ENG 102: College Writing IIENG 102-03 MWF 10-10:50am, Ferg 113

ENG 102-04 MWF 12-12:50pm, MHRA 2204

Instructor: Dr. Joseph George Email: jageorge@uncg.eduOffice: Curry 335G Office Hours: TR 10am-12pmPhone: 336-334-5867

Course Description: English 102 satisfies three of the six hours of the Reasoning and Discourse (GRD) requirement at UNCG, which asserts that students “gain skills in intellectual discourse, including constructing cogent arguments, locating, synthesizing and analyzing documents, and writing and speaking clearly, coherently, and effectively” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program/General-Education-Core-CategoryMarker-Descriptions).

In addition, English 102 is designed to meet Learning Goal #1 (LG1) in the UNCG General Education Program. This is the ability to “think critically, communicate effectively, and develop appropriate fundamental skills in quantitative and information literacies” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014- 2015/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program). The following are English 102 student learning outcomes, each of which correspond to both the GRD goals and to LG1:

English 102 Student Learning Outcomes: At the completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Locate and evaluate primary and/or secondary sources;

2. Employ sources to advance an informed, cogent argument;

3. Construct research-based writing projects that demonstrate focused, independent

inquiry.

Course Texts:

• Skelley, Chelsea A., Kathleen T. Leuschen, and Meghan McGuire, eds. Rhetorical Approaches to College Writing. Plymouth, MI: Hayden/McNeil, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-7380-6838-1

Required Materials:• Notebook and Writing Material (must bring to every class)• iSpartan and Blackboard Accounts• Access to printer and word processing program.

Course Policies :

Reading/Participation: You are expected to read all assigned materials by the date that they are due and to come to class prepared to discuss them. Your mere presence in the class is not sufficient to earn participation credit; you must be an engaged, contributing member of the class, which you can only do if you read the assigned material.

Late Work: Late work is not accepted without prior approval. If you foresee a problem with meeting an assigned due time then you must contact me at least 24 hours before that time; extensions will be granted at my discretion.

Attendance : Students in MWF classes are allowed a maximum of three absences without a grade penalty. For every absence beyond those allowed, students will be penalized one-half letter grade. Students who miss six classes will fail the course.

You are, by state law, allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays, which do not count toward your total allowed three absences. If you plan to miss class because of your faith, you must notify me 48 hours in advance of your absence.

Tardiness : Any student arriving less than 15mins after the beginning of class will be considered tardy. Students are given one absence for every three tardies. Any student who misses more than 15 mins. of class will be considered absent.

Communication: It is best to contact me via e-mail, and I will respond to all messages within 24 hours. If you do not receive a response from me within 24 hours, do not assume I received your message; continue sending your e-mail until I respond.

Electronic Devices: All cell phones, smart phones, and iPods should be turned completely off and put away before class begins. If you foresee an emergency that will require you to access your cell phone, you must notify me at the beginning of class and I will use my discretion. The first time the electronics policy is violated (such as a phone ringing during class or a student is caught text messaging or surfing the web), that student will be given a warning. The second and subsequent times, the student will be asked to leave the class and will be counted absent for the day.

Laptops, tablets, or other internet-enabled devices may be used in class to take notes pertaining to our class, to view documents on our Blackboard website, or to engage in class-related activities as approved by the instructor. Any student who uses a laptop for any activity not relevant to this course during class time will not be allowed to use a laptop in class again. To be perfectly clear: one violation means no laptop use.

MLA Format: All of the out-of-class assignments for this course will be in MLA Format. This means that they must be double-spaced with 1” margins, 12pt. Times New Roman fonts, on white 8 ½ x 11” paper. All citations must also use MLA format. Any paper that does not meet these requirements will not be accepted. Handwritten out-of-class work is

not allowed. For more information, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/.

Plagiarism : Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu. I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy.

Although plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course, I do differentiate between intentional and unintentional plagiarism. Intentional plagiarism—attempting to present another’s work as your own—will result in a zero on the assignment. Unintentional plagiarism— mistakes in citation or quotations, improper summaries—will result a lowered grade on the assignment. Any additional acts of unintentional plagiarism will result in a zero on the offending assignment; a second act of intentional plagiarism will earn the student an F in the course. All acts of intentional plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Students.

The Writing Center: The purpose of the Writing Center is to enhance the confidence and competence of student writers by providing free, individual assistance at any stage of any writing project. Staff consultants are experienced writers and alert readers, prepared to offer feedback and suggestions on drafts of papers, help students find answers to their questions about writing, and provide one-on-one instruction as needed. Located in the Moore Humanities and Research Building (MHRA), room 3211.

The Learning Center: The Learning Assistance Center offers free services to the entire UNCG undergraduate community and is located in McIver Hall, rooms 101-104, and 150. For help with study skills, contact Erin Farrior, Academic Skills specialist. Telephone: 334-3878; e-mail: lac@uncg.edu.

Office of Accessibility Resources and Services: Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: oars@uncg.edu.

Student Athletes: Student athletes are not exempt from any of the above requirements. If you must miss class for games or practices, they will count as one of your three allowed absences. Please bring your travel addendum to me as soon as possible, and maintain communication with me throughout the semester to avoid problems.

Assignments

Essays (SLO 1,2,3) – Throughout the course of the semester, we will write three long-form research-based argumentative essays. Each of these essays will identify a problem, describe the conversation thus far, propose a solution to the problem, and then reflect on the process. More information is available on Blackboard.

Final Presentation (SLO 1,2,3) – To satisfy the Speaking Intensive aspect of this course, our final project will be an oral presentation given to class. More information is available on Blackboard.

Readings (SLO 1,3) – The majority of our readings will be technical essays from the book Rhetorical Approaches to College Writing, but we will also be reading three difficult essays about different topics. We will be reading each essay multiple times throughout the semester, paying attention to both its formal and substantive qualities. Also, every student will take a turn leading his/her group in discussion of the text (see the heading “Participation”).

Discussion Board Posts (SLO 1,2) – To help you engage with the essays and practice the rhetorical skills we are learning this semester, you will participate in discussion board forums on the class Blackboard site. Each Monday, you will be given a new prompt; you must answer the prompt by starting a new thread with a three paragraph post. You must also read at least two other threads and post at least one substantial response to each of these two threads.

Participation (SLO 1, 3) - Your participation grade is determined by your performance in the small group projects that occur during each class period and by your group presentation. During the small group projects, you will be assigned a task and a role, and will be graded according to how well you, individually, perform that role.

For the group presentation, you will pick a day in which you give a short presentation to your group and lead them in a discussion about one of our three larger essays. Your presentation should summarize the piece, identify its argument and methodology, indicate points of agreement and contention, and then offer your own take on the issue at hand. You will then lead your group in a discussion of the text by providing 5-6 substantive questions.

Those who are not leading discussion will be graded according to how well they continue the conversation and follow the leader’s prompts. Non-presenting members may not simply watch the leader talk; instead, they must make thoughtful contributions to the discussion, based on their own readings and reactions.

Grade Breakdown:

1. Participation 20%2. Discussion Board Posts 15%

3. Problem Paper 15%4. Conversation Paper 15%5. Solution Paper 20%6. Final Presentation 15%

Grading Scale:100 – 90 = A+/A/A- 89 – 80 = B+/B/B-

79 – 70 = C+/C/C- 69 – 60 = D+/D/D- 59 – below = FCourse Schedule*

UNIT ONE: Introduction and Review

8/18 – Syllabus / Intro8/20 – “An Introduction to Rhetoric and the Rhetorical Triangle” (Babb)8/22 – “Invention, Asking Questions…” (Leuschen)

UNIT TWO: Identify the Problem

8/25 – Library Visit8/27 – “The Canons of Rhetoric…” (Dodson and Skelley)8/29 – “Writing with the Rhetorical Appeals” (Romanelli) / “Reading for the Rhetorical Appeals” (Shook)

9/1 – LABOR DAY9/3 – “Understanding Tone and Voice” (Berberyan) 9/5 – “How the Thesis…” (McAlpin)

9/8 – “Arrangement as Rhetorical Composing” (Skelley)9/10 – “Revision is Writing” (Mullins)9/12 – Peer Review

UNIT THREE: Learn the Conversation

9/15 – Problem Essay Due / Begin Research Essay9/17 – “Ways of Seeing” (Berger) BB9/19 – “Finding a Conversation to Research” (Wooten) / “The Genre of Academic Discourse” (Morehead)

9/22 – “Ways of Seeing” (Berger) BB9/24 – “Situating Evidence through Contextualization” (Johnson)9/26 – “The Art of Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting” (Ray)

9/29 – “Ways of Seeing” (Berger) BB10/1 – “Understanding the Rhetorical Dimensions of Academic Citations” (Ensor)10/3 – Peer Review

UNIT FOUR: Propose a Solution

10/6 – Research Essay Due / Begin Proposal Essay10/8 – “Three Normative Models of Democracy” (Habermas) BB10/10 – Conferences

10/13 – FALL BREAK10/15 – Conferences10/17 – Conferences

10/20 – “Three Normative Models of Democracy” (Habermas) BB10/22 – "Reading Critically" (Blades)10/24 – "Rhetorical Context is (Almost) Everything" (Berrier)

10/27 – “Three Normative Models of Democracy” (Habermas) BB 10/29 – "The Play of Style" (Blanchard)10/31 – Research Review

11/3 – “Three Normative Models of Democracy” (Habermas) BB11/5 – “It’s All – Well, a Lot – in the Delivery” (Blevins)11/7 – Peer Review

UNIT FOUR: Reflect on Your Work

11/10 – Proposal Essay Due / Begin Final Presentation11/12 – “The Achievement of Desire” (Rodriguez) BB11/14 – Rhetoric Review

11/17 – “The Achievement of Desire” (Rodriguez) BB11/19 –Writing Session11/21 –Writing Session

11/24 – “The Achievement of Desire” (Rodriguez) BB11/26 – THANKSGIVING BREAK11/28 – THANKSGIVING BREAK

12/1 – Final Presentation practice

Final Exam Dates:ENG 102-03: 12/3 – 12-3pmENG 102-04: 12/5 – 12-3pm

Rhetorical Approaches must be provided by the student.Other works are available on Blackboard.

* This schedule is tentative and may be changed. Students will be notified of any changes.