ENGLISH 104: CITIZENSHIP, RESPONSIBILITY,
AND
Instructor: George Phillips
Office: 1318 POT (mailbox: 1215 POT)
015: MF 9:00-10:40
OH: MF 10:40-12:10 and by appt.
129, F: CB 235
Office Phone: 7-7055 (dept. phone: 7-7008)
email: george.phillips@uky.edu
COMMUNITY
Fall 2005
Section
M: DH
Introduction
This course has several overlapping aims, the most basic of
which are to encourage you to be reading, thinking about,
and discussing our assigned readings; to be engaging in a
dialogue with the readings by responding to them
critically; and to help you to acquire the tools necessary
for writing interesting, cogent essays for a general
academic audience that draw upon a variety of sources.
More broadly, though, it is my hope that doing these things
will help prepare you for the college and civic lives that
you are now beginning.
Required Texts and Materials
Citizenship, Responsibility and Community: A Reader for
First Year Writing
The Penguin Handbook, U of KY edition
Writing at UK, 2005-2006
A pocket folder
Assignments and Grading
Major Writing Projects (70%). This class is made up of
four units, each culminating in a Major Writing Project.
Three will be 5-7 pages; the final Major Writing Project
will be 10-12 pages. Each Major Writing Project counts as
follows toward your final grade:
Major
Major
Major
11/11
Major
Writing Project I (15%)
Writing Project II (15%)
Writing Project III
(15%)
Due 9/19
Due 10/14
Due
Writing Project IV (25%)
Due 12/9
All major writing projects are graded according to the
Writing Program’s policies. See “Grading System” of the
Writing Program Guidelines or pp. 35ff in Writing at UK for
further details.
Daily Response Papers (10%)
For most readings students will write a one-page Daily
Response Paper. These will consist of two paragraphs: one
objective summary of the reading and one that will respond
critically and specifically to the ideas and points
presented in the essay. At the beginning of each class, I
will call on a couple of students to read aloud from these
papers. This will provide the basis for our class
discussion.
Class Participation (10%)
Each of our class periods lasts over an hour and a half,
which will provide ample opportunity to ask at least one or
two questions and/or make one or two remarks. Being
prepared to read from your response paper goes will take
you far. Class participation grades will be based on
attentiveness to the subject-matter of that day’s reading
assignment and our discussion of it, not on how many
questions are asked or how impressive a comment sounds. In
addition, students will sign up for a day on which they
will give a brief (2-3 minute) presentation on the
author(s) we are reading for that day.
Workshops (10%)
The class meeting before a Major Writing Project is due
will be devoted to workshopping drafts. In these class
sessions, students will get in groups to read and evaluate
each other’s essays according to the workshop questions on
the board for the day. The workshop grade will be based on
how thoroughly and attentively students answer the workshop
questions (thorough, attentive, and constructive answers
will be rewarded; short, unthoughtful, and/or irrelevant
answers will not). Students who do not bring drafts will
not be able to participate in workshops and will receive an
“E” for that workshop grade and will be excused from class
to continue working on their drafts. Students who miss
Workshop days because of unexcused absences will not be
able to make up the grade.
Attendance
In compliance with English 104 policy, students who miss
more than 20% of class sessions will not be able to pass
the class (see pp. 2-3 of the Writing Program Guidelines or
p. 38 of Writing at UK). For us, that means missing more
than six (6) classes. Being more than twenty (20) minutes
late, sleeping during class, and reading material not
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related to this class will all count as an absence. I will
monitor absences, but students are responsible for keeping
up with their own absences throughout the semester.
Other Policies
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course.
are expected to familiarize themselves with the
university’s guidelines regarding plagiarism.
Students
Late work: Essays and drafts are due at the beginning of
class. As soon as class starts, late essays will be
penalized one letter grade for each day it is late except
in the case of excused absences. Electronic or handwritten
essays will not be accepted.
It is required and indeed expected that students will treat
each other with respect during class discussions.
Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other
electronic devices before class begins.
Major Writing Project I: The Ethics of Community
Requirements: This essay should be 5-7 pages (1750-2450 words) and should refer to at
least one of our readings in this unit. Essays will be graded according to the Writing
Program’s Grading Criteria—see pp. 35-7 in Writing at UK for a detailed outline.
The purpose of this assignment is to introduce you to the topic of community, to help you
become familiar with the meaning(s) of “community,” to help you learn to navigate the
tension between individual goals and community values, and to encourage you to find the
common ground on which you can defend a conscionable existence with regard to your
community.
The authors we will be reading in this unit harbor strong beliefs. Parker Palmer
challenges common notions of “truth” within a community, Martin Luther King insists
that he could not stay away from Birmingham, Barbara Kingsolver contends communities
could benefit more from the wisdom of children, Le Guin drives home her point with
wicked allegory, and Orwell passionately warns of the dangers of not taking language
seriously. Yet we live in a culture that values irony, detachedness, and individuality. If
the values that these authors espouse are applicable to the 21st century (and I think they
are), how would you suggest we apply them? What are some active steps that can be
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taken toward infusing responsibility back into society? Into the lives of your friends?
Into your own life?
Other issues for consideration: Explain your notion of community and how it has
changed after these readings. What layers of meaning does the word “community” carry
for you? What is the most important community that you belong to? What are your
obligations to that community? Explain the tensions that exist between your personal life
and your life as a member of that community. What kind of life do you live in relation to
your community and how does that life compare to the kind of person you want to be?
How do we find the ideal middle ground between individual values and community
values?
Tentative Assignment Sequence
August
26 – First day of class
29 – Read Palmer. Daily Response Paper.
September
2 – Read King. Daily Response Paper.
5 – (Labor Day)
9 – Read Kingsolver. Daily Response Paper.
12 – Read Le Guin and Orwell. Daily Response Paper for Le Guin and 1 paragraph
proposal for Writing Project I. Bring Writing at UK.
16 – Workshop drafts
*19 – Major Writing Project I Due
Major Writing Project II: American Citizens, American Community
Requirements: This essay should be 5-7 pages (1750-2450 words), should refer to exactly
two readings in this unit. Essays will be graded according to the Writing Program’s
Grading Criteria—see pp. 35-7 in Writing at UK for a detailed outline.
Goals: To problematize American culture; to encourage you to address problems of
America with creative solutions; to enable you to identify the diverse markers of American
culture in local surroundings; to encourage you to recognize that you are capable of helping
others within their community.
Assignment: One definition of community is an enclave of people who share a common
ethnicity, religion, sexuality, value, etc. that is different from the majority. Such
communities create tension when they are marginalized and not allowed the same
opportunities as the majority and privileged are. If our country takes equality seriously,
how can citizens of different communities come together to find common ground?
Design a not-for-profit organization that helps fulfill promises of equality and
opportunity to communities with different—sometimes even competing—interests. It is your
job to break down barriers that separate different communities in Lexington or on campus
over the course of the next twelve months. You’ll need to outline the mission of your
organization, to decide which part of Lexington (or campus if you choose to be only
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campus-wide) to set up shop, and to name the organization. But most importantly, you
must identify the communities you want to bring together and draw up with a plan of action
by which you plan to bring some of those communities together, perhaps beginning with a
single event. Be as realistic as possible. Remember that inviting the entire city to a picnic,
for example, won't necessarily bring diverse segments of the population, and in any event
it's only a short-term solution. (You may assume that your budget is adequate to anything
not too lavish.)
Reading Assignments
September
23 – Read de Tocqueville and Havel. Daily Response Paper on either (not both).
(Presentations: Jenné “the Jet” and Logan B.)
26 – Read Norris. Daily Response Paper. (Presentation: Sara A.)
30 – Read Mukherjee and Yerzierska (e-reserve). Daily Response Paper on either and
MWP II proposal due. (Pres: Chad and Jordyn R.)
October
3 – Read Durning. Daily Response Paper. (Pres: Jamal)
[7 – Fall Break]
10 – Workshop drafts
*14 – Major Writing Project II Due
Major Writing Project III: The University Community
Requirements: This essay should be 5-7 pages (1750-2450 words). It should refer to at
least one of our readings in this unit and at least one outside approved source (interviews
are acceptable but must be approved). Essays will be graded according to the Writing
Program’s Grading Criteria—see pp. 35-7 in Writing at UK for a detailed outline.
Goals: To get you to think about your roles in the university; to cultivate an active sense
of education and an active role in the university
There are two options for this essay. Please choose one.
Option 1: In this essay, you will assess your own educational philosophy as a student.
Everyone agrees that education is valuable and that students should make the most of
their educational opportunities. You must have certain expectations of your college
education, and you decided to come to UK rather than any other college or university.
Now the question remains: how can you make the most of your education at UK in
the time you have? How can you participate in what bell hooks calls “engaged
pedagogy?” Are there factors beyond your control that can limit your educational
opportunities? If so, how do you plan to address those limitations? Are there benefits
to being at UK versus another institution? Disadvantages?
Option 2: Write an essay on the presence of corporations at UK. (You might find it
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helpful as you go through your normal routine on a normal day to keep count of how
many ads, corporate logos, corporate names, and so forth that you see on campus.)
Questions to consider: What messages does all this corporate presence send? Put
another way, what kind of education do you expect from an institution with a
substantial corporate presence versus one with little or no corporate representation?
Does a sizable corporate presence mean more advantages or more disadvantages?
How does this corporate presence make you feel as a student and member of the UK
community?
Daily Assignment Schedule
October
21 – Read Barber. Daily Response Paper.
24 – Read hooks (e-reserve). Daily Response Paper.
28 – Read Tannen. Daily Response Paper
31 – Read Anyon (e-reserve). Daily Response Paper and Writing Project III Proposal (at
least 1 paragraph).
November
4 – Read Malcolm X (e-reserve). Daily Response Paper.
7 – Workshop drafts
*11 – Major Writing Project III Due
Major Writing Project IV: Writing as Civil Disobedience
Requirements: This essay should be 10-12 pages (3500-4200 words) and should refer to
at least two of our readings in the coursepack and at least two approved outside academic
sources. Essays will be graded according to the Writing Program’s Grading Criteria—
see pp. 35-7 in Writing at UK for a detailed outline. Although you may use thoughts,
inquiries, perspectives, and so forth from previous writing assignments, you will not be
permitted to use any previous any of your previous writing material word-for-word. This
means that if you feel that part or all of an earlier essay has some bearing on this
assignment, it must be rewritten for this project.
Goals: To get students thinking about writing as a tool for social change; to practice
bringing a longer writing project from the level of concept to the status of completed,
engaging essay.
Assignment: This writing project is a chance for you to advocate for an issue of
significance as a serious writer. In this class we’ve covered a range of issues under three
broad headings: the responsibilities individuals have to their communities; the insistence
that there is one kind of “America” despite America’s ethnic, religious, and cultural
diversity; and education at the University of Kentucky. Many writers we’ve read this
semester are using their writing to fight injustice within those issues. Now it’s your turn.
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You are welcome to revisit any issue that you have written about this semester (with the
above stipulation), but I also welcome investigations of issues you haven’t yet written
about. As with previous MWPs, you must approve your topic with me ahead of time in
your proposal. I will approve papers that seek an investigation of an issue (a paper on
some specific ways in which the UK campus community could be improved, for
example) but simple position papers intended to argue one side of a controversial or
stalemated issue (a paper on abortion, for example) will not be approved. To give you an
idea, issues that are worthy of this assignment include arguing for an alternative course of
study at UK that might be more beneficial than the current curriculum; meaningfully
exploring issues of rights (be they the rights of an ethnic group, of a religious group, of a
nation, of voters, of factory workers, of farmers, of students, of teachers, etc.); advocating
for a marginalized community whose concerns are not being heard; picking up an issue
that you find important but is neglected by the media or mainstream conversations.
Note that your proposal is due next Monday (Nov. 21). It must contain the generative
question that your essay will explore, at least one reading from this class that you plan to
include in your essay AND why, and an idea of where you’ll start looking for outside
sources if you don’t already know what outside sources you’ll be using.
Also note that you will turn in a source proposal on the day of our first workshop. This is
so you have decided on your sources before you have written the bulk of your draft. This
is an important component to engaging with your sources. Choose them carefully: the
most valuable sources are those that make you want to get into a discussion with; the
least valuable are those that have one sentence that you quote to add to a point you could
make without that source.
Finally, in accordance with Writing Program guidelines, you must pass this essay in order
to pass this course. Take this assignment very seriously. It is not only your exit exam for
this course, it is also likely the most important document you will write this semester.
And, in case you needed more incentive than that, I will be nominating outstanding
papers to the Writing Program’s essay contest, which carries a $500 prize in addition to
fame and prestige.
Daily Schedule
November
18 – Read Thoreau. Questions due. Handbook.
21 – Read Berry. Questions due. Handbook. Writing Project IV Proposal Due (1/2 to 1
page).
25 – (Thanksgiving holiday)
28 – Read Lame Deer. Handbook. No response (work on drafts)
December
2 – Draft (7 pp. min.) and source proposal due. Workshop drafts. Handbook.
5 – Draft due (10 pp. min.). Workshop drafts. Handbook.
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*9 – Major Writing Project IV Due*
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