ENGL 1011

ENGL 101 138; 147

First-Year Composition

Fall 2005

Updated Aug 18th, 2005

Andrew Winslow
Office and hours: CCIT 236 Pod C; W 10-1PM & by appt. 626-1847

Course Description | Required Materials | Course Policies | Major Assignments | Free Downloads | Grading Policy | Syllabus Schedule | Helpful Links | Course Essays Online | Announcements | Printer Friendly Version | Home

Course Description: This course will focus on close reading and written analysis of a wide range of texts, which can include nonfiction prose, historical documents, creative texts, film, visual images, speeches, and so on, offering a soft bridge from high school to an entry level college writing course. Students will learn how to select and use research correctly and effectively. You will also study and practice a variety of methods for reading and analyzing texts both in in-class and out-of-class writing. Each essay will involve multiple drafts essays and writing workshops. In essay one, you will learn analytical methods for reading closely. In essay two, you will consider how a text gains meaning from its contexts: other texts, issues, cultures, eras, and so on. In essay three, you will consider how your own culture influences how you read and write about texts.

In sum, students will learn a repertoire of strategies for close reading, critical thinking, focused research, and analytical writing as well as understand how their own lives influence what and how they read and write. Students will learn to write sustained, critical analyses and arguments that incorporate evidence from a variety of sources including their own experiences.

Course Motto:
”The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge.”
Daniel J. Boorstin

.

Required Materials:

1) Selections from several book chapters and articles have been placed on electronic reserve through the library, and can be accessed on the library website with the course password: “danielboorstin.” These textbooks are also available by request in office hours.

2) Students will also need access to a computer with a word-processing program, preferably Microsoft Word version 6.0 ’95 or higher. Computers are available on campus at various locations. For information about locations and hours, please consult

3) Two 3.5 floppy disks for standard “A” drives.

4) One pair of headphones.

5) Access to the course listserv:

6) A good attitude

And our Course Texts:

Smith, Meg, Jim Bowman and Jennifer deWinter, Ed. A Student’s Guide to First-Year Composition. 26th ed. Plymouth, MI: Hayden/McNeil.

Maasik, Sonia, and Jack Solomon, Ed.Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.

Recommended Materials:

  • Extroversion 
  • A college dictionary and thesaurus.
  • Portable CD/MP3 player for in-class writing days
  • Snacks
  • Good Highlighter marker
  • 2” three ring binder for photocopied articles (if needed)
  • Style manual or technical writing textbook appropriate to your field:

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA, 2003.

American Psychological Association. (2003). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (5th ed.).Washington, DC: APA.

Course Policies:

“The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.” - Stanley Milgram

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: All UA students are responsible for upholding the Code of Academic Integrity, available through the office of the Dean of Students and online ( carefully the summary of the Code that appears in the Student’s Guide.

Attendance:Attendance is essential; composition classes are workshop classes that include in-class writing, peer group work, and conferences. Student with more than two absences will be dropped with a grade of E for non-attendance. Only students doing passing work will be allowed to withdraw from the course with a W. Please contact me ahead of time if you must miss class.

Class Conduct: All UA students are responsible for upholding the Student Code of Conduct, which can be read online through UA Info ( I reserve the right to dismiss any student who fails to address students or course material with appropriate respect.

Conferences: I will schedule individual or small-group conferences several times during the semester.You should come to your conference prepared to discuss your current work.I may cancel regular classes for these conferences; therefore, a missed conference in this case counts as an absence.

Disabilities Accommodations: Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations to fully participate in course activities or meet course requirements must register with the Disability Resource Center. If you qualify for services through DRC, bring your letter of accommodations to me as soon as possible.

Assignments:

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” -George S. Patton;

“Catch a man a fish, and you can sell it to him. Teach a man to fish, and you ruin a wonderful business opportunity.” -Karl Marx

Students are responsible for the timely completion of all required work outlined on the syllabus. All assignments must be completed for a final grade and should always reflect the student’s best work. I will provide an assignment sheet for every major assignment; in addition, I am always available during office hours to discuss papers and strategies for writing. Having said that, I cannot write papers for you. Whatever your comfort level in instruction, there may come a point to where I tell you that you’re on your own – not because I don’t want to help you, but rather because any further participation on my part would cheat you out of independent thought, individual interpretation, and critical thinking.

Students are encouraged to make two copies of each assignment: one for grading and one for records in order to insure credit for all work. In addition, due to the large amount of in-class drafting on PC laptops for this course, students should also make two backups of drafts on disk. Student work my also be displayed via disk for class workshop; therefore, it is necessary for students to keep electronic and hard copies of assignments with them during each class.

Finally, late assignments will be penalized 10% for each day late, starting immediately after the deadline. Weekends are not exempt from this policy. As with any professional working environment, deadlines in this class are firm and students are expected to finish their work on time.

Grading Policy:

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”-Thomas A. Edison

Students are graded on the writing product, and not necessarily the effort expended in creating it. I cannot grade papers based on how nice a student is, or on how much they participate in class. Having said this, students should be prepared to see grades that may be lower than their expectations. I have heard the same story many, many times about how a student never got an “E” before, or a “D, C, or B” before in their lives and they don’t understand why they got one in my class. DO NOT take these as a reflection on your character.

“All things are difficult before they are easy.”-Thomas Fuller

I urge every student to remember that they are part of a line of academic achievement and are used to a certain standard of excellence in comparison to their peers, but this comparison changes in college as every student raises the average of excellence. In short, the bar in college is higher than High School, and there is an expected adjustment period as students refine/refresh skills in diligence, preparation, and organization.

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” -Vince Lombardi

“A” Ratings:

Exceptional.This is work that might lead to a promotion in the workplace; complete with awareness of rhetorical situation and effective use of rhetorical strategies. Author possesses an engaging style, no mechanical errors, logical organization, clear expression, substantial content, and logical argumentation. In general, this work is extremely difficult, but not impossible to achieve.

“B” Ratings:

Good.This is average and acceptable work; work that typically notes consistently above average, though not quite excellent. Author shows awareness of rhetorical situation and effective use of rhetorical strategies. Documents are generally professional and free of mechanical errors. Usually slightly above average in terms of the above criteria, but falls short of excellence in one or more categories.

“C” Ratings:

Competent.Draft level work that would probably be returned for revision in the workplace. Most documents begin in this stage, though should not remain after several editing sessions. Shows few mechanical errors, uses competent style, content, expression, and organization.

“D-E” Ratings:

Weak. Would be detrimental to the worker’s career. Below average in one or more of the above categories.

Major Assignments and Weights:

Assignment / Date / %*
Text Analysis / Tue. 09/27 / 20
Context Analysis / Thurs. 10/27 / 25
Cultural Analysis / Tue. 11/29 / 20
Final Exam / Fri. 12/09 / 15
Homework/Short Writings / Various / 15
Pop Quizzes / TBA / 10
*I reserve the right to change these percentages during the semester on a discretionary basis. No changes will be made without student notification

Students must accumulate between 90%-100% of the total pts for a grade of A, 80%-89%, for a B, 70%-79% for a C, and so on. All assignments must be completed to receive a grade for the course. Due dates are inflexible and will not be changed for any reason. All assignments are due in class on the day posted without exception. Late papers must be signed in to ML 445; though there will be a 10% grade reduction for each day late.

Syllabus Schedule*:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”–Aristotle

“I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.”-Michael J. Fox

Key: for the “Lecture Topics Column” major project due dates are in bold; due dates for journal assignments (hard copies) are italicized. “ER” stands for “Electronic Reserve,” while all other reading assignments that are italicized denote material that is for your reference through library reserve. “SOL” Indicates a chapter from Signs of Life. Please note that assigned chapters from Signs of Life are listed by article titles. In addition, students must bring their text to class on days with assigned readings, whether they are book chapters or electronic reserve printouts.

*Please Note that this is a tentative schedule. Reading assignments may be subject to change with no less than 24 hours notice.

DAILY SYLLABUS: Please note that this is a tentative syllabus of course assignments. As such, it issubject to change, but never with less than 24 hours notice either through an in-class announcement, notification on the listserv, or a posting on the website. Due to the flexible nature of the syllabus, it is the responsibility of each student to remain aware of any changes in assignments or deadlines.

Unit One: Introduction, Text Analysis
08/23 /
Introductions – Syllabus, Course Overview, and Survival Tips
08/25 / Persuasion/Identification:
Reading Due: ER: Lunsford – “Everything is an Argument” SOL – “Popular Signs, or Everything You Always Knew about American Culture”
08/30 / Critical Thinking/ Close Reading:
Reading Due: SG – 3.1-3.2; 8.1; SOL – “Writing About Popular Culture”
09/01 / The Politics of Music: Mariah Carey, U2, Oasis, and Shakira
Reading Due: SOL – “The Tradition of the Oldie”; and “The Not-so-big-hit single.”; Also, Analysis of Music
09/06 / Comics (1): Dr. Suess’ Butter-Battle Book
Reading Due: McCloud – “Showing and Telling” & “The Six Steps”; Suess - Butter-Battle Book; Also, Analysis of Comics
09/08 / Comics (2): Selected Comics Strips (In-Class)
Reading Due: McCloud – Ch 3; Also, Analysis of Literature
Writing Due:Vignette #1: Response to the Butter-Battle Book
09/13 / Three Previews: V for Vendetta; The Constant Gardner; Serenity
Reading Due: SG – 8.1, 8.5; SOL – Ray, Thematic Paradigm; SOL – Seger, Creating the Myth
Writing Due:Outline of Text Analysis Assignment
09/15 / Commercials and Advertisements
Reading Due: SOL – “Masters of Desire”; “Kid Kustomers”; “Sex, Lies, and Advertising.”
Writing Due: Revised and expanded outline of Text Analysis Assignment
09/20 / Drafting Day (1): In-Class
Writing Due:Draft one of Text Analysis Assignment
09/22 / Drafting Day (2): In-Class
Writing Due:Draft two for peer revision
Unit Two: Contextual Analysis
09/27 / Introduction to Contextual Analysis: The Russian Doll; Aliens and the Viet-Nam War
Reading Due: SG 9.1; 9.4 (all sample essays)
Writing Due: Text Analysis Assignment
09/29 / Context Features (Rhetorical Triangle)
Reading Due: ER - Dual Self-Portaits: Norman Rockwell, Walt Disney.
10/04 / Context Analysis: For Better or For Worse
Reading Due: ER - Lynn Johnston Collections
10/06 / Action Figures: Super Powers Team and GI JoeReading Due: ER – “Toys and Mythology Ideology”; ER – “Toys” by Roland Barthes
10/11 / Movie Trilogies: Discussion of Star Wars Episodes 1-3; 4-6
“Reading” Due: Brush up on your Star Wars!; Also, Character Analysis
10/13 / Focused Research: Intro to the Library
Writing Due:Outline of Contextual Analysis Assignment
10/18 / Focused Research: MLA style and Humanities Journals
Writing Due:Revised outline of Contextual Analysis Assignment
10/20 / Drafting Day (1): In-Class
Writing Due:Draft one of Context Analysis Assignment
10/25 / Drafting Day (2): In-Class
Writing Due:Draft two for peer revision
Unit Three: Cultural Analysis
10/27 / Introduction to Cultural Analysis: Myths and Icons
Reading Due: SOL – “Creating the Myth,” “What Makes Superman so Darned American?”; also, Thematic Analysis
Writing Due:Contextual Analysis Paper DUE
11/01 / Myths and Icons (2): Blood in the Arena
Reading Due: SOL – “The Contradictions of Big-Time College Sport,” and “Athletics 101”
11/03 / Analysis of Genre: The Western and Tombstone
Reading Due: SOL – “The Western”; Watch Tombstone
11/08 / Film Analysis: The Karate Kid
Reading Due: Mandatory Screening of The Karate Kid
11/10 / Film Analysis: The Karate Kid
Reading Due: Same as above
11/15 / Analysis of Class: Movie Morality and Money
Reading Due: SOL – “Class and Virtue”; Review Titanic
Writing Due:Outline of Cultural Analysis Assignment
11/17 / Writing Due:Revised outline of Cultural Analysis Assignment
11/22 / Drafting Day (1): In-Class
Writing Due:Draft one of Cultural Analysis Assignment
11/24 / Drafting Day (2): In-Class
Writing Due:Draft two for peer revision
Unit Four: Final Exam and Preparing for ENGL 102
11/29 / Revision and RE-Vision – Intro to the Final Exam
Writing Due: Cultural Analysis Paper
12/01 / RE-Vision (2) – Discussion of Final Take-Home Assignment
12/06 / Final Day of Class – Final Exam Issued; Class Celebration
(Bring Food!
)
12/08 / DEAD DAY
12/09 / Final Exam Turned In: Location and Time TBA

Helpful Links

University of Arizona Writing Center. An excellent resource for individual help here on campus. The writing center is staffed by writing professionals and undergraduate students who are trained to provide one-on-one assistance. Appointments can cover anything from close reading, style discussions, or assignment reviews.

The CATSCLAW Writing Center: This center specializes in helping student athletes by focusing on helping students become better writers as the first step in improving writing. The staff consists of several English Department graduate students and undergraduate writing instructors.

The Writing Skills Improvement Program: WSIP specializes in all levels of writing assistance. They regularly hold office hours and small meetings that are focused on common first-year composition assignments. In addition, they hold seminars, workshops, and discussions for technical writing, dissertations, and drafting professional academic documents. Their entire staff is PhD qualified; an invaluable resource!

University of Arizona Library: Need I say more? The library has information and links for all your disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and recreational interests. Whether you’re looking for a Stephen King novel or Aristotle’s Topica, the library can point you in the right direction. Also, each librarian is a specialist in information management and have forgotten more about how to find information than the rest of us will ever know. I highly recommend developing friendly relationships with the librarians and visit them with problems as often as any professor.

Library Resources in Rhetoric and Composition, by Sheril Hook, Fine Arts/Humanities Librarian, 621-9919. Email her at.

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