Syllabus
“Life and the Journey”
English 101 College Composition I
Autumn 2007
Instructor:
M. G. Aune |
Office: 223
Azorsky Hall |
Office
Phone:
724.938.4341 |
Office Hours MWF 2.30 – 3.30 |
Description
In this course we will explore travel writing as
a means of self-expression and self-identification.
We will investigate different forms of travel and how travel changes us.
The metaphor of life as a journey is a familiar one and as students in
your first year at university, you will be both looking forward and looking
backward, working to understand and communicate who you are, where you came
from, and where you are going. We
will do this by reading the travel writing of others, discussing, analyzing, and
writing about it. You will also do
travel writing of your own and subject it to the same sorts of analysis.
We will be reading some short travel writing pieces as well
as some book-length works. The
writing assignments will vary in length and genre, but they will all return to
the ideas set out above. At the same
time, we will work to expand and refine your writing skills to prepare you for
life in and out of the university.
We will also refine and improve critical thinking skills including library and
internet research, incorporating that research into written assignments,
rhetorical analysis, establishing and supporting a thesis, recognizing and
avoiding plagiarism, and writing as a process.
1.
Through essays written
during the course, successful students will demonstrate an appropriate (early
college-level) ability to
b.
Develop logical, convincing
arguments of their own through standard methods such as analogy, example,
syllogism, demonstration of consequences, and appeal to authority
c.
Incorporate the published
views of others into their essays to support their own viewpoint
d.
Accurately summarize
opposing views, make concessions to those views, and show the weaknesses of
those views
e.
Develop essays of about
1,000 words in length that introduce a topic, coherently discuss that topic, and
effectively conclude the discussion
f.
Find, evaluate, use, and
document library and Internet sources; this includes exhibiting an ability
paraphrase and quote sources, avoiding plagiarism
g.
Exhibit a maturing syntax
and vocabulary
h.
Exhibit a growing knowledge
of Standard English
Paper 1 | 100 points |
Paper 2 | 100 points |
Paper 3 | 100 points |
Paper 4 | 200 points |
Total | 500 points |
100-94% | A | Superior Achievement |
90-93% | A- | |
87-89 | B+ | |
84-86% | B | Above Average |
80-83% | B- | |
77-79% | C+ | |
74-76% | C | Average |
70-73% | C- | |
60-69% | D | Below Average |
Below 60 | F | Failure |
Grade Guidelines
These descriptions apply to the final grade in the class and the score on particular
assignments.
A work is outstanding. It goes beyond the basic requirements of the assignment and the class. The work shows evidence of critical and original thinking. Ideas are clearly supported and explained.
B work is more than satisfactory. It shows understanding of the given task and an understanding of the rules for writing as set out in the syllabus. Thinking is clear, though not necessarily highly critical or highly original. Ideas are supported and explained, although not always clearly or consistently.
C work is satisfactory. It shows familiarity with though not a complete understanding of the given task and rules for writing as set out in the syllabus. Thought shows inconsistent critical engagement or originality. Ideas are too broad and not clearly supported with evidence. Writing tends to summarize or describe rather than analyze.
D work is below average. It shows an inconsistent understanding of the given task, text, and rules. Thought and writing are often disorganized and do not communicate an understanding of audience or genre. Paper seems to be written quickly with little attention to revision or proofreading.
F work is unsatisfactory. It shows little if any understanding of the given task, text, or rules. Thought and writing are disorganized and do not communicate an understanding of audience or genre.
The Call to
Write John Trimbur |
|
Travels
with Charley,
John Steinbeck |
|
Carnet de Voyage by Craig Thompson |
A dictionary (bring to every class)
A floppy disk or flash drive
Accommodations for Students with
Disabilities
Students with disabilities reserve the right to self-identify; must register
with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) to receive services; will
provide the appropriate notice from OSD for accommodations, which specifically
involve faculty.
Requests for approval for reasonable accommodations
should be directed to OSD.
Approved accommodations will be recorded on the ODS
Accommodation Approval notice and provided to the student.
Students are expected to adhere to the ODS
procedures for self-identifying, providing documentation and requesting
accommodations in a timely manner.
The OSD is located in Azorsky 105 and the telephone
number is 724.938.5781.
Academic Honesty
According to the University Bulletin, “[t]ruth and honesty are necessary
prerequisites for all education, and students who attempt to improve their
grades or class standing through any form of academic dishonesty may be
penalized by disciplinary action ranging from a verbal reprimand to a failing
grade in the course or dismissal from the University. If the situation appears
to merit a severe penalty, the professor will refer the matter to the
appropriate dean or to the Provost. The student may appeal the penalty as
outlined above with the Academic Integrity Committee hearing appeals above the
level of Dean.”
I assume that all work you turn in for this course is
yours, and any material that you have acquired from an outside source is
documented properly.
Failure to do so is considered plagiarism and, per
University policy, may result in failure of the course or dismissal from the
University.
See PSM 107-110
for more details.
Late Papers
Late papers will lose ten points per day until they are turned in.
You are responsible for turning in all work assigned
in this class.
Any assignment not turned in will receive a score of zero.
Failure to turn in more than two assignments will
result in failing this class.
Attendance and Participation
According to the University Catalogue, “[r]egular class attendance is a
prerequisite to successful class performance.”
Important parts of the work for this course will be
done in small and large groups.
This means that your consistent presence is
important to the success of the class as a whole.
If you are unable to attend class, you must contact
me via phone or email within twenty-four hours.
You are still responsible for any work done or due
in class that day.
Similarly, you are responsible for contacting your
group members if you miss a class.
If you are more than fifteen minutes late to a class
meeting or if you leave early, you will be considered absent.
Participation includes contributing to class
discussion, prompt attendance, listening and responding constructively to your
classmates, being prepared to discuss the readings, and bringing your books and
writing material to every class meeting.
If you attend class but are unprepared to discuss
the homework, or do not have your books or writing material, you will be
considered absent.
If you accumulate more than three absences, you may
lose one letter grade from your final grade.
If you miss three or more classes, you will not pass
the class.
Missing a scheduled conference is equivalent to missing two
class meetings.
This syllabus makes no distinctions between excused and
unexcused absences.
If you are a member of a sports team or other
university organization and must miss a course because of that commitment, you
must have your coach or advisor contact me in writing (not via phone or email)
at least two weeks before the absence.
Please turn off cell phones before class begins.
If you are expecting a very important phone call,
turn your phone to silent mode.
If you use your phone during class, you will be
asked to leave and marked absent for that day.
Paper Format
Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are to be type-written, double-spaced,
with one-inch margins, in twelve-point Times font.
Your name, the date, the class, my name and the
assignment are to be at the top of the first page.
Do not forget to title your work.
Any papers longer than one page must have page
numbers and be stapled.
Paper
1 Travel Narrative
In
this paper you will write a narrative of a trip that you took that you regard as
memorable for one reason or another.
The paper will emphasize the outer journey, the places you visited, things you
saw, people you met. It will have an
informational aspect. It will be
more objective than subjective and more external than autobiographical.
The task is to communicate what you found memorable and meaningful about
it to your reader. You will need to
build a clear sense of narrative, a beginning, middle, and end, include a who,
when, and were, and your motive for travel.
Keep in mind the characteristics of the memoir fro
CtW Chapter 5.
How is your personal experience significant?
How do you find meaning from the memory of the trip and make it
meaningful to someone else? Try to
write as a participant as well as an observer.
Be careful to choose words and phrases that communicate to your reader.
Avoid vague and unsupportable phrases like superlatives, (it was the best
trip ever; I will never forget that vacation, I cannot believe how much fun I
had). Acknowledge your audience as
not being as informed as you are about the trip.
This means explaining why you did things and why you felt the way you
did. Try to show rather than tell.
The narrative should be two to three pages (500 – 750 words) and conform
to the paper conventions described above.
The paper will be evaluated based on its articulation of the motive, the
clarity of the narrative, the use of detail, and the usual criteria for academic
writing.
This course regards writing as a process.
The process of this paper will include an outline, a side shadow, and a
peer review. Failure to complete one
of these elements will result in the loss of ten points from your final score,
up to a total of thirty.
On the
day the final version of this paper is due, you will turn in the outline, the
peer review sheet, the side-shadowed version, and the final version.
Paper
2 Rhetorical Analysis
This
paper will be a three to four page rhetorical analysis of the excerpt from Will
Ferguson’s Hokkaido Highway Blues (WtJ
146-153). We have practiced the
three steps for conducting a rhetorical analysis; this is your opportunity to
demonstrate your understanding of the process.
(The essay in CtW (55-60)
provides a good example.) Your paper
should include a brief summary of the excerpt, the rhetorical analysis, and a
conclusion which evaluates the effectiveness of the excerpt.
That is, what is Ferguson’s call to write
and how effectively does he respond to it?
(What is Ferguson trying to accomplish?
Is he successful?) You will also
use quotations from Ferguson’s text to illustrate your points.
Be sure to inform your reader about where these came from, that is use
parenthetical citations.
As with Paper 1, this paper should follow all the usual rules of format.
The process of this paper will include an outline, a side shadow, and a
peer review. Failure to complete one
of these elements will result in the loss of ten points from your final score,
up to a total of thirty. On the day
the final version of this paper is due, you will turn in the outline, the peer
review sheet, the side-shadowed version, and the final version.
Paper
3 Review
For
this paper you will write a three to four page (750 – 1000 words) review of
Carnet de Voyage.
The review must provide a brief summary of the work, contextualize it
among the creator’s other works, identify criteria for evaluation, and use those
criteria to your evaluation of the work.
As for context, you may wish to review the work as an example of a travel
narrative, a memoir, a graphic novel, or something else as long as you clarify
your approach. Along with this, you
must identify the audience for your review.
They could be fans of travel writing or graphic narratives, people who
are unfamiliar with either genre, or student of future sections of English 101.
As
with Paper 1, this paper should follow all the usual rules of format.
The process of this paper will include an
outline, a side shadow, and a peer review.
Failure to complete one of these elements will result in the loss of ten
points from your final score, up to a total of thirty.
On the day the final version of this paper is due, you will turn in the
outline, the peer review sheet, the side-shadowed version, and the final
version.
Paper
4 Travel Narrative Revision
In a
six to eight page essay (1,500 – 2,000 word) essay, revisit your travel
narrative and reflect on your experience.
The reflection will be an important part of the revision.
Help your reader understand why this particular trip was meaningful to
you.
This
will be a revision and expansion of your first paper.
You will rework your paper to incorporate the ideas about travel and
writing that we have discussed over the past semester.
In particular, I would like you to address both the external and internal
notions of travel. The first version
emphasized the external; this revision should help your reader (and yourself)
understand the internal nature of travel.
First of all, re-read the narrative and my comments on it.
Think about how you might improve it.
Some of you might want to focus more on a particular event and less on
the overall journey. Most papers
could use greater detail and context.
Emphasize showing over telling (CtW
160-66).
In
addition to addressing the internal and external aspects of travel, you must
include an informative section.
Conduct research on some part of your trip (the destination, the history, the
culture) so that you can write more authoritatively and teach your reader
something new. You must use, that is
quote, paraphrase, and/or summarize at least three reliable, outside, sources.
At least one of these must not be from the internet.
You will, of course, include a works cited page in MLA style.
Your goal is to make your narrative meaningful to someone else, to use
your present voice and knowledge to make the past understandable to someone who
was not there.
As with Paper 1, this paper should follow all the usual rules of format.
The process of this paper will include an outline, a side shadow, and a
peer review. Failure to complete one
of these elements will result in the loss of ten points from your final score,
up to a total of thirty. On the day
the final version of this paper is due, you will turn in the first version
(Paper 1), the outline, the peer review sheet, the side-shadowed version, and
the final version.
This site was created for the use of students enrolled at California University of Pennsylvania by M.G. Aune. Last updated: 6 September 2008.