English 101-25: English Composition I
2:00 – 3:15 MW; MHRA 1210
Instructor: Ms. C. Wooten
Email Address: cawooten@uncg.edu Office: MHRA 3210D
Office Hours: T 2:30-3:30; W 3:30-4:30
English 101 satisfies the Reasoning and Discourse (GRD) requirement at UNCG, which asserts that
students “gain skills in intellectual discourse, including constructing cogent arguments, locating,
synthesizing and analyzing documents, and writing and speaking clearly, coherently, and effectively”
(http://www.uncg.edu/reg/Catalog/current/UnivReq/GECDescription.html).
In addition, English 101 is designed to address three of the proficiencies listed under Student Learning
Goals in the UNCG General Education Program. These proficiencies are:
·Ability to write and speak clearly, coherently, and effectively as well as to adapt modes
of communication to one’s audience;
·Ability to interpret academic writing and discourse in a variety of disciplines
·Ability to locate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information (2007-2008 UNCG
Undergraduate Bulletin 53)
In ENG 101, you will gain practice in recognizing and producing good writing so that you can
communicate effectively in situations both within and outside an academic setting. You’ll hone your
skills in thinking, reading and writing, produce a body of written work of your own, and share your ideas
and words with an audience of readers. My goal is for you to better understand and work through the
process of writing and to begin to see how all this is connected to your life… how reading and writing
extends beyond the classroom.
English 101 Course Objectives:
1. To help students develop the ability to analyze texts, construct cogent arguments, and provide
evidence for their ideas in writing;
2. To provide students with multiple examples of argumentative and analytical discourse as
illustrated via student and professional/published texts;
3. To introduce students to rhetorical concepts of audience, writer, message and context, and how to
employ these in both formal and informal writing situations;
4. To help students develop the ability to summarize, paraphrase, and use direct quotations in
writing;
5. To promote to student writers the value of writing-to-learn through sequenced assignments rooted
in a common theme or focus;
6. To introduce students to the act of writing as a public and community-based process through the
activities of drafting, peer review, and revision.
Required Texts:
Cohen, Samuel, ed. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2007.
Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. They Say/I Say. New York: W.W. Norton,
2009.
Lyda, Laurie, Alan Benson, Will Dodson, and Katie Fennell, eds. Techne Rhetorike.
Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press, 2009.
You will also need a three-prong folder with divider tabs for use as your writing folder and one twopocket folder to use when turning in essays and drafts of essays. Regularly accessing Blackboard for
assignments and information will also be required as will printing assignments and handouts.
Evaluation:
Portfolio: 50%
Essay Drafts: 15%
Short Writing Assignments (in and out of class): 15%
Group Work/Discussion: 10%
Writing Folder: 5%
Reading Quizzes: 5%
Grading Scale:
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
0-59 F
Classroom Expectations: Eating, sleeping, or reading other materials during class are not acceptable. All
cell phones must be turned off prior to coming to class, and no text messaging or web surfing will be
tolerated. Laptops do not need to be used during class and should not be brought to class.
Although students with disciplinary problems tend to be few and far between at the college level, if
behavioral disruptions persist within a single class meeting (or, for that matter, across multiple meetings),
the student in question will be asked to leave the class with points deducted from his/her participation
grade and an absence for the day. Types of disruptive behavior can include any form of disrespectful
comment or action directed toward me, another student, or the subject matter we are studying. I reserve
the right to interpret inappropriate behaviors as I see fit and address them accordingly, and it goes without
saying that remaining in my class is a tacit acknowledgment of this right.
Participation, Attendance, and Absences: I expect you to have read your assignments and brought any
required written work with you to class. I also expect everyone to participate in class discussion. You
must also perform all in-class writing assignments, even if the assignment itself is ungraded. Failure to
live up to my expectations will be reflected in your grade.
Because class time will be largely spent in large and small group discussions, class participation and
attendance is vital. You can miss two class periods with no penalty; if you miss a third, your final grade
will be lowered by half a letter grade; if you miss four classes then you will automatically fail the
course.
If you are more than ten minutes late for class, do not bother to come. This will count as an absence.
Being habitually late (more than three times) will also count as an absence.
Participation Rubric: At the last class meeting you will indicate both the appropriate letter grade for
your Group Work and Discussion skills in the course and, specifically, where your grade falls along the
range of a given letter’s distribution. You will also account briefly for why you feel you deserve this
grade, supplying an alternative perspective to mine on the semester’s progress. The criteria are as follows:
A
B
C
D
F
Superior communicative skills; excellent preparation for class discussion; always volunteers;
student exemplifies mastery, rigor, and intellectual curiosity regarding course readings and
concepts while also introducing relevant independent insights to the discussion; student
demonstrates enthusiasm and takes initiative, particularly during group activities.
Good communicative skills; solid preparation for class discussion; consistently volunteers;
student exemplifies interest and engagement regarding course readings and concepts; student
demonstrates positive attitude; makes meaningful contributions during group activities.
Adequate communicative skills; fair preparation for class discussion; occasionally volunteers;
student exemplifies competence regarding course readings and concepts; student demonstrates
an inoffensive, but noncommittal attitude; sporadic contributions during group activities.
Limited communicative skills; uneven preparation for class; rarely volunteers; demonstrates
indifference or irritation when prompted; inattentive during class; rare contributions during
group activities. [Performance may be marked by other flaws: consistent tardiness; disruptive;
etc.]
Weak communicative skills; little to no preparation for class; little evidence of reading
assignments (this can include not buying or printing the course texts or not making up missed
material); never volunteers, or doesn’t respond when prompted; demonstrates potential hostility
to discussion; irrelevant, distracting, or no contributions to group activities.
Late Work: I will not accept any work after I collect it in class. If you are not in class, YOU MAY NOT
SUBMIT YOUR WORK. Work may not be dropped off in my mailbox, and you may not e-mail papers
to me. Work is taken up in class the day it is due, and that is it. If a major essay is due on a certain day,
and you are absent, you may not turn in your essay. You get a zero. If you know you need to miss a class
that has work due, let me know ahead of time and you will be allowed to turn in your work EARLY. Not
late.
Failing to complete any single assignment for the course could result in a failing grade for the entire
course!! All assignments are required assignments.
Academic Integrity: “Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values:
honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism,
misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be
gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and
misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall
not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the
university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at
<http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu>. I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy. Penalties for
violation of academic integrity range from receiving an F on individual assignments to an F in the class to
university expulsion.
Essay Format: Turn in all work in MLA format (1” margins, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt.
font, 8 ½ x 11” unlined white paper), and be sure to cite anything you do not come up with yourself.
Drafts of essays: A draft is a piece of writing in progress. You will write, rewrite, and revise your essays
en-route to producing a final draft for your portfolio. Therefore, keep all earlier versions and revisions of
each assignment in your writing folder; they may be requested for use in class discussion, conferencing,
or for your portfolio. All other written work should also be saved as they will be used throughout the
semester and in your portfolio. SAVE EVERYTHING YOU WRITE UNTIL THE END OF THE
SEMESTER.
Peer Workshops: In addition to writing essays, you will participate in peer workshops. You will
read and comment on drafts of your classmates’ papers. Take this activity seriously. Not only
will your classmates depend on your comments to strengthen their writing, but you will depend
on theirs. The quality of your peer editing efforts will be reflected in your essay grades; if you
are not prepared for peer workshops (i.e. you do not have a draft of your own to share) then you
may be asked to leave and you will be given an absence for that day.
Conferences and Communication: At mid-semester and near the end of the semester, you will meet
with me individually and informally to discuss your work in the class. These are times to reflect on your
progress, set goals, discuss challenges, and begin to make decisions regarding the final writing portfolio.
You will be asked to prepare for these conferences. Missing a conference will be counted as a class
absence.
If you wish to meet with me at other times during the semester, please avail yourself of my office hours.
You may also email me with questions between 8am and 7pm, weekdays and weekends. I will not be
available before or after these times. You can expect a response within 24 hours; if you do not receive a
response within this time period, you should assume I did not receive your email and try again. In the
spirit of courtesy, you should also acknowledge via email that you received my reply.
Writing Folder: This should be a three-prong folder with divided tabs in which you keep all of the
writing you do during the semester in relation to this class (excluding your notes). This should include
copies of essays during all stages of the writing and revision process. This will provide you with much of
the material you will need to include in your writing portfolio. At several points in the semester, I will ask
you to submit these folders to ensure that you are making progress and are keeping everything you need
to. Rather than simply throwing everything into the folder, you should organize the work so that you and I
can easily find what we need to look at. You can organize by project, date, or type.
Writing Portfolio: At the end of the semester, you will submit a writing portfolio for formal evaluation.
Your portfolio will include examples of work you have done for 101, including informal and formal
writing. These should be either bound at Kinko’s or UNCG Graphics and Printing on Tate St. or placed in
a three-prong folder (not a binder). See the handout on Blackboard for more information.
Disability Services: Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about
accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you
must first register with the Office of Disability Services on campus before such accommodations can be
made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and
the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: ods@uncg.edu.
The Writing Center: The purpose of the Writing Center is to enhance the confidence and competence of
student writers by providing free, individual assistance at any stage of any writing project. Staff
consultants are experienced writers and alert readers, prepared to offer feedback and suggestions on drafts
of papers, help students find answers to their questions about writing, and provide one-on-one instruction
as needed. Located in the Moore Humanities and Research Building, room 3211.
Essay Rubric:
A
B
C
D
F
Response to Prompt
Thesis
Support
Structure
Language
sophisticated analysis;
original; shows command
of interpretive and
conceptual tasks; fulfills
then exceeds the
expectations of the
assignment in some
critical way
essay controlled by
clear, precise, welldefined thesis;
sophisticated in both
statement and insight;
attempts or achieves
innovation of the
argument or issue
being studied
provides substantial,
well-chosen evidence
(quotations or
specific examples)
used strategically;
connections between
ideas are evident;
thesis consistently
supported
apt, seemingly
inevitable sequence
of paragraphs;
appropriate, clear
and skillful
transitions between
sentences and
paragraphs
precise diction;
syntactic variety and
sophistication; clear
command of Standard
English; no or few
errors; imaginative but
mature use of
vocabulary and
sentence structure
shows good
understanding of the
texts, ideas, and methods
of the assignment; goes
beyond the obvious
clear, specific,
argumentative thesis
central to essay; may
have minor terms
undefined
pursues thesis
consistently; clearly
develops a main
argument with clear
major points and
appropriate evidence;
makes effort to link
rather than stack
ideas
distinct units of
thought in
paragraphs; clear
transitions between
developed,
coherently arranged
paragraphs
some stylistic
difficulties; occasional
problematic word
choices or awkward
syntax; some
wordiness (or
distractingly pompous
diction); a few minor
errors; some syntactic
variety
shows an understanding
of the basic ideas and
information involved;
may have some factual or
conceptual errors
general central thesis
or controlling ideas;
gives little indication
of organization to
follow; lacking some
specifics
provides some
evidence, but not
always relevant,
sufficient, or
integrated into paper;
undeveloped ideas or
little analysis; limited
use of textual
evidence
some awkward
transitions; some
brief, weakly
unified, or
undeveloped
paragraphs; uneven
paragraphing
more than a few minor
grammatical errors;
imprecise diction;
awkward syntax;
wordiness; overreliance on passive
voice; quotations
poorly integrated
confuses some significant
concepts; does not
respond directly to the
assignment
vague thesis; mostly
factual rather than
argumentative;
unspecified elements
evidence scant,
vague, or awkwardly
incorporated;
digresses without
developing ideas; no
analysis
tends to narrate or
merely summarize;
wanders; repetitive;
illogical
arrangement of
ideas
some major
grammatical errors
(subject-verb
agreement, fragments,
etc.); numerous minor
errors; repeated
inexact word choice;
inappropriate format
no clear understanding of
reading or concepts;
inappropriate response to
assignment
no discernable thesis;
contradictory or
unsustainable thesis
little or no
development;
evidence simply
listed or missing;
plagiarizes
arbitrary or no
paragraph structure;
illogical or no
transitions
errors in almost every
sentence; several
major errors (subjectverb agreement,
fragments, etc.)
*** This schedule is tentative. I reserve the right to change its contents at any time. The “Readings and
Assignments” column lists what you should read or work on before the day’s class. All out of class
writing assignments should be typed and follow MLA format. ***
Day
Wed., Jan. 20
In-Class
Intro to the course
I: In-Class Essay
Mon., Jan. 25
Intro to Literacy
Drop/Add Ends Narratives;
Writing Basics I
Wed., Jan. 27
Mon., Feb. 1
Wed., Feb. 3
Mon., Feb. 8
Wed., Feb. 10
Mon., Feb. 15
Readings
50: “The Joy of Reading and
Writing,” Alexie, 11-15
TR: Dodson, “Introduction to
Rhetorical Concepts,” 26-37
Bb: Print Essay 1 Assignment
Bb Readings: “What Writing Is,”
King; “Reading the History of the
World,” Allende
Writing Basics II 50: “Learning to Read and Write,”
Douglass, 144-150
TR: George, “The Wrestler and the
President,” 38-46
Bb Readings: “Paragraphs,” Safire;
“Shitty First Drafts,” Lamott
Peer Workshop
50: “On Keeping a Notebook,”
Practice;
Didion, 131-138; “Learning to
Writing to Enter the Read,” Malcolm X, 281-290
Academic
Bb Readings: “Peer Response,”
Community
Gillam; “Inventing the University,”
Bartholomae
Essay 1 Workshop Bb: Print Essay 1 Workshop
questions (don’t answer yet)
Academic Integrity TR: Tedder, “Academic Integrity,”
16-25
Bb: Print Essay 2 Assignment and
Essay 1 Post-Write (don’t complete)
Bb Readings: CQ Researcher; “The
Copy Shop Plagiarism,” Baron
Language and
TS: “Ain’t So/Is Not,” 115-122
Style; In-class post- Bb: print Essay 1 Post-write (don’t
write on Essay 1
complete)
Bb Readings: “Style,” Roskelly and
Jolliffe; “Concepts We Live By,”
Lakoff and Johnson; “How to Write
with Style,” Vonnegut
Rhetorical Analysis 50: “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,”
I
Anzaldua, 43-55
TR: “Textual Analysis,” 211-214
Bb Reading: “Guide to Writing a
Rhetorical Analysis,” EAA
Writing Assignments
Write and bring to class a 1 pg. account of
one important moment in your early life as
a literate person
Write and bring to class a 2 pg. dialogue
between yourself and someone else that
reflects on yourself as a literate person
(should be based on an actual
conversation)
Write and bring to class a 1 pg. reflection
on specific writing you have done either in
or out of school and how that relates to
literacy
Bring four copies of Essay 1 Draft to class
Write and bring to class a 1 pg. reflection
on your knowledge about and experiences
with academic integrity and plagiarism
Bring one paragraph from your first essay
on its own sheet – we will focus on these in
class;
Essay 1 Due – submit previous drafts
and workshop sheets
Write and bring to class a 1-2 pg.
discussion of how Nazario defines
her audience and purpose;
Writing Folder Check-in (with
Reflection 1 – see assignment
on Blackboard)
Wed., Feb. 17
Mon., Feb. 22
Wed., Feb. 24
Mon., March 1
Wed., March 3
Mon., March 8
Wed., March 10
Mon., March 15
Wed., March 17
Last Day to
Drop Without
Penalty
Mon., March 22
Wed., March 24
Rhetorical Analysis 50: “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual
Write and bring to class a 2 pg.
II
Childhood,” Rodriguez, 326-349
analysis of “Online Language” and
Bb Readings: “Arguments Based on Rodriguez as examples of arguments based
Facts and Reason,” EAA;
on facts and reason and arguments based
“Arguments Based on Character,” on character
EAA; “Online Language”
Rhetorical Analysis 50: “Mother Tongue,” Tan, 417-423; Write and bring to class a 2 pg. analysis of
III
“Me Talk Pretty One Day,” Sedaris, Tan and Sedaris as examples of arguments
378-383
based on values and arguments from the
Bb Readings: “Arguments Based on heart
Values,” EAA; “Arguments From the
Heart,” EAA
Essay 2 Workshop Bb: Print Essay 2 Workshop
Bring four copies of Essay 2 Draft
questions
to class
Revision
TR: Houlihan, “Arranging/ReBring draft of Essay 1 or Essay 2 to class
Arranging Rhetoric,” 87-97
for an in-class revision workshop
Bb: print out Essay 3 assignment and
Revision Worksheet
Bb Readings: “Revision Strategies,”
Sommers; “How to Write a Great
Novel,” Alter
TR: DeRosse, “Conferencing
No Class –
Essay 2 Due by 3:15 in my office –
Conferences; sign Rhetorically,” 164-168
submit previous drafts and workshop
up on Google Docs Bb: review conference guidelines
sheets; Complete Essay 2 Post-write out
and bring necessary materials to your of class and turn in with essay
individual conference
Spring Break
Spring Break
Research I – Meet TR: Harris, “The University
Libraries,” 117-123; Lyda and
in the library
Benson, “The Research Process,”
110-116
Analyzing the
TS: “Introduction” and “They Say,” Write and bring to class a one-paragraph
Argument
1-27
summary of Gatto
Bb Reading: “Against School,”
Gatto
Research II
TS: “Her Point Is,” 28-38
Bring at least two possible sources
TR: “Using MLA,” 278-301
for Essay 3 to class with all
Bb Reading: “The ‘Banking’
publication information;
Concept of Education,” Freire
Revise previous summary to include at
least three specific summaries and
paraphrases of Gatto
Research III
TS: “As He Himself Puts It,” 39-47 Revise previous summary to include at
Bb Readings: “Preparing Minds for least two quotations from Gatto
Markets,” Kozol; “Making College
‘Relevant,’” Zernike
Mon., March 29 Defining Your
Argument
TS: “Yes/No/Okay, But,” 51-71
TR: “Theses, Claims, and Forms of
Argument,” 220-227
Bb Readings: “Academic Bill of
Rights,” Horowitz; “Student Bill of
Rights”
Based on previous summary of Gatto, add
one paragraph that clearly explains the
stance you take in relation to him - make
sure you clearly take one of the three
stances from TS – and add 1 pg. to begin
developing your own stance
Writing Folder Check-in (with
Reflection 2 – see assignment on
Blackboard)
Wed., March 31 Using Voice
TS: “And Yet” 64-73
Add 2 pgs. to previous writing to develop
Markers;
Bb: print and review evaluating
your own stance; incorporate Gatto and
Evaluating Sources sources checklist
Freire or Kozol, using voice markers to
Bb Reading: “Against Academic
distinguish between yourself and them;
Bill of Rights,” Larkin
List four sources you plan on using on a
Works Cited page (including one web site)
Mon., April 5
Speaking to the
TS: “Skeptics May Object,” 74-86 Add one paragraph to previous writing
Other Side
Bb Readings: “By Ethnicity,”
explaining objections the other side may
Lewis; “Diversity’s False Solace,” have, what points they are right about
Michaels
(concessions), and why your stance is
overall still correct (rebuttal)
Wed., April 7
Defining Why
TS: “So What? Who Cares?” 88-96 Add one paragraph to previous writing as a
Your Argument
Bb Readings: “Listening to
conclusion, including answers to “so
Matters
Blindness,” Aviv; “A Writing
what?” and “who cares?”
Revolution,” Pelli & Bigelow
Mon., April 12
Wed., April 14
Mon., April 19
Wed., April 21
Mon., April 26
Wed., April 28
Essay 3 Workshop;
Revisiting the
Portfolio
Clarifying Your
Argument
Bb: print Essay 3 workshop
Bring four copies of Essay 3 draft to class
questions; print and review portfolio
guidelines
50: “Graduation,” Angelou, 16-28 Revise previous writing to include
TS: “In Other Words,” 123-131
metacommentary; create three appropriate
titles for this essay, choose one, and in one
paragraph describe why this was more
appropriate than the others
Reflective Intros; 50: “I Just Wanna Be Average,”
Essay 3 Due – submit previous
In-class post-write Rose, 350-364
drafts and workshop sheets
on Essay 3
Bb: print and review reflective intros
guidelines; print post-write for Essay
3 (don’t complete)
No Class –
Conferences; sign
up on Google Docs
Reflective Intros Bb: print Reflective Intro workshop Bring four copies of Reflective Intro draft
Workshop
questions
to class
Bb Reading: “The Growing College
Gap,” Draut
Putting It All
Bb: bring a copy of Draut’s essay to
Together: In-Class class
Essay
Mon., May 3
Wed., May 5
Final Exam:
Wed., May 12:
12:00
Reflection on
Semester; SelfEvaluation
Reading Day
Portfolios Due
Enjoy your summer!
Portfolios Returned