Professor: Dr. Joe Goeke
English 101, Section 57
TTh 3:30–4:45
Science 217
Office: McIver 126
Phone: 334-4694
Office Hrs: MW 2:00-3:00; TR 5:00-5:50
Email: jfgoeke@uncg.edu

Required Texts

? Bloom, Lynn Z., Edward M. White, and Shane Borrowman. Inquiry: Questioning, Reading,
Writing. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2004.
?Ruszkiewicz, John, Maxine Hairston, and Christy Friend. SF Express. New York: Longman,
2002.

Course Description
This course is designed to help you develop a useful habit: writing to learn. With this approach, you do not assume that you know what you will write before you begin. Rather, you call to mind only what you’ll write about—putting pen to paper, or fingers to keys, trusting that you will discover connections, questions, and ways of expressing things in the process of writing itself. In writing to learn, then, you begin by taking off the editor’s hat. This means putting aside questions of grammar, spelling, and structure until you have written enough to discover some of your own ideas on the subject. Where do you stand? How do you relate to the subject? What about the subject interests you? What are some important questions to answer?
We will look at our textbook, which focuses on writing to learn, to fuel our writing process with questions, topics, and readings on subjects that, in their broadest sense, involve everyone. Then, through workshops and revision, we will also address later stages in the writing process, including editing, proofreading, and revision itself.

Course Work and Class Demeanor
Assignments will emphasize learning through writing and revision. Class meetings will combine lectures with discussion, in-class writing, and occasional small group work. Active participation and note taking are encouraged and will have a positive influence on your final grade. Supplementary materials such as film, music, and art may also be introduced.
Distracting behavior unworthy of a serious student (e.g., walking out before class is dismissed, carrying on conversations, reading newspapers or other unrelated texts, sleeping, disruptive late entrances, etc.) may result in a deduction of 5 points from the student’s final average and/or the student’s being asked to leave the room.

Grade Distribution
Journals 10%
Reading Quizzes 10%
Paper One 20%
Paper Two 20%
Paper Three 20%
Paper Four 20%

You should keep a handwritten journal in a notebook that holds only that journal. Entries in the journal should be dated, and they should include notes, free writing, drafts, and other plans for your essay assignments. I will collect these journals with each essay that you turn in. They should include at least one page of writing per week. Number of entries per week is your choice.

Five reading quizzes will be given: the first on Th 8/26. The rest will be given on the second day of each unit, and on the last day of class. On these days, at the beginning of class, you should be prepared to answer twelve objective questions—five on the unit readings thus far and five on readings from the previous unit. The two remaining questions will count as a bonus. The final quiz (Th 12/2) will cover only readings since the previous quiz. Questions will be devised so that you can answer them if you’ve done the reading. Make-up quizzes will not be offered.

Essay assignments (3-5 pages each) will relate to unit questions from Inquiry. The class will divide into three sections—A, B, and C—to work on these essays so that I can devote a fair amount of time to reading each one. You will share your essays with two fellow students on designated workshop days. (See schedule below and Workshop Schedule handout for further details.) You may revise after receiving my comments with a grade, as long as you meet with me first to review your graded essay and my comments.

Plagiarism is strictly forbidden and will result in failure of the assignment, possibly even failure of the course and expulsion from the university.

Attendance and Participation
Much of our class will involve group discussion, which requires frequent participation, so attendance is very important. You should show up on time and be prepared to discuss the day’s reading(s). If you must miss a class, let me know before we meet, if possible. Absences over three will have a negative effect on your final grade. Such absences will especially affect borderline cases (e.g., a B-/C+ borderline grade would automatically become a C+). Any student who misses eight or more classes and does not withdraw from the course will automatically fail.

Course Schedule
This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Page numbers in parentheses refer to Inquiry, unless otherwise noted (SF=SF Express). We will discuss all readings in class on the assigned date, so please read them beforehand. Doing so should give you a clear sense of direction and progress in the course.

Date Reading / Class Activities Section A
Due Dates Section B Due Dates Section C
Due Dates
T 8/17 Meet and greet / Introduction of syllabus / “Critical Reading” and “Writing as Inquiry” / Assign Groups
Th 8/19 Introduction (xv-xix); Ursula Le Guin, “Where Do You Get Your Ideas From?” (318-25)—Introduce Essay Assignments
T 8/24 Identity: How Do I Know Who I Am? (1-11) / The Writing Situation (SF 5-23)
Th 8/26 What Is My Physical Self?: Natalie Angier, “Estrogen, Desire, and Puberty” (14-23) / Planning, Drafting and Revising (SF 9-15)—Reading Quiz
T 8/31 Who Am I in Relation to Others?: Joan Didion, “On Self-Respect” (61-66) / Workshop 1-A [Workshop 1]
Th 9/2 Eric Liu, “Notes of a Native Speaker” (66-77) Revision 1
T 9/7 How Do Language and Literacy Affect My Identity?: Richard Wright, “The Power of Books” (99-108) / Workshop 1-B [Workshop 1]
Th 9/9 Writing Well: Research (SF 39-58) / Workshop 1-C Revision 1 [Workshop 1]
T 9/14 Reinterpretations/Contexts: What Can We Learn from the Past? (478-88); Linda Simon, “The Naked Source” (596-601) Revision 1
Th 9/16 Film: In America—Reading Quiz
T 9/21 Film: In America / How Can We Interpret and Understand the Past?: F. Fitzgerald, “America Revised” (587-95)
Th 9/23 Stephen Hawking, “Our Picture of the Universe” (572-82)
T 9/28 Italo Calvino, “All at One Point” (583-87) / Workshop 2-A [Workshop 2]
Th 9/30 How Does Family Heritage Affect Who We Are?: Barry Lopez, “Searching for Ancestors” (489-97) / Workshop 3-C / Workshop 2-B Revision 2
T 10/5 Pauli Murray, “The Inheritance of Values” (497-503) / Workshop 2-C [Workshop 2]
Th 10/7 Writing Well: Sentence Revision (SF 134-50) Revision 2 [Workshop 2]
T 10/12 Fall Break—No Classes
Th 10/14 Ethics: What Principles Do—and Should—Govern Our Personal Lives? (223-33) Revision 2
T 10/19 What Governs Ethical Behavior?: Jeffrey Wattles, “The Golden Rule” (234-40)—Reading Quiz
Th 10/21 Peter Singer, “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” (248-55)
T 10/26 What Are Some Operative Principles of Work and Play?: Howard Gardner, “Good Work, Well Done: A Psychological Study” (256-64) / Workshop 3-A [Workshop 3]
Th 10/28 Barbara Ehrenreich, “Serving in Florida” (264-73) Revision 3
T 11/2 How Can We Meet the Challenge of Creativity?: Jacob Bronowski, “The Reach of Imagination” (306-14); Linda Hogan, “Hearing Voices” (314-18) / Workshop 3-B [Workshop 3]
Th 11/4 Writing Well: Sentence Grammar (SF 151-82) / Workshop 3-C Revision 3 [Workshop 3]
T 11/9 Predictions: What Will the Future Be Like? (604-14) Revision 3
Th 11/11 How Can We Think about Gender Roles in the Future?: Robert S. Weiss, “Marriage as Partnership” (633-46)—Reading Quiz
T 11/16 Will War and Terrorism Shape the Future?: William James, “The Moral Equivalent of War” (e-reserve)
Th 11/18 Margaret Mead, “Warfare Is Only and Invention—Not a Biological Necessity” (654-60) / Workshop 4-A [Workshop 4]
T 11/23 Czeslaw Milosz, “American Ignorance of War” (661-65) / Workshop 4-B Revision 4 [Workshop 4]
Th 11/25 Thanksgiving Break—No Classes
T 11/30 Will a New Utopia Be Possible in the 21st Century?: Kofi Annan, “The United Nations in the 21st Century” (698-704) / Workshop 4-C Revision 4 [Workshop 4]
Th 12/2 Karen Armstrong, “Does God Have a Future?” (704-16)—Reading Quiz Revision 4
Th 12/9 Final Exam 3:30-6:30 p.m.