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.

 English Department Objectives for English 101

1.         Through essays written during the course, successful students will demonstrate an appropriate (early college-level) ability to

 a.        Understand and evaluate arguments found in published essays

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

Grading Scale

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.

A Pocket Style Manual by Diana Hacker
	Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck
	Carnet de Voyage by Craig Thompson

A dictionary (bring to every class)
A floppy disk or flash drive

Policies

 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.

 Cell Phones

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.

Assignments

Editing Journal

This is to be kept in a blue book. After you receive a paper back, make an entry for that paper in the blue book. The entry should describe any mechanical errors and their corrections. Second, it should note any content-based comments. Third, it should contain any problems with MLA citations or the bibliography page. The goal of the editing journal is to create a critical record of your own writing so that you can better address your strengths and weaknesses.  You will have an entry for each of the first three papers this term.  Your score will be determined by the comprehensiveness and organization of your journal. I will collect and check the journals periodically so be sure to bring it to class every day.

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, ending and within them, a climax and a conclusion.  Details are important, include a who, when, and were, and your motive for travel.  Keep in mind the characteristics of the memoir and the narrative essay.  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 (indescribably, seems, appears, as if, almost) 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 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 Literary Analysis

This paper will be a three to four page rhetorical analysis of the excerpt from Will Ferguson’s Hokkaido Highway Blues.  We have practiced the three steps for conducting a rhetorical analysis; this is your opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the process.  Your paper should include a brief summary of the excerpt, the rhetorical analysis, and a conclusion that evaluates the effectiveness of the excerpt.  That is, what is Ferguson’s purpose and how effectively does he execute it?  (What is Ferguson trying to accomplish?  Is he successful?)  You will also use quotations from Ferguson’s text to illustrate your points and include a works cited listing at the end of your paper (it does not have to be a separate page).  Be sure to inform your reader about where the quotations 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, peer review sheet, side-shadowed version, and final version.

Paper 3 Review

For this paper you will write a three to four page review of Carnet de Voyage.  The review must provide a thesis statement, a brief summary of the work, contextualize it among the creator’s other works, identify criteria for evaluation, and use those criteria for your evaluation of the work and in support of your thesis.  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 intended 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, peer review sheet, side-shadowed version, and final version.

Paper 4 Travel Narrative Revision

In a six to eight page 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.  The internal aspect will be focused by your thesis statement.  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.

In addition to addressing the internal and external aspects of travel, you must include an informative section.  Generate some research questions about your destination or other parts of your trip.  Conduct research 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 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.