Communication 101
Spring Semester 2013
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:
Nora Lange
SOS 128
nlange@ku.edu.tr
See office door or by appointment
Course Description:
Comm 101will lead you to write text-based essays in the context of a particular academic theme, in
other words, to do what we do in an academic community—meaningfully participate in an on-going
discourse. As apprentices, you will read texts from various authors to become familiar with what the
issues are, how we talk about them, and what positions we might take. Further reading will help you to
explore and understand how an argument is effectively constructed. Through summary, paraphrase,
and personal response you will develop the skills to formulate your own perspective. This process will
include an analytical essay, grounded in one academic text, and for which you will plan, draft and
revise your essay. The second assignment will ask you to apply your reading and writing skills to an
essay that should synthesize material from two texts. By the end of the course, you should be prepared
to move on to your discipline specific Comm class, in which you should be able to apply the skills
they have learned in Comm 101 and continue to participate in an on-going academic discourse,
specific to your field.
Among others, these skills should include:
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Developing a process based approach to academic writing.
Learning to organize and express ideas in a manner appropriate to audience and purpose.
Understanding the importance of grammatical accuracy.
Becoming familiar with strategies for different kinds of writing.
Being introduced to and beginning to accurately use summary, paraphrase & quotation.
Being introduced to and beginning to accurately use academic vocabulary.
Writing formal papers using basic word processing and proper formatting.
A basic knowledge and ability to use MLA documentation and in-text citation.
Course Theme: The Politics of Pop Culture
The Simpsons, Zara, McDonalds, Madonna, music videos, television commercials, supermodels on
the cover of fashion magazines—these are all aspects of our daily lives which signify much more
about ourselves and the world around us than we may initially think. The texts we read in this class
will examine the everyday icons, images, and symbols of popular culture with the purpose of
deconstructing how the messages and values they convey shape our understanding of ourselves and
the culture(s) we live in. Together, we will try to formulate how popular culture comments on social,
gender, racial, cultural, and socio-economic issues—in other words, how pop culture is political. In
your reading and writing, you will be asked to closely observe and critique various aspects of pop
culture in order to identify patterns of meaning we may otherwise overlook.
Course Requirements & Grading:
Two formal academic essays: drafts, revisions, and final drafts
50%
Essay One (Summary/Analytical Response Essay):
In-Class First Draft:
5%
Second Draft:
10%
Final Draft:
10%
25%
This 2-3 page essay should demonstrate understanding of a specified text and provide a thoughtful
response to that text. It will focus on one main text, but may require the inclusion of, or response
to, knowledge gleaned from additional course materials. The essay should selectively summarize
material from the text, based on the task presented, provide a response, and must refer
substantially to the text. The response should:
 Apply ideas from the text to another context
 Do a specific type of rhetorical analysis, such as analyzing the argument
 Evaluate the persuasiveness of the text
 Agree or disagree with a part or the whole of the text.
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Essay Two (Analytical Synthesis Essay):
Peer Review:
Final Draft :
25%
5%
20%
In this 3-4 page essay, your response should focus on a synthesis of two main texts. The essay
should summarize relevant parts of two texts, and then.:
 Apply the ideas in the more theoretical text to a case study.
 Compare the persuasiveness of the two essays.
 Discuss how the two texts complement each other.
 Discuss how one text might respond to another.
In-class Essay:
20%
The in-class essay is designed to assess the writing/critical thinking skills students have been
practicing over the course of the semester. It will ask the students to respond to one main text (in
approximately 3 handwritten pages) by using both summary and analysis/argumentation skills.
The essay will be scheduled for a 2 ½ hour period, the equivalent of one week of class
Oral Component
10%
The oral component, usually assigned in the form of a short individual or collaborative
presentation in the last week of classes, will ask the student to apply skills (such as summary,
analysis, argumentation, active reading, quoting, paraphrasing and citation skills) learned
throughout the semester in order to “present” a particular issue, topic, or text(s) related to the
specific course material and/or theme. It will be graded based on content, organization, and
delivery.
Participation / Quizzes
20%
In addition to more formal, polished writing assignments, you will also be doing a lot of informal
writing, which we will call reading responses. These short, informal pieces of writing (which will
usually take place at the beginning of class but may also be assigned as homework) will ask you to
respond to a question concerning the required reading. There is no right or wrong answer to the
question. The purpose of these responses is to inspire and lead into a productive and informed
class discussion. They are meant to help you think about, understand, question, or have something
to say about the text. Reading responses will be unannounced and cannot be made up. You will
receive full credit () as long as you have fully answered the question, half credit (-) if you have
partially answered the question, and no credit (nc) if the response is unrelated to the question
and/or the text. At the end of the semester, I will drop your two lowest reading response scores.
Grading Criteria:
Essays will be graded based on the following criteria:
Content:
Organization and Development:
Grammar and vocabulary
40%
30%
30%
Note: All assignments done outside of class must be typed, double spaced, spell checked, printed on
A4 paper, completed on time AND be your own work.
Required Course Materials:
1. Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker, updated 6th edition, (available at Pandora bookstore)
2. Course Packet – This is available at Copyland (located in the student center). Your course packet
will be under your instructor’s name.
3. English/English dictionary
4. Binder
5. Writing Implements: pen or pencil, eraser, notebook
6. Stapler
Class Attendance and Participation:
Class attendance is required, and any absences will negatively impact your participation
grade. If you accumulate more than 5 unexcused absences, it will result in a reduction of
your final grade for the course: 6 unexcused absences = 5% penalty, 7 = 10%, 8 = 15%, 9=
20%. If you accumulate more than 9 unexcused absences, you will automatically fail the
course. Excused absence forms must be submitted within one week of the absence date, or
they will not be honored. Consult with your instructor if you believe there are extenuating
circumstances that have made it impossible for you to regularly attend class. Please come to
class on time; each three times you arrive to class more than five minutes late will count
as one absence.
Policy on Late Work
No work submitted after the deadline for the next assignment has passed will be accepted. For
example, the first essay submitted on or after the deadline for the submission of the second essay will
not be accepted. No student work will be accepted unless all previous stages of the assignment have
been completed. For example, a student who has not submitted a first draft on or before the deadline
for the final draft may not submit the final draft. An instructor may accept work submitted late, but
before the next deadline, in order to validate the grading of the next stage, but the instructor is not
obliged to award a grade, read, or provide feedback on work that is excessively late (see below).
Students may hand in late work, but the student’s grade will be deducted by 5 points for each day late.
No work will be awarded a grade after 5 days late. If you are not able to hand in work due to an
emergency situation, please see your instructor as soon as possible.
Plagiarism and Collusion Policy:
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own, without proper reference. You
are graded on your own individual work, not another's masquerading as your own. Any student found
plagiarizing on or colluding in writing assignments may fail the assignment, fail the course, and/or be
referred to the university's disciplinary council. This may result in suspension from the university.
You commit plagiarism when:
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You copy someone else's writing and do not put it in quotation marks and identify the source.
You take someone else's writing, change some of the words, and do not identify the source.
You take someone else's ideas or sequence of ideas, put them into your own words, and do not
identify the source.
Someone else writes your assignments or changes your writing and thus creates a false
impression of your abilities.
You engage in collusion when:
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You receive unauthorized help with your writing by paying or otherwise inducing another
person to do the writing for you.
Grading Scale:
A = 100 – 90%
A- = 89 – 87%
B+ = 86 – 83 %
B = 82 – 80 %
B- = 79 – 77%
C+ = 76 – 73 %
C = 72 – 70%
C- = 69 – 67%
Course Guidelines and Expectations:
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Come to class prepared!
Behave respectfully toward the instructor and fellow students
Submit neat and Professional work
Keep up with work and expectations
D+ = 66 – 63 %
D = 62 – 60 %
F = 59 – 0%
Communication 101 Schedule
Week
1
2
Reading Texts & Activities
Assignments/ Due Dates
Introduction to class
Johnson, S. “Watching TV Makes You Smarter”
Graff & Birkenstein, Ch .1: “’They Say’: Starting
with What Others Are Saying”
Go over Presentation Guidelines
View: one episode of The Sopranos
3
Harold, J. “A Moral Never-Never Land:
Sympathizing with Tony Soprano.”
Presenters:
Library Session
Graff & Birkenstein, Ch. 2: “‘Her Point Is’: The Art
of Summarizing
4
View: Reality TV clips
Essay 1: In-Class First Draft
5
Francine Prose, “Voting Democracy off the Island:
Reality TV and the Republican Ethos”
Presenters:
Essay 1: 2nd Draft Due
Graff & Birkenstein, Ch. 3: “’As He Himself Puts It’:
The Art of Quoting”
View: Jhally, S. (Director). (1995). Dreamworlds 3:
Desire, Sex and Power in Music Video.
No Class
Essay 1: Conferences
Jack Solomon, “Masters of Desire: The Culture of
American Advertising”
Presenters:
Essay 1: Final Draft Due
6
7
Alison Lurie, from The Language of Clothes
Presenters:
8
Deborah Tannen, “There is No Unmarked Woman”
Presenters:
Linda Seger, “Creating the Myth”
Presenters:
Robert B. Ray, “The Thematic Paradigm”
Presenters:
9
10
11
No Class
Essay 2: Outline Workshops
Spring Break
Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon, “The Semiotic
Method,”
Presenters:
MLA
12
13
14
15
Peer Review Guidelines
Essay 2: 1st Draft and Peer
Review
Course Evaluations
Essay 2: Final Draft Due
(Instructor available for drop by tutorials earlier in
the week.)
Wrap up/ Make up
In-Class Essay