Literacy for Life
English 1010-113
English 1010-114
Instructor
Monday and Wednesday 10:20-11:15am
Monday and Wednesday 12:40-1:35pm
Peck Hall 307
Peck Hall 307
Ryan E. Reed
Ryan.Reed@mtsu.edu
Office: Alumni Memorial Gym (AMG) 106
Office Phone: (615) 898-5379
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8am-10am, 11:30am-12:30pm
Course Overview
Expository Writing: Literacy for Life is the first of two composition courses required of each student. Composition
is an academic discipline devoted to the study of writing and how it works. Here at MTSU, the English department
offers a major in English with a Writing concentration as well as an interdisciplinary minor in Writing.
Course
Description
English 1010 is reading and writing intensive. In Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses
(2011), Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa presented research that underscores a corollary link between the amount of
reading and writing college students are required to do and how effectively they learn. You should therefore be aware
that your success in this class will depend on how much time and effort you give to our semester’s work. Successful
students will exit the class with stronger reading skills, the ability to analyze and adapt to various rhetorical situations,
and a writing theory that will prepare them to meet the challenges of writing assignments in their other coursework as
well as their lives after college: these students will have learned “literacy for life.”
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Learning
Objectives
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Students will gain knowledge of composition as a field of study that involves research about writing
and how it works.
Students will define and illustrate key concepts in composition studies: rhetorical situation,
exigence, purpose, genre, critical analysis, audience, discourse community, reflection, context,
composing, and knowledge.
Students will read and analyze various types of text—print, visual, digital, and audio.
Students will complete writing tasks that require understanding the rhetorical situation and
making appropriate decisions about content, form, and presentation. At least one of these tasks will
give students practice distilling a primary purpose into a single, compelling statement and ordering
major points in a reasonable and convincing manner based on that purpose.
Students will get practice writing in multiple genres and in response to real world writing
situations. They will use appropriate rhetorical patterns and strategies to achieve their purpose.
Students will conduct basic research necessary for completing specific writing tasks, learning to
distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources and between fact, opinion, and inference.
Students will improve their ability to generate a writing plan that includes prewriting, drafting,
rewriting, and editing.
Students will develop the skill of constructive critique, focusing on higher order concerns, including
matters of design, during peer workshops.
Students will know how to use their handbook as a reference tool.
Students will develop their own writing theory (based on the key concepts) that they can transfer
to writing situations in other classes and in life.
Students are required to obtain copies of the following texts:
Required
Texts
Anderson, Daniel. Write Now. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print. (ISBN 9780132415477)
Lunsford, Andrea. Easy Writer. 4th Ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2010. Print. (ISBN 9781457633508)
Copies of any other assigned texts will be provided by your instructor. Students should retain their copies of Easy
Writer for future use.
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Literacy for Life
Assignments and Evaluation
Over the course of the semester, you will complete five major composition projects. These projects will require you
to compose works in multiple genres and modes. Some projects will have multiple components, and elements of
these projects may be spaced throughout the semester. The major projects that you will undertake are as follows:
Personal Narrative Project: For this assignment, you will submit an application to a study abroad program, which will
require you to prepare a short, personal statement, and you will also learn how to prepare an effective résumé. 15%
of Semester Grade.
Evaluation Project: For this assignment, you will create your own criteria for evaluating an individual’s performance;
then, you will compose a short review of one of your professors. 15% of Semester Grade.
Major
Projects
Public Writing Project: This project will require you to express your opinion in regard to a current social issue. We
will look at examples of Op/Ed pieces from a number of sources, which you will then use as a model for your
submission. 15% of Semester Grade.
Propaganda Project: This assignment will require you to explore composition in mediums other than print. As part
of the project, you will prepare a short essay in which you analyze the rhetoric of an image. You will then work in
groups to create your own piece of public health propaganda, which will be showcased at the end of the semester.
You will also be required to keep a process journal, detailing your research and outlining your contribution to the
group effort. 20% of Semester Grade.
Language and Literacy Project: For this project, you will write a short explanatory essay contrasting technical
terminology with common parlance. Working as individuals or in groups, you will prepare a short report on
Literacy and Public Health, and finally, you will compose an essay in which you articulate your personal theory of
writing. 25% of Semester Grade.
Participation
Students are expected to be participants in all class activities. While the majority of the class time will be spent
discussing reading assignments or topics relating to essays, students will also be called upon to participate in a
number of activities which will include in-class writing, quizzes, short presentations, and group work. Workshops
will also factor into the student’s overall participation in the class. 10% of Semester Grade.
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Grade Scale
100-90
B+
B
B-
89-88
87-83
82-80
C+
C
C-
79-78
77-73
72-70
F
69-0
Please note that while a grade of D may be awarded to individual assignments, a D is not a passing
grade for English 1010. Students who do not qualify for a passing grade at the end of the semester may
be eligible for a grade of N. An N grade is a non-punitive grade. While an N is not a passing grade, it
allows the student to retake the class without a penalty to his or her GPA. To qualify for an N, the
student must be taking ENGL1010 for the first time; additionally, the student must complete all
assignments and have satisfactory attendance.
Course Policies
Attendance
Students should be present at all class meetings. Being present requires more than simply occupying space in the
classroom; it requires students to actively participate in class discussion and activities. Each student is allowed five
absences without penalty. Six absences will result in the loss of a letter grade for the semester; seven absences will result
in automatic failure of the course.
University-sponsored activities (for which you will be required to show
documentation from your sponsor before the absence occurs) and activities relating to active military service will be
excused. Otherwise, no distinction is made between excused and unexcused absences. I expect you to be on-time to
class. Entering late creates a distraction for everyone. Students who are more than five minutes late to any class will be
counted absent for the day.
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Literacy for Life
Late Work
If a student is unable to meet the assigned deadline due to unforeseen circumstances (such as illness or a
death in the family) the student may ask for an extension. Extensions will be granted only at the discretion of
the instructor. Students must request an extension before an assignment is due. If an extension is granted, the
essay will not be penalized for being submitted late; otherwise, late work will be penalized. Late work will be
penalized 10 points for each day it is late.
Class
Decorum
While I fully encourage students to express their opinions, it is my expectation that they should do so with a
degree of respect and civility befitting a university setting. Students should refrain from engaging in activities
unrelated to class during class time, such as carrying on personal conversations, texting, reading Sidelines,
eating, or playing Skyrim on a laptop computer.
Academic
Integrity
Students are expected to produce their own work for this class. Unfortunately, there are instances where
students sometimes make mistakes. If you have questions or concerns about the use of sources, please do not
hesitate to ask me for help. The English Department, in agreement with the university, defines plagiarism as
“the adoption or reproduction of ideas, words, statements, images, or works of another person as one's own
without proper acknowledgment.” Instances of inadvertent plagiarism (improper paraphrasing or incomplete
citations) will be viewed as “teachable moments.” Deliberate and willful plagiarism (cutting and pasting text
without citation, downloading essays, etc.) is a form of academic misconduct.
I am required to report all instances of academic misconduct to the Provost’s Office. See the MTSU student handbook
for an explanation as well as the possible consequences of engaging in academic misconduct. In this class, sanctions
range from a mandatory rewrite for partial credit to an F in the course. The Provost’s Office may impose additional
sanctions such as probation or suspension. To avoid such penalties, always do your own work, and ask for help when
you are using source material. You can get help in class, during my office hours, at the University Writing Center, from
a librarian, or online at Purdue’s OWL.
Additional Information for Students
University
Writing Center
The UWC is located in room 362 of Walker Library. In addition to providing students help with their
essays,
the
UWC’s
website
has
many
helpful
tools
for
students
(http://www.mtsu.edu/uwc/index.shtml). Students will never be required to go to the writing center,
but many who do see marked improvements in their grades. Appointments are usually required, so
contact the Writing Center at 904-8237 for an appointment.
ADA accommodation requests (temporary or permanent) are determined only by Disabled Student Services.
Accommodations Students are responsible for contacting the Disabled Student Services Office at 615-898-2783 to obtain ADA
accommodations and for providing the instructor with the Accommodation Letter from Disabled Student
Services.
Lottery
Scholarships
Do you have a Lottery Scholarship? To retain Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must
earn a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0
thereafter. You may qualify with a 2.75 cumulative GPA after 72 attempted hours (and subsequent semesters) if
you are enrolled full-time and maintain a semester GPA of at least 3.0. A grade of C, N, F, or I in this class
may negatively impact TELS eligibility. Dropping a class after 14 days may also impact eligibility; if you
withdraw from this class and it results in an enrollment status of less than full time, you may lose eligibility for
your lottery scholarship. Lottery recipients are eligible to receive the scholarship for a maximum of five years
from the date of initial enrollment, or until a bachelor degree is earned. For additional Lottery rules, please
refer to your Lottery Statement of Understanding form, review lottery requirements on the web, or contact the
Financial Aid Office at 898-2830.
Inclement
Weather
In the event of inclement weather, you should first check the MTSU homepage to see if classes have been
cancelled. You should also check your MTSU email account because there is a possibility that I might be
forced to cancel class even if MTSU is open. If MTSU has not been officially closed for the day and I have not
emailed you, assume that classes will meet.
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Literacy for Life
Tentative Schedule
Please Note
All reading assignments should be read before the start of class on the day they are listed, as the readings
will be discussed in class that day. Students should arrive ready to discuss the assigned materials. Students
should always bring the appropriate book to class on the days that reading assignments are to be discussed.
Week One: Course Overview
8/26
Introduction to the class: Syllabus distributed and discussed.
8/28
Lecture: “Language in Transition: From the Anglo-Saxons to Texters and Tweeters.”
Syllabus Quiz
8/30
Reading Assignment: “Understanding Rhetorical Situations” (2-11; 16-8)
Guided Reading: Oliver Sacks “Phantoms” (Handout)
Week Two: Language and Meaning
9/2
Labor Day: Class will not meet.
9/4
Reading Assignment: “Understanding Composing Processes” (34-6), “Prewriting” (41-4), “Definitions” (445-51)
9/6*
Reading Assignment: “Drafting” (45-7)
Writing Workshop
Note: September 6th is the last day to drop the class without a grade.
Week Three: Personal Theories of Writing
9/9
Reading Assignment: “Revising” (47-50), “Editing and Polishing” (51-3)
Writing Workshop
9/11
Reading Assignment: Lunsford and Lunsford “Mistakes Are a Fact of Life” (Online)
Language and Literacy Project: Words and Meaning Assignment Due
9/13
Reading Assignment: “Understanding Research” (340-50), “Conducting Research” (351-68)
Week Four: Writing about Self
9/16
Reading Assignment: “Memoirs” (122-8)
9/18
Reading Assignment: “Coming into Language” (136-41)
9/20
Reading Assignment: “E6: Business Letters and Résumés” (Online)
Week Five: Writing about Self
9/23
Workshop: Bring draft of Résumé
9/25
Workshop: Bring draft of Personal Statement
9/27
Personal Narrative Project: Application, Personal Statement, and Résumé Due
Week Six: Evaluation
9/30
Reading Assignment: “Reviews” (273-9; 283-5)
10/2
Evaluation beyond the Arts: Product Reviews
Bring a copy of a product review to class.
10/4
Evaluation beyond the Arts: Performance Review
Week Seven: Evaluation
10/7
Writing Workshop: Invention and Drafting
10/9
Writing Workshop: Peer Review
Bring a completed draft of your Evaluation to Class
10/11
Evaluation Project Due
Week Eight: Literacy and Public Health
10/14
Fall Break Class Will Not Meet
10/16
Reading Assignment: “Position Arguments” (201-21)
10/18
Reading Assignment: “Causes and Effects” (460-5)
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Literacy for Life
Week Nine: Public Writing
10/21
Class Will Not Meet: Use this time to work on your Literacy and Public Health Report
10/23
Language and Literacy Project: Literacy and Public Health Reports
10/25
Language and Literacy Project: Literacy and Public Health Reports
Week Ten: Public Writing
10/28
Opinion Pieces: Bring an example of an Op/Ed article to class
10/30
Reading Assignment: “Style” (517-20)
11/1
Writing Workshop
Note: October 30th is the last day to drop the class and receive a grade of W.
Week Eleven: Propaganda
11/4
Public Writing Project Due
11/6
Reading Assignment: “Rhetorical Analysis” (177-200)
11/8
Reading Assignment: “Visual Rhetoric Strategies” (468-80)
Image Analysis Exercise
Week Twelve: Propaganda
11/11
Writing Workshop
Bring a completed draft of your Image Analysis and a printed copy of your chosen image to class.
11/13
Propaganda Project: Image Analysis Due
11/15
Reading Assignment: “Document Design” (481-9)
Week Thirteen: Propaganda
11/18
Reading Assignment: “Evaluating and Composing with Sources” (367-83)
11/20
Small Group Workshops
11/22
Small Group Workshops
Week Fourteen: Propaganda
11/25
Propaganda Project Due: Posters, Process Journals, and Research Notes Due
Group Presentations
11/27
Group Presentations Continued
11/29
Thanksgiving: Class Will Not Meet
Week Fifteen
12/2
12/4
Writing Workshop
Language and Literacy Project: Theory of Writing Due
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