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

"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.

Necessity may be the Mother of Invention, but it is thoughtful Reflection that provides context and brings coherence to Invention. In this course we will spend a lot of time coming up with ideas through writing and then refining our writing as these ideas coalesce. Good writing, moreover, must be persuasive to others as well as reflective of our own thought processes. Persuasion is at the heart of argument, and argument (in the classical sense) is at the heart of effective writing. 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 third of this course will be devoted to the discussion of the concepts of Invention & Reflection, and the written work will consist of short in-class and out-of-class writing assignments and various rhetorical and editorial exercises. The last two-thirds of this course will be focused more on the analysis and discussion of various issues, arguments, and types of formal essays, and the written work will take the form of longer papers 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) Reflection 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 Refelctive Writing 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 Hacker 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.

Out-of-Class Reaction Papers: You will be asked to write 5 very short out-of-class 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 of your choice. More details will be forthcoming.

Class Moderation of Gun Control Article: During the week before the Debate, each student will be responsible for finding a provocative article in a major publication that pertains to the topic of Gun Control. This article must be of substantial length (1000 or more words,) must come from a major US or International newspaper or periodical (check with me regarding websources,) and must be interesting, provocative, recent and pertinent. Each student will be responsible for leading a 5-10 minute class discussion of her/his article. Consult with me at least two class periods before you are scheduled to moderate, and distribute copies of your article to the class at least 48 hours in advance.

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

Conferences: You are required to attend two formal conferences with me during scheduled class periods. 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 pizza & movies together three or four times during the course of the term.

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 also is 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 Out-of-class Reaction Papers, all In-Class Reflective Writing assignments, all Peer Evaluation Exercises, 1 Gun Control Research Paper (plus debate notes and research materials; this is the last paper, so you may not have time for multiple drafts;) 1 Freedom of Speech Essay (INCLUDING all previous drafts, plus thesis, notes, outline, and brain-storming notes;) 1 Preference & Prejudice Essay (INCLUDING all previous drafts, plus thesis, notes, outline, and free-writing notes;) and 1 Civil Rights Essay (INCLUDING 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 (rough) guidelines:

Attendance, Participation, & In-Class Reflective Writing: +/-20%

5 Out-of-Class Reaction Papers: +/-10%

Class Moderation of Provocative Article: +/-10%

Freedom of Speech on Campus Essay: +/-10%

Preference & Prejudice on Campus Essay: +/-10%

Civil Rights in America Post 9/11 Essay: +/-10%

Gun Control in America Debate: +/-10%

Gun Control in America Research Paper: +/-10%

Portfolio: +/-10%

*ALL ASPECTS of this course must be completed in order to pass the course, regardless of the overall percentage earned.*

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 certainly would warrant failure of the assignment, possibly failure of the course, and quite probably 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.*