English 102, Writing 2
Section T2, T-R 5:00pm-6:20pm, Clemens #128 (T) and #104 (R)
Section X2, T-R 7:00pm-8:20pm, Clemens #128 (T) and #108 (R)
“I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written about it.”
--William Faulkner
Instructor:
Office:
E-Mail:
Office Hours:
Mailbox:
Tina Žigon, MA
Clemens #321
tinazigon@gmail.com
T-R 4:00pm-4:45pm and 6:30pm-6:45pm
Located outside the English Graduate Office, Clemens 302
Texts (Available in the University Bookstore)
 Andrea A. Lunsford, The St. Martin’s Handbook (6th edition)
 Lynn Z. Bloom, Louise Z. Smith, The Arlington Reader: Contexts and Cannons (2nd edition)
Supplies:
 A USB drive for transporting your writings between class and home and for saving all your
work for the class and all your writing (including multiple drafts).
 Any good dictionary. If you do not currently own one, this is a good time to invest in one.
There are many available in the bookstore. (I recommend Webster’s or American Heritage.)
 A full-sized notebook for writing assignments in class.
 A sturdy folder in which you keep all your work for the class.
 A pocket folder in which you put the cover letter, drafts and final version of each assignment
when you hand it in.
Note: Save all the writing you do during the semester. You can clear your files in
December. Until then, you never know what may prove to be useful during a revision. If you
compose and revise on a computer, periodically print out (or save on your USB drive) versions
of your draft so that you have a record of its process. Keep a copy for yourself (either on disk or
a hard copy) of all major assignments handed in to me. In addition, keep all drafts on which you
have received comments from me or your classmates.
Library Skills:
You need to complete the library skills workbook (online) before you graduate. The library
urges you to do so while you are in ENG 102. A library skills “course” will be shown in MyUB
where you can click on it to access the online workbook.
Course Requirements and Grading Policy
This is a workshop course in writing in which class activities are essential to your development
as a writer; in-class activities will include discussion, debate, written and oral responses,
freewriting, peer review, and paper workshops (critiquing and editing of your workgroup's
papers). The success of the course, and your successful performance in it, depends upon your
participation and contributions, both spoken and written.
UB uses a lettered grading policy, A - F, including + and - grades. Your final grade will be
calculated according to the following breakdown:
An incomplete grade may only be given to students who have (1) fulfilled the attendance
requirement for the course and (2) completed all but one of the written assignments.
Engagement: 10%
Participation begins with attendance. Both absences and tardiness will affect this portion of your
grade. You are allowed three absences without penalty. A fourth absence will result in the
reduction of this portion of your grade by a full letter grade. A fifth absence will result in the
reduction of your final grade by a full letter grade. A sixth absence can result in a failing grade
for the course. Although the advice "Better late than never" should be heeded (you will learn by
being present), arrival in class more than 15 minutes after it begins will be considered an
absence. Also, three tardies equal one absence.
You are responsible for contacting me or a fellow class member if you miss class, and you are
expected to be fully prepared for the next class session. I know that sickness happens, accidents
happen, bad weather happens, computer problems happen, over-sleeping happens, family crises
happen, the bus never comes ... that's what the three excused absences are for. Save them for
these kinds of emergencies.
Your engagement grade will also reflect the quality and thoughtfulness of your contributions in
class, respect shown to class members, your attitude and role in small group exercises, and
evidence given of completion of reading assignments. Preparation for, attitude toward, and
involvement in our individual conferences count here, too.
Please note that many in-class writing exercises assume (and depend upon) your having read the
assigned material. Review your syllabus frequently, and plan your workload accordingly.
Major Assignments: 70% (Paper #1: 15%, Paper #2: 15%, Annotated Bibliography: 15%,
Research Paper: 25%)
Cover Letters, Letters of Response, and Homework: 10%
Essays are due at the beginning of class on the date due. Late essays are subject to having their
final grade reduced (typically 1/3 grade for each day late). Don't test me on this. And don't make
it a habit. Absence from class on the date due does not excuse the lateness of your assignment.
Allow plenty of time for printing your essay in the computer lab, and/or keep an extra printer
ribbon/ink cartridge handy at home.
All essays handed in to me are to be typed/word-processed. Use a Times New Roman font (size
12 pt.), double-spaced, with 1 inch margins. Each essay to be graded must be accompanied by a
cover letter (minimum one page, detailing your writing process for that particular piece and the
essay's evolution, along with your assessment of the successful and less successful aspects of the
essay), all the previous drafts, and peer review sheets. I will not grade essays that are
hand-written or lack a cover letter and/or other things listed above; the assignment will accrue
late penalties until it satisfies this requirement.
Essays will be evaluated for: quality (including technical and mechanical elements); command
of voice, tone, and a sense of audience; the degree to which they satisfy the given assignment;
and the development they demonstrate from earlier efforts or original drafts.
Assignments submitted more than one week late will receive an F. However, you must
complete all four major assignments and submit a complete final portfolio in order to earn a
passing grade for the course.
Major assignments will be graded using the A - F scale. We will use the two weeks of class to
workshop essays and to develop writing portfolios. The writing portfolio will include three final
revisions of earlier essays.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is using another person's words and ideas as though they were your own.
It is easy to avoid plagiarism: simply put the material you have taken from someone else's
writing in quotation marks and cite the person's name and publication in your paper. Plagiarism
is a serious offense which can result in expulsion from the University. A paper which contains
any plagiarized material at all will receive an F; two such plagiarized papers will result in the
student receiving an F for the course. (Note: plagiarism is not restricted to the use of published
work; the passing of another student's work as your own is also a case of plagiarism.)
End of Term Portfolio: 10%
Your portfolio consists of all writing submitted in this course: rough drafts, graded drafts, and
writing especially revised for the portfolio reviews (see the schedule). The end-of-semester
portfolio will include an autobiography of yourself as a writer and final revisions of three of the
major assignments (the nature of the revision will be discussed in class).
Schedule: Readings and Assignments
DATE
Week 1
T Aug 26
#128
R Aug 28
IN-CLASS
Introductions to the course, syllabus,
the computer classroom, Blackboard,
each other.
Discussion: Critical reading, writing,
thinking
HOMEWORK
Buy textbooks and supplies at the
University Bookstore.
Reading: “Expectations for College
Writing” and “Reading, Writing, and
Research” (Chapters 1 and 2 in The St.
Martin’s Handbook (SMH), pp. 14-35)
Finish annotating the article, if you
haven’t done so in class.
Writing: Annotating a text (provided by Reading: Eric Liu, “Notes of a Native
the instructor)
Speaker” (The Arlington Reader (AR),
pp.112-117)
Re-read Section 2b in SMH (pp. 25-27)
Also read sections 5a, 5b, and 5c in
SMH (pp. 54-63)
Week 2
T Sep 2
#128
Discussion: Liu’s essay
The writing process
Thesis statement
Writing: Paper #1 assigned
R Sep 4
Discussion: Mason’s essay
What should a college
paper look like?
Body paragraphs (handout
provided)
Workshop: Thesis statements for Paper
#1
Week 3
T Sep 9
#128
Workshop: PEER REVIEW (paper #1)
R Sep 11
PAPER #1 DUE at the beginning of
class.
Discussion: Rhetorical triangle (SMH,
section 9d, pp. 149-152)
Reading: Bobbie Ann Mason, “Being
Country” (AR, pp. 135-138)
Writing: After reading Mason’s essay,
come up with a thesis statement and
bring it with you (typed!) on Thursday
for class workshop.
Writing: Write a draft of your paper for
peer review.
Don’t forget to save the draft to your
USB drive and bring it to class on
Tuesday. Also, bring a hard copy of
your draft with you, so the instructor
can look at it.
Writing: Think about the feedback you
have received and finish writing your
paper #1. Turn in a hard copy (together
with your cover letter, draft, and peerreview sheets) in a folder on Thursday.
Reading: “Eight Clergymen’s
Statement” (AR, pp. 580-582)
Martin Luther King, “Letter
from Birmingham Jail” (AR, pp. 565578)
While reading the assigned texts, keep
in mind our discussion on logical,
ethical, and emotional appeals.
Week 4
T Sep 16
#128
R Sep 18
Discussion: Clergymen’s Statement
and King’s letter
Introductions (handout
provided)
Discussion: King’s letter continued
Reading: “Opening paragraphs”
(Section 7f (1), SMH p. 132)
Re-read “Letter from
Birmingham Jail” (AR, pp. 565-578)
Writing: Write a draft of your paper for
peer review.
Writing: Paper #2 assigned
Don’t forget to save the draft to your
USB drive and bring it to class on
Tuesday. Also, bring a hard copy of
your draft with you, so that instructor
can look at it.
Week 5
T Sep 23
#128
Discussion: Conclusions (handout
provided)
Workshop: PEER REVIEW (paper #2)
R Sep 25
PAPER #2 DUE at the beginning of
class.
Writing: Think about the feedback you
have received and finish writing your
paper #2. Turn in a hard copy (together
with your cover letter, draft, and peerreview sheets) in a folder on Thursday.
Reading: “Concluding paragraphs”
(Section 7f (2), SMH p. 134)
Reading: Start browsing through
Chapters 12-17 in SMH (pp. 212-299)
Discussion: Transitions (SMH, pp. 130131)
Works Cited
Week 6
T Sep 30
#128
ROSH HASHANAH—NO CLASS
Reading: Jamison Green, “How Do
You Know?” (Course Reserve—don’t
forget to photocopy/print out a copy to
bring with you to class next Thursday)
Deirdre N. McCloskey, “Yes,
Ma’am” (AR, pp. 173-179)
R Oct 2
Discussion: Green and McCloskey’s
essays
Reading: Gloria Anzaldúa, “From
Beyond Traditional Notions of Identity”
(AR, pp.159-161)
“Preparing for a Research
Project” (Chapter 12 in SMH, pp. 212221)
Week 7
T Oct 7
#128
Discussion: Anzaldúa’s essay
Introduction to research
and MLA style (Chapter 18 in SMH)
Go through the materials provided in
class, review Chapter 12 in SMH, and
start thinking about your research topic.
Writing: Annotated bibliography and
research paper assigned.
R Oct 9
YOM KIPPUR—NO CLASS
Writing: Write a self-evaluation letter
and bring it with you to a conference
with the instructor next week. Also
bring your research topic proposal.
Week 8
T Oct 14
R Oct 16
Week 9
T Oct 21
#128
CONFERENCES—NO CLASS
Bring your letter of self-evaluation and
your research topic proposal to a
conference.
CONFERENCES—NO CLASS
Bring your letter of self-evaluation and
your research topic proposal to a
conference.
Reading: “Conducting Research”
(Chapter 13 in SMH, pp. 222-248)
Workshop: Conducting Library
Research (details TBA)
Reading: “Integrating Sources into
Your Writing” and “Acknowledging
Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism”
(Chapters 15 and 16 in SMH, pp. 270287)
R Oct 23
Discussion: Paraphrasing, Quoting,
Summarizing
The Dangers of Plagiarism
(Research questions or
concerns?)
Week 10
T Oct 28
#128
Researching/Writing: Research and
work on your annotated bibliography
(draft due on Thursday for peer review)
R Oct 30
Workshop: PEER REVIEW
(Annotated Bibliography)
Reading: “Evaluating Sources and
Taking Notes” (Chapter 14 in SMH,
pp. 249-269)
Writing/Researching: Start thinking of
your research key-words and
conducting research (composing your
annotated bibliography)
Researching/Writing: Continue with
your research and be prepared to work
on your annotated bibliography in class
on Tuesday. Bring with you all the hard
copies of your sources.
Researching/Writing: Wrap up your
research and finish writing a draft of
your annotated bibliography. Bring two
hard copies of it to class on Thursday
for peer review.
Writing: Finish writing your annotated
bibliography and turn it in on Tuesday
(together with your cover letter, all
previous drafts, peer review sheets, and
photocopied/printed-out sources).
Make sure to save a copy of each of
your sources and the annotated
bibliography (on your USB drive) and
also bring them with you on Tuesday,
so you can start drafting your research
paper.
Week 11
T Nov 4
#128
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
DUE at the beginning of class.
Reading: “Writing a Research Project”
(Chapter 17 in SMH, pp. 288-299)
Discussion: Questions/Concerns?
Writing: Continue drafting your
research paper. Bring two printed-out
copies of your introduction and two
body paragraphs with you on Thursday
for peer review.
Writing: Think about the feedback you
have received and continue writing
your research paper. Bring a complete
draft of your paper (saved on your USB
drive) to class on Tuesday for peer
review).
Writing: Start drafting your research
paper.
R Nov 6
Workshop: PEER REVIEW
(introduction and two body paragraphs)
Discussion: Questions/Concerns?
(F, Nov 7: Last day to resign w/o
academic penalty)
Week 12
T Nov 11
#128
Workshop: PEER REVIEW (second
draft of research paper)
R Nov 13
RESEARCH PAPER DUE at the
beginning of class.
Discussion: Portfolios, paper revisions,
etc.
Writing: Think about the feedback you
have received and finish writing your
research paper. Be ready to turn in your
final copy, together with all the drafts,
peer review sheets, and your cover
letter, at the beginning of class on
Thursday.
Get ready for portfolio workshops. Go
over paper #1 and paper #2, and start
thinking about how you can revise
them. Bring all the drafts (together with
the final, graded ones) to class on
Tuesday.
Week 13
T Nov 18
#128
R Nov 20
Portfolio Workshop: Paper #1
Writing: Continue working on your
portfolio revisions.
Portfolio Workshop: Paper #2
Writing: Continue working on your
portfolio revisions.
Week 14
T Nov 25
#128
R Nov 27
Portfolio Workshop: Research paper
Writing: Continue working on your
portfolio revisions.
Week 15
T Dec 2
#128
Portfolio Workshop: All papers. You
may also start working on your final
self-assessment.
R Dec 4
FINAL PORTFOLIOS DUE
Course evaluations.
THANKSGIVING—NO CLASS and no homework (eat some turkey or tofurky
instead)
Writing: Finish all your revisions and
make sure all the necessary materials
are in your folder. Be ready to turn in
your final portfolio at the beginning of
class on Thursday.
Good luck on all your finals, and have
a wonderful winter break!