FRESHMAN COMPOSITION, RHETORIC, GRAMMAR II

&

INTRO. TO LITERARY RESEARCH & WRITING

INSTRUCTOR: James Maxfield

Phone: On Campus messages: 216-987-4568.

email: james.Maxfield@tri-c.edu; Emergency email: jamesmaxfield@earthlink.net

Office Hours: Before or after class or by appointment; Office: Hum 323

Class Meeting Time: Saturday: 9:00—11:40. Room HUM 211.

Namaste! Mar ha bann! Kangéi! Buonvenuto! Bienvenida! Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome!

1.2. Introduction. It is assumed that prior to enrolling in this course students will have taken an English placement test or that students already have a solid grounding in correct English grammar, usage, and style. During our first or second class, students will be given a short grammar and proofreading quiz. Students not rating at least a C on this quiz may be encouraged to enroll in an English grammar review course either prior to or concurrently with this course. Some students may also be asked to seek additional help in the tutorial center 1 or 2 hours each week. (Actually, all students should take advantage of this free service and resource.)

1.3. Purpose. Freshman English & Composition prepares the new college student for the critical reading, analysis, and thoughtful reflection and response that are required for all college-level courses. This class blends writing theory, technique, and practical application for developing clear and concise writing and structuring understandable and persuasive arguments. This class will also introduce students how to critically read and write about literature—in particular the short story.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the basic elements of English composition that will sustain them in their writing of college course material of all subjects. Students will develop the skills of critical reading that can be applied to any type of persuasive writing in: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, journalism, scientific, legal, or business, as well as literary criticism. Specific readings and exercises will allow students to progressively develop the following writing skills: generating, organizing, and developing ideas; structuring and supporting a written argument, either as a response or as an original essay topic; and writing, revising, and proofreading drafts.

1.3.2. The technical readings selected will introduce the fundamentals of rhetoric, logical constructs, argument, and style that may be progressively incorporated into and applied to writing practice. Upon completion of this course, the student should be comfortable in planning and completing a polished 6- to 8-page paper (double-spaced) on a specific topic or as a response to a single article, editorial, or essay, as well as prepare the student for more advanced writing where outside research of other source materials will be required.

1.3.3. Specific Performance Course Objectives.

Handbook for Writers. 7^th Ed. (or 6^th edition) Lynn Quitman Troyka.

Strategy and Structure. 3^rd Ed. William J. Kelly

The Longman Masters of Short Fiction. Dana Gioia and R. S. Gwynn, Eds.

A Good Dictionary! (at least 10 pounds—or one on CD-Rom for those weak-of-arm)

(Merriam-Webster Collegiate, American Heritage, or Webster’s New World)

--Roget’s Desk Thesaurus, Joyce O’Conner, ed. or anything comparable

--A Handbook of Rhetorical Terms, 2^nd Edition. Richard A. Landham

--MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5^th Ed. or most current edition. Joseph

Gibaldi

--A handbook or dictionary of Quotations (Oxford, Macmillan, other)

--Reading Chekhov: A Critical Journey. Janet Malcolm. 2001.

--How to Read Literature like a Professor. Thomas C. Foster. 2003.

--Loose Cannons, Red Herrings and Other Lost Metaphors. Robert Claiborne. 1988.

--Lapsing Into A Comma: A Curmudgeon’s Guide to the Many Things That Can Go Wrong in

Print—and How to Avoid Them. Bill Walsh

--Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. Patricia T. O’Conner.

--Words Fail Me: What Everyone Who Writes Should Know About Writing. Patricia T.

O’Conner.

--Doublespeak Defined: Cut Through the Bull and Get the Point! William Lutz

--The Mother Tongue: English & How it Got That Way. Bill Bryson

--How to Say It: Choice Words, Phrases, Sentences & Paragraphs for Every Situation.

Rosalie Maggio, 2001.

--The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense. Suzette Haden Elgin.

--The Elephants of Style. Bill Walsh. 2004.

--Verbatim. Erin McKean. 2001.

--Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Lynn Truss. 2003.

2.1. Class time may consist of topical lectures and illustrations in writing technique, a short lesson and illustration in rhetoric and writing style or logical arguments and logical fallacies, class exercises or short in-class writings, discussion of reading assignments, and some working in groups and peer evaluation work sessions. Each student will also have one in-class counseling session that will be scheduled in place of a Midterm. Generally, you will be required to read 2 or 3 short critical pieces each week along with one technical reading and one short story.

3.1. Weekly reading assignments from textbooks, your Handbook for Writers, or other assigned reading from handouts, published speeches, newspaper editorials, or feature articles.

3.2 Approx. 30 short written exercises-- These will usually be about 1/2 page to 2/3 page in length (double-spaced). These skill-building exercises will be in the nature of writing an outline, summary, or abstract of an essay or article; developing and effective paragraph; and practice in writing and supporting arguments with rhetorical devices. Revision of these assignments is strongly encouraged. Be advised that your finished portfolio of exercises and assignments is intended to show progress and improvement in your college writing, and your final portfolio will be graded at the end of the term for 30% of your total grade. However, each exercise will be graded as completed or revised. Your diligence in editing, revising, and polishing the contents of your portfolio will greatly assist your writing progress and your overall grade. (A word of caution: If you miss or fail to complete some exercises, be advised that one essay has about the same weighted value of 5 exercises. So if you miss 5 exercises, it is similar to throwing away one essay grade.)

3.3 Six (6) extended exercises (mini-essays) (2-3 pages each) will be required. These papers will focus on a specific rhetorical aspect of writing or writing skill. Although I will evaluate each step of your writing process, only the final paper grade will count. You may complete up to 2 revisions of any paper or essay for a better grade. (See Extra Credit below.) No outside research will be necessary for writing these essays, although it is permitted. We will cover how to do in-text citations (per MLA format) when referring to quotations from assigned readings and how to prepare a Works Cited bibliography.

3.4.1. Critical Theory. Students must also integrate into the paper an aspect of one approach to critical theory (more on this later) or include a separate paragraph discussing critical theory as it relates to their paper, their topic, or their thesis. Paper topics must be approved by the instructor prior to writing a first draft. The 3 stories will be from our Short Fiction Anthology. The instructor will choose 1 story and the students will choose 2 stories from the ones assigned. This term paper must also be accompanied by a short (1/3 page double-spaced) abstract summarizing the paper and also must include a Works Cited bibliography—all in MLA format.

3.5. Three (3) Grammar and Proofreading Quizzes. The first one will be given during the first or second class meeting. It will not count as part of your grade, but may be used to determine the need for additional outside help in the tutorial center. These quizzes will test the student’s ability to recognize and correct errors in grammar, punctuation, style, or argument from a sample text. These will be graded in class and serve as a review discussion. A comprehensive grammar test will also be given during week one (take home) to assess each student’s overall present level of ability in basic grammar and punctuation.

3.6. Final Exam: Take Home. Students will be given a short article, essay, or editorial that they have (probably) not seen before. After reading the text, the students will (1) Identify and Analyze or Comment on the author’s use of rhetorical figures, the arguments and logical constructs, and writing style, (2) create an outline of the text identifying the author’s thesis or focus idea and his supporting ideas or evidence, (3) write a one-paragraph abstract of the text, (4) in several sentences or a paragraph, draft a plan to respond to or comment on the text, (5) write a focus or thesis sentence and an opening paragraph, and (6) include some kind of notes or outline illustrating the main points or strategy of YOUR RESPONSE to THEIR idea. This exam will be a practical extension of the weekly in-class and outside of class exercises. (The take-home final will be given to students during the last regular class meeting to be returned on or before the scheduled final exam day. Your final exam must be typed like other assignments.) (Actual Final Exam may vary slightly form this description and may include a short essay response or short paragraph answers to questions posed by the instructor.)

3.7. Portfolio: Students are to create and maintain a "Commonplace Notebook" portfolio of class exercises, paper drafts and revisions, notes on rhetoric and style, examples of rhetorical figures reviewed in class or individually, student’s personal new vocabulary study list, and examples of grammatical oddities. These notebooks will be reviewed twice during the term: at midterm conference and the last week of class. They will be returned during our final exam time.

There may be one scheduled in-class conference in lieu of a midterm class. Other contacts are encouraged at any time by email or by a scheduled phone conference. Please feel free to ask for help or ask questions anytime before or after class.

6 short essays: 36% (see breakdown)

[Essays 1 & 2 @ 4% each; essays 3 & 4 @ 6% each; essays 5 & 6 @ 8% each]

Term Paper (5-8 pages) 20%

Grammar & Proofreading Quizzes 4% (graded and reviewed in class)

Final Exam (take home) 10%

Portfolio of Exercises and Independent Study 30%

--All in-class writing assignments should be revised and typed for your portfolio.

--All outside of class exercises should be typed and placed in the portfolio.

--Other personal notes, vocabulary, or grammar notes do not need to be typed, but it helps you.

7.1. Paper Writing Process. Assigned papers are structured as a comprehensive progressive learning experience and are completed in stages: (1) an exercise to generate topical ideas, (2) pre-planning your paper, (3) writing a first draft, and (4) revising into a second draft. This will improve your work and your grade. Please do not turn in papers inside of a folder or cover or add a cover sheet. Just follow the MLA format (which will be discussed in class). All pages of your paper must be numbered with your last name in the upper right corner.

7.2. Writing Stages. The stages of writing exist to refine your writing skills. Evaluation is based on 7 general criteria: (1) Planning; (2) Narrowing and clearly stating your Focus, Theme, Thesis, or Topic; (3) Writing Strategy or Developing your Argument; (4) Organizational Inventiveness; (5) Writing Style; (6) Grammar and Mechanics of English, and (7) Quality of Revisions.

7.3. Note on Grammar and Mechanics of English and Writing. PROOFREAD YOUR PAPERS CAREULLY!!! Ceteris Paribus: I may allow one (1) technical error (other than faulty grammar) per page. However, I reserve the option to mark down Final Drafts of Term Papers by 1/2 point for each grammatical or mechanical error, including but not limited to: typos, mis-spelled words, faulty punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and the like. Consult your Handbook often and learn how it is organized for reference. See the inside covers for quick-review work. Caution: Do Not Rely on Word Processor Spell-Check programs to catch all of your mistakes. Also note that Spell-Check programs are not always correct.

7.4. Late Papers: All assignments turned in late will be penalized by one letter grade for each class it is late. If you cannot be in class on the due date of a paper, make sure you send your paper to me by email before the end of that designated class period or submit it early! If for any reason an email fails to send or be received properly or fails to open, it will be deemed as not received. It is your responsibility to make sure papers are submitted on time.

8.1. Attendance. Consider our class meeting time as a professional appointment. I will be on time and prepared. You should also. If you know that you will be unable to attend class on a certain date or if you expect to be late, please notify me in advance by phone or email. If you miss more than 1/3 of a class, it may be considered an absence at my discretion. There will be no grade penalty for missing three or less class-hours. Absences in excess of 3 class-hours may result in a lowered grade. Any in-class writing assignment missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made up. Students missing more than nine (9) class-hours (a tardy counts as 1/3 of a class missed) for any reason may be administratively dropped from the class at the discretion of the instructor.

8.2. Participation. Participation in class (as well as group work) is defined as being on time and prepared for class, courteous and considerate of other class members, and actively engaged in the assignment or discussion.

8.3. Classroom Etiquette. Generally, I expect students of be courteous to their fellow students; so, please, no excess talking or private conversations during lectures or class discussions. I will appreciate your voluntary compliance. Please. No eating in class; however, coffee, water, or soda are OK. (Classes longer than one class-hour per meeting will have a break.) It should go without saying, but please do not bring CD players, Walkman headphones, or radios to class. Please turn off all cell phones and pagers during class.

9.0. Academic Integrity: Policy Statement on Plagiarism. Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty (cheating) in any of its forms is expressly prohibited by the college as well as by the English Department and the syllabus for this course. Common forms of cheating and plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following: