Goblin from Arthur Rackham illustrations for Rosetti's Goblin Market

Fall 2005: ENC 1102: Argument & Persuasion:: Schedule

See Critical dates by Term for Further information.
I reserve the right to amend the schedule (and the rest of the syllabus).

Week 1
Dates In class Homework
Wed. Aug. 24 introduction to argument, persuasion, and Writing Across the Curriculum;
review syllabus, expectations, and assignments

Purchase textbooks
Read syllabus thoroughly.
read NWE policies page
Fri. Aug. 26 pass out account cards (get names of adds/drops); forward email; advise on bulletin board; diagnostic essay
Week 2
Dates In classHomework
Mon. Aug. 29 Introductions; Syllabus Quiz
Discuss genre, audience, and purpose and adapting to the rhetorical triangle: logos, pathos, and ethos.
Notes
identify appeals and patriot act
HW-read and think about purpose, audience, organization: inductive and deductive logic in these readings: "The Blog Phenomenon" (256), “Virtual Love” (267). and “Cyberspace and Identity” (275).

Drop/Add ends at midnight
Wed. Aug. 31 Drop/Add is over--making sure everyone is in class that should be. Possible Quiz. Office space is in Turlington 4357.
Discuss audience, purpose, genre and inductive and deductive logic in essays.
Notes
Read: Types of Argument
Fri. Sept. 2 Discuss editorial assignment. What do we know from the previous readings on types of argument that apply to this assignment? Discuss techniques of persuasive writing for general audience in preparation for writing editorial; and discuss final research paper and options for topics; start on editorial--brainstorming topics.
Eliza for Rogerian Argument
HW: Penguin “Planning and Drafting” 25-36 and work on editorial
Respond to online Discussion Board prompt: What would motivate you to write an editorial or evaluative argument? Personal interest, anger, support? Do you have an Amazon.com wish list or recommendation list? Do you consider these to be like or unlike editorials?
Week 3
Dates In classHomework
Mon. Sept. 5 No class-Labor Day No Homework
Wed. Sept. 7 Draft of editorial due; peer review Read: "Writing with Power" in Penguin 379-386 and selected essays from Writing and Reading: “Caloric Imbalance and Public Health Policy” (473-479); “Too Much of a Good Thing” (484-487) and “Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance” (492-496).
Fri. Sept. 9 Quiz. Discuss selected essays; bring working draft of editorial; review “Writing with Power” and active/passive voice. Ask about board topics? HW-Complete editorial.

Read and respond to one of these:
Eric Hayot's argument on how the rhetoric surrounding body size and weight parallels the war on drugs. What does this mean socially, what are the problems with the arguments surrounding the war on drugs? What could be done to make sure that both "wars" don't unfairly impact certain people (particularly people with lower incomes)? What do you think of governmental mandates like "the war on drugs" and what would you think about a governmental "war on fat"?

To developments in the legislation of college classrooms;

Or to Kanye West's comments about the media presentation of New Orleans and Katrina. How does the fact that his comments were edited by the news affect your perception of the news or does it?
Week 4
Dates In classHomework
Mon. Sept. 12 Editorial due in print - 1 paper copy (12pt font, Times New Roman, standard margins); summarize argument of editorial and express it in one clear sentence. As a class, summarize the Alligator editorials. Notes. Read: Writing and Reading on summarizing, 3-30
Wed. Sept. 14 Discuss research proposal assignment.
Discuss good/bad research topics: research paper must be logos- not pathos-based.
Search for initial sources (journals/databases) for proposal.
Read: Writing and Reading 185-201 on preliminary research
Fri. Sept. 16 QUIZ (for real this time); Discuss essay for in-class summary and techniques for summary writing;
discuss research topics because research proposals are due Monday;
Quick look at Sun's new ads for visual rhetoric
If time, finding articles using Google-- how to evaluate quality of articles, and a more indepth page. If in doubt, email me with a link and I can help.
Find one article using Google that's relevant to your research proposal. Post a link to the article on the discussion board and post a short summary of the article.
work on research proposals
Week 5
Dates In classHomework
Mon. Sept. 19 Reseach proposals due; Discussion of research proposals--searching for articles for summaries; Prepare for the library visit. doing library research, finding and evaluating sources; Practice paraphrasing; review style: writing concisely, eliminating redundancies, expletives, and nominalizations. Read: Writing and Reading on paraphrasing, 30-33; Penguin 222-3.
Wed. Sept. 21 PSU to speak
Prepare for the library visit. doing library research, finding and evaluating sources; Practice paraphrasing; review style: writing concisely, eliminating redundancies, expletives, and nominalizations.
HW-Work on 250-word summary of an article.
Activate your library card.
Fri. Sept. 23 In class work on summaries
Prepping for the library visit.

Please be sure to be at the library early on Monday (or at least right on time). Being on time will be a quiz grade on Monday.
Ask about visit by prof
HW-Penguin 332-7 on writing concisely and eliminating expletives.
Respond to online Discussion Board prompt: Either post your research topic and a few sentences explaining it, or (if you did that last week) post a link to an article related to your research topic and a short summary of the article.
Activate your library card.
Week 6
DatesIn class Homework
Mon. Sept. 26 Library orientation at Marston Science Library. MST 308
Work on Summary
Wed. Sept. 28 Refining research topics, searching for sources, and writing the annotated bibliography.
Discuss the role and form of abstracts (summaries) for papers and conferences.
Citation Machine
Finish summary.
Fri. Sept. 30 Summaries due today.peer review HW-Work on annotated bibliography; Writing and Reading on focused research and evaluating sources, 193-213

Please note, my office hours for next week are Monday 9:30-11:30.
Respond to online Discussion Board prompt: How do you use library sources in your other classes? How have you used them in the past? What confuses you about using the library in your research?
Week 7
Dates In class Homework
Mon. Oct. 3 Writing the annotated bibliography and analyzing credibility of sources; distinguishing good/bad popular sources and analyzing web sources; distinguishing popular from scholarly and primary from secondary

Boolean operators

Discuss annotated bibliography and examples of good/bad annotations, documentation styles, and handling citations in different formats. Which documentation style is used in your field?


Class observed by prof?
HW-Writing and Reading 42-44 and 214-231; and Penguin 218-221 on avoiding plagiarism and citation methods

Response: Post the citation information for two of the articles you have found (these are new articles, and not those from the summary assignment). Explain briefly why you think these articles are relevant.
Can use the citation machine.

Wed. Oct. 5 Class Cancelled for Rosh Hashanah
Fri. Oct. 7 no class-homecoming
Week 8
Dates In class Homework
Mon. Oct. 10 Overview of Summaries
Reviewing grammar and style
Reviewing MLA/APA Citations
Work on annotated bibliography.
Read essay tips
Wed. Oct. 12 Review common problems with annotations
Reviewing grammar and style
Reviewing MLA/APA Citations
Work on annotated bibliography.
Fri. Oct. 14 Draft of annotated bibliography due; peer review.
Today is the end of week 8, this is the half-way point in the semester. If you already have 3 absences (or more), it's time to start doing the extra credit assignments to make up for those.

HW-revise annotated bibliography
Respond to online Discussion Board prompt: Are there any films, comics, television shows, or other popular media forms that address your research topic? If no, why don't you think your topic has been addressed in the popular media? If yes, what was it--South Park, a movie, "a very special" episode of a television series (TV often seems to call episodes "very special" if they deal with real issues), a comic, what? How did it deal with your topic--humor, serious-informative style, small reference?

Week 9
Dates In classHomework
Mon. Oct. 17 Final draft of annotated bibliography due; discuss synthesis. Synthesis Notes Read: Writing and Reading on explanatory synthesis, 89-129
Bring in a synthesis example from a scholarly or nonscholarly source. We'll work with these on Wednesday.
Wed. Oct. 19 Synthesizing exercises. Provide writing samples to discuss style (good and bad). How can they be improved? Which writers do they enjoy reading because of their style? Synthesizing and organizing information for the literature review. HW-Writing and Reading on argumentative synthesis, 129-143.
Fri. Oct. 21 Discuss synthesis readings and synthesize short essays; quotations, paraphrasing, and avoiding plagiarism; strong topic sentences and paragraphing

Read: Writing and Reading on using quotations, 33-42; Penguin 38-47 on topic sentences


Respond to online Discussion Board prompt: where have you seen a synthesis argument element elsewhere? In comparing products? In comparing political views? In editorials that synthesize the two major arguments?
Week 10
Dates In classHomework
Mon. Oct. 24 Synthesis notes.
Office hours for this week--tomorrow 2-4 in Rolfs 410.
Writing and Reading on introductions, 66-71 and Penguin 51-3
Wed. Oct. 26 Finding your focus: refining your research questions and the thesis.
Discuss writing effective introductions: what is appropriate for your audience? Effective introductions. Intro examples.
Read: Thesis Help
Fri. Oct. 28 Discuss five introductions and their writing strategies, reader-friendly writing and general vs. academic audience; outline structure of synthesis; QUIZ

HW: work on synthesis


Respond to online Discussion Board prompt, which is to read this article and respond to it. It covers how the internet is regulate--almost entirely by the US--and the issues that creates for international relations.

Week 11
DatesIn class Homework
Mon. Oct. 31 Draft of synthesis due; peer review
MLA page layout
APA Page Layout
HW-Penguin 43-5 and 53-60 on linking ideas and transitions
Wed. Nov. 2 Review paragraph cohesion and using transitions
Quiz
Notes

HW-Writing and Reading on thesis statements, 71-81

Fri. Nov. 4 Bring working draft of synthesis; finding your focus: refining your research questions and the thesis statement.

Refine and strengthen your thesis or claim.
Response to the class, then respond to someone else's thesis/claim and offer suggestions for structure.

Week 12
Dates In classHomework
Mon. Nov. 7 Final draft of synthesis due. Write process memo: self-analysis of writing to date. HW-Penguin 102-110 on making an arguable claim
Wed. Nov. 9

Bring in a thesis sentence for your research paper with a claim and support clause (“because”) to class. Is the thesis narrow and specific? Does it argue something of significance about which reasonable people might disagree? Does it answer the “so what?” question? Making the transition from the synthesis to the research paper.
Begin writing your outline in class.

HW-Writing and Reading 332-344; 302-306; 306-312
Fri. Nov. 11 No class No Homework
Week 13
Dates In class Homework
Mon. Nov. 14 Conferences (during class time, we meet in the classroom; otherwise, we meet in Rolfs 410 on the fourth floor):
8:30-8:50 Takara
8:50-9:10 Lane
9:10-9:30
9:30-9:50
9:50-10:10 James
HW-Writing and Reading 179-184 on outlining and drafting
Wed. Nov. 16 Conferences (during class time, we meet in the classroom; otherwise, we meet in Rolfs 410 on the fourth floor):
8:30-8:50 Avinash
8:50-9:10
9:10-9:30 Kyle
9:30-9:50 Joseph
9:50-10:10 Courtney
10:10-10:30 Brittany
10:30-10:50 Meghan
Finish introduction to research paper
Fri. Nov. 18 Conferences (during class time, we meet in the classroom; otherwise, we meet in Rolfs 410 on the fourth floor):
8:30-8:50 Afifa
8:50-9:10 David
9:10-9:30 Tresha
9:30-9:50 Andrew
9:50-10:10 Marissa
10:10-10:30 Herold
10:30-10:50 Bobby
In the conferences, we will go over:
  • Go over grades/absences
  • Revision of Synthesis
  • Outline for Research Paper
  • Rough Draft of Research Paper

HW-Work on draft of research paper.

Response: Grammar provides the structure with which your write your research paper. Given that your research paper studies research in your particular field, what other structures shape your paper (citation methods, current arguments, your field itself)?

Week 14
Dates In class Homework
Mon. Nov. 21 Optional day for conferences and/or in-class work on research paper drafts.
Last day to withdraw from a course.
Revise Research paper
Wed. Nov. 23 no class None
Fri. Nov. 25 no class None
Week 15
Dates In class Homework
Mon. Nov. 28 Research paper draft due; peer review
Review common problems with research papers: are you acknowledging opposing points of view? making a strong argument? using sufficient evidence? citing evidence properly?

Overview of the Outlining and Drafting from the Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum
HW –Writing and Reading 81-88 on conclusions; write conclusion to research paper to bring to class.

REMEMBER: You can turn in your final research paper early via email or in class. If you turn it in early, I can grade it early and give it back to you if it needs to be revised to make your final grade as high as possible.
Wed. Nov. 30 Discuss constructing effective conclusions; final review of paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, and citing sources. Further peer review of research paper draft.
Ask someone to pick up eval forms from Cher today or Thursday.
Working with active and passive voice.
Fri. Dec. 2 Active/passive voice and/or conclusion work
Teaching Evaluations
Turn in all components of the research paper other than the final draft (this is so you don't forget the other components later and then lose credit on them).
Discussion of research papers
All extra credit due today.
Finalize the conclusion to your research paper.
Check Paper Format (sample MLA paper here)
Week 16
DatesIn class Homework
Mon. Dec. 5 Final editing and proofreading techniques.
Reading and Writing Center, reading aloud, aloud backwards by sentence, spellcheck, have someone else read it (could be reading and writing center, could be friend, whomever), common copyediting marks, cutting up paper
Turn in final research papers if you have them.
Finish research papers.
Wed. Dec. 7 Final Version of Research Paper is due. Bring it to class or email me if you haven't turned it in before now.

No required class--I'll be in class for you to get your final grades (if you turned in your research paper by Monday) or to tell you what to revise to get a higher final grade.

I am available all week for conferences, concerns, or to discuss any aspect of the class. Just email me.
None
Fri. Dec. 9 Reading day. No class reading day
Finals Week
Dates In class Homework
Mon. Dec. 12 Revised Final Papers Due Revised Final Papers Due

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