UCCS Writing Program

English 131 � Rhetoric & Writing I

Sect 035, Tues 7:15 - 9:50

Columbine 220

Fall 2005

Professor Quentin Martin

Office: COH 1035

Office Hours: Tu & Th 1:30-3:00 and 4:30-5:00 (and by appointment)

Phone: 255-4045                       

Email: qmartin25@msn.com  OR  qmartin@uccs.edu

Note: Office hours are specifically set aside for you to have a chance to talk with me one-on-one about any questions or problems you are having.  No appointment is necessary.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

   English 131 is the first course of a two-semester sequence (Engl 131 and Engl 141) required of all UCCS students.  English 131 prepares you to intelligently read, discuss, and write about academic subjects.  Four papers are required, one of which (#3) will be done in-class.  All papers will be analytical and argumentative, meaning that you will carefully read and respond to the relevant material, arrive at a position (thesis) about the material, and then develop and defend that thesis in your paper.  This is a process: of reading closely and taking notes; of listening to and participating in the discussion of the readings; of writing drafts; of giving and receiving feedback on those drafts from your classmates; and, finally, of creating a polished final draft that will be graded. 

 

TEXTS:

            Primis Reader (McGraw-Hill publisher) with my name on the front

            Everyday Use, by Roskelly & Jolliffe       

                        - we will use their website (www.mycomplab.com) for the course handbook

 

GRADES & POLICIES:

            Your final grade will be determined as follows:

                        Paper 1              20%                             Paper 4             30%     

                        Paper 2   20%                           Quizzes                        10%                 

                        Paper 3   15%                           Attendance          5%

 

All late papers will be penalized at least one full grade.  Talk to me before the due date if you anticipate any problem with having the paper done on time.   Also note that you cannot pass this class unless you do all four papers.

Papers 1 and 2 may be revised, though you must talk to me beforehand.  This revision must be serious and substantial, not a mere re-submission of your original paper with my corrections typed in.  Your final paper grade will be an average of the original and revision.

Because so much of the class depends on in-class activities, attendance is essential. One absence is tolerable, though you are responsible for any missed work.  With your second absence you begin to incur penalties in your attendance grade, and if you miss four (or more) classes you will fail the course (four absences in a once-a-week course means you�ve missed one-fourth of the class).   Of course, extraordinary situations arise, and if you are upfront about things and keep me posted, solutions can usually be found. 

Conferences are scheduled late in the term and are used to review your performance up to that point and to discuss your 4th and final paper. 

 

PLAGIARISM:

              Any papers partly or wholly plagiarized will result in an "F" and may result in course failure and further penalties.  I do database plagiarism checks on random papers and any papers that look suspicious.

           

English 131 Outcomes: English 131, Rhetoric and Writing I, at UCCS is aligned with the Council of Writing Program Administrators� Recommended Outcomes for First-Year Writing Curricula (College English, Volume 63, Number 3, January 2001).

 

Rhetorical Knowledge

Students should�

  • Focus on a purpose
  • Respond to the needs of different audiences and rhetorical situations
  • Use conventions of format and structure, and adopt a voice and tone appropriate to the rhetorical situation
  • Understand how genres shape reading and writing
  • Write in various genres, including personal, critical, analytical, reflective and oral discourse
  • Acquire a basic rhetorical vocabulary (appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos and recognition of argumentative stases)
  • Employ rhetorical theory (vocabulary, principles and strategies) in the analysis of texts

 

Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing

Students should�

  • Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking and communicating
  • Read diverse texts which responsibly represent difference [gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation] as integral to the study of  language theory and practice
  • Read texts that address issues in rhetoric and writing as language matters
  • Understand writing assignments as series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate content and sources
  • Integrate their own ideas with those of others
  • Understand the relationships among language, knowledge, and power through the reading and analysis of academic essays

 

Writing Processes

Students should�

  • Generate multiple drafts to complete a successful text
  • Develop strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading texts
  • Use later invention strategies to rethink and revise their texts
  • Understand writing as a social process and use collaborative strategies throughout the process
  • Effectively critique their writing and that of their peers
  • Use computer technology throughout the writing process

 

Knowledge of Conventions

Students should�

  • Format analytical academic texts
  • Employ genre conventions relative to structure, paragraphing, tone and mechanics
  • Integrate ideas, cite course readings, and document the readings as warranted
  • Demonstrate control over their written language, including syntax, punctuation, grammar, and spelling

 

ACCOMODATIONS:

            Students who have paper work on file with the Disabilities Office, CH 104, #3354, and thus have needs that may prevent them from fully demonstrating their abilities should contact me ASAP, so we can discuss reasonable accommodations necessary to ensure their success in the course.

 

 

Course Schedule

Have the material read by the time the class meets � the textbook titles are underlined

 

Tu 8/23             Introduction to the course

                                                                       

Tu 8/30             Primis pp. 1-36

                                    Paper 1 assignment handed out

Invention techniques, early drafting, model paper

 

Tu 9/6               No class (Labor Day weekend)

 

Tu 9/13             Draft of Paper 1 due � peer review and workshop

                                    Everyday Use pp.1-27

 

Tu 9/20             PAPER 1 DUE� final revisions and questions in class

                                    Everyday Use pp. 33-56; bring Primis (will read in class)

 

Tu 9/27             Papers returned � will do grammar and style work

                                    Primis pp. 41-48, and Everyday Use pp. 56-81

                                    Paper 2 assignment handed out

 

Tu 10/4             Draft of Paper 2 due � peer review and workshop

                                    Everyday Use pp. 87-117

 

Tu 10/11            PAPER 2 DUE � final revisions and questions in class

 

Tu 10/18            Papers returned � will do grammar and style work

                                    Primis pp. 49-56

                                    Paper 3 assignment handed out

 

Tu 10/25            PAPER 3 (written in class)

                                   

Tu 11/1             Primis pp. 57-66, and Everyday Use pp. 121-146

                       

Tu 11/8             Primis pp. 67-79, and Everyday Use pp.149-173

                                    Paper 4 assignment handed out

 

Tu 11/15            Watch NBC Dateline documentary on education

                                    Everyday Use pp. 209-234

 

Tu 11/22            Conferences in my office; all revisions of Papers 1 & 2 due

 

Tu 11/29            Draft of Paper 4 due � peer review and workshop

 

Tu 12/6             PAPER 4 DUE � final revisions and questions in class

                                    Course evaluation

 

Tu 12/13            Finals Week � expanded office hours, TBA