Instructor: Élan Young Office
Hrs: MW 10:00-10:50 Eng.
101.38
Email: ejyoung@uncg.edu & TTH 11:00-12:15 T
TH 12:30-1:45
Office Phone: 256-0482 Office:
McIver 334 G Curry
331
Shifting
Environments:
Where
We Come From & Where We’re Going
What This Course
Is About
Does the world shape us or do we
shape the world? This is a question
that will return again and again as we explore the environments surrounding us
and within us. This topic will lend
focus to the study of college-level reading, writing and critical
thinking. The aim of this course is to
facilitate awareness of how we read, why we write and what we think. You will examine and question viewpoints,
particularly your own, on a multitude of topics that are raised organically
from discussions and readings. Furthermore, you will express your viewpoints in
class discussions and in essays while armed with the rhetorical tools to
explore and defend them adequately. You
will learn rhetorical strategies in texts ranging from novels to advertisements
and will use these strategies in your own writing. Using the vocabulary and tools you gain from the readings, you
will be able to improve your own writing in any subject. You will practice composition skills,
research, organization, editing and revision with emphasis on forms appropriate
to collegiate writing. Your work in
this course will help prepare you to think and to write effectively in your
other college courses, on the job, and in the world beyond college.
Texts
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
E-Reserve
Readings
Requirements
3
Essays/ 2 Revised
Double-Entry
Journals
In-Class
Freewriting
Lead 1
Class Discussion w/ Group
Attend 1
Community Reading
Peer
Critique Exercises
3
Conferences
Attendance
Your
participation in the class is mandatory.
Without your presence, you and your classmates will not gain as much
from the course. In addition, I will
sometimes assign homework separate from the readings on the syllabus or might
rework the schedule to fit the needs of the class. As a result, missing a class will require you to contact a fellow
student or your instructor in order to determine your missed work. The official policy of this course is that
after two absences your overall grade will begin to drop. On your fourth
absence you will be dropped from the course.
Please do not show up late for class, I consider it extremely rude, and
will affect your participation grade if it becomes a problem. In addition, lateness over 15 min. will be
counted as an absence.
Journals
You
are to keep a notebook that will contain all freewriting, reading responses,
double-entry journals, and various other journal entries throughout the
semester. Because you will be asked to
hand these in occasionally, I ask that you keep this in a loose-leaf
notebook. Generally speaking, you will
be asked to write several freewrites and one reading response per week. They count as part of your participation
grade, and cannot be turned in late or made up for missed classes. The freewriting is often geared to help you
get your essays started, whereas the reading response format is designed to
demonstrate your level of engagement with the texts we read. Both are equally important and should not be
taken lightly.
Class Discussions
·
This
course will require that in cooperation with your group members, you will lead the class in at least one discussion
during the semester on a group of readings.
This is not merely a presentation, but an active facilitation of
learning. Further details will be
discussed in class.
·
Outside
of class you are to participate in an online discussion board, bringing up
relevant points to the readings, the craft of writing, or simply to continue in
class discussions. I require a minimum
of 10 postings (1 paragraph or longer) during the semester.
Community Readings
You
will be required to attend one community reading given by an author of fiction
or poetry and write a 1 pg. response, taking notice of both content and the
rhetorical situation.
Conferences
Conferences
serve as a valuable part of a first year writing course by allowing the
instructor and student time to discuss writing issues one-on-one. As a result, missing a conference will count
as a class absence. Please be courteous
and call when you know you cannot make an appointment. My office phone number is 256-0482. We will
meet at least three times during the semester to discuss your work in the
course, but you are always welcome to set up additional appointments with me as
you see necessary.
Mutual Respect
Because
we are going to be in the process of community building, the most important
policy of this course is mutual respect.
I will respect you as a writer and fellow learner with valuable ideas to
contribute to this course, make myself available for questions, return your
work in a timely manner, and come to class prepared. In return, I expect you to do your work to the best of your
ability, come to class on time, and treat your instructor and peers with
respect. In addition, I expect absolute
academic honesty. See note on plagiarism.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
is intentionally or knowingly representing the words of another as one's own in
any academic exercise. This is a
SERIOUS offense punishable by failure or even expulsion from school. I will not tolerate any act of plagiarism in
this course, and ask that you sign the Academic Integrity Pledge each and every
time you turn in a major assignment. The pledge reads: I HAVE ABIDED BY THE
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY ON THIS ASSIGNMENT.
Signature___________________________________________________
Date__________________
If you
feel you cannot complete your own work, please discuss this with me before
being tempted to cheat. Please see the
Academic Integrity Policy III.2 for further information on how plagiarism is
handled at UNCG.
Writing Center
If you
feel you need additional help with any aspect of your writing or your writing
process, you may visit The Writing Center at any point in the semester. I highly recommend you visit the writing
center at least once during the semester, even if you feel confident as a
writer. The Writing Center is located
in 101 McIver. It is open Monday-Thursday 9am-8pm and Friday 9am-3pm. You may
make an appointment by calling 334-3125. The Writing Center is a very valuable
resource for your writing in this class and for your other classes.
Students with Disabilities
If you
have a disability that could affect your performance in this course or for
which you need accommodation, please contact me and/or the office of Disability
Services at 334-5440.
Grading Process
55% Participation (including, but not limited
to, in-class discussions, online discussion board participation, in-class
freewriting, group work and presentations, attendance, attitude, peer
critiques, commitment to revising, community reading and conferences)
45%
Portfolio (including but not limited to, 3 formal essays, double entry
journals, and other revised writing)
Student Learning Goals
By the
completion of this course, you should 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 aims and methods of intellectual discourse
·
Weigh
evidence and evaluate the arguments of differing viewpoints
In
addition, you'll learn rhetorical analysis, research techniques, and how to use
MLA citation style. And, you’ll learn the basics about writing various types of
college appropriate essays.
General
Expectations
This
course will be broad and foundational in nature and will be applicable to a
significant range of discourse; it will not assume extensive previous
knowledge.
English 101.38 Fall 2002 Schedule for Weeks 1-8
*Subject to change. You are responsible for keeping up with the changes.
~Home~
T 8/20 Introduction
TH 8/22 “My
Backyard” from Patterns for a Purpose by
Mary E. Mebane
T
8/27 “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert
Hayden; “Once Home” by William Stafford,
& “Childhood is the Kingdom Where Nobody Dies”
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
TH 8/29 “The
Burden of a Happy Childhood” by Mary Cantwell
T 9/3 Ch.
1-5 ALBD
TH 9/5 Ch.
6-14 ALBD
~Education~
T 9/10 Ch.
15-20 ALBD
TH 9/12 Ch.
21-25 ALBD
T 9/17 Ch.
26-30 ALBD
TH 9/19 “The
Teacher Who Changed My Life” by Nicholas Gage
“I Became Her Target”
by Roger Wilkins
T 9/24 “Where
College Fails Us” by Caroline Bird
TH 9/26 Peer
Critique
~Media
and Society~
T 10/1 Essay
1 Due (Movie)
TH 10/3 “Decoding
the Commercial World” by Leslie Savan from We
the Media
“The Use of Media as
a Weapon” by Eric Margolis
T 10/8 Rhetorical
Strategies and Exercises
TH 10/10 “Dirty Laundry: Bennetton’s
‘We, on Death Row’ Campaign” by Barbara
Ehrenreich