English 101B: Composition

Central College

Fall 2005

Dr. Josh Dolezal

Office: 100 Geisler Library

Office hours: 9:30-10:30 a.m. TR; 11:00 a.m.-noon MWF

Phone: x5109

Email: dolezalj@central.edu

Welcome

We have all been writers from an early age. Letters, emails, phone conversations, even the thoughts we have while running on a treadmill are all tiny compositions, small word patterns that help us understand our world. The goal of this course is to make us stronger writers, to give our writing instincts a sense of direction and to gain more control over the writing process. Essays, as Scott Russell Sanders says, are “experiments in making sense of things.” As strong writers, we will need the kind of curiosity we once had as children, when we learned to ask “Why?” and “So what?” about everything. We will also need the courage to tackle these sense-making experiments and see where they lead us.

Course Description

“Composition” is a foundational course designed to polish skills in critical reading, persuasive writing, and speaking for advanced college work and future careers. Our readings will be creative nonfiction essays, which will provide models for the writing projects. As we become stronger readers, we will begin to see the strategies that writers use to reach and persuade their audiences; this will enhance our own writing as we learn to experiment with these strategies in our own narratives. We will thoroughly explore the writing process by gathering tools for generating ideas, drafting, and practicing active revision.

Required Texts

The following texts are required; others will be available on reserve through Blackboard:

Abbey, Edward. Down the River.

Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual.

Kingsolver, Barbara. High Tide in Tucson.

Wolff, Tobias. This Boy’s Life.

Required Materials

· an active email account

stapler or a generous supply of paper clips

· loose-leaf paper (notebook paper is messy and difficult to bind in the portfolio)

large folder (accordion folders are good) for storing notes, drafts, prewriting, etc.
two-pocket folder for the midterm portfolio

· approximately $5 for binding the final portfolio

Attendance

Because all absences detract from a discussion-based class, regular attendance is crucial to the success of the course. Some guidelines:

1) Advance (or prompt) notice in the case of absence is advised.

2) Three absences, meant to be reserved for emergencies, are allowed.

3) The fourth absence (and each subsequent absence) will lower the grade by half a letter.

4) Repeated tardiness may result in a recorded absence.

5) More than nine absences may yield a failing grade.

Due Dates

All work is due at the beginning of class on the specified date. Late work is not acceptable without advance notice. Technological glitches (computer crashes, faulty floppy disks, etc.) should be anticipated, as Murphy’s Law dictates that at the last minute whatever can possibly go wrong will go wrong. It is your responsibility to be prepared.

Written Assignments

Out-of-class writing must be typed, double spaced, and printed in twelve-point font. All written work completed in class or outside of class is valuable and will count toward your grade. It is crucial to keep everything you write: author’s notes, drafts, in-class writing, reading journals, etc. General requirements include:

no less than 4 pages of new writing per week (including reading journal)
10-15 pages of polished prose for the midterm portfolio
20-30 pages of polished prose for the final portfolio

Reading journals: Journals will be due each Monday (see course calendar for exceptions) and will be graded numerically on a scale of 1-10 based on the following: 1) strong opinions (analysis vs. plot summary); 2) textual evidence (opinions should be illustrated by examples from the reading); 3) complexity of analysis (explaining specifically why and how a selection is effective, or providing alternative strategies if you think it is ineffective). Two pages minimum.

Writing projects: We will tackle four writing projects this semester. These projects will culminate in the midterm and final portfolios. The course calendar outlines a schedule for producing drafts and revisions; more details will be forthcoming as we go along.

Writing process

Most writers generate ideas and put those ideas into draft form. Some writers make small revisions from the rough draft to the final draft. The strongest writers revise endlessly. We will discuss tools for generating ideas and drafting, but the emphasis of this course will be on revision, which will mean significantly altering the content of your work each week (not just correcting spelling and grammar). I will ask you to keep track of your changes from the first draft to the polished versions, which will allow me to grade both the product (polished writing) and the process (your week-by-week revisions). By the end of the semester, you will have learned enough revision techniques to improve any piece of writing you read, even if it has been published by a professional writer.

Reading Tables

Each Friday we will hold a reading table to present new and/or revised drafts for peer review. I will participate in the reading tables and will bring some of my own work each week. This exercise will give writers regular interaction with an audience, and it will be a natural outgrowth of our discussions of the readings (i.e., the better readers we are of published work, the more insight we will have into our own work, as well as peer writing). Ideally, we will become a community of writers and thinkers in conversation with the readings and, as a result, with one another.

Grade Evaluation

I will only assign numerical grades to the journals and to the midterm and final portfolios. However, I will give you consistent feedback on your work, as well as provide opportunities for you to assess your own progress. If at any time you are uncertain of your grade (i.e., for participation or for a writing project), I will be happy to discuss it with you. It is important to realize that all work included in the midterm and final portfolios will potentially affect the grade, so each assignment is important and worth your best efforts. The breakdown is as follows:

Participation: 15%

Reading journals: 25%

Midterm and Final Portfolios: 60%

I will grade the polished writing in the midterm and final portfolios according to the following criteria, which will be clarified by examples given in class:

1) Focus (choosing a specific topic and developing it consistently)

2) Concreteness (using the five senses and dialogue to bring scenes to life)

3) Critical thought (the “so what” question; targeting an audience)

4) Innovation (structural variety, avoidance of clichés, unique metaphors)

I will also grade the portfolios according to your ability to explain and demonstrate your writing process. Author’s notes should inform a reader of the writing process leading up to a current draft, of perceived strengths and weaknesses in that draft, and of ideas for further revision. They should also list specific questions to guide a reader’s evaluative response. Marginal comments (glossing), symbols, or color-coded highlights on old drafts will provide readers with a visual guide to your revision process.

Plagiarism and Other Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism and cheating of any form are serious offenses and may result in a failing grade for the assignment, the course, or expulsion from the college. The details of Central College’s Academic Integrity policy are found in the Student Handbook, on the web. A copy will be sent to you via email during the first week of the semester. It is your responsibility to read and understand the contents of that policy before you submit work to be graded. Questions regarding the policies and enforcement of the policies may be addressed to me during class or during office hours.

Disabilities

Central College abides by interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no student shall be denied the benefits of an education “solely by reason of a handicap.” Disabilities covered by law include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, hearing, sight, or mobility impairments, and other health related impairments. If you have a documented disability that may have some impact on your work in this class for which you may require accommodations, please see me and Nancy Kroese, Director of Student Support Services and Disabilities Services Coordinator (x 5247), during the first two weeks of the semester so that such accommodations may be arranged.

Notification of Participation in College Sanctioned Events

Mock Trial participants, music participants, athletes, and others who must miss a class for participating in a college sanctioned event must notify me in advance and complete work, including exams, in advance of the absence. It is your responsibility to communicate with me in advance regarding absences so that we may adjust our schedules.

COURSE CALENDAR

Weeks One-Four: Project 1 (Authority List)

Aug. 24 Introduction—syllabus, roster corrections

Aug. 26 Authority List—Due: Letter of Introduction

Aug. 29 Struloeff, “Learning to See” (reserve)

The writing process

Aug. 31 Using the Authority List and Timeline

Sept. 2 Reading table—Due: First Draft of Project 1

Sept. 5 Labor Day—no class

Sept. 7 Abbey, “Notes from a Cold River” (67-82)

Essay types/creative forms

Sept. 9 Reading table—Due: Revision of Project 1 (turn in for feedback)

Sept. 12 Abbey, “Meeting the Bear” (56-60); “Footrace in the Desert” (188-198)

Sept. 14 Addressing the “so what” question

Sept. 16 Reading table—Due: Revision of Project 1

Weeks Five to Eight: Project 2 (Audience)

Sept. 19 Kingsolver, “Life without Go-Go Boots” (54-58)

Abbey, “Aravaipa Canyon” (154-159)

Sept. 21 Writing to audience

Sept. 23 Reading table—Due: First Draft of Project 2

Sept. 26 Kingsolver, “The Muscle Mystique” (80-84); “The Not-So-Deadly-Sin” (257-262)

Sept. 28 Identifying and crafting voice

Sept. 30 Reading table—Due: Revision of Project 2 (turn in for feedback)

Oct. 3 Kingsolver, “High Tide in Tucson” (1-16)

Oct. 5 Metaphor (explaining by comparison)

Oct. 7 Reading table—Due: Revision of Project 2

Oct. 10 Portfolio—practice grading, models, and discussion

Oct. 12 Musicians as writers (in-class exercise)

Midterm Portfolios Due

Oct. 14 Fall Break

Weeks Nine-Eleven: Project 3 (Argument and Evidence)

Oct. 17 No class—conferences

Oct. 19 Kingsolver, “Stone Soup” (135-145)

Oct. 21 Reading table—Due: First draft of Project 3

Oct. 24 Williams, “The Village Watchman” (reserve)

Oct. 26 Dialogue (incorporating critical thought and concreteness)

Oct. 28 Reading table—Due: Revision of Project 3

Oct. 31 Wolff, This Boy’s Life, “Fortune” (3-33)

Nov. 2 Nuance (the unnamed presence upon the page)

Nov. 4 Reading table—Due: Revision of Project 3

Weeks Twelve-Sixteen: Project 4 (Writing About a Change in Thinking)

Nov. 7 “Uncool,” “A Whole New Deal,” (37-91)

Nov. 9 The widowed image (defamiliarizing the familiar)

Nov. 11 Reading table—Due: First draft of Project 4

Nov. 14 “Citizenship in the Home” (95-125)

Nov. 16 Trimming the fat (writing more efficiently)

Nov. 18 Reading table—Due: Revision of Project 4

Nov. 21 “Citizenship in the Home” (126-178)

Nov. 23-25 Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 28 “Citizenship in the School” (181-233)

Nov. 30 Smooth transitions, hooks, and punch lines

Dec. 2 Reading table—Due: Revision of Project 4

Dec. 5 “The Amen Corner” (237-288)

Dec. 7 Optional reading table

Dec. 9 Final portfolios due

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