1 English 125.

051 | Winter 2012

The Writing of Everyday Life

Instructor: Emily Howard Time: M & W 8:30-10AM Room: 2454 Mason Hall Contact: enhoward@umich.edu Office: 3021 Tisch Hall Office Hours: Mon. 10-11, Thurs. 11-12, and by appt.

General Description for English 125 | This writing course focuses on the creation of complex, analytic, well-supported arguments that matter in academic contexts. Students work closely with their peers and the instructor to develop their written prose. Readings cover a variety of different genres and academic disciplines. Course Description for Section 051 | Everyday life is where we spend most of our time, but many of the books, movies, and TV shows we consume are dedicated to helping us escape it. The words we use to describe everyday things are usually neutral or negative: common, humdrum, run-of-the-mill, and, in a word, boring. Why? In this class, we will ask ourselves whether everyday life really is boring and humdrum. What can we learn if we pay attention to everyday life instead of trying to escape it? Our writing and class discussions will be based on readings of literature, history, sociology, and anthropology, which will allow us to critique and re-evaluate everyday living. Assignments will include four short skill-building assignments, three formal papers, and an in-depth revision, for a total of about 30 pages of polished writing. Required Texts Housekeeping by Marilyn Robinson The Little Seagull Handbook by Richard Bullock and Francine Weinberg They Say/I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein Readings to be printed from CTools Textbooks can be purchased at Barnes and Noble in the Michigan Union, Ulrichs, and Michigan Book and Supply. They are also available online, but make sure to order them early so they have enough time to arrive in the mail. Course Requirements attendance and participation assigned readings in-class writing and activities workshop participation revision and self-assessment skill-building assignments (2 pages) four papers: 3, 5, 8, and 5-7 pages Grade Distribution Attendance and participation: 10% Peer reviews: 15% Skill building assignments: 15% Paper #1: 10% Paper #2: 15% Paper #3: 20% Revision: 15%

2 Course Policies In Class Daily Preparation: On discussion days, being prepared means coming to each class with the days texts for discussion and any due assignments in hand. But it is not enough to just be present: you must have thoughtfully read the assigned readings and should be ready to discuss them. This includes having looked up unfamiliar words and phrases and writing down questions that you have about the readings. On workshop days, being prepared means coming in having carefully read and commented on your fellow students papers, with a copy of your peer critiques in hand. Classroom Expectations: Active class participation is a must. Getting full participation points for the day requires contributing to class or small group discussion by making more than one well-thought-out comment. If you are shy to the point that it might hurt your participation grade, come see me in my office and well figure out how to make you comfortable participating. In order to have productive class discussions and workshops, we need to create an environment that is conducive to the exchange of ideasthat is, we need to be open, attentive, and respectful to one another. With this in mind, we will all learn each others names so we can respond to each others comments directly. I also ask that you turn your phone, laptop, and other electronic devices off and put them away when you walk into the classroom. If you use an electronic device in class, you will lose participation points for that day. Attendance and Lateness: Punctual attendance is mandatory. Because of the nature of this course, everyones participation and energy is important, and your consistent presence is vital to the classs success. After two unexcused absences, your letter grade for the entire course will be dropped by 1/3 (that is, A- to B+, etc.) If you will be absent from class due to severe illness, accident, or family emergency, your absence will be excused; but you must let me know by email as soon as possible. Whether or not you have a legitimate excuse for absence, it is your responsibility to get notes from your classmates for the day you miss. Also note that every two class periods that you are late will count as one unexcused absence. If you think you might be regularly late because of another obligation, let me know at the start of the semester. Workshops: Paper workshops are a vital part of what we do in this class. Workshop reviews and participation are a large part of your overall course grade, and should be taken as seriously as any other graded assignment. I will hand out workshop guidelines early in the semester. Submitting Assignments Assignment Submission: Unless otherwise noted in class or on the syllabus, SBAs and finished essays will be submitted, graded, and returned electronically through CTools. See the formatting and submission guidelines on page 5 for details. If you are having problems with CTools, email

3 the paper to me as an attachment. In addition to the finished product, you will be asked to write a self-assessment of the writing process and each papers strengths and weaknesses in class before turning it in. I will not grade a paper for which I do not have a self-assessment. Late Assignments: Late papers will lose 1/3 of a letter grade, and SBAs will lose .5 points for every day (not just Mondays and Wednesdays) late. Each day begins with the time the assignment is due (that is, if a paper is due at 5pm and you dont turn it in until several hours later, it will still lose 1/3 of a letter grade.) I will not accept assignments that are over two weeks late for any reason. Extensions: If you need a due-date extension, let me know as soon as possible. I only grant one extension per student; the maximum extension is four days. An extension is something that you ask for well in advance, not the night before a paper is due. I will not grant extensions for computer problems because the excuse is both preventable and often-abused. To prevent disasters, I strongly suggest that you get in the habit of backing up your files as you work, either on your IFS space (mfile.umich.edu) or an external hard drive. Rewrites: I will allow one re-write per student per semester, of either essay 1, 2, or 3, for papers that have received a C+ or below. I only allow rewrites for this grade-range because papers that are B- and above contain all the components of a complete paper, whereas C+ and below do not. If you receive a C+ or below on a paper, you may rewrite it under the following conditions: (1) You must come see me in my office to talk about it, and (2) you have the paper back to me by the date I specify (usually two weeks after I return the papers.) Note that there is no guarantee that I will raise your grade just because you do a re-write. Fixing typos, moving some sentences around, and cleaning up your formatting will not get you a higher grade. Papers land in the C-range or below because they have no discernible argument, they have an argument that does not respond to the prompt or merely states the obvious, or they fall more than a page short of the specified page-length. None of these things is a quick fix. If I decide that your re-write merits a higher grade, its grade will replace the original grade of the paper. Extra Credit Reader Responses: Write me an eloquent, passionate, and thoughtful 2-page response to any of the texts we have read this semester (with the caveat that you cant skip ahead in the syllabus.) If I think it truly is eloquent, passionate, and thoughtful, I will add 1/3 of a letter grade to any paper of your choosing that has already been graded. (You might want to write the response early, revise it along the way, and turn it in at a strategic moment.) I will distribute a prompt for this assignment early in the semester.

4 Outside of Class Email: The best way to contact me is by email, which I check several times a day. However, I ask that you keep these things in mind: (1) I do not keep late hours, so plan ahead and avoid frantic late-night, last-minute emails. (2) I do not give comments on large pieces of writing over email. (A sentence or a paragraph is fine, but if you need feedback on anything more extensive, please see me in my office.) (3) The 24-Hour Rule: Do not contact me with questions about paper grades or comments until at least 24 hours after I have handed the paper back. After the 24-hour period is up, set up an appointment to see me in my office if you have still have questions. As a general rule, I only discuss grades in person. A note on email etiquette: Upon entering college, its important for students to recognize right away that emails to instructors, administrators, and staff are professional correspondence. In these cases, emails are not text messages; they should have a salutation (Dear/Hi/Hello, _______), a signature (Sincerely/Thanks, ________), and should not be written in text-speak. Many students do not realize that emails written without these things (e.g. what is the reading for tomorrow? as the entire email) usually come off as rude and disrespectful, even if that was not the intention. I dont insist on super-formality in email correspondenceHi Emily is enoughbut I do ask that you dont email me as if you were texting me. Office Hours: I encourage all of you to come see me during office hours. Just dropping by unannounced is fine, but if you know in advance that you have a specific issue youd like to talk about, please email me beforehand to give me a heads-up. If you have class during my office hours, I will set up an alternate time to meet with you. General Policies Disabilities and Severe Illness: If you have disability paperwork, please turn it in to me as soon as possible. Likewise, if you need accommodations for hearing, vision, classroom accessibility, medical emergencies, etc., let me know so I can set them up right away. If you are experiencing severe long-term health problemsphysical or mentalthat are interfering with your ability to attend class or complete assignments, let me know whats going on. Please know that anything you tell me is completely confidential. I am more than willing to accommodate students who are dealing with health issues, but I cant help unless I know there is a problem! Religious Observance: If you need to miss a class or alter the due date for an assignment because of religious observance, please let me know well in advance so we can work something out.

5 Plagiarism: There is a clear difference between inaccurately citing sources and deliberately trying to pass off someone elses words or ideas as your own. In the case of the latter, I will report it to the Writing Program Director and the Assistant Deans Office. If you plagiarize an assignment, you will receive a zero for it and will most likely fail the course, in addition the Universitys sanctions. If you are having personal troubles that are keeping you from writing papers, please come talk to me and we will work something out. Plagiarism is not the answer! A detailed breakdown of plagiarism and its consequences can be found on the English department website: lsa.umich.edu/english/undergraduate/advising/plagNote.asp.

Technical Considerations:
List of Due Dates for Quick Reference SBA #1: Monday, January 9th Essay #1: Draft: Friday, January 20th; Final: Monday, January 30th SBA #2: Tuesday, February 7th Essay #2: Draft: Friday, February 17th; Final: Monday, February 27th SBA #3: Monday, March 26th Essay #3: Draft: Friday, March 16th; Final: Monday, March 26th SBA #4: Monday, April 2nd Essay #4: Draft: Friday, April 6th; Final: Wednesday, April 18th Submission Guidelines Finished skill-building assignments and papers are due at 5pm on the day listed through the assignments feature on CTools. Drafts are due at midnight on the day listed under the appropriate heading in the forum. Assignments will be returned in your dropbox. Formatting Guidelines for Finished Papers and Skill-Building Assignments All finished papers and journals must be: (1) in .doc or .docx format, (2) written in a reasonable 12-point font (Times New Roman, Cambria, or Calibri), (3) double-spaced (4) with 1-inch margins on all sides, (5) pages numbered in the top right-hand corner, (6) your name, our class number, and the date in the top left-hand corner of the first page, (7) formatted in MLA style, and (8) with a file name that follows this format: Lastname Firstname Assignmentname.docx (e.g. Smith Jane Essay 2 Final.docx.) Grades and Grading Scales All plagiarized assignments and assignments over two weeks late will be given a 0. I give papers letter grades initially, and then convert them directly to the Universitys standard 4-point scale at the end of the semester. Papers A 4.0 A3.7 B+ 3.3 B 3.0 B2.7 C+ 2.3 C 2.0 C1.7 D+ 1.3 D 1.0 D0.7 E 0.0 Skill-building assignments 5: 100% 4.5: 90 4: 80 3.5: 70 3: 60 2.5: 50 2: 40 1.5: 30 1: 20 .5: 10

7 Schedule of Readings and Assignments Readings and assignments are due on the day they appear here. WEEK 1 January 4th Introductions, logistics Approaches to What? by Georges Perec (I will hand this out in class.) PART 1: WHAT IS THE EVERYDAY AND WHERE DOES IT HAPPEN? WEEK 2 January 9th Selections from Al Que Quiere! by William Carlos Williams Introduction to At Home by Bill Bryson I take your point: Entering Class Discussions from They Say / I Say (pp. 141-44) *SBA #1 Due in class January 11th Introduction to They Say/I Say (1-15) Selections from Reading the Everyday by Joe Moran WEEK 3 January 16th No ClassMartin Luther King, Jr. Day January 18th Nests from The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard The Hall from At Home by Bill Bryson Paper for mock workshop *Friday January 20th: Essay #1 Draft Due on CTools by Midnight WEEK 4: Working on Essay #1 January 23rd Workshop January 25th Workshop PART 2: THE POLITICS OF EVERYDAY LIFE WEEK 5 January 30th From Landscape for a Good Woman by Carolyn Steedman Nixon in Moscow: The Kitchen Debate by Karal Ann Marling *Essay #1 Due on CTools by 5pm st February 1 Front and Back Regions of Everyday Life by Erving Goffman The Problem that Has No Name by Betty Friedan They Say from They Say / I Say (pp.19-50)

8 WEEK 6 February 6th No classmandatory private conferences on M-W instead. *Tuesday February 7th: SBA #2 Due on CTools by 5pm February 8th Housekeeping Chapters 1-3 (pp. 3-59) The Shadow Scholar by Ed Dante Academic Integrity and Student Plagiarism by Susan D. Bloom WEEK 7 February 13th Housekeeping Chapters 4-7 (pp. 60-142) I Say from They Say / I Say (pp. 55-100) February 15th The rest of Housekeeping Reading for Conversation from They Say/I Say (pp. 145-55) *Friday February 17th: Essay #2 Draft Due on CTools by Midnight WEEK 8: Working on Essay #2 February 20th Workshop February 22nd Workshop February 27th & 29th: No Class. Spring Break. Choose a research topic; I recommend that you also start doing research. *Monday February 27th Essay #2 Due on CTools by 5pm Remember to email me your self-assessment! PART 3: EVERYDAY OBJECTS AND HOW WE CONSUME THEM WEEK 9 March 5th Plastic by Roland Barthes Rough Magic: Bags by Steven Connor March 7th The Tyranny of Choice by Steven Waldman The Collector by Walter Benjamin WEEK 10 March 12th Bring The Little Seagull Handbook to class. Tying it All Together from They Say / I Say (pp.105-137) Introduction to Waste and Want by Susan Strasser March 14th Bring The Little Seagull Handbook to class.

9 A Brief Foray into Style from How to Write a Lot by Paul J. Silvia *Friday March 16th: Essay #3 Draft Due on CTools by Midnight WEEK 11: Working on Essay #3 March 19th Workshop March 21st Workshop PART 4: ROUTINES, HABITS, CHORES WEEK 12 March 26th What We Say, What We Do from Rubbish! by Rathje and Murphy Specious Barriers from How to Write a Lot by Paul J. Silvia *Essay #3 and SBA #3 Due on CTools by 5pm March 28th Doing Cooking by Lucie Girard Two Letters and They Speak for Themselves by Mass Observation WEEK 13 April 2nd No classmandatory private conferences on M-W instead. *SBA #4 Due April 4th Do not knock from Minima Moralia by Theodore Adorno How Writing Leads to Thinking (And Not the Other Way Around) by Lynn Hunt *Friday April 6th: Final Revision Draft Due on CTools by Midnight WEEK 14: Working on Final Revision April 9th Workshop April 11th Workshop WEEK 15 April 16th Last day! *Final Essay Due on CTools on Wednesday, April 18th at Midnight