Diana's
English Composition Page
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Syllabus
Office Hours
Course Objectives and Description
Course Requirements
Course Materials
Attendance Policy
Written Assignments
Late Papers
Grading
University Policies
General Guidelines for Written Assignments
Schedule of Daily Activities
University and College
Policy Statements
Recommended Readings
Links
SYLLABUS
ENGLISH COMPOSITION
|
Instructor: Dr. Diana Laulainen-Schein |
Office Hours
Please feel free to come in and talk with me about any course-related
questions or problems you may have. If your schedule conflicts with my
office
hours, we can arrange an appointment at another time. Feel free to drop
in just to chat or to bring suggestions about how we can make our
discussion
meetings more interesting.
The best way to contact me about simple questions or concerns, outside of office hours, is via email. I check my e-mail obsessively, so you are likely to receive prompt responses. Also, e-mail allows you to send me portions of your writing for quick comments, clarifications, or advice.
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help you develop the necessary writing
skills that you will use throughout your college career. During the
quarter, you will practice critical and analytical writing skills, and
you will familiarize yourself with some of the resources available to
you at the on campus, including the library and the Internet. Critical
thinking is important to doing well in this course and there is an
emphasis on learning to follow directions and meet deadlines.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Course Materials
Harnack and Kleppinger: Online! A Reference Guide to Using the
Internet (optional) Lunsford and Connors: The New St. Martin's Handbook
Packet available in the Williamson Book Store
Please obtain a three-ring binder for this packet. Any or all of the sheets may be handed in for grading, so you must be able to remove them from the packet.Two-pocket folder to hand in assignments
You will use this folder to hand in your four papers. Write your name on the front. Every time you turn in a paper, put your paper in the right-hand pocket and all of your drafts, peer reviews, and revision plans in the left-hand pocket.A dictionary and thesaurus
Money for photocopying/printing (about $10)
Access to a word processor and the Internet
Attendance
This course meets twice each week. Attendance for all class session is
expected, and penalties will be assessed for absences. The first two
excused absences will be noted but, if appropriate efforts are made to
make up the work, no penalty will be assessed. For the third and fourth
absences your grade will be lowered by one whole grade; five absences
will result in an "F" grade for the course.
If you expect to miss class for any reason, you must notify me as early as possible . Do not call me and do not approach me in person with your excuse. By sending me and E-mail, you are providing a written documentation of you absence, and I am not burdened with trying to keep track of 25 students' excuses. If you do not e-mail me, the excuse will be considered unexcused. For sporting conflicts and religious observances, you must notify me no later than the second recitation meeting, so that arrangements may be made accordingly. (See the university policy on religious observances at the end of this syllabus.) For medical emergencies, notify me before the class meeting if at all possible. Because attendance is required, failure to notify me of any absences before class meetings will have a direct negative impact on your course grade.
Active participation in class discussions and activities is essential for passing this course; students who attend all class meetings but do not actively participate will find this reflected in their grade. I will assess each student daily on his or her participation; although the most common form of class participation will involve verbally contributing to small group and class discussions, I reserve the right to introduce other means of class participation (for example, brief in-class writing assignments, oral presentations, or pop quizzes). If you have concerns about your participation or your ability to contribute in class, see me as soon as possible.
Written Assignments
There are three major writing assignments for this course– an annotated
bibliography, a book review, and a research paper– as well as several
smaller assignments, including editing exercises and a diagnostic
paper.
Late
Papers
In order to do well in any course, you must keep up with the readings
and assignments. Late assignments will be penalized one half letter
grade
for each day that they are late. Papers are late if they are not turned
in at the beginning of class on the day that they are due. Exceptions
will
be considered only in the case of a verified illness. You must contact
me
before the paper is due to discuss getting an extension.
GRADING
In order to pass this course, you must complete all written
assignments. 80% of your grade is based on the quality of your writing,
and 20% is based on your "course commitment," which is based on your
effort, attitude, and contributions to the class as a whole, including
peer review sessions. Every student is required to contribute to class
discussions and activities; mere presence in the classroom does not
count as part of this grade. Your grade will be apportioned as follows:
15% Annotated Bibliography (3-4 pages)
25% Book Review (4-5 pages)
40% Research Paper (8-10 pages)
20% Class participation, in-class work, small assignments, peer
reviewing, and quizzes
I use the following grading scale, and I do not curve grades:
| A......94 or above A-.....90-93 B+....89-87 B......86-84 B-.....83-80 |
C+....79-77 C......76-74 C-.....73-70 D+....69-67 D......66-64 F.......below 64 |
- Work of "A" quality demonstrates a mastery of the information and interpretations found in readings, lectures, and discussion section. Work at this level is always characterized by the student's independent assessment and evaluation of the material. Written work at this level is well written, clear, grammatically correct, and proofread.
- Work of "B" quality usually demonstrates a sound understanding of the material but does not thoroughly analyze all of the information.
- Work at the "C" level demonstrates a working knowledge of the material and a minimum of interpretation. Sloppy proofreading and grammatical errors often marks "C" level or below writing.
- Work at a "D" level meets some of the requirements and is worthy of credit.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
The final three pages of this syllabus, which can be found in your
course packet, are policy pages from both the department of English and
the university. These policies apply to all students enrolled in this
class. I urge all of
you to read these policies carefully. You are responsible for knowing
and
understanding these policies.
If you have any preexisting conditions that may affect your performance in this course (dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, vision or hearing impairments, acute shyness, etc.), it is your responsibility (and to your benefit) to speak with me at the beginning of the quarter about your situation so we can take appropriate measures to minimize the impact on your course performance.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN
ASSIGNMENTS
Written responses should be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins
on 8½×11 white paper and in 10- or 12-point font (i.e., do
not shrink or expand font size or margins to meet length requirements).
I
do own a pica measure and a ruler; don't make me use them on your
paper.
All rules of written English apply; unless otherwise specified, I
expect
responses to be mechanically well-written and proofread carefully, and
responses
that do not meet these criteria will receive lower grades accordingly.
As a reminder, all work done for this class is subject to the rules laid forth in the Scholastic Dishonesty and Plagiarism policies listed on the last page of this syllabus. Although students are free (and even encouraged) to discuss assignments with each other outside of class, each student is responsible for writing his or her own papers. Moreover, all references to facts, ideas, and opinions that come from lectures, the course readings, or any other sources should be cited appropriately.
Schedule
of Daily Activities
(This schedule also serves as a table of contents for the course packet)
Day 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSEWho are we? What is this course?
ANALYSIS VS. SUMMARY
The Case of the Indigo Girls.
Related Web Site
U of Minnesota English Composition Web
Day 2
--Virginia Woolf
COURSE THEMES
Discussion of course individual themes.
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. I-14 to I-27; 435-443
- Read "Characteristics of Good Writing" and "21 Rules for Writing" in your course packet
- Read "Research and Writing" in your packet, focusing on the "Choose a Topic" section.
(Note: Reading assignments can be found in your packet in the section labeled Handouts)
- Come to class with a topic for this course in mind. By next Tuesday, this theme will have to be fairly firmly set.
- Complete Editing Exercises #1 and #2 and the personal information form in your packet.
Related Websites
Day 3
COMPUTER LAB Logging on to the library. Finding books and journal articles on the web.
- Read "Research and Writing" in your packet, focusing on the "Compile a Working Bibliography" section
- **Writing Assessment Assignment Due**
- Read Lunsford and Connors pp. I-27 to I-32; 430-432; 458-470
Related Web Sites
Day 4
LIBRARY TOUR AND WORK SESSION (Meet at Wilson library in the front foyer for this session).
- Read "Research and Writing" in your packet, focusing on the "Locate Titles in your Working Bibliography" section
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 444-458
- Bring your list of books and journal articles to be located; bring money to photocopy articles
Related Web Site
Day 5
HOW TO DO WELL ON YOUR ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
EVALUATING SOURCES
- Bring all of the materials you have selected thus far to class. Please also bring a list of things that you personally need to work on in regards to reading, writing, research, and grammar.
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 479-481
- Read "How to Critically Analyze Information Sources" and "Distinguishing Scholarly Journals" and "Skimming" in your packet
- Read "Research and Writing" in your packet, focusing on the "Evaluate Sources" section
- Complete Editing Exercises #3 and #4
Related Web Site
Day 6
PLAGIARISM and QUOTING HOW TO DO WELL ON YOUR ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 484-498
- Read the plagiarism handouts in your packet, "Advanced Quoting Techniques," "Warning Signs of a Rushed Paper," "Aspects of Grading," and the grading chart that follows
- Complete the exercise on plagiarism
- Complete Editing Exercises #5 and #6
Related Web Sites
Day 7
WRITING WORKSHOP
Rough draft of the
annotated bibliography due
- You should bring typed copies of your bibliography and filled out copies of the "Requesting Peer Feedback" forms for each member of your group
Day 8
--Francis Bacon
IDENTIFYING ACADEMIC TEXTS
HOW TO DO WELL ON THE BOOK REVIEW
Annotated
bibliography due
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 481-486
- Discussion about book choices for book review. Bring the book you intend to review to class and be ready to share (read) the thesis of the book to your classmates.
- Read "Remembering what you Read," "What's and Academic Essay," "When we Analyze, We Simplify," and "General Rules of Writing an Essay" in your packet
- Complete Editing Exercise #7
Related Web Sites
Day 9
COMPUTER LAB
Finding book reviews on the web & using the power of your word processor.
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 287-306
Related Web Sites
JSTOR Indexes Arranged by Subject Computer Tips
Day 10
PARAGRAPHS, TRANSITIONS, AND STRUCTURE- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 102-134.
- Read "Effective Paragraphing," "Writing Good Paragraphs" and "Transitions" in your packet
- Complete the sentence fragment (3) and transition exercises in the packet
- Complete Editing Exercises #8 and #9
Related Web Sites
Day 11
Rough draft of book
review due
CITATIONS
- Read/Skim Lunsford and Connors, pp. 432-434; 516-539; 564-577; 587-595; 601-612 and the chart in your packet
- Be sure to fill in a "Requesting Peer Feedback" form and bring three copies to class
- Complete Editing Exercise #10
- We will work on the quotations exercise in class
Related Web Sites
When to Document US Government Copyright Office Citing Electronic Sources A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in the History and the Humanities Classroom Connection: Citing Online Sources Citation Styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, CBE) TekMom's Citing Web Resources Who Said That? How to Cite Electronic Resources Writer's Handbook: Citing Electronic Resources Duke Library's Guide to Citing Sources Copyright Web Site Copyright Copyright in the Digital Age
Day 12
--John Updike
I have never thought of myself as a good writer. Anyone
who wants reassurance of that should read one of my first drafts.
But I'm
one of the world's greatest rewriters.
--James Michener
I have rewritten--often several times--every word I have ever
published. My pencils outlast their erasers.
--Vladimir Nabokov
WRITING WORKSHOP
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 50-69
- Please be sure you have edited your peers' papers and filled out the peer review sheets before coming to class.
- Read "Revising," "Checklist for Revising," "Revising your Paper," and "Revision Slants" in your packet
Related Web Sites
Day 13
Book review due
ORGANIZING YOUR RESEARCH PAPER
HOW TO DO WELL ON THE FINAL PAPER
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 499-515
- Complete Editing Exercise #11
Related Web Sites
- Seven Steps to Writing a Research Paper
- The Research Paper
- Ten Steps to Writing a Research Paper
- Steps to Writing a Research Paper
- How to
Write an A+ Research Paper
Day 14
PARALLELISM/AGREEMENT/PUNCTUATION
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 191-199
- Read "Punctuation" in your packet
- Complete the parallelism and agreement exercises in the packet
- Complete Editing Exercise #12
Related Web Sites
- The Grammar Lady
- Grammar Safari
- Guide to
Grammar
- The Assembly for the Teaching of
English Grammar
- Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and Style
- A Brief, No-Nonsense Guide to Comma Usage
- The Semicolon
- A Collection of Ambiguous, Inconsistent, and Incomplete Sentences
- Pronoun
Usage
Day 15
CRAFTING A THESIS AND OUTLINE
- Read Lunsford, pp. 32- 49; pp. 70-101
- Read "Developing a Thesis and an Outline" and "Sample Thesis Statements" in your packet
- We will complete the exercises on appropriate research questions and thesis statements in class
- Complete Editing Exercise #12
Thesis and Outline
for Research Paper Due
Related Web Sites
- Thesis
Statements
- How
to
Write a Thesis Statement
- Writing a Thesis Statement
- Constructing Thesis Statements
- The
Thesis Statement
Day 16
COMPUTER LAB Harnessing the Power of the Web
- Read Harnack and Kleppinger, pp. 53-73 (Optional)
Related Web Sites
- Online Dictionaries
- Roget's Thesaurus
- Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus
- A Visual Thesaurus
- Internet Acronym Dictionary
- A Student's Guide to Researching on the Worldwide Web
Day 17
EVALUATING WEB SOURCES
- Read "Evaluating Web Sources" and "A Checklist for Evaluating Web Sources" in your packet
- Bring a print out of a web site that you intend to use as a source for your research paper for evaluation. Bring a series of pages, not just the index page to the site. If you have stumbled across a particularly bad site, bring that along as well.
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 317-329
- Complete the slang exercises in your packet in class, and come to class with two or three examples of slang phrasing (for example, "chill out, "slacking," or "smashed")
- Complete Editing Exercise #13
Related Web Sites
Evaluating Online Sources Anyone Can (and probably will) put Anything on the InternetThinking Critically about World Wide Web Information
Day 18
Rough draft of research
paper due
PRESENTATION
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 652-671
- Complete Editing Exercises #14 and # 15
Day 19
WRITING WORKSHOP
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 249-284 and check your peers papers for the topics discussed in these page (conciseness, coordination, subordination, parallelism, variety in sentence length and structure, and voice).
- Please read your peers' papers and fill out the peer review sheets before coming to class.
Day 20
Final research paper due
HOW TO ACE AN ESSAY EXAM
- Read handouts in packet on essay exams.
- Read Lunsford and Connors, pp. 187-188; 279-281
- Read "Passive Voice puts Teachers to Sleep" and "The Use of Quotes and Passive Voice" in your packet.
Related Web Sites
University and College Policy
Statements
All students should be aware of the following university and policies:
Scholastic
Dishonesty and Plagiarism
Scholastic dishonesty is any act that violates the rights of another
student with respect to academic work or that involves
misrepresentation of a student's own work. Scholastic dishonesty
includes (but is not limited to) cheating on assignments or
examinations, plagiarizing (misrepresenting as one's own anything done
by another, submitting the same or substantially similar papers for
more than one course without consent of all instructors concerned,
depriving another of necessary course materials, and sabotaging
another's work.
On plagiarism: Students are expected to express themselves and to sustain an argument in their own prose. They should not submit written work that does not properly acknowledge transcription or that includes excessive quotation of the works of others. If you want to quote from a published work, you must put the passage in quotation marks and cite the references. If you wish to express what an author is saying in your own words, you should include reference to the author concerned to indicate that the ideas stated are hers/his and not yours.
Instructors may impose penalties on students who commit acts of academic dishonesty in their courses. Possible penalties include an F for the course or for the assignment, a lowered grade for the course or assignment, or requiring students to rewrite the assignment. For more information contact the Student Dispute Resolution Center, 102 Johnston Hall, (612) 626-0891.
Disabilities
Reasonable accommodations will be provided for students with physical,
sensory, systemic, cognitive, learning, and psychiatric disabilities.
Any student with a documented disability who needs to arrange
reasonable accommodations must contact the instructor and disability
services at the beginning of the
quarter. For additional information contact Disability Service,
30
Nicholson Hall, (612) 626-1333.
Sexual
Harassment
Sexual harassment is defined as follows: Unwelcome sexual advances,
requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a
sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when (1) submission to such
conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of
an individual's employment or academic advancement, (2) submission to
or rejection of such conduct
by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions or
academic
decisions affecting such individual, or (3) such conduct has the
purpose
or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or
academic
performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working
or
academic environment. Individuals seeking information and guidance in
matters
involving sexual harassment should contact the Office of Equal
Opportunity
and Affirmative Action, 419 Morrill Hall, (612) 624-9547.
Equal
Opportunity
The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons
shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment
without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex,
age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran
status or sexual orientation.
Religious
Observances
The University of Minnesota permits absences from class for
participation in religious observances. Students who plan to miss class
must: 1. Inform instructors of anticipated absences at the beginning of
the quarter; 2. Meet
with instructors to reschedule any missed examinations; and 3. Obtain
class
notes from other students. RECOMMENDED READINGS
In addition to the texts for this course, the following texts are recommended reading.
Handbooks
Lunsford, Connors, & Muth: The New St. Martins Pocket
Guide Hacker: The Bedford Handbook
Keene & Adams: Easy Access: The Reference Handbook for Writers
Hacker: A Writer's Reference, edition 3
Anson & Schwegler: Longman's Handbook
Rodrigues: Writing Essentials: A Norton Pocket Guide
Zinsser: On Writing Well
Woodward: Writing Research Papers
Burnham: Writing From the Inside Out
Anson: A Field Guide to Writing
Hall/Birkerts: Writing Well
Writing about
Literature and Art
Barnet: A Short Guide to Writing About Literature Roberts: Writing About Literature
McMahan, Day, & Funk: Literature and the Writing Process
Barnet: A Short Guide to Writing About Art
Sayre: Writing About Art
Writing in the
Social Sciences
Friedman: Writing & Thinking in the Social Sciences, Lee: A Short Guide to Writing about Social Science
Hansen: A Rhetoric for the Social Sciences
Penrose and Katz: Writing in the Sciences: Exploring Conventions of Scientific Discourse
Writing in the
Sciences
Hatton and Plouffe: Science and its Ways of Knowing Porush: A Short Guide to Writing About Science
Day: How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper
McMillan: Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences
Writing in
Business
Behrens et al: Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum Barnet & Bedau: Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing
Brown & Keeley: Asking the Right Questions
Frost et al: Managerial Reality
Pierce: The Manager's Bookshelf
Oliu, Brusaw, & Alred: Writing that Works: Effecttive Communication for Business
Guffey: Essentials of Business Communication.
Brusaw et al: The Business Writer's Handbook
Lanham: Reusing Business Prose
Brereton and Mansfield: Writing on the Job
Technical
Writing
Burnett: Technical Communication Markel: Technical Communication: Situations and Strategies
Riordan & Pauley: Technical Report Writing Today
Pfeiffer: Technical Writing: A Practical Approach
Fox: Technical Communication
Roze. Technical Communication: The Practical Craft
Brusaw: Handbook of Technical Writing
LINKS
In addition to the links cited in the syllabus, you may find the following sites useful.
Writing Labs
The University of Minnesota Writing
Center Harvard's
Writing Center The University of Texas
Undergraduate Writing Center The University of
Missouri's Online Writery The Purdue Online Writing Lab
Listing
of Other Online Writing Labs University of
Richmond's Writing CenterOther Online Resources
Bartelby: Dictionaries,
Encyclopedias, Style Guides, and More Guide to Grammar and
Writing Nuts and Bolts of College
Writing Xlibris (Self-publishing) Writers Web Site (Screen
writing) Wordplay (Screen writing) Story Mania (Electronic Publishing)
