ENC 1101: Introduction to College Writing

ENC 1101: Introduction to College Writing

Instructor: Zahir Small

Email:

Website: http://plaza.ufl.edu/zsmall

Office: 302 Tigert

Office Hours: TBA, by appointment

Course Description

In this course, we will cover the essential elements of writing clearly and effectively at the level of sentences, paragraphs, and entire arguments while focusing on clarity, coherence, and concision. We will concentrate on writing rhetorical arguments in different modes, using various types of claims, evidence, and logic. We will build research skills, including documentation and avoiding plagiarism, and develop critical thinking through reading, writing, and discussion. You will learn how to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your own and your peers’ writing and will explore how differing conventions, styles, purposes, and audiences affect writing practices.

Course Objectives and Outcomes

(1) To employ the stylistic principles necessary for writing coherent, cohesive, and clear prose

(2) To understand the goals and use the methods and sources of research in a variety of fields

(3) To read, write, and think critically

(4) To be able to evaluate and edit one another’s work constructively

(5) To navigate the writing process from planning, drafting, and revising to editing and proofreading

(6) To shape your writing for different audiences and rhetorical contexts, adapting purpose, style, tone, and diction.

(7) To cite sources appropriately so that you avoid plagiarism.

Required Texts

Lester, Faigley, and Jack Selzer. Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. 4th edition. New York: Pearson Education, 2009.

Lester Faigley, The Brief Penguin Handbook. 3rd edition. New York: Pearson Education, 2009.

Grading & Course Credit Policies

Grading for this course will be rigorous. If an assignment illustrates disregard for spelling, grammar, citation guidelines, or a general carelessness in the writing, the assignment will be failed. Do not rely on your instructor for copy-editing, even on drafts.

The writing assignments for this course are designed to meet the minimum requirements of the University Writing Requirement credit. To satisfy this requirement, every assignment’s word count must be fulfilled. Submitted assignments short of the minimum word count will receive zero credit.

Grading Scale

General Education Learning Outcomes

You must pass this course with a grade of “C” or better to receive the 6,000 University Writing Requirement credit (E6). You must turn in all papers to receive credit for writing 6,000 words. You must pass with a “C” or better is this course is to satisfy the CLAS requirement of a second course in Composition (C). If you are not in CLAS, check the catalog or with your advisor to see if your college has other writing requirements.

PLEASE NOTE: a grade of “C-“will not satisfy the University Writing Requirement credit or the CLAS Composition credit (C).

Major Assignments

Rhetorical Analysis (1200-1500 words)

In this paper, you will evaluate how and why a writer develops his/her argument. You will also explain if and why you think the writer’s argument is successful or not. Note that the purpose of this paper is not for you to agree or disagree with the argument but to pick it apart and see how it works.

Rebuttal/Letter to the Editor (1200-1500 words)

For the rebuttal argument, you will need to refute and/or counterargue someone else’s position. You may choose to focus on a contemporary issue from the textbook or periodical and compose your rebuttal in the form of a letter to a newspaper editor.

Evaluative Paper (1200-1500 words)

Employing your refined rhetorical skills, you will evaluate the effectiveness of an argument based on its structure, content, style, and choice of topic. Evaluation arguments require that you set out a criteria and then argue whether something is “good” or “bad” based on those criteria.

Proposal Paper (1500-1800 words)

For this final assignment, you will address a contemporary “problem” from the textbook or outside source and argue why your “problem” should be identified as such, convincing your readers of your feasible solutions with detailed and logical causal analysis.

Portfolio

At the end of the course you will turn in a portfolio that shows your progress as a writer. Your portfolio will include all drafts of two of the four major papers, revised drafts of those papers, and a two-page reflection on the course. This reflection should be about your intellectual and personal growth as a writer. Make it about your learning and be honest about how you have changed as a writer, where you have struggled and what goals you have met or not met.

Grade Breakdown

Weekly Schedule

§  This schedule is only a guide and is subject to FREQUENT change

§  Assignments and readings are due the day they are listed on the syllabus, not on the following day

Week 1: August 24-28

M: Introduce course. Discuss syllabus

W: Introductions

F: GR Introduction and Chapter 1 (p 1-18), Penguin Chapter 1 (p1-13)

Week 2: August 31- September 4

M: GR Chapter 5 (p 69-87), Silko – “The Border Patrol State” (GR p 182-187)

W: Penguin Chapter 5 (p 47-65)

F: Boyd – “Facebook’s Privacy Trainwreck” (GR p 595-603)

Week 3: September 7-11

M: Labor Day (No class)

W: Gladwell – “The Drugstore Athlete” GR p 531-540

F: Rhetorical Analysis Peer Review

Week 4: September 14-18

M: Rhetorical Analysis Due

Rebuttal Arguments GR Chapter 12 p192-208

W: Writing a Convincing Editorial (Ann Rand Center)

http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?news_iv_ctrl=-1&page=NewsArticle&id=11069

Abandoned Heroes (Pulitzer Prize Editorial)

http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/7122

F: Statement from Alabama Clergymen – “A Call for Unity”

Martin Luther King, Jr. – “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

Week 5: September 21-25

M: Discussion: Jamaica’s Daggering Debate through Editorial Analysis

Readings to be assigned

W Gomes – “Homophobic? Read Your Bible” (GR p 362-365)

F: Rebuttal/Letter to Editor Peer Review

Week 6: September 28-October 2

M: Rebuttal/Letter to Editor Due

“How to Say Nothing in 500 Words” – Paul Roberts

W: GR Chapter 10 Evaluation Arguments p 157-168

F: “Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women” – Jennifer McClune

Week 7: October 5-9

M: Gitlin – “Under the sign of Mickey Mouse & Co.” (GR p 415-419)

Carlsen – “Wal-Mart vs. Pyramids” (GR p 422-423)

W: In-class writing: Evaluating Pop Culture

F: William Cobb Jelani - “The Devil and Dave Chappelle”

Week 8: October 12-16

M: Kierna Mayo – “Black women behaving badly”

W: Evaluation Argument Peer Review

F: No class (Homecoming)

Week 9: October 19-23

M: Evaluation Argument Due

Proposal Arguments GR Chapter 13 p 210-223

W: Jonathan Swift - “A Modest Proposal”

F: Calinfano Jr. – “The Right Drug to Target: Cutting Marijuana Use” (GR 518-520)

Schlosser – “Make Peace With Pot” (GR 520)

Week 10: October 26-30

M: Chris Hedges – “America the Illiterate” http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081110_america_the_illiterate/

W: Malkin – “Beware of Illegal Aliens Seeking Hazmat Licenses” GR p 411-413

Epstein – “Immigration Maze” GR p 413-415

F: In-Class Writing: Evaluating a Proposal

Week 11: November 2-6

M: Penguin Researching p 165-200

W: Evaluating and Recording Sources GR p 263-269

MLA Citations

F: Designing and Presenting Arguments GR p 229-242

Week 12: November 9-13

M: Present Proposal Ideas

W: No class (Veteran’s Day)

F: Conferences

Week 13: November 16-20

M: Proposal Peer Review

W: Proposals Due

F: Introduce Portfolio Assignment

Week 14: November 23-27

M: Writing Day

W: No class (Thanksgiving)

F: No class (Thanksgiving)

Week 15: November 30-December 4

M: Conferences

W: Conferences

F: Portfolios Due

Course/Instructor Evaluation

Enjoy Your Winter Break!

Classroom Policies

Attendance

Attendance is required. The policy of the University Writing Program is that if you miss more than six periods during the term, you will fail the entire course. The UWP exempts from this policy only those absences involving university-sponsored events, such as athletics and band, and religious holidays. Absences related to university-sponsored events must be discussed with the instructor prior to the date that will be missed.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are absent it is still your responsibility to make yourself aware of all due dates. You are still responsible for turning assignments in on time.

Participation

Participation is a crucial part of your success in this class. You will be expected to work in small groups, participate in group discussions, and complete various other activities. Writing workshops require that you provide constructive feedback about your peers’ writing. In general, you are expected to contribute constructively to each class session.

Tardiness

Please do not come late to class; arriving late disrupts the entire class. If you enter class after roll has been called, you are late. Three lates count as one absence. Tardiness will also lower your participation grade.

Preparation

Papers and drafts are due at the beginning of class. Late papers will not be accepted. Failure of technology is not an excuse. You must be present for all in-class writings and workshops to receive credit for them. In-class work cannot be made up.

Peer Review

On peer review days, you are required to bring a full draft of your assigned essay to class. Your draft should be at least 700 words.

Quizzes and In-class Writing

Quizzes and in-class writing assignments will be unannounced, random, but frequent. Their purpose is to (1) ensure your understanding of the readings and subjects at hand; and (2) to ensure you complete the readings. If you have completed the readings and assignments, you will have no problem with the quizzes and in-class writings.

Format for Papers

All papers must be in 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced with 1 inch margins, and aligned left. Format, citations and documentation must follow MLA style. When necessary, provide a works cited page, which should not be counted towards the paper length. No title pages or covers are necessary. Be sure to staple papers before submitting hard copies. Unstapled papers and papers with improper format will not be accepted.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious violation of the Student Honor Code. The Honor Code prohibits and defines plagiarism as follows:

Plagiarism. A student shall not represent as the student’s own work all or any portion of the work of another. Plagiarism includes (but is not limited to):

a.) Quoting oral or written materials, whether published or unpublished, without proper attribution.
b.) Submitting a document or assignment which in whole or in part is identical or substantially identical to a document or assignment not authored by the student. (University of Florida, Student Honor Code, 15 Aug. 2007 <http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honorcode.php>)

University of Florida students are responsible for reading, understanding, and abiding by the entire Student Honor Code.
Important Tip: You should never copy and paste something from the Internet without providing the exact location from which it came.

Classroom Behavior

Please keep in mind that students come from diverse cultural, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Some of the texts we will discuss and write about engage controversial topics and opinions. Diversified student backgrounds combined with provocative texts require that you demonstrate respect for ideas that may differ from your own. Disrespectful behavior will result in dismissal, and accordingly absence, from the class.

Paper Maintenance Responsibilities

Students are responsible to maintaining duplicate copies of all work submitted in this course and retaining all returned, graded work until the semester is over. Should the need arise for a resubmission of papers or a review of graded papers, it is the students’ responsibility to have and to make available this material.

E-mail

Electronic correspondence is an important part of communication in the academic and professional world. In this class, students are required to e-mail a copy of every assignment to the instructor as a .doc or .rtf attachment. To avoid viruses and to better ensure the timely delivery of your messages, correspond only via your @ufl.edu address. Messages from other sources will be disregarded.

Students with Disabilities

The University of Florida complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students requesting accommodation should contact the Students with Disabilities Office, Peabody 202. That office will provide documentation to the student whom must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation.