ENGL 1010 / COMPOSITION I /

FALL 2017

CLASS SCHEDULE & ASSIGNMENTS

Instructor: George Wilkerson, Ph.D.

NOTES:

  • Between five and six unannounced quizzes on the Sherlock Holmes stories will be given during the term as well as two or threeunannounced quizzes on reading assignments
  • Numbers in parenthesis refer to pages in the texts Practical Argument (PA) by Kirszner & Mandell and Rules for Writers (RW) by Hacker & Somers.
  • References to Reading Assignmentsrefer to readings assigned to all students
  • References to AssignedReadings refer to essays assigned to student groups. (These can be found on the Assigned Reading page.)
  • “Minimum Number of Words” refers to the least number an assignment must have to achieve a passing grade [a ‘D’] if other aspects of the assignment are met as well.

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WEEK 1 (8/29 & 8/31): INTRODUCTION

Tuesday / AUGUST 29, 2017

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Introduction to the Course and to Each Other
  • READ for Thursday (8/31)
  • "An Introduction to Argument" (PA 3 – 21)
  • “The Four Pillars of Argument” (PA 23-27)

Thursday / AUGUST 31, 2017

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Arguments: Types, Format, and Style
  • READ for Tuesday (9/5)
  • Finding & Evaluating Sources (PA 287 – 290)
  • Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Quoting & Synthesizing (PA 329 – 341)
  • Documenting Sources: MLA(PA 345 – 360)
  • Essays in text as assigned: Should Every American Go To College?
    [See Assigned Readings document for your section]

WEEK 2 (9/5 & 9/7): SOURCES, LOGIC and LOGICAL FALLACIES

Tuesday / SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

  • LECTURE: Conducting Research & Crediting Sources
  • DISCUSSION: Should Every American Go To College?
  • READ for Thursday 9/14:
  • “Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age” (PA 389-391)

Thursday / SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Plagiarism
  • ASSIGNMENT 1 / Due Tuesday (9/12): Your response to
    "Raise the Drinking Age to Twenty-Five" (PA 30)
    (Minimum: 150 words)
  • READ FOR Tuesday (9/12):
  • “Recognizing Logical Fallacies” (PA 146 – 163)

WEEK 3 (9/12 & 9/14):

Tuesday / SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

  • Submit Assignment 1
  • LECTURE: Logical Fallacies
  • DISCUSSION: Raise the Drinking Age?

Thursday / SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Review of Common Errors in Assignment 1
  • READ for Tuesday 9/19:
  • Definition Arguments (PA 417 - 424)

WEEK 4 (9/19 - 9/21): DEFINITION ARGUMENTS

Tuesday / SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Definition Arguments
  • READ for Thursday 9/21:
  • Essays in text as assigned: Illegal Alien Students
    [See Assigned Readings document for your section]

Thursday / SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Illegal Alien Students
  • READ for Tuesday 9/26:
  • Cause and Effect Arguments (PA 467 – 475)
  • “A Discredited Vaccine Study’s Continuing Impact on Public Health” (PA 483 – 485)
  • “The Chicken Soup Chronicles” (PA 447)
  • ASSIGNMENT 2 / DUE NEXT Tuesday 9/26:
  • A Definition Argument responding to one of the items on the
    bulleted list on PA 418.

WEEK 5 (9/26 & 9/28): CAUSE AND EFFECT ARGUMENTS

Tuesday / SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 /

  • Submit Assignment 2
  • LECTURE: Cause and Effect Arguments
  • DISCUSSION:Chicken Soup / A Discredited Vaccine Study
  • READ for Thursday 9/28:
  • Ethical Arguments (PA 589 - 607)
  • “Why You Should Eat ‘Humane' Meat” (PA 703 - 707)

Thursday / SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 /

  • LECTURE: Ethical Arguments
  • DISCUSSION: Why You Should Eat "Humane' Meat

WEEK 6 (10/3 & 10/5): ACADEMIC WRITING

Tuesday / OCTOBER 3, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Academic Writing
  • READ for Thursday (10/5):
  • Reading and Writing Critically (RW 65 – 78)
  • Reading and Writing Arguments (RW 91 – 118)

Thursday / OCTOBER 5, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Reading & Writing Arguments
  • READ for Tuesday (10/10):
  • “Nothing Pretty in Child Beauty Pageants” (PA 527 – 529)
  • Evaluation Arguments (PA 517 – 519)

WEEK 7 (10/10 & 10/12): EVALUATION ARGUMENTS

Tuesday / OCTOBER 10, 2017

  • LECTURE: Evaluation Arguments
  • DISCUSSION:Child Beauty Pageants
  • ASSIGNMENT 3 DUE Thursday (10/12):
  • A Cause and Effect argument responding to one of the items in the bulletedlist on page 468 and 469. (Minimum: 200 words)

Thursday / OCTOBER 12, 2017 /

  • Submit Assignment 3
  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION:
  • READ for Thursday 10/19: Proposal Arguments (PA 559 -563)

WEEK 8: (10/17 & 10/19): PROPOSAL ARGUMENTS
Tuesday / OCTOBER 17 / NO CLASS FALL BREAK:
[Over the Break: Begin reading the Major Stories of Sherlock Holmes (Pages 17 - 229) according to the schedule. You are expected to have read each story by the date shown. You are only responsible for the stories; the ‘afterword’ portions are option- /

‘al (though you might find them interesting.) There will be a total of fiveunannounced short quizzes on these, selected at random, according to the date shown on the Reading Schedule.]

Thursday / OCTOBER 19, 2017

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Proposal Arguments
  • READ for Tuesday (10/24):
  • “Combining Argumentative Strategies” (PA 637)
  • “Get the Lead Out of Hunting” (PA 638 - 639)

WEEK 9 (10/24 & 10/26): COMBINING ARGUMENTS

Tuesday / OCTOBER 24, 2017 /

  • LECTURE:Types of Arguments Reviewed (559 -563 PA)
  • DISCUSSION: Get the Lead Out of Hunting
  • READ for Thursday 9/26:
  • Essays in text as assigned: Is America Safer Now?
    [See Assigned Readings document for your section]

Thursday / OCTOBER 26, 2017 /

  • LECTURE: Combining Arguments
  • DISCUSSION: “Is America Safer Now?”
  • READ for Tuesday 10/31:
  • “A Modest Proposal” (PA 757 – 763)

WEEK 10 (10/31 & 11/2): OTHER ARGUMENTS

Tuesday / OCTOBER 31, 2017 /

  • LECTURE: Satire as an Argument
  • DISCUSSION: A Modest (?) Proposal
  • READ for Thursday (11/2):
  • “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What is it?”

Thursday / NOVEMBER 2, 2017

  • LECTURE: Language and Identity
  • DISCUSSION: The Politics of Language
  • READ for Tuesday (11/7): The Declaration of Independence (PA 764 – 767)

WEEK 11 (11/7 & 11/9): CLASSIC ARGUMENTS

Tuesday / NOVEMBER 7, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: The Declaration of Independence
  • READ for Thursday 11/9:To Be Announced
  • ASSIGNMENT 4 DUE Thursday 11/9:
  • A Proposal Argument responding to one of the items in the bulleted
    list on Page 552.(Minimum: 200 words)

Thursday / NOVEMBER 9, 2017 /

  • Submit Assignment 4
  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: To Be Announced
  • READ for Tuesday 11/14:
  • “Politics and the English Language” (PA 772)

WEEK 12 (11/14 - 11/16): DEBATE TOPICS

Tuesday / NOVEMBER 14, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Language and Politics
  • READ for Thursday 11/16:
  • "Indian Mascots--You're Out" (PA 656 - 658)
  • "Native Americans Have Become A Political Pawn" (PA 658 - 660)

Thursday / NOVEMBER 16, 2017 /

  • LECTURE: Native American mascots
  • DISCUSSION: Should Controversial Sports Mascots Be Replaced?

WEEK 13 (11/21 & 11/23):

Tuesday / NOVEMBER 11, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION:Argument Types Reviewed (395)

Thursday / NOVEMBER 16, 2017 /

  • Grade Reviews

WEEK 14 (11/21):

Tuesday / NOVEMBER 21, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Review of Final Assignment / Format and Style
  • FIRST DRAFT OF FINAL ASSIGNMENT DUE / Tuesday, NOVEMBER 28
  • A paper combining two or more of the argument types (Definition
    Argument, Causal Argument, Ethical Argument, or Proposal Argument)
    that addresses one of the listed topics.(Minimum: 200 words)

Thursday / NOVEMBER 23, 2017 /

NO CLASS
THANKSGIVING BREAK

WEEK 15 (11/28 & 11/30):

Tuesday / NOVEMBER 28, 2017 /

  • Submit First Draft of Final Assignment

Thursday / NOVEMBER 30, 2017 /

  • LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Rough Draft Review/ One-on-one Sessions

WEEK 16 (12/5 & 12/7):

Tuesday / DECEMBER 5, 2017 / No Class (Exam Week)

  • FINAL ASSIGNMENT DUE ON EXAM DAY

Thursday / DECEMBER 7, 2017 /

  • Submit Final Assignment

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TOPICS FOR FINAL PAPERS

  • Social Networking and Privacy
  • Using Technology to Prevent Terrorist Attacks
  • The Development of Artificial Intelligence
  • Establishing a Colony on Mars
  • The Promise and Danger of Virtual Reality
  • The Truth About Global Warming
  • Dealing with Endangered Species
  • The Future of Same-Sex Marriage
  • The Government’s Role in Health Cartoolbare
  • Dealing with Immigrants and Refugees
  • Atheism and Organized Religions in America
  • The Issues Surrounding Assisted Suicide

or

  • A topic of your own choice (must be pre-approved by the instructor)