Course: English
112 – English Composition Instructor: Julie Barak Office: 443 Lowell Heiny Hall Office
Hours: Phone: 248-1072 E-mail: [email protected] Home page: http://www.mesastate.edu/~jbarak
Course Goals: To examine, discuss, and practice composing various
styles and modes of writing in order to develop the confidence, independence,
and skills necessary to tackle virtually any writing task assigned in any
college class. This includes learning to read, think and write critically about
literature and other types of texts; discovering the steps in the research
process and applying those steps in our own writing; analyzing, summarizing,
paraphrasing, quoting and citing source material without plagiarizing;
eliminating distracting mechanical errors, developing an awareness of various
citation styles, including but not limited to MLA.
General Education Requirements: This course has been accepted by the CCHE as
a General Education Transfer course. To meet this requirement, the course must
meet minimum reading and writing requirements, as well as address the following
critical thinking skills: a) Identifying and differentiating questions, problems
and arguments, b) Evaluating the appropriateness of various methods of
reasoning and verification, c) Identifying and assessing stated and unstated
assumptions, d) Critically comparing different points of view, e) Formulating
questions and problems, f) Constructing and developing cogent arguments, g)
Discussing alternative points of view, h) Evaluating the quality of evidence
and reasoning.
Course Methods: Two things are important about the course in terms
of methods. First of all, the course is
designed as a writing workshop. That means that we’ll spend most of our class
time writing, reading, and talking about writing and/or reading. We’ll write about others’ writing, write
about our own writing process, write about various subjects, read our own
writing out loud in large and small groups, read others’ writing, and discuss
everything! Click here for reading sign-up. Second, I’ve chosen a topic to help us begin
our reading/writing/conversing. That topic is race/race relationships. In
particular, we’ll be looking at race from a postcolonial context. As we read
and discuss the literature and the essays I’ve selected for the class, research
topics and projects should begin to develop for you. We’ll spend time
investigating how to turn these ideas into a researched writing project.
Required Texts:
Conrad,
Joseph, Heart of Darkness.
Reed,
Ishmael. MultiAmerica: Essays on Cultural Wars and Cultural Peace.
Shakespeare,
William.The Tempest.
Other Expenses:
Occasional
copies of your own writing for large and small group discussion.
Course Requirements:
1) Three Papers: One essay on The Tempest (10%), one on Heart of Darkness (15%), and one
extended research paper that has its source in a chapter of MultiAmerica (25%). More details about and explanation of these
assignments will follow.
2) Writing Process Journal: This journal
reflects on your writing process. Prompts will be provided. We will spend 25-30
minutes a day in class writing about our thoughts, ideas, struggles, and plans
for our writing and sharing that writing with each other. (20%)
3) Literature Discussion Guide: Nine
students will lead the discussions of the readings on assigned days. You should
come to class with a piece of writing that records observations, questions,
connections that will promote a discussion of the text under scrutiny. Sign-up
sheets will be circulated and posted so that everyone knows who is responsible
for what when. (5%) Click here for Sign-up.
4) Essay Discussion Leadership: A brief (2-3
page) summary/response to one of the readings from MultiAmerica. You will address what you consider to be the most significant
questions/issues/concerns raised in the essay and then lead the class in a
discussion of the piece of writing based around that issue. The last paragraph
in the essay should be devoted to meditating on possible research topics that
derive from the essay. What did it leave you wanting to know more about? What
are some sources it referenced that you’d like to check into? What connections
does it make with other issues you are curious about? Sign-up sheets will be
circulated and posted. (10%) Click here for Sign-up.
5) Various Short Daily Assignments: See schedule. Details and explanations forthcoming. (15%)
6) Attendance and Participation: In a workshop setting, your contributions to
discussion are very important. If you’re
not here, you can’t share what you know and we all miss out. So, show up and speak up. You get one free
absence. After that first one, you lose one letter grade for every
absence. So if you have an “A” average
for the work you’ve turned in, but you’ve missed two days of class, your final
grade drops to a “B.” If you’ve missed three days, your final grade drops to a
“C,” and so on. Late work will be accepted, but the grade for the paper will be
dropped one letter grade for each day it’s late. So, for example, an “A” paper turned in two
days late, earns a “C.”
Policies and Procedures:
Academic
Misconduct. Please read the section on cheating and
plagiarism in the student handbook. The
consequences for cheating and plagiarism are severe, including failure for the
assignment, possible failure of the course, disciplinary referral to the dean,
and possible expulsion from the college.
If you have questions about these violations of academic honesty, please
come and see me.
Disabilities. If you have any condition, such as a physical
or mental disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the
work for the course, please talk to me and we will work with the support
services here at Mesa State to provide you with the necessary assistance.
Schedule:
|
|
Date |
Reading Assignment |
Writing or
Responses Due |
|
Week
1 |
May
10 |
The Tempest -- Acts 1 & 2 |
--Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
May
11 |
The Tempest -- to end |
--Literature
Discussion Guide Due (See sign-up) --Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
May
12 |
Group
1 – Takaki Group
2 – Kermode and Brower |
--Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
May
13 |
Group
1 – Brown, Willis Group
2 – Barker and Hulme, Skura |
--Journal
Response (in class) |
|
Week
2 |
May
17 |
Heart of Darkness -- First half |
--Paper
1 Due – Summary/Response The Tempest. Post
to K drive, send me an e-mail, bring a disc, or bring copies. --Literature
Discussion Guide Due (See sign-up) --Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
May
18 |
Heart of Darkness – Second half |
--Literature
Discussion Guide Due (See sign-up) --Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
May
19 |
Group
1 – Haugh, Guerad Group
2 – Achebe, Harris, Singh, Sarvan |
--Journal
Response (in class) --Position
Draft Due – short piece |
|
|
May
20 |
Group
1 – Stewart, McLaughlin Group
2 – Levensen, Kimbrough |
--Journal
Response (in class) |
|
Week
3 |
May
24 |
Various
readings from MultiAmerica |
--Paper
2 Due – Position on Heart of Darkness. Post
to K drive, send me an e-mail, bring a disc, or bring copies. --Discussion
Leadership Response (See
sign-up) --
Journal Response (in class) |
|
|
May
25 |
Various
readings from MultiAmerica |
--Discussion
Leadership Response (See
sign-up) --Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
May
26 |
Various
readings from MultiAmerica |
--Discussion
Leadership Response (See
sign-up) --Research
Question(s) Due – short piece --Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
May
27 |
|
--Bibliography
and Prospectus due. Post to K drive, send me an e-mail, bring a disc, or
bring copies – short piece --Journal
Response (in class) |
|
Week
4 |
May
31 |
Holiday |
|
|
|
June
1 |
|
--Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
June
2 |
|
--Journal
Response (in class) |
|
|
June
3 |
|
--Research
paper due. Post to K drive, send me an e-mail, bring a disc, or bring copies. --Journal
Response (in class) |