Kutztown University
ENG 001 English Composition
Spring 2003
Sec. 020 MWF 9-9:50am RL 29
Sec. 030 MWF 10-10:50am RL 26
Professor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Hours:
Web:
Kevin Mahoney
LY 167
3-4734
mahoney@kutztown.edu
Monday 1-2pm & 4-5pm
Wednesday 11am-1:00pm
Friday 11am-12pm
faculty.kutztown.edu/mahoney
Introduction:
The main goal of this course is to assist you in developing writing skills that will serve
you well in college and the world beyond. Over the next several years of your studies
here at Kutztown, you will be asked to negotiate a range of audiences, engage in original
and independent research, and express yourself both clearly and critically. Academic
writing, like all forms of writing, has its own conventions and values that are distinct
from writing that you may already be familiar with. One of the goals of this course is to
ensure that you will be taken seriously as a student and intellectual in the university
community.
We will be focusing on critical writing—writing that is consciously situated within
distinct “modes of intelligibility” or “world views.” That is, while every individual may
have unique experiences, HOW we make sense of those experiences relies upon the
historically available ways of understanding those experiences. This class assumes that
when we write we are taking part in a collective process of making knowledge. Writing
is both an individual act and a social act simultaneously. For example, when we are
writing about something we utilize the available cultural explanations, narratives, and
knowledges to make our writing “cohere”—to explain cause and effect, to assign
intention, and to draw lines of inclusion and exclusion. In short, writing is a process of
making sense that connects the individual to the social in a way that positions a writer
politically, socially, and materially within an on-going historical struggle over the
meaning and organization of society and culture.
Writing, then, is not merely a set of rules reducible to “grammar” and “usage.” More to
the point, “good writing” is not the same as “correct writing.” In other words, it is
possible to produce a piece of “bad writing” that is grammatically perfect. One of the
things we will focus on in this class is how to distinguish “good” writing from “bad”
writing and the cultural assumptions implicit in such a distinction. For now, think of
“bad” writing as writing that simply restates someone else’s ideas. For writing to be
Mahoney ENG 001 Syllabus 2
“good” it is not enough to “report” what you have read; it is necessary to become an
active agent in the production of meaning. This will require a dramatically different
approach to writing than what you may have been exposed to in high school.
Specific Areas of Focus in ENG 001:
1. The composing process with attention to your individual relationship to writing
and how your relationship to writing is bound up in social and political networks.
2. Revision strategies for both conceptual and formal issues.
3. Writing as a means of generating ideas, concepts, and arguments.
4. Writing for a range of contexts, purposes, and audiences with special emphasis on
academic writing.
5. Questions of organization, style, and effectiveness.
6. Critical reading and analysis.
7. Summary and synthesis of a range of texts by other writers.
8. Research skills including the use of KU’s online catalogue and internet resources.
9. Evaluation skills.
10. Grammar, punctuation, spelling as needed.
11. Modern Language Association (MLA) style conventions.
Required Textbooks and Supplies:
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In Context: Participating in Cultural Conversations. Edited by Ann Merle
Feldman, Nancy Downs, and Ellen McManus
Easy Writer, Andrea Lunsford.
A good college dictionary
Email account
Notebook for class notes
Additional notebook for journal
Folder to keep assignment sheets, copies of your papers, and class syllabus
You will also be asked to make several copies of your papers for in-class writing
workshops.
Major Writing Assignments and Grading:
You will receive detailed assignment sheets for each paper.
Paper #1 (2-3 pages) [due 2/14]
Paper #2 (3-4 pages) [due 3/7]
Paper #3 (2 pages) [due 3/14]
Paper #4 (5-7 pages) [due 5/9]
Research Paper Proposal (500 words max) [due 4/16]
Reflective Essay (with portfolio) [due 5/12]
Journal [collected periodically]
Participation
10%
20%
10%
30%
P/F
10%
10%
10%
100%
Mahoney ENG 001 Syllabus 3
Note on Grading:
You will be graded on a plus/minus system on each paper. However, Kutztown
University does not use a plus/minus grading system for calculating your GPA. I
use the plus/minus system throughout the semester to provide you with a better
sense of your performance in the class.
General Writing Guidelines:
 All papers must be word-processed or typed, double-spaced, stapled (not paperclipped or folded), and follow MLA style guidelines.
 For each paper you hand in you should include a title page with the following
information:
1. your name
2. the assignment name/paper number
3. the date you are handing in the paper
4. a title
5. course name and section number
6. my name
 Save all your work! I can’t stress this point enough.
Late Papers and Email Copies:
 To receive full-credit you must hand in your papers in class on the due date. If
you hand in your paper late, you will be graded down for that paper. For each day
your paper is late, you will be graded down by a third of a letter grade. In other
words, an “A” becomes an “A-;” an “A-” becomes a “B+,” and so on. If you do
not hand in a paper, you will receive a zero (0) for that assignment.
 Emailing papers. If you cannot make it to class on the date a paper is due, or if
you need to hand in a paper on a non-class day, you may email me your paper.
To be accepted, you must send your paper as an attached Microsoft Word file.
DO NOT copy your paper in the body of an email message, and DO NOT send
your paper as a Microsoft Works file. Make sure your name is on your paper and
you “sign” your email. Never send an email copy of your paper without a short
message telling me what you are sending. Papers received by 5pm on the due
date will not be marked late. You must also provide me with a hard copy of your
paper the next class period. If you do not provide me with a hard copy the
following class, your paper will be considered an additional day late.
Class Policies:
 It is crucial that you attend every class to do well. Unlike a lecture class, this
course depends on active discussion and in-class work. If you need to be absent,
it is up to you to find out what happened in class from another student.
 You should be prepared for each class. This includes doing all the reading and
assignments due on that day. Reading is not optional.
 Turn off or set to silent all cell phones prior to class.
 Respect your classmates.
 You must meet with me at least twice during the course of the semester. I will
cancel classes a couple of classes during the semester for conferences. If you
Mahoney ENG 001 Syllabus 4
cannot make a conference during the times I have scheduled, it is up to you to
arrange another time to meet. Conferences are considered as part of your
participation and paper grade.
Special Note on Plagiarism:
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Plagiarizing one of your papers or a
significant portion of one of your papers will result in failure of the course. In
addition to failing the course, I will notify the Dean of the violation.
Special needs:
If you have any special needs including physical or mental disabilities, please
contact the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities (SAB 220) so that we
can make all the necessary accommodations.
Mahoney ENG 001 Syllabus 5
Course Calendar
All readings from In Context unless otherwise noted
Week 1
Wed 1/22
Introduction
Assignment: In your journal, write on the following questions: What is
art? What should art do? What is the purpose of art? What is culture?
How would you describe “American culture?” What do you think of as
“American art?” Where do you experience “art” and “culture?”
Fri 1/24
Discussion of journal entries.
Read: “Contexts for Conversations,” pp. 1-14.
Journal: re-read the article by Phat Chiem. How many different ways is
graffiti represented? Write the specific words or phrases used to describe
it and who described it that way.
Week 2
Mon 1/27
Discussion of Chiem’s article. Context, Genre, Language, Consequences.
Read: bell hooks, “Art on My Mind: Visual Politics,” pp. 45-53.
Journal: what is the relationship between the first few paragraphs of
hooks’s essay and her concluding paragraphs? Also, identify key terms
for class discussion.
Wed 1/29
Read: Gloria Anzaldúa, “Chicana Artists: Exploring Nepalanta, el Lugar
de la Frontera,” pp. 96-104.
Journal: write a thoughtful response to question #2 on p. 104 using
examples from the essay.
Fri 1/31
Borders, Cultures, Identities, and Institutions
Handout: Paper #1 [due 2/14]
Read: Thomas Frank, “A Cultural Perpetual Motion Machine:
Management Theory and Consumer Revolution in the 1960s,” pp. 105121.
Journal: Carefully respond to question #1 on p. 121. Try to pay
particular attention to the different “stories” Frank is putting forth and who
advocates each story. Also, identify difficult terms, circle them in your
Mahoney ENG 001 Syllabus 6
book, and look them up in your dictionary. Make sure to record the
definitions in your journal.
I will collect some of your journals on Monday.
Week 3
Mon 2/3
Close reading, academic discourse, and intertextuality.
I will collect some journals today.
Prep: Bring journals and reading notes to conferences. In your
conference, be prepared to discuss how you are planning on writing your
first paper. Come prepared to discuss specific passages in the essays we
have read.
Tues 2/4 Conferences
Wed 2/5 Class Cancelled for Conferences
Thurs 2/6 Conferences
Fri 2/7
Draft of Paper #1 Due
Week 4
Mon 2/10
Return of drafts of Paper #1. Discussion of editing marks and strategies
for revision. Assign peer groups for work on Wednesday. You will need
to arrange to get a copy of your text to the other person/people in your
group and read each other’s work before class.
Wed 2/12
Peer Group Response to Drafts
Fri 2/14 Paper #1 Due
Organizing groups for Case Study Project. List the names and contact
information of the people in your group in the space below:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Read: Marc Spiegler, “Marketing Street Culture: Bringing Hip-Hop to the
Mainstream,” pp. 122-133; and James Ledbetter, “Imitation of Life,” pp.
134-138.
Journal: How do you think Spiegler and Ledbetter would respond to each
other’s essays? Do you think they would be allies? In opposition? Have
Mahoney ENG 001 Syllabus 7
points of overlap? Why? What do each of these authors have to say about
the intersection of the market and culture?
I will collect some journals on Tuesday.
Week 5
Tue 2/18
Discussion of “sides” and “binaries” in argument, the limits of “bias” as a
critical term, and the difference between a “position” and an “opinion.”
Also, will introduce questions of ideology and the politics of discourse.
Read: Nell Bernstein, “Goin’ Gangsta, Choosin’ Cholita,” pp. 78-83.
Journal: Write a short piece documenting the kind of “styles” you see on
campus. Does there seem to be a dominant “look?” What influences are
present?
Wed 2/19
Culture, Identity, Ownership, and Appropriation.
Read: Case Study #1, “Contesting the Ownership of Music,” pp. 148-155.
Response Paper: Write a one-page response paper to the article from The
Washington Post, “U2’s Double Trouble,” by Richard Harrington.
Identify arguments and institutional supports.
Fri 2/21
In class work on mapping the case. Listening to Negativland’s single that
is the source of the controversy.
Handout: Paper #2
Read: Case Study Document, “Excerpts from the Island/Warner-Chappell
Lawsuit,” pp. 156-162.
Journal: What are the specific features of this legal document? What
distinguishes it from the other kinds of arguments/essays you have read?
What counts as evidence and legitimate argument in a legal document?
Week 6
Mon 2/24
Discussion of law as genre and group work.
Read: Case Study Documents: “U2 Negativland: The Case from Our
Side,” pp. 163-169; “Excerpts from Chapter 1 of the 1976 United States
Copyright Act,” pp. 170-173; “In Fair Use Debate, Art Must Come First,”
pp. 174-175; and “Sampling Without Permission is Theft,” pp. 176-177.
Journal: What are the differences between the way Negativland makes its
argument, and the way the record companies made their argument in the
legal documents? How would you describe the kind of language
Mahoney ENG 001 Syllabus 8
Negativland uses? Are their particular academic disciplines associated
with this kind of argument?
Wed 2/26
Genre, purpose, and intervention into public discourse. Mapping the
materiality of cultural production.
Fri 2/28
In-class workshop
Handout: Paper #3—Group Presentation
Draft of Paper #2 Due in class
Week 7
Mon 3/3 Classes cancelled for conferences
Wed 3/5 Classes cancelled for conferences
Fri 3/7 Paper #2 Due
In-class work preparing for presentations
Week 8
Mon 3/10 Presentations
Wed 3/12 Presentations
Fri 3/14 Presentations
Paper #3 Due
SPRING BREAK [CCCC’s March 19-22]
Week 9
Mon 3/24 Introduction to Work, Democracy, and Globalization
Handout: Paper #4 and Guidelines for Paper Proposal
Read: Thomas Friedman, “The Lexus and the Olive Tree,” pp. 477-484;
and Robert Reich, “Becoming a Knowledge Worker,” pp. 497-509.
Journal: What do you think about the visions offered by Friedman and
Reich? What do they assume? Who is the “subject” of their narrative?
Wed 3/26
Read: Joel Spring, “Education and the Rise of the Global Economy,” pp.
510-520.
Fri 3/28
Read: Chan Lean Heng, “Women on the Global Assembly Line,” pp. 522529; and Marta B. Calás and Linda Smircich, “The ‘Feminine-inManagement’ Meets ‘Globalization,’” pp. 531-543.
Mahoney ENG 001 Syllabus 9
Research Assignment Handout
Week 10
Mon 3/31
Refining notions of globalization.
Assignment: Preparation for library research.
Wed 4/2
Library
Read: Robyn Meredith, “For This We Sent You to College?,” pp. 547-557
Fri 4/4
Read: Barbara Ehrenreich, “Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in
America,” pp. 594-611.
Assignment: Formalize research notes and bring to class on Monday.
Week 11
Mon 4/7
Read: Case Study #2: Advocating for Temporary Workers, pp. 621-626;
and “Longtime Temps Want Some Perks,” pp. 627-630.
Journal: Write a list of the jobs you have held so far in your life and try to
describe the kind of work you did in detail.
Wed 4/9
Read: Case Study #2: “A Leg Up for the Lowly Temp,” pp. 631-633;
“Consumer Guide to ‘Best Practices’: Temp Agencies,” pp. 634-644.
Fri 4/11
Read: Case Study #2: “The Temp Survival Guide,” pp. 645-650;
“Christian Angst (comics),” pp. 651-652; and “My Last Temp Job,” pp.
653-655.
Assignment: Finish Paper Proposal
Week 12
Mon 4/14
Assignment: Paper Proposal due Wednesday in class.
Wed 4/16 Paper Proposal Due
Fri 4/18 NO CLASS—SPRING RECESS
Week 13
Mon 4/21 NO CLASS—SPRING RECESS
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Wed 4/23 Discussion of Paper Proposals
Handout: Guidelines for portfolio and reflective essay.
Fri 4/25 Work on final papers
Week 14
Mon 4/28 Conferences
Wed 4/30 Editing Workshop
Fri 5/2 Complete Draft of Final Paper Due
Week 15
Mon 5/5
Wed 5/7
Fri 5/9 LAST DAY OF CLASSES—Final Papers Due
Week 16 Final Exam Week: 5/12-5/16
Mon 5/12 Portfolios Due
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!