITD 302); BB: Writing A Summary FIAW 130-137. (Take good notes on Writing A Summary as we will work from these notes to create an outline during our next class). Writing: Write a one paragraph summary of the article you are assigned in class. This needs to be printed out and brought to our next class meeting. Thursday, September 1st Activity: You will pair-up with someone who read the article you were not assigned and trade summaries. You will record your initial assumptions about the focus and argument of article you have not read. Then, you will read the other article and provide feedback on your partners summary. Discussion: What elements of their genre (Social Science Writing) can we deduce from Howler and Schleiters articles? In-Class Writing: Construct your own outline for a summary of Writing A Summary from your notes Discussion: We will discuss your individual outlines and then construct a class outline and come up with a thesis for our in-class summary of Writing A Summary For Tuesday: Read: Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamont on BB ***Your Final Draft of Your Summary Will Be Due Tuesday!*** WEEK THREE Tuesday, September 6th In-class Writing Prompt: Hopefully, reading Shitty First Drafts made you think about your own writing process. What are three concrete changes you could make to your writing process that would improve your papers? Activity: Full Peer Review of Summary Writing Assignment. This will serve as an active model of peer review for the semester. Prior to this peer review we will discuss effective peer review strategies. What kinds of things are you hoping for from your peers? What kinds of feedback are the most helpful? Introduce: The genre of the abstract and its uses in the Social Sciences Discussion: How does the kind of summary we are working on differ from other summaries you might have done? What is unique about this summary assignment and why is that our goal? What are some of the strategies people are using to complete this assignment? Has anyone gone to the writing center yet? For Thursday: Reminder: The Revised Draft of your Summary Writing Project is due Thursday. As always, this should include all outlines, drafts and peer reviews. It should also be in a folder. Thursday, September 8th (Revised Summary Writing Projects are due!) Submit Your Revised Summary Writing Project Grammar: What were some of the grammar issues you noticed during peer review? How did you help your peer to understand these grammar rules? Do you have questions about youre your peer wrote on your paper? We will look at the basic elements of sentence structure, a couple forms of compound and complex sentences and work on particulars from the peer review.

In-Class Writing: Create an outline from your already written paper. Keep your outline to one sentence for each paragraph. 1. How does each of your sentences relate to the other? Describe the relationship. 2. Would it make sense to reorder your paragraphs? 3. Are there elements in your paragraph that dont directly tie to your one sentence outline? Do these elements need to stay in that paragraph? Would they fit more smoothly elsewhere in our paper? How can you make them directly relate to your own sentence outline? For Tuesday: Reading: Arthur Caplans The Trouble with Organ Trafficking (WITD 307) WEEK FOUR Tuesday, September 13th, Return Summary Writing Projects Grammar Exercise: Review Sentence Elements. We will discuss subject-verb and number agreement. Also: common issues from drafts. In-Class Writing: Use my comments to personalize the list of revision questions from WITD 105-106. What are some specific trends you could start to look for that would help you revise your prose? In-Class Writing: Use my comments and the responses from class discussion to begin revising your summaries. Discussion: We will review the reading strategies at the opening of Chapter 1 in WITD. Then, we will review several of the articles we have read thus far and chart out the relationships between these authors. We will be paying special attention to how Arther Caplan is putting himself in dialogue with those other sources. For Thursday: Reading: BB 88-93 of Perspectives on Argument; Sherry Turkles Alone Together: The Robotic Moment (322 WITD);BB Chapters Two and Three (The Art of Summarizing and As He Himself Puts It) from They Say/ I Say. Select and write down three templates for quoting and bring them to class. Begin Revising your Summary Assignments with my comments Thursday, September 15th Discussion: We will use Sherry Turkles article as an example of an argumentative summary with a purpose, especially page 324. In-Class Writing: You will have time to work on and ask questions about your Summary projects. You may bring a laptop if you wish. Activity: We will examine how the templates created by the Graffs in They Say/I Say can be helpful for introducing quotations. You are limited to one line of quotation in your summary assignment, but this is a skill we will continue to build as the semester progresses. Activity: We are now almost a month into the course and you have now received a final grade on our first Writing Project. We will conduct a 360 degree evaluation of the course thus far. What has been working? What hasnt? Which of the readings has proved helpful? Which havent? What do you need to know more about in order to do your job better during this next part of the course? I will also give you and honest appraisal of how I think things are going thus far. For Tuesday: ***Submit your Final Revisions for the Summary Writing Project*** WRITING PROJECT TWO: ANALYSIS WEEK FIVE Tuesday, September 20th Submit: Revisions for your Summary Writing Project

Class Discussion: Introduction to Writing Project 2, the Analysis paper. Discuss Analysis as compared to Summary and Synthesis. Library Research Introduction: A few search criteria and the value of bibliographies. Grammar: Why is it important to vary sentence structure and what are some ways we can do this? We will also cover sentence fragments. For Thursday: Read: Human Robot Interaction (321 WITD) Sherry Turkles Alone Together: The Robotic Moment (322 WITD) Look-up and Report Back: On at least 3 of the sources from Turkles notes. We will divide into teams. Thursday, September 22nd Mini-Lecture/Groupwork: I will talk a little bit about paragraph unity and then we will divide into groups and select an example from Turkles article to dissect. Group Presentations: Your group will report back what they have found and how they found it. For Tuesday: Reading: Noel Sharkeys The Ethical Frontiers of Robotics (WITD 357); Kenneth Goodman and Norman Einspruchs The Way Forward in the World of Robotics (WITD 361); Analyzing Arguments from Chapter 3 (FIAW 53-64) Blackboard: Do a Rhetorical Analysis of the article you believe has won the argument about Robotics. WEEK SIX Tuesday, September 27th Class Discussion: Who is right in the debate you have just read? What counts as a winning argument? Goodman and Einspruchs piece is our example of an analysis. They are directly critiquing Sharkeys argument. How do they do so? Upon what grounds do they do so? What kind of fallacies do they see Sharkey committing? Introduce: Creating Keyword searches and using those academic keywords in order to find relevant articles. Deciding which sources are reliable and effective choices. Introduce: MLA and APA citation. For Tuesday: Find and Post to Blackboard: a Visual Representation for three of our fallacies: Begging the Question, Red Herring, Non Sequiter, Straw Man, Stacked Evidence, Manufactured Evidence, Unreliable or Insufficient Evidence, Exaggerate or Oversimplified Evidence, Distorted Statistics, Either-Or, Post Hoc, Hasty Generalization. Thursday, September 29th Discussion: We will share some of our images of fallacies. How do we construct a logical argument that avoids these fallacies? We will work through a few types of proof that are acceptable in academic arguments: Argument from Signs Argument from Induction Arguments from Cause Argument by Deduction Argument from Historical (or figurative) analogy Argument from Definition Argument from Statistics Argument from Authority For Thursday: Blackboard and Printout: Identify three types of proof in Humanoid and Android Science by Hiroshi Ishiguro and Minoru Asada. 2 paragraphs. Blackboard: Post the bibliographic information for the article you have selected for your analysis paper. Give a couple of sentences explaining why this is a good choice for an analysis paper on this topic.

WEEK SEVEN Tuesday, October 4th Discussion: How can these forms of proof help in writing the Analysis Paper? Groupwork: Share your blackboard posts with your groups then use the collective proofs identified by the group to create an outline for an analysis paper on Ishiguros argument. Then, share your chosen article for the analysis assignment. For Thursday Blackboard and Printed: I want you to write out your working thesis for your analysis paper. Your thesis must be formed as a full paragraph, and should include a claim, at least two reasons, and at least on counter-claim. This exercise will give you the opportunity to practice writing an analysis before the first draft is due on Thursday, so put your best effort into making it clear, well-supported and precise. This writing record will also be peer reviewed in class, so be sure to bring it back for Monday. A Draft of Your Analysis Paper Thursday, October 6th Revision: Rather than a peer review, I want to spend some class time having you mark-up your working thesis. I will introduce, and then we will use, the PARAMEDIC method of revision. This will be followed by a discussion about your personal strategies for revision. Class Discussion: How are you planning on using fallacies and proofs in your analysis paper? For Thursday: Bring: Two consecutive body paragraphs from your Analysis Paper with the sentences separated and numbered individually down the left side of the paper. The Final Draft of Your Analysis Paper WEEK EIGHT Tuesday, October 4th Peer Review: One-on-one peer review of the Analysis Paper Mini-lecture/discussion: When and where do you need a transition? Groupwork: We will divide into groups of three and share our numbered paragraphs while working on four ways to transition between sentences and paragraphs: 1. 2. 3. 4. Repetition with a difference. Using transitions that establish a relationship (example, elaboration, similarity, difference, or cause and effect) This, These, Those, or Such Repetition of Key Terms

If one of these four rhetorical moves is not in place, but there is a successful transition then the group will get to name that rhetorical move. For Tuesday: Revise your Analysis Papers. The Revised Final Draft is due Thursday. Thursday, October 6th Submit Your Analysis Writing Project with all drafts, peer reviews and other necessary materials. Discussion/Mini-Lecture: Introduction to Writing Project 3 (Synthesis). What is the difference between synthesis and the dreaded compare/contrast assignment?

Groupwork: I will give the class an example Synthesis paper that actually works more like a compare/contrast paper and your group will decide how to give feedback so this imaginary peer would be able to write a synthesis paper. For Monday: Reading: WITD 166-176; Simon Friths Towards an Aesthetic of Popular Music WITD 497

WRITING PROJECT THREE: SYNTHESIS

WEEK NINE Tuesday, October 11th Return Analysis Writing Projects Grammar Exercise: We will review parallel sentence structure and discuss common issues from drafts. In-Class Writing: Use my comments and the responses from class discussion to begin revising your Analysis Papers. For Wednesday WITD 182-188 ***Your Revisions for the Analysis Writing Project will be due Thursday*** Thursday, October 13th Submit: Revisions for Analysis Writing Project Discussion: We have a solid synthesis example to work with on pages 183-186. We will grade the essay together while suggesting ways it could be improved. Grammar Discussion and activity: Why does punctuation matter? I will hand-out an example paper without punctuation and everyone will work to punctuate the example. We will then focus our attention on colons and semicolons. We will also begin to outline the various rules of comma usage. For Tuesday: Reading: Roger Scrutons Music and Morality WITD 511 Blackboard: (1) Write a quick one paragraph compare/contrast of Frith and Scruton. Which parts of Friths chapter are similar to Scrutons ? Which parts are different? (2) Write a paragraph explaining how you could turn your compare/contrast into a synthesis.

WEEK TEN Tuesday, October 18th Class Discussion: Share the ways you could turn compare/contrast into synthesis Discussion: What is the difference between a literature review and the synthesis paper we are writing for this course? Activity/Groupwork: We are going to design the rubric for the Synthesis assignment together in class by looking at Simon Friths article. Frith is attempting to synthesize the viewpoints of two positions. While we have not discussed the difference between an aesthetic and sociological approach before, his article will help us note the moves that are possible in a synthesis paper. We will first divide into groups in order to review the article and examine his rhetorical/argumentative moves. Then, we will reconvene as a group and create a rubric while discussing the essay. For Thursday: Brink Lindseys Culture of Success WITD 452; Herbert J. Gans The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty WITD 457

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Thursday, October 20th Activity: Speed Bibliography! (MLA Bibliography Formatting) Activity: We will create a dialogue between Brink Lindsey and Herbert J. Gans For Tuesday: Reading: WITD 207-215 ***Your Final Draft of your Synthesis Paper is Due. WEEK ELEVEN Tuesday, October 25th Activity/Workshop: Peer Review/Editing. Exchange Synthesis drafts with your partner, read, give feedback. Pay extra attention to grammar and style. Discuss/Freewrite: Research paper topics. What interests you that relates to some of our inquiries? Review: Expectations for the Synthesis paper For Thursday: ***Your Revised Final Draft for the Synthesis Writing Project Thursday, October 27th Submit: Your Revised Final Draft for the Synthesis Writing Project Discussion/Mini-Lecture: Introduction to Writing Project 4. What is a proposal and what is annotated? Activity: Course Map. We will chart the readings and ideas from the course and try to cluster these ideas and readings. Our goal will be to start mapping out potential research projects and inquiries.

WRITING PROJECT 4: RESEARCH PROPOSAL/ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESEARCH PAPER WEEK TWELVE Tuesday , November 1st Return Synthesis Writing Projects Grammar Exercise: We will review parallel sentence structure and discuss common issues from drafts. Library Tour/Research Demonstration For Thursdayy: Begin to narrow your topic. Begin with key words and a work towards and identifiable debate or controversy. I expect that will have at least visited the library website by this point and that you are looking for preliminary sources. You have to read in order to narrow your search for a topic. Reading: From Identifying Issues to Forming Questions (FIAW 65-76); WITD 190-201 and 235-240 *** Revisions for Synthesis Writing Project*** Thursday, November 3rd Submit: Revisions for Synthesis Writing Project Activity: Break into groups and write an annotated bibliography entry for Robert Sparrows Predators of Plowshares? Arms Control of Robotic Weapons WITD 197. Discussion: We will work out a possible proposal based upon the writings from our Synthesis Unit. For Tuesday: WEEK THIRTEEN Tuesday, November 8th Activity: Thesis workshop. What makes a good thesis? How can you make an argument matter?

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Grammar: Active and passive voice. In-Class Writing/Discussion: We will evaluate how the semester has gone thus far and then create a wish-list for the rest of the semester. What do you need in order to successfully complete your research project? For Thursday: Blackboard: 2 research paper topic ideasat least one typewritten paragraph per idea. The paragraph should explain the argument you might make and how it relates to one of the readings. Reading: WITD 263-273 Thursday, November 10th (You will need to schedule meeting with me this week to talk about your research) Discussion: We will go around the class and talk through your research topics For Tuesday: ***Continue to revise your research topic*** Blackboard: Find two sources you plan to use in your research paper. What are the arguments advanced in these sources? Why are they relevant to your inquiry? How is your research topic coming generally. Come prepared to discuss these sources with the class. Blackboard: 1 revised and extended research topic **Reminder: Your Final draft of your Research Proposal is due Tuesday, November 15th WEEK FOURTEEN Tuesday, November 15 th Peer Review of research proposal For Thursday: Your Revised Final Drafts of Your Research Proposals. As you are finishing this draft, identify and discuss the naysayers in one of your sources. Using the template from the excerpt I will hand-out in class, incorporate the evidence/reasons of a naysayer into your research proposal. This exercise will help you to recognize and respond to opposing voices while strengthening your own claims. Thursday, November 17th Submit: Your Revised Final Drafts of Your Research Proposals Activity: Each member of the class with give a brief 1-3 minute presentation of their research thus far. Discussion: What is the difference between a topic and a working thesis? Groupwork: We will break into groups that relate to your research topics and discuss ways to turn these topics into working thesis statements. In-Class Writing: Evaluate the Annotated Bibliography you read for todays class by imagining you are going into a peer review with this student. For Tuesday: Blackboard: Put your working thesis on blackboard with a list of questions you would like your classmates to answer. Everyone is responsible for responding to at least two of your peers. Bring: Your working thesis and an outline of your argument (This outline should focus on how the piece of your argument connect.) Have a great break. There is no class the week of Thanksgiving. You will, however, get my comments from your research proposals over break. WEEK FIFTEEN Tuesday, November 29 th Mini-Lecture: Turning your Proposal into the Research Paper. We will discuss ways of mapping your research process and effective ways to use your proposal.

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Activity: Pass the Thesis! Peer Review: Your Argumentative Outline **Reminder: The Working Draft your Research Paper (revised thesis, introduction, the first couple body paragraphs (3-4 pages)) is due Thursday. Thursday, December 1st Peer Review: Your Working Drafts Class Discussion/mini-lecture: The characteristics of a strong thesis statement. The five types of weak thesis statements, common errors. Groupwork: You will present your outlines to your research groups. For Wednesday: Bring: Your working drafts (introduction and first couple body paragraphs). WEEK SIXTEEN Tuesday, December 6th Activity/Peer Review: In groups, share your final full draft of your paper. We will look closely at topic sentences and paragraph unity. We will create a body paragraph and conclusion paragraph rubric. For Thursday: Bring: Your conclusion paragraphs. Tuesday, December 8th (Last Day of Class) Activity/Peer Review: We will peer review your conclusions Discussion: Course Evaluations and final questions and concerns. For Tuesday, December 13th: ***Your complete Final Drafts are due.*** * * Writing Project Descriptions * Writing Project 1 Natural Sciences and Technology: Argumentative Summary (2-3 pages, 1 paragraph abstract, 1 sentence) *

Readings/Resources: Sally Satels Why We Need a Market for Human Organs (WITD 310) Caroline Rubins The Gendered Language of Gamete Donation (WITD 313) Chapter 2 in WITD Natural Sciences and Technology (WITD 285-288) Also - **Your Blackboard Work regarding Chapter 2. The Situation: Your boss is having a meeting with her boss about possibly including one the above essays in a collection essays that the University Press you work for will publish shortly. She wants a one sentence blurb she can give her boss verbally, an abstract she can send through email (and perhaps use to in the collection) and she wants a longer summary so that when she meets with her boss she will have the argument down cold. Your Task: You need to summarize an article of your choosing in 2-3 pages, a 1 paragraph abstract and 1 sentence. The purpose of this project is to sharpen your skill in condensing the argument, form and content of a given text into summary. This task will involve prioritizing the texts most significant information and crystallizing its core points as well as examining how and why the text works.

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Using your own words, you will delineate (and condense) your authors argument, giving your reader (your boss) a clear understanding of the authors method and meaning. You will need to identify the claims in the text and how and why she/he makes these assertions. This summary is unlike other summaries you may have written or read. In this summary it will be necessary to PRIORITZE the claims your authors is making. Many summaries read like lists of what is in an article or argument, but that is not the kind of summary you are writing. It will be your job to explain why you think certain points/moves your author is making are MORE important than others. Which points are most important? Also, you will need to explain how all the pieces of the authors argument fit together. In none of these pieces does the author clearly state: this is how all of my argument fits together. Nevertheless, this is exactly what you must do in order to summarize the authors argument. You are making an argument about what is most important to understanding this argument. Think about trying to make your summary USEFUL for your boss. What does your boss need to know in order to sound informed when either agreeing or disagreeing with this argument? Evaluation Criteria: You will compose a clear, concise summary of one argument. You need to use your own words as you summarize your authors ideas. You will identify your authors claims, structure, and use of evidence. Start by identifying the purpose of the article as a whole, and then discuss the specific claims the authoris making and the evidence he uses in order of importance. You will demonstrate your understanding of the article You need to use proper grammar and paragraph organization. You need to use correct formatting ** Double-spaced, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins all around. You must demonstrate an understanding of the terms your chosen author is using while editing your work carefully for any grammatical, organizational, or spelling Deadlines Final Draft of Summary: Tuesday, September 6th Revised Final Draft: Thursday, September 8th Final Revisions are due: Tuesday, September 20th * * * * Writing Project 2 Technology: Analysis (4 pages)

Readings/Resources: Sherry Turkles Alone Together: The Robotic Movement WITD 322 Noel Sharkeys The Ethical Frontiers of Robotics WITD 357 Kenneth Goodman and Norman Einspruchs The Way Forward in the World of Robotics WITD 361 Chapter 3 in WITD **Your Blackboard Work regarding these readings. The Situation: Your assignment is to choose an academic article that engages the above technological debate concerning robotics and to analyze the article. The class will be sharing research and research techniques as we go along. This will give you the techniques necessary to form and inquiry and do your own research for your final project. You might think about which of the above arguments you find least or most successful and use that bibliography as a

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guide for finding your article. You will pay special attention to the genre of the article you chose, especially because this debate bends across so many genres. Analysis (for our purposes here) is the close examination of a text wherein one separates its parts, evaluates how each part relates to the whole, and draws conclusions about the texts value or effectiveness. An analysis is different from a summary: when summarizing a text, you are making statements about it that you would expect anyone who read the text to agree with. When you analyze a text, you are advancing a particular interpretation for which you have to argue. You are literally going to make judgments about this text. You will want to be more specific and good or bad and your judgments need to be carefully supported with evidence, but you must EVALUATE. Your Task: You will posit a clear, persuasive thesis that is supported throughout your paper. You will evaluate the claim, method and supporting evidence of one of the above articles. As with Writing Project #1, you will summarize the elements of the text. You will also evaluate each of these elements (claim, method, structure, evidence) and say why you believe she is wrong or right. If necessary, you may include aspects of the text to support or rebut the oppositional view. Ask yourself: what is her/his main argument? What are the defining parts of her argument? Does she give sufficient supporting evidence for her position? Do you agree or disagree with the author? Is her purpose in writing this work clear? Give your own evidence. Evaluation Criteria: You must have a clear, cohesive thesis statement. You should determine how the author constructs her argument. You need to effectively summarize the main arguments of the piece. You need to evaluate each element of the argument claim, method, structure, and evidence. You need to say if you agree with her or not. And why. (You must cite evidence!) You need to use proper citation style and punctuation for text quotations and paraphrasing. You need to use clear, concise language that is grammatically correct. You must use proper formatting. ** Double-spaced, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins all around. Deadlines Final Draft: Tuesday, October 4th Final revised draft: Thursday, October 6th Final Revisions are due: Thursday, October 13th * * * * Writing Project 3 Aesthetics and Sociology: Synthesis (4-5 pages) Readings/Resources: Writing a Synthesis (FIAW 139-149) and Chapter Six in WITD Group 1: Simon Firths Toward an Aesthetic of Popular Music WITD 497 Roger Scrutons Music and Morality WITD 511 Group 2: Venise Berrys Redeeming the Rap Music Experience WITD 516 Chose Your Own The Situation: In Music and Morality, Roger Scruton summarizes arguments for relating the structure of music to morality. While all of the pieces from this section of WITD engage this question, Scruton does so most forefully. He represents one side of the debate about the relationship between the aesthetic and the sociological. Your job in

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this paper is to use both sides of the argument in order to arrive at a carefully reasoned position you consider your own. You will point to weaknesses and strengths that each lens offers the issues at hand, and then you will ultimately create what you see as the correct or a more complex understanding of the problem. You can agree or disagree with one side of the issue, but you need to reshape the debate. You will take one of the texts from group one and one of the texts from group two to summarize and then synthesize in order to sharpen the skills needed to marry two separate texts about a similar topic into a unified whole. In addition to synthesizing the ideas of others, you will also engage in the conversation, asserting your own ideas as they emerge from the act of synthesis. Thus you will delineate the relationship between these texts while adding your own voice to the general discourse, developing a crucial skill necessary for your future academic inquiries. The key to this assignment is adding your own voice/perspective to a debate that you contextualize with the two articles you select. What are you going to add to this discussion/debate? Your Task: Posit a clear, persuasive thesis that is supported throughout your paper. Compose an essay that both synthesizes the dialogue between two sources and presents your own related ideas. Summarize the arguments, claims, and supporting evidence inherent in each text. Analyze the similarities and differences between your two authors and present your own original ideas about the material, arguing for the strengths in each text as well as how their weaknesses might be corrected. Evaluation Criteria: You will develop a clear, cogent thesis in your essay. You will examine and evaluate the claims, evidence and warrants in each text. You will highlight the similarities between them. You will present your own original ideas. You will argue for the strengths in each text and attempt to correct the weaknesses. You need to use proper citation style and punctuation for text quotations and paraphrasing. Your essay needs to be well-organized and use correct grammar and formatting. ** Double-spaced, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins all around. Deadlines Final Draft: Tuesday, October 25th Final revised draft: Thursday, October 27th Revisions: Thursday, November 3rd * * * * * Writing Project 4: Research Paper, Proposal & Annotated Bibliography (2 page proposal, 1-2 page bibliography and 8 page research paper) Readings/Resources: Your primary resources are the sources you identify through your research. In addition, refer to The Little, Brown Handbook, particularly the selections noted in class. Of course, the library is another crucial, necessary resource. I also require you to visit the for consultation at least once during the formulation of your paper. Formulating Issue-Based Questions (FIAW 77-81) From Identifying Issues to Forming Questions (FIAW 65-76) From Finding to Evaluating Sources (FIAW 105-121) The Situation: This assignment gives you the opportunity to enter the arena of critical discourse surrounding an issue of your choosing by undertaking an in-depth study of your chosen subject and relating your findings in a focused and articulate research paper. You will map out a focus for your investigation in the research proposal; you will then have to explain your ideas in more detail. Your own argument is the central component of the research paper, but you will also have to actively engage other critical sources that address your topic. You must, therefore, identify a particular critical conversation that centers on your topic of study. To do this, you must offer cogent summaries of

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these sources, you must analyze the effectiveness and significance of each sources argument, and you must synthesize them into a larger conversation about your topic. You will become a participant in this conversation. Therefore, your paper must contribute a unique and convincing argument and demonstrate an understanding of your topic. Your paper will cite the eight sources that your proposal has offered. You will utilize the writing skills you have developed throughout the semester, namely, summary, synthesis, and analysis, as well as further develop critical thinking and research skills that will serve you through the rest of your academic career. The research paper forms the bulk of your final grade, and it must be successfully completed to pass the course. The purpose of the research proposal is to define the aim of your research paper and organize its potential structure. You need to say why you have chosen your topic and what issues you intend to address therein as well as how you plan to meaningfully address your material. This proposal will provide a conceptual framework for your final research paper and serve as the starting point for your developing research skills. This proposal should include a preliminary, but still developed thesis, along with a description of the ways in which your source material will support it. You should also be considering the situation that has produced this question, and possible counterclaims that might be proposed. Your proposal should follow the guidelines set by the following template. It should outline your working thesis, the claims and evidence you will use to support your thesis, the context surrounding the issue, any related issues (think about counter-claims here), and the context for your argument. Your proposal should discuss each of these fully; in other words, there should be much, much more than one or two sentences for each part of the template. Your Working Thesis: Major Claims and SupportingEvidence: Context for Your Argument: Related Issue You Are Exploring: In addition, include an annotated bibliography for 2-3 of your most significant preliminary sources (you may change your sources afterwards with my approval), in which you summarize the arguments of each. An annotated bibliography consists of an MLA bibliographic entry followed by a 4-5 sentence summary and analysis of the source. Your Task: Your proposal needs to clearly delineate the aim and purpose of your research paper. What specific problem or question do you plan to address? What broad public conversation does your question respond to? Why is your inquiry worthy of examination and research? What are the potential consequences of this project? Who currently examines or discusses what you want to argue? Though you certainly havent yet arrived at your thesis, attempt to write one from the information you have gathered so far. Include an annotated bibliography of the sources you have so far culled. You will use at least 8 sources, in your final paper, at least four of which must be academic journal articles or books. Your annotations should be the two most important sources you have discovered thus far and they should explain how each source contributes to your final research project (as you currently see that possibility.) You should also identify and expound upon the significance of the author, its publication date or current relevance, the context or type of the source, the discipline out of which it arises, and the methodology that its author employs. You should concisely indicate whatever shortcomings (if any) you initially discover in the sources argument. You need to use Works Cited in the MLA Style (as discussed in class.) The research paper requires you to form a specific argument. You will formulate a thesis that is core to your overall argument and thoughtfully engage other critical sources that address the same topic. You will summarize these sources, analyze the efficacy of their arguments, and synthesize the work of others in the course of making your claims. As a legitimate participant in this larger conversation, you should demonstrate a thorough

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understanding of your topic and contribute a unique, cogent argument all your own. Your paper should cite at least eight sources.

Evaluation Criteria (for the Research Proposal): You need to present a clear vision of your research topic and a comprehensive plan for its execution. You need to persuasively assert your aim and purpose in choosing this topic. You need to develop an original perspective on a contemporary underground economy. You need to use citations on a Works Cited list that correctly follow the MLA format. You need to use proper grammar. You should use proper formatting. ** Double-spaced, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins all around.

Evaluation Criteria (for the Annotated Bibliography): You need to include at least 8 sources, four of which must be academic journal articles or books. You must explain how each source contributes to your final research project. You need to identify and expound upon the significance of the author, its publication date or current relevance, the context or type of the source, the discipline out of which it arises, and the methodology that its author employs. You should concisely indicate whatever shortcomings (if any) you initially discover in the sources argument. Evaluation Criteria (for the Research Paper): Your paper needs to be well-organized and designed around a clear, cogent thesis. Your paper needs to address a specific inquiry. (This inquiry will insert your voice into a conversation already taking place.) You need to evaluate and question claims and offer in turn your own counter-claims. You need to demonstrate a comprehensive mastery of summary, analysis, and synthesis, using each element to support a unique, persuasive argument. You should demonstrate a thorough understanding of your subject matter. You need to use proper grammar throughout your paper. You must use correct formatting. ** Double-spaced, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins all around. You must use secondary sources in a meaningful way (one that supports or clarifies your argument), and your citations must follow MLA format. Rough Draft of English 110 Research Paper Evaluation Rubric Taking a Position: The writer articulates a position or thesis that contributes to a significant public conversation. The position relates to key themes discussed in the class materials and work. The writer attends to the consequences of his or her position, its personal relevance, and the potential or real public impact. 1--------------------------2-------------------------3---------------------4-----------------------5 Developing Arguments in Context: The writer understands that arguments emerge from important public and academic conversations in which participants respond to each other as if in dialogue. They question claims, ask questions about evidence, consider the appropriateness of the evidence, qualify their assertions, and respond to counter claims. 1--------------------------2-------------------------3---------------------4-----------------------5 Using Sources Effectively: The writer identifies and reviews appropriate source material relevant to his or her position, characterizes the sources arguments, discusses disciplinary methods and approaches, provides historical context, critiques the sources, and considers the sources perspectives. 1--------------------------2-------------------------3---------------------4-----------------------5

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Engaging Intellectual Strategies: The writer demonstrates the ability to engage in a dialogue of ideas with the sources used in the paper. The work is enhanced by the ability to summarize, synthesize, and analyze. In addition, writers demonstrate how appropriate paraphrasing and quoting contribute to this dialogue of ideas. 1--------------------------2-------------------------3---------------------4-----------------------5 Using Language Appropriately: The writer makes grammar and stylistic choices appropriate to the audience and purpose. The writer also cites sources appropriately, integrating the cited material into the writers work. 1--------------------------2-------------------------3---------------------4-----------------------5

Deadlines Final draft of Proposal and Annotated Bibliography: Tuesday, November 15th Revised final draft of Annotated Bibliography: Thursday November 17th First Full Draft of Research Paper: Thursday, December 1st Revised Draft of Research Paper: Tuesday, December 6th Final Revisions for Writing Project Number 5: Tuesday, December 13th * * * *

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