Course Documents
Dr. Scott Earle
English 103 HOL: Argumentative Writing (5 credits)
Classroom: 22-10 Time: 7:50-10:00 W
Office: 20-9
Hours: 1:00-3:00 M, W, and by appointment
Email: searle@tcc.ctc.edu
Phone: 566-5283
Course Objectives: broad
English 103 HOL will further develop the skills you learned in English 101, including critical thinking,
secondary research, and the use of MLA documentation, but the writing will fall almost exclusively in
the realm of argumentation. Classical rhetoric as well as more contemporary Rogerian argumentation
will be brought to bear as models for composition and debate.
The course is designed to develop your ability to write sound and cogent arguments in several
academic disciplines and in the larger world outside academia. Course work focuses on strategies for
developing convincing evidence, with emphasis on critical thinking and library research skills. More
generally, the course will reinforce your understanding of the process of writing itself. Through the
practice of this process, which we shall explore as a class, individually, and online, you will be in a
position to apply what you have learned to virtually any writing environment.
Course Objectives: transferable skills
Upon completion of this course the student should be able to develop further proficiency in English 101
skills; analyze and evaluate the skeleton of an argument or proposition, main issues and supporting
evidence; recognize and assess audience profiles for an argument; recognize and assess the writer’s
commitment to issues and test whether such attachment has a rational basis; assess the evidence
provided for an argument: its factual strength, authoritative support, logical validity, and relevance to
the proposition; detect and evaluate persuasive rhetoric: irony, satire, anecdotal evidence, flattery and
analogies, and logical fallacies used to sway readers' emotions; recognize that different academic
disciplines may rely on different kinds of arguments consistent with the conventions of the discipline;
practice critical reading and logical thinking; draft and revise essays for reflective, persuasive analysis
geared to an appropriate audience; draft and revise paragraphs in terms of development and
coherence; write and edit sentences for correct grammar and punctuation; utilize effective
introductions, transitions, and conclusions; use library research skills in electronic, print, and other
sources to gather support for an argument; participate in collaborative projects; and combine with other
students to form a positive and helpful online learning environment.
Required Texts:
Crusius and Channell, _The Aims of Argument_, 4th ed.
Hacker, _A Writer’s Reference_, 4th ed. on up
Policies and Procedures:
Papers
I require five papers, all typed and double-spaced. The pages of the papers should be physically
connected via staple or paperclip. Papers are due on my desk on the days noted in the weekly
syllabus. Late papers will be dropped one letter grade for each calendar day they are past due. Online
submissions (as in the case of absence on due dates) may be accepted as late as midnight to receive
full credit. However, it is not my fault if you send a paper electronically and I do not receive it; the paper
will still accumulate late paper penalties until I actually do receive it either physically or electronically.
My order of preference for receiving papers is as follows: a) receiving the physical paper b) receiving
the paper in the digital drop box c) receiving the paper as an attachment in Microsoft Word to an email, along with a request that I acknowledge receipt.
Online quizzes
There will be occasional online quizzes on reading assignments or vocabulary. Quizzes missed cannot
be made up later, and failed quizzes due to computer problems likewise cannot be made up later.
Please carefully read instructions for quizzes.
Online work
Weekly online posts must be turned in by midnight FRIDAY, with responses to two classmates' posts
turned in by midnight SATURDAY. Note that we'll do two posts per week. For your SECOND online
post of the week, due dates are midnight MONDAY for the initial thread and midnight TUESDAY for
your two responses. You will not be penalized if your classmates don't have their posts up in time to be
reviewed; only they will be penalized. These deadlines apply, as well, for the online peer review
workshops that will be an important part of your writing process. Late work submitted online will
receive no credit; to be fair to all students, this applies at all times regardless of circumstances.
Finally, let me add a note about the pace of work in the online classroom: even though your Discussion
Board forums are all up early, I do not expect or want you to try to do everything at once. The
experience will be of most benefit if you adhere to the schedule described above (i. e., two forums per
week); that way you can give careful thought to the forums and respond in a timely, synchronous
manner to the thoughts of your classmates. To that end, I will award HALF POINTS ONLY to those
forums which are completed seven or more days in advance of the due date.
Attendance
My official attendance policy is to allow you one free absence. After that each absence will result in the
loss of one-half of a letter grade from your grade in the class.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism can be defined as the unauthorized use of another’s words or ideas—passing these off as if
they were your own. This is a serious academic offence that I will train you to avoid through proper
MLA documentation and discussion of library research techniques. Should you plagiarize, however, I
reserve the right to fail the paper containing the plagiarism. At my own discretion I might mitigate the
penalty to a reduction of one letter grade from the paper; alternately, for a particularly serious offense, I
reserve the right to refer you to the college for official sanction.
Final exam
There will be one final exam with an essay component and coverage of such items as class
vocabulary and reading comprehension and retention.
Students with special needs
All students are responsible for all requirements of the class, but the way they meet these
requirements may vary. If you need specific academic accommodations due to a disability, please
speak with me and with Disability Student Services (566-5338). Appropriate documentation must be
obtained from Disability Student Services in the Counseling Center in Building 18. This documentation
should be given to me before it is needed rather than after the fact so that appropriate arrangements
can be made.
Withdrawal from the class
Please make yourself aware of the college’s schedule for withdrawing from class. Withdrawing very
early in the quarter can be done without my signature, and even late in the quarter it can be done with
my signature. Failure to officially withdraw while absenting yourself in fact will result in failure of the
class.
Grading summary
Five papers 60%
Final 15%
Online quizzes 6%
Online activities 19%
Grading criteria set by the English Department of Tacoma Community College:
The “A" essay meets the following standards in all areas and excels in one or more of them:
--as a whole, the paper has a complex thesis displaying considerable thought and insight
--the organization is clear and consistent with that thesis and the intended audience
--paragraphs are fully developed with effective use of evidence and explanations
--there is sustained variety of sentence style, structure and diction
--the grammatical and punctuation errors are few, and only in sophisticated usage
--there are few, if any, spelling errors
The “B" essay meets the following standards in all areas:
--as a whole, the paper proposes a thoughtful thesis, which, however, might be considered more
predictable than insightful
--the organization is clear and consistent with that thesis and the intended audience
--with few exceptions, paragraphs are fully developed, with relevant and effective use of detail,
explanations and transitions
--sentences are clear, concise and correct but do not demonstrate sophistication of style, structure and
diction
--grammar, punctuation and spelling follow accepted conventions, with a few minor errors
The “C" essay meets the following standards with serious deficiency in one of the areas:
--as a whole, the paper proposes an identifiable thesis which, however, may be trivial, predictable, or
too general, and thus reflects shallowness of thought
--a pattern of organization exists, but it is inconsistent or incomplete
--some paragraphs lack supporting detail or adequate explanations and contain sentences only loosely
connected, lacking transitions
--most sentences are grammatically correct but are often excessively wordy or vague; structure and
style are monotonous, and diction flat or even inappropriate
--there may be a few serious errors in grammar or a profusion of minor errors
The “D" essay is seriously deficient in at least one of the following areas:
--as a whole, the paper possesses a poorly focused thesis, or a thesis which clearly demonstrates a
lack of thoughtfulness or insight on the part of the writer
--the organization is confusing, inconsistent, or incomplete
--paragraphs are poorly developed, containing little supporting detail, transitions, or sentences clearly
connected to the thesis
--the approach and tone are inappropriate to the topic and intended audience
--sentences are often incorrect in structure, wordy, vague or distracting; and word usage is
inappropriate, incorrect or inconsistent
--grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors are abundant
The “E" essay is unacceptable in any one of these areas:
--as a whole, the paper does not possess an identifiable thesis
--the paper does not fulfill the requirements of the assignment or address the assignment
--there is no discernable pattern of organization for the ideas presented
--paragraphs have no development which can be related to the thesis and within paragraphs there is
little discernible logical connection between sentences
--the paper offers no interpretation and no evidence
--presentation is so flawed (grammatically or otherwise) that the essay is unintelligible