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Course Description
This English 101 course encourages you to
compare your own writing processes with those of others, to
consider how our shifting fads and fashions are influenced by
culture, and to consider the role that gender plays in shaping
language. Additionally, emphasizing the interconnectedness
between reading and writing, this course encourages you to view
reading as a way of understanding your own and others’
thinking by reflecting on the moves that you make as reader,
writer, and thinker. Finally, this course is designed to help
you develop the kind of reading, writing, and thinking expected
in U.S. universities and to help you in terms of thinking
critically about the culture in which you live.
During this quarter, you will be asked to listen
to the ideas and perspectives of your classmates as well as
writers from 75 Readings plus; after careful and
thoughtful consideration, you will be asked to respond with your
own ideas and perspectives. Through a variety of writings such
as responses, reflective commentaries, and assessments about the
assigned readings, as well as informal writings about your own
opinions, longer essays developed out of your earlier writings,
revisions, self-assessments, and peer reviews, you will develop
your critical literacy in thinking, reading, and writing by
questioning your own views and by considering the views of
others. By the end of the quarter, you will have gained
experience developing and revising critical arguments,
organizing essays around a central theme, and revising and
editing your own work as well as the work of others.
Course Materials
75 Readings plus
8th Edition by Santi V. Buscemi. McGraw Hill, 2007. ISBN:
978-0-07-312508-4. Always bring this textbook to class.
Flash drive, CD, or floppy disk
A large notebook or folder in which to keep all
of your writing you will do this quarter
A dictionary
Optional Materials
A Writer’s Reference ,
6th Ed. By Diana Hacker. Boston: Bedford Books, 2004. ISBN:
0-312-4162-2. Buy this book if you need guidance with writing,
grammar, and research skills.
Without buying A Writer’s Reference,
you can get free premium content in instruction on all parts of
the writing process at http://www.dianahacker.com/writersref
Course Requirements and Grading Policies
This course is graded on an A, B, C, or No
Credit.
A 95-100
A- 90-94
B+ 87-89
B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 77-79
C 74-76
NC 73 and below
You are guaranteed a "C" if you have
75 of the 100 points, all of which are based on the following:
Reading, Participation, and Attendance
Due dates for reading assignments are listed in
the syllabus, so you need to complete these reading assignments
before coming to class. Also, this type of active involvement
will prepare you for our class discussions and paper
assignments. If you are not prepared for, and therefore unable
to actively participate in class discussions and other
activities, you will be considered absent from class that day. Five
absences (either from nonparticipation, from missing class, or
from coming to class at least 30 minutes late) will result in a
failing grade. Please note that in-class assignments can not
be made up unless prior arrangements have been made. Your
diligent attendance and active involvement will help you to make
satisfactory progress.
Reading Response and Exploratory Writings = 10
points
For reading response journals: After an assigned
reading, you will reflect in an "evaluation free"
writing journal about the moves that you made as a reader and a
thinker. Designed to be an introspective approach to reading,
this assignment helps you to understand your own and others’
thinking. During this writing, you should
1. Write a response to a text.
2. Construct a reflective commentary on the
moves you made as a reader and the possible reasons for them.
3. Formulate an assessment of a particular text
that your reading produced.
For exploratory writings: These include
unannounced quizzes and informal writing assignments. Like your
reading response journals, you will continue to explore the
readings from multiple perspectives. You will also delve into
critical questions related to your three multi-draft writing
assignments. In other words, your informal responses in these
exploratory writings will develop into your formal or academic
essays.
Both reading response and exploratory writings
are "evaluation free" writing zones in that they are
meant as a space for you to think through the readings and
writing assignments, in writing, without having to worry about
grammar, organization, and other features characteristic to
polished presentation final draft writing. Keeping this in mind,
I will not grade them, but you will get credit for completing
them, and your completion of this writing assignment will help
me to better address your questions and comments during in-class
activities.
Assignment One: Comparing Writing Processes = 15
points
Richard Marius, in his article on "Writing
Drafts" on page 91-94 of your textbook, presents his ideas
toward writing. Read his article to pin down as precisely as you
can what his ideas are. Your assignment is to write a short
comparison (emphasizing similarity) and/or contrast (emphasizing
difference) between your writing processes and those proposed by
Marius.
When comparing your own writing processes,
consider how you have approached college, high school, or
private forms of writing. Formulate your judgment (often called
a thesis statement) as an introductory sentence that announces
the basis of your comparison and/or contrast. Or if your
judgment falls somewhere between comparison and contrast, you
can frame your introductory sentence to reflect that complexity.
Support your judgment with enough reasons to make a persuasive
case for similarity and/or difference. Shoot for 2-3 pages.
Assignment Two: How Things Get to Be Cool = 25
points
The cartoon sequence (Figure 1 in your handout)
presents an implicit theory about how––and why––things
get to be "cool." After a careful reading of the
cartoon, you are asked to evaluate derf’s theory of "how
it works." In other words, you will be testing his theory
against your own experience of shifting fads and fashions, of
how things come to be "in," and how they go
"out" again.
During the course of the essay, address the
following:
1. Pin down what derf’s theory actually is.
2. Interpret the meaning or "message"
presented by derf.
3. Choose a fad or style that you or close
friends adopted and see how closely derf’s theory explains
your experience.
Your essay should make it clear whether your
experience affirms, revises, or refutes derf’s theory. Shoot
for 4-5 pages.
Assignment Three: Differences in Men’s and
Women’s Talk = 40 points
You will critically read and respond to
"Talk in the Intimate Relationship: His and Hers" by
Deborah Tannen on pages 199-209 of your textbook. During the
course of your response, you will compare her article about men’s
and women’s talk with your own experience and that of your
peers. To accomplish this, you should address the following:
1. Write two paragraphs defining what Deborah
Tannen calls "metamessages:"
a. In the first, use "academic discourse"––the
language of the article itself.
b. In the second, use "colloquial discourse"––the
language of the dorm or street, which you use to talk to your
friends (especially same-sex friends) about dating and
courtship.
2. In about a page, summarize Tannen’s article
about men’s and women’s talk , quoting its most salient
phrases.
3. Decide whether or not Tannen’s article
about men’s and women’s talk is fair to both genders. Is her
language entirely objective, or is she pushing a political or
gender-biased agenda? Illustrate your answer with two examples
quoted from the passage.
4. Decide to what extent you agree with Tannen’s
article about men’s and women’s talk. Test her ideas against
your own personal experience and the experience of at least six
of your peers. For this, you should interview six or more
student "subjects," explaining Tannen’s ideas about
men’s and women’s talk (see 2 above) and recording their
responses.
Your essay should be 5-7 pages.
**To receive a passing grade, you must hand in
all three of the multi-draft writing assignments.**
In-Class Impromptu Writing = 10 points (5 points
each)
You will take two impromptu essays, each worth
five points. These writing assignments will ask you to respond
to one of the assigned textbook readings. Using a large CSUSB
bluebook during the completion of this writing assignment, you
will have the entire class period.
Self-Assessments and Peer Responses
These assignments, the successful completion of
which will count toward your overall grade in your multi-draft
essays, are important activities to help you to revise your
essays in substantive ways and to help you become more aware of
the strengths and weaknesses of your own writing processes.
Assessment of Written Work
Three multi-draft writing assignments and two
in-class essays will be assessed in the following areas: meeting
the assignments' requirements, exploring the issues thoughtfully
and in depth, coherently and logically organizing ideas
supported by apt reasons and well-chosen examples, and being
generally free from errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence
structure.
Writing Center Visits
Per my recommendation, you may be required to
discuss your writing with a tutor at the writing center located
in UH387, or you may choose to go on your own. Many
knowledgeable, interested, and friendly tutors in the center are
ready to help. If you are required to go, get a signed slip from
a tutor documenting your visit.
Late Paper Policy
All papers are due at the beginning of class on
the day they are due. I will not accept late papers unless you’ve
made arrangements with me in advance. If your extenuating
circumstances warrant an extension, I will give you one.
However, you do need to talk to me about it; therefore, we can
work out an acceptable plan together, in advance, that will
allow you to successfully complete the assignment. Avoid the
following unacceptable scenarios:
Submitting paper after the due date without
having made prior arrangements
Missing class and then submitting paper the next
class
Sliding paper under office door on the day it is
due or after
Giving paper to English Department
administrative assistant and having her place paper in my box on
the day it is due or after
Submitting the paper by E-mail on the day it is
due or after
Making excuses for why the paper is not
submitted on time (i.e., file cannot be retrieved from hard
drive or was somehow mistakenly deleted or infected by a virus)
ADA Information
If you are in need of accommodation due to a
documented disability, please let me know and also contact
Services to Students with Disabilities (SSD), located in UH 183
(909-537-5238 or 909-537-5242-TDD).
Plagiarism
The university has strict guidelines regarding
this issue: "Plagiarism is the presentation as one’s own
ideas and writings of another. Students must make appropriate
acknowledgment of the written source where material is written
or compiled." Keep in mind the following forms of
plagiarism and the consequences for each offense:
1. Cheating: Borrowing, buying, or otherwise
obtaining writing composed by someone else and submitting
it under your name. Minimum penalty is "NC" in the
course; the maximum penalty is suspension from the university.
Dean of students is notified of the offense.
2. Non-attribution: Writing your own paper but
including passages from another work without providing
parenthetical notes citing the source and quotation marks or
block indentation to indicate exactly what has been copied from
the source. Minimum penalty is subsequent revision of the paper
to avoid an "F;" depending on the degree of deception,
another penalty may be "F" in the course; the maximum
penalty may result in suspension from the university. Dean of
students may be notified of the offense.
3. Patchwriting: Writing passages have not been
copied exactly but have been borrowed from another source. Even
though parenthetical notes citing the source have been provided,
you have paraphrased the source’s language too closely. Though
patchwriting may appear in your preliminary drafts, it is not
acceptable in final draft academic writing. Minimum penalty is a
subsequent revision of the paper. Dean of students is not
notified of the offense.
For additional information regarding cheating
and plagiarism, please refer to the CSUSB Bulletin under
"Academic Regulations," under which information about
course withdrawals can also be found. You should follow all
policies contained therein.
Final Note
Welcome to English 101! Together we can make
this a great class, and I will do everything I can to help you
reach the high expectations this university has set forth for
this writing class. If you have questions, please contact me
before or after class, by E-mail, or in my office. As a result,
we can work out any questions, concerns that you may have
relating to matters of instruction.
English 101 Course Outline
Tentative Schedule (This may be subject to
change.)
Jan 13 In-Class: Introduce class.
Complete exploratory writing for essay one.
Homework: Read Richard Marius: Writing Drafts
page 91, Bruce Catton: Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts
page 194
Begin drafting essay one.
Jan 15 In-Class: Complete reading response
journal. Discuss Marius.
Homework: Continue drafting essay one.
Read Mark Twain: Two Views of the Mississippi on
page 211 and Scott Russell Sanders: The Men We Carry in our
Minds on page 215
Jan 20 In-Class: Complete reading response
journal. Discuss Twain.
Homework: Read Suzanne Britt: Neat People vs.
Sloppy People on page 220 and Virgnia Woolf: Shakespeare’s
Sister on page 224.
Jan 22 In-Class: Complete reading response
journal. Discuss Twain and Sanders.
Bring first draft of essay one and complete
self-assessment.
Homework: Read Bharati Mukherjee: Two Ways to
Belong in America on page 231. Continue drafting essay one.
Jan 27 In-Class: Bring second draft of essay one
and complete peer reviews (two readers).
Homework: Continue drafting essay one.
Read Judy Brady: Why I Want a Wife on page
451 and Frank Bures: Test Day on page 511
Jan 29 In-Class: Bring third draft of essay one
and complete final draft editing workshop.
Complete reading response journal.
Discuss Judy Brady: Why I Want a Wife and
Bharati Mukherjee: Two Ways to Belong.
Homework: Read Judith Ortiz Cofer: A Partial
Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood on 55 and Robertson
Davies: A Few Kind Words for Superstition on page 238.
Feb 3 In-Class: Submit essay one portfolio at
beginning of class: final draft, exploratory writing, draft one
and self-assessment notes, draft two and peer reviews (two
readers), and draft three and editing notes.
Discuss Robertson Davies: A Few Kind Words
for Superstition. Complete exploratory writing for essay
two.
Homework: Begin drafting essay two. Read Joseph
Epstein: The Green-Eyed Monster: Envy Is Nothing to Be
Jealous Of on page142 and Edward T. Hall: The
Anthropology of Manners on page 242.
Feb 5 In-Class: Bring first draft of essay two
and complete self-assessment.
Complete reading response journal.
Discuss Edward T. Hall: The Anthropology of
Manners.
Homework: Continue drafting essay two.
Read Medicine Grizzlybear Lake: An Indian’s
Father’s Plea on page 455 and John (Fire) Lame Deer and
Richard Erdoes: Alone on the Hilltop on page 96.
Feb 10 In-Class: Take in-class essay one.
Homework: Read Horace Miner: Body Ritual
among the Nacirema on page 350 and N. Scott Momaday: Revisiting
Sacred Ground on page 62.
Feb 12 In-Class: Bring second draft of essay two
and complete peer reviews (two readers).
Homework: Continue drafting essay two.
Read Kesaya E. Noda: Growing Up Asian in
America on page 165 and Naomi Shihab Nye: To Any Would Be
Terrorists on page 446
Feb 17 In-Class: Bring third draft of essay two
and complete final draft editing workshop. Complete reading
response journal. Discuss Kesaya E. Noda: Growing Up Asian in
America.
Homework: Continue drafting essay two. Read
George Orwell: Shooting an Elephant on page 2 and Richard
Rodriguez: Bilingual Education: Outdated and Unrealistic
on page 441. Read
William Lutz: Doubzlespeak on page 80 and Deborah Tannen: Talk
in the Intimate Relationship: His and Hers on page 199.
Feb 19 In-Class: Submit essay two portfolio at
beginning of class: final draft, exploratory writing, draft one
and self assessment notes, draft two and peer reviews (two
readers), and draft three and editing notes. Complete
exploratory writing for essay three.
Complete exploratory writing
for essay three. Discuss Deborah Tannen: Talk in the Intimate
Relationship: His and Hers.
Continue drafting essay three. Read
Gloria Naylor: Meaning of a Word on page 131 and David
Sedaris: Me Talk Pretty One Day on page 25.
Feb 24 In-Class: Bring first draft of essay
three and complete self-assessment. Complete reading response
journal.
Homework: Continue drafting essay three. Read
Amy Tan: Mother Tongue on page 471 and Judith Viorist: The
Truth about Lying on page 173.
Feb 26 In-Class: Bring second draft of essay
three and complete peer reviews (two readers).
Homework: Continue drafting essay three. Read
Malcolm X: Coming to an Awareness of Language on page 20.
Mar 3 In-Class: Bring third draft of essay three
and complete peer review (one reader). Complete reading response
journal. Discuss Malcolm X: Coming to an Awareness of
Language.
Homework: Continue drafting essay three. Read
William Zinsser: Clutter on page 265
Mar 5 In-Class: Complete reading response
journal. Discuss William Zinsser: Clutter. Bring fourth
draft of essay three and complete editing workshop.
Homework: Continue drafting essay three.
Mar 10 In-Class: Bring fifth draft of essay
three and complete final draft editing workshop. Conferencing
Homework: Continue drafting essay three.
Mar 12 In-Class: Submit essay three portfolio at
beginning of class: final draft, exploratory writings, draft one
and self assessment notes, draft two and peer review notes
(three readers), and draft four and five editing notes. Report
field research to class.
Mar 17 In-Class: Report field research to class.
Mar 19 In-Class: Report field research to class.
Mar 24 In-Class: Take in-class essay two
(English 101 4:00-5:50 Section)
Mar 26 In-Class: Take in-class essay two
(English 101 2:00-3:50 Section)
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