Last Assignment

The last short assignment for the course is to write a question about a final exam concept that you do not completely understand.

Your question should demonstrate a genuine attempt to understand the concept and pinpoint whatever aspect of it gives you trouble.

For example, here is a suitable question: "I understand that commas are used to set apart non-essential elements, but I have a hard time distinguishing between non-essential and essential elements. How can you tell the difference?"

Here is an unsuitable question: "When are semicolons used?"

Please contact me if you are unsure about any of this. Also, please bring any remaining questions about essay three. See you Thursday.

Final Exam Content Information

Although the final exam may include any concept we covered this quarter, I intend to focus on the following: 

I. Sentence-level issues:

A. Commas

• Separating items in a series

• With coordinating conjunctions to form compound sentences

• After introductory elements

• With non-restrictive (non-essential) elements

• Comma splices

• Fused sentences (run-ons)

B. Fragments
C. Apostrophes
D. Punctuation with quotation marks
E. Manuscript format
F. Title format
G. Dashes vs. hyphens
H. Subjects, verbs, and modifiers
I. Active/Passive voice
J. Metaphor and imagery
K. Usage: its/it's, every day/everyday, affect/effect
L. Subject-verb agreement
M. Vague pronoun reference
N. Pronoun-antecedent agreement

     

II. Paragraph and essay-level issues

A. Specific and concrete language

• Avoiding generalizations and clichés

B. Paragraph focus

• Topic sentences
• Supporting examples and development
• Sensory details, analogies, facts, statistics, testimony, metaphors

C. Essay focus and argument

• Thesis/claim
• Evidence/support
• Counterarguments
• Types of appeals: logical, ethical, emotional

D. Research, documentation, and integrating source material 

Final Exam Tips

The final exam is on Thursday December 10 at 5:30. Be sure to bring a #2 pencil and your handbook.

Below are some questions (without the multiple choice responses) from a previous exam for this course. Your exam will not be exactly the same, but this should give you a basic idea of what to expect.

1.     Which sentence uses specific examples rather than generalizations?

2.     Which phrase is most specific?

3.     Which phrase is least specific?

4.     Which phrase is not a generalization?

5.     Which of the following would make the most effective thesis for a 1000 word essay?

6.     Which of the following would make the most effective thesis for a 1000 word essay?          

7.     Which of the following pronouns is plural?

8.     Which of these sentences contains a usage error?

9.     Which of the following functions like an essay’s thesis, but at the paragraph level?

10.   By respectfully acknowledging opposing viewpoints, a writer creates what type of appeal?

True or False.  Mark “A” for true statements and “B” for false statements.

[The questions here are from various parts of the course, but several concern active/passive voice.] 

Sentence Structure/Pronouns. Please choose one of the following responses:

a.  Run-on

b.  Comma splice

c.  Passive voice

d.  Pronoun error

e.  Correct

Punctuation.  Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?

            [Each question here consists of three sentences.]

Matching. Select the type of error that appears in each sentence.

a.     Apostrophe error

b.     Incorrect title format

c.     Incorrect punctuation with quotation marks

d.     Comma error (restrictive/intro element, etc.)

e.     More than one error

ab. Usage error

ac.  No errors

The Next Step

In class today, people did a nice job of identifying a controversy and laying out the main arguments from each of the opposing sides.

The next step is to begin figuring out what it all means. Your task is to put forth a proposal about some aspect of your topic that respects the needs and values of people on all sides of the issue.

You aren't expected to come up with a permanent solution to your controversy, but hopefully you can recommend some way of looking at the issue that finds common ground between opposing sides.

For Thursday, try to formulate a working thesis statement that accomplishes this. For example, perhaps you have a proposal that would ensure people's access to abortion when it is needed, but at the same time drastically reduce the number of abortions that occur. A one- or two-sentence summary of your plan would serve as your thesis.

I realize some of you are a little unsure on this still. Just do your best and we will work with what you have on Thursday.

Essay III Instructions

I'm going to try something a bit different. In the past, I have always steered students away from writing persuasive essays on topics that might be called "cliché social issues." By this I mean certain issues that people tend to passionately argue for or against without ever resolving anything. These include gun control, the death penalty, abortion, affirmative action, taxation, gay marriage, drug legalization, the drinking age, and many many others. For this essay, you will choose a topic of this kind (or probably a more-precise subtopic) and propose a solution to the issue (or a specific aspect of that issue) that will satisfy people on both sides.

Your essay will need to demonstrate awareness of the main arguments on all sides of the issue, but it will also need to propose a more nuanced solution than those we're used to hearing.

In addition to effective use of the skills we've already covered, this essay will be evaluated primarily on the extent to which it proposes an original solution to the problem and demonstrates a strong ethical appeal by respecting people on all sides of the issue.

I will provide more-thorough instructions soon, but for now begin thinking about a topic and how you might approach it. Take a look around the internet and see what some of the standard arguments are. I would like to be able to discuss this during Tuesday's class, so please have a topic in mind by then. I will probably ask you to have a working thesis for Thursday.

Assignment for 11/12

During Tuesday's class, you will receive a one-page letter written by the Wallhouse Hotel company. For Thursday's class, please complete the following:

1) What is the letter's purpose? Sum it up in a single sentence (write it on the back of the letter).
2) Who is the letter's audience? Be as specific as possible.
3) On your copy of the letter, highlight three choices the author makes that are based on knowledge of his or her audience.
4) For each choice you highlighted, describe the specific values or characteristics of the audience that the text appeals to. For example, if you highlighted, "Hey, fellow Buckeye fans," you might say that this appeals to the reader's enthusiasm for Ohio State football and the sense of community that exists among fellow enthusiasts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Revised Revised Schedule

Here it is. Hopefully we will stay current for the rest of the term.

Tuesday 11/10: Book reports. Commas with nonrestrictive elements. Intro to persuasion.
Thursday 11/12: Misplaced modifiers. Essay three assigned. Persuasion, continued. Reading discussion.

Tuesday 11/17: Punctuation with quotation marks. Reasoning and fallacies.
Thursday 11/19: Dashes and hyphens. Other types of writing: business, technical, etc.

Tuesday 11/24: Literary writing. Reading discussion.
Thursday 11/26: Thanksgiving.

Tuesday 12/1: Final essay workshop. Last day for guaranteed comments.
Thursday 12/3: Last day of class. Recap and wrap-up.

Thursday 12/10: Final exam (bring handbook and #2 pencil). Final essay due.

Mission Statement and Learning Outcomes Overview

Link to mission statement


TME001 – English Composition First Writing Course 3 Semester Hours/4-5 Quarter Hours
Learning Outcomes

Outcomes marked with an asterisk are essential and must be taught.

1. Rhetorical Knowledge*
By the end of their first writing course, students should be able to recognize the elements that inform rhetorical situations. This understanding should enable them to produce expository texts that

• Have a clear purpose 
• Respond to the needs of intended audiences 
• Assume an appropriate stance 
• Adopt an appropriate voice, tone, style, and level of formality 
• Use appropriate conventions of format and structure 

2. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing*
By the end of their first writing course, students should be able to

• Use reading and writing for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating 
• Analyze relationships among writer, text, and audience in various kinds of texts 
• Use various critical thinking strategies to analyze texts 

3. Knowledge of Composing Processes*
By the end of their first writing course, students should be able to

• Understand writing as a series of steps that includes generating ideas and text, drafting, revising, 
• and editing 
• Recognize that writing is a flexible, recursive process 
• Apply this understanding and recognition to produce successive drafts of increasing quality 

4. Collaboration*
By the end of their first writing course, students should understand that the writing process is often collaborative and social. To demonstrate that understanding, students should be able to

• Work with others to improve their own and others’ texts 
• Balance the advantages of relying on others with taking responsibility for their own work 

5. Knowledge of Conventions*
By the end of their first writing course, students should be able to

• Employ appropriate conventions for structure, paragraphing, mechanics, and format 
• Acknowledge the work of others when appropriate 
• Use a standard documentation format as needed 
• Control syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling 

6. Composing in Electronic Environments*
Developments in digital technology are expanding our understanding of “writing.” To the extent that technology is available and appropriate, by the end of their first writing course students should be able to

• Understand the possibilities of electronic media/technologies for composing and publishing 
• texts 
• Use electronic environments to support writing tasks such as drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts 

7. Minimal Course Requirements*
By the end of their first writing course, students will have written

• A variety of texts with opportunities for response and revision 
• A minimum of 5000 total words (roughly 20 total pages of written work). Electronic or other 
• projects of equivalent rigor and substance may be included, but the primary focus of the course must be the composing of formal written work

Thesis Response Instructions

You will read each of your classmates' theses and offer a brief response. You may write whatever you like as long as you keep your response constructive. Here are some things to consider:

• Do you agree or disagree with the thesis? Why or why not?
• What are some counterarguments to the thesis?
• What would it take to persuade you to agree with the thesis?
• Is the thesis arguable? If not, what would it take to make it more arguable?
• Do you know much about the topic? What?
• What would you like to know about the topic?
• Does the thesis matter to someone somewhere? Why or why not? If not, how could the focus be shifted?
• What is the most interesting aspect of the thesis?
• What do you think the author most needs to hear?

Here are some sample responses:

• I agree that the new World Trade Center tower is unimaginative, but demolishing it is an extreme and impractical proposal.
• What does the pork industry say about your proposal to alter school lunches?
• "Black male kindergarten teachers" is more of a topic than a claim. What can you say about them? Do we need more of them? Would they be good role models?
• I love the idea of banning cars from downtowns, but I don't think the auto industry would ever let this happen.
• Why does it matter that accordion sales have been declining steadily since the 1950s? Isn't this fairly obvious?
• Is it possible to prove that the Eagles have the best logo in the NFL? Isn't this more a matter of opinion?

Links

Here are a few short videos on some of the grammar and punctuation issues we have covered.


Problems with modifiers

Semicolons

Parts of speech with fun buffalo

Apostrophes and its/it's

The serial comma

Pronouns as subjects and objects

Class Cancelled 10/27

I need to cancel today's class due to illness. Sorry for the short notice.

Everything on the schedule, including the essay due date, will be pushed back one class. This means that essay two will be collected on Tuesday, November 3. For this Thursday, make sure you have at least a draft to work with in class.

Please spread the word to anyone who may not have seen this message.

Updated Schedule

This schedule supersedes all previous versions. I have attempted to indicate days when readings will be assigned, but this may change.

Tuesday 10/20: Commas in a series and after introductory elements. Evaluating and incorporating sources.
Thursday 10/22: Comma splices and run-ons. Documenting sources.

Tuesday 10/27: Revision workshop. Bring the most complete draft you have, along with any other notes or materials.
Thursday 10/29: Essay Two due. Into to imagery and figurative language.

Tuesday 11/3: Book review presentations. All book reviews due.
Thursday 11/5: Book review presentations.

Tuesday 11/10: Commas with nonrestrictive elements. Essay Three assigned and discussed. Intro to persuasion.
Thursday 11/12: Misplaced modifiers. Persuasion, continued. Reading discussion.

Tuesday 11/17: Punctuation with quotation marks. Reasoning and fallacies.
Thursday 11/19: Dashes and hyphens. Other types of writing: business, technical, etc.

Tuesday 11/24: Literary writing. Reading discussion.
Thursday 11/26: Thanksgiving.

Tuesday 12/1: Final essay workshop. Last day for guaranteed comments.
Thursday 12/3: Last day of class. Recap and wrap-up.

Thursday 12/10: Final exam (bring handbook and #2 pencil). Final essay due.

Link to Podcast

I will be referring to this episode of the Freakonomics podcast during today's class. It serves as a good example of a curious researcher formulating and then answering a question.

The topic is the popularity of belts versus suspenders. The research question is "How did belts become more popular than suspenders?" The podcast spends about forty minutes examining a variety of evidence before reaching any conclusion. As you listen, pay attention to the piece's conclusion/thesis and the evidence used to support it.

Link to Reading Assignment

Link to Reading Assignment

For Thursday's class, please read this review of Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan's memoir, It's So Easy (and Other Lies). We will discuss the review's paragraphing and its thesis; it will also serve as a useful model for the book review you are writing.

Be prepared to discuss the review in detail, and have a printed copy to refer to during that discussion. A quiz is likely.

Art Museum Assignment

This Thursday, October 8, our class will meet in the lobby of the Zanesville Museum of Art at 5:45 PM. The museum is at 620 Military Road, about a half-mile east of Maple Avenue. You will see a large, red, metal sculpture on the lawn. The museum has two driveways; if you are coming from Maple, use the second one. Please let me know as soon as possible if you anticipate any problems with transportation or directions.

After a brief introduction, you will be sent to explore the museum and identify some works that suggest a research topic. Photographing your chosen works as well as their labels would be a good idea. Your assignment for Tuesday is to complete steps 1 and 2 from the assignment instructions and bring in at least one written research question to use during an in-class workshop.

Essay Two Instructions

In addition to the skills already covered, this essay requires you to conduct research and use information from outside sources to formulate and support your claims. This assignment is similar to one you might encounter in a class like art history, sociology, or history; your writing should, therefore, adopt an academic tone, and your research should be conducted with as much objectivity as possible. (Objective research involves trying to discover the answer to a question through an unbiased examination of all available evidence--rather than simply searching for evidence to support a claim you already believe to be true.)

Your assignment is to write a 1200-1500 word essay, using an artwork from the Zanesville Museum of Art as a point of departure to pose and (at least tentatively) answer a question of some academic merit.

Below are some suggested steps:

1. Identify a work from the ZMA that intrigues you in some way. Your interest may be based on the artist, the work or its style, the subject, the historical context, or some other aspect of the work.  
2. Conduct preliminary research on whatever intrigues you. At this point, any type of source material is suitable. Narrow your focus until you can pose a suitable research question: one that is sufficiently challenging, narrow, and grounded. See page 332 in the handbook.
3. Continue your research, gathering as much information as possible that pertains to your question. Begin limiting your sources to those that meet the criteria for credibility. See the "Evaluating Sources" in the handbook, beginning on page 346. Be sure to record all information needed for documentation. 
4. Analyze your findings and formulate a working thesis (the answer to your research question). This should meet the criteria described in the handbook, beginning on page 16.
5. Begin to organize your examples. Sketch a brief outline, recalling that your goal is to provide effective support for your thesis. Revise your outline as necessary.
6. As you begin drafting, pay attention to how you integrate source material. Be sure to make effective choices relating to paraphrases, quotations, and summaries. Ensure that your in-text citations conform to MLA guidelines (see p. 389).
7. After completing your draft, do your best to forget about it for a day or two. When you return, reread the essay and evaluate its effectiveness in articulating and supporting its thesis. Revise as necessary.
8. Compile your bibliographic information and create your works cited page. Remember, each in-text citation must correspond to a works-cited entry.
9. Proofread your essay. 

This essay is due on Wednesday October 22. 

Updated Class Schedule

Here is an updated schedule for the rest of the course. Readings, assignments, and quizzes are not listed here. These will be announced in class.

Just for Fun

Take a look at George Orwell's rules for writers from his essay "Politics and the English Language."

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than saying anything outright barbarous.

Assignment for Tuesday 9/29

1. Read and print this Atlantic Monthly article, titled "Why Would Apple Make an Electric Car, not a Driverless One?" by Adrienne LaFrance. Be sure to bring the printout to class for reference during discussion.

2. Make a paragraph outline of the article. This means writing a single sentence for each paragraph, expressing that paragraph's topic sentence or main idea. The article contains ten paragraphs. 

Remember, a topic sentence and a topic are not the same thing. "Apple's electric car program" is the topic of paragraph one. A topic sentence, however, says something about the topic. For example, "Apple's electric car program is moving forward."

Your paragraph outline may be typed or (very) neatly hand written.

Book Review Assignment Guidelines

The book review assignment will not be due until much later in the semester, but I would like to provide the guidelines now. 

If you have not already chosen a book to read and review, you should do so soon. You may not choose a book you have already read or one you are reading for another class. Don't feel pressured to pick something literary or highbrow, but do choose something age-appropriate. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books are too juvenile. Books in the Hunger Games, Divergent, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Twilight series are borderline but acceptable. Most students choose novels, but this is not a requirement. See me if you aren't sure about a book's suitability.

In an upcoming class we will discuss a sample book review that may be used as a model for the review you write. The most important guideline is that your review should do more than summarize. Instead, the review should articulate your honest reaction to the book. This might include answers to some (but not all) of the following questions:

• Was the book enjoyable?  
• Was the book believable?
• Was the book easy or difficult to read?
• Did the book challenge the way you think?
• Did it teach you anything new?
• What was the most/least interesting part of the book?

Be sure to provide specific examples from the text to support your claims about the book's enjoyability, believability, ease or difficulty, etc. Remember that your audience is a room full of people who might consider reading your book based on your review. What are the most important things those people need to know in order to decide whether reading the book was a worthwhile experience?  

Reviews should be 500-700 words and formatted according to MLA guidelines. On the day reviews are due, each student will give a short presentation introducing his or her book to the class. Presentations should cover the main points included in the written review. The due date will be announced.

Topic Sentences so Far

1.       We all have a lot to read

2.       This makes speed reading very appealing

3.       Speed reading programs promise faster reader but they sacrifice  accuracy

4.       The rates promised by speed reading are unrealistic

5.       Reading is an extraordinarily complex process

6.       Reading and writing require use of both vision and hearing, but speed-reading programs ignore this.

Speed Reading Article Quiz

1. The article opens with a description of what?

1. The time the author could not read the instructions in the Bangkok subway.
2. The time the author tried to read all of Moby Dick in one night.
3. The number of unread articles, emails, and novels the author has accumulated. 
4. The amount of reading the average person does in a typical day.

2. Which of the following speed-reading techniques does the article discuss?

1. Suppressing the impulse to think about the sound of words.
2. Reading only the first two words of every sentence.
3. Reading only the first and last line of every paragraph.
4. Skimming the text and noting all of the nouns and verbs.

3. What are saccades?

1. The eye movements a reader makes between words.
2. The neurons associated with language acquisition.
3. Microscopic arrows within text that may one day be a feature of all printed material. 
4. Ancient Egyptian scribes who specialized in easy-to-read hieroglyphics. 

4. The quotation from Woody Allen is about what?

1. Picking up women.
2. Filling up his apartment with unread books.
3. Taking eleven years to finish Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
4. Reading War and Peace in twenty minutes.

5. Which statement best describes the article’s conclusion about speed reading?

1. It is not useful at all, and speed reading advocates are quacks.
2. It is not useful at present but will become the dominant form of reading in coming decades.
3. It may be useful for skimming, but it remains inadequate for large and complex texts.
4. New technologies make speed reading very practical and everyone should learn it.

Schedule and Assignment for Thursday

Here is the plan for the next few classes:

Today 9/8: Rhetorical situation activity.
Thursday 9/10: Discuss paragraph focus and essay focus with speed-reading article.
Tuesday 9/15: Manuscript preparation and mechanics.
Thursday 9/17: Essays due.

Here is the link to the article for Thursday. The title is "Big Question: Is Speed Reading Actually Possible?" and it appears in Wired magazine. Be sure to read the article carefully, print it out, and be prepared for a quiz.

It might help to check out the site of the Spritz speed-reading service before reading the article.

Rhetorical Situation In-Class Writing

 We will use this activity in a future class--no need to do anything with it now.

 

You are an assistant coach at a nationally known college football program. After the final game of a winning season, you throw the players a small party at your house. Your university has a strict policy against staff members providing alcohol to students, so you don’t purchase any beer for the party. At the party, however, a group of players finds a partial case of beer in your garage refrigerator, and they help themselves. When you discover the students drinking, they plead to be allowed to drink one beer each. Since all of the students in the garage are over twenty-one, you decide to bend the rules slightly and allow them to finish the beers they started. You drink one beer as well.

After leaving the party, the team’s star quarterback, Bert Foster, is stopped by police. The officer smells alcohol on Bert’s breath and administers a sobriety test, which Bert passes. Bert insults the officer, however, and this leads to his car being searched. The police discover a suitcase full of cocaine. Bert is arrested.

Your job is to explain what happened as you would in your group’s assigned situation:

1. Bert called you from jail to tell you he has been arrested. You called the head coach immediately, but he did not answer. Write an email explaining the situation to him. Assume the head coach is a close personal friend. The national media have not picked up the story yet.
2. You went to the jail to see if you could bail Bert out and keep the story out of the papers. Text your spouse to explain where you are.
3. The police visit your house the day after Bert’s arrest. As part of their investigation, they ask you for a written statement of what happened. Write that statement.
4. The story is all over the national media. Your sister (with whom you have a close relationship) emails you to ask what happened and if you are okay. Answer her.
5. You have been fired (unfairly, you believe) from your assistant coaching job for providing alcohol to students. The local newspaper invites you to tell your side of the story.
6. You fail to get your job back and go on to a modest career as an advertising sales representative. Twenty years later, Sports Illustrated invites you to tell your story as part of a where-are-they-now article. Tell your story.

Before beginning your explanation, jot down the answers to the following questions:

1. Exactly who is your intended reader? Be as specific as possible. This will be more challenging with situations 3, 5, and 6.
2. What do you know about your reader? What is the nature of your relationship? Think about issues of power, authority, trust, familiarity, and knowledge of the situation.
3. Exactly what do you hope to accomplish by writing your explanation?

Reading for Thursday

Please follow this link to an article from Cosmopolitan magazine titled "I Used to Think Non-Drinkers Were Buzzkills--then I Sobered Up." Read the article carefully, as it is an excellent example of the type of writing you will be doing in essay one. Be sure to print out a copy of the article to refer to during our in-class discussion on Thursday. A quiz is possible.

Essay One Instructions

In a 1000-1250 word essay, tell the story of a time you changed your mind about something significant. You are not required to use the same topic you wrote about on day one, but you may. Your essay should contain well-developed and detailed descriptions of the following:

• Your original attitude or way of thinking.
• What happened that changed your mind. In most cases, this will be more than one thing.
• Your new attitude or way of thinking.

Essays will be evaluated by the extent to which they demonstrate an understanding of the following skills that we will be discussing in class:

• Awareness of rhetorical situation.
• Use of specific examples.
• Paragraph focus and development.
• Professional manuscript preparation.

Essays are due on Wednesday September 16 and should be formatted according to MLA guidelines. These guidelines begin on page 429 of your handbook, and a sample MLA paper is on page 436.

Please let me know if you have questions. Have fun and good luck.

Fall 2015 Begins Here

Welcome to English 1510. Readings, assignments, and other course information will be posted here. While you are not responsible for any posts prior to this one, feel free to browse the entries from earlier semesters to get a feel for the activities and assignments I have used in the past.