Camden County College
English 102-83 – Composition 102
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1:00 - 1:50
College Hall 300
Instructor: William G. Lewis
Office Hours: Camden Campus, College Hall 506, M/W/F, 2:00 – 4:00
E-mail: wlewis@faculty.camdencc.edu (This is the best way to get in touch with me)
Phone: (856)630-0993
Website: http://williamglewis.pbworks.com/
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. 2nd edition. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell.
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 (especially in emergency situations), 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, with one-inch margins, and 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.
Rewrites:
Revision is a critical part of the process in writing and should be a regular part of your writing process. However, it is difficult to revise without knowing what to change about a paper. You are allowed one rewrite on any essay during the semester.
All rewrites are submitted directly to my e-mail and must be submitted a week after I have returned your essay. Rewrites should take the comments I have left into account and reform the paper as a cohesive whole.
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. Critical response papers are due the same days assigned readings are. 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 3-17 and must be read by 2/7.
Week 1: 2/5, 2/7
Wednesday: Handout Syllabus and Course Outline.
Introduction to the course
Procedures
How to read the course outline
Friday: Discuss Essay 1
Introduction: Understanding Arguments (3-17)
Week 2: 2/10, 2/12, 2/14
Monday: The Four Pillars of Argument (19-23)
Wednesday: Nia Tuckson, “Why Foreign-Language Study Should be Required” (24-26)
Arnold Schwarzenegger, “An Immigrant Writes” (26-27)
Friday: SNOW DAY
Week 3: 2/17, 2/19, 2/21
Monday: Thinking and Reading Critically (53-57)
Gerard Jones, “Violent Media is Good for Kids” (58-61)
Wednesday: Highlighting, Annotating, and John Leo, “When Life Imitates Video” (61-67)
Writing a Critical Response (70-73)
Friday: Documenting Sources: MLA (329-342)
Erin Blaine, “Should Data Posted on Social-Networknig Sites be 'Fair Game' for Employers” (343-349)
Week 4: 2/24, 2/26, 2/28
Monday: Essay 1 Due
Discuss Essay 2
MLA Format part 2
Wednesday: Finding Library Resources (both print and web).
Finding and Evalutating Sources (276-296) [Note: This section contains many articles you can respond to.]
Friday: The Chronicle of Higher Education, “Home Page” (297)
Parade, “Home Page” (297)
The Chronicle of Higher Education, “About the Chronicle” (298)
Parade, “Parade's Mission” (299)
Week 5: 3/3, 3/5, 3/7
Monday: SNOW DAY
Wednesday: Examine student essays
Friday: Rough Draft of Essay 2 Due
Revising Your Argumentative Essay (208-216)
Week 6: 3/10, 3/12, 3/14
Monday: Discuss Midterm Essay
Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Quoting, and Synthesizing Sources (314-327)
Wednesday: Jesse Jackson, “We Bail Out Banks, but Not Desperate Students” (535-538)
Richard Vedder, “Forgive Student Loans?” (539-541)
Mark Kantrowitz, “Five Myths About Student Loans” (542-545)
Friday: Essay 2 Due
Kevin Carey, “The U.S. Should Adopt Income-Based Loans Now” (546-549)
Mary Kate Cary, “Why the Government Is to Blame for High College Costs” (550-552)
Robert Zaller, “Higher Education's Coming Crisis” (553-555)
Week 7: 3/17, 3/19, 3/21
Monday: SPRING BREAK
Wednesday: SPRING BREAK
Friday: SPRING BREAK
Week 8: 3/24, 3/26, 3/28
Monday: Midterm Essay(in-class, part 1)
Wednesday: Midterm Essay(in-class, part 2)
Friday: Discuss Essay 3
Discuss Research Paper
Practice for departmental essay exam
Week 9: 3/31, 4/2, 4/4
Monday: What Is Deductive Reasoning? – Writing Inductive Arguments (115-136)
Wednesday: Crystal Sanchez, “College Should Be for Everyone” (123-125)
William Saletan, “Please Do No Feed the Humans” (134-136)
Friday: Proposal Due
Recognizing Logical Fallacies (137-148)
Patrick J. Buchanan, “Immigration Time-Out” (149-151)
Week 10: 4/7, 4/9, 4/11
Monday: Refutation and rebuttals
Robert T. Perry, “On 'Real Education'” (670-672)
Margaret A. Miller, “The Privileges of the Parents” (673-675)
Charles Murray, “What's Wrong with Vocational School?” (676-679)
Pharinet, “Is College for Everyone?” (680-684)
Wednesday: Brett A. Sokolow, “How Not to Respond to Virginia Tech – II” (611-614)
Jesus M. Villahermosa Jr., “Guns Don't Belong in the Hands of Administrators, Professors, or Students” (615-617)
Friday: Essay 3 Due
Timothy Wheeler, “There's a Reason They Choose Schools” (618-620)
Isothermal Community College, “Warning Signs: How You Can Help Prevent Campus Violence” (621-624)
Week 11: 4/14, 4/16, 4/18
Monday: Omar Ashmawy, “Ten Years after 9/11, We're Still in the Dark” (702-703)
Charles Krauthammer, “The 9/11 'Overreaction'? Nonsense” (704-705)
Wednesday: Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, and James Clapper, “We're Safer Post-9/11” (706-708)
Charles C. Mann, “Smoke Screening” (709-714)
Friday: Annotated Bibliography Due
Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal” (672-678)
Week 12: 4/21, 4/23, 4/25
Monday: Susan M. Kochanowski, “Women in Leadership: Persistent Problems or Progress” (716-724)
Jessica Bennett, Jesse Ellison, and Sarah Ball, “Are We There Yet” (725-729)
Wednesday: Marty Nemko, “The Real Reason So Few Women Are in the Boardroom” (730-733)
Lisa Quast, “Debunking Myths of Gender Equality” (734-738)
Friday: Rough Draft of Research Paper Due
Peer Editing
Week 13: 4/28, 4/30, 5/2
Monday: Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave” (657-662)
Wednesday: George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language” (778-788)
Friday: Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (799-812)
Week 14: 5/5, 5/7, 5/9
Monday: Research Paper Due
NO CLASS
Wednesday: Oral Presentations
Friday: Oral Presentations
Week 15: 5/12
Monday: Oral Presentations
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.