English 1-A (003), Jamieson, Drew U--Fall 2004. Syllabus

Students get exactly the same amount of learning out of a writing class as the amount of effort they put in. This puts the onus on you--if you don't put anything in, you won't get anything out (except a bad grade).

Schedule

Sept. 8 (Wed.): First class. Introduction to class. Interview a classmate you don't know. Try to learn as much as you can about his or her attitude to writing, language, argument, talking in class, etc.
Homework: Write up your answers to interview to be presented in class Friday.

e-journal 1: Write an e-journal entry on this process. (To read more about e-journals click here.) Was it easy? What did you learn about yourself/other people in this process?

Sept. 10 (Fri): Discussion of trust and peer response. (Students decide the basic ground rules for the class and penalties for breaking them.) Students present their interviews to the class. Discussion of writing and responses based on the interviews.
Homework: Read from the Xeroxed handout of the draft of Argument in a Culture of Information (ACI) pp.1-6 (stop at "Importance of Argument"). Make notes and bring them to class Monday. List and define any vocabulary words and terminology that are new to you. (This is the only way to expand your vocabulary--there are no shortcuts.) For Monday, compete the assignment on p.6 "Think About It! Paying attention to argument."

e-journal 2: Write an e-journal entry on the process of reasoning and persuasion. First include your response to the "Think About It!" assignment on p.2, then reconsider this as you complete the reading and expand or modify it or write about why you do not want to expand or modify what you first wrote. Due by Midnight Saturday.

Sept. 13 (Mon.): Discuss the reading and your findings from paying attention to argument. Discussion of rhetorical context, occasions, purpose, and the strategies of ethos, logos, and pathos. Discussion of tonight's homework (ACI p. 8).
Homework: Read ACI p. 6-8 and complete the assignment on p. 8. This is the first part of paper #1. Read the assignment and complete Steps 1 and 2. (You may find it helpful to focus on the preface and first chapter or introduction of whichever textbook you consider.) Bring your notes for this paper and the textbook(s) you are reviewing to class on Wednesday. A draft of the paper is due in class Friday, September 17, and the final draft is due in class on Wednesday, September 20.

Sept. 15 (Wed.): Bring your notes and the textbook(s) you have decided to analyze to class today. Discussion of the books students are analyzing, the notes and questions generated so far. Review of ethos, logos, and pathos if necessary. Discussion of the function and purpose of textbooks. Students complete Steps 3 and 4 in class.
* Students sign up for individual conferences with the instructor for Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday (the list will be posted on the office door--don't forget!).
Homework: Begin a draft of your paper (Step 5), due in class on Friday Sept. 17 (or via email on Saturday for those celebrating Rosh Hashannah on Friday). The final draft is due in class on Monday, September 20. Review material in The Longman Writer’s Companion as necessary (p. 16-25 might be particularly useful).

Sept. 15-17 (Wed.-Fri.): Conferences with the professor (the list of times will be posted on my office door. Don't forget--and don't be late)

Sept. 17 (Fri.): Paper 1 draft due in class today. Discussion of thesis, introduction, and topic sentences. Creation of a revising outline from these aspects of the paper. Working in pairs, review these aspects in each other's drafts of the paper due today (underline the thesis and the topic sentences or add them, and trace the connections between topic sentences and the thesis).
Homework: Revise the paper based on the work we did in class today. Review material in The Longman Writer’s Companion as necessary (p. 25-35 might be particularly useful—we will review this material in class as well later in the semester.) This is due in class Monday 20th (bring the first draft and any notes, prewriting, etc.--see the list for what should be in Folder #1).

e-journal 3: Write an e-journal entry on the relationship between revision and ethos.

Sept. 20 (Mon.): BRING YOUR COMPUTER, NETWORK CABLE, AND POWER CABLE TO CLASS FROM NOW ON. Folder #1 due in class today (See the list for what should be in Folder #1. Your work MUST be placed in a manila folder--available from the bookstore).
General introduction to the Internet, the class Forum, basic web-searching, and the K:/ Drive.
Discussion of the homework. Who was Plato and what was The Republic?
Homework: Read the extract from Book III of Plato’s Republic and free-write in response to it. What do you think of the ideas he expresses there? You can focus on his discussion of music, gymnastics (sport in ancient Greece), general health and healthy living, or on any combination of the three. What is his argument? Do you agree? Do you think it still applies today? If Socrates is right and children need to appreciate music and take care of their bodies before they can progress to more scholarly education, do you think we should make some changes in the structure of American education along the lines he suggests? Write whatever you feel like writing in response to the reading, in whatever form you like. Don’t develop a thesis or make an argument! This is Step 1 of Paper #2.

Sept. 22 (Wed): Discussion of the reading from The Republic and student response. Possibilities for paper #2. Begin by responding to the topics on the class Forum. Which seems most interesting? What was your reaction to the reading? This is Step 2. If your computer doesn't work on the network or you've lost your password, GO TO THE CNS HELPDESK IN HSc AFTER CLASS TODAY AND MAKE IT WORK!! Then post your comment as soon as possible if you were not able to do so in class today. Once they have read and if necessary responded to the comments of their classmates, students may continue free-writing, brainstorming, or planning how they will respond to the topic in class (Steps 3 and 4):
Homework: Read over the comments on the Forum and email or talk with anyone working on the same topic as you think you might write about. You may share ideas and examples, but you need to write your own paper!
Read ACI, 9-21 and respond to the "Think About It! Attitudes toward argument" assignment on p. 21. Bring your response to class on Friday. It will also be due in Folder #2 on Friday October 1st.

Sept. 24 (Fri): Responding to texts: how to incorporate quotations and write and cite summaries. Review The Longman Writer’s Companion on Summary (for additional discussion on summary, see http://users.drew.edu/sjamieso/summary.html). Students should start forming an argument about education based on their free-writing and discussion. This is Step 4. (There are various website that might be of use for students writing on welnness issues. Try Drew Health Services, Counseling Services and Substance Abuse information, or the Higher Education Information Center. The Drew Wellness Program recommends other sites as well.) At the end of class, save what you have written to the K:drive folder named "Paper #2" with “[YOUR NAME] and [NOTES] or [DRAFT #]” as the title.
Homework: Continue working on a draft of the paper. Don’t worry about formal outlines. Just write out what you believe about education, list the reasons you believe it, and use that to guide you as you write the paper. Bring a reasonable but not perfect draft to class on Monday.

e-journal 4: Write an e-journal entry about this assignment. Is it going well or are you stuck? What has been the hardest part so far?

Sept. 27 (Mon.): Draft of Paper 2 due in class today. Discuss the papers, value claims, and general strategies. Brief powerpoint presentation about the structure of argument papers. (Available for your review in the K:drive "Reserve" folder). Work on your paper. A better draft is due in class Wednesday. Save a copy in the K:drive folder "Paper #2" WITH YOUR NAME AS THE TITLE.
Homework: attend the reading and talk by Jumpa Lahiri, author of Interpreter of Maladies, the Class of 2004 Common Reading: 7:00-8:30 pm. Baldwin Gym. You are required to attend this event. (A videotape will be available for those who are absolutely unable to attend, but you MUST receive permission to miss the event from me.) This reading and talk will be part of Paper #6. Take notes on what Ms. Lahiri says, and on audience reaction.

e-journal 5: Write an e-journal entry in which you respond to the Lahiri reading today. What did you think of it? Was it what you expected? What did you expect? Why? Do you think her choice of readings was a wise one? If she didn't read it, which story would you like to have heard her read? Why? Do you like public readings? Why or why not? If you did not attend, write what you imagine the reading and talk to have been like. What would you like to have asked Ms. Lahiri?

Sept. 29 (Wed.): Better draft of Paper 2 due in class today. Refresh knowledge about the K:/ Drive and the group editing folders. Save drafts of papers into K:/ Drive folder "Paper #2" if you did not do so last night. Discussion of peer review and agreement on guidelines for review (consider these in terms of cause and effect). Look at those in The Longman Writer's Companion (p.29). Work on revising drafts in groups of two or three in class. Reviewers will write their names on the paper and save it back in the K:/ Drive "Paper #2" folder as "[author]'s revised draft" or "[author]'s draft revised by [your name]." Peer response will focus on the thesis, topic sentences, transitions, and use of evidence to support claims.
Homework: Use the responses you received in class today to help you perfect your paper. Due in Folder #2 in class on Friday October 1. (See Folder #2 for a list of what needs to be in your folder.)

Oct. 1 (Fri): Folder #2 due in class today (See the list for what should be in Folder #2. Your work MUST be placed in a manila folder--available from the bookstore).In class today we will explore advocacy arguments and discuss context, purpose, and audience again. Introduction to the electronic democracy project (EDP) webpage and resources. Discussion of EDP Project #1 (Paper #3):
Begin working on steps 1-6
Homework: Continue working on EDP Project 1, Steps 1-6. Make notes in whatever way feels comfortable to you. You might use lists, tables, diagrams, random notes, sticky notes, or anything else that makes sense. Bring your notes and ideas to class on Monday and be ready to talk about your findings.

e-journal 6: Write an e-journal entry about your reaction to the writing you have done this week. You may focus on the editing of paper #2 or the prewriting and thinking for paper #3. Which strategies did you decide to try? Which was the most successful? Why do you think that is? Will you use this method again?

<>Oct. 4 (Mon.): Discussion of the advocacy sites students are evaluating, the role of counter-argument in establishing ethos and developing a balanced argument, and ways to incorporate it into an argument. Work on Step 7 in class and discuss your notes and progress in general. Consider how you can incorporate this counter evidence into your overall assessment of the site.
Homework: Complete Step 8 and Step 9. Send me an email message in which you list the possible theses and write one or two sentences about each, then rank them according to which you would prefer to write a paper supporting (the email is due by midnight Tuesday and should be included in folder #3, due on October 13th).

Oct. 6 (Wed): Discussion of papers and any problems people are having. If there are no significant problems you can start drafting the paper in class today. At the end of class, save what you have written to the K:drive folder named "Paper #3" with “[YOUR NAME] and [DRAFT #]” as the title.
Homework: Continue drafting your paper. A reasonable draft is due in class on Friday. Be prepared to discuss the advocacy website you are analyzing in class on Friday.

Oct. 8 (Fri): Discussion of papers and any problems people are having. Each student will present his or her site to the class and spend about five minutes stating and supporting his or her claim about the site. Discussion of evidence, claims and reasons, logic, and any other relevant topics.
Homework: Continue drafting your paper. A better draft is due in class Monday. Save a copy in the K:drive folder "Paper #3" WITH YOUR NAME AS THE TITLE.

e-journal 7: Write an e-journal entry about the electronic democracy project. What are your initial responses to it?

Oct. 11 (Mon): Draft of Paper 3 due in class today. Save drafts of papers into K:/ Drive folder "Paper #3" if you did not do so last night. Brief review of guidelines for peer review. Work on revising drafts in groups of two or three in class. Reviewers will write their names on the paper and save it back in the K:/ Drive "Paper #3" folder as "[author]'s revised draft" or "[author]'s draft revised by [your name]." Peer response will focus on the thesis, topic sentences, transitions, and use of evidence to support claims.
Homework: Use the responses you received in class today to help you perfect your paper. Due in Folder #3 in class on Wednesday October 13. (See Folder #3 for a list of what needs to be in your folder.) Don’t forget Step 12. You can use relevant sections of The Longman Writer’s Companion to help you. Look back at your notes form our meeting and my comments on papers #1 and #2, to help you remember what to focus on as you revise and edit your paper.

Oct. 13 (Wed): Folder #3 due in class today (See the list for what should be in Folder #3. Your work MUST be placed in a manila folder--available from the bookstore). Introduction to EDP Project #2 in which you will select any candidate running for any office in the November election and explore the arguments being made on his or her website about why we should vote for this candidate. We will discuss which candidates class members might select, how to find candidate's websites, and what to look for. Students can work with partners or in teams to analyze the sites and research the candidates if they like, but the paper (paper #4) must be individually authored unless as a class we decide otherwise. We will complete Step 1 in class.
Homework: Working alone or with your partner/team, explore the candidate’s website. Complete Steps 2-4. You might use lists, tables, diagrams, random notes, sticky notes, or anything else that makes sense. Bring your notes and ideas to class on Friday and be ready to talk about your findings.

Oct. 15 (Fri): Discussion of Mid-Term Portfolio, due at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 22. Discussion of website analysis. Discussion of the use of visual images. Working in teams or alone, students continue to analyze the argument created by the website. At the end of class, save what you have written to the K:drive folder named "Paper #4" with “[YOUR NAME] and [NOTES] or [DRAFT #]” as the title.
* Sign up for individual conferences with the instructor for Friday, Monday, or Tuesday (the list will be posted on the office door--don't forget!).
Homework: Work on revising the two papers you will include in your midterm portfolio OR work on paper #4 and wait to revise your papers until you have met with me.

e-journal 8: Write an e-journal entry on a topic of your own choice or as a response to one of my responses!

Oct. 18 (Mon): Reading day. No class today. Conferences with the professor (the list of times will be posted on my office door. Don't forget--and don't be late)

Oct. 19 (Tue): Reading day.

Oct 15-20: Conferences with the professor (the list of times will be posted on my office door. Don't forget--and don't be late)

Oct. 20 (Wed): The power of revision I. In class revision of the papers for the mid-term portfolio and discussion of the preface. Bring The Longman Writer’s Companion to class and use it as needed (pp. 30-42 will be particularly useful).
Homework: Revise papers for the mid-term portfolio, due by 5:00 pm on Friday, October 22.

Oct. 22 (Fri): The art of editing I. In class editing of the papers for the mid-term portfolio and discussion of any last minute concerns. Bring The Longman Writer’s Companion to class and use it as needed (pp. 42-46 will be particularly useful, as will pp. 285-339, pp. 381-392, pp. 393-416, and pp. 417-436).
The mid-term portfolio is due at 5:00 pm today. Two perfect papers and a preface in a manila folder delivered to S.W. Bowne on time (there will be a box marked "ENGL 1-A mid-term portfolios")
Your mid-term portfolio is due at the English Office by 5:00 pm today.
Homework: Rest tonight. Review the work you have done on your candidate analysis ready to begin working on that in class on Monday.

e-journal 9: Write an e-journal entry about reading days. Are they a good idea? Did you use the time wisely? Were your papers and exams assigned after the reading days to give you time to prepare, or before them? Which do you prefer?

Oct. 25 (Mon): Continue work on the candidate website analysis for Paper #4. Discuss claims, evidence, and ways you might structure your argument. Work on Step 5. Students can begin drafting the argument in class today. At the end of class, save what you have written to the K:drive folder named "Paper #4" with “[YOUR NAME] and [DRAFT #]” as the title.
Homework: Continue drafting your paper. A reasonable draft is due in class on Wednesday. Save a copy in the K:drive folder "Paper #4" with “[YOUR NAME] and [DRAFT #]” as the title.

Oct. 27 (Wed): Draft of Paper 4 due in class today. Save drafts of papers into K:/ Drive folder "Paper #4" if you did not do so last night. Brief review of guidelines for peer review. Work on revising drafts in groups of two or three in class. Reviewers will write their names on the paper and save it back in the K:/ Drive "Paper #4" folder as "[author]'s revised draft" or "[author]'s draft revised by [your name]." Peer response will focus on the thesis, topic sentences, transitions, use of evidence to support claims, and any other issues that need to be discussed.
* Sign up for individual conferences with the instructor for Thursday or Friday to collect and discuss mid-term portfolios and your progress so far (the list will be posted on the office door--don't forget!).
Homework: Use the responses you received in class today and The Longman Writer’s Companion to help you perfect your paper. Due in Folder #4 in class on Friday October 29. (See Folder #4 for a list of what needs to be in your folder.)

Oct. 28-29: come to my office to collect and discuss your mid-term portfolio and your progress so far. The sign-up list will be posted on my office door in case anyone forgets what time they signed up for!

Oct. 29 (Fri): Folder #4 due in class today (See the list for what should be in Folder #4. Your work MUST be placed in a manila folder--available from the bookstore). Discussion of EDP Project #3 (Paper #5). Review the speeches and relevant websites. [One speech, by Republican Zell Miller, is not acceptable for this assignment unless or until the charge of plagiarism against that speech has been proven to be groundless.] Students may work in pairs to evaluate speeches (but papers must be written individually unless the class decides otherwise today). For this paper you will need to do a little research to verify factual claims. (Google should be sufficient. We will discuss this in class.) Complete Step 1 and 2 in class today.
Homework: Continue to evaluate the speech you selected, and complete Step 3.

e-journal 10: How is this project going? What concerns do you have? What questions? This is your chance to give me feedback on the assignment. Don’t waste it! If you have no feedback, consider the issue of plagiarism. Is it appropriate for a candidate at a national convention to lift the substance or words of a nationally broadcast speech from the internet? Explain/justify your response!

Nov. 1 (Mon): Continue to work on speech evaluation, completing Steps 4-7. Bring a set of responses to these questions and any others you think of to class on Wednesday with a tentative thesis based upon them. At the end of class, save what you have written to the K:drive folder named "Paper #5" with “[YOUR NAME] and [NOTES] or [DRAFT #]” as the title.
Homework: continue your speech analysis begun in class today. A set of responses to these questions and any others you think of is due in class on Wednesday (and in folder # 5) along with a tentative thesis based upon them (Step 8).

Nov. 2 (Tue): Election Day. If you are eligible to vote, don't forget to do it!

e-journal 11: Write an e-journal entry in response to today’s election. Did you vote? If you did and you would like to tell me about how it felt, I'd love to hear. If you did not vote or cannot vote, you could talk about that. You may also write about the result of the election or any aspect of it that is on your mind.

Nov. 3 (Wed.): Continued work on the speech analysis. Discussion of thesis and supporting evidence. Discussion of citation of sources. Discussion of bias. Students will work on Step 9 and in general on their papers in class today. At the end of class, save what you have written to the K:drive folder named "Paper #5" with “[YOUR NAME] and [DRAFT #]” as the title.
Homework: Write a complete draft of your argument based upon your speech analysis (Step 10). A reasonable draft is due in class on Wednesday. Save a copy in the K:drive folder "Paper #5" WITH YOUR NAME AS THE TITLE.

Nov. 5 (Fri.): Draft of Paper 5 due in class today. Save drafts of papers into K:/ Drive folder "Paper #5" if you did not do so last night. Brief review of guidelines for peer review. Work on revising drafts in groups of two or three in class. Reviewers will write their names on the paper and save it back in the K:/ Drive "Paper #5" folder as "[author]'s revised draft" or "[author]'s draft revised by [your name]." Peer response will focus on the thesis, topic sentences, transitions, use of evidence to support claims, and any other issues that need to be discussed.
Homework: Use the responses you received in class today to help you perfect your paper. Due in Folder #5 in class on Wednesday November 10. (See Folder #5 for a list of what needs to be in your folder.)

e-journal 11: Write an e-journal entry in response to the electronic democracy project. Did you find it helpful to focus on three different aspects of American democracy in the age of the internet? Was it too much politics for one class? Which of the three projects (the advocacy website analysis, the candidate website analysis, or the speech analysis) did you enjoy the most? Which was the hardest? Which taught you the most? Respond to any of these questions or discuss any other aspect of the project that you'd like to talk about.

Nov. 8 (Mon.): Discussion of the importance of sentence structure and punctuation to help us achieve the ethos we desire and to help our audience understand what we are saying. Revise unpunctuated sentences. Discuss. Then work on "Dear John" letter in pairs. Read and discuss "Man on Death Row" article. Bring The Longman Writer’s Companion. We will discuss sentence structure and punctuation using Chapter 9 (pp 341-380). Students may work on their own prose if there us time. At the end of class, save what you have written to the K:drive folder named "Paper #5" with “[YOUR NAME] and [DRAFT #]” as the title.
Homework: Continue to work on your revision and editing of paper #5. Think about your ethos as speaker and the importance of editing. Revise your paper based on the discussion in class and make it beautiful. Pay especial attention to paragraph development (See The Longman Writer’s Companion pp. 30-42.) Final paper and all prewriting, drafts and peer revisions due in class Wednesday.

Nov. 10 (Wed.): Folder #4 due in class today (See the list for what should be in Folder #4. Your work MUST be placed in a manila folder--available from the bookstore). Introduction of the next topic (on which you will write Paper #5). Begin work on paper #5 by responding to the Class of 2008 common reading Interpreter of Maladies on the class Forum. You already completed Step 1 as an ejournal, so post your response to the Forum and then move to Step 2. In groups of two or three, read the class posts on the Forum and write one or two paragraphs summarizing them. Save your summaries and responses with your names or initials as the title, and put them into the K:drive folder named "Forum Summaries." When you have finished, post these summaries and responses onto the Forum. (Look at the handout to remind you of names and story-lines if necessary).
Homework: Review the stories in the collection if you need to do so. Read over the posts on the Forum and respond to any with which you particularly agree or disagree. If you were not part of this year’s common reading experience, review the handout of the procedure and read at least one of the stories in the collection (Copies available from me and in the Library reserve room).

Nov. 12 (Fri.): The impact of audience and purpose, strategies for effective argumentation including use of ethos, logos, and pathos, claims of value, counter-arguments, and additional research. (Now you have explored their use in the work of others you need to deliberately use them in your own work!) Work on developing your paper using the notes you made Wednesday night and drawing on the comments made on the Forum by completing Step 4 of the assignment in class. Discussion of possible positions one might take on thsi topic (yes, the dreaded theses).
Homework: Read the summaries and responses of your classmates in the Forum and think about the common reading. Complete Step 3 of the assignment. Make lots of notes and even an outline of you like, and bring them to class Monday 15th. A draft of paper #5 is due on November 17th, a better draft is due on November 19th, and the final paper will be due in class on November 22nd.

e-journal 12: Open e-journal topic. Respond to one of my responses to an earlier e-journal, or tell me what is on your mind!

Nov. 15 (Mon): Work on paper 5 in class today.
Homework: Draft your paper based on our discussion in class today and any additional research you conducted. A reasonable draft is due in class Wednesday 17th

Nov. 17 (Wed): Very rough draft of Paper 5 due in class today. Discuss the papers, value claims, and general strategies. Students can work on their papers In class. At the end of class, save what you have written to the K:drive folder named "Paper #5" with “[YOUR NAME] and [DRAFT #]” as the title.
Homework: Continue to work on your paper. A better draft is due in class Friday. Save a copy in the K:drive folder "Paper #5" WITH YOUR NAME AS THE TITLE.

Nov. 19 (Fri): Better draft of Paper 5 due in class today. Save drafts of papers into K:/ Drive folder "Paper #5" if you did not do so last night. Work on revising drafts in groups of two or three in class. Reviewers will write their names on the paper and save it back in the K:/ Drive "Paper #5" folder as "[author]'s revised draft" or "[author]'s draft revised by [your name]." Peer response will focus on the thesis, topic sentences, transitions, and use of evidence to support claims.
Homework: Use the responses you received in class today to help you perfect your paper. Due in Folder #5 in class on Monday, Nov. 22nd. (See Folder #6 for a list of what needs to be in your folder.)

e-journal 13: Write an e-journal entry about this assignment. Is it going well or are you stuck? What has been the hardest part so far? Do you like the idea that this paper has an audience beyond just the professor and a purpose larger than just a grade? Do you think the committee will pay attention to your ideas? If you answered no, you are wrong! Does this make it seem more important or more intimidating (or both)?

Nov. 22 (Mon.): Folder #5 due in class today (See the list for what should be in Folder #5. Your work MUST be placed in a manila folder--available from the bookstore). Discussion of how to revise a formal paper into a letter. Work on revising Paper #5 into a letter to the First Year Experience Committee. Save that letter into the K:/drive folder entitled “Common Reading Letters” and I will print it out and add it to Folder #5. Please let me know whether I can forward your letter (signed or unsigned) to the committee.
Homework: Rest . . .

Wednesday 24-Sunday 28 Thanksgiving recess -- no classes
Homework: Sleep, eat, and relax....

e-journal x: No e-journal this week—unless you are bored and want to tell me how your Thanksgiving break is going!

Nov. 29 (Monday pretending to be a Wednesday): The power of revision II. In class discussion of the final portfolio preface and papers, grading criteria, and features of your writing you’d like to work on for the remainder of the semester. Bring the first five folders completed this semester. Also bring The Longman Writer’s Companion to class and use it as needed. We will focus on one of the aspects of writing identified on November 22. Students will revise at least three papers written this semester, two of which will go into the final portfolio.
* Sign up for an appointment to meet with me later this week to discuss Paper #6 and your revisions for the final portfolio.
Homework: Revise the aspect of your paper discussed in class today.

Dec. 1 (Wed): The power of revision III. In class revision of papers. Bring the first five folders completed this semester. Also bring The Longman Writer’s Companion to class and use it as needed. We will focus on one of the aspects of writing identified on November 22. Students will revise at least three papers written this semester, two of which will go into the final portfolio (the list will be posted on the office door--don't forget!).
Homework: Read handout from Written Arguments (p. 91-97) and think about how it can apply to the papers you are revising. Continue revision.

Dec. 1-3: come to my office to collect Folder #5 and discuss your final portfolio and your progress in general. The sign-up list will be posted on my office door in case anyone forgets what time they signed up for!

Dec. 3 (Fri): The power of revision IV. In class revision of papers. Bring the first five folders completed this semester. Also bring The Longman Writer’s Companion to class and use it as needed. We will focus on one of the aspects of writing identified on November 22. Students will revise at least three papers written this semester, two of which will go into the final portfolio.
Homework: Revise your papers.

e-journal 14: Open topic: Write an e-journal entry in response to revision strategies we have discussed in class. Are they helpful? What else do you need to know to improve your ethos as a college writer? Or, if you prefer, you can respond to my response to an earlier e-journal entry.

<>Dec. 6 (Mon): The power of revision V. In class revision of papers. Bring the first five folders completed this semester. Also bring The Longman Writer’s Companion to class and use it as needed. We will focus on one of the aspects of writing identified on November 22. Students will revise at least three papers written this semester, two of which will go into the final portfolio.
Homework: Continue to revise your papers.

Dec. 8 (Wed): The art of editing II. In class discussion of paragraphs (see The Longman Writer's Companion p.30-39). Students will select one paragraph from one of their papers and revise and edit it in class.
Homework: Continue to revise and edit your papers.

Dec. 10 (Fri.): The art of editing III. Focus on the sentence. In class editing of the two papers for the final portfolio and a third paper. Discussion of any last minute concerns regarding the portfolio process. Bring The Longman Writer’s Companion to class and use it as needed (pp. 42-46 will be particularly useful, as will pp. 285-339, pp. 381-392, pp. 393-416, and pp. 417-436).
Homework: Reread all of the work you have done this semester and write an analysis of the progress you see, the things you still need to work on, and the piece of work of which you are most proud. This is Paper #6. Your thesis will be a general statement about yourself as a writer, and you will use your work as evidence to support your claim. This paper will be the “afterword” for your final portfolio, which is due at 5 pm on December 15.

e-journal x: No e-journal this week unless you want to tell me how you’re doing! You could write an e-journal entry on the topic of Paper #6. If you do that I will respond, so you’ll get some feedback before you hand the paper in on Wednesday.

Dec. 13 (Mon): Last class. Discussion of paper #6 and the final portfolio (due Wednesday). Sign up for appointments to collect portfolio and final grade. Evaluations of the course, and of yourself.
Homework: Final perfecting of the portfolio and paper #6. Give your portfolio a title.

Dec. 15 (Wed.): Final portfolio due at 5 pm tonight (containing a clean copy of three papers you have written for this class this semester. Paper #7 is the preface or “afterword” to the portfolio and should be placed at the beginning after the table of contents and the acknowledgments page).
Homework: Sleep....

14 - 15: Reading days
16 - 22: Exam period

Dec. 19-21 (Tue-Thur): Appointments to collect your final portfolio and grade. Don't forget to grade yourself!

English I-A (Sect. 3): "The Art of Argument"

Fall 2004--Sandra Jamieson.