English 120/Section 04557
College Composition I
Professor Diana H. Polley
Spring 2013
Classroom:
Class Hours:
Office Hours:
Office:
Office Phone:
Email:
Website:
Robert Frost 302
Tuesday/Friday 9:30am-10:45am
Tuesday 10:45am-2:00pm; Friday 12:15pm-2:00 pm
Robert Frost 218
x2539
d.polley@snhu.edu
http://www.dianahpolley.wordpress.com
Course Description:
ENG 120 is a college-level writing course that introduces students to various forms of academic
discourse. Students are required to prepare essays in a variety of rhetorical modes, including
exposition, description and argumentation. In addition to out-of-class writing assignments,
students will be required to compose in-class essays in response to readings and other
prompts. ENG 120 introduces students to process-writing techniques, library research and MLA
documentation procedures. The primary focus of ENG 120 is to help students acquire the
writing skills they need to succeed in an academic environment.
Course Objectives and Learner Outcomes (General Education Learning Goals are indicated in
parenthesis):
This course will help you to develop strong reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Over the
next fifteen weeks, you will read a series of challenging and thought-provoking essays on the
topic of popular culture and use these essays as springboards for discussion, analysis, and
writing exercises. Through these in and out-of-class assignments, you will learn to:
• Produce writing whose form, organization, syntax, diction, style, and tone are
appropriate for a given audience, subject, and purpose. (Communication)
• Read critically with an eye toward identifying main ideas, supporting evidence, and
conclusions so that they can utilize these components in their own writing.
(Communication)
• Use process writing for generating ideas, drafting, and revising.
• Locate, evaluate, and integrate information purposefully from electronic and print
sources and to document them correctly using MLA style. (Communication)
• Write captivating introductions, coherent theses, well developed, organized, and
supported text, and conclusions that lead the reader to the bigger picture. (Critical
and Creative Thinking)
• Demonstrate personal and collaborative editing skills developed through workshops
and peer feedback. (Collaborative)
• Craft a variety of essays, beginning with a personal narrative, progressing to critical
analysis assignments, and leading up to the final research paper.
Most importantly, this course aims to prepare you for your future as a college-level writer at
SNHU.
2
Required Texts/Materials:
Lester Faigley. The Brief Penguin Handbook. 4th Edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2011.
Manila Folders: you will be asked to turn in final drafts (with rough drafts) in a manila folder.
(manila folder)
Laptop: you will need to bring your laptops to class for workshops and other classes as
announced.
Handouts as well as articles posted on BlackBoard will supplement these materials; any
readings required for class, you will be required to print out and bring to class with you.
A STAPLER!!!
(stapler: own it, love it)
Course Requirements and Grading (the Arguing a Position paper will be used as the critical task,
used for University Assessment purposes):
Remembering Events Paper (~3-5 pgs)
15%
Critical Analysis: Advertising Paper (~4-6 pgs)
20%
Critical Analysis: Television Paper (in-class essay)
15%
Arguing a Position/Research Paper: (~8-10pgs)
25%
Quizzes, Workshops, and Presentations
15%
Class Participation, Effort, and Attendance
10%
Writing Assignments:
Please hand in all assignments in class. Only under special circumstances will papers be
accepted in my mailbox or via email. All drafts and final assignments must be typed or wordprocessed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and 12-point font. Please staple your pages
together on the upper-left corner; paper clips and loose pages result in lost work. See pg. 267-8
of The Brief Penguin Handbook for a full explanation of proper formatting. For each assigned
essay, you will be asked to hand in all drafts in a manila folder. If you are having trouble with a
paper or a due date, let me know immediately. Only under special circumstances will late
papers be accepted, and they may be marked with a grade penalty (5 points each class).
Writing Workshops:
For each of the three formal papers, we will dedicate a class to peer review. You will be
assigned a group of around 4 students for the semester. During workshop days, you will be
asked to bring in your laptop, bring in one completed copy of your paper, and upload your
paper to an assigned folder in Blackboard. These workshops will contribute to your grade; to
fulfill the assignment, you must come to class prepared and participate in your group. If you
are absent during workshops without an excused absence, I may count the class as two
absences…. Thus, even if you have failed to finish a draft for the workshop, you must still attend
class and participate.
3
Reading Assignments:
Reading assignments must be completed on the day they are assigned. You do not need to
complete accompanying questions or exercises in the readings unless they are specifically
assigned by me. To ensure active participation by each member of the class, I will occasionally
give unannounced quizzes and informal in-class writing assignments; these assignments will be
designed to test your preparation as well as comprehension of the material. To be prepared for
a quiz, be sure not to simply skim the text but to read the assignment carefully and critically.
General Education Assessment:
Your final research paper will be used to assess the General Education Learning Goals for
this course (see Student Learning Outcomes above). In addition to using Turn-It-In, you will
need to upload this final paper to Chalk & Wire, the University e-portfolio software to
prepare for this assessment. Details will be forthcoming in class.
Attendance:
I consider effort to be an essential aspect of this course. This means that being late, absent,
and not participating in class discussion and paper workshops will illustrate a lack of interest
in the class, in your work and in your final grade. Ten percent of your grade will be
determined based upon your class participation and attendance. Anything over four
absences is considered unacceptable; if you miss more than four classes, you may be
dropped from the class at my discretion. Three late arrivals (ie. after I take attendance) will
count as one absence. AND, if you come in after I have taken attendance, it is your
responsibility to remind me of your presence after class.
Other Classroom Policies:
When you enter this classroom, you join a group of students who sit down for over an hour
at a time to study together. For this reason, some general common courtesy policies are
essential. Among them… Please turn off or silence your cell phones BEFORE you come into
class. Sometimes you forget, and so the first time it goes off, you will get a warning; the
second time, however, you may be asked to leave. This goes for texting as well (and please
note that texting above or below the desk is equally rude). And, unless we are SPECIFICALLY
using laptops in class, please keep them CLOSED—laptop use unrelated to classroom use
results in distraction for all, particularly the student using the laptop. If you need to bring
food or a beverage to class, it should be inoffensive (ie. loud crunching on chips, messy
dripping ketchup, and smelly tuna sandwiches are generally distracting). Finally, please
follow basic protocols of politeness: this means coming to class late, walking in and out,
talking to your neighbor, leaving early are all rude and affect the learning environment. In
general, use common sense.
Resources:
Writing Tutors: Available in Stark 12 (The Learning Center). You can walk in or set up regular
appointments to work on your essays or grammar with tutors.
Computer Centers: Main Lab: RF 108—General PC use and printing 8am-Midnight Daily. The
Shapiro Library has carrels where laptops may be connected to the internet and to printers.
4
Library: Links on documentation (MLA, APA, Chicago Style): Go to SNHU
Library>Guides>Documentation Guides>MLA. Research Help: ask a Reference librarian for help
finding printed or online information.
Southern New Hampshire University Policy Statements:
https://my.snhu.edu/Academics/Pages/SyllabiStatements.aspx
Schedule of Assignments:
The following is an outline of assignments for the semester. Assignments may be shifted or
changed as necessary; if you miss a class, be sure to contact a fellow classmate and/or check
Blackboard.
Week One
Jan. 15
Introduction to class
Jan. 18
Introduction to each other
Introduction to BlackBoard
Discuss Remembering Events Paper
Axelrod and Cooper, “Remembering Events” (handout)
Penguin, 1-18
Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture, 27-37 (handout)
Week Two
Jan. 22
Penguin, 19-27
George Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant,” 1-4 (handout)
Bring LAPTOP to class (and topic for paper)
Jan. 25
Penguin, 28-36
Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture, 37-39 (handout)
“Remembering Events” Paper WORKSHOP Due
Bring LAPTOP to class
Week Three
Jan. 29
Penguin, 37-44
Introduce Advertising Paper
Advertising, 47-50 (handout)
Jack Solomon, “Masters of Desire,” 46-60 (handout)
“Remembering Events” Paper DRAFT Due
Feb. 1
Jib Fowles, “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals,” 73-91 (handout)
Week Four
Feb. 5
Jack Solomon and Jib Fowles Review (WORK ON PAPER)
Feb. 8
Mark Crispin Miller, “Getting Dirty,” 115-123 (handout)
Bring in several printed advertisements for Advertising Paper
“Remembering Events” Paper FINAL Due
5
Week Five
Feb. 12
ONLINE CLASS
Advertising Paper Brainstorm Assignment (TBA)
Feb. 15
ONLINE CLASS
Advertising Paper WORKSHOP Due
Week Six
Feb. 19
Introduce Television Paper
Paul A. Cantor, “The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family,” 734-749
(online)
Advertising Paper DRAFT Due
Feb. 22
Group A: Conferences
Group B: In-class viewing: The Simpsons—“The Fat and the Furriest”
Week Seven
Feb. 26
Group B: Conferences
Group A: In-class viewing: The Simpsons—“The Fat and the Furriest”
Mar. 1
ONLINE CLASS
Advertising Paper FINAL Due (Due in RF 103)
“Fat and the Furriest”: online critical analysis assignment
Week Eight
Mar. 5
Spring Break
Mar. 8
Spring Break
Week Nine
Mar. 12 Introduce Final Argument Paper
Paul A. Cantor, “The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family,” 734-749
(online)
The Simpsons—“The Fat and the Furriest”
Mar. 15
PREVIEW The Simpsons episodes (available online and in the A/V room on tape)
“Critical Analysis” In-Class Essay
Week Ten
Mar. 19 Penguin, 148-198
LIBRARY DAY
Mar. 22
Penguin, 74-84
Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture, 39-46 (handout)
Topic Workshop—Finalize topic
6
Week Eleven
Mar. 26 LIBRARY DAY #2—Sources
Mar. 29
Penguin, 199-281 (you can skim 227-281)
Introduction to MLA Documentation
Week Twelve
Apr. 2
MLA Review: “Arguing a Position” Research Paper WORKS CITED Page due
(upload to BlackBoard by 9:30am April 2nd)
Bring LAPTOP to class
Apr. 5
“Arguing a Position” Research Paper WORKSHOP Due
Bring LAPTOP to class
Week Thirteen
Apr. 9
MLA Quiz
Apr. 12
Introduce Poster Presentation
Penguin, 127-148 and 183-346 (skim)
Introduce Alternative Citation Methods
“Arguing a Position” Research Paper DRAFT Due
Week Fourteen
Apr. 16
Group A: Conferences
Group B: Prepare Poster Presentation
Apr. 19
Group A: Conferences
Group B: Prepare Poster Presentations
Week Fifteen
Apr. 23
Poster Presentation WORKSHOP Due
Apr. 26
“Arguing a Position” Poster Presentations
“Arguing a Position” Research Paper FINAL Due
Exam Day:
May 2nd, 8:00am-10:00am. Although we will not have a formal exam (the “Arguing a
Position” paper will act as the final exam), this time will be used for professor/student
conferences.