Composition II: Argumentation
Instructor: Karma de Gruy
MWF 10:40-11:30, xxxxxxxxx
E-mail: kdegruy@usouthal.edu
Office: HUMB 273
Office Hours: M 12-2 and by appt
Website: http://xxxxxxx.wordpress.com
Course Description and Objectives:
Composition I: This course prepares you to write in other courses at USA. EH 101 seeks to help you with
specific types of writing done at USA and most colleges, to increase your understanding of the writing
process, and to familiarize you with the notions of rhetoric and audience analysis. Composition II shares
and furthers the goals of EH 101, and further seeks to help you write argumentative essays and essays
based on what other people have written.
Composition II is designed to teach you how to write clear, effective, documented essays and to guide
you in evaluating and developing an effective argument. The course will culminate with your writing a
well-researched and documented research paper. Along the way you will write shorter essays which will
help you develop your evaluation, analysis, and argumentation skills. Related course goals are to
strengthen your skills in paraphrasing, summarizing, and incorporating quoted passages into your written
work. This course will emphasize the practice of “critical reading,” whereby you not only read a
particular text but also interact with it, posing questions, evaluating information, and elaborating on
relevant points. Our classroom will function as a community of readers and writers; we will interact with
each other in this class. As you read and revise your own work as well as provide constructive feedback
for others, you will have the opportunity to make your writing clearer and more effective. The writing
skills you practice in this course will be beneficial for academic writing assignments as well as your
future professional careers.
Required texts:
 Barnet, Sylvan and Hugo Bedau. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: A Brief Guide to
Argument. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.
 The Little, Brown Handbook Brief Version: LB Brief with Resources for Composition at the
University of South Alabama. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2005.
 Sec 125: two red pocket folders
 Sec 128: two blue pocket folders
Attendance and Participation: This is not a lecture course. Nearly every class will involve a writing
workshop in which you will work in pairs or small groups, sharing your ideas/evaluations about assigned
readings, engaging in brainstorming sessions, or providing useful feedback to first drafts of your formal
essays. Active participation in group activities is a requirement of this course. Your class participation
grade reflects your degree of commitment to and participation in group activities, particularly peer
response workshops.
As we will be working on many assignments during the semester, each designed to help improve your
writing, it is essential that you attend class regularly and come to class prepared. [standard copy]
Honor Code and Plagiarism: [standard copy]
Formal Papers: You will submit six formal essays for evaluation and feedback. The working and final
drafts of these essays must be typed and accompanied by all earlier drafts and the peer response sheets. I
will not accept an essay that is not accompanied by a first draft. If you happen to miss a scheduled peer
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response session, you are responsible for asking two members of the class to respond to your essay
outside of class.
LB Brief with Resources for Composition (LBB) specifies goals, policies, and requirements for all
composition students (see Sections 3 and 7-11 in particular). For example, some assigned work might not
be graded with a letter grade, but prompt completion of all work is essential to passing EH 102. Any
assignment not completed on time because of an unexcused absence will be lowered by five points (half a
letter grade) for each calendar day the assignment is late (see p. 596 of LBB). The grade for a paper will
be lowered by five points if you fail to turn in drafts or other related work on the due date for this work.
Portfolio: Your portfolio, containing homework assignments and class activities, will be collected near
the end of the semester. You will receive a grade for your portfolio based on the number of assignments
completed and the overall effort you have made. Homework assignments should be typed; exceptions are
in-class exercises, brainstorming, or idea mapping exercises, which should still be legible. Do not wait
until the end of the semester to do these assignments; you will be expected to contribute in class based on
the reading and writing you have done in preparation for the class period, and I will spot check work.
Assignments and grading:
Essay 1: Objective Summary
Essay 2: Responding to an Essay
Essay 3: Compare and Contrast Views
Essay 4: Argument Analysis
Essay 5: Fact-Finding Paper
Essay 6: Researched Argument
Participation
Portfolio
10%
10%
10%
10%
15%
20%
10%
15%
Disability Accommodation: [standard copy]
Since classes do not all progress at the same rate, I may modify the course requirements or their timing as
circumstances dictate. You will be given adequate notification should it become necessary to change
course requirements or the schedule of assignments.
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS
All homework and material covered will be posted on the course website, which you should check
regularly. We will cover most of the first six chapters of our text during the semester, with some
supplemental material from later sections.
All reading assignments are in our text, Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing, unless otherwise noted.
Week
I
M: Diagnostic essay; Welcome to the course and introductions. Homework: 1. Buy
required texts. 2. Read pages (pp.) 3-9 in Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing (CTRW). 3.
Write a one paragraph response to the 1989 West Virginia law (pp. 3-4).
W: Imagination, analysis and evaluation. Pair task: Writing a dialogue on the West
Virginia law (p. 26, ex. 1). Homework: 1. Read pp. 9-15. 2. Write a letter to the editor: choose
one of the three topics presented at the bottom of p. 13 and use the model presented on p. 14
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F: Examining assumptions: Silber. Read examples of our letters to the editor in class.
Homework: 1. Read pp. 15-21 (Paul Goodman, “A Proposal to Abolish Grading” and Leon
Botstein, “A Tyranny of Standardized Tests”). 2. Answer questions 1, 2, 5 (p. 18) and 1, 3 (p. 21).
II
M: Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial holiday: no class. USA: 50% refund period begins
W: Go over homework questions. Checklist for examining assumptions (p. 14) -- examining
Goodman’s and Botstein’s assumptions. Small group task: p. 26, ex. 2 (a, b, or e -- pros and
cons). Homework: Read pp. 27-31.
F: USA: no refunds after this date. Previewing, skimming, annotating, analytic reasoning.
Homework: Read Susan Jacoby, “A First Amendment Junkie” (pp. 36-8)
III
M: Active Reading-- annotating and elaborating. -- posing questions about the reading material.
Individual task: decide on your position on the pornography issue in the reading; then reread
Jacoby essay, annotating and elaborating. Homework: None. Take a break.
W: Paraphrasing -- class paraphrase of first few sentences in Jacoby essay -- pair task: paraphrase
paragraph #11 (Jacoby). Homework: Write a 250 word response (one full page typed) to the
Jacoby essay. Do you agree with her? Why or why not?
F: Responding to an essay. Introduce Essay 1: Responding to an Essay. Pair task: Compare
responses to Jacoby essay -- use guidelines for responding to an essay. Homework: 1. Read Susan
Brownmiller, “Let’s Put Pornography Back in the Closet” (pp. 43-45). 2. Answer questions 1, 3,
5 (pp. 45-6)
IV
M: Go over homework questions. Discuss Brownmiller and hate speech. Distribute Essay I
prompt. Homework: Draft Essay I. Bring TWO copies of your essay to the next class.
W: Peer Editing Workshop for Essay I. Homework: Begin revising Essay I
F: Revision. Summarizing: -- pairs summarize “On Racist Speech” in one paragraph
-- compare summaries. Homework: 1. Continue revising Essay I. The final version is due on
Monday, February 9th.
V
M: ESSAY I IS DUE. Peer response to Essay I (handout). Homework: Read Ronald Takaki, “The
Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority” (pp. 103-04) and write a one paragraph (100 words)
summary of the essay.
W: -- Pairs exchange and review summaries. Introduction to argumentation: -- Definitions (by
synonym, by example, by stipulation)
F: Argumentation: -- Small group task: define “student.” Homework: Reread Brownmiller’s
essay on pornography (pp. 43-45) as well as pp. 61 (bottom) - 66 (top). Offer a one paragraph
definition of pornography (consistent with Brownmiller’s view) based on the following:
synonym, example, stipulation, mentioning the essence, and stating necessary and sufficient
conditions.
VI
M: -- Pairs exchange and review definitions. Assumptions: -- unexamined beliefs; -- identify
Brownmiller’s assumptions. Homework: Read pp. 66-72 and offer two valid syllogisms and one
invalid one (using the model on page 71) about students
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W: Comparing/Contrasting two views. Introduce Essay 2: Comparison/Contrast of two views on
an issue. -- inserting brief quotes into an essay (signal words). Homework: Read Charles R.
Lawrence III, “On Racist Speech” (pp. 46-50) + Derek Bok, “Protecting Freedom of Expression
on the Campus” (pp. 51-52). Write down each writer’s thesis.
F: Compare Lawrence’s and Bok’s theses. Deduction. Sound Arguments. -- group task: Are
Lawrences’s and Bok’s arguments sound? Homework: Draft essay 2 and bring TWO copies of
your draft to the next class.
VII
M: Peer Response Workshop. Homework: 1. Revise Essay 2. The final version is due next class.
W: Essay 2 is due. Homework: Read James Q. Wilson, “Just Take Away Their Guns” (pp. 10508). Answer questions 1, 2, 4, 5 on p. 108.
F: Discuss Wilson essay (go over question 1). -- Is his argument sound? Induction. Evidence.
-- group task: Examine evidence in Wilson essay. How can his evidence be made stronger?
Homework: Read pp. 72-79
VIII
M: Statistics. Homework: Read pp. 78-86. Using the “Checklist for Analyzing an Argument” (p.
86), write a 250-300 word (one full page typed) evaluation of Wilson’s argument. Note: You
need not use all of the questions listed in the checklist. Choose the ones that seem most
appropriate for Wilson’s essay.
W: -- Pairs exchange and review evaluations of Wilson’s argument. Introduce Essay 3: Analysis
of an Argument. Homework: 1. Read Jeff Jacoby, “Bring Back Flogging” (pp. 149-51). Begin
drafting Essay 3. 2. Read pp. 133-41. Write a one-paragraph summary of Stanley S. Scott,
“Smokers Get a Raw Deal” (pp. 138-39).
F: Pairs compare summaries of Scott’s essay. Go over student essay (pp. 142-45). Pair task: Draft
a mini-essay 3 (analyzing Scott’s argument following assignment guidelines). Homework:
Continue drafting essay 3. NOTE: Monday’s class will meet in the library auditorium at 10:10.
Please be punctual!
IX
M: Library Session – class meets today in the USA library auditorium. Homework: Finish
drafting Essay 3 and bring TWO copies to the next class.
W: Peer response workshop. Homework: Revise Essay 3. Final version is due in the next class.
F: *Essay 3 is due.* Homework: 1. Read pp. 87-97, find an image from a magazine or the
Internet and write a one-paragraph analysis of it using the checklist on p. 97. 2. Have an
enjoyable Spring Break!
X
Spring Break
XI
M: Groups exchange images and discuss analyses. Discuss visual rhetoric. Homework: Read pp.
98-102 and complete the exercise explained under the heading “Topics for Critical Thinking and
Writing” (p. 102)
W: Topic vs. Issue vs. Thesis. Introduce general topics for Essays 4 and 5. -- group task: generate
subtopics and issues. Homework: 1. Read Nora Ephron’s essay (pp. 109-114). 3. Think of any
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other recent incident you’ve read or heard about that bring up similar issues, and write one
paragraph discussing the incident. This may be used for your essay topic for essays 4 and/or 5.
F: Pair task: discuss responses to Ephron’s essay and generate brainstorm ideas about your topic
for essays 4 and 5. Homework: Choose a topic and issue you would like to work on for the next
two essays. Your topic may be drawn from class exercises, a newspaper or magazine article, a
book, movie, your work or your life. NOTE: Next class will meet in the library. Meet at the
circulation desk at 10:10. Please be punctual!
XII
M: Introduction to library research (class held in library). Homework: Begin looking for sources
on your chosen topic/issue. Photocopy or print out articles; charge out of the library relevant
books. For articles in journals (electronic or print), list all identifying information (author, title,
publication, date, page numbers). Read the articles/essays, underlining or noting most important
points relating to the issue you are investigating. BRING YOUR SOURCES TO THE NEXT
CLASS.
W: Sources: -- types, -- evaluating sources. Introduce Essay 4: Synthesis Essay. Groups
(according to general topic) examine one another’s sources. -- suggestions? Homework: 1.
Continue looking for sources which address your issue. Read pp. 228-31. 2. After you have found
(and read) three, write a one-paragraph summary of EACH source. Make sure you identify the
author’s thesis.
F: Writing a synthesis essay. -- Works Cited page, -- review plagiarism (pp. 229-31), -- looking at
a student synthesis essay (handout). Homework: Read pp. 236-243.
XIII
M: Integrating quotes and paraphrases. -- Long quotations, short quotations, and paraphrasing.
Homework: Draft Essay 4 and bring TWO copies to the next class.
W: Peer Response workshop. Homework: Revise Essay 4. The final version is due next class.
Remember to hand in copies of your sources with the final version of your essay.
F: Last day to drop a course. *Essay 4 is due.* Developing an argument. -- developing your
thesis, -- synthesis vs. argument essay, -- taking a stand (pp. 190-93); thesis (pp. 193-94);
audience (pp. 194-98), -- the opposing view. Homework: Search for two more sources on your
issue (one should hold the opposing view -- or at least address the opposing view). For each
source, write down the author’s thesis and two points of evidence in support of the thesis.
XIV
M: Introduce Essay 5: Argument Essay (based on research). -- groups meet to help one another
identify issue for Essay 5. Sign up for conferences. Homework: Read pp. 205, 233-235. Write a
first-draft outline of your Essay 5.
W: -- Pairs exchange and evaluate outlines for sense and comprehensiveness. Using an outline (p.
205). Homework: Prepare a 1-2 page detailed outline for Essay 5. Include the issue you are
examining and your thesis. List all the sources you intend to use. Bring your outline to class if
you are scheduled for a conference.
F: Title; opening paragraph (pp. 198-202). Tone (pp. 206-09). Conferences. (Additional
conferences 2:15-3:30). Homework: Search for additional sources if needed (write down author’s
thesis and two points of evidence in support of the thesis); continue working on Essay 5.
XV
M: Groups meet according to same general topics: -- progress reports on research, --
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share/exchange information on sources, -- provide one another with feedback on relevance of
sources, -- brainstorm additional support for one another’s argument. Conferences. Homework:
Continue working on Essay 5. Portfolios will be collected next class.
W: In-text documentation; Preparing the Works Cited page. Collect portfolios. Homework:
Prepare first draft of Essay 5 and bring TWO copies to the next class. Make sure you have a title
for your essay
F: Peer Response Workshop. Sign up sheet for date and time of presentation. Homework:
Revise draft of Essay 5. Find additional sources if needed. If you are scheduled for a presentation
in the next class, practice and time your presentation -- it should be 5 minutes long (approx. 2-21/2 typed pages)
XVI
M: Course evaluations. Class Presentations. Homework: Prepare final version of Essay 5. If you
are scheduled for a presentation in the next class, practice and time your presentation -- it should
be 5 minutes long (approx. 2-2-1/2 typed pages)
W: Class Presentations. Homework: Prepare final version of Essay 5. It is due next class. NO
EXCEPTIONS.
F: *Essay 5 is due.* Class Presentations. Course wrap-up.