English 1A: College
Composition
Spring 2005
Room: BRH 115
Time: MWF 10:00 AM to 10:50 AM
Instructor: Mark Pepper
Office: Calaveras 142
Office Hours: MW 11:00-11:45 (also available by appointment)
Email: markdpepper@hotmail.com (note the letter “d” between mark and pepper; you
don’t even know how many e-mails never find me because of this one letter)
“We all love to instruct, though we can teach only what is not worth knowing.”
Jane Austen
What Are We In For?
I’ll leave it to you to struggle with Ms. Austen’s statement that opens this syllabus (would
I seriously be suggesting in our first meeting that everything someone has claimed to “teach you”
is not worth knowing?) By this syllabus’s title you should be clear that this is a course in college
composition. What you might not know is exactly what those two words mean together (do
words take on different meanings when paired with certain other words?). If I were you I’d
probably suspect that this course was going to teach me “good writing.” (why do I put that in
quotations?). You probably suspect that “good writing” is clear, coherent, organized, and
interesting for the reader . . . but how to produce these aspects in an essay is far more
complicated than spouting out the buzzwords (and trust me, selling your soul, drinking magic
potions, and meditating in the Himalayas don’t help either). In fact, the very existence of this
course may suggest that teaching someone how to accomplish these aspects is incredibly difficult
(if even possible at all). After all, you wrote all throughout high school—if composition were
easily taught, you might figure someone would have taught you it by now. If composition were
like a lot of college subjects, I could show you how to do it, you would go through the motions,
and I could subsequently tell you if you got the right answer (and you might feel you got your
money’s worth). This is the style of education many students are accustomed to, but it hardly
works for our subject. Safe to say, I don’t see my role as leading you to right answers or some
magical insight that makes composition into a simplistic formula (does that make you
uncomfortable?). However, I am here to guide, ask questions, and encourage you to think about
yourself and your world from fresh perspectives. Ultimately, the goal is for you to express the
new insights from this exploration in a written form.
The best piece of advice I can give you right now is that writing is something you do.
Writing is a verb (well, it’s a gerund technically, but let’s leave grammar drills and grammar
terms back in high school for now). And this is where that often frightening term “personal
responsibility” comes into play. I will be showing you methods of prewriting, editing, revising,
and other parts of the writing process. Additionally, I will always ask questions and make
comments that encourage you to think about what you’ve written and why you’ve written it (but
aren’t teachers suppose to give facts, not keep asking questions? Is this just something I was
“taught” to do somewhere along the line?) But outside of looming a poor grade over your heads,
I can’t make you do any of these things; I can’t control how much personal effort you put into to
process. I can guide and suggest, but as Ms. Austen says, I can’t teach you what I believe is
most important—that writing allows us, through a process of extended exploration and
discovery, to construct a self in language. Language has already constructed you to a certain
extent all your lives (how can I say that, I don’t even know you: where do I get off?), but writing
allows us to turn the tables and participate in our own meaning making.
What Are We Going To Be Talking
About?
Our subject, more than anything, is going to be language itself (what did you expect:
horticulture?). We all use language daily, but for some of you, the idea of talking about how and
why we use language may be a new subject. More specifically, we’ll be talking about popular
culture. If you expect—because this is an English class—to be talking about “great” novels or
famous authors, this might not be the class for you (why do I assume you would expect these
things?). Instead, we will be discussing TV shows, commercials, advertisements, movie reviews,
graffiti, magazines, and many other pieces of the culture that surround you on a daily basis.
Yeah, this is suppose to be kinda fun (late night dorm room fun? No, but fun nonetheless). But
our approach to these “texts” will be serious and analytical—the same kind of engagement any
teacher would expect you to possess if they were Shakespeare or Salinger. You will explore
popular culture from a new perspective and eventually place yourself in relation to its values,
images, and messages. What I mean by that last sentence is part of what this class is all about.
But, most importantly, this class will be about how to respond to the language of popular culture
through your own language. We will be writing . . . that’s what a composition class should be all
about.
the only book you need to buy:
75 Thematic Readings: An Anthology
Although this text is your only responsibility to obtain, you will also be reading a number of
essay handouts, watching some TV shows, listening to music, and sifting through magazines.
Everything is a potential “text” in this course.
Recommended:
That said, I can not stress enough the importance of owning a good dictionary and thesaurus.
Yes, there are sources online that provide these services, but I do not believe they can ever
replace the value of a big thick dictionary that threatens to buckle your bookshelf. Go ahead:
step away from the screen for awhile, and don’t fear paper.
My Expectations For You:
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complete all reading assignments by the day they are due
If you haven’t read the assignment you can’t talk about the assignment. In this case
you will not be of much use to any of us (sorry folks, but if you want a brownie
button for simply showing up, I’ve got bad news for you). Not being prepared will
make it much more difficult for you to follow what’s happening in class.
participate in class discussions and group work
See, this is where all that reading on time stuff pays off! You read it, so you may
as well show off. Wallflowers will be a breed nearing extinction in this class.
attend class on a regular basis
You have three get out of jail free cards. Just so we’re clear, this means you may
miss class three times with no need for explanation. I advise saving them for
illness or emergencies, but you’re not going to listen to that advice, are you? Any
absence after those three will lower your final grade by a third. Had an A-? Well,
you’d have a B+. This is a silly game to play with your grade so please show up.
Attendance is taken at the start of class. If you come in late it is your responsibility
to make sure I noticed you made it—not mine, I repeat, not mine. Excused absences
are another matter all together, but your reason must be something more significant
than standing in line for concert tickets (exceptions might be made for a really good
concert . . . no, no, I take that back).
show up on time
This should be obvious. If class starts at 10:00 you should be here by 10:00. This is
not rocket science. Still tardiness does happen, right? Once you acquire three
tardies, they will collectively count as one of your unexcused absences.
a certain amount of respect and common sense
If acell phone rings I will be most unhappy; if a cell phone call is actually taken
you will be asked to leave for the day. If your head hits the desk in an act of
sleep, a similar fate will befall you. If I have to explain the reasoning behind these
policies, then we have a bigger problem than the things themselves. Do not
interrupt me or a fellow student while they are talking. You will have your chance.
Finally, lest you think I the cruelest man in the world: I don’t care if you eat in class,
drink in class, or wear a hat in class. Just clean up after yourself.
Mechanics of Course:
Major Assignments:
You will be assigned four major papers throughout the course.
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Paper #1 will be a personal essay where you develop an extended definition.
Paper #2 will look to classify the juxtaposition between a TV show and its commercials.
Paper #3 changes every semester and I haven’t chosen it yet.
Paper #4 will be a research paper requiring you to analyze a magazine and make an
academic argument about its implied meaning, messages, and intentions. You will be
expected to develop your own topic.
Of course, more information will be given about each assignment when the time comes.
Format for Papers:
All papers will be typed, double spaced, have 1 inch margins on all sides, and be written in a 12
point Times New Roman font. Paper should be standard white. Papers should not be submitted
in envelopes or files of any sort, no matter how cool you think it makes them look. Staple the
paper one time in the left hand corner and that is sufficient. Number the pages of your paper on
the top right hand side of each page. Use a cover page, which should have the paper’s title
centered in the middle of the page. Your name, my name, the class name, the number of the
paper, which draft of the paper, and the date turned in should be at the bottom right hand corner.
Go ahead and not trust your memory this one time—reread this section each time you turn in a
paper to make sure your format is correct. If all this seems knit picky it’s because it is. But it’s
also a good habit to start now.
Drafts and Workshops:
On the first due date for a paper, you will bring in three copies of the draft you are
currently working on. At the end of class you will distribute those copies to people in your peer
edit group, therefore you will be receiving 2-3 drafts of other peoples at this time. Your
homework before the next class session is to read your peers’ drafts and offer feedback (we will
be discussing feedback techniques in class). During the class session after receiving the drafts
you will spend the entire hour with your peer edit groups discussing the drafts and performing a
number of exercises. The second due date is when you turn in to me a revised copy of the first
draft, containing changes that reflect your groups’ suggestions and your own continuing writing
process. I will comment on these drafts and have them back to you in less than a week. The last
due date is for the final draft which may reflect changes based on my suggestions, and once
again, changes based on your own continuing involvement with the topic. Failure to participate
in this process will have seriously jeopardizing effects to your grade.
Late Papers:
Umm . . . you’re kidding, right? The paper is due on the day it is due. Exceptions must be
backed by exceedingly clear and compelling reasons, and I must be informed of these reasons in
advance of the due date. Having too much to do will never be a legitimate excuse—remember I
was an undergrad once too. Papers that still somehow manage to be late after these strong
warnings will have their grades lowered a full grade for every day they are late. Keep in
mind, this is not class meeting days, but every single day counts, even if we don’t have class.
The reason is that you can turn the paper into my box in Calaveras. Ask a secretary to help you.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism can be roughly defined as using someone else’s ideas or exact words without giving
them credit and trying to pass them off as your own. To put it lightly—the act is not smiled upon
at this or any other school. Plagiarism can lead to expulsion, and I would rather have your
smiling faces still around, all right? Especially in this class, any clear effort to improve upon
your own thinking and writing skills will be rewarded—there’s no need to cheat. As cliché as it
sounds: you’d truly be only hurting yourselves. Intentional plagiarism is actually pretty rare, but
students do it on accident all the time. The reason is a lack of knowledge on proper way to cite
others’ ideas—we will be covering these techniques later in the semester.
Additional Assignments:
Most Fridays you will be turning in a response paper. A response paper is generally 2-3
pages and involves a close consideration either of a prompt I give you or of the readings for the
past week. These responses are incredibly important. Most of the time we will spend Mondays
discussing in class your responses from the previous week. Often, the response papers will
become part of your major paper assignments, so not doing them will ultimately effect your
ability to accomplish a graded assignment.
These responses are credited on a check/minus system. Check is sufficient effort, Check
Plus is excellent effort, and Check minus is insufficient effort but still credited. A minus means
you didn’t do the response paper or you were completely off base of what was being asked. I
expect quality thought put into these responses, and poor performance will be brought to your
attention. Response papers can not be made up. If they are not turned in first thing at the start of
class, you will not receive credit. This means they can not be e-mailed at a later time—my
leniency with previous classes have ruined that option for you, sorry. Additionally, all
response papers should be typed. Specific details for all will be given at the appropriate time.
Conferences:
Towards the end of the semester you will be required to attend a fifteen minute one-on-one
conference with yours truly. This meeting is not optional, and if you do not attend, your course
grade will be lowered by one full letter. During the meeting we will discuss your progress as a
writer, address any of your concerns, and speculate about your course grade going into the final
paper. You will also bring the magazine you plan to write about in your final paper and get my
approval of your thesis. One day of class will be canceled for these meetings. See your
calendar.
Final:
We have no in-class final. Instead you will submit a revised copy of Major Assignment #4. This
should reflect your best possible work and will make up a significant portion of your final grade.
Grading:
Major Assignments
Paper#1
Paper#2
Paper#3
45% of final grade
15%
15%
15%
Response Papers
20% of final grade
Class Participation
10% of final grade
Final
25% of final grade
Revised copy of paper #4
Failure to turn in any of the four major papers will result in an instant failing grade for the
class.
Attendance matters will be subtracted from the grade earned in the above criteria.
Remember: I encourage you to come see me during office hours at any point in the semester and
to discuss what ever you wish. I also check my e-mail daily, so feel free to drop me a question
no matter how insignificant you may think it is. Enjoy the semester.
Tentative List of Class Sessions and Due Dates
Through Paper #2 and Spring Break
These dates are subject to change at any time, but I will always give you plenty of warning in
advance. The rest of the calendar will be distributed after spring break. For reading
assignments, you should come to class on that date with the piece for the day read, and you
should be ready to immediately participate in class discussion about the essay.
Monday 01/24
Course Introduction
Wednesday 01/26
Why All this Fuss About Writing?
Friday 01/28
Read Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” Handout.
Defining Analysis
Due R1—Defining American
Monday 01/31
Read Paul Graham Essay on Essays
Discussion of R1
Wednesday 02/02
Read James Twitchell’s “Word from our Sponsor” p 468-474.
Pre-Writing Strategies/ Thinking Through Writing
Friday 02/04
Pre-Writing Strategies Activity Continues
Annotation Methods
Due R2—Defining Consumer
Monday 02/07
Read George Orwell’s “Politics & the English Language” p 51-65.
Discussion of R2
Abstraction
Wednesday 02/09
Major Paper #1 Assigned and Explained
Further Defining Analysis (Bumpersticker Example)
Read “How to Say Nothing in 500 words” Handout.
Friday 02/11
Read Patricia Williams’s “Gilded Lies & Liberal Guilt” p 386-388.
Read Jesse Jackson’s “Who Makes the Clothes we Wear” p 388-390.
The Concept of Audience
Work With Differing Audience’s Handout.
Due R3
Monday 02/14
Evils of Writer Based Prose
Wednesday 02/16
Bring 3 Copies of Major Paper #1 First Draft
Revision and Peer Editing Strategies
Friday 02/18
Workshop Day for Major Paper#1
bring responses to your peers
Due R4—Possessions versus Actions
Monday 02/21
Due 2nd Draft of Major Paper #1 to Me
What’s Wrong with “The Five Paragraph Essay?”
Wednesday 02/23
Thinking About Structure
Introductions and Thesis Statements
Friday 02/25
Methods of Idea Organization
Due: Final Draft of Major Paper #1
Due R5—Working with Organization
Monday 02/28
Read Studs Terkel’s “Who Built the Pyramids? Mike Lefevre” p 390-399.
Conclusions and Synthesis
Major Paper #2 Assigned and Explained
Wednesday 03/02
Transitions and Logical Flow
Classification Exercise Preview for Friday
Friday 03/04
Classification Exercise: Bring Food Packaging of Some Sort
Due R6—Package Analysis
Monday 03/07
Read Catherine Sykes’s “Living Better for Less” Handout.
In-Class Viewing (previous semesters have been American Idol,
Pimp my Ride—this semester, who knows?)
Bring 3 Copies of Major Paper #2 First Draft
Wednesday 03/09
Workshop Day for Major Paper #2
bring responses to your peers
Friday 03/11
Read Neil Postman’s “Virtual Students, Digital Classroom” p 142-152.
Due R7—Technology as God?
Monday 03/14
Further Defining of Analysis (Butcher Shoppe Example)
Discussion of R7
Wednesday 03/16
Due: Final Draft of Major Paper #2
Nonsense and Ways of Reading
Read in-class “I Saw a Peacock” by Anonymous Poet
Friday 03/18
TBA
Monday 03/21-03/25 Spring Break