English 101: USC Upstate

Dr. Williams

213 HPAC

864-503-5285

Dr.G.H.Williams@gmail.com

Course Description

English 101 provides instruction and practice in academic writing, critical reading, and research. Attention is given to planning, drafting, revising, and editing a variety of texts.

Links to further information

• Course objectives, details, policies
• Course calendar
• PREFACE events
• Library Guide
• Assignments
• Literacy Narrative (see course textbook, pages 21-37)
• Cultural event (PREFACE) reports (see course textbook, pages 59-81)
• Summary and Analysis 
• Pop Culture Textual Analysis
• I-Search Assignment
• Research Paper: Critical Responses
• Portfolio and Reflection Essay

Course Objectives

Students will

• Practice strategies to develop a multi-stage process of writing, a sequence of invention, organization, drafting, revision, and editing to produce focused, clear, polished essays
• Read to understand what an author says and to determine how the author shapes his or her ideas, identifying rhetorical strategies appropriate to various genres and distinguishing between the conventions of private and public writing
• Learn critical reading skills to understand and respond to texts and to develop personal insights and thoughtful ideas for their own writing
• Engage the skills of annotating, summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting texts in order to represent them accurately in their own writing
• Write logical, organized academic essays developing a thesis in a manner that an audience will find convincing
• Develop strategies for locating and assessing relevant, credible sources
• Research a topic, locate and use source material to generate ideas for their own writing, support their ideas as they write, integrate and clearly attribute source material, and document sources accurately using current MLA format
• Manage language appropriately and with skill: occasional mistakes in grammar and punctuation may occur, but essays are free from patterns of errors

Required Texts

• Bullock, Richard, Maureen Daly Goggin, and Francine Weinberg. The Norton Field Guide to Writing. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.
• Graff, Gerald. They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.
• Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown, 2010. Print.
• Additional reading assigned by instructor available on Blackboard or as class handouts. Blackboard access is required.

Assignments and their percentage of your final grade

End of Semester Grading

Scope and Nature of Class Work

Assignments will include the following:

• critical thinking – asking questions, defining problems, examining evidence, analyzing assumptions and biases, avoiding emotional reasoning, avoiding oversimplification, considering other interpretations, and tolerating ambiguity. Adapted from C. Wade, “Using Writing to Develop and Assess Critical Thinking.” Teaching of Psychology 22.1 (1995): 24-28.
• strategic reading – locating the key points of an essay, comprehending or inferring main ideas or themes, recognizing particular rhetorical patterns, and identifying unfamiliar vocabulary
• informal writing – journaling, taking class notes, responding to ideas or readings, drafting, reviewing cultural events
• formal writing – composing four or more essays, averaging four pages each, which undergo a process of revision. At least two essays will incorporate research. Overall writing, including both formal and informal writing, will include a minimum of 10,000 words or thirty pages (330 words/page).
• research – participating in the iPod library tour and required library training sessions; locating a variety of sources through the USC Upstate library; accessing electronic sources using USC Upstate databases; researching, drafting and documenting an essay; and citing sources carefully and correctly
• portfolio building – collecting and reflecting on drafts, revisions, and final essays in a folder or notebook
• cultural event critiques – attending and reviewing two events from the PREFACE series. Additional information about PREFACE and the schedule of PREFACE events are available at www.uscupstate.edu/preface.
• demonstrating progress as a cohort – writing a diagnostic essay, reading the PREFACE text in common with other 101 classes, and attending PREFACE events.
• conferences – meeting with your instructor on a one-to-one basis for writing instruction. At least one conference is required.

Attendance & Punctuality

Due to the participatory nature of this class, students are expected to attend regularly, to be on time and to remain until the class is over. Circumstances may occasionally arise which might cause you to miss class, but excessive absences, tardiness, and/or occasions of leaving class early will have a negative impact on your final course grade. Three absences are allowed; additional absences will have a negative effect on your grade. In case of an absence, you are responsible for determining from another student what went on in class and any assignments. You may want to find out the names and phone numbers or email addresses of some of your classmates to contact if you are absent.

Accommodations

If you are a student with a disability and would like to request disability-related accommodations, you are encouraged to contact your instructor and the Office of Disability Services as early in the semester as possible. The Office of Disability Services is located in Suite 107 of the Campus Life Center. Their phone number is 864-503-5199.

Student Conduct for the Classroom

A Member of the USC Upstate Community of Scholars:

Displays personal and academic integrity.

You are honest, truthful, and trustworthy. You do not lie, cheat, or steal. You do not present others’ work as your own or collaborate with others without acknowledgement or permission from the faculty member.

Accepts responsibility for actions.

You do not blame others for academic consequences resulting from your own decisions and behavior. You follow established policies and procedures in the USC Upstate Catalog, the USC Upstate Student Handbook, and course syllabi.

Respects the rights and dignity of all persons.

You are courteous and respect the rights and property of others. You do not harass, demean, ridicule, abuse, threaten, or discriminate against others.

Maintains a learning-focused attitude.

You are engaged in the classroom and other learning environments, both on and off campus. You are on time, prepared, and alert. You participate until the faculty member in charge dismisses the class.

Refrains from conduct that adversely affects others.

Your conduct is appropriate for learning. You do not enter the class late or leave early without permission of the faculty member. You follow the instructions of the faculty member regarding talking or using cell phones, pagers, or other electronic devices in class. You do not use threatening, demeaning, or inflammatory language.

Follows the specific requirements of faculty members.

You meet the behavioral and academic expectations of your instructors recognizing that these standards will often vary.

Plagiarism

From USC Upstate Student Handbook, “The Academic Honor Code”:

• Direct Quotation: Word-for-word copying of a source. A direct quotation must be accurate, must not misrepresent the source in any way, and must be properly acknowledged.
• Paraphrase: A recasting into one’s own words material from a source, generally condensing the source. A direct quotation with only a word or two changed, added or omitted should not be passed off as a paraphrase. A paraphrase restates the source but does not misrepresent it and must be properly acknowledged.
• Use of ideas: The use of an idea from a source must be properly acknowledged, even when one’s application of that idea varies from the source.
• Use of figures, tables, charts, statistics, images, photographs, and other similar sources: These items must be fully acknowledged and any changes must be clearly indicated. . .
• ...[A]ny kind of help (except that permitted by an instructor) in the preparation of a project ... must be fully acknowledged. Papers and other materials [copied or] bought from ‘term paper writing services,’ if submitted as the work of anyone except the writing service, constitute a violation of the principles of this document” (94).

Be Aware

The consequences of plagiarism range from a grade change to expulsion. Students who admit responsibility for an academic integrity violation or who are found responsible through the Student Code of Conduct will receive the appropriate grade determined by the professor, which may include an X to signify academic dishonesty. Grades with an X are not subject to grade forgiveness.

Sanctioned Writing Assistance

The University Writing Center (HPAC 136) provides free individual tutoring in writing. Consulting a UWC tutor does not constitute plagiarism.

How Your Writing Will Be Used By Others

To improve our composition program, the English faculty read samples of essays written in English 101. All names are removed before the essays are read. If you do not want your essay used in this assessment, see the LLC administrative assistant in HPAC 222 for a nonparticipation form.

Course Caledar

Note:

• All readings should be done in advance of the class for which they are assigned. For example, before you come to class on August 23, you should have already read chapters 1 through 5 of Norton and “A Few Words” & chapter 1 of Immortal Life.
• “Norton” = The Norton Field Guide to Writing
• “Immortal Life” = The Immortal Life of Rebecca Skloot
• “TSIS” = They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing

Friday, Aug. 20

• Class Activities: Introduce course: syllabus policies; class practices; student introductions.
• Purposes: Identify course expectations and activities, make us more comfortable with one another.

Monday, Aug. 23

• Readings: Norton ch. 1-5; Immortal Life “A Few Words,” ch. 1.
• Class Activities: Demonstrate active reading, annotating a text; Discuss reading: what is Skloot’s rhetorical situation?
• Purposes: Develop critical reading skills; Apply course concepts to Preface text

Wednesday, Aug. 25

• Readings: Norton ch. 6; Immortal Life ch. 2-3
• Class Activities: Describe literacy narratives; discuss Immortal Life
• Purposes: Introduce critical literacy
• Assignments Due: Annotation of Immortal Life chapter

Friday, Aug. 27

• Class Activities: In-class writing of literacy narrative
• Purposes: Practice timed writing

Monday, August 30

• Readings: TSIS Prefaces and introduction; Immortal Life ch. 4-6; Norton ch. 13
• Class Activities: How does Skloot know what she knows? What conversation does Skloot enter? What are the consequences of lab reports?
• Purposes: Apply course concepts to Preface text: learn methodology and academic ways of knowing; link humanities and sciences

Wednesday, September 1

• Readings: Norton ch. 7, 40 Immortal Life ch. 7-8
• Class Activities: Peer Review
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning; practice textual analysis
• Assignments Due: Draft of literacy narrative

Friday, September 3

• Readings: Norton ch. 8 Immortal Life ch. 9-11
• Class Activities: What strategies does Skloot use to report? How are those strategies similar or different from those in the Norton?
• Purposes: Apply course concepts to Preface text: consider various ways of reporting, especially for cultural event one due next week
• Assignments Due: Revision of literacy narrative

Monday, September 6

• Labor Day: No classes

Wednesday, September 8

• Readings: TSIS ch. 1; Immortal Life ch. 12-16
• Class Activities: Who is the implied “They” in Immortal Life? Practice summaries with Immortal Life
• Purposes: Apply course concepts to Preface text: understand implied context and audiences

Friday, September 10

• Readings: TSIS ch. 2 Immortal Life ch. 17-21
• Class Activities: Practice summaries with Immortal Life
• Purposes: Practice summary and analysis for assignment

Monday, September 13

• Readings: TSIS ch. 3 Immortal Life ch. 22-24
• Class Activities: Analyze how Skloot uses quotes; practice quoting Skloot
• Purposes: Practice summary and analysis for assignment

Wednesday, September 15

• Readings: Immortal Life ch. 25-28
• Class Activities: Peer review
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning
• Assignments Due: Draft of Summary and Analysis

Friday, September 17

• Readings: Immortal Life ch. 29-31
• Class Activities: Discuss reading
• Purposes: Practice textual analysis
• Assignments Due: Revision of Summary and Analysis, & Cultural Event report #1 

Monday, September 20

• Readings: Norton ch. 21, 23 Immortal Life ch. 32-35
• Class Activities: Introduce textual analysis: thinking critical about popular culture
• Purposes: Apply class strategies to texts of your own choosing

Wednesday, September 22

• Readings: Library Research Day
• Class Activities: Introduce research
• Purposes: Increase ability to make use of secondary sources

Friday, September 24

• Readings: Norton ch. 54 55; Immortal Life ch. 36-end
• Class Activities: Practice writing thesis statements
• Purposes: Emphasize focus in writing

Monday, September 27

• Readings: Norton ch. 24, 14
• Class Activities: Model topic proposal; continue practicing writing thesis statements
• Purposes: Practice proposing research projects

Wednesday, September 29

• Readings: Norton ch. 29-30
• Class Activities: Review topic proposals; Discuss heavy revisers and heavy planners
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning and peer evaluation
• Assignments Due: Textual analysis topic proposal

Friday, October 1

• Readings: Norton ch. 43-44
• Class Activities: Evaluating online sources
• Purposes: Learn to rate the credibility of a source

Monday, October 4

• Readings: Norton ch. 25-26
• Class Activities: Peer review; how to revise
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning and peer evaluation
• Assignments Due: Rough draft of Textual Analysis

Wednesday, October 6

• Readings: Norton ch. 46-49
• Class Activities: In-text citing in MLA style
• Purposes: Learn to incorporate credible sources accurately

Friday, October 8

• Class Activities: Works cited in MLA style
• Purposes: Learn to incorporate credible sources accurately

Monday, October 11

• Readings: Norton ch. 27 Part 8 Handbook
• Class Activities: Editing workshop
• Purposes: Improve our ability to recognize and correct errors
• Assignments Due: Completed Draft of Textual Analysis

Wednesday, October 13

• Readings: Norton ch. 55
• Class Activities: Introduce final research paper
• Purposes: Synthesize reading, summarizing, and analytical skills
• Assignments Due: Revision of Textual Analysis

Friday, October 15

• Fall Break: no classes

Monday, October 18

• Different Location! We'll meet in the library, in one of the computer labs for instruction. If you don't know where to go, ask someone at the circulation desk or the reference desk.
• Readings: Tutorial for "Academic OneFile: Basic Search" and "Academic OneFile: Advanced Search"
• Class Activities: Become familiar with search strategies for library resources. Conduct some preliminary research on a topic of your choice.
• Purposes: Strengthen critical information literacy skills.
• Due: Come to the session with a research topic you'd like to learn more about.
• Readings: Norton ch. 56
• Class Activities: Discuss reading: what is the writer’s topic, argument, and point of view?
• Purposes: Practice critical reading skills

Wednesday, October 20

• Readings: Norton ch. 57
• Class Activities: Discuss reading: what is the writer’s topic, argument, and point of view?
• Purposes: Practice critical reading skills

Friday, October 22

• Readings: Norton ch. 58
• Class Activities: Discuss reading: what is the writer’s topic, argument, and point of view?
• Purposes: Practice critical reading skills

Monday, October 25

• Readings: Norton ch. 42
• Class Activities: Model research paper topic proposal
• Purposes: Practice proposing research projects

Wednesday, October 27

• Readings: Norton ch. 33-36
• Class Activities: Review topic proposals; how are these modes of writing effective?
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning and peer evaluation
• Assignments Due: Research paper topic proposal

Friday, October 29

• Readings: Library research day
• Class Activities: Locate appropriate sources
• Purposes: Increase ability to research effectively
• Assignments Due: Cultural Event Report #2

Monday, November 1

• Readings: Norton ch. 59
• Class Activities: Model I-search paper
• Purposes: Learn how to organize source material or reflect on research process

Wednesday, November 3

• Readings: Norton ch. 60
• Class Activities: Research online
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning and peer evaluation

Friday, November 5

• Class Activities: Examine I-search paper
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning and peer evaluation
• Assignments Due: I-search paper due

Monday, November 8

• Readings: Norton ch. 45
• Class Activities: Discuss reading; model research paper introductions
• Purposes: Practice research paper introductions

Wednesday, November 10

• Class Activities: Peer review research paper introductions
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning and peer evaluation
• Assignments Due: Research paper introduction

Friday, November 12

• Readings: Norton ch. 61
• Class Activities: Discuss reading
• Purposes: Review critical reading

Monday, November 15

• Readings: Norton ch. 62
• Class Activities: Peer review Rough draft or first three pages of Research Paper
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning and peer evaluation
• Assignments Due: Rough draft or first 3 pages of Research Paper

Wednesday, November 17

• Class Activities: Discuss organization and development: subordinate sources to the argument
• Purposes: Understand that your voice matters more than those of your sources

Friday, November 19

• Class Activities: Review incorporating sources
• Purposes: Improve citations

Monday, November 22

• Class Activities: Peer review Research Paper draft
• Purposes: Practice collaborative learning and peer evaluation
• Assignments Due: Complete draft of Research Paper

Wednesday, November 24

• Thanksgiving: no classes

Friday, November 26

• Thanksgiving: no classes

Monday, November 29

• Readings: Norton ch. 28, 38
• Class Activities: How to compile your final paper portfolio and write the reflection
• Purposes: Treat writing as both a process and a product; think about your composition process.

Wednesday, December 1

• Class Activities: Complete course evaluation
• Purposes: Participate in university practice of assessing instruction

Friday, December 3

• Class Activities: Submit Research Paper and discuss course
• Purposes: Engage in long-term reflection
• Assignments Due: Revision of Research Paper