In this class...

   You're going to read about what's going on in the world as it happens. Our textbook is the Sunday New York Times, mostly from the "Sunday Review" section.

   We're going to talk a lot in this class about culture, social issues and topics in the news.

   Our focus in writing, per se, will be on exposition, argument, and research. We will be explaining things (exposition, aka, "backgrounder") and arguing an informed position.  In all of your writing, you will consult authoritative sources (research) to complicate and contextualize your work.

 

   Let's say that you enjoyed the New York Times Op-Ed essay on why algebra should no longer be required for everyone. You would do some research in education journals, in media such as the New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and other authoritative sources in databases such as ProQuest. You could even interview a local high school algebra teacher and a college math professor on campus. You begin your foray into this algebra project convinced that algebra should be banned. But maybe a funny thing happens during your wide reading and research. Maybe you decide that leaving college math instruction up to the folks at Toyota, at a new factory in Mississippi (this is true), is not such a good idea, after all. Armed with lots of reading and research, you disagree with Andrew Hacker's claim in "Is Algebra Necessary?" You are persuasive because a) you have an opinion, b) you have read widely and are informed and c) you assert a clear, focused thesis and support it well.

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Goals of the class (to reiterate, a bit more formally):

• To develop one's own informed, critical understanding and interpretation of complex texts, especially argument.

 

• To assert and support your own  informed opinion and/or assessment of texts in objective, thesis-driven essays.

 

• To develop research to support  in persuasive writing (argument) and analytical analysis of writing (exposition)

 

• To develop and use vocabulary appropriate to a given subject in a formal, academic essay. No slang. No colloquialisms.

 

• To develop writing habits for successful college writing, to include mastery of thesis development, grammar and sentence control and editing skills.

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Texts

• Sunday New York Times—online. You will be required to print out the essays and stories that we read together as a class and the stories that you write about. You must print out the readings and bring them to class, marked up and with numbered paragraphs. Turn them in with writing assignments about those readings.

• Student's Guide to Writing College Papers, 4th ed., Turabian

 

Requirements

• Keep all graded papers, rough drafts and printouts of relevant readings in a simple, paper folder. For a given assignment, keep graded papers, drafts, and readings clipped together. Turn in new work in the folder with all of your other graded work. Some papers are graded with a √, + or —. Include those, too.

 

• Print out all assigned readings. You need to come to class with the printouts with numbered paragraphs, underlining, definitions, and the 50-word synopsis, to get credit for doing the work. You will also be turning in printouts with your drafts and polished papers.

 

Be a critical reader. (Required) Number the paragraphs in the printouts and underline or highlight as you read the first time through. List words that aren't familiar to you and look them up. Second time through, make notes about the author's point and—very importantly—how he or she is making the point. Now, consider the reading holistically and write a two- or three-sentence analytical summary in the margins somewhere.

 

• Unannounced Writing—25%

    Frequent, mostly in-class writing to include quizzes on readings and the Turabian textbook, seminar paper responses. Come to class with notes that include a 50-word synopsis of the readings and that include definitions of words and terms you don't know.

 

Two Seminar Papers

   1)Your-Pick paper—(300-500 words) 25%

   Pick a topic in the New York Times that interests you, research that topic in depth, and write a 300-500 word analytical summary. Include a complete and accurate Works Cited bibliography, M.L.A. style that cites at least five, creditable and substantive sources. Your topic will begin with the Times, but, of course, may and should expand beyond the newspaper.

    Make copies of the essay for the class. Read and discuss your paper and research with the class. The class will respond to and discuss your presentation.

 

   2) Short argument paper—(300-500 words) 25%

    A 300-500 word essay in which your assert a claim and use research to develop support. You can either continue to work with your topic or select another. Continue developing additional research. Your Works Cited bibliography should now include several authoritative sources, something like fifteen or twenty. Include an accurate and complete Works Cited page.

   Make copies for the class. Read and discuss your paper and research with the class. Bring copies of your seminar paper for the whole class. For these, you may use single-spacing and a smaller type size to save on copy costs.

 

• Argument Term paper—with revised rough draft (1,500 words) 25% (Includes the Annotated Bibliography)

   This paper is the result of sustained research and, to be successful, it needs to develop over at least a few weeks.

   The paper will assert an arguable thesis which is supported by evidence from broad reading and research and may include face-to-face interviews with appropriate experts.

   Submit the paper in your folder with the final draft on top, with rough drafts, research notes in typescript or handwriting, any photocopies or print-outs you have. Also include your past work

 

• Successful Writing Skills

   You'll need to pay attention to developing clarity and appropriate diction (word choice), style and grammar in sentences and paragraphs. You'll need, furthermore, to be responsive to errors that I note in your writing. What does that mean? If I note that you have comma-spliced sentences, if I note that paragraphs are wordy or if I suggest that your thesis is weak or diffuse, I'll expect to see in your next work that you have worked demonstrably to improve. This is important.

 

• Help with Writing Outside of Class

   Come see me any time for help with your writing. You can also take advantage of the Writing Center for friendly help from a trained student writing consultant.

 

• Your Course Grade

   You need to earn a course grade of C- to get credit for fulfilling this component of the Liberal Learning Core.

 

Assignments—Note: The assignment schedule will be very dynamic, with readings added and, in all likelihood, some dates changed. Use the online syllabus for current assignments: www.risingpress.org/cnu.

 

Week 1

1/10 Introduction

 

1/12

New York Times readings & workshop

• "To Get to Harvard, Go to Haiti?" Frank Bruni

    Print it, underline, number paragraphs, and make notes on the print-out. Write a a few sentences on the print-outs that sum up the author's point.

• Turabian pp. 1-9

• Turabian pp. 83-98: Writing a Backgrounder Summary—Drafting, Quoting & Paraphrasing

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Week 2

1/17

 New York Times readings

•  "The Wilds of Education," Frank Bruni

•  "In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas," Judith Shulevitz

       Print them, underline, number paragraphs, and make notes on the print-out. Write a a few sentences on the print-outs that sum up each author's point and how each author makes his or her point.

• Turabian 189-193 Bibliography Entries

 

1/19

• Writing workshop

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Week 3

1/24
 New York Times readings

—I will email you links to two readings Sunday around 12 p.m., noon.

       Print them, underline, number paragraphs, and make notes on the print-out. Write a a few sentences on the print-outs that sum up each author's point and how each author makes his or her point.

 

1/26

•Your-Pick seminar paper presentations—Group 1

    A few students will pick a topic in the New York Times that interests them, research that topic in depth, and write a 300-500 word analytical summary. Include a complete and accurate Works Cited bibliography, M.L.A. style that cites at least five, creditable and substantive sources. Your topic will begin with the Times, but, of course, may expand beyond the newspaper.

    Make copies of the essay for the class. Read and discuss your paper and research with the class.
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Week 4

1/31

•Your-Pick presentations—Group 2

• Turabian pp. 10-25: Topic, Question, Significance

 

2/2

•Your-Pick presentations—Group 3

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Week 5

2/7

New York Times readings

—I will email you links to two readings Sunday around 12 p.m., noon.

       Print them, underline, number paragraphs, and make notes on the print-out. Write a a few sentences on the print-outs that sum up each author's point and how each author makes his or her point.

• Turabian pp. 99-103 Avoiding Plagiarism

• CNU University Handbook (54-58, plagiarism)

 

2/9

• workshop: Building the Core of an Argument

• Turabian pp. 63-82 Planning & Developing your Argument

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Week 6

2/14

• Short argument paper—Group 1

    A 300-500 word essay in which your assert a claim and use research to develop support. You can either continue to work with your topic or select another. Continue developing additional research. Your Works Cited bibliography should now include several authoritative sources, something like fifteen or twenty. Include an accurate and complete Works Cited page.

   Make copies for the class. Read and discuss your paper and research with the class.

 

2/16

• Short argument paper—Group 2

 

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Week 7

2/21

• Short argument paper—Group 3

• Research workshop

 

2/23

• Research workshop

• Turabian pp. 40-43 The Working Hypothesis

• Turabian pp. 44-62 Finding & Engaging Sources

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Week 8

2/28

• small workshop: 1/2 class

 

3/2

• small workshop: 1/2 class

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Week 9

3/7

•  Spring Break

 

3/9

•
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Week 10

3/14

• research question workshop

• Research Question guide / pdf

 

 

3/16

• Workshop "Research Question" statements

• "Drugs, Sweat and Fear," Diana Spechler

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Week 11

3/21
• Due today. Turn in the "Building Argument Core" worksheet (hard copy).

• Turabian, Chapt. 22 "Punctuation"
• Useful guide for comma use

• "Shocking Truth About Pirhanas Revealed," Richard Conniff

• "Kale? Juicing? Trouble Ahead," Jennifer Berman

 

3/23

• "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," Amy Chua, Wall St. Journal
• "What Drives Success?" Amy Chua, Jed Rubenfeld, New York Times

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Week 12

3/28

• "The War on Women," Ross Douthat

• "How Can We Help Men? By Helping Women," Stephanie Coontz

 

3/30

• workshop—Bring laptops
   Focus on a working thesis, outline, introduction, and so on.

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Week 13

4/4

• Annotated Bibliography due.

    These are the works that you will use in the Term Paper Argument. Be specific about how you will use each source in your argument.

• Workshop: Toward Building an Argument

 

4/6

Rough Draft Due

• A completed rough draft in 12 pt. Courier / Courier new, double-spaced and printed on one side.

 

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Week 14

4/11

Rough Draft Workshop

• One-half of the class meets. Bring laptops.

• Continue research

 

4/13

Rough Draft Workshop

• One-half of the class meets. Bring laptops.

• Continue research

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Week 15

4/18

•revision workshop

 

4/20

• revision workshop

• grammar quiz

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• Term Paper due in my office or in my mailbox in the English Department office by 12 p.m., Tuesday 4/25 (our final exam period). Turn in your paper in a folder that includes your rough draft and past work.