Eng 101

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ENG 101 Sec. 019 Instructor: Anthony Sciscione
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Fall 2012 [e-mail] Office hours: T & TH 10-11AM
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Syllabus – English Composition I
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Course Overview & Objectives
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English 101 is a writing course meant to improve your ability to communicate through the medium of expository prose for both practical and academic purposes. Particular attention will be paid to the coherence and correctness of the writing itself, but all aspects of the writing process will be discussed. You will learn critical thinking and reading strategies useful both for personal intellectual development and for work required by more advanced college courses. Since reading and writing skills tend to complement each other, we will read and discuss a variety of texts significant in the history of Western thought and examine both their driving ideas, and their style of composition and argument.
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Required Course Materials
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Jacobus, Lee, Ed. A World of Ideas, 8th ed. ISBN 978-0-312-38533-0 (primary text)
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Class folder
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General notebook
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Composition notebook
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*I also recommended you buy a writing style guide for your personal reference. A classic guide is Strunk and White’s Elements of Style¸ the first edition of which is available for free online at http://www.bartleby.com/141/.
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Class Schedule (subject to revision)
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All readings listed below are to be found in A World of Ideas. They should be read by the first class day of each week.
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Th 9/6 – Introductions, writing sample
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9/11-9/13 – “Evaluating Ideas”; Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave”
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9/18-9/20 – “Writing about Ideas”; Bacon, “The Four Idols”
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9/25-9/27 – Machiavelli, “The Qualities of the Prince”
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10/2-10/4 – Rousseau, “The Origin of Civil Society” Paper 1 due (10/4)
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10/9-10/11– Jefferson, “Declaration of Independence”; Stanton, “Declaration of Sentiments & Resolutions”
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10/16-10/18 – Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience” Paper 2 due (10/18)
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10/23-10/25 – King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Journals collected (10/25)
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10/30-11/1– Benedict, “The Individual and the Pattern of Culture”
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11/6-11/8 – Emerson, “Self-Reliance” Paper 3 due (11/8)
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11/13-11/15 – Fromm, “The Individual in the Chains of Illusion”
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T 11/20 – Paper 4 due
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Th 11/22 – No Class (Thanksgiving)
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11/27-11/29 – Freud, “The Oedipus Complex”
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12/4-12/6 – Jung, “The Personal and the Collective Unconscious”
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12/11-12/13* – Ramachandran, “Neuroscience—The New Philosophy” Journals collected (12/13)
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*Last Regular Class Day – Last day for any missing work!
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Final Exam Date - Tuesday 12/18 12:30 – 3:00 PM in class– No test given; hand in Paper 5
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Course Requirements & Grading
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Students will be evaluated for grading purposes by the quality of the work submitted. Some students will be adept at writing from the inception of the course, and they should work on fine-tuning and enhancing their abilities. Others will need to work in more fundamental areas. In all cases, diligence and concentrated effort resulting in improvement in the craft of writing will be considered in final evaluation.
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Formal Papers (60%): You will write a total of five formal papers over the course of the semester. For each one, you will be given a choice of two topics relevant to the current readings and asked to write a thesis-driven paper in response to one of them. These papers should be a minimum of 3 double-spaced pages typed in standard 12 pt. font, and will be due according to the schedule above. The fifth paper will be a slightly longer assignment, giving students the luxury of extended thought on a topic arising from the semester’s discussions.
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Timeliness is crucial when it comes to handing in papers. Papers handed in after the specified due date will receive a half-grade reduction for each day late unless you receive prior permission from me for an extension. Failure to hand in more than one papers will result in automatic failure of the course.
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If you are unhappy with your grade on any paper, you may speak to me about rewriting it. In past classes, many students have benefited from the extended focus and editing practice demanded by rewrites.
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Journals (30%): Each student will keep a composition notebook specially designated as their “journal,” in which reflective writing exercises on the readings will be responded to. These assignments may be given either in-class or for homework, and are meant to get you thinking critically about the readings. Journals will be collected at the middle and end of the semester and will be graded based on thoughtfulness and relevance of responses, length (at least 1 full notebook page, or two paragraphs), and completeness.
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Attendance & Participation (10%): English 101 is a process and a continuum, not a collection of isolated assignments. As such, wakeful attendance at regular class meetings is of great importance, and excessive absence (physical or mental) will be considered grounds for failing the course. Any more than two unexplained absences will negatively affect your grade. You are expected to come prepared to discuss the readings (this means having them read and having your book/journal with you).
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Passing grades in this course run from A (outstanding) to D (below average). If at the end of the semester you have completed all required work thoughtfully and promptly, shown an effort to participate in discussions, and the quality and fluency of your writing suggests readiness for continuation in English 2, you will certainly pass this class.
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Miscellaneous Things
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The course blog can be found at http://ucceng101.blogspot.com. All paper topics and course handouts will be posted here, along with other material related to our topics of discussion.
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Academic Integrity: Plagiarism on any assignment is grounds for immediate failure of that assignment, and puts you at serious risk of failing the course. I expect that any written work you give me is a product of your own original thought, and that any language or ideas you’ve taken directly from a source are properly quoted and/or cited. Intentionally claiming someone else’s work as your own is both dishonest and counterproductive to the primary aim of this course, which is to help you become a stronger thinker and writer.
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Cell phones should be silenced or set to vibrate. Texting, chatting or otherwise preoccupying yourself with your phone during classtime will affect your Participation grade. If you choose to use a laptop to take notes, please sit at the front of the class. Going online or doing other work during class is not permitted.
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Eating small snacks and such in class is ok as long as you are quiet and subtle about it, but please refrain from eating loud, crunchy things or hot food items, as well as from chewing gum.
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Word to the wise: The first step to improving as a writer, reader, thinker and student is to identify where your own weaknesses lie and constantly push yourself to overcome them. You must be critical of yourself, not in a negative or disparaging way, but as an intelligent individual who is immersed in a process of self-realization and development and who must root out any impediments to progress in that regard. I encourage you to think of me not as a “teacher” in the traditional sense, but as an advisor and a guide. At the college level, it is up to you to take the initiative on your own education. Students who are lazy, irresponsible or dishonest do not succeed in my classes, so if that is liable to be you, be ready either to change your approach, or pick up a different section.
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