English 101.008: Composition
Fall 2015: TR 9:00-10:15am, Robinson A 101
Instructor: Natalie Liounis
Email: nliounis@gmu.edu
Office: Robinson A 455
Office Hours: By online appt. only
Required Text:
Lunsford, Andrea. Easy Writer (EW). 5th ed. Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2015.
Print.
Introduction:
Welcome to English 101 at George Mason University! For some of you, this is your first year of college
and, accordingly, your first year away from home. In English 101, I hope that you will find a community in
which you feel comfortable to share your ideas and perspectives. I also hope that you will learn from your
classmates and from your experiences writing this semester. Writing is such an important aspect of
learning, and it is also an important aspect of life. Throughout college, you will be asked to write multiple
assignments—from lab reports to reflections—and this class will be the foundation of your college writing
abilities. Please do not take this course lightly. It is imperative that you learn to write well in order to
succeed in college and in your future careers. I hope that you will come to see yourself as a writer—not
necessarily as an author of books, but as someone who utilizes writing throughout the day. In reality, we
are all writers. We text each other, we write Facebook statuses, we tweet, and we send emails. In each
context, we use writing to achieve our desired purpose. The same is true for academic writing, and this
class will teach you how to use writing—and rhetoric—to achieve your desired purposes in life.
Course Goals:
This course is designed to help you improve your abilities to read, write, and think at a college level. In
English 101, you will develop strategies to help you use writing as a tool for exploring and reflecting on
your own ideas, as well as for informing and persuading your readers. You will need to develop critical
reading and research techniques to support your writing, and learn appropriate technologies to assist your
writing. English 101 emphasizes writing as a rhetorical process: you will explore beneficial ways to break a
writing task into smaller steps such as generating and organizing ideas, investigating your topic, creating
early drafts, seeking feedback, and revising. You will also improve your ability to adapt your writing to the
needs of an audience or a situation, and your ability to revise and edit your own writing.
General Education:
ENGH 101 is part of the GMU General Education Program, which is designed to help students prepare for
advanced work in their major field and for a lifetime of learning. For more information on the mission of
the General Education Program, consult the University Catalog or visit http://provost.gmu.edu/gened/
Grade Breakdown: Please note that you must complete all major assignments to earn a “C” or higher.
15%
Multi-Angle Personal Narrative (750-1000 words)
Due: 9/17
20%
Commercial Analysis and Argument (1000-1500 words)
Due: 10/8
5%
Research Proposal (500-750 words)
Due: 11/3
5%
Annotated Bibliography (6-8 sources)
Due: 11/12
25%
Researched Argument for Change, 1500+ words
Due: 11/24
10%
Writing Process Reflection & Presentation (500-750 words)
Due: 12/8 & 12/10
10%
Homework
10%
Class Participation (including peer review)
Essay Assignment Descriptions:
Multi-Angle Personal Narrative (MAPN)
The MAPN is a fun and refreshing way to start out a semester of writing. This assignment asks you to
choose something significant from your life—an event, an identity, a choice, an experience, etc.—and write
a descriptive story about it. However, there’s a catch: you must tell your story from different angles or
perspectives. For example, you might choose to write about winning a state championship game by
zooming in on different parts of that day (such as before the game, during the game, and after the game), or
you could tell the story from your perspective, your coach’s perspective, and your teammate’s perspective.
Along with telling a story through dialogue, scenes, and vivid language, though, you must include elements
of reflection and analysis that show why this experience, etc., was life-changing.
Commercial Analysis and Argument (CAA)
The CAA is your chance to demonstrate your knowledge of rhetoric. Using 2-3 commercials from rival
companies selling roughly the same items (e.g., Coke vs. Pepsi vs. Mountain Dew), you will first analyze
each commercial based on purpose, audience, context, ethos, logos, pathos, and other rhetorical principles.
After thoroughly analyzing each commercial, you will then form an argument for which commercial is
selling its product better or best. We will talk about the different ways to organize this paper in class.
Researched Argument for Change (RAC)
The second half of this class will be devoted to research. For this unit, you will choose one research topic—
validated by me—that is relevant to your life or major, and you will write an essay arguing for a specific
change. Before you begin writing your essay, though, you will conduct preliminary research to produce a
research proposal, and then you will conduct further research to produce a detailed annotated bibliography.
When you finally begin drafting your essay, you should have a very specific audience in mind. Who has the
power to produce the change you are arguing for? We will talk about research strategies and other details
about this unit in class. Keep in mind that you may not write about generalized, overused topics such as
paying student athletes, gay marriage, legalizing marijuana, gun control, abortion, bullying, etc.
Writing Process Reflection and Presentation (WPRP)
After turning in your RAC, our focus will shift to reflective writing for the last couple weeks of the
semester. This small essay asks you to reflect on your experience with writing in ENGH 101. More
specifically, this assignment is about exploring your writing process. What have you learned about your
writing process this semester? What part of your process do you need to improve in the future? Use specific
examples from your experience this semester to support what you are writing, and draw conclusions about
how you will proceed as a writer from this point forward. After writing your reflection, you will informally
present your writing process to the class with at least one visual big enough for the whole class to see at
once. This could be a poster, a power point, a skit, or any other appropriate genre. This assignment is for
you to learn about yourself, so feel free to be as creative, funny, or serious as you want!
Essay Grading Criteria:
A - An “A” level grade (90-100%) marks an essay that engages the reader in a provocative conversation.
Even more than in a “B” essay, its author anticipates and responds to possible reader questions, uses a wide
range of supporting evidence, structures arguments and analyses to create a fluid reading experience,
provides unexpected insights, and/or uses language with care and facility.
B - A “B” level grade (80-89%) highlights a strong example of college writing and thinking. In addition to
meeting the “C” level requirements, such an essay goes further in some way(s): it demonstrates some
insight into the “gray areas” of the topic, provides original or very thorough support that is tightly woven
into the overall argument, reads smoothly at both the sentence and paragraph levels, and/or exhibits a
personal “voice” or style. It has few sentence-level errors.
C - A “C” level grade (70-79%) denotes average college-level writing and achievement. The essay is a
competent response to the assignment: it meets, to some degree, all the assignment requirements, and
demonstrates that the author has put significant time and effort into communicating his/her ideas to his/her
targeted audience. It has a thesis, presents some support, and moves from point to point in an orderly
fashion; sentence-level errors do not significantly prevent comprehension. Essays that do not meet these
criteria will not earn a “C.”
“D” and “F” level essays do not meet the basic expectations of the assignment.
English 101 Grading Policy:
Students in English 101 must earn a grade of C or higher to complete the 101 requirement; students whose
grades are lower than a C will earn an NC. A grade of NC reflects the philosophy that learning to write in
an academic setting is a developmental process and that some students may require more time in this
development. Since this grade does not affect students’ Grade Point Averages (GPA), students are not
penalized for requiring additional time to meet the course requirements in ENGH101. Because of this
policy, grades of Incomplete are not given in ENGH101.
Revision Policy:
You are required to revise AT LEAST ONE major essay this semester. Besides the one essay you are
required to revise, you may also revise any additional essay for a new grade. Revisions must demonstrate
substantial change to the focus, support, approach, and/or organization of the essay in addition to
comprehensive error correction, or they will be returned with no grade change. Revisions must be
submitted with all previous drafts and completed by the date listed on the course schedule.
Midterm Grades:
In English 101, students receive a midterm letter grade based on the work of the first seven weeks of the
course. The purpose of this grade is to help students find out how well they are doing in the first half of the
course in order to make any adjustments necessary for success in the course as a whole. The work in the
second half of the semester may be weighted more heavily, so the midterm grade is not meant to predict the
final course grade. Students may view their grade online as soon as it is recorded.
Methods of Instruction:
Most class meetings of English 101 will be interactive and will involve a significant amount of student
discussion and writing. Students may be asked to work individually as well as collaboratively as they
investigate issues, practice writing strategies and techniques, learn research and critical reading approaches,
and review their own and their peers’ writing. Students who attend regularly and stay engaged in class
activities, who keep up with all of the assignments, and who block off sufficient time each week for
thoughtful drafting and revising usually succeed in this class.
Submitting Class Assignments:
Homework and major essays are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Unless otherwise noted, all
assignments should be typed in double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman or Cambria font and submitted
via Blackboard. All assignments should be properly formatted according to MLA style.
Late Work Policy:
Late assignments are those arriving any time after the beginning of class on the due date. I will only accept
late homework up to one class period after the original due date, and it will only receive partial credit.
Major essays will lose 1/3 of a letter grade for each calendar day they are late, and these penalties cannot be
changed through revision.
Attendance/Participation Policy:
Activities in each class meeting will be recorded and valued at 1-2 points per class, up to 50 points total
(100%). (Note: Some “slack” is built into this calculation, so you can miss up to three class periods and still
be eligible to earn 100% for this grade.) More-interactive classes such as peer review days may be valued
more highly; students who are regular, energetic, thoughtful participants may earn additional credit.
Students who miss a class are responsible for turning in any required work, but will not be able to “make
up” the missed participation in order to earn that day’s point(s).
If you are frequently late, you may lose class-participation points. However, in an emergency I would
rather have you come late than not at all; if you get stuck in traffic but you can get here 20 minutes late,
please try to come.
You should also be actively present. This implies brain awareness as well as the basic courtesies of formal
social gatherings. Students who are sleeping, reading the newspaper, carrying on private conversations,
answering or texting on cell phones, or working on assignments for other classes (etc.) are not wholly,
actively present and thus may lose class participation points for that day. If you are seriously unprepared
for class or group work—having absolutely no draft for a draft workshop, for example—you may lose class
participation points for that day. Any serious breach of good classroom conduct may cause you to lose all
participation points.
Office Hours and Email:
Office hours are an excellent opportunity to talk one-on-one about your writing, ask questions, and get
feedback on your work. Until further notice, I will be holding office hours by appointment only via Skype
or Google Hangouts. You can also use the email address on this syllabus to ask quick questions or notify
me of any urgent matters that need attention. I will typically respond within 24 hours during the week and
within 48 hours over the weekend. I will not review papers or missed class periods via email; you must
come to office hours. My office number is 703-993-1176, but please note that it does not have voicemail.
Also, students must activate their Mason email account and check it regularly. For privacy reasons, all
class-related emails will be sent only to students’ official GMU email addresses.
Computers/Cell Phones:
As we will be using computers nearly every day in class this semester, please bring to class your laptops or
tablets with attached keyboards. If you do not have a laptop or tablet with an attached keyboard, you are
welcome to rent a laptop from Technical Support in Robinson A118. You must pick up a laptop check-out
card from me before class begins in order to get a laptop.
All mobile phones should be silenced for the duration of the class period. If you must take a phone call due
to an emergency, please quietly excuse yourself from the room. If you are expecting an important phone
call, please let me know before class starts.
The University Writing Center:
Since you will be writing several papers in this course, you may want to visit the University Writing Center
(http://writingcenter.gmu.edu), located in Robinson A114, for assistance. The Writing Center is one of the
best resources you will find on campus. They have an outstanding website that offers a wealth of online
resources for student writers. You can schedule a 45 minute appointment with a trained tutor to help with
any phase of the writing process. You can even obtain assistance with papers by visiting the online writing
center at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/owl/index.html, but please plan ahead and allow yourself at least 2-3
days to receive a response. Use their website to make an appointment.
Students with Disabilities:
If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact
the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged
through the ODS.
GMU Nondiscrimination Policy:
George Mason University is committed to providing equal opportunity and an educational and work
environment free from any discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex,
disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or age. GMU shall adhere to all applicable state and federal
equal opportunity/affirmative action statutes and regulations.
Composition Statement on Plagiarism:
Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another source without
giving that source credit. Writers give credit through the use of accepted documentation styles, such as
parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes; a simple listing of books, articles, and websites is not
sufficient.
This class will include direct instruction in strategies for handling sources as part of our curriculum.
However, students in composition classes must also take responsibility for understanding and practicing the
basic principles listed below.
To avoid plagiarism, meet the expectations of a US Academic Audience, give their readers a chance to
investigate the issue further, and make credible arguments, writers must
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put quotation marks around, and give an in-text citation for, any sentences or distinctive phrases
(even very short, 2- or 3-word phrases) that writers copy directly from any outside source: a book,
a textbook, an article, a website, a newspaper, a song, a baseball card, an interview, an
encyclopedia, a CD, a movie, etc.
completely rewrite—not just switch out a few words—any information they find in a separate
source and wish to summarize or paraphrase for their readers, and also give an in-text citation for
that paraphrased information
give an in-text citation for any facts, statistics, or opinions which the writers learned from outside
sources (or which they just happen to know) and which are not considered “common knowledge”
in the target audience (this may require new research to locate a credible outside source to cite)
give a new in-text citation for each element of information—that is, do not rely on a single citation
at the end of a paragraph, because that is not usually sufficient to inform a reader clearly of how
much of the paragraph comes from an outside source.
Writers must also include a Works Cited or References list at the end of their essay, providing full
bibliographic information for every source cited in their essay.
While different disciplines may have slightly different citation styles, and different instructors may
emphasize different levels of citation for different assignments, writers should always begin with these
conservative practices unless they are expressly told otherwise. Writers who follow these steps carefully
will almost certainly avoid plagiarism. If writers ever have questions about a citation practice, they should
ask their instructor!
Instructors in the Composition Program support the George Mason Honor Code, which requires them to
report any suspected instances of plagiarism to the Honor Council. All judgments about plagiarism are
made after careful review by the Honor Council, which may issue penalties ranging from grade-deductions,
to course failure, to expulsion from GMU.
Important Dates for Fall 2015:
Last Day to Add a Course: Tuesday, September 8
Last Day to Drop a Course with No Tuition Penalty: Tuesday, September 8
Last Day to Drop a Course with a 33% Tuition Penalty: Tuesday, September 15
Final Drop Deadline with a 67% Tuition Penalty: Friday, October 2
Selective Withdrawal Period: Monday, October 5 – Friday, October 30
Important Final Revision Dates for Fall 2015:
MAPN Final Revision Due Thursday, October 15
CAA Final Revision Due Thursday, November 5
RAC Final Revision Due Thursday, December 10
Course Schedule
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(This schedule is subject to slight alteration based on the progress of the class.)
9/1
9/3
Agenda: Syllabus, Intro to Rhetoric, In-Class
Agenda: Review of MAPN, In-Class Writing
Writing Activity, Multi-Angle Personal
Activity, Genre Discussion: Creative Nonfiction
Narrative (MAPN) Overview
Due today: One-page introduction of yourself,
Homework: Introduce yourself to me; read and
response to Lamott, Easy Writer reading.
respond to Ann Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts”;
read Easy Writer (EW) pgs. 1-11, 14-21.
Homework: Read and respond to David Sedaris’s
“I’ll Eat What He’s Wearing.”
9/8 – Last day to add classes; last day to drop
9/10
Agenda: Discuss Reading, Voice, In-Class
classes with no tuition penalty.
Agenda: Discuss Reading, Descriptive Writing, Writing, Discuss Peer Review
Dialogue, Audience, In-Class Writing
Due today: Response to Sedaris.
Due today: Response to Sedaris.
Homework: Read and respond to Straub’s
Homework: Read and respond to Sedaris’s “Big “Responding to Student Writers.” Read EW pages
Boy.”
94-144. Have draft of MAPN ready for Tuesday.
9/15 – Last day to drop classes with a 33%
9/17
Agenda: Grammar, Reflective Writing, Revision,
tuition penalty.
Agenda: Discuss Reading, Peer Review
In-Class Writing
Due today: Rough draft of MAPN for Peer
Review, response to Straub, EW reading.
Due today: Multi-Angle Personal Narrative.
Homework: Finish In-Class Writing, if necessary.
Homework: Work on your MAPN, due
Thursday. Bring EW on Thursday!
9/22
Agenda: History of Rhetoric, Commercial
Analysis and Argument (CAA) Overview
9/24
Agenda: Discuss Readings, Visual Rhetoric,
Analyzing Commercials
Due today: In-Class Writing from Thursday.
Due today: Response to readings.
Homework: Read and respond to rhetoric
readings; start thinking about your CAA.
9/29
Agenda: Discuss Readings, Analyzing Music
Videos, In-Class Writing
Homework: Read and respond to rhetoric
readings; analyze at least one of your chosen
commercials over the weekend.
10/1
Agenda: Thesis Statements, Organization, In-Class
Writing
Due today: Response to readings, at least one
commercial analysis.
Due today: Commercial analysis, if necessary. EW
reading.
Homework: If you haven’t already, analyze
another commercial from your CAA. Read EW
pgs. 21-27, 60-92.
10/6
Agenda: Peer Review, Continue Working
Homework: Draft of CAA for Peer Review
Tuesday. Read EW pgs. 35-44.
10/8
Agenda: Grammar, Reflective Writing, Revision,
In-Class Writing
Due today: Rough draft of CAA for Peer
Review, EW reading.
Due today: Commercial Analysis and Argument
Homework: Work on CAA, due Thursday.
Homework: Finish In-Class Writing, if necessary.
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10/13 – Columbus Day Observance, No Class
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10/20
Agenda: Class Rant, Researched Argument for
Change (RAC) Overview, Proposals, In-Class
Writing
10/15
Agenda: The Writing Process
Due today: In-Class Writing from Thursday, Final
Draft of MAPN if choosing to revise.
10/22
Agenda: Library Visit: Finding and Evaluating
Sources (Meeting in Gateway Library 228)
Due today: EW reading.
Homework: Think about research topics. Finish
In-Class Writing if necessary. Read EW pgs. 5158.
10/27
Agenda: Librarian Visit: Information Cycle
Group Activity, Avoiding Plagiarism
Due today: EW reading.
Homework: Research Proposal Draft for Peer
Review. Review Easy Writer pgs. 35-44.
11/3
Agenda: Annotated Bibliographies,
Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting, InClass Writing
Due today: Research Proposal, EW reading.
Homework: Start working on Annotated Bib.
Read through EW’s MLA guidelines starting on
pg. 208.
11/10
Agenda: Class canceled for individual
conferences
Homework: Start working on Research Proposal.
Read Easy Writer pgs. 178-198.
10/29
Agenda: Peer Review
Due today: Research Proposal Draft for Peer
Review, EW review.
Homework: Research Proposal. Read Easy Writer
pgs. 146-160.
11/5
Agenda: Citations Competition, Conference SignUp
Due today: EW reading, Final Draft of CAA if
choosing to revise.
Homework: Continue working on Annotated Bib;
have four annotations done for Tuesday’s
conferences.
11/12
Agenda: Thesis Statements, Organization
Due today: Annotated Bib
Due today: Four annotations for bibliography.
Homework: Finish Annotated Bib.
11/17
Agenda: Discuss sample RACs’ strengths and
weaknesses in groups; work on your RAC
Due today: Comments on sample RACs.
Homework: Draft of RAC for Peer Review.
Read Easy Writer pgs. 198-206.
11/24
Agenda: Grammar, Reflective Writing,
Revision, In-Class Writing
Due today: Researched Argument for Change.
Homework: Finish In-Class Writing, if
necessary
Homework: Read sample RACs and jot down
observations; work on your RAC.
11/19
Agenda: Peer Review
Due today: Draft of RAC for Peer Review, EW
reading.
Homework: Finish RAC, due Tuesday.
11/26 – No class – Happy Thanksgiving!
Agenda: Eat lots of turkey!
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12/1
Agenda: Writing Process Reflection and
Presentation (WPRP) Overview, Strategies for
Revision, In-Class Writing
12/3
Agenda: Work Day for WPRP
Due today: In-Class Writing from Tuesday, if
necessary.
Homework: WPRP—Presentations start Tuesday!
Homework: Start working on WPRP—bring
ideas with you Thursday for a class workshop.
12/8
Agenda: WPRP Presentations
Due today: WPRP (for those going today).
Due today: WPRP ideas!
12/10 – Last day of class!
Agenda: WPRP Presentations, Party!
Due today: WPRP, Final Draft of RAC if choosing
to revise.
Homework: WPRP (for those going Thursday).
Homework: Have a great Christmas & New Year!