ENG 102-10: English Composition II

TR: 8:00-9:15

140 McIver Building

 

Instructor: Terry L. Kennedy

Office: 136F McIver Building, Mailbox: 133 McIver Building

Office Hours: TR: 7:00-8:00 am

E-mail: tlkenned@bigfoot.com

Phone: 336-334-5311

FAX: 336-334-3281

Course Description: The purpose of this course is to help you become successful interpreters, speakers, and writers of arguments. Daily written assignments, three presentations, three major papers, regular conferences, and final portfolio.

Student Learning Goals:

At the Completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Interpret and evaluate argumentative discourse, including writing and speech.

Construct cogent arguments.

Communicate those arguments clearly, coherently and effectively.

Locate, synthesize, and evaluate relevant information.

Demonstrate an understanding of the aims and methods of intellectual discourse.

Weigh evidence and evaluate the arguments of differing viewpoints.

Attendance: ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED! You are allowed ONE absence during the semesterno exceptions. If you miss two days, you will lose 2 points from your final total; if you miss three days, you will lose 4 points; four days, 6 points; if you miss five or more days, you will automatically fail the course.

If you are late to class or leave early from class, it counts as ½ an absence.

Absences include illness, sporting events, car accidents, acts of nature, etc. In other words, an absence is an absence is an absence. I do not need a note from the health center or police department, as it will make absolutely no difference at all.

If you are absent on the day of a conference, a paper is due, a workshop, etc., you not only receive two absences, you also get a zero for the missed assignment.

If you do not miss a class (and you are on time each day) you will receive five extra points toward your final grade.

Class Work:

Your Responsibilities are to:

Read and/or listen to each assignment carefully and come to class prepared to discuss it. (Note: always bring your texts to class.)

Participate ACTIVELY in large-group and small-group discussions.

Attend regularly scheduled conferences.

Turn daily reading assignments.

Turn in regular peer critiques.

Write a three-to-four page "Evaluation" paper, a four-to-five page "Proposal" paper, and a five-to-six page "Humorous Argument" paper.

Give one twenty-minute evaluation/presentation.

Hold one thirty-five-minute group presentation/class discussion.

Create and present one fifty-minute multi-media group project.

Turn in a final portfolio of all of your work.

The Writing Center:

A large part of developing your skills as a writer revolves around learning how to receive and interpret critical readings of your work from a variety of sources. To that end, you will be required to take drafts two and three of papers one ("Casual Argument") and two ("Proposal"), as well as draft one of paper three ("Humorous Argument") to the University Writing Center for out-of-class critique.

Extra Credit:

Extra credit assignments will be posted on our Web Page periodically throughout the semester. (Note: I will not discuss the extra-credit assignments in class. It is YOUR responsibility to check the website and e-mail me for details.)

Assignment Miscellany:

All assignments should be typed, double-spaced, with a size 12 "times" font, 1inch top & bottom margins, and 1.25 inch left & right margins.

Assignments failing to use the specified spacing, font, or margins will not be accepted.

It is your responsibility to bring the required number of copies of each assignment to class. Failure to bring in the required number of copies will result in your receiving a zero for the assignment.

Late assignments will not be accepted.

Texts:

The majority of our texts (including homework assignments and handouts) for the semester will be made available on-line via our website. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that you have all of the required texts well in advance. Failure to bring the required texts to class will result in ½ an absence. (Note: I couldnt get to the computer lab, my printer isnt working, I couldnt log onto the web, etc. are not valid excuses.) (Note: Unless otherwise noted, all website texts are Microsoft Word 2000 documents.)

Other texts:

A good dictionary!

Mixed CDs

(Note: The mixed CDs may be purchased from me for $2 per CD. Additionally, 1 copy of each CD will be placed on Reserve at the Jackson Library for 2-hour checkout.)

Other materials:

Large three-ring binder

Stapler

Grading:

Your final grade will determined by the following breakdown:

    1. Major Papers & Final Portfolio: 50%
    2. Class Participation (Note: This includes participation in class discussions, interaction with group presentations, and the seriousness/quality of your written critiques of your classmates work.): 30%
    3. Presentations/Class Discussions: 20%

Schedule:

8/21: First day of class Presentation sign-up

8/23: Introductions

Reading/Listening:

Essay: Spoken Arguments

Conspiracy Theory Rock

Making Contact - Selective Access: Public Broadcasting

Making Contact Whose Free Press? Media Consolidation and Democracy

Tate Hausman & Don Hazen The Top Ten Censored Stories of 2000: Exposing the News that didnt Make the News

Presentation sign-up (cont.)

8/28: Reading: Essay: Evaluations

Making Contact Questioning Reality: Prevalent Myths in the U.S.

Making Contact Unconventional Wisdom Highlights 1998

Group Presentation/Class Discussion: Evaluations

8/30: CLASS CANCELLED

9/3: LABOR DAY HOLIDAY

9/4: CLASS CANCELLED

9/6: Reading/Listening:

Making Contact Hidden Truths: The Mass Media and Poverty

Making Contact Race and Capitalism

Making Contact Race to the Bottom: The Slave Economy

Making Contact Making a Living: Challenging Wage Inequality

Transcription: Making Contact Hidden Truths: The Mass Media and Poverty (Bring 2 copies to class!)

Presentation/Evaluation: Making Contact Hidden Truths: The Mass Media and Poverty

9/11: Reading/Listening:

Making Contact Narrowing the Gap: Wealth and Economic Justice Making Contact Surplus Population or Marginalized Poor?

Making Contact Share the Wealth! Organizing for Economic Justice

Making Contact Poverty: Realities and Possibilities

Presentation/Evaluation: Making Contact Surplus Population or Marginalized Poor?

9/13: Reading:

Tamara Straus Scraping By: An Interview with Barbara Ehrenreich

Silja J.A. Talvi Real Economy 101: An Interview with Chuck Collins

David Corn Class Matters

Mark Weisbrot US Lags in Economic Human Rights

Presentation/Evaluation: Mark Weisbrot US Lags in Economic Human Rights

9/18: Draft 1 "Evaluation" paper due (Bring 6 copies to class!)

Essay: What Counts as Evidence

Sample Student Essay: Ben McCorkle - The Simpsons: A Mirror of Society

In-class group paper critique

9/19: Conferences

9/20: Conferences

9/21: Conferences

9/24: Conferences

9/25: Draft 2 "Evaluation" paper due (Bring 3 copies to class!)

In-class partner paper critique

9/27: Conferences

9/28: Conferences

10/1: Conferences

10/2: Conferences

10/4: Final Draft "Evaluation" paper due (Bring 2 copies to class!)

10/6-10/9: FALL BREAK

10/11: Reading: Essay: Proposal

Making Contact Poverty and Resistance: Welfare Reform

JoAnn Wypijewski Death and Texas

Maria Russo Hooked on Prisons

Group Presentation/Class Discussion: Proposal

Multi-media Project Group Assignments

10/16: Reading/Listening:

Making Contact Criminal Punishment: Human Rights and U.S. Prisons

Making Contact Cruel and Unusual? Womens Prisons

Making Contact Race, Class, and the U.S. Death Penalty

Ray Suarez The Execution Tapes (WARNING! This program includes recordings of actual executions. If need be, you may be excused from this portion of the listening assignment.)

Transcription: Making Contact Criminal Punishment: Human Rights and U.S. Prisons (Bring 2 copies to class!)

Presentation/Evaluation: Making Contact Criminal Punishment: Human Rights and U.S. Prisons

10/18: Reading/Listening:

Jim Willett Witness to an Execution

David Corn Why We Should Televise the McVeigh Execution

Making Contact The Force of Law: Police Brutality and Community

Making Contact Soldiers on the Streets: The Militarization of U.S. Police

Transcription: Making Contact - Soldiers on the Streets: The Militarization of U.S. Police (Bring 2 copies to class!)

Presentation/Evaluation: Making Contact - Soldiers on the Streets: The Militarization of U.S. Police

10/23: Reading:

Ta-Nehsi Coates Black and Blue

Tim Wise 15 Dead in Ohio: Cincinnatis Black and Blue

Tim Wise Shot by Cops? Not if Youre White

Tim Wise The White Denial Firestorm

Tim Wise Fear and Loathing in Suburbia

Presentation/Evaluation: Tim Wise Fear and Loathing in Suburbia

10/25: Draft 1 "Proposal" paper due (Bring 6 copies to class!)

In-class group paper critique

10/26: Conferences

10/29: Conferences

10/30: Conferences

10/31: Conferences

11/1: Draft 2 "Proposal" paper due (Bring 3 copies to class!)

In-class partner paper critique

11/2: Conferences

11/5: Conferences

11/6: Conferences

11/7: Conferences

11/8: Final Draft "Proposal" paper due (Bring 2 copies to class!)

11/13: Reading: Essay: Humorous Argument

Group Presentation/Class Discussion: Humorous Argument

Time for work on Multi-media Project

11/15: Reading:

Molly Ivins Bush Speak

Transcription: Molly Ivins - Bush Speak (Bring 2 copies to class!) Presentation/Evaluation: Bush Speak

Time for work on Multi-media Project

11/20: Reading:

Tom McNichol Bushonics Speakers Stricken Back

Presentation/Evaluation: Tom McNichol - Bushonics Speakers Stricken Back

Time for work on Multi-media Project

11/21-11/25: THANKSGIVING BREAK

11/26: Reading:

Don Hazen Bush Speak: An Interview with Mark Crispin Miller

Crispin Miller What You See is What You Get: An Excerpt From the Bush Dyslexicon

Presentation/Evaluation: Crispin Miller What You See is What You Get: An Excerpt From the Bush Dyslexicon

Time for work on Multi-media Project

11/27: Multi-media Group Project Presentation

11/28: Multi-media Group Project Presentation

11/29: Multi-media Group Project Presentation

12/4: Multi-media Group Project Presentation

12/6: LAST DAY OF CLASS

12/13: Final portfolioincluding final paperdue no later than NOON (Note: Failure to turn in final portfolio on time will cause you to fail the course)