English 120-L04#: Expository Writing
Fall 2016 Tuesday/Fridays: Room C101 HN
EMAIL: mh985@hunter.cuny.edu OFFICE: 1238 HW
INSTRUCTOR: Megan Hanson OFFICE HOURS: T/F 1:00 – 2:00
OFFICE PHONE: 772-5114
EMAIL: mh985@hunter.cuny.edu OFFICE: 1238 HW
INSTRUCTOR: Megan Hanson OFFICE HOURS: T/F 1:00 – 2:00
OFFICE PHONE: 772-5114
The Individual and the American Dream
“Why
should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe?
. . . America is a poem in our eyes. . . .”
. . . America is a poem in our eyes. . . .”
-Ralph
Waldo Emerson
Course Goals:
The goals of
English 120 are to promote students’ abilities to do the following:
·
Develop
nuanced and persuasive research questions and thesis statements
·
Identify,
evaluate, and effectively incorporate a variety of sources to explore the
research question and thesis statement
·
Apply
effective evidence to academic writing situations
·
Organize
arguments logically and effectively
·
Choose
effective style and grammar for academic audiences
·
Incorporate
peer and instructor feedback
·
Reflect
on the writing and revision process
In
addition, our goal is to explore the ideological origins of the "American
Dream." How has this collective ideal been embedded into the American
character? While America
has undergone social and industrial developments as a country, what enduring
qualities has allowed this ideal to adapt to the shifting trends in American culture? What consequences has
it had for the 21st century?
We
will discuss close
reading
of essays, articles, speeches, letters, advertisements or any other excerpts of
public and private expressions of American voices. In doing so, we are examining the individual's
role in interpreting cultural ideals. With particular attention to personal
narrative and the development of individual voice, we
can
trace
the foundational roots of the American imagination. By storytelling our private
experiences, we participate in a collective American culture that is sensitive
to shifting social and historical contexts. How do our personal
narratives reflect our contexts; how much do they contribute to the spread of
culture? The large, mysterious question:
Do our stories have the power to kill or uphold a cultural ideal?
Required
Textbooks:
(Can be
purchased from Hunter College Bookstore, Shakespeare & Co. or online):
- Gerald Graff,
Cathy Birkenstein, and Russell Durst. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter
in Academic Writing with Readings, 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 2015. (The edition is important. Get the 3rd edition.)
ISBN: 978-0393937510. Price: $50.00.
·
Bullock, Richard and Francine
Weinberg. The Little
Seagull Handbook, 2nd ed.
ISBN-13: 978-0-393-93580-6. Price:
$25 ($12.50 with They Say/I Say)
These two books can be purchased together as a bundle
for $50 under the following ISBN: 978-0-393-27996-2.
(Editions and prices are subject to change.)
·
One more book may be announced on Tuesday,
8/30
Course
Requirements:
Our explorations of
individual voice, as well as practices in close reading and critical thinking,
will culminate in a research paper
of 8-10 pages following MLA citation formatting, which will
serve as the final for this course. On our way to this goal, however, we will
maintain exploratory conversations/comments/thoughts via Blackboard (BB) or blog. For participation, we will post a link to
a source (article, movie, blog, etc) with a short summary (2 or 3) sentences by
every Monday by 5 P.M. To receive full credit for each Blackboard response,
please comment on at least two of your classmates’ posts.
Along with daily participation and in-class reading and
writing exercises, students are required to submit a final portfolio
containing: a pre-semester reading response, a 10-page documented research
paper with a Work Cited page and several drafts, an annotated bibliography, a
post-semester reading response, and a final reflective portfolio essay. Please
keep all of your work throughout the semester saved both digitally and as a
hardcopy.
Grading
Policy:
Class
participation
|
15%
|
Group
work, BB, and drafts
|
15%
|
Essay
#1
|
15%
|
Essay
#2 AND/OR annotated bibliography
|
15%
|
Final
research paper
|
30%
|
Final
portfolio essay with revised reading response
|
10%
|
Course
Policies:
Attendance/Tardiness:
If you miss more than three days of class (excused or otherwise), your final
grade will be substantially reduced. Any student who misses more than six class
sessions for any reason will receive an “F.” When absent, it is your
responsibility to find out what you missed and obtain the necessary information
from another student. Please do not be late. If consistent lateness is a
problem, your final grade will be reduced. If you are more than fifteen minutes
late to class, this will count as an unexcused absence.
Late
work: All homework and essays should be ready to be handed
in at the beginning of class on the day they are due. If extenuating
circumstances arise, please contact me as soon as possible – the sooner the
better, including any doubts or concerns about future projects. All formal writing assignments must be
typed, double-spaced, with standard one-inch margins and in 12 point Times New
Roman font.
Electronic
devices such as cell phones, iPods, etc. are prohibited.
Computers/laptops/iPads or other similar tablets are permitted for notetaking,
etc., only by the permission of the teacher. This counts as the first warning. After a second warning, the third violation
of this policy will result in dismissal from the classroom and a noted Absence
from that day’s class.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism
and cheating will not be tolerated. Plagiarism
is defined as word-for-word copying without acknowledgment of the language or
ideas of another writer. Obviously, having another person write or dictate
all or part of one’s composition is forbidden. In addition, a writer should
copy no printed passage, no matter how brief, without acknowledging its source
and either placing it in quotation marks or setting it aside as a blocked quotation.
This applies to even the briefest of phrases if they are truly individual and
distinctive.
Hunter
College Academic Integrity Statement: Hunter College regards
acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations,
obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official
documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The
college is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and
will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College
Academic Integrity Procedures.
Hunter
College Academic Accommodation Statement: In compliance with
the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational
parity and accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or
medical conditions. It is recommended that all students with documented
disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical and/or Learning) consult the Office
of ACCESSability located in Room 1214B East to secure necessary academic
accommodations. For further information and assistance please call
(212-772-4857) /TTY (212-650-3230).
************************************************************************
How
to be successful in this class:
1. Come
to class on time and prepared to participate. Participation includes having
assignments completed, bringing needed materials, contributing to discussions
in a positive manner, and working on what is assigned during the class period.
2. Keep
this syllabus and any changes made to it on hand. Know when writing assignments
are due. Know when reading should be completed.
3. Keep
all of your work. Do not throw anything away.
4. Ask
questions. It is your responsibility to find out what you need to know in order
to be successful in your academic endeavors, as well as in the other areas of
your life. Check the class Blackboard site at least once a week.
If
any problems should arise, you may contact me--or I may contact
you--to discuss them. If a problem seems too difficult for us to resolve,
mediation is available through the English Department.
Course
Schedule:
*This
schedule is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. All changes will
be announced in class.
**All page numbers refer to They Say, I Say With Readings; BB refers to Blackboard.
Date
|
Topic
|
Readings Due
|
Assignments Due
|
Friday
8/26
|
Course
Introductions, Syllabus,
Handout
reading from BB about American Dream
|
||
Tuesday
8/30
|
Discuss
Ramos - How many ways to read?
Define
“American Dream”
|
Pre-Semester
Reading Response on Ramos article
|
|
Friday
9/2
|
Let’s
demystify “academic writing”
Visual
rhetoric discussion: persuade, entertain, inform?
|
|
|
Tuesday
9/6
|
Visual
Rhetoric
|
Rhetorical
Analysis guide; rhetorical analysis sample student paper
|
|
Friday
9/9
|
Junot
Diaz
|
Junot
Diaz interview at the Strand
|
|
Tuesday
9/13
|
Discuss
Graff and Rose
How
do we plan our writing?
|
Preface
and Introduction (xviii-14), Chapter 19 opening, (539-541)
Krugman
“Confronting Inequality” (561-580)
King,
“The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” (610-617)
Roemer,
“America Remains the World’s Beacon of Success” (618-622)
|
Blog
post by Tuesday 9 AM.
Write
a 3-5 paragraph response to the readings:
1) Summarize both sides of the argument,
Does the American Dream still exist? as presented by Krugman, King and Roemer
2)
What is the strongest argument and why?
3)What
is your personal response/thought to the argument
|
Friday
9/16
|
Group
work: create a reverse-outline
|
Sample
research paper
Chapter
4: “3 Ways to Respond” (55-67)
|
Essay
#1 Assignment Handed Out The Rhetorical Analysis, along with Carroll’s Steps toward
Rhetorical Analysis
|
Tuesday
9/20
|
Nature
of Intelligence/Different Kinds of Intelligence: Intellectual Pluralism
Watch
debate Buckley v. Baldwin
|
Graff,
“Hidden Intellectualism” (264-271)
Rose,
“Blue Collar Brilliance” (272 – 284)
Thompson,
“Smarter Than You Think” (346-360)
|
Post
3 possible research topics by Tuesday 9 A.M.
Weekly
post of a source
|
Friday
9/23
|
Meet in Library
Room: E404
Meet
Philip Swan our Librarian
|
Jones,
“Finding the
Good
Argument” (BB)
|
|
Tuesday
9/27
|
Individual
Voice: maintaining creativity in academic writing; the role of “I”; the
nature of writing: Public or Private?
|
Chapter
9: “Academic Writing Doesn’t Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice” (121-128)
|
Rough
draft of 3 possible Research Paper Questions (posted online)
|
Friday
9/30
|
Peer
Editing Workshop
Sign
up for Individual Conferences: 10:20 – 2:00
|
DUE in class:
Essay #1 ROUGH DRAFT
|
|
Tuesday
10/4
|
No
Class
|
Weekly
blog post: Reviewing Graff, Rose, and Howard Gardner, write 3-5 paragraphs
discussing one kind of non-academic intelligence you possess, its
characteristics, and how you use it.
|
|
Friday
10/7
|
Individual
Conferences
|
Essay
#1 FINAL DUE
|
|
Tuesday
10/11
|
No
Class
|
||
Friday
10/14
|
Writing
with Social Media
|
Chapter
12 and 13 (163-172):
Carr,
“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” (313-329)
Gladwell,
“Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted” (399-415)
Cullington,
“Does Texting Affect Writing” (361-371)
|
1.
Create a fake Twitter account
2.
Post an in-class summary or blog post 1 using 10 -
15 tweets (1400 – 2000 characters)
Or Instagram account and post minimum of
1400 – 2000 characters (max is 2200)
3.
Post the link
4.
Comment on at least 2 classmates’ posts.
|
Tuesday
10/18
|
Meet in Library
with Philip Swan
|
|
Post
3 Revised Research Questions
Weekly
post of a source
(Assigned
in class: (Short) Essay #2)
|
Friday
10/21
|
MLA
Citation Bootcamp
MLA
Library Tutorial (BB)
|
Read
articles applying BEAM Method
Bring
an article you have found on your topic and come prepared to summarize it and
apply the BEAM method
|
|
Tuesday
10/25
|
MLA
Bootcamp Day 2;
Synthesis
|
Ta-Nahesi
Coates’ excerpt from Between the World
and Me
|
DUE in class: A
working bibliography in MLA format of your sources SO FAR
Weekly
post of a source
|
Friday
10/28
|
Annotated
Bibliography
|
Chapter
14: “Reading for the Conversation” (173-183)
Chapter
introductions to 17 (297-298) and 19 (539-541)
Chapter
5: “Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say” (68-75)
|
|
Tuesday
11/1
|
Peer
Review Workshop
Responding
to Different Views
|
DUE: Bring
finalized research questions and Draft of annotated bibliography
Weekly
post of a source
|
|
Friday
11/4
|
Writing
for Academic Communities;
Watch
David Foster Wallace speech
|
David
Foster Wallace, “This is Water”
|
DUE in class: Final
Annotated Bibliography
DUE in class: (Short)
Essay #2
|
Tuesday
11/8
|
Peer
Workshop of Outlines; Arranging Longer Essays; The Opposition
|
Ungar
and “The New Liberal Arts”
Chapter
8: “Connecting the Parts” (105-118)
Chapter
6: “Planting a Naysayer in Your Text” (78-90)
|
DUE in class:
Revised Research Question and Outline Worksheet for Research Paper
Weekly
post of a source
|
Friday
11/11
|
Catch up Day |
Bring
research question, outline, and Annotated Bibliography
|
|
Tuesday
11/15
|
Peer
Review and Revision Workshop
|
DUE in class: Rough Draft of
Research Paper
Weekly
post of source
|
|
Friday
11/18
|
Individual
Conferences
|
Chapter
11: “Using the Templates to Revise” (139-159)
|
|
Tuesday
11/22
|
Writing
about Writing; Reflection; Style, Voice, and the Revision Process;
|
TBA
|
DUE in class:
Revised Draft of Research Paper
Weekly
post of a source
|
Friday
11/25
|
No
Class
|
||
Tuesday
11/29
|
Peer
Review and Revision Workshop;
|
Hand back
2nd Draft
|
|
Friday
12/2
|
Informal
Presentations
|
TBA
|
(Assigned
in class: Reflective Essay)
|
Tuesday
12/6
|
Metacommentary,
Metacognition Informal Presentations
|
Chapter
10: “The Art of Metacommentary” (129-136)
|
DUE in class: Final Draft of
Research Paper
Weekly
post of a source
|
Friday
12/9
|
Reflecting
on The Writing Process
|
DUE in class: Draft of Reflective Essay
|
|
Tuesday
12/13
|
Reading
Day
No
Class
|
Re-read
Ramos
|
DUE:
Revision of Pre-Semester Reading Response posted on turnitin.com
|
Friday
12/16
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
DUE: Final Reflective Essay
Draft
of final portfolio
|
Tuesday
12/20
|
Turn
in Portfolios!
|
DUE: Final Portfolio
|
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