ENG 140 Writing about Language and Culture
MW 6:00-9:25pm (May 19-June 25, 2014)
Orlando Hall 115
Instructor:
Martha S. Cheng, Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric
Department of English
Office:
Carnegie Hall #135
Phone:
407-646-2603
Email:
mcheng@rollins.edu
Office Hours: MW 3-5pm or by appointment
Course Description
Welcome to ENG 140! We will be investigating how our language—the words we use and
how we use them—intersects with our culture, society, and sense of self. While we do so,
we will work to transition you from high school-level writing to college-level writing, which
requires more sophisticated thinking, preparation, and practice. Thus, much of our work
will focus on pre-writing, that is, critical reading and analysis of texts, negotiating differing
perspectives, developing clear theses, and mapping strong arguments. Your pre-writing will
then help you draft, revise, and complete your major assignments:
Paper 1: Rhetorical Analysis: a close analysis of the rhetorical strategies of a text;
Paper 2: Issue Discussion: a portrayal of an issue, drawn from the rhetorical
analyses of several sources;
Paper 3: Research-based argument: an argument supporting a specific position
based on careful research and synthesis of sources.
The semester is organized around the three major papers. For each paper you will discover
certain qualities of well-written texts and practice implementing those qualities in your own
writing. The skills you learn in Paper 1 will prepare you for Paper 2, which in turn prepares
you for Paper 3. While drafting and revising your papers, we will look at specific stylistic
points to develop your own clear, strong prose writing style.
Course Goals (Writing General Education Requirement)
Students will develop their ability to write college-level essays by practicing strategies of
argumentation and by refining skills of invention (developing new ideas/perspectives),
revision, and critical thinking. Students will write essays characterized by unity, order,
coherence, completeness, clarity, mechanical correctness, and appropriate use of academic
sources.
In order to satisfy the College’s general education requirement for Writing Competency
students must earn a grade of ‘C’ or better in the course.
Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
• Understand and recognize rhetorical aspects of written texts (audience, purpose,
situation, evidence, appeals, etc.)
• Develop generalizations and complex concepts pertinent to specific issues.
• Define a significant topic and argumentative goal
• Use library and online resources to find relevant supporting material
• Analyze sources to contextualize and support argument
• Communicate in writing how an author accomplishes his/her rhetorical goals
• Communicate in writing how varying perspectives of an issue are related to one
another
• Write a logical argument, supported by scholarly sources, with attention to
context and using clear prose style.
Your Personal Objectives for the Course: (what specific things do you want to be
able to do or do better by the end of the course?)
Required Texts
1. Writing: A Manual for the Digital Age, Brief Spiral-bound
by David Blakesley (Author), Jeffrey L. Hoogeveen (Author)
Publisher: Cengage Learning; 2 edition (January 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0495833371
ISBN-13: 978-0495833376
2. Several essays will be available on Blackboard
Course Policies
Grading Breakdown:
Short Writings
Paper 1
Paper 2
Paper 3
Class Performance
Total:
10%
15%
25%
30%
20%
100%
Assignments
All assignments must be turned in by the class period of their due date. Late work will not
be graded.
Last Date to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty: June 9
 In your Short Writings you should briefly (200-500 words) demonstrate that you have
read all of the assigned material and have thoughtfully considered and questioned its
significant points. They should be free of grammatical and formatting errors. They should be
posted on our blackboard discussion board by class time the day they are due. Late Short
Writings will not be graded. Each writing will be graded as complete or incomplete.
Exceptionally thoughtful and well-written posts will be noted and may contribute to your
final grade.
You must complete the final paper (Paper 3) to pass the course, regardless of the rest of
your grades in the course.
Class Performance refers to how engaged you are while in class and what you contribute
to our classroom environment and community—think of it as attendance, attention,
preparedness, and participation. High performers come to class having done the reading
and homework and are ready to learn with a positive, inquisitive attitude. They interact
with others in the class with respect, even when disagreeing. Of course, all this assumes
that you are in class. This is a short, intense summer session—any absence will negatively
affect your performance grade. If you miss 2 or more classes you will not pass the course.
 Use of cell phones is not allowed during class—no texting, checking for calls, or the
time, etc. Use of laptops is not permitted during class unless specifically indicated by the
professor for a class activity. Your performance grade WILL suffer if you are online or
texting during class.
The Honor Pledge and Reaffirmation
Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an obligation, and
requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. The student commitment to uphold the
values of honor - honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and responsibility - particularly manifests itself in
two public aspects of student life. First, as part of the admission process to the College, students
agree to commit themselves to the Honor Code. Then, as part of the matriculation process during
Orientation, students sign a more detailed pledge to uphold the Honor Code and to conduct
themselves honorably in all their activities, both academic and social, as a Rollins student. A student
signature on the following pledge is a binding commitment by the student that lasts for his or her
entire tenure at Rollins College:
The development of the virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins College
education and to membership in the Rollins College community. Therefore, I, a student
of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from
any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving
responsibly, respectfully and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with
others. This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for academic credit
as his/her own. Students shall add to the paper, quiz, test, lab report, etc., the
handwritten signed statement:
“On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized
assistance on this work.”
Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing
the pledge.
Students with Disabilities
Rollins College is committed to equal access and does not discriminate unlawfully against
persons with disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment processes. The College
recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not discriminate against persons with disabilities. If
you are a person with a disability on this campus and anticipate needing any type of academic
accommodations in order to participate in your classes, please make timely arrangements by
disclosing this disability in writing to the Disability Services Office at (box 2613) - Thomas P.
Johnson Student Resource Center, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, FL, 37289.Appointments can be
scheduled by calling 407-646-2354 or email: gridgeway@rollins.edu.
Class Schedule
(may be revised as needed)
Date
Topics
M May 19
Class Introduction
Diagnostic essay
Writing process
Reading process
Course readings/topic
W May 21
Reading Critically
Language Overview
Language and Gender
Due
Blakesley Ch 4
“Nine Ideas about Language,” Daniels (BB)
“Discourse Patterns of Males and Females,”
Johnson (BB) SW
Rhetorical Analysis Assignment
M May 26
Labor Day—No Class
W May 28
Rhetorical Analysis
Workshopping
Language Communities
Blakesley Ch 1
Rhetorical Analysis Draft
Language Communities (BB) SW
M June 2
Intro to Synthesis-Analysis
Regional Dialects
Rhetorical Analysis Paper Due
“Regional Dialects and Social Class,”
Macaulay SW
Native American Languages
(reading in class)
W June 4
Writing Process
Incorporating Sources
Drafting
“Shitty First Drafts,” Lamott
Blakesley Ch 12, Ch 13
Outline of Synthesis Paper
M June 9
Workshopping
Writing Style
Introduction to Research
Paper
Draft of Synthesis Paper
W June 11
Researching
Olin Library Resources
Research time
Research Question; Blakesley Ch 9 SW
M June 16
Refining your question
Making an Argument
Research Results
Blakesley Ch 7
Synthesis Paper Due
W June 18
Writing Process
“Writer-based Prose…,” Flower (BB) SW
Research Paper Outline
Begin Drafting
M June 23
Workshopping
W June 25
Final Presentations and Papers
Research Paper Draft