Shaw University
English 113, Spring 2007 (TTh)
Instructor: Dr. E. Weil Office: 203 The Cottage Office Phone:
546-8207
Office Hours: MW 11-12:00, 1-2:00; TTh 11-1:00; F 11-12:00
Home: 870-6038; before 10 PM e-mail: eweil@shawu.edu
Web: www.shawuniversity.edu; click “Faculty Websites”; click my name; follow
Eng 113 links.
TEXTBOOKS
1. Goshgarian, Gary, and Kathleen Krueger. Dialogues: An Argument, Rhetoric
and Reader, 5th ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2006.
2. A dictionary and a thesaurus
3. Keys for Writers or another grammar handbook
Course Description: English 113 is a course in research writing. It
emphasizes interpretive, synthesizing, and evaluative skills. It gives students
practice in writing arguments and analytical essays informed by research.
Prerequisite: English 112 or its equivalent.
Course Objectives are to help students:
1. improve the ability to write
2. define an appropriate research thesis
3. select appropriate source material
4. read accurately and critically to improve analysis of source material
5. sharpen basic research skills (summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting,
integrating, and documenting source material)
6. synthesize source material into original argumentative essays
7. participate in the discourse of academic communities; that is, realize that
writing is a vital part of all academic disciplines, not just English
English 113 is intended to comply with the following “Core Standards for
Teachers in North Carolina,” including their accompanying indicators, as
approved by the NC State Board of Education March 7, 2002:
Conceptual Framework Theme: To produce graduates who are critical thinkers and
problem solvers with the professional dispositions and technological skills
necessary to function as competent and effective teachers in a diverse world.
Standard 1: Teachers know and understand the English language.
Standard 2: Teachers know and understand the reading process.
Standard 3: Teachers know and understand written and oral composing processes.
Standard 5: Teachers understand the range, impact, and influence of technology,
print and non-print media in constructing meaning.
Standard 10: Teachers use instruction that promotes understanding of varied
uses and purposes for language.
Standard 11: Teachers foster in students an awareness of their own and others’
cultures.
Standard 12: Teachers recognize commonalities and individual differences within
the classroom.
Technology: Standard 1, Indicator 1: Teachers demonstrate introductory
knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology.
Standard 2, Indicator 3: Teachers identify and locate technology resources and
evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
Standard 3, Indicator 1: Teachers facilitate technology-enhanced experiences
that address content standards and student technology standards.
Core Standard 2, Indicator 8: Teachers teach communication, thinking, and
problem solving skills.
Diversity: Standard 2, Indicator 2: Teachers assist students in
developing multiple learning strategies to address discipline specific content,
communication, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.
Standard 4, Indicator 3: Teachers promote appreciation and respect for
diversity by rejecting the use of stereotypes.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Th Jan 11: Introduction to the course; writing sample; buy the book
T Jan 16: Read Goshgarian, Dialogues, 1-21. In-class exercise: Thesis
statements.
Th Jan 18: Read Goshgarian, 28-46, especially 35-40. In-class: Writing
summaries.
T Jan 23: Read Lewis, “The Case Against Tipping,” 21-23 and Finkelman, “This
One’s for the Birds,” 23-25. Write a summary of either essay (10
points). Also, read Goshgarian, 49-61 on recognizing logical fallacies.
Th Jan 25: Read Goshgarian, Ch 4, 85-103. Write a summary of either
Jeff Jacoby’s essay or Robert J. Samuelson’s essay. (10 pts.)
T Jan 30: Read Goshgarian, Ch 5, 123-136. Write a summary of either
Clara Spotted Elk’s essay or Ron Karpati’s essay. (10 points)
Th Feb 1: Read Goshgarian, 136-162. Write a summary of “Poetry is Dead. Does
Anybody Care?,” by Bruce Wexler. (10 pts.)
T Feb 6: Skim Goshgarian, Ch 9, 252-277. Researching Assignments. Read
Goshgarian, Ch 3, 62-73. Handling Quotations.
Th Feb 8: More on handling quotations. How to write a Prospectus &
Bibliography.
T Feb 13: Read Goshgarian, Ch 8, 278-303, Works Cited in MLA Style. Turn in
a prospectus & bibliography for your first essay. (10 pts.)
Th Feb 15: Catch-up; Review for midterm exam.
T Feb 20: Midterm Exam (50 pts.)
Th Feb 22: We’ll go over the exam. In class: Manuscript format.
Th Feb 22, F Feb 23, M Feb 26: Optional but highly recommended: Bring a rough
draft of your first essay to an individual conference with me in my office.
T Feb 27: Your first essay is due. (100 pts.) Come to class even if
you are not finished with the essay!
Th Mar 1: Read “Adult Crime, Adult Time: Outdated Juvenile Laws Thwart
Justice,” by Linda J. Collier, 717-720. Write a summary of Collier’s essay (10
pts.).
T Mar 6: Strategies for revision.
Th Mar 8: Read “The ‘M’ Word,” by Andrew Sullivan, 620-621 AND “’Gay
Marriage’ Confusions,” by Thomas Sowell, 631-633. Write a summary of either
essay. (10 pts.)
T Mar 13: Read “Americans Don’t Understand That Their Heritage is Itself a
Threat,” by Caleb Carr, 480-483. Write a summary of Carr’s essay. (10 pts.)
Revisions of first essay are due (optional).
Th Mar 15: Bring a prospectus & bibliography for the second essay (10 pts).
T Mar 20: Oral Presentations. (30 pts.)
Th Mar 22: Oral Presentations. Bring any research notes and/or photocopies of
essays from your research. We will have an in-class review of how to handle and
document quotations.
Th Mar 22, F Mar 23 & M Mar 26: Rough Draft Conferences with Dr. Weil.
(Optional)
T Mar 27: Your second essay is due. (100 pts.) Come to class, even if
you aren’t finished.
Th Mar 29: Read “Which of These Sneakers is Me?,” by Doug Rushkoff, 339-342.
Write a summary of Rushkoff’s essay (10 pts.).
T Apr 3: Read “Why We’re Not One Nation ‘Under God’,” by David Greenberg,
766-770. Write a summary of Greenberg’s essay. (10 pts.).
T Apr 5: Read “You Can’t Judge a Crook By His Color,” by Randall Kennedy,
688-692. Write a summary of Kennedy’s essay (10pts.).
F Apr 6 - Sunday Apr 15: Easter Holiday & Spring Break.
T Apr 17: MLA documentation review and intro to the APA style of documentation.
Th Apr 19: Bring a prospectus & bibliography for your third essay (10 points).
T Apr 24: Writing Exercises
Th Apr 26: Writing Exercises
T May 1: Writing Exercises
Th May 3: Your last essay is due. (100 pts.) Review for
competency exam (TBA).
Here is how your final grade will be figured:
Essay 1: 100 pts. possible 16.7% of your
final grade
Essay 2: 100 pts.
16.7%
Essay 3: 100 pts.
16.7%
Best 10 sketches: 100 pts.
16.7%
Midterm exam: 50 pts.
8.3%
Oral Presentation: 30 pts.
5.0%
Edited pages: 20 pts.
3.3%
Class attendance: 100 pts.
16.7%
Total: 600 pts.
540 - 600 = A 480 - 539 = B 420 - 479 = C 360 - 419 = D
Some explanations:
1. Please remember that this is a course in composition and research, and I
will expect to find properly documented research in all three essays. An essay
without research fails, scoring 0 points. An essay with any plagiarized
material in it fails, scoring 0 points.
2. There will be 13 10-point assignments; I will count your best 10, so don’t
worry if you miss one or two. Only sketches that are typed can earn the maximum
10 points; 9 is the highest score for handwritten sketches.
3. Edited pages: Your three essays should be 5 pages each. Turn in at least 5
sketches in typed form. Each typed, edited page earns a point, up to 20.
A few words about plagiarism: There are two kinds of plagiarism,
unintentional and intentional. Unintentional plagiarism is the sloppy,
careless, unclear, or incorrect citation of sources. In other words,
unintentional plagiarism happens when you make certain kinds of mistakes.
Avoiding and/or correcting those mistakes is what this course is all about. Pay
careful attention to corrections I make on your papers so that you can earn
better grades on subsequent papers. Intentional plagiarism means cheating --
turning in someone else’s work as your own or copying from sources without
providing documentation. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, such
activities as buying ready-made term papers, either from a person or from a
website; downloading a free essay from a website, in whole or in part; cutting
and pasting material (even one sentence) from a website to your essay without
proper documentation; having someone else write your paper or revise it for you;
turning in a paper someone else has turned in, either for this course or
another; turning in the same paper for two different courses. Please note that
anything you can find on the internet, I can find on the internet, whether it’s
a term paper mill or a website. To repeat: an essay which includes any
plagiarized material fails, scoring 0 points with no opportunity for revision.
Attendance, Lateness, and Deadlines
Consistent class attendance is essential to success in this course; therefore, I
have devised a policy which allows you to determine part of your grade based on
attendance. We have 31 class meetings scheduled. Each time you come to class
you get 3.23 points (31 x 3.23 = 100.13). Think of it as if you are getting paid
for attending class. You may miss all the class meetings you want, but each
miss costs you 3.23 points, and if assignments are late, there may be other
penalties (see below). Exceptions are made for University activities, such as
athletic trips. But I am not interested in listening to excuses, so please
don’t bother me with them. Conduct your personal business at times when you
don’t have class; that’s what I do. And please remember that you are
responsible for making up all missed work.
Coming to class late (defined as arriving after I have taken attendance) counts
against you. If you are tardy, you get only 1.5 attendance points for that
day. In addition, sleeping in class, acting as if you are asleep, or failing to
do in-class writing exercises will also cause me to mark you “tardy” for that
day. If you arrive 15 or more minutes late, you will not be counted present.
If your cell phone, pager, or other electronic device goes off during class,
that also earns you a “tardy” mark. Leaving early without prior permission (for
example, to answer a cell phone call) will cause me to mark you “absent.” You
are grown-ups; get a drink or go to the bathroom before or after class, not
during class.
Deadlines are important to success in college. If you turn assignments in late,
there will be consequences. Turning an essay in late means that you give up the
opportunity to revise it for a potentially higher grade. (Revisions are
possible for the first two essays, not the third.) If the essay is less than a
week late, only 5 points will be deducted. If the essay is turned in a week
late, and for each week of additional lateness, there will be a reduction of 10
points. An essay which is wholly or partly plagiarized earns 0 points. Turning
a sketch-writing in late means a 7 (rather than 9 or 10) will be the highest
possible grade. Sketches that are over a week late get 3 points.
I try to be extremely careful with my record-keeping; however, mistakes can be
made. I suggest that you keep either a disk copy or a hard copy of all your
essays, and you should keep all graded, returned writing in a safe place. At
any time during the semester, if you want to know your current grade in the
course, please see me during my office hours.