English 101: Composition, Rhetoric, & the Art of Argument

Course Syllabus

 General Information

 Required Texts

 Course Structure

 Course Requirements

 Course Evaluation

 Attendance/ Participation

Instructor: C. Fee

Meeting Time: MW 11:00-12:15

Meeting Place: Stine 200

Office: G-313A

Office Hours: MW 2:00-4:00, F 10:00-12:00, and by appointment

Office Phone: x6762

Home Phone: 337-3482

E-mail: cfee@gettysburg.edu

Class E-mail: ENG-101-L@gettysburg.edu

 

Required Texts:

Course Objectives & Structure:

"Why am I taking this course? What may I hope to get out of it?" These are questions which are asked in courses in every discipline; in fact, I would hope that every college student examines these issues carefully in each class she or he takes. In composition courses, these questions sometimes are supplemented by the (usually) unspoken assessment that "I already know how to write!" Again, this is a reasonable position; you do indeed know how to write. The point of this course is not to reinvent the wheel, but rather to introduce you to methods and strategies which will help you to develop and to sharpen skills which you have already begun to acquire. These skills include the abilities to organize ideas clearly and logically, to perceive distinctions between various ideas and positions, to identify and to avoid logical fallacies, and (most of all) to present ideas, information, and opinions in a clear, concise, articulate, and persuasive manner.

Persuasion is at the heart of argument, and argument (in the classical sense) is at the heart of this writing course. Whatever path you take in life, you will soon come to value the ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Whether you are composing a memo asking for a raise at work, vying for a research grant from the federal government, or preparing a medical paper on a new surgical technique, good writing skills will prove indispensable. Even when writers purport merely to be reporting facts, good ones do so in such a way as to seem convincing and well-informed, while poor ones often leave their readers skeptical. In other words, the way in which we present information may prove as influential as the information itself. For this reason, this course is structured around rhetorical skills; that is, the skills necessary to construct and to present a coherent and persuasive argument. Further, effective writers learn to approach their craft as a dynamic process, not as a static product, and so in this course we will focus on invention strategies and revision techniques which reflect an understanding of writing as on-going and open-ended.

Roughly speaking, the first half of this course will be devoted to the discussion of the concept of argument and specific rhetorical strategies, and the written work will consist of short writing assignments and various rhetorical and editorial exercises. The second half of this course will be focused more on the analysis and discussion of various issues, arguments, and texts, and the written work will take the form of longer essays which will involve a number of invention strategies, a great deal of peer-, instructor-, and self-editing, and a series of revised drafts for each assignment. Thus this course will be structured around two primary themes: 1) argumentation and rhetorical analysis as a foundation for clear thinking, reading, and writing across the disciplines; 2) structured editing and revision as tools for the implementation of these rhetorical goals.

 

Course Requirements & Assignments:

Assignments, most especially assignments scheduled for peer review, are due at the beginning of class on the specified date. All assignments (except in-class exercises and informal invention exercises) must be typed, double-spaced, and in a clear and legible font sized for 250-350 words to the page. Consult "Preparing the Manuscript" (328) and "Sample Research Paper (MLA Style)" (354-367) in Elements for further guidelines on format for assignments. Handwritten assignments will be returned to you unread. This campus is crawling with computers, and you must learn to use them (if you haven’t already). Write out and sign the Honor Code on all assignments.

Reaction Papers: You will be asked to write 5 very short papers during the course of the term; as the name suggests, these papers should convey your reaction to the material or issues at hand, and therefore will be evaluated on the basis of thoughtfulness, creativity, and coherence. In other words, you can take some risks, as these will be assessed on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Thus you can guarantee that you will receive full credit on a big part of your final grade simply by giving each Reaction Paper your best effort (there’s no need to worry about a grade!). The function of such "reaction" writing is to accustom you to a style of composition which is not unlike some of the invention exercises you will be asked to employ. Four of these papers are formally assigned, while one should be an independent paper on an unassigned reading (from Elements or elsewhere) of your choice. More details will be forthcoming.

Debate Participation & Paper: In the course of our study of argument you will research and participate in a formal debate for and against capital punishment; you will also be asked to write up a report of your position.

Long Essays: You will compose a number of longer essays (each in a series of steps and drafts) in the second part of the term. For each assignment you MUST participate in a Peer Evaluation exercise, and each successive draft MUST be accompanied by any and all earlier drafts.

Peer Evaluation Exercises: You will be asked to provide editorial comments on a number of your peers’ works-in-progress. You should approach each such exercise as an opportunity to provide advice and encouragement to your colleague, to practice analyzing the rhetorical techniques of others, and to reflect upon your own strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I will provide you with a sheet of guidelines on the day of the first Peer Evaluation exercise.

In-Class Writing, Small-Group Exercises, & Informal Writing: Some class time will be devoted to in-class writing and Small-Group exercises; these are designed to give you the opportunity to try out in a structured environment some of the strategies and techniques which you will later use on your own. We will discuss informal writing and various invention techniques early in the term.

Conferences: You are required to schedule at least two conferences with me outside of class time during two weeks of the term. Attendance at these conferences is mandatory; more details will be forthcoming. You are encouraged to schedule appointments with me as often as you like. We also will have a number of group activities and/or meals during the course of the term.

Class E-mail: We have a class e-mail account which I request you to use as much as possible in order to spark discussion on rhetoric, assignments, unresolved questions, etc. You are required to participate in the e-mail forum at least once per week. There are also times noted on the schedule when I will ask you to participate in more structured discussions about certain topics and assignments. E-mail participation counts as part of your overall participation grade, and at the end of the term I will look back upon all of your e-mail missives and assign that part of your grade on the basis of the time and effort consistenly displayed.

Portfolio: Your Portfolio is a complete and organized collection of all of your major work of the semester. It should reflect both your activities as a writer and those as a peer editor, and the exercise of compiling it is designed to impress upon you the nature of writing as an ongoing and fluid activity, and not as a series of static and unrelated assignments. The Portfolio is also designed as a way for you to take personal control of a large portion of your final grade. You may certainly go above and beyond the stated minimum, but your Portfolio MUST contain: 5 Reaction Papers, 6 Peer Evaluation Exercises, 1 Debate Paper (plus notes and research materials), 1 Essay on The Railway Man, the "other", and our perceptions of humanity (MINIMUM 2 drafts, plus thesis, notes, outline, and brain-storming notes), 1 Essay on Frankenstein, the cultural construction of the "self", and our sense of identity (MINIMUM 2 drafts, plus thesis, notes, outline, and free-writing notes), and 1 Essay on Poor Things, "truth" vs. "fiction", our understanding of narrative, and the nature of postmodern literature (I may still have your final draft of this essay, but the Portfolio should include all previous drafts, thesis, notes, outline, invention exercise notes, etc.) In order to get ANY Portfolio credit for an essay, ALL parts of that essay (earlier drafts, outline, etc.) MUST be in the Portfolio. The Portfolio as a whole is worth a large portion of your final grade; if it is complete (as described above) you will receive a very good mark. Penalties for missing or slapdash work will be assessed at my discretion. Be aware, however, that you may earn a few bonus points if your Portfolio is particularly neat and contains extra items from class work or your own work. Keep in mind that your Portfolio should be a reflection of your work both as an editor and as a writer. Careful collection of your materials and organization of your Portfolio is a surefire way to boost your average!

Course Evaluation:

This is a course concerned with acquiring and honing necessary skills, and the primary objectives of such a course often become blurred by the hoop-jumping nature of the grading process; further, my roles as a facilitator and as a more experienced writer within a community of writers become conflated with my role as evaluator of your work, and this does no one much good. I’d like to teach a course such as this one without grades, but that is impractical for a number of reasons. I have, instead, devised a system whereby grading in this course is structured around those things most important to a writing workshop: hard work, perseverance, and revision, revision, revision. I can’t promise everyone an "A" in this course, but I can promise that I have structured the grading system so that, if you complete all assignments on time, you do not miss class, and you always come prepared and willing to participate, you should earn a satisfactory grade, and you may improve this grade by revising the longer essays. You may revise these essays as many times as you like, and only the highest score of each will be averaged into your final grade. HOWEVER: You must submit each revised draft within ONE WEEK of the day you received the previous graded draft. Please refer to the handout on grading for a break-down of my expectations concerning an "A" essay, a "B" essay, etc. Your final grade will be determined according to the following guidelines:

 

Attendance, Participation, Late Work, & Plagiarism:

Because so much of our class time is structured around peer evaluations and similar exercises, regular attendance, adequate preparation, and active participation are absolutely vital. This is not a lecture course. If you always come to class, you are always prepared, and you always give a good effort in class activities, you will do well in this course; if you do not, you will not. For these same reasons, late work (except under the most dire of circumstances) is simply unacceptable. Very occasionally such circumstances do arise; if so, call me, at the very latest on the evening before an assignment is due. If you are ill over a period of days, for instance, call me as soon as your work schedule is interrupted; I’d like to know how you are, and the sooner I know, the more easily we can work out alternative arrangements. Sudden emergencies, on the other hand, although traumatic, seldom provide a real excuse for late work; if your hard drive crashes fifteen minutes before class time, that may be a sign that you should budget your work time more effectively (and back up your work!). Plagiarism--that is, claiming someone else’s writing as your own, or stealing someone else’s intellectual property--is a violation of the Honor Code; a case of plagiarism in this course would warrant failure of the assignment, possibly failure of the course, and certainly further disciplinary action by the Honor Commission. See the course guidelines on plagiarism for further information.

 

This syllabus and the course schedule are subject to change.