WRTG 3020-032: Myths of the American West
Fall 2007
Dr. Rebecca DicksonOffice: Environmental Design 1B76
M/W 4:30-5:45 DUAN G1B27Office hours: Tuesdays 11-2; Fridays 11:30-
Phone: 303/735-49081:30 and by appointment
Mailbox: Env. Design Room1B62E-mail:
In this class we will work on improving your writing and critical thinking skills while examining this place we live in, the American West. Our goal is to write clear, compelling, mechanically sound papers that cogently address the myths and realities of the West. We’ll also look at how the mythof the West and the rhetoric around it have affected the US and world. As we do all this, we’ll consider various writers’ rhetorical strategies while pondering our own choices as writers.
TEXTS:
1)Patricia Limerick,The Legacy of Conquest(revised edition)
2) Diana Hacker, A Writer's Reference(Bedford Press, 5th edition)
3) Many Western movies—see below
4) A Western novel
5) Articles on Norlin’s e-reserve and by the Center of the American West (ucblibraries.colorado.edu
FILMS:Shane (1953), directed by George Stevens. This will be shown in class; it’s also on reserve at Norlin Media Library.
You are required to seethe films below. All of these films are available at Video Station, 1661 28th Street, and most are available at Norlin Library. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THESE FILMS.
High Noon (1952)The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
True Grit (1969)Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
The Horse Whisperer (1998)The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
Ox-Bow Incident (1943)Dancing with Wolves (1990)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)BrokebackMountain (2005)
WORK and GRADING BREAKDOWN:
diagnostic writing 2 points
movie tests10 (5 points each)
movie summary and analysis10
book summary and analysis15
close analysis exercise 8
argumentative research paper25
extracurricular event and synthesis paper10
reading quizzes, grammar worksheets, & in-class writings10 (averaged)
critiques of your colleagues' papers 5
attendance/participation 5 (see attendance policy below)
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE: 100 points
ATTENDANCE POLICY:If you don’t attend class, you won’t get much from the course and you’ll likely get a disappointing grade. You also add something to the class—your colleagues and I benefit from your presence. So I have an attendance policy: each absence after 3 ABSENCES will drop your attendance score. If you miss 6 times, you will receive a zero for attendance/participation. If you miss 7 times or more, you will receive a zero for your critique score as well (meaning you will lose 10 points). Late arrival to class 3 times will constitute one absence. If you are absent, you are responsible for finding out what you missed.
DRAFTING PROCESS AND WORKSHOP FORMAT: In this class we will often be working collectively on your papers. You must give me at least two versions of an essay in order for you to receive a grade on that paper. Keep all drafts of your papers with my comments on them; you or I may want to refer back to them. Every paper you hand in to me should be typed, double-spaced, and, if necessary, stapled. No title pages, please.
ON PAPERS TURNED IN FOR A GRADE: I reserve the right not to accept late papers that have no documented reason for being late. If I do accept your late paper that has no documented reason for being late, your grade will drop one full letter for each CU class day it is overdue. You will receive a grade only on the final draft of each paper. If you do not turn in drafts on time, you will lose participation points.
POLICY ON CHEATING: If I discover that you have plagiarized any part of a paper, you will receive an F for that paper; if 50 percent or more of your paper is plagiarized (e.g., a full paper downloaded from the Web or if somebody else writes half or more of your paper for you, for pay or for free), you will flunk the course. I will report anyone who plagiarizes or cheats (on a quiz) to CU’s Honor Code Council. Be aware that I use online plagiarism search engines to investigate any text that appears plagiarized. A reminder: plagiarism and other forms of cheating are grounds for expulsion from CU.
IMPORTANT NOTES: CU and the Program for Writing and Rhetoric make every effort to work with students’ needs. If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disabilities Services during the first two weeks of class so that your needs can be addressed. Disabilities Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities (303/492-8671, Willard 322, Also, if you need to miss class for religious reasons, please let me know so you are not counted absent for that day and so we can determine new due dates if necessary.
EXTRACURRICULAR EVENT AND SYNTHESIS PAPER: Some time this semester, please attend an event put on by the Center of the American Westor some other approved event that has to do with the West, then write a summary and analysis of that event that incorporates many of the issues we have discussed over the course of the semester. The paper is due Wednesday, December 12th.
FINAL NOTE: I may ask you to read other articles or to do worksheets or quizzes that are not listed below. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class—you cannot take them at another time without an awfully good excuse.
8/27introduction to the course and the Western story; first essay assignment
8/29more introduction; more on the influence of the Western story
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9/5diagnostic writing;plagiarism discussion; start reading your Western novel; quiz on Legacy of Conquest, introduction & ch 1
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9/10watch Shane in class (meet in Norlin Library);research paper assignment; quiz on Legacy, chapters 2 and 3
9/12watch Shane(meetin Norlin Library); Legacy, chapters 4 and 5;MOVIE PAPER DRAFTS DUE
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9/17workshop and grammar quiz
9/19workshop movie papers; MOVIE TEST I
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9/24Revising Prose video; quiz on “Boom and Bust in the American West”; bring full draft of movie paper to class
9/26MOVIE SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS DUE;book summary and analysis assignment
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10/1CONTROLLING PARAGRAPHS OF BOOK ANALYSIS DUE—BRING 18 COPIES; quiz on Legacy of Conquest, ch 6
10/3workshop controlling paragraphs
10/5FRIDAY: FULL DRAFTS OF BOOK ANALYSES DUE IN MY MAILBOX
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10/8quiz on “Western Futures”; discussion and more
10/10workshop several full drafts of book analysis
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10/15BOOK SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS DUE; close reading exercise in class
10/17close reading exercise in class; MOVIE TEST II
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10/22CLOSE READING EXERCISE DUE; discussion and more; argumentative research paper assignment
10/24CONTROLLING PARAGRAPH FOR RESEARCH PAPER DUE—18 copies;Harper's Index and inference
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10/29workshop controlling paragraphs; discussion of sources; quiz on Jared Diamond, “The Last Americans”
10/31discussion of sources; workshop controlling paragraphs
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11/5FULL DRAFTS OF RESEARCH PAPER DUE; quiz on “What Every Westerner Should Know about Energy”
11/7workshop full drafts of research paper
11/9FRIDAY: REVISED FULL DRAFTS OF RESEARCH PAPER IN MY MAILBOX
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11/12-11/14Small group appointments;quiz on Jacques Leslie, “Running Dry”
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11/19-11/23: FALL BREAK
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11/26workshop full drafts; quiz on Legacy, chapters 7 and 8
11/28workshop full drafts
11/30FRIDAY: ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER DUEin my mailbox
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12/3discuss synthesis paper—early drafts; quiz on Legacy, chapters 9 and 10
12/5SYNTHESIS PAPER FULL DRAFTS DUE; workshop
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12/10workshop synthesis papers
12/12SYNTHESIS PAPERS DUE
RESEARCH PAPER QUESTIONS:
DID YOU TAKE THE RESEARCH SERIOUSLY?
Consult at least 3 trustworthy, peer-reviewed sources?
Tell us of the relevant issues?
Do enough background reading to know the issue well?
DID YOU TAKE YOUR ARGUMENT SERIOUSLY?
Did you consider your approach beforehand?
Did you make a clear claim?
Did you evidence to back your points?
Did you consider what your opposition would say?
Did you develop your ideas clearly and convincingly?