Update: Beginning Wed. Jan. 11th, we will be meeting in Room 223 in the 200 building. Thanks!
Category Archives: Spring 2012 ENG 101C03
Week 1 (ENG 101 C03) 1/9-1/12
Mon. 1/9/12
- What you need for class:
- What we will be doing: intro diagnostic assignment
- For next time: Read The Norton Field Guide (NFG from now on) pages 1-17; Pick one short piece of typed writing (newspaper article, short story, advertisement, blog, song, etc.) and analyze it rhetorically (read your textbook!) in a one-page typed response. Bring this to class and be prepared to share it!
Wed. 1/11/12
- What you need for class: piece of writing and journal entry.
- What we will be doing: syllabus (bookmark this); discussing rhetoric and sharing first writing assignment.
- For next time: Read NFG 21-37 on literacy narratives; Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” 564; Rick Bragg’s “All Over But the Shoutin’” 153. Write a 200 word reaction to either of the pieces considering some of the concepts presented in 21-37.
Week 2 (ENG 101 C03) 1/16-1/18
Mon. 1/16/12
- NO CLASS. www.mlkday.gov
Wed. 1/18/12
- What you need for class: Response to either Tan or Bragg.
- What we will be doing: Defining Literacy; Discuss Tan and Bragg; Assign literacy narrative
- For next time: Read Malcolm X’s “Literacy Behind Bars” 577; Alison Bechdel’s “The Canary Colored Caravan” 583; Begin brainstorming/drafting your literacy narrative.
Week 3 (ENG 101 C03) 1/23-1/25
Mon. 1/23/12
- What you need for class: Due: First two typed writing assignments; Malcolm X’s “Literacy Behind Bars” 577; Alison Bechdel’s “The Canary Colored Caravan” 583; Begin brainstorming/drafting your literacy narrative.
- What we will be doing: Discussion; NFG 343-351 on Narrating; Description activity; prepare for workshop next week
- For next time: Complete first draft of literacy narrative
Wed. 1/25/12
- What you need for class: 2 copies of Literacy Narrative
- What we will be doing: Workshop
- For next time: Read NFG 278-282 on Cause/Effect and 283-293 on Argument. Considering what the book says about visual rhetoric, bring in a visual text (advertisement, magazine cover, dvd case) that you feel conveys a strong argument. Write a 1.5 – 2 page response considering the rhetorical components: author, audience, purpose, language, context, design, stance, etc.
Week 4 (ENG 101 C03) 1/31-2/2
Mon. 1/31
- What you need for class: Read NFG 278-282 on Cause/Effect and 283-293 on Argument. Visual text to share with class
- What we will be doing: Types of arguments/claims; Claims vs. Facts
- In-class stuff: Aristotelian argumentation. SNACKS: Wikipedia entry for snack tax, also known as “fat tax.” USDA report on modern snack tax legislation, helpful website that aggregates snack tax studies and includes recent definitions. A 2010 CBS poll on junk food taxes and a report the World Health Organization (WHO) published on fiscal policy, health and diet.
- Rick Berman on The Food Channel
- For next time: Read NFG 294-299; 315-321; Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” 961; Consider the many different arguments/claims in Carr’s piece. Be prepared to talk!
LOGICAL FALLACIES!!!!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Immigrant Disease | ||||
|
||||
Wed. 2/2
- What you need for class: Smart observations on Carr’s essay.
- What we will be doing: Discussion; Assign Textual Analysis (formerly titled Position Paper)
- For next time: Read this over the next assignment and choose a text to analyze. Begin working on precis.
Week 5 (ENG 101 C03) 2/6-2/8
Mon. 2/6
- What you need for class: Selected essay for Textual Analysis.
- What we will be doing: Student Sample: Textual Analysis; Discuss Quoting vs. Paraphrasing (MLA style)
- For next time: Finish summary/precis; Read They Say, I Say 3-27; 55-67
Wed. 2/8
- What you need for class: Summary/Precis of article
- What we will be doing: Work day on Precis/Textual Analysis
- For next time: Final draft of Literacy Narrative; Progress on draft of Textual Analysis
Week 6 (ENG 101 C03) 2/13-2/15
Mon. 2/13
- What you need for class: Due: Final draft of Literacy Narrative; Progress on Textual Analysis
- What we will be doing: Review MLA in-text citation; Introduce MLA Works Cited (Resources: Norton Field Guide MLA section and Purdue OWL website); Review Textual Analysis Rubric and Worksheet; Work on draft of analysis for Wed. workshop.
- For next time: Textual Analysis Draft Workshop
Wed. 2/15
- What you need for class: Draft of Textual Analysis (must have 2 hard copies)
- What we will be doing: Workshop using Textual Analysis Rubric and Worksheet
- For next time: Read NFG “Just Be Nice” 671-675; “Anti-Intellectualism…” 691-695
Week 7 (ENG 101 C03) 2/20-2/22
Mon. 2/20
- What you need for class: Read NFG “Just Be Nice” 671-675; “Anti-Intellectualism…” 691-695
- What we will be doing: Discussion and MLA style
- For next time: Revise textual analysis. No class meeting (see below).
Wed. 2/22
I will be presenting at the Two-Year College English Association’s conference in Virginia, so today’s class is cancelled. Please continue to work on your textual analysis papers You are most likely done with higher order concerns (HOCs) and can now focus on lower order concerns (LOCs) such as grammar, punctuation, word choice, and MLA formatting.
For next time: Your final draft of the textual analysis essay will be due on Monday 2/29. Also, read “Finding and Evaluating Sources” 384-403 in NFG. Reading quiz???
Week 8 (ENG 101 C03) 2/27-2/29
Mon. 2/27
- What you need for class: Read Finding and Evaluating Sources 384-403
- What we will be doing: Finding and Evaluating Sources 384-403; Discuss the components of the final project: Research Paper Info and Schedule; an overview of the exploratory Question Draft; and the formal Proposal and Reading List.
- For next time: Question Draft
Wed. 2/29
- What you need for class: Due: Final draft of Textual Analysis; Question Draft
- What we will be doing: Discuss the components of the final project: Research Paper Info and Schedule; an overview of the exploratory Question Draft; and the formal Proposal and Reading List.
- For next time: Narrow focus and begin your proposal; read NFG Maggie Cutler’s “Whodunit?–the Media?” (684)
Week 9 (ENG 101 C03) 3/5-3/7
Mon. 3/5
- What you need for class: Have read NFG Maggie Cutler’s “Whodunit?–the Media?” (684); Materials related to your proposal
- What we will be doing: Discussion; Creating Keywords, search terms, exploring databases
- For next time: Draft of proposal; evidence you’ve begun a reading list
Wed. 3/7
- What you need for class: Draft of proposal
- What we will be doing: Workshop; mini-conferences
- For next time: Read sample student essay. Print or bring electronic version to class.
- Here’s a worksheet based on “Whodunit?–The Media?”
Week 10 (ENG 101 C03) Spring Break
3/12-3/14 Spring Break
Week 11 (ENG 101 C03) 3/19-3/21
Mon. 3/19
- What you need for class: Copy of this student essay
- Make-up: Here’s the worksheet based on “Whodunit?–The Media?” for those who would like to replace a quiz grade. Please complete and bring to next class.
- What we will be doing: Discussion; Exploring Online Databases (if we have not covered this already;
- For next time: Final Draft of proposal with reading list
Wed. 3/21
- What you need for class: Final draft of proposal with reading list
- What we will be doing: In class we will read Alina Tugend’s “Multitasking…” 653-657. Then you will write one of the following: a brief summary of the piece; an effective paraphrase of a passage; a quote from the text with an attributive lead-in and follow-up sentence. This is practice for your research paper.
- For next time: Bring in two sources from your reading list.
Week 12 (ENG 101 C03) 3/26-3/28
Mon. 3/26
- What you need for class: Two “long read” sources from your reading list (this will be checked off for a participation grade)
- What we will be doing: Reading, annotating, evaluating
- For next time:
Wed. 3/28
- What you need for class: Research project sources
- What we will be doing: Library or in-class workday
- For next time:
Week 13 (ENG 101 C03) 4/2-4/4
Mon. 4/2
- What you need for class: Research project sources
- What we will be doing: Library or in-class workday
- For next time:
Wed. 4/4
- What you need for class: Introduction and thesis statement to your paper (about 2 paragraphs)
- What we will be doing: Class workshop; drafting
- For next time:
Textual Analysis Assignment (Essay 2)
Resources: NFG 272-300; EVERYTHING in They Say / I Say ; Class notes on types of arguments (found here) and one of the selected essays below:
Choose ONE of the following essays on which you will complete your text analysis. (You may want to read several and choose which one is most interesting to you). Your options are as follows:
- Hal Niedzviecki: “Facebook in a Crowd” (NFG, 958-960)
- Amy Goldwasser: “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?” (NFG, 666-669)
- David Pogue: “No Keyboard? And You Call This a Blackberry?” (NFG, 719-723)
- Dennis Baron: “Don’t Make English Official – Ban It Instead” (NFG, 869-872)
- David Zinczenko: “Don’t Blame the Eater” (TSIS, 195-197)
- Gerald Graff: “Hidden Intellectualism” (TSIS, 198-205)
Purpose: After reading and analyzing the arguments presented in one of the aforementioned articles, you will write a “textual analysis”—a short writing experience (3-5 pages; 3 full pages is the minimum, excluding header) designed to help you develop ways to respond to assigned texts in a critical manner (remember when we discussed “critical thinking” during the second class?)
Format: 12pt, Times New Roman, double-spaced and stapled in the upper left corner. When engaging the critics in the articles, be sure to attribute all quotes and paraphrases to the proper source in text using MLA style. Please include an Works Cited page in MLA style for your selected text. I will provide tips in class for integrating quotes; however, information on quoting and in-text citations can be found in your textbook (see NFG 428).
Assignment: The position paper requires you to pick one assigned reading and to critique the text from your own perspective.
In the essay you will present your own position among the text’s position(s) on an issue. You will engage your essay directly, accommodating and acknowledging good ideas (and explaining why they are good), resisting and rejecting bad ideas (and explaining why they are bad), and negotiating and revising ideas (and explaining how they might best be revised), using examples, anecdotes and experiences to support your claim. Like our class discussions on other topics, you may also bring up positions or points that you feel are ignored or overlooked. This is often an effective way to join the conversation and further the debate.
Tips for getting started: I feel that the best way to approach this assignment is to “workshop” each article/position separately. I find it extremely helpful to first identify the major claims each critic is making and to determine what kind of claim/argument is being used (cause/effect, compare/contrast, policy, definition, etc). Once I understand each “move” the critic makes, I then begin to evaluate each claim in terms of its logic and completeness. Is the argument reasonable? Why or why not? Lastly, I look for additional ways to support or reject the argument. What’s missing, or what has the author ignored?
During this process I always invariably come to some position of my own, which is typically a hybrid of existing ideas or an amalgam of partial agreements with my own new points interjected. The result almost always demonstrates the fact that more than two sides (pro/con) exist on any given issue. Moreover, it typically leads to new ways of negotiation between competing texts which is perhaps the most valuable result of all. My hope is that each of you will see varied perspectives in the reading, and in your critique of what others’ say, you will develop a position of your own.
Feedback: During the class workshop I will provide feedback to students in the way of mini-conferences. For a full review and critique of your draft, please contact me to make a time to come by my office. I typically spend about 30 minutes workshopping one-to-one with students and am happy to meet with you as often as you like. I find that strong writing is usually the product of strong revision.