ENGL 122 Syllabus: Comp 2: from Dept. Outline

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JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ENGLISH & JOURNALISM
ENGL 122 Syllabus: Comp 2: from Dept. Outline
Instructor:
Office Location
Phone (913) 469-8500
email: gdixon3@jccc.edu
Office hours
Greg Dixon
LIB 301B
Ext. 3324
Walk- in and appointments.
Look for office hours on
wiki, blog, and Facebook
Term
FA 2011
Classroom Location
LIB 359
ANGEL shell
https://dl.jccc.edu/
Class Blog
http://dixoncomp.blogspot.com/
Last day to
withdraw and get
a ―W‖: Nov. 15 in
FA, April 15 in SP
http://tinyurl.com/3asm9e3
ENGL 122 Syllabus

Evacuation plan

Shelter locations
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Contents
Course Description............................................................................................................... 4
Texts..................................................................................................................................... 4
Methods of Evaluation: ........................................................................................................ 4
My Personal expectations. ................................................................................................... 4
The Writing Center .............................................................................................................. 5
Content Outline & Competencies: ......................................................................................... 5
Grading Rationale .................................................................................................................... 7
Matrix for keeping track of your own points ........................................................................... 8
Course Policies......................................................................................................................... 9
Email policies................................................................................................................... 9
Attendance ....................................................................................................................... 9
Format for formal written work ..................................................................................... 10
Outside media ................................................................................................................ 10
Social Media .................................................................................................................. 10
The JCCC Campus Policy on Cheating or Plagiarism................................................... 10
Disabilities: .................................................................................................................... 11
Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Statement ................................ 11
Classroom Behavior ....................................................................................................... 11
ANGEL Policy and Gradebook ..................................................................................... 12
Filenames on digital work submissions ......................................................................... 12
Specific Writing Prompts ....................................................................................................... 13
Writing Prompt: Spoken Language (Personal Vernacular) Reflection.............................. 13
Writing Prompt: Students Right to Their Own Language Assignment ............................. 16
Additional content to support SRTOL paper ..................................................................... 17
Bingo Game ................................................................................................................... 18
Peer workshop – Students’ Right to Their Own Language ........................................... 20
SRTOL Grading Rubric ..................................................................................................... 22
Annotated bibliography – from textbook............................................................................... 23
Writing Prompt: Analyzing How Poetic Technique Works in Non-poetic Writing
(metaphor or tone).............................................................................................................. 24
Metaphor Paper Rubric ...................................................................................................... 25
Writing Prompt: iSearch Project ............................................................................................ 26
iSearch Paper Rubric.......................................................................................................... 27
Reading logs........................................................................................................................... 27
Handouts ................................................................................................................................ 28
Work Vs. School ................................................................................................................ 28
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JCCC Comp 1 Error Checklist ........................................................................................... 30
Pet Peeves and Proofing Marks ......................................................................................... 31
Ethical Research and Plagiarism ........................................................................................... 32
Copyright and the Classroom: the law ............................................................................... 33
Supplemental readings. .......................................................................................................... 35
Metaphor Readings ............................................................................................................ 35
―Fighting words‖ ............................................................................................................ 35
From The Stuff of Thought, by Stephen Pinker 2007 ..................................................... 37
On Procrastination and Revision ....................................................................................... 40
Revision (Lower order concerns): The Paramedic Method ............................................... 41
On statement analysis - ...................................................................................................... 42
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Course Description.
Because so much writing is required in college and in the workplace demands the ability to
synthesize information gathered from various sources, Composition II will focus on skills
essential to gathering, comprehending, analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing information.
Composition II also emphasizes organizing and polishing steps important in composing
expository, evaluative and persuasive prose.
Texts
 Kirszner, L and Stephen Mandell. The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas.
Boston: Pearson (current edition)
 Class wiki: http://dixoncomp.pbworks.com/
Required eBook (download free from URLbelow).
 Bullcock, R. Goggin M. D., and Weinberg, F. A Guide to MLA Style: 2009Update Norton:
New York, 2008 <http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/writesite/MLA_updates.pdf>

Optional Text
Wilhoit, Brief Guide to Writing From Readings. 2010.
For more info go to bookstore at: http://bookstore.jccc.edu/home.aspx
Methods of Evaluation:
Evaluation of student mastery of course competencies will be accomplished using the
following methods. Exact values will be determined by class at our second meeting.
Specific expectations (paper lengths, fonts etc.) discussed in course policies statement and in
writing prompts.
6-8 papers (including a major research paper)
Peer review and team work
Daily writing activities and assignments (ANGEL and in class)
Total
Final Grades:
A 90% - 100%
B 80% - 89.9%
C 70% - 79.9%
D 60% - 69.9%
F under 60%
65%
10%
25%
100%
My Personal expectations.
I expect to work hard and to try my best to create an environment and experience conducive
to learning. I expect effort from the students complimentary to mine. I expect to be
informed in advance for any absences to be excused.
Some advice
In order to pass the class, you must turn in all the major written assignments (the 6-8 papers
mentioned above). Later assignments are weighted so keep looking forward. See Course
policies statement for specifics and minutia of our rules of engagement.
Keep ALL your work. This includes: drafts and revisions on your hard drive at home and a
copy in an email account or on a USB portable drive. Even if papers are allegedly ―lost‖ it
is still student responsibility to turn the paper. MAKE MULTIPLE COPIES!
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The Writing Center
also at http://www.jccc.net/acad/instruction/english/writectr/, is a tutorial service (?) which
offers help with all writing assignments in all classes, is free and open to all JCCC students
on a walk-in basis. It is located in EMC 308. The instructor has samples of student
responses to the assignments as well as supplemental materials in a binder there for your
convenience
Content Outline & Competencies:
I.
Students Will Do Research (Integrate the Research Process into the Writing Process)
including:
A. Use appropriate methods for discovering ideas and gathering materials appropriate
to a range of purposes and subjects.
1. Demonstrate ability to read and formulate objectives of an assignment.
2. Locate supporting materials and evidence from field/library/on-line research,
including professional journals.
3. Read, comprehend, and summarize appropriate sources.
B. Decide on a suitable controlling idea and arrangement for the supporting ideas.
1. Develop and express a controlling idea for papers that reflect the range of
assignments and audiences for academic writing across the curriculum.
2. Select a pattern of organization appropriate to support a complex thesis.
3. Demonstrate ability to write explanatory, evaluative, and argumentative papers
drawing on secondary sources.
C. Write essays that synthesize original positions with the ideas of others and develop
the student's thesis with critically sound and interesting sources.
1. Analyze, organize, introduce and interpret evidence that supports the essay's
main idea.
2. Critically select and use evidence free of logical fallacies.
3. Develop arguments using principles of logic (syllogism, enthymemes,
presuppositions, etc.).
4. Effectively integrate and correctly punctuate appropriate support into a text
including quotations, examples, and statistics.
5. Account for other viewpoints, including the opinions of people who hold
different political, religious, or cultural views.
6. Write introductions that effectively introduce a topic (including its vocabulary,
importance, and appropriate historical background) to a specific audience and
conclusions that reinforce the writer's point and brings closure to the text.
7. Paraphrase and summarize complex written sources effectively.
8. Document outside sources with appropriate in-text and parenthetical citations.
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D. Collaborate: Make and assist others to make significant revisions in the organization and
development of ideas using comments from the instructor and/or other students.
1. Revise organizational patterns to allow ideas to progress more smoothly and
logically through coherent sentences, paragraphs, and major points of
development.
2. Insert additional materials where needed for support and eliminate repetitive,
irrelevant or ineffective and unreliable information.
3. Critique the work of peers to assist them in improving the focus, organization,
support, clarity, correctness and effectiveness of their essay.
E. Find your voice (Develop a written style within the conventions of standard edited prose).
1. Select and correctly use vocabulary appropriate to the topic and audience.
2. Write sentences that grammatically convey clear and complex relationships.
3. Use figurative language appropriately to add clarity and interest.
4. Edit prose into standard edited English.
II.
1
Students Will Demonstrate Ability to Read (?)1 and Think Critically About Texts
A.
Profile texts and determine potential biases.
1. Identify approximate demographics for ideal audience of individual articles,
journals, books, and student essays.
2. Determine biases or viewpoints appealed to through analysis of the vocabulary,
support, and organization of a text.
B.
Comprehend the content and intention of academic texts.
1. Summarize an article's content effectively.
2. Describe the author's intention or agenda.
C.
Evaluate the biases and reliability of sources.
1. Identify language that reveals a bias.
2. Distinguish and identify arguments based in logos, pathos and ethos.
3. Locate logical fallacies in student and professional texts independently.
4. Recognize personal and cultural biases that influence readers.
Remind me to ask students what this means to us and how it is appropriate.
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Grading Rationale
A
The A paper demonstrates:
__________Outstanding achievement of all assignment requirements
__________A clear and purposeful thesis that evokes thought and interest in the readers
__________A variety of lively, convincing and fully integrated supporting materials
__________An organization that is appropriate to the development of a complex line of
thinking and which may integrate more than one strategy
__________A direct appeal to the characteristics of the intended audience
__________Interesting and original use of language and vocabulary
__________An engaging style with highly effective diction and sentence skills; perfect or
near perfect mechanics.
B
The B paper demonstrates:
__________Highly satisfactory achievement of assignment requirements
__________A clear and purposeful thesis which shows insight
__________Significant and varied evidence used in the development of ideas
__________Clearly connected points of development logically ordered
__________Recognition of the desired audience with appropriate vocabulary and
contextualization
__________Concrete language with little repetition
__________Effective variety and specificity in diction and sentence style;
very few major errors
C
The C paper demonstrates:
__________Adequate achievement of assignment requirements
__________Appropriate and identifiable thesis
__________Clear and supported points of development
__________Purposeful organization
__________Awareness of a specific audience
__________Clear and accurate use of language with minimal repetition and ambiguity
__________Writing style and mechanics are generally correct with some major errors
D
The D paper demonstrates:
__________Marginal achievement or weak grasp of assignment requirements
__________Flaws in one major area: central thesis, organization, paragraph logic,
development, or support of assertions
__________The writing style and mechanics, though passable, require considerable
improvement
F
The F paper demonstrates:
__________Unsatisfactory achievement of assignment requirements
__________Two or more serious flaws: lack of clear overall point, extreme brevity,
failure to follow the assignment, or plagiarism
__________The writing style and mechanics contain SEVEN OR MORE MECHANICAL
ERRORS (AS DESCRIBED IN THE ENGLISH PROGRAM
OBJECTIVES)
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Paper title
Matrix for keeping track of your own points
Due date
1. Spoken Language Reflection
2. Students’ Right to Their Own
Language (SRTOL) Final draft
3. Text book Annotated
bibliography
4. Metaphor Paper: pre-write for
instructor review
Metaphor Paper: Final copy
5. iSearch
 annotated bibliography
 paper
Earned
100
50
25
100
50
100
 project presentation (Final Exam)
6. in class essays (probably 2)
Approximate Total Points
Daily assignment/ participation
1. Schedule/ syllabus quiz
2. Annotated bibliography – class
edublog
3. Post to ANGEL Icebreakers
a. Car metaphor
b. Why are you here
4. Work Vs School – handout activity
5. Choice of article for metaphor paper
6. Rough draft SRTOL
7. Thesis due SRTOL (post to ANGEL
discussion board)
8. Metaphor Paper early draft
9. Thesis due Metaphor paper (post to
ANGEL discussion board)
10. Reading Quiz over textbook
Points
50
50
100
625
tbd
Due date
Points
30
25
Earned
15
15
10
25
50
25
50
25
subtotal
50
(320)
11. tbd
12. tbd
13. tbd
Approximate Total Points
Peer Review and Team Work
SRTOL peer review
Metaphor peer review
iSearch Research Defense
TBL Service Learning Project
ENGL 122 Syllabus
320 to 400
Date
Points
50
50
75
100
Earned
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Course Policies
Email policies
I email ONLY to your JCCC student email. You can set that account to forward to another
email (http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=10957 ) if you wish. Email
will not ―excuse‖ an absence. To be "excused" one must tell me beforehand in person and
post the anticipated date(s) of absence to the appropriate thread on the ―daily notes‖
discussion on ANGEL. This must be done in the first 2 weeks of class. If you send me
important info I will reply. Don't assume I got the email if I don't reply within 36 hours
during the week. Don't expect me to check email at night or on weekends. Do not email me
homework or assignments. Those get posted to drop boxes and hardcopies get handed to me
(with staples or lose points).
Attendance
This is not an online course, but it is web enhanced. Late work generally can’t be made up
and there generally is no extra credit. More than 4 unexcused absences and success will be
unlikely. Miss any combination of excused and unexcused absences that equals more than 6
classes and likewise, success is unlikely.
 With 3 unexcused absences the highest possible grade is a B. With 4 unexcused
absences the highest possible grade is a C. With 5 unexcused absences the highest
possible final grade is a D and if there are 5 absences before the last day to drop (Nov.
15 for fall semesters, April 15 for spring semesters) you may be dropped
administratively by the instructor. Miss 6 classes and you will fail. This is provided
that all work has been turned in on time and is superior. If you want an ―A,‖ miss 3 or
fewer classes. If you miss 5 classes by Nov. 15 you may be dropped from the class. If
you miss 2 consecutive classes in the first 2 months without contacting the instructor in
person or posting to the appropriate discussion thread – you may be dropped from the
class.
 2 tardies will be counted as an absence. Sleeping in class or other disruptive behavior
will also be counted as an absence.
The English program guide states that the college does not officially recognize a
distinction between excused and unexcused absences; therefore, students need not
provide explanations for absences or bring in permits, notes from doctors, medical waste
(it’s happened, ―Look what the doctor took out of me!‖). The exception I make: school
policy that permits absences for official religious observances and participation in official
JCCC functions. Students need to provide a letter from sponsors to verify the school
function before the day of the function. Provisions may be made to make up, or defer,
missed daily participation once per semester – but students will complete a 90 minute timed
type written assignment.
If I think I might have a communicable disease, what should I do?
If you find you have the flu or a similarly infectious illness, please stay home
to avoid spreading the virus. The Center for Disease Control asks that people
be fever-free while not taking fever-reducing medications such as Tylenol
(acetaminophen) for 24 hours before venturing out among the public.
ENGL 122 Syllabus
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What happens if I get sick and miss exams?
If you’re sick, stay home. Be sure to contact your professor by phone or email [in our class post to the daily notes discussion thread] as soon as
possible to make alternative arrangements. Don’t come breath on me.
Format for formal written work.
Unless otherwise specified, all work should be in MLA format, double spaced, in 12 pt font,
either Times New Roman or Calibri (default fonts in MS word). If your word processor or
software supports other fonts – show them to me in advance. I’ve had people turn in 3 page
papers with 48 point comic sans font. It isn’t funny. It doesn’t work. I won’t grade it.
Late work isn’t accepted for credit unless arrangements are made in advance of the due
date. All formal essays / portfolios MUST be turned in to pass. If an exception is made for
any reason – the assignment will be docked 10% per day late. Daily work/ quizzes/
participation points can not be made up. COME TO CLASS EVEN IF YOU DON’T
HAVE THE PAPER DONE. Final drafts aren’t usually due at the beginning of class - Talk
to me.
Outside media
Refrain from reading newspapers, doing crosswords, using personal media players, cell
phones, texting, etc. Do not have an earphone hanging in your ear (not even 1). You get 1
verbal warning, then we count each offense as an absence. Don’t expect confrontation
following the first offense. Just because I don’t call you out for ill behavior doesn’t mean
I’m not keeping track.
Social Media
The classroom is not a public space, but a walled garden. As a learning environment we
need to probe ideas, engage in discussion and making mistakes without fear of
embarrassment or public ridicule. Therefore, you may not record audio, video or
photographs in the classroom without the written permission of the instructor. You may not
post audio, video or photographs from this class to any social media account under your
control without without the written permission of the instructor and those individuals whos
voices, or images have been recorded. Failure to follow this poilcy will may result in
ejection from the class and/or failure of the course, as judged on a case by case basis.
The JCCC Campus Policy on Cheating or Plagiarism
See my blog posts on the subject and watch the videos (it’s fun). The school states: No
student shall engage in behavior that, in the judgment of the instructor of the class, may be
construed as cheating. This may include, but is not limited to, plagiarism or other forms of
academic dishonesty such as the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic
materials and/or distribution of these materials. This includes students who aid and abet, as
well as those who attempt such behavior.
(Additional examples of cheating include creating/citing false or fictitious references for a
term paper. Examples of plagiarism include any attempt to take credit for work not your
own, such as using direct quotes from an author without using quotation marks or
indentation in the paper, paraphrasing work that is not your own without giving credit to the
ENGL 122 Syllabus
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original source, or failing to properly cite all sources in the body of your work.) This
includes use of complete or partial papers from the Internet or paper mills.
Disabilities:
JCCC provides services to allow persons with disabilities to participate in educational
programs and activities. If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting
accommodations, contact Access Services, the office of Access Services for Students With
Disabilities, (913) 469-8500, ext. 3521 or TDD (913) 469-3885. The Access Services office
is located in the Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center. Access Services
will recommend any appropriate accommodations to your professor and his/her director.
The professor and director will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged.
Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Statement
FERPA, a federal law enacted in 1974, was designed to protect student privacy and
prohibits the release of more than directory information about any student. To Comply with
FERPA, I will not provide or discuss specific information about your grades with anyone
outside JCCC administration and you. I will not provide or discuss this information with
you over the phone (everyone sounds different on the phone – and someone else could pick
up an extension on your end). Neither will I have this discussion through email (though if I
email you about your grades – talk to me).
I don’t discuss grades before or after class if anyone else is present in the room (with the
exception of my office mate – a fellow teacher in the department).
Classroom Behavior
We expect civility and decorum in a classroom. You wouldn’t tolerate a teacher
interrupting class to text or chat on the phone, and don’t expect to keep a job where you use
a phone during a meeting. When someone in a class texts or talks on the phone during class
it bothers more than just the teacher. And when you text under your desk we can tell – with
the hands moving back and forth in the lap, and with the look of intense concentration. It
looks bad.
Have ANGEL open and the daily lesson plan pulled up before class starts. I don’t care if you
have another site open in another window provided you can flip back at a moment’s notice. If
ENGL 122 Syllabus
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you want to access facebook during class, or the 10 minutes before or after, join the class
facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=121273604582074.
Otherwise accessing Facebook will be counted as a tardy (1/3rd of an absence).
The majority of work in a college class takes place outside of the classroom. Expect to work 2
hours outside of class for every hour you have in class. Plan 6 hours in your weekly schedule to
work on this class.
If you sleep in class, your picture will be taken and posted in ANGEL, and you will be asked to
leave the classroom and you will be counted absent.
ANGEL Policy and Gradebook
Much of this class’s content is on ANGEL, and we will use the ANGEL gradebook function, but
this is approximate and does not include all daily work and participation points. Also, we don’t
use the milestones feature on ANGEL. Access may be restricted the last week of class.
Filenames on digital work submissions
Filenames must be useful include the student author’s name (first and initial of last name), a 1 or
2 word (abbreviated) summary of the assignment prompt and insert the date of the draft. . My
filename for our first assignment could be: gdixon.LiteracyReflection.1.28.11.doc or
gregd.Lit.refl.1.27.11.doc , etc. Imagine what it would be like if I got 50 documents titled
―essay.‖
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Specific Writing Prompts
Writing Prompt: Spoken Language (Personal Vernacular) Reflection
 1000 to 1500 words
 MLA format - typed/DS/standard font and point size
Speaking to another person or even speaking to ourselves is about more than simply stating
information. Words are more than what they mean. Instead, all the words we speak are
multi-tasking. As our words carry information, they also are involved in simultaneous
actions. When we speak, we may also be:
Negotiating
Challenging
Illustrating
Harming
Insulting
Expressing
Insisting
Insulting
Coercing
Declaring
Emphasizing
Hoping
Flirting
Labeling
Comparing
Exhorting
Deceiving
Libeling
Commenting
Denying
Calming
Answering
Reasoning
Confusing
Coaxing
Calling
Reporting
Listing
Entertaining
Protesting
Implying
Praying
Joking
Acknowledging
Narrating
Connecting
Threatening
Admitting
Hiding
Agreeing
Greeting
Arguing
Sharing
Honoring
Apologizing
Claiming
Caring
Imagining
Describing
Contending
Loving
Frightening
Asking
Denying
Helping
Reflecting
Requesting
Observing
Counseling
Inquiring
Ordering
Responding
Controlling
Intimidating
Promising
Rejecting Suggesting Interrupting
Gossiping
Warning
1. For your introduction to this assignment, write a portrait of your spoken language. What
are you like when you speak? To get you started, here are some questions to consider
(Note: answering questions in a list and failure to respond in a coherent, personal and
thoughtful way will lead to failure). This invites the writer to ponder and communicate
why, how, where, when and with whom our language takes shape.
 Do I notice the way I am speaking when I am speaking my native language?
 Do I speak more than one language?
 Do the languages I speak influence each other?
 Do I have an accent?
 Who are the people whose speech I most admire in movies, television, sports,
real life?
 What is my usual tone of voice? What speed do I speak at?
 Do I vary the speed that I speak at?
 Do I speak differently to different people, such as friends, children, parents,
etc.?
 How much slang do I use? If I use slang, where does my slang come from?
 Who do I talk like?
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Do I like to use jargon, such as specialized vocabulary for sports, computers,
cars, fashion, music, etc?
How do my parents or close family members speak?
Do I speak like my parents or close family members or am I different from
them?
Do I use large words? Do I use humor when I speak?
Am I quiet around strangers? Am I talkative with friends?
What are my favorite topics? Do I use sarcasm when I speak?
Do I compliment others? Do I respond easily when spoken to?
Do I like to converse?
Do I get off topic easily?
Is my speech formal or less formal compared to my peers?
Do I talk a lot about ideas? Do I talk a lot about feelings?
Do I ask a lot of questions?
Do I tend to be a person of few words?
Am I person with lots of words to say?
Do I interrupt a lot and get impatient with slow speakers?
Do I listen carefully to others? Do I speak forcefully?
Do I speak sweetly?
Do I chatter easily about nonsense?
Do I really like to express myself?
What are my favorite topics?
Do I speak plainly?
Do I speak diplomatically or tactfully?
Do I talk to myself?
Do I often go over past conversations in my head and revise them to include
words I wish I had said?
Do I imagine conversations with others?
Do I easily chat on social media?
Do I avoid conversing?
Would I rather text than talk?
Do I talk about lots of different topics?
Do I think out loud? Do I play with language?
Do I make up words?
Do I use metaphors or images when I speak?
Do I talk to other drivers while I'm driving?
Do I gossip? Do I make small talk at work?
Do I strike up conversations with strangers?
Do I wear earphones so I don't have to talk to people?
Do I quote lines from songs or poems?
Do I often refer to things I have read or seen?
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Do I tell stories?
Do I laugh a lot?
Do I sound like other people?
Do I sound similar to people in my culture?
Do I try to sound different from the people in my culture?
Do I want to stand out?
Do I want to have an individual speaking style?
Do I sound distinctive when I speak?
Do I like to argue?
What foreign languages do I most enjoy listening to?
Are my comments filled with trivial pieces of information?
Can I recall statistics and facts easily enough to use them in conversation?
2. Once you have given a portrait of your speaking style and habits, discuss the ways in
which your speaking style has helped or challenged you in your way through life.
3. Trace back the origins of the way you speak. Where did your speaking style come from?
What elements in your life have influenced the way you speak? You might have been
influenced by parents, relatives, your cultural environment, your educational
environments, your reading, your social class, friends, books, the popular media, film,
video games, etc.
4. For the most part, what do you think you are doing most often when you speak? What
would you most like to be doing when you speak?
Rubric for Grading the Personal Vernacular Reflection
Grading criteria
Explanation
Did you write for your
stated audience?
Organization
Your instructor. Tone can be a difficult idea to explain. Avoid blasphemy,
and be honest.
Did you organize your essay effectively? Is it easy to follow?
Mechanics and grammar
See Dept. Error checklist for ENGL 121 and my personal pet peeves.
Style
Have you avoided ―filler‖ words and phrases? (ie ―very,‖ ―really,‖ excessive
use of ―I think‖ or ―I know,‖ and cliches)? Is language precise (word choice)?
Are passive verbs kept to a minimum? (no more than 4 / paragraph).
Does it say everything it needs to say? Is there sufficient detail? Does the
writer elaborate and provide the 5 W's and H? (Who, what, why, when, and
where)
length
Total
subtractions
Points
possible
10
10
15
5
10
50
At least 1000 words or subtract 35. Must have digital and hard copy both
turned in or subtract 20. Hard Copy needs staple or -5. MLA format or -5.
Page #’s or -5.
ENGL 122 Syllabus
Points
awarded
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Writing Prompt: Students Right to Their Own Language Assignment
Note: this is also available in course documents section of ANGEL.
In an essay of 1250 to 1500 words, clearly state and argue your position toward the policy
statement adopted by the National Council of Teachers of English in 1974, Students Right
to Their Own Language [attached].
As we will discuss in class, your essay should explain in what aspects you see fit to identify
or agree with this statement (accommodation) and in what aspects you differ from or
disagree with this statement (resistance). Most importantly, your essay will provide a clear
statement of your position toward the Students’ Right document, along with an
explanation of why you hold the position you do (negotiation).
You have three ways to approach this assignment. Your options are as follows:
1) You might agree with specific assertions found in the statement itself (“the myth of a
standard American dialect”), and yet disagree with certain other specific assertions (“the
attempt of one social group to exert its dominance over another”). You would thereby
accommodate one or more aspects of the statement, reject one or more other aspects,
and eventually argue for, or negotiate, your own position
2) You might take a more issue-oriented approach whereby you agree with (accommodate)
the statement for what it implies about certain controversies (the English Only movement),
and yet disagree with (resist) it for what it implies about certain other controversies (the
teaching of Ebonics (more properly “African-American English”). Again, you would argue
for the position you were able to negotiate between the two extremes you set forth.
3) Finally, you might take one issue (e.g., open admissions, bilingualism, etc.), and show the
extreme positions on that issue, where you accommodate and resist those extremes, and
argue for the negotiated position that best expresses where you stand.
Two very general organizational approaches seem likely. You might structure your essay
inductively (specific to general) showing the reader first where you accommodate the
statement, then where you resist it, then elaborating the negotiated position you finally
arrived at. On the other hand, you could structure your paper deductively (general to
specific) whereby you first state and fully explain the position you take toward the
statement, then backtrack to show how you arrived at that position by discussing your
accommodations and resistances.
You are required to reference at least two (no more than four) sources from either our
textbook or your research. If you use your articles, please include them with you paper
when you turn it in. For this paper, I am your audience, and your purpose is to provide a
clear, well-argued, thoughtful explanation of your position toward the Students’ Right
document that serves as the focus for the unit we just completed.
(SRTOL prompt continued)
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Grading Criteria
1) Did you write for your stated audience?
2) Did you write one of the three options stated in the assignment?
3) Did you organize your essay in one of two general ways: inductively or deductively?
4) Did you reference at least two of your sources (textbook or library) for this unit?
5) Did you include a Works Cited page, and did you document according to MLA
guidelines?
6) Did you write according to the stated purpose of the assignment?
7) Have you kept sentence boundary and agreement (pronoun or subject-verb) problems
to a minimum?
8) Did you meet the length requirements of this paper?
9) If you cited an article from your library research, did you turn it in with your paper?
10)
Did you have a conference with me about your paper?
Students’ Right to Their Own Language
We affirm the students’ right to their own patterns and varieties of language—the dialects
of their nurture of whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style.
Language scholars have long ago denied that the myth of a standard American dialect has
any validity. The claim that any one dialect is unacceptable amounts to an attempt of one
social group to exert its dominance over another. Such a claim leads to false advice for
speakers and writers, and immoral advice for humans. A nation proud of its heritage of its
diverse heritage and its cultural and racial variety will preserve its heritage of dialects. We
affirm strongly that teachers must have the experiences and training that will enable them
to respect diversity and uphold the right of students to their own language.
Rough draft due: _______________
Final copy due:_________________
Additional content to support SRTOL paper
Links that must be read and videos to be watched. :
 http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/07/what-should-colleges-teach-part-3/
 http://dixoncomp.pbworks.com/w/page/17947384/Students-Right
 http://www.delicious.com/kaizer3/SRTOL
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Bingo Game
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Peer workshop – Students’ Right to Their Own Language
Start with a clean, freshly printed copy of your paper. Complete this worksheet prior to class
on ___________________.
A. What is your point? What do you want the reader to take away from reading your
essay? State in 1-2 sentences.
B. Summarize your paper in 3-5 sentences
C. In the left margin next to each paragraph – state what that paragraph does. Think about
its role and rhetorical purpose. NOT A SUMMARY.
D. Reread the assignment prompt. How (in what way) do you address the assignment
prompt? Defend that your paper is on topic.
E. Class discussion at _____________ re: culling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culling
a. Note: as in art – don’t erase or delete any of your work. Cross-out but keep
somewhere – move it to another file. Why is that?
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b. Stephen King and movie reference (not Legends of the Fall?) re: importance
of culling ideas
F. Imagine you have to eliminate 2/3rds of your paper – identify what 1/3rd you would want
to keep and what you would delete. Highlight what you would keep – cross out or
circle what to omit – but don’t obliterate it.
G. How would eliminating what you’ve marked for omission and developing what is left
affect your paper?
H. Need sources – you’ve already read research. Explain below why citation information
isn’t attached/included. If it is, is citation in proper format? Check and make
corrections. Eventually at least 3 sources will be needed, including: a refereed or
scholarly journal, a media and other.
I. Craft elevator speech explaining your plans for the paper. 45 seconds or less.
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SRTOL Grading Rubric
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Annotated bibliography – from textbook.
Textbook annotated bibliography due _____________________.
The Cornell Library (http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm#what)
explains it:
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and
documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words
maximum) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose
of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and
quality of the sources cited.
Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a
variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and
informed library research….First, locate and record citations to books,
periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on
your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those
works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic. Cite the book,
article, or document using [MLA format].
Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and
scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that (a) evaluate
the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended
audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or
(d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.
Choose 4 readings with individually identified authors from readings that are not assigned
during class. Include summaries and reflections on those, as well as on 3 of the assigned
readings. Summaries should be under 50 words and can be as short as one sentence (I like
short – but it’s harder), and reflections should be under 100 words.
Citations must be in PERFECT MLA format. (each entry in alphabetical order, no
numbering or bullets, etc.). Here’s a sample – but note that it uses a different book, and
only has 5 citations where you need 7.
Text reading quiz scheduled for _____________________________
Rubric for grading Textbook Annotated Bibliography
Criteria
Points
Points
earned
Format
30
# / entries
35
(7)
Demonstrate 20
reading?
File name
10
Mechanics
5
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Writing Prompt: Analyzing How Poetic Technique Works in Non-poetic Writing
(metaphor or tone)
Assignment: Analyze how metaphors work in a text.
Goal of the Assignment: to demonstrate consciousness and command of 1) understanding
of metaphor in prose texts and 2) how figurative language shapes and defines us and our
thinking.
Part 1: choose a text (preferably from a magazine) printed in the last 3 months (fashion, sports or
automotive texts are rich sources). The text should be chosen either because many metaphorical
expressions are used in it (and if so I'd find a theme if I were writing it) or because the whole piece
depends on an extended metaphor. You may also write about tone. Then write an essay showing
how metaphors are (or tone is) presented to influence the reader's response or how metaphorical
concepts have operated to structure the writers' thinking.
All text choices subject to instructor's discretion. Be creative, but be prepared to explain
why, how, etc.
Part 2: change your focus and consider what the metaphor(s) or tone people use can tell us about
the discourse community they belong to. Find another source or two that you think represents
the same type of reader. This should focus on who the members of the community are, and what
you can say about them based on the metaphors (or the tone) used to appeal to them.
You may do Part 1 only or Part 2 only, or a combination.
Audience: Your class and teacher, but consider your goal: to convince a person who thinks that
writing style doesn't affects us. Metaphor and tone are part of everyday language and reflect our
biases and our cognitive processes. You'll have to define your particular idiom as: standard
academic English, Black English vernacular, mid-western colloquial, or other.
Goals/ expectations:
 A clear analysis of how metaphor or tone works in the text that shows you understand what
metaphors are (or tone is) and how they (or it ) works.
 An organization that is logical or easy to follow.
 Details and evidence from the text itself to back up your analysis (tone and metaphor can be




interpreted different ways, so your audience will not necessarily agree with your reading. Back
up your argument and show how you figured it out)
MLA Format including citations of all texts included in your analysis.
Freedom from distracting sentence-level problems
A clear description of the discourse community (if you choose part 2) or proper consideration for
audience.
A works cited page that includes your sources.
The paper should ultimately be 1250 to 1500 words (3 1/5 to 5 pages).




Text choice due: tentative choice by _________; you can change/clear choice with
instructor any time up to __________
Bring thesis with one page rough draft ________
3 page rough draft due _________
Final paper due _______
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Metaphor Paper Rubric
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Writing Prompt: iSearch Project
Annotated Bibliography due: _____________________
Paper Due: ___________________
Project/ presentation Due: ___________________
See points matrix for due dates. The iSearch should demonstrate considerable depth and
breadth of research. You are expected to do significant reading. As well, it should
document the research process. It should be divided into sections - each section with a
descriptive title corresponding to the items below.
Section One: Rationale. In this section, describe why you cared about or were interested in
your research question. Tell your readers where you were in your thinking when you started
your research—set the stage for the story of your process.
Section Two: The Story of the Search. In this section, take us through your research
process. Discuss how your search process did and did not allow you to answer your
research question and if/how you had to revise or expand your research question. Talk
about challenges you encountered along the way, times you had to take a different path.
Section Three: What This Means to Me. Identify and organize three or four salient points
of what you learned from your search. Support these ―conclusions‖ with relevant material
from scholarship, interviews, fieldwork, talking to other teachers, etc. Show us where you
fit into what’s already been done. This part of your paper should reflect the dialogue you
entered into with texts and people.
Section Four: Implications for Learning. Talk about implications of all of this on your
practices as a learner, a writer, a teacher, parent, child etc. (if applicable). Present what you
think your readers should take away from your experience. This section will transfer easily
to your 7-minute presentation to the class.
Section Five: Acknowledgements
Section Six: Works Consulted – include everything you have read – not just what you
quoted.
Among the required sources for your research we will need to see at least 7 sources from
school databases (ie scholarly or refereed journals) including: 3 sources published within the
last year; and 1 to 2 books which must also come from this school’s library.
Grading criteria






Evidence of thorough research and significant learning
Address all six criteria and questions found above.
All style and grammar expectations considered in previous papers
Minimum of 5 pages long (not counting works consulted page.
Divided into sections mentioned above, each with its subtitle.
Must include 3 in text citations.
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iSearch Paper Rubric
Research
Is it
credible? Is
it thorough?
15
Quotes and
support
Are quotes used
effectively?
Integrated, in
format, and are
all references on
works page?
Are block quotes
used when
necessary?
20
Style
No filler
Passives
controlled.
Mechanics
If more
than 2
sentence
boundary
issues 0
points.
Organization
Is it in sections?
Is it logical?
This is
Sentence,
Paragraph and
essay
organization.
Logic and
Coherence.
Does it
make sense
– is the
writer
saying
what they
mean? i
15
15
20
15
If MLA format is off for heading, page # then subtract 10 points. If works cited page isn’t
perfect subtract 10 points. If not separated into sections, with subheadings, -25 points.
Reading logs
(Frequently assigned homework or extra-credit activity)
What's a reading log in my class? The idea was developed at KU by faculty in the Western
Civ. program. It’s an effective way to encourage active reading and make citing sources in
your writing more easy and natural.
1. take a sheet of paper and divide it down the middle. If using digital sources open a
Word document and insert a table 2 columns wide.
2. on the left side quote (& indicate where to find original quotes from the article) or
cut and paste a quote that provokes a reaction. Include the page number (and
paragraph number if available). Practice using MLA format. Put quotation marks
around anything that has 5 or more words in a row identical to a source, and feel free
to use ellipsis.
3. on the right side next to quote write a personal reaction or response. Don't worry
how tangentially related it is - if you see the relationship that's all that matters. It's a
personal reading journal. Maybe you agree- maybe you disagree - maybe it makes
you think of a funny story – talk about whatever reason you liked/disliked/ noticed
the passage. DO NOT SUMMARIZE!
Here's an example of a reading journal I did on several books by Confucius. NOTE: I should
have done a better job indicating page #'s and using quotation marks - but this is a study
guide and personal - so it's not like it affected my grade - I regret not following my own
advice when I use it years later.
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Handouts
Work Vs. School
# 1 ―Tug-of-war between job and school is No. 1 reason for college dropouts‖ KC Star
circa Dec. 10, 2009
The No. 1 reason many young adults drop out of college is that they can’t
juggle school and a job, according to a report released Wednesday. When
choosing between a degree and working full time, paying rent, buying
groceries or supporting family members, many students are forced to drop
out, said Jean Johnson of Public Agenda, a nonpartisan public policy research
firm. A survey of hundreds of people in their 20s reflects a “very, very
different reality” than the common image most people have of college as “a
place where a young person goes and they become an adult,” Johnson said.
“So many of them are already assuming adult responsibilities.” Public Agenda
findings on dropouts hold true for the average 250 students who withdraw
each semester from the University of Missouri-Kansas City without a degree.
In exit interviews over the last three semesters, 26 percent said they left
UMKC because of conflicts between job and studies, said Mel Tyler, vice
chancellor for student affairs. “Students get used to a certain lifestyle, and
they want to maintain that lifestyle while they are in school,” Tyler said.
“When they can’t, they leave for the job. “What is really amazing is they are
not leaving because they are flunking out of here. Grades were at the bottom
of the list as a reason for why they leave.” Although strides have been made
in increasing access to higher education for low-income and minority
students, Johnson said, many of them are leaving school without a degree or
certificate. Each fall, 2.8 million students enroll in some form of higher
education, but fewer than half graduate within six years, according to the U.S.
Education Department. At public community colleges, only 20 percent of
students graduate within three years. Tyler said UMKC’s dropouts run the
gamut from low- and middle-income to first generation undergraduates and
graduate students. The Public Agenda report is the first of three funded by
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to examine access to college and college
success. Researchers found that students who drop out do not usually fit the
Joe College stereotype: a student who debated which school to attend, lives
on campus, attends class full time and has help paying bills. For students who
leave school, “the balancing act is not between going to class and attending
ENGL 122 Syllabus
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football games and frat parties; it’s more likely between going to class and
punching a clock in order to pay rent,” they wrote. For these students,
picking a school to attend is often a haphazard and uninformed process, the
researchers wrote, and the top reasons the former students cited in choosing
a college were location, class times and tuition rates. Fewer than a third
based their decision on the academic reputation of the school. Of students
surveyed, 58 percent said they did not receive financial help from relatives to
pay tuition or fees, and 69 percent had no scholarships or financial aid. When
these students decided to drop out, 70 percent said they did so because they
needed to work to support themselves. Other reasons for dropping out
included not being able to afford tuition and fees, needing a break, classes
that were not useful and needing more time to spend with family. Many of
these young adults told researchers they would consider going back to school,
but a third said that even if their tuition and books were fully covered, they
could not go back because they could not afford to support themselves. The
report suggests ways to make it easier for working students, including letting
part-time students get financial aid, more classes at night and on weekends,
reducing tuition and providing child care. UMKC administrators hope exit
interviews will help them create a profile of their dropouts and allow them to
track these students to see how many of them re-enter school. Tyler said
UMKC also now offers financial counseling. Students with other distractions,
such as family responsibilities, are directed to campus social workers or
community social service agencies for help.
1)
Read carefully. Where should the writer insert paragraphs? Indicate by inserting a
¶
2) What effect does the lack of paragraph breaks have on you as a reader?
3) What conclusions does the writer reach? What flaws or challenges do you see in
the conclusion? What might be the limitation of self-reported explanations?
4) Why do I ask you to read and discuss this?
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JCCC Comp 1 Error Checklist
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Pet Peeves and Proofing Marks
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Ethical Research and Plagiarism
1) Great short videos from Rutgers.
 Video - funny animation - what is plagiarism
 video - funny animation - Plagiarism real life examples
 video - funny animation - anti plagiarism gameshow
2) Comic book/ graphic novel on fair use - film focus but equally relevant to our discussion.
Download copy to smartphone/ ipad/ kindle/ etc. here; (also in easily down loadable PDF).
3)Teach Act - brief summary published by gov.
4) Must read links:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/29/copyright-best-pract.html
http://oedb.org/library/features/8-astonishing-stats-on-academic-cheating
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/23/lse-economists-file-1.html
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/11/17/cheating
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/06/01/copyright-fair-use-a.html
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/
http://chillingeffects.org/fairuse/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10021999-93.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.0
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/copyinfo/scenarios/
http://www.thecopyrightsite.org/scenarios/index.html
http://dixoncomp.blogspot.com/search/label/Citing%20Sources
5) Questions to answer
 What are the dangers of overzealous enforcement of plagiarism or punishment for
violations of copyright?
 Why is this important? Who really cares and why?
 What makes us question the conclusions of any of arguments re: plagiarism?
 Have I pushed the boundaries regarding fair use in the creation of this syllabus? How
and where?
 Create 1 question of your own to ask your classmates.
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Copyright and the Classroom: the law
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http://www.copyright.com/media/pdfs/CR-Teach-Act.pdf
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Supplemental readings.
Metaphor Readings
“Fighting words”
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From The Stuff of Thought, by Stephen Pinker 2007
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On Procrastination and Revision
Ask any composition instructor for the key to better writing and they will tell you:
revision. But when business leaders, politicians and random yahoos with a bully pulpit
weigh in on the state of American education they will say, ―kids today/ college graduates
entering the workforce can’t write.‖ They won’t say ―kids today won’t revise‖ because that
just lacks punch. Much of the problem is distractions, multi-tasking, a long history of low
expectations from teachers and parents, and that up till now the writer hasn’t cared.
Find a way to care. I try to create an optimal environment for learning, but the
teacher can but open the door. The student must walk through it themselves. Being a
college student is entering into fields where work is mental or emotional rather than
physical. Worrying is emotional work – and I’m doing more worrying than you, don’t
expect to pass.
Merely editing isn’t revising. Failure to do multiple drafts and extensively
revise seems to the reader anti-social and passive aggressive. All papers are expected to
be proofread – and off topic papers fail. Papers in this class must demonstrate critical
thinking. The assignment prompts are designed to challenge you mentally in ways you
haven’t been before. Trying to crank out one of these the night before it’s due never works.
Writing, here, starts with a problem, and by thinking on paper we work our way out of the
challenge.
A college degree isn’t a certificate for a job; it is training to develop critical thinking
skills and exposure to the culture, knowledge and history that a society values. Students
learn where to find answers and how to discover solutions for themselves – because many
of the jobs you will be doing haven’t been created yet. Teachers can’t guess how smart you
are and reward it with a grade; we evaluate your performance against objectives set by the
school. We don’t give grades – students earn them.
Links on procrastination (some not safe for work – or the easily offended)
 http://impishidea.com/writing/258/the-revision-process
 http://www.delicious.com/kaizer3/procrastination
 http://dixoncomp.blogspot.com/search/label/procrastination
 http://dixoncomp.blogspot.com/search/label/revision
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Revision (Lower order concerns): The Paramedic Method
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On statement analysis -
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Works Cited
Pinker, Steven. The Stuff of Thought: Language a Window into Human Nature. New York:
Viking Penguin. 2007. Print.
Scott, Jerry and Jim Borgman. Supersized: A Zits Treasury. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel
Publishing. 2003. Print
Watterson, Bill. Revenge of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons. Kansas City:
Andrews McMeel Publishing. 1989. Print
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