FRESHMAN COMPOSITION, RHETORIC, GRAMMAR II

&

INTRO. TO LITERARY RESEARCH & WRITING

INSTRUCTOR: James Maxfield

(Scroll down to Liberal Arts/English and click on Maxfield and open the page for English 1020.)

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

email: jamesmaxfield@earthlink.net

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

Class Meeting Time: Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 11:40 a.m., Room HUM 110

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

Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia, eds. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama,

7^th. Boston: Pearson, 1999.

Troyka, Lynn Quitman and Douglas Hesse. Handbook for Writers, 7^th. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Prentice Hall, 2005. (This is the same handbook for English 1010.)

--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)

--At lease one additional book pertaining to our class research topic will be required for the second half of the course. To Be Announced.

--A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7^th or 8^th edition. M. H. Abrams

--How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.

--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.

--The Art of Literary Research by Richard D. Altick and John J. Fenstermaker. Public Library

--The New Lifetime Reading Plan by Clifton Fadiman & John S. Major

--How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom

--The Making of a Poem by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland

--In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet’s Portable Workshop by Steve Kowit

--How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry by Edward Hirsch

--Creating Poetry by John Drury

--Eats, Shoots, & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss.

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

--On Copia of Words and Ideas (Erasmus). Trans. Donald B. King and H. David Rix

It is assumed that prior to enrolling in this course, students will have taken English 1010 and have developed a 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 asked to enroll in English 1000 and attend a minimum of one weekly tutorial session in the English Tutoring Center on the 4^th floor of the Tri-C Library. (All students are encouraged to consult and seek help with any or all assignments at the free English tutorial and writing center.)

Prior to about 1970, Freshman English was often considered one of the most difficult of college courses and was sometimes used as a means of dropping students from university enrollment or for withdrawing financial aid. In my experience, it seemed that for the next 20 to 30 years, the difficulty level of college Freshman English declined in direct proportion to declining level of preparation achieved in high school courses. But that appears to have changed during the past 10 years, although high schools still struggle with the problem of balancing their teaching and concerns about state proficiency testing. Many college Freshman English courses have redirected their focus (not always as a pre-literature course), but a course (or courses) that emphasize critical and analytical reading and thinking, along with the construction of well-written arguments and an emphasis on developing good research skills, good grammar usage, and a smooth writing style.

Freshman English Composition 1020 further prepares the 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 and technique, an introduction to literary research and literary concepts and terminology, practical applications for developing clear and concise writing, and the structuring of understandable and persuasive arguments based on individual and group research on a topic thesis question chosen and designed by the student.

2.1 Class time will consist of topical lectures and illustrations in writing techniques, a short lesson and illustrations in rhetoric, writing styles, logical arguments and logical fallacies, class skill-building exercises or short in-class writings, discussion of reading assignments, and 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. You will be required to read 2 or 3 short critical pieces each week along with one technical reading.

2.2. There will be 10 short outside-of-class exercises based on some of the critical and technical reading assignments. These will usually be about 1/2 page to 1 page in length (double-spaced). Other weekly writings will be in the nature of responses to assigned literature readings, pre-planning your papers, writing summaries, paraphrasing, writing an abstract of an essay or article, creating a research log and bibliography, developing and effective paragraph, practice in writing and supporting arguments with logical constructions and rhetorical devices, and use of the MLA Handbook. Revision of these assignments is strongly encouraged, but not required. However, 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 only at the end of the term.. Your diligence in editing, revising, and polishing the contents of your portfolio will greatly assist your writing progress and your overall grade.

Author, Christopher Lasch, writes of "The Lost Art of Argument" and says:

We do not know what we need to know until we ask the right questions, and we

can identify the right questions only by subjecting our own ideas [. . .] to the test

of public controversy. Information, usually seen as the precondition of debate, is

better understood as its by-product. When we get into arguments that focus and

fully engage our attention, we become avid seekers of relevant information.

Otherwise we take in information passively—if we take it in at all.

Christopher Lasch, "The Lost Art of Argument," Ch. 9 in The Revolt of the

Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy. (New York: Norton, 1995), 162-63).

3.1 The goal of this course is to prepare the student for all future courses in any field where advanced writing based on critical reading of outside research materials will be required and to introduce students to the basic elements of in-depth research on a well-defined question chosen by the student. The skills acquired in this course will serve and sustain students in the 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: non-fiction, scientific, legal, or business. Specific readings and exercises will allow students to progressively develop the following writing skills: (1) generating, organizing, and developing ideas; (2) structuring and supporting a written argument with major and minor premises, either as a response or as an original essay topic; and (3) writing and revising drafts in MLA format.

3.2 The technical readings selected will introduce the fundamentals of logical constructs, argument, rhetoric, 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 10- to 12-page research paper plus a one-page summary abstract (all double-spaced) on a specific topic question or argument position.

3.3 The emphasis in this course will be on demonstrating quality research techniques, developing a strong thesis argument that is well-supported by literary and factual evidence, and working toward perfecting each student’s grammar and writing style through the peer review and revision process. The student will find these skills invaluable because all academic college majors are now requiring more research and writing of papers in classes that are clearly organized and written with correct grammar, punctuation, and smooth style. English 1010 and 1020 will prepare the student for these future requirements and expectations.