Fall 2004
Dr. Thomas Pfau
Office: R 230K
Phone: 425-564-2509
Email: tpfau@bcc.ctc.edu
Office Hours: by appointment
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Required Texts and Supplies
de Botton, Alain. The Art of Travel. Random House, 2002. (AT)
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference, 5th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. (WR)
Muller, Gilbert. The McGraw Hill Reader. 8th ed. McGraw Hill, 2000. (MHR)
You should also own and use a good college dictionary and thesaurus.
Course Description
English 101 is a writing workshop designed to give students extensive practice in college-level critical reading and writing. Through regular assignments of varying lengths and complexity, students will learn to position themselves within ongoing conversations about issues important to educated readers. It is a course that revolves around thinking as well as producing more effective writing. In the course, students will engage in processes of invention, drafting, revision, problem solving, and editing as they produce a range of writing genres including narrative, exploratory writing, synthesis, analysis, and argument.
Course Requirements
1. Attendance – You are expected to attend all class meetings, and to arrive on time prepared to participate in discussions. Much of your knowledge will develop in class. Be sure that you do not need to leave the classroom (excepting an emergency) until class is dismissed. If you are absent you will not be able to make up missed in-class assignments. Ten absences will constitute grounds for failing the course. Absences under the maximum may adversely affect your grade, as will tardiness.
2. Reading – To participate in class you need to keep up with the reading. You are responsible for reading and thinking about all of the work assigned for the day before the beginning of class. Other readings, from time to time, will be assigned, and you are responsible for that reading, even if you are absent the day it is assigned. Remember that this is a workshop/discussion class.
3. Writing Assignments – All out-of-class writing–including response journals–must be typed or word-processed. Assignments must be double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides, and should have a reasonably sized font as well, i.e. a professional look. These papers will be discussed in writing workshops before the final drafts are submitted. On the days of the workshops, bring the appropriate number of neat copies to class. If you do not bring a completed draft to the workshop, your essay grade may be reduced a full letter grade. Revision is a vital part of the writing process, and you are encouraged to write multiple drafts of your assignments. Final drafts are due at the beginning of class on the dates indicated, and be sure to make a copy of each final draft to protect yourself from loss or misplacement. The grade on late papers will be reduced one letter grade per day. Once a paper has been graded, it may not be revised for an improved grade. The papers (and their grade percentage values) will be as follows:
Personal Essay 15%
Public Discourse Analysis 20%
Exploratory Essay 20%
Literary Analysis 20%
Response Journals 10%
In-Class Writing 10%
Participation 5%
Criteria for each individual paper will be discussed in class. Criteria for all papers include the following:
1. Effective organization and narrative pacing.
2. Paragraph development and detailed description.
3. Precise and effective word choice.
4. Use of transitions to achieve coherence.
5. Clear relationship between audience and purpose.
6. Command of spelling, word usage, and grammar.
Grading
We will discuss grading criteria for each major assignment in class. In this course A = 90–100 (extraordinary college-level writing), B = 80–89 (superior college-level writing), C = 70–79 (adequate college-level writing), D = 60–69 (substandard college-level writing), F (unacceptable writing). Borderline grades will be determined first by class participation and then by effort and improvement. Note that strong participation can significantly enhance your grade for this course.
Academic Dishonesty
The work you turn in for this course must be your own. The use of sources must be documented properly. If you have questions about how to do this, either ask me or consult A Writer’s Reference, and the section on MLA format. Types of academic dishonesty include plagiarism, stealing, cheating, unauthorized collaboration, fabrication, falsification, and complicity in aiding another to commit an act of academic misconduct. Sanctions for dishonesty include receiving a grade of “F” for that assignment.
Support Services
Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with Disability Support Services to establish their eligibility for accommodation. In addition students are encouraged to review their accommodation requirements with the instructor during the first week of the quarter.
Please refer to the Arts and Humanities Division policies for further information.
Tentative Schedule
Week One (Sept. 27-30)
Introduction. In-class writing. Strategies for Invention. Read “The Writing Life” by Dillard (MHR 50) Discuss the personal essay. Discuss the writing process. Read “On Anticipation” (AT 3), Douglass and Rodriguez (MHR 109 +114) and write response journal with reference to one of them. Discuss writing workshops
Week Two (Oct. 4)
Draft of personal essay due. Writing workshops. Discuss revision. Read Angelou and Tan (MHR 119+495). Read “On Travelling Places” (AT 27) and write response journal. Discuss grammar issues (WR).
Week Three (Oct 11)
Personal Essay due. Discuss analysis, the strong reading response, and conventions of communication. Read “On the Exotic” (AT 65) and write response journal with reference to it. Find an example of public discourse and write response journal. Discuss examples of public discourse and the reading of the visual. Read Gates and Barry (MHR 508+ 519) and write response journal.
Week Four (Oct. 19)
Draft of public discourse analysis due. Writing workshops. Further discussion of analysis. Further examples. Read “Eye Opening Art” (AT 179) and write response journal. Read Winn (MHR 505)
No classes on Oct. 18
Week Five (Oct. 25)
Draft of public discourse analysis due. Writing workshops. Conferences. Read “On Curiosity” (AT 99) and write response journal.
Week Six (Nov. 1)
Public discourse analysis due. Discuss exploratory essay. Discuss topics. Discuss exploration versus argument. Read “The Female Body” (MHR 216) and “On the Country and the City” (AT 127) and write response journal with regard to one of them. Discuss further examples. Write informal exploratory paper.
Week Seven (Nov. 8)
Draft of exploratory essay due. Workshops. Read “On the Sublime” (AT 155) and write response journal. Discuss exploratory essay writing strategies.
No classes on Nov. 11
Week Eight (Nov. 15)
Draft of exploratory essay due. Workshops. Conferences. Read “On Possessing Beauty” (AT 211) and write response journal.
Week Nine (Nov 22)
Exploratory Essay due. Discuss literary analysis . Topics. Read Swift (MHR 417).
Thanksgiving Break Nov. 25-26
Week Ten (Nov. 29)
Draft of literary analysis due. Workshops. Discuss revision with regard to opposing interpretations. Read “On Habit” (AT 237) and write response journal
Week Eleven (Dec 6)
Draft of literary analysis due. Workshops. Position paper due. Conclusions.