English 111

English 111

Course Texts

• Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone (Sarah Crichton Books, 2007).

• Donald McQuade and Robert Altwan, eds., The Writer’s Presence, 5th ed. (Bedford-St. Martin’s 2000).

• Jane E. Aaron, The Little, Brown Handbook, 6th ed. (Addison-Wesley, 2003).

You should also purchase a notebook for notes and in-class writing assignments, as well as a folder large enough to store ALL of your writing. This folder will provide you easy access when you need to refer back to a specific writing assignment. You should keep EVERY draft of your formal papers, as you are required to include them in your portfolio at the end of the semester.

Course Overview & Objectives

English 111 builds upon the foundations laid by English 110. This course helps students further develop their ability to think critically and to express their thinking accurately and eloquently. Students in English 111 will practice logical, critical thinking by reading, analyzing, and writing arguments. Students will work on: developing strategies for tailoring writing to specific audiences; strengthening copyediting skills; and using evidence and outside sources effectively. Students will be required to complete frequent reading and writing assignments, which will include blog, papers, summaries, and essays. Writing and editing exercises reinforce the skills needed to pass the WLCE.

The WLCE & Wheelock College Requirements

You will take the Wheelock Literacy and Communication Exam during finals. English 111 students take the essay portion of the exam. Students who have not yet passed the grammar, summary, or spelling portions of the exam will attempt these sections as well. Your performance on the WLCE does not apply to your grade in the course. However, you must have passed the WLCE to enter into many required professional courses. The WLCE is also a graduation requirement. The WLCE measures the literacy skills necessary for entering into professional and civic discussion. It will be administered during the regular exam period. Plan to attend: sections that have not been attempted count as fails.

Grade Breakdown

Essay 1 (Descriptive Feature)                                                   15
Essay 2 (Textual Analysis: A Long Way Gone)                     15
Essay 3 (Research Paper)                                                         20
Presentation                                                                                20
WLCE Practice Essays/Summary                                           10
Blog                                                                                                10
Participation/Attendance                                                         10

Assignments

The course syllabus indicates what work is to be done and when it is to be submitted. If you have any questions about the work that cannot be answered by referring to the syllabus, please contact me to ask for clarification.

Blog Posts: Roughly once a week, you will be required to submit a post on our course blog. The focus of these posts will change from week to week as we cover new topics in class. Some weeks, I will ask you discuss a particular passage from one of the texts.  Other weeks, I will pose a more general question for you to consider.  The due date and subject of these posts are indicated on the syllabus. We will frequently use them as starting point for in-class discussions, and they will be graded. The site: http://olivieja.wordpress.com/

Discussion Starters: Each student will be asked to serve as a discussion starter twice this term. The discussion starter provides two comments and a question to help us begin our discussion for the day. You can select a passage from the assigned reading for the day that you found challenging or illuminating and pose a question regarding it, or you can pose general questions related to the themes, subjects, contexts, etc. of the reading.

Research Paper Presentation: At the end of the semester, you will deliver a 10-15 minute presentation on a research topic of your choosing. This assignment is intended to give you experience doing on-line and on-site library research, and to develop your public speaking skills. Your presentation will build upon the work you do in writing your third essay, and you will be graded on both the content of your talk and the skill with which you deliver it. Detailed guidelines and specific grading criteria will be provided.

Policies & Procedures

Attendance: If you miss more than four (4) classes, you will receive a ‘0’ for the Attendance grade (5%). It is also crucial that you come to class on time: two (2) late arrivals = one (1) absence. If illness or family problems require you to miss class, please get in touch with me and with your academic advisor. Once 2 absences have been accumulated, I must file an Academic Progress Report with the Office of Academic Affairs.

Participation: Arrive to class and conference sessions prepared to engage in the conversation. This means having questions and/or comments ready that illustrate your investment in your reading/writing. Your participation grade (5%) includes your contribution to class discussions, in-class assignments and peer group-work.

Late Assignment Policy: Because this course places such a strong emphasis on revision, it’s crucial that you turn in all of your drafts on time. Late papers will not be accepted unless by prior arrangement. Essays handed in late or incomplete will receive reduced credit. For each day—not class period—that a paper is late, your grade will decrease by 1/3 of a letter grade (e.g. a B paper submitted one day late becomes a B-, two days late becomes a C+, etc.). There is no make-up for in-class quizzes.

Cell Phone Policy: Turn them off before entering the classroom. This semester, I promise to obey this policy as well.

Plagiarism Clause: Plagiarism, falsification of research, and any form of “cheating” or academic dishonesty may result in the lowering of a grade, course failure, or complete dismissal from Wheelock. In sum, all written work must be attributed to the correct sources. Ideas from published material or from other people must be credited. It is unacceptable to:
==>    Copy another’s work and claim it as your own
==>    Download material from the Internet without giving full and proper citation
==>    Submit a paper, or a substantial amount of a paper, which has been submitted to another course without the expressed permission of the instructors involved

Academic Support Service: The Office of Academic Advising and Assistance provides free support services for all Wheelock students. Peer tutors are available for most courses for students who want or need extra help with course content, and writing consultants are located in the Study Lounge (Library 205) to work with students on writing assignments on a drop-in basis most afternoons and evenings until 10 p.m. While students should always speak with their instructors regarding any academic matters pertaining to specific courses, we encourage you to take advantage of academic support services.

Disability Support Service: It is the policy of Wheelock College to provide appropriate, reasonable accommodations to students who have documented learning, physical, cognitive, or psychiatric disabilities. Students with disabilities are encouraged to meet with the course instructor.

To receive appropriate accommodations students must contact the Director of Academic Assistance and Disability Services to register for services.

The Office of Academic Support and the Study Lounge are located on the 2nd floor of Library in Suite 205. For more information about these support options, contact Paul Hastings (peer tutoring and disability services) at ext. 2304, phastings@wheelock.edu, or Jenne Powers (writing consultations) at ext. 2122, jpowers@wheelock.edu.

Course Schedule: Please note that this is a tentative schedule and is subject to change at my discretion.

Week 1—Defining Culture

January 14 (W)
-    Looking at Subcultures & Making the Familiar Strange
-    Review Syllabus

January 16 (F)
-    Tommy Teirnan: Finding Your Angle
-    Review Essay 1 (Descriptive Feature) assignment
-    BLOG: Culture as Comedy

Week 2—Fieldwork: Conducting Research

January 19 (M) – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, no class

January 21 (W)
-    Colin Erhardt, ‘The RA Stereotype’
-    Jake O’Brien, ‘Simple Living’
-    Key features of a descriptive essay

January 23 (F)
-    Bonnie Stone Sunstein and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater, ‘The Interview: Learning How to Ask,     Learning How to Listen’
-    BLOG: Laying the Groundwork

Week 3—Writing about Culture

January 26 (M)
-    ‘Notes on Camp’ from This American Life
-    BLOG: Notes on Camp

January 28 (W)
-    Alex Kuczynski, ‘Globe-Hop, but Beware Beauty Lag’
-    Word choice

January 30 (F)
-    Marjane Satrapi, ‘The Socks’ (WP 259)

DUE: First draft of Descriptive Essay due by noon (e-mail)

Week 4—Class Workshops

February 2 (M)
-    Class workshop (2-3 papers)
-    BLOG: Culture as Comic

February 4 (W)
-     Class workshop (2-3 papers)

February 6 (F)
-    Introduce Writing Partners
-    Guided Peer Review

Week 5—WLCE Practice

February 9 (M)
-    Practice WLCE Summary 1 (Read, Map, Begin Writing)

DUE: Essay 1: Descriptive Essay due in class

February 11 (W)
-    Practice WLCE Essay 1 (Introduce, Discuss Strategies, Outline)
-    DUE: Practice WLCE Summary 1

February 13 (F)
-    Practice WLCE Essay 1 (Write)
-    Grammar refresher

Week 6 – A Long Way Gone, Part 1

February 16 (M) – President’s Day, no class

February 18 (W)
-    ALWG 1-7 (pp. 1-48)
-    DUE: Character Map

February 20 (F)
-    AWLG 8-9 (pp. 49-68)
-    Key features of a textual analysis
-    BLOG: Sister Rosemary

Week 7 – A Long Way Gone, Part 2

February 23 (M)
-    ALWG 10-12 (pp. 69-113)
-    Practicing transitions
-    DUE: Character analysis

February 25 (W)
-    ALWG 13-15 (pp. 114-137)
-    Ethos, Logos, Pathos

February 27 (F)
-    AWLG 16 (pp. 138-151)
-    Review Essay 2 (Textual Analysis) assignment
-    BLOG: Passage & Questions

Week 8 – A Long Way Gone, Part 3

March 2 (M)
-    AWLG 17-18 (pp. 152-178)
-    Selecting productive questions for literary analysis
-    DUE: Detailed outline

March 4 (W)
-    ALWG 19-20 (pp. 179-200)
-    The Art of the Paragraph

March 6 (F)
-    ALWG 21 (pp. 201-218)
-    Thesis statements [in-class activity]
-    BLOG: War Photos

March 9-13: Spring Vacation, No Classes

Week 9 – Class Workshops

March 16 (M)
-    Guided peer review
-    Citations

DUE: First draft of Textual Analysis due in class

March 18 (W)
-    Class workshop (2 papers)

March 20 (F)
-    Class workshop (2 papers)

Week 10 – WLCE Practice

March 23 (M)
-    Practice WLCE Essay 2 (Outline, Begin Writing)

March 25 (W)
-    Share and critique WLCE Essay 2
-    Revise WLCE Essay 2
-    DUE: Practice WLCE Essay 2 (revised)

March 27 (F)
-    Grammar refresher
-    Practice WLCE Summary (Read, Map)

DUE: Essay 2: Textual Analysis due by noon (e-mail)

Week 11 – Conducting Research

March 30 (M)
-    John Taylor Gatto, ‘Against School’ (WP 688)
-    Review Essay 3 (Research Paper) assignment

April 1 (W)
-    Patrick Jamieson, ‘The Credibility of Wikipedia: Who is Researching the Researcher?’
-    Evaluating and citing sources
-    BLOG: Laying the Groundwork

April 3 (F)
-    Library Research (class meets downstairs in the library)

Week 12 – Writing from Primary & Secondary Research

April 6 (M)
-    Watch BLOG clip: Obama’s acceptance speech
-    Review guidelines for research presentation
-    Sign up for research presentations
-    DUE: Works Cited for Research Paper

April 8 (W)
-    Lauren Slater, ‘The Trouble With Self-Esteem’ (WP 806)
-    Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing
-    DUE: Detailed outline

April 10 (F)
-    Presentation and public speaking strategies (in-class presentation)

Week 13 – Class Workshops

April 13 (M)
-    Guided peer review

DUE: First draft of Research Paper due in class

April 15 (W)
-    Class workshops (2-3 papers)

April 17 (F)
-    Class workshops (2-3 papers)

Week 14 – WLCE Practice

April 20 (M) – Patriot’s Day, no class

April 22 (W)
-    Practice WLCE Essay 3 (Outline, Write)
-    DUE: Practice WLCE Summary 2

April 24 (F)
-    Share and critique WLCE Essay 3
-    Revise WLCE Essay 3
-    DUE: Practice WLCE Essay 3 (revised)

DUE: Essay 3: Research Paper due by noon (e-mail)

Week 15 – Research Presentations

April 27 (M)
-    Research paper presentations (5)

April 29 (W)
-    Research paper presentations (5)

May 1 (F)
-    Research paper presentations (5)

Week 16 – WLCE

May 4 (M)
-    WLCE Essay Test