Camden County College 

English 102-09 – Composition 102

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12:00 – 12:50 

Madison Hall 102

 

Instructor:  William G. Lewis

Office Hours:  Madison Hall 122, M/W/F 2:30 - 3:30

                     I am also available by appointment if these hours don't work for you.

E-mail:  wlewis@camdencc.edu (This is the best way to get in touch with me)

Phone:  (856)630-0993

 

Course Description:

            This course is designed to help you improve your writing, building on what you already learned from Composition 101, and to prepare you further for college-level writing.  Knowing how to communicate and write well will be a great asset throughout your college years and beyond.  In this course, we will develop argument based writing that grows from a clear thesis to prove your point and utilize many of the techniques that you have learned in Comp. 101. 

            In this course, you will analyze and utilize sources and readings to help make your essays more effective and use the traditional rhetorical mode of writing, the argument, to make your writing clear and effective.  By analyzing various texts to determine how effectively or ineffectively they communicate their ideas, from short stories to essays to video reviews.  By identifying how others utilize the argument effectively, you will also determine what sources and texts will help you craft an effective argument. 

 

Course Goals:

            You will be able to by the end of the course:

• Produce college-level, well thought out, clear, and effective essays with a clear thesis that is supported throughout the essay.
• Use the elements of formal arguments in your own writing.
• Analyze many texts to uncover the argument, and, in prose passages, determine the structure of that argument to use as a model in your own writing.
• Recognize the elements of tone, structure, theme, and thesis in a variety of texts.
• More effectively revise and edit your own and others’ writing in order to improve it through constructive criticism.
• Use research effectively to collect and evaluate information for use in your own arguments and to construct an effective research paper. 

 

Required Texts:

Practical Argument:  A Text and Anthology Ed.  Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell ISBN-13:  978-0-312-57092-7

 

Attendance:

            You will be expected to attend class regularly and no more than six absences for any reason will be accepted, even under the most extreme of circumstances.  If you miss a class, you will essentially lose out on that day’s contribution to your preparation, since it is never really possible to reproduce or recapture the dynamics and flow of information for a missed class meeting (even if you get notes from someone). 

 

            If you expect to be absent, please notify me before hand in an e-mail.  

 

            If you are absent due to illness or any other unexpected reason, contact me within 24 hours. 

 

            Absences do not exempt you from assignments due that day.

 

            You are also expected to come to class on time, and every three times you are late counts as one absence. 

 

            If you are absent from class more than six times, you will receive an NA (Not Attending) for your grade.  After six absences, your continued presence in the course is at my discretion.  

 

Communication:

 

            Phone:  If you do call me and reach my voicemail, please be sure to speak clearly and leave your name, course information, and phone number if you wish a return call. 

 

            E-Mail: 

            If you contact me via e-mail, always include your full name and class section (like this:  William Lewis, ENG 101-01) in the subject line. Too often students forget to sign e-mail or have e-mail addresses without obvious identifiers. If you do not include your name and class in the subject line, I will not open the message.

            Students who send me e-mail and do not receive a reply of any kind within 48 hours should assume it was never received. Please re-send any such e-mails. I do not mind receiving redundant messages if you are unsure whether your message was transmitted (though I may only reply to one). If your message doesn’t present itself as urgent, I may reply quickly and briefly and ask to get back to you before long.

            If I send you an e-mail, I will use your CCC e-mail address.  If you do not regularly check it, I recommend you have your CCC e-mail forwarded to another e-mail address so you do receive it.  I do not accept “I didn’t get that e-mail” or “I don’t use my CCC e-mail” as an excuse. 

            I will not answer e-mails with poor grammar or texting speak.  I expect your e-mails to use proper grammar.

 

Grading:

I grade on a point system, and the total number of possible points for the semester is 1,000.  The total number of points you get will determine your grade:

            A = 1,000 – 900

            B = 899 – 800

            C = 799 – 700

            D = 699 – 600

            F = 599 or below

• 35% (350 points, 300 points for the research paper, 50 points for Research paper Progress Checks) Research Paper 
• 20% Essays (200 points total, 50 points per essay.  There will be 4 essays including the midterm.)
• 20% (200 points) Departmental Essay Exam 
• 10% (100 points) Oral Presentation 
• 10% (100 points) 10 Critical Response Papers 
• 5% (50 points) Class Participation 

 

Research Paper:

            At the end of the course, you will write a major research paper 8-12 pages in length.  For this assignment, you will choose a topic and develop a thesis.  The research paper will follow the same guidelines and rubric as all the other essays. 

            Given the length and importance of this document, we will begin the process to write the research paper much earlier than any of the other essays and have several stages to complete it.  You will be required to complete several progress checks throughout the writing process. 

            The progress checks are as follows and will be explained in greater detail later in the semester:

• A proposal of your topic and thesis worth 10 points
• An annotated bibliography worth 20 points
• A rough draft worth 20 points

 

Essays:

            Throughout the term, you will be expected to complete several essays throughout the semester; most of these will be done outside of class. 

 

            All work written and submitted should utilize standard rules of grammar, sentence organization, paragraph organization, and diction.

 

            Essays must be completed in MLA format, typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and with one-inch margins.

 

            All essays must be carefully proofread.

 

            You will receive a handout with the paper assignment at least 2 weeks before it is due for any essay written outside of class. 

 

            All essays will be submitted to Turnitin.com and graded there.  Submit essays by the day they are due before class starts.

 

            If you do not adhere to these guidelines, your grade for the assignment will be reduced.  If you do not hand in two essays (including the midterm) you will receive an F for your grade. 

 

 

Lateness:

            Late papers will lose a letter grade for each day they are late.  If a paper is more than three days late, it is a 0.  If you work on an essay in class the day it is due, it is considered late.  There are no exceptions to this rule. 

 

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism:

            Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are unacceptable in this or any other college course.  Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work, either by copying or paraphrasing, and not giving them credit for it.  If you plagiarize once in this course you will fail that assignment.  If you plagiarize again, you will fail the course.

 

Departmental Essay Examination:

            All students must register and take the Departmental Essay Examination.  In order to pass, all students must achieve a total score of 6; otherwise they will receive an F in the course regardless of the previous average.  For more information, go to http://www2.camdencc.edu/index.aspx, the Departmental Essay Examination’s website.

 

Class Participation:

            Most of this class will involve discussion of the texts we read and how we write.  Lack of meaningful participation hurts everyone in the class and it counts for 5% of your grade.  Meaningful participation consists of being prepared, actively engaged in the discussion, organized, and turning off your cell phones.  Sharing ideas helps the class, and class participation is expected from you.  If lack of participation is class-wide, quizzes and grammar exercises will be assigned instead.

            I will be using a deck of playing cards to choose students at random to answer questions.  Each student is assigned a card from the deck and can be chosen at random to answer a question at any time.  Responses like “I don’t know” are not acceptable.  I invite you to think aloud, muse, guess, and experiment with ideas.  Take the opportunity to expand on the ideas of the class.

 

Critical Response Papers: 

            In the course of the term, you are required to write 10 short, informal papers (1-2 pages each) on the readings for class.  You may choose which days and which readings you want to respond to.  All critical response papers will both summarize and evaluate the essays you have read. 

            Critical response papers will be graded Pass/Fail.  I ask you to type them (so that they are easier for me to read), but they need not be a perfect, polished product.  Rather, critical response papers should be just what their name says -- a response to the essay.  Don’t worry about typos or comma splices or organization.  Treat critical response papers more like a journal entry than like a formal paper.  I don’t want a five-paragraph theme.  Rather, I want an evaluative exploration -- as detailed and specific as possible -- of the reading assignment for the day.

            Normally, as long as you submit a critical response paper of suitable length, detail, and thoughtfulness (and as long as you turn it in on time in class on the assigned day), you will receive all the points that the critical response paper is worth.

            You may submit more than 10 critical response papers in the course of the semester (to make up for any response papers that do not receive a grade of Pass), but no matter how many extra critical response papers you turn in, you will not receive more than 100 points total for all the critical response papers you write.  You may not submit more than one response paper on a single day, nor may you submit a critical response paper for a day that you are absent from class -- absolutely no exceptions.  (NOTE:  Even if you do not submit a critical response paper on a particular day, you should still come to class prepared to discuss the assigned reading for that day since we will focus our in-class discussion on analyzing and evaluating it.)

 

Oral Presentation:

            Not only is written communication important, but so is spoken communication.  For your oral presentation you will be expected to present on your last essay.  More information on it will be given closer to its due date.

 

Tutoring Center:

            The Tutoring Center is located on the third floor of the library-LRC on Blackwood Campus (227-7200 ext. 4411).  If you are having trouble understanding any of the grammar exercises or would like help with an essay assignment, you can get assistance at the Tutoring Center.  There is a link to the Tutoring Center's hours are posted on the College's website.  Tutors will not help you write your essays, nor will they correct an essay that you want to submit for grading.

 

Course Outline

Note:  The course outline is tentative and subject to change with notification. 

You must have readings done by the date they appear on the outline.  The page numbers in Practical Argument are next to the title.  Ex. Introduction:  Understanding Arguments is on pages 3-10 and must be read by 9/2.

 

 

Week 1:  8/31, 9/2

Wednesday:  Handout Syllabus and Course Outline.

                    Introduction to the course

                    Procedures

                    How to read the course outline

 

Friday:  Introduction:  Understanding Arguments (3-10)

           Discuss Essay 1

 

Week 2:  9/5, 9/7, 9/9

Monday:  HAPPY LABOR DAY!

 

Wednesday:  The Structure of Argument (11-14)

                    Nia Tuckson, “Why Foreign-Language Study Should Be Required” (14-15)

 

Friday:  New York Times, “In Praise of Tap Water” (20)

            Zak Moore, “Defying the Nalgene” (22-23)

            Tom Standage, “Bad to the Last Drop” (24-26)

 

Week 3:  9/12, 9/14, 9/16

Monday:  Thinking and Reading Critically (33-45)

               Writing a Critical Response (48-51) 

 

Wednesday:  Tim Miley, “Media Violence May Be Real Culprit behind Virginia Tech Tragedy” (46)

                   Patrick Mackin, “Take Aim At Guns” (46)

                   Jessica Robbins “Don’t Withhold Violent Games” (47-48)

 

Friday:  MLA format:  Parenthetical cites (265-266)  

            MLA format:  Works Cited page (266-273)

 

Week 4:  9/19, 9/21, 9/23

Monday:  Essay 1 Due

     Writing a Rhetorical Analysis (67-84)

Martin Luther King “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (698-710)

 

Wednesday:  Discuss Essay 2

                    Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal” (672-678)

 

Friday:  Choosing a Topic – Understanding Your Audience (190-194)

            Revising Your Thesis Statement – Understanding Essay Structure (200-203)

 

Week 5: 9/26, 9/28, 9/30  

Monday: This class will be held in the Wolverton Library, Room 012  

                Finding Library Resources (both print and web).  

               Evaluating Print Sources (220-231)

 

Wednesday: Examine student essays

 

Friday: Rough Draft of Essay 2 Due  

          Revising Your Argumentative Essay (208-216)

   

Week 6: 10/3, 10/5, 10/7  

Monday: Evaluating Print Sources (220-231)  

               This class will be held in the Wolverton Library, Room 012  

                Finding Library Resources (both print and web).

 

Wednesday:  Evaluating Web Sites (231-248)

 

Friday:  Essay 2 Due

            Discuss Midterm Essay

            Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Quoting, and Synthesizing Sources (249-264)

 

Week 7:  10/10, 10/12, 10/14

Monday:  What Is Deductive Reasoning? – Writing Inductive Arguments (89-113)

 

Wednesday:  Recognizing Logical Fallacies (113-123)

                    Patrick J. Buchanan, “Immigration Time-Out” (125-126)

 

Friday:  Peter Schmidt, “At the Elite Colleges – Dim White Kids” (128-130)

            Zoe Mendelson, “Paying for College” (131-133)

 

Week 8:  10/17, 10/19, 10/21

Monday:  Brent Staples, “A Broader Definition of Merit:  The Trouble with College Entry Exams” (134-135)

               Associated Press, “Hamilton College to End Merit Scholarsihps in Favor of Need-Based Aid” (136-137)

 

Wednesday:  Discuss Research Paper

                    Discuss Midterm Conferences

                    Lewis & Clark College, “Merit-Based Scholarships for Incoming Students” (138-141)

 

Friday:  Midterm Essay(in-class)

 

Week 9:  10/24, 10/26, 10/28

Monday:  Discuss Essay 3

               MLA Review (if needed)

               Pete Du Pont, “Drill, Baby, Drill” (575-577)

               Natural Resources Defense Council, “Artic National Wildlife Refuge:  Why Trash an American Treasure for a Tiny Percentage of our Oil Needs?” (582-                  585)

 

Wednesday:  Senator Lamar Alexander, “To Drill or…” (578-579)

                     Representative Ed Markey, “…Not To Drill” (580-581)

 

Friday:  NO CLASS:  Midterm Conferences

 

Week 10:  10/31, 11/2, 11/4

Monday:  Research Paper Proposal Due

                This class will be held in the Wolverton Library, Room 012

                Gathering Evidence (194-197)

                Daniel Halperin, “Putting a Plague in Perspective” (198-200)

 

Wednesday:  Refutation and rebuttals

                    A. S. Byatt, “Harry Potter and the Childish Adult” (403-405)

                    Charles Taylor “A. S. Byatt and the Goblet of Bile” (406-410)

 

Friday:  Michiko Kakutani, “An Epic Showdown as Harry Potter Is Initiated into Adulthood” (397-399)

            Carlie Webber, “We’re All Still wild about Harry” (400-401)

            Christine Schoefer, “Harry Potter’s Girl Trouble” (411-413)

 

Week 11:  11/7, 11/9, 11/11

Monday:  Essay 3 Due

               Robert T. Perry, “On ‘Real Education’” (625-627)

               Margaret A. Miller, “The Privileges of the Parents” (628-630)

 

Wednesday:  Charles Murray, “What’s Wrong with Vocational School” (631-634)

                    Pharinet, “Is College for Everyone?” (635-637)

 

Friday:  Practice for departmental essay exam

 

Week 12:  11/14, 11/16, 11/18

Monday: Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave” (657-662)

 

Wednesday:  Annotated Bibliography Due

                    Bill McCollum, “Felons Don’t Merit Automatic Rights” (589-590)

                    Edward Feser, “Should Felons Vote?” (591-594) 

 

Friday:  Rebecca Perl, “The Last Disenfranchised Class” (595-599)

            New York Times, “Felons and the Right to Vote” (600-604)

 

Week 13:  11/21, 11/23, 11/25

Monday:  Niccolo Machiavelli, From The Prince (663-669)

 

Wednesday:  Andrew Marvell, “To His Coy Mistress” (670-671)

 

Friday:  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

Week 14:  11/28, 11/30, 12/2

Monday:  Rough Draft of Research Paper Due

                Peer Editing

 

Wednesday:  Erica L. Williams and Tim Westrich, “The Young and the Indebted” (465-468)

Contra Costa Times, “Non-Issue Needs No Law” (469-470)

 

Friday:  Findcollegecards.com, “Start Your Credit Today!” (471)

            Jessica Silver-Greenberg, “Majoring in Credit-Card Debt” (472-476) 

 

Week 15:  12/5, 12/7, 12/9

Monday:  Paula Green and Malcolm Dodds, “Union Label” (641)

               Wendy Zellner, “How Walmart Keep Unions at Bay:  Organizing the Nation’s No. 1 Employer Would Give Labor a Lift” (642-644)

                John L. Lewis, “Labor and the Nation” (645-649)

 

Wednesday: Fielding Poe, “Watch Out for Stereotypes of Labor Unions” (650-651)

James Sherk, “Do Americans Today Still Need Labor Unions?” (652-654)

NO CLASS

 

Friday: Research Paper Due

          NO CLASS 

          Fielding Poe, “Watch Out for Stereotypes of Labor Unions” (650-651)

          James Sherk, “Do Americans Today Still Need Labor Unions?” (652-654)

 

 

 

Week 16:  12/12, 12/14, 12/16

Monday:  Oral Presentations

 

Wednesday:  Oral Presentations

 

Friday:  Oral Presentations

 

Week 17:  12/19

Monday:  Oral Presentations