W131 Elementary Composition
Mrs. K. Jacobi
Fall 2011
kjacobi@providencehigh.net
Assignments, (both reading and writing) are due when you come to class the day they are listed.
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
AUGUST
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READ: “The Difference Between College and High School” WRAC 8-18
WRITE: Double entry log for this article
READ: WA: Chapter 1
READ: WA: Chapter 3
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READ: “Google’s Orwell Moment” (on a handout)
READ: “Are Today’s Students Addicted to Social Media?” (on handout)
READ: WRAC, Chapter 1, pp. 21-62
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Continue discussion/work with WA , Chapters 1& 3
UNIT 1: SUMMARY – Consumer Culture
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Summary discussion/practice
READ: All of chapter 1 in WRAC (possible quiz)
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READ: Fowles, “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals” pp. 340-357
READ: Bovee and Arens, “The Indictments Against Advertising” pp. 357-362
BRING IN A PRINT AD YOU’D LIKE TO DISCUSS IN CLASS
WRITE: double entry log for “The Indictments Against Advertising”
Summary discussion/practice
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29
READ: Cohen, “The Mall as Threat to Democratic Values” WRAC pp. 405-409
Practice summary on this article: 1 ½ -2 typed double-spaced pages. (DUE TODAY)
Include a separate works cited page properly formatted in MLA style.
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READ: Postrel, “The Mall as Setting for Authentic Life” WRAC pp. 423-426
Discussion of the Mall articles.
Summary discussion/
`
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SEPTEMBER
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Continue our discussion/work with mall articles and summary
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FINAL SUMMARY DUE TODAY: SUMMARIZE POSTREL’S ARTICLE. (1 ½ to 2 TYPED
double spaced pages) Be sure you attribute the author throughout. Remember that a summary is not
an analysis
BRING IN YOUR PERMISSION SLIP FOR THE LIBRARY VISIT.
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FIELD TRIP TO IUS LIBRARY. Be sure to bring your picture I.D. with you.
UNIT 2: CRITIQUE – “The Weight Debate”
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READ: from Writing Analytically (WA) – in chapter 3 – from bottom of page 70: “What it
means to have an idea” to p. 82
Question for discussion: what is the difference between analysis and summary?
ALSO READ FOR TODAY: Introduction to the Weight Debate:
In WRAC: PP. 279-288 (Intro material and Spake’s article, “Rethinking Weight”
WRITE: Do a focused freewriting on Spake’s article. (See the reading in WA in ch.3)
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READ: Critser, “Too Much of a Good Thing” in WRAC, pp. 288-290.
Prepare for discussion / possible quiz – chapters 1-3 in WA
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READ: Chapter 2 in WRAC. Pay special attention to the logical fallacies discussion
as well as the section that begins on p. 76: “Critique.”
Be prepared to discuss what a critique is.
Be prepared to discuss logical fallacies.
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READ: Mary Ray Worley, “Fat and Happy,” pp. 291-295;
WRITE: Write a one-page double-spaced paper responding to her article.
What is her purpose and who is her audience? What are some underlying
assumptions? (Make explicit what it implicit.) GO BACK TO CHAPTER 2 IN
WRAC to assist you in writing your response.
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READ: Schwartz, “Fat and Happy? 307-314;
WRITE: one page double-spaced paper responding to her article.
Again, go back to WRAC and chapter 2 to help you with your response.
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READ: Gawande, “The Man Who Couldn’t Stop Eating” pp.314-327
WRITE: one page double-spaced paper responding to her article.
Again, go back to WRAC and chapter 2 to help you with your response.
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Discussion of the articles: authorial purpose, audience, effectiveness;
Critique review
OCT
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Work in class: 10 on 1 and “Seems to be about X but could be or is really
About Y. More strategies for finding a claim. Receive practice critique
assignment (linked on the class web page).
Your practice critique (Worley) is due today. Peer review.
In-class presentation of your claims.
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For today: revisit Schwartz. WRITE: determine the TONE of this article. Is it
satirical? What is satire? (Write this out before you come to class and be prepared
to discuss. Revisit Gawande: what is his purpose? Who is his audience? (Be able to
discuss this in class.
TURN IN YOUR FIRST DRAFT OF THE CRITIQUE ON WORLEY TODAY. It will be graded.
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Introduction to comparative critique.
READ: WA, chapter 4: section 1 – passage based free-writing (86-90); section 2 –
uncovering assumptions (91-94).
WRITE: Do the exercise on p. 93, 4.2 – uncover assumptions in reviews. Read the
Directions. You’ll need to find a review. Print out the review and attach your piece
Writing to the review. Prepare to discuss your findings in class today.
Receive critique drafts.
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We will continue discussion on uncovering assumptions today.
We will also discuss the next section in Chapter 4 in WA: Reformulating Binaries.
Please read this section before coming to class today.
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Th-F
FALL BREAK
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Discussion of WA, ch. 4, section 4 – Difference within similarity (pp. 99-101); revisit
Section 5 (seems to be about x but could also be about y)
READ for today: in WA, in chapter 5: 111-114, the pitch, complaint and the moment
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Continue discussion of difference within similarity; receive comparative critique
assignment; we will read a book excerpt that does a comparative critique and
discuss it.
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In-class help with comparative critique. Writing the claim.
Turn in your final draft of your Worley critique.
Receive comparative critique assignment.
READ for today:
Those of you on senior retreat: please do the work assigned for Wednesday and Friday. The written
material due Wednesday will be due for you on Wed., Oct. 19. (Even though we don’t meet that day
you can drop off the assignment sometime before 3:00.
NOVEMBER
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(Liturgy schedule) Your comparative critique is due today.
(afternoon house meeting). Introduction to comparative analysis
READ for today: WRAC – Milgram, “The Perils of Obedience” pp. 212-224
READ for today: WRAC – Zimbardo, “The Stanford Prison Experiment” pp. 240-252
WRITE: 1-2 pages (typed, double-spaced) your response to the two articles. What do
they say about obedience to authority? Who is the authority? Can you see yourself doing these things?
Continue discussion of Milgram and Zimbardo.
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READ: Erich Fromm, “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem.”
pp. 258-263 in WRAC. Spend some time with this article. Make margin notes
Ask questions. I look forward to hearing what you think about Fromm’s ideas.
Be sure to read the editor’s note before the article to give you some context.