Instructor: Dr. Eric Gardner
English 252-01 meets from 9:30-10:45 Tuesdays and Thursdays in 313 French Hall.
My office: 326L French Hall
Office Phone: (810) 762-3429
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: 11:00-12:00 Monday through Thursday; other times by appointment.
Department mailbox: I have a mailbox in 326 French Hall, where you may
leave
papers or notes for me. The secretary or office staff will place
your paper or note in my mailbox.
Catalog course description:
This course is described in the 2001-2003 University of Michigan--Flint catalog as “advanced work with
the rhetorical elements of invention, form, and style; emphasis on writing for a variety of audiences;
workshop activities in pre-writing, writing and revision; emphasis on the process of writing, from
discovering subject matter to shaping discourse” (149).To gain a better sense of these elements of writing, you will read one book about writing and you will
plan, write, and revise your own book (or “book”) during the semester--in consultation with me and
with your classmates via in-class workshops and out-of-class conferences. In addition, I will ask you to
complete several summaries/responses to your reading during the quarter. Be prepared to share your
writing with your classmates: getting feedback from others will be essential in refining your work . We
will discuss your projects, your writing, and processes of writing that may work for you, drawing from
your reading and our discussion of Elbow’s Writing With Power.
Elbow, Peter. Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process. 1998. 2nd edition.
New York: Oxford UP. ISBN #: 0-19-512018-3.Lunsford, Andrea. Easy Writer: A Pocket Guide. 2002. 2nd edition. Bedford/St. Martin’s. ISBN #:
0-312-24348-0.*I will ask you to make photocopies of your writing to share with others in the class.
Six, one-page, single-spaced summaries/reactions to Writing With Power (WWP): 18%*There will, of course, be some less extensive, in-class activities that we’ll do: though highlyA written proposal for your book (1-2 pages, single-spaced): 10%
Three small-group conferences (2-3 students per group) with the Instructor: 12%
Oral Presentation about your book at the end of the semester (times/days TBA): 5%
The book that you write (at least 25 pages about a topic of your choosing, with
Instructor approval, according to the Instructor’s guidelines, due no later
than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 13, 2002): 55%
worthwhile, these will be ungraded tasks.*I will supply essays or readings as the need arises, but most of the reading for this course will be
supplied by you: you will read both your own writing and the writing of your classmates with a critical
eye towards helping yourself and others improve as writers.*I reserve the right to alter these percentages and assignments to better allow for and represent
whatever actually occurs in this class.
Class Attendance Policy:
Because the work you do in the course depends on your interaction with your classmates through
in-class writing, peer review and discussion, regular attendance is expected. Do not be tardy, because
you will miss important information and will also disturb your classmates with your late arrival. You
are responsible for making up whatever work you miss due to an absence (in-class presentations can be
made up only if time allows).See also the UM-Flint catalog, which states that “regular attendance at class, laboratory, and other
appointments for which credit is given is expected of all students. Irregularities in attendance should be
promptly explained by the student to the appropriate instructors. If an instructor considers the number
of absences excessive, a written report may be sent by the instructor to the student’s faculty advisor”
(39).
Late assignments:
I frown at work handed in late. You should be frowning if you hand it in late, too. Yet there may
sometimes be good reasons to hand work in late, and sometimes I'm glad to see you struggle through
something and complete it, when you might have been thinking of giving up. So I will accept late work
(at least if it's before the final due date of the quarter), but I withhold commentary on it. You get a
grade, but no feedback (except in rare cases when I am either so deeply moved or so deeply enraged by
your work that I must respond).
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas or words as if they were your own. You commit plagiarism
when you fail to give the original writer, speaker, singer, scholar, or other source credit for her or his
work. You must indicate what words or ideas are yours and which come from other people’s work,
either through phrases of attribution (“According to William Shatner, Captain James T. Kirk would
never plagiarize...”), and/or use of quotation marks with proper documentation, or through paraphrase
or summary that clearly identifies the original source and which is more than a virtual copy of the
original work. Plagiarism is a serious scholarly offense--even considered a crime--so it’s important not
to do it, even unintentionally.Keep copies of your drafts and your research materials in case there’s a question about the originality of
your work. If you are in doubt, talk to me about your attribution or citation, or visit a tutor in the
Writing Center, located in room 559 French Hall.
Schedule (a tentative one subject to change as the course unfolds)
Week 1
Tuesday, 9/3: Class registration.Thursday, 9/5: Introduce the class. Discuss book project, summary/response procedures.
Week 2--Reading: Elbow, Part I: “Some Essentials.”
Tuesday, 9/10: Discuss possible book topics/issues, etc.Thursday, 9/12: First summary/response for WWP due. Discuss Elbow, Part I.
Week 3
Tuesday, 9/17: Proposal for book project due. Share and discuss book proposals.Thursday, 9/19: Share and discuss book proposals. Other: TBA.
Week 4--Reading: Elbow, Part II: “More Ways of
Getting Words on Paper.”
Tuesday, 9/24: Discuss methods of feedback: Constructive and Destructive criticism;
descriptive vs. evaluative feedback, etc.Thursday, 9/26: Five pages of book project due. Workshop, reading, response to book drafts.
Week 5--Reading: Elbow, Part II: “More Ways of
Getting Words on Paper.”
Tuesday, 10/1: Second summary/response for WWP due. Discuss Elbow, Part II.Thursday, 10/3: Sign up for conferences. Other: TBA.
Week 6--Reading: Elbow, Part III: “More Ways
to Revise.”
Tuesday, 10/8: No class. Conferences.Thursday, 10/10: Ten pages of book project due. No class. Conferences.
Week 7--Reading: Elbow, Part III: “More Ways
to Revise.”
Tuesday, 10/15: Workshop on book project: bring your first ten pages and any revisions to
those pages to class.Thursday, 10/17: Third summary/response for WWP due. Discuss Elbow, Part III.
Week 8--Reading: Elbow, Part IV: “Audience.”
Tuesday, 10/22: Issues of voice, style, sentence length and type, etc.Thursday, 10/24: Voice and style, continued and/or research methods & citation styles. Sign
up for conferences.
Week 9--Reading: Elbow, Part IV: “Audience.”
Tuesday, 10/29: Fifteen pages of book project due. No class. Conferences.Thursday, 10/31: No class. Conferences.
Week 10--Reading: Elbow, Part IV: “Audience.”
Tuesday, 11/5: TBA.Thursday, 11/7: Fourth summary/response for WWP due. Discuss Elbow, Part IV.
Week 11--Reading: Elbow, Part V: “Feedback.”
Tuesday, 11/12: Workshop or other TBA.Thursday, 11/14: Workshop or other TBA.
Week 12--Reading: Elbow, Part V: “Feedback.”
Tuesday, 11/19: Workshop or other TBA.Thursday, 11/21: Twenty pages of book project due. Workshop/feedback.
Week 13--Reading: Elbow, Part V: “Feedback, “
and Part VI: “Power in Writing.”
Tuesday, 11/26: Fifth summary/response for WWP due. No class. Conferences.Thursday, 11/28: Thanksgiving. No class.
Week 14--Reading: Elbow, Part VI: “Power in Writing.”
Tuesday, 12/3: No class. Conferences.Thursday, 12/5: Sixth summary/response for WWP due. Oral presentations.
Week 15
Tuesday, 12/10: Oral Presentations.Thursday, 12/12: Oral Presentations. Completed books (25-page minimum) due in class (or
no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 13).
*Note: Unless you have an emergency and/or have made a
special arrangement with me before
December 12, all work for the course must be submitted no
later than 5:00 p.m. on December 13,
2002. I cannot guarantee credit for any assignments submitted
after December 13.
Eric Gardner: August 28, 2002