Course: 1010-27, 10541
Times: TR 11am to 12:15pm
Location: Gibson Hall 308
Instructor: Dr. Patricia Burns
Email: pburns@tulane.edu
Office: Norman Mayer 202
Office hours: TR 2-3pm and 5-6pm,
or by appointment
English 1010: Writing
English Department Course Description
The purpose of English 1010 is to teach students to write clearly and to organize complex
arguments that engage in a scholarly way with expert knowledge. Toward that end,
students will learn to conduct independent research and to incorporate that material
appropriately into the sort of clear, complex, coherent arguments that characterize
academic discourse. In English 1010, students will learn that to write clearly means that
they must revise in order to eliminate any grammatical errors or stylistic flaws that might
undermine the author-audience relationship. They will also learn invention strategies and
principles of style and arrangement—for example, principles of emphasis, cohesion, and
figurative language, to name a few. Also, students must grow adept in the genre of
argument itself through work with models and templates (in this class, these models and
templates will come from Everything’s an Argument as well as from journalism, political
speeches, and various forms of popular culture and media). Students must learn,
moreover, that in order to create effective arguments they must cultivate strategies for
analyzing the texts of others—that is, they must grow adept at situating the texts of others
in a context, looking at them through the lens of some other body of thought, to see how
such a move heightens the significance of certain elements of the text under analysis. And
they must learn strategies for active, critical reading, strategies for deciphering why a text
might be arranged a certain way and what that arrangement might mean, as well as
strategies for summarizing and paraphrasing, and quoting. Also, they must learn to
conduct research in the library, evaluate sources, incorporate the work of others into their
texts, and follow the proper conventions of citation endorsed by the Modern Language
Association. English 1010 will include: 1) discussions as appropriate to a seminar; 2)
hands-on, productive work as appropriate to a studio or lab; 3) brief lectures; 4) regular
one-on-one conferencing with the teacher.
My Course Introduction
In this course we will explore the rhetoric of war by focusing on some of the controversies
that have emerged over the past decade or more of war. America’s current wars and
military entanglements make up a large portion of the political and social rhetoric of our
time. The nature of war necessarily engenders impassioned rhetoric; this rhetoric defines,
shapes, and questions our national values and goals. This course will provide a glimpse into
only a small portion of that rhetoric. Students will also learn to recognize the various
rhetorical strategies employed by those making arguments about war and how to
implement some of these strategies in their own work. Students are encouraged to keep up
with national news during this course and beyond.
Outcomes and Policies
Outcomes: Students will learn how to write clearly and how to develop complex, coherent
arguments that engage with expert knowledge through independent scholarly research and
correct citation of sources.
Attendance: Attendance, as well as punctual arrival and participation, are absolutely
essential; moreover, cell phones must be silenced, and text messaging and emailing are
strictly forbidden. These disruptions, as with tardiness, can be counted as absences. If a
student is late by more than 10 minutes, this will count as 1/3 of an absence. If a student
misses more than 20 minutes of a class, this is counted as an absence.
When a student absence results from serious illness, injury, or a critical personal problem,
that student must notify the instructor and arrange to complete any missed work in a
timely fashion. For an absence to be considered excused, the instructor must receive a
written statement from the student’s advisor or doctor.
Students are allowed to miss the equivalent of one week of class without penalty (2
classes). Thereafter, students will lose one-third of their final grade for every unexcused
absence from class. Once a student has accumulated the equivalent of three weeks (6
classes) of unexcused absences, he or she has automatically failed the class.
The instructor will document the dates of every student’s unexcused absences and file an
“Absence Report Form” for any of their students who accumulate three unexcused
absences. These forms are sent to the student and the student’s dean. If the student’s
attendance problem results in his or her failing the course, the instructor should file a
second “Absence Report Form” recommending that the student be withdrawn from the
course with an F.
Academic Dishonesty: This link will take you to the Newcomb-Tulane Code of Academic
Conduct: http://college.tulane.edu/code.htm. All students must take responsibility for
studying this code and adhering to it. We will devote some time in class to it. Our purpose,
in these discussions, will be not only to teach you how to avoid plagiarism and how to cite
sources, but to initiate you into the contemporary discussion of intellectual property and
the nuanced dynamics between individuality, authorship, and what’s sometimes called
intertextuality, so that you can make informed and thoughtful choices about your writing
for the rest of your university career and later in life.
The Grade of “Incomplete”: If a student has a legitimate excuse for being unable to complete
all of the work for a course, the instructor can give that student an “I” (Incomplete) on the
final grade sheet. A student must discuss the situation and be approved to get an
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“Incomplete” before final grades are submitted. Once approved, if the student does not
complete the work and the instructor does not change the grade, that grade will revert to
an F. The deadline for addressing incompletes varies each semester but is usually about
one month after the final exam period. The instructor will confirm with the student—in
writing—exactly what the student needs to finish and retain a dated copy of this
correspondence in the event that the student misses the deadline and then expresses
confusion about the new grade of “F.”
Students with Special Needs: Students who need special help with the course, such as notetaking, free tutoring, additional time and/or a distraction-reduced environment for tests
and final exams, may contact the Goldman Office of Disability Services (ODS), located in the
Center for Educational Resources & Counseling (ERC). It is the responsibility of the student
to register a disability with ODS, to make a specific request for accommodations, and to
submit all required documentation. On a case-by-case basis, ODS staff determines
disability status, accommodation needs supported by the documentation, and
accommodations reasonable for the university to provide. University faculty and staff, in
collaboration with ODS, are then responsible for providing the approved accommodations.
ODS is located in the ERC on the 1st floor of the Science and Engineering Lab Complex,
Building (#14). Please visit the ODS website for more detailed information, including
registration forms and disability documentation guidelines:
http://tulane.edu/studentaffairs/erc/services/disabilityserviceshome.cfm
Required Texts
Lunford and Ruszkiewicz’s Everything’s an Argument, sixth edition
Rodriques and Tuman’s A Norton Pocket Guide to Grammar and Punctuation
Texts and websites posted to the course Blackboard site (i.e. everything that is not in the
above two books can be found on Blackboard under Course Documents)
Assignments, Quizzes, and Papers
This course does not require a final exam. Assignments and papers are to be turned in on
time. A point will be deducted for each day that an assignment is late. Participation (i.e.
reading assignments, completing written work, and participating in discussion) is essential
for the smooth operation of the course and for your grade. Quizzes will be given randomly
to assess preparedness and to develop writing skills.
All assignments will be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font, with 1-inch margins, in
either Cambria, Calibri, or Times New Roman, have page numbers, and use MLA citation
style and include an MLA works cited. Make a heading on the first page, but do not repeat
headers or footers on each page. Never provide titles on short assignments. Always provide
titles for the four long papers. Titles should be in regular 12-point font—no bold, no
underlining, no italics, etc.
All assignments should be submitted to me by email. Assignments are on time if they are
submitted by email by class time on the day they are due. Title your document in the
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following way: Full Name Assignment.doc or .docx. All assignment prompts can be found
under Assignments on Blackboard and will also be distributed on paper in class.
Email
Note that email correspondence is considered an official form of communication at Tulane
University. You must regularly check the email address on file with the university. If you do
not know what email address is on file, please see me. I will try to send any emails
concerning class at least 24 hours in advance, where possible.
Please title your emails with one of the following descriptors: Assignment, Question,
Problem, etc. Only hit the reply button if you replying to the content of the email, otherwise
start a new thread.
Syllabus
Tuesday, January 15: Introduction to course and each other—Welcome!
Homework: Read Everything’s an Argument 3-13 and 18-21.
Thursday, January 17: Discuss reasons for and kinds of argument. Discuss timeline
project and pick dates.
Homework: Read Everything’s an Argument 395-402 and 410-416.
Tuesday, January 22: Library tutorial.
Homework: Read Everything’s an Argument 418-433 and skim 446-464. Begin
initial research to come up with a topic idea(s)—i.e. Google topic ideas, read
Wikipedia entries, find background information, etc.
Thursday, January 24: Summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting. Plagiarism.
Homework: Write a list of 5 possible paper topics. The topics should have
something to do with war (even if it is the drug war). Write a few sentences about
each idea telling me what you know, what you believe, what you have found out, and
what you don’t know about this topic. Due by email by class time on Tuesday. Take
Plagiarism Quiz – due by email by class time on Tuesday.
Tuesday, January 29: Topic ideas and Plagiarism Quiz due. Timeline presentation 2001
and 2002. MLA and grammar. Analysis unit goals.
Homework: Read “Pacifism” from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (once
are about halfway through, you may skim the rest of the assignment). Continue
researching your topic idea(s).
Thursday, January 31: Timeline presentations 2003 and 2004. Discuss “Pacifism” and
summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting.
Homework: Read Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace 14-37. Continue researching
your topic idea(s).
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Tuesday, February 5: Timeline presentations 2005 and 2006. Discuss PW for PP and
context. More MLA and grammar.
Homework: Read “The Responsibility to Protect.” Continue researching your
topic ideas.
Thursday, February 7: Timeline presentations 2007 and 2008. Discuss “The
Responsibility to Protect.”
Homework: Pick an article on your chosen topic, begin summarizing it.
Tuesday, February 12: MARDI GRAS!!!!! NO CLASSES!
Thursday, February 14: Timeline presentations 2009, Jan-Jul 2010, Aug-Dec 2010, Jan-Jul
2011, Aug-Dec 2011, Jan-Jul 2012, and Aug-Dec 2012.
Homework: Write Summary 1.
Monday, February 18 to Thursday, February 21: Extra office hours for one-on-one
conferencing.
Tuesday, February 19: Summary 1 due. In class readings and analysis practice. Sample
student Analysis papers.
Homework: Read George W. Bush’s “Address to the Congress and the Nation” (4
pgs.) and “Operation Iraqi Freedom Address to the Nation” (1 pg.) and Cindy
Sheehan address to Congress 114-121.
Thursday, February 21: Discuss readings, analyze through context of “Pacifism.”
Homework: Write Summary 2. Read “Bush Knew Saddam had no Weapons of Mass
Destruction” (4 pgs.).
Tuesday, February 26: Summary 2 due. Discuss reading in context of PW for PP and
“R2P.”
Homework: Read Everything’s an Argument 131-150. Work on Analysis paper.
Thursday, February 28: Argument unit goals. Discuss Toulmin system. In-class readings.
Homework: Work on Analysis paper.
Tuesday, March 5: Analysis paper due. Toulmin system and in-class readings.
Homework: Read Noam Chomsky’s 9-11 pgs. 23-33, 43-54, and 59-62, and
Hitchens’ “A Rejoinder to Noam Chomsky” 421-427.
Thursday, March 7: Discuss readings and argument.
Homework: Write They Say essay and bring paper or electronic copy to class.
Tuesday, March 12: They Say workshop/peer review.
Homework: Revise They Say. Read They Say/I Say 49-73.
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Thursday, March 14: They Say due. Discuss They Say/I Say model. In-class reading and
practice using They Say/I Say templates.
Homework: Read sample student Argument papers.
Tuesday, March 19: Discuss sample student Argument papers. Toulmin practice.
Homework: Write I Say. Read Lewis “Making Torture Legal” (7 pgs.), Harris “In
Defense of Torture” (2 pgs.).
Thursday, March 21: I Say due. Discuss readings. Review for Argument paper.
Homework: Work on Argument paper.
March 25-29: SPRING BREAK!!!! NO CLASSES!
Tuesday, April 2: Go over Research unit and begin writing Research Question essay.
Homework: Work on Argument paper.
Thursday, April 4: Argument paper due. TBA.
Homework: Write Research Question. Skim Department of Justice memos and
Salon’s Abu Ghraib files.
Tuesday, April 9: Research Question due. Discuss Abu Ghraib scandal and shaping
research. Discuss Abu Ghraib trial and private contractors.
Thursday, April 11: NO CLASS – Mandatory 1-on-1 meetings this week in my office (NM
202).
Homework: Work on Research paper.
Tuesday, April 16: In-class readings on drone warfare and research prep.
Homework: Work on Research paper.
Thursday, April 18: TBA.
Homework: Work on Research paper.
Tuesday, April 23: Research paper due. Hybrid unit goals, audience, medium, and
brainstorming.
Homework: Watch KONY 2012.
Thursday, April 25: Discuss KONY 2012. Audience and medium.
Homework: Work on Hybrid paper.
Tuesday, April 30: LAST CLASS DAY! Peer review for Hybrid paper. Course wrap-up.
Tuesday, May 7: Hybrid paper due by email by 8am.
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Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grades
Assignment
Summary 1
Summary 2
Analysis Paper
They Say essay
I Say essay
Argument Paper
Research question essay
and list of 5 sources.
Research Paper
Hybrid Paper
Timeline entry and
presentation
Quizzes, Informal
Assignments, and
Participation**
Number of
Pages
2
2
5
2
2
5
2 + works
cited
5
5
At least 10
items, at least
5 minutes long
n/a
Due Date
Points Possible*
Feb 19
Feb 26
Mar 5
Mar 14
Mar 21
Apr 4
Apr 9
2.5
2.5
15
2.5
2.5
15
5
Apr 23
May 7 by 8am
See syllabus
for your
specific date
n/a
15
15
10
15
*There are 100 points possible for the course. Grade distribution will follow the Tulane
University breakdown and +/- grades will be awarded accordingly
** Participation is strongly encouraged in this discussion and writing class. Good
participation is marked by regular attendance, completion of homework assignments,
being prepared for class with course materials and books in-hand, thoughtful and regular
participation in class discussion, and active engagement during in-class writing
assignments and peer reviews.
Note: You will lose participation points for surfing the web, using your phone, or showing
up late.
Here’s what you should know about this grading scale: It’s hard, but not as hard as it looks!
Short assignments, participation, and quizzes make up 40% of your grade. These
assignments are meant for practice. I will correct mistakes, give commentary, and offer
advice for revision, but I will grade these assignments “easy.” To get full points on these
assignments you have to fulfill the assignment requirements and turn them in on time.
Long Papers make up 60% of your grade. There are 4 of them and they are out of 15 points
each. I grade these assignments “hard.” Most students, on average, score at least 10 points
on long paper assignments. Thus, if you turn in all your short assignments, participate and
prepare for class, do the 2-point extra credit assignment, and get 10/15 on all of your
papers, you are likely to get a B. So, when you get a 10/15, don’t think: “Oh, man, that’s a
66%!!! I’m totally failing! I hate this teacher!! She is so mean and unfair!!!” Instead think:
“Okay, I’m only 5 points back from 100, so I can still get an A, and definitely a B if I keep
turning things in, making sure I understand the assignments, following directions, paying
attention to detail, and doing my best.”
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Paper and Section Goals
The Analysis Unit
In this section you will pick a topic, pick an analytical text to use for your paper, and write
summaries of your analytical text and one outside source. The purpose of the summaries is
to give you practice at articulating what is important in a given piece of writing (what is
emphasized, what is foregrounded, what type of argument is used, etc.) as well as practice
summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting.
In the simplest sense, an analysis paper is a paper that discusses some text through the lens
of some other text; it asks, in this new, explicit context, what special features of the text
under consideration become more important or more ambiguous or more controversial or
more meaningful than they otherwise might seem? What aspects of the text ought one to
quote in order to support the analysis under development? What aspects ought one to
paraphrase?
The Argument Unit
In this section you will again be asked to summarize the arguments of others according to
key terms in the craft of argument: claim, warrant, evidence, and logic. This constitutes
what “they say” about your topic. You will next articulate what “you say” and how it
departs from what others say. These exercises will help you develop your argument paper
where you will craft what “they say” as a claim with warrants, evidence, logic, and counterclaims that you take up only to dismantle.
In the simplest sense, an argument paper is a paper that stakes out a position that opposes
a position staked out in some other piece of writing. It coheres around a basic structure, in
which the paper first summarizes some particular position attributed to others and then
delineates its own position as a departure from that other position. This exercise will
foreground how to articulate claims, how to use warrants, what counts as strong evidence,
what kinds of logic to use, and how to avoid fallacies.
The first two papers in the course are very structured. Luckily, the third and fourth
paper let’s you do most of the shaping and argument formation.
The Research Unit
In this unit you will be go through a series of steps whereby you begin with a general
interest (already determined in the analysis unit), which you then re-frame as a topic, and,
in turn, a question; once you’ve articulated the question, you must learn to reframe it yet
again as a problem in the world that, if it remains unsolved, will carry certain costs – i.e. the
“so what” question. Also, the problem should be framed in a way that leads to a particular
set of sources where its solution can be found. Research has many sub-steps: Before a topic
can become a question, for example, the writer must focus the topic, and, to focus the topic,
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the writer must turn a phrase into a sentence, and that sentence, in turn, into an interesting
– that is, contestable – claim, one worth articulating as a research-question.
I am working on the topic of _____1____, so that I can find out ____2____. Knowing
_______2_______ will help me to better explain _______3_______.
I want my readers to better understand ______3______; for if they don’t better understand it,
____4_______ might happen to them.
The Hybrid Unit
In this unit you will continue to locate, summarize, and evaluate the arguments of others at
the same time that you will continue to advance your own argument in regards to your
topic. The hybrid paper allows you to take the skills you have learned from the previous
three sections, and synthesize them for your final project. The audience for your final
project will be your peers and you will be asked to find a new medium in which to publish
your work.
Grading Rubrics
Each long paper will have it’s own 15-point rubric and points will be determined
accordingly. Here is an example of what a typical rubric might look like:
Content: Insights are …
many, complex, ambitious, surprising, and carefully situated among readings [3 points]
somewhat familiar, few in number, simpler, and with limited relation to readings [2 points]
only slight extensions of class discussion without real engagement with readings [1 point]
discernible only as repetition of class discussion without relevance to reading [0 points]
Complexity: The paper as a whole offers . . . .
several insights disrupt a common-sense, first-glance at what’s analyzed [3 points]
a few insights that shift the reader’s experience of what’s analyzed [2 points]
only one insight that offers little by way of new perspective on what’s analyzed [1 point]
no new insights at all [0 points]
Coherence / Arrangement: Focus is ....
an elegant juxtaposition of the entity under analysis [3 points]
a haphazard articulation of the dynamic between the analyzed text and context [2 points]
an awkward, even jumbled rotating between text and context [1 point]
no discernible relation between what’s analyzed and the context [0 points]
Coherence / Style: Sentences are . . .
varied in distinctive, consistent, original voice and memorable phrases [3 points]
is less varied, voice less distinctive, occasional lapsing into the less-than-graceful [2 points]
sentence-structure repetitive, dull, and often awkward [1 point]
several sentences sufficiently ill-formed to distract reader from intended message [0 point]
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Clarity: The prose has . . . .
No errors [3 points]
only a few, very minor errors [2 points]
a few errors that significantly distract the reader [1 point]
several errors that significantly distract the reader [0 points]
Grading Standards
The A Paper ... is characterized by the freshness, ambition, maturity, coherence, and complexity of its content.
Its claims are stated clearly and effectively, supported well, with relevant nuances interpreted and delineated
in ways that go beyond the obvious. It manifests a distinctive voice that explicitly engages a meaningful
rhetorical context and, in turn, an actual audience. It situates itself thoroughly among assigned readings,
perhaps even key, related texts in public discourse. It effectively balances the specific and the general, the
compelling detail and the larger point, personal experiences and direct observations of the outer world. It
grows out of large-scale revisions (both in terms of content and structure). It not only fulfills the assignment,
but inventively uses the assignment as an occasion to excel. Its only errors, if any, are purely typographical
and quite rare. Finally, it manifests a certain stylistic flair – the bon mot, the well-turned phrase, the
significant metaphor – that helps to make it, for the reader, memorable.
The B Paper ... is characterized by content that is a relatively familiar, less daring, less integrated or a little
simpler than one might hope. Its claims could use more support or more exploration, or could perhaps be
stated more directly. Its voice could be more distinct and it could situate itself more engagingly in the
rhetorical context and go farther to reach its audience. It could do more with the assigned readings, create a
better balance between specific and general, detail and idea, personal anecdote and larger point. It fulfills the
assignment, but in a way slightly perfunctory. It makes very few errors and shows no systematic
misunderstanding of the fundamentals of grammar, but its overall structure might appear somewhat uneven.
Finally, it could benefit from more large-scale revision and from more careful attention to its style at the
sentence-by-sentence level.
The C Paper ... is characterized by overmuch dependence on the self-evident, is dotted with cliché, and is
inadequately informative. Its essential point is uninteresting or only hazily set forth or developed aimlessly. It
has no particular voice, nor any significant sense of context or audience, nor any real engagement with other
texts. In terms of the dynamics between detail and idea, it seems to lose the forest-for-the-trees or vice versa.
It fulfills the assignment but does so in a way wholly perfunctory. It has grammatical errors that significantly
disrupt the reading experience. It has not been sufficiently revised.
The D Paper ... is characterized by minimal thought and effort, which shows through the absence of a
meaningful, central idea or the lack of any controlled development of that idea. It fails to fulfill some key
aspect of the assignment. It makes no meaningful use of other texts nor ever situates itself in any sort of
context. It needlessly offends its audience. Its sentences and paragraphs are both built around rigidly
repeated formula and soon become predictable. It is riddled with error. It has apparently never been revised.
The F Paper ... is characterized by plagiarism or lateness or a total misunderstanding of the assignment or is
simply incomprehensible owing to a plethora of error or desperately poor organization. It has not only not
been revised – it really hasn’t been begun.
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