“Prizes, Ten Best Lists and Cultural Value"
Honors 150: Honors Composition I
Autumn 2010
California University of Pennsylvania
| Honors 150/H2 10659 |
Honors 150/H3 10660 |
| TTh 12.30-1.45 | TTh 2.00-3.15 |
| Building A 144 |
Building A 144 |
M. G. Aune
Office Hours:
TTh 7.00-8.00 AM, & W 2.00 – 5.00 223 Azorsky Hall (724.938.4341)
TTh
3.30-5.00 Honors Area (724.938.4535)
aune(at)calu.edu
Goals
This course will focus on authority: how to recognize
it and how to establish it.
Establishing authority (ethos) for yourself as
a writer and as a student is the key to success at university and beyond.
In writing, authority has two elements.
The first is formal: clarity and organization.
Writing that fulfills the requirements of the
assignment, is easy to read and understand, and well-structured has the best
chance of communicating your ideas.
The second is external.
Locating reliable sources (research) that you
can use, via quotation, paraphrase, and summary, adds to your authority.
A strong, clear thesis requires both these
elements.
In this course, you will practice identifying
authority in others’ writings and creating it in your own.
Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- recognize and write a clear thesis statement;
- develop organized and cogent support for a clear thesis statement;
- write a variety of clear, integrated introductions and conclusions;
- write with a clear sense of audience;
- critically evaluate the usefulness of information obtained electronically,
via web or library resources;
- critically evaluate and constructively respond to their own writing and
that of their peers;
- continue to refine these skills in Honors 250;
- establish an effective system for writing argumentative essays for college
level courses.
Description
Though their meaning may seem straightforward, prizes
and rankings, especially for those given for cultural work, are very complex
mechanisms for generating meaning.
For example, we often identify ourselves and
others based on awards we have won or for which we have been nominated.
We assume that someone who has won an award is
qualitatively different from someone who has not.
Awards can bring abstract and concrete
remuneration, from the prestige of being a winner to the benefit of a cash
award.
Rankings or top ten lists, such as the one hundred movies you should see
before you die (http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die.html
), have similar functions but tend to be less formal and more
idiosyncratic than institutional prizes, such as the Nobel, the Pulitzer, or
the Academy awards.
In this class, we will investigate and think about how
these awards and rankings function and why they are important.
We will read, watch, and research texts and
people that have won awards.
We will examine rankings and generate lists of
our own.
We will pursue the questions this intellectual work
will raise, including:
What do these prizes mean?
How are they awarded?
Why do some people reject prizes?
What is the relationship between the giver of
the prize and the recipient?
And all of these questions might be seen as
informing one, over-arching question: how do we as a culture assign,
exchange, and accumulate value?
Texts
(These are available at the campus bookshop and via
most on-line booksellers.
Be aware, the bookshop generally return their
books by the middle of the term, so be sure to buy them as soon as you are
able.)
Toni Morrison. Beloved
Harold Pinter.
Betrayal
Diana Hacker,
A Pocket Style
Manual
Additional readings are available on the Desire2Learn site and are listed on
the calendar.
A dictionary, bring to every class
A flash drive dedicated to schoolwork
Grading
| Paper 1 | 100 points |
| Paper 2 | 100 points |
| Paper 3 | 150 points |
| 10 Quizzes | 100 points |
| Group Portfolio | 150 points |
| Editing Journal | 60 points |
| Personal Portfolio | 50 points |
| Total | 710 |
| 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.
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.
Policies
In the class I will strive to observe the university’s
core values of integrity, civility, and responsibility.
I have written the policies below with the
belief that a mutual understanding and engagement with these core values
will make this class more rewarding for all of us.
By accepting this syllabus and attending this
class, I expect that you have also agreed to abide by these 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 four 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 add this class late, for whatever
reason, you will still be considered absent for the days you missed and
responsible for the material covered on those days.
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.
Editing Journal
This is to be kept in a blue book and will contain one
entry for each paper: three total. After a paper is returned, make an entry
for that paper in the blue book. The entry should 1.) describe any
mechanical, format, or usage errors and their corrections.
If you misspell a word, write out the
misspelled version and the correct version.
(I will note these errors with a check mark in
the margin next to the line where the error occurs.
You will have to identify the error yourself.
It may be spelling, punctuation, etc.
If you cannot locate the error, see me.)
2.) if there are any problems with MLA
citations or the bibliography page, these should be noted as above, the
original version and the correct version.
3.) note and respond to any content-based
comments.
4.) include three to five sentences about the writing
strategies that you found to be successful for this paper and those that you
will repeat for the next paper, and any new strategies that will help you to
improve your writing for your next paper.
I expect you to refer to your own notes from
your sideshadowing.
5.) include two or three sentences about the
helpfulness (or lack thereof) of the peer review.
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.
The editing journal, along with your writing
narrative will become part of your portfolio for this class and your
opportunity to reflect on your own writing.
The score will be determined by the
comprehensiveness and organization of your journal.
Twenty points are possible for each entry for a
total of sixty.
I will collect and check the journals
periodically so be sure to bring it to class every day.
Quizzes
There will be ten, brief, ten-item unannounced quizzes.
They will consist of short answer and identification questions. They will
cover the reading for that day and any terms and concepts discussed in
previous classes. The quizzes will be handed out at the beginning of class
and collected after fifteen minutes. Quizzes may not be made up.
This is to be a one page, double spaced account of
your writing process. It will have two parts.
First, describe what about writing papers is
most difficult for you and how you try to overcome that difficulty.
Then describe what you find easiest about
writing papers.
Second, in narrative style, describe how you set about
writing a paper for a college course.
Imagine a three to four page research paper is
due on a Thursday.
Describe when you start the paper, how you
start it, and when you finish it.
Include where you work (computer lab? in your
room? Library?), how you save your work (on you computer? N drive? flash
drive? other?), where do you print?
Be sure to include any specific strategies you
use such as brainstorming, outlining, asking a peer to review, proofreading,
spell check, grammar check, the Writing Center.
This is to be an accurate
description of what you do,
not what you think you should do
or what you want me to think that you do.
Being honest in this is important to your own
improvement.
This paper will count for twenty of the fifty possible
points in your portfolio.
Paper 1 Compare/Contrast
This paper will be a conventional literary
analysis, designed to practice and refine your ability to conduct a close
reading of a literary text, and write a authoritative, organized
argumentative paper with an effective introduction and conclusion.
In a three to four page paper, you will compare
and/or contrast stories by Müller, Le Clézio, and/or Lessing.
You will examine at least two stories, each by
a different author and using the rhetorical strategy of comparison and/or
contrast, establish and support a thesis that tells your reader something
new about the stories.
The paper should engage with the literary
elements we have been discussing, such as theme, symbolism, metaphor/simile,
structure, style or imagery.
The thesis must be clear and strongly supported
using quotations from the stories.
A certain amount of summary will be necessary
to support your thesis, but it should be kept to a minimum.
This paper will be evaluated based on the clarity of
the thesis, the organization of support for the thesis, familiarity with the
stories, use of literary elements and quotations, conformity to paper format
rules, sense of authority and effectiveness of the introduction and
conclusion.
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
Reception Project
This paper will be a three to four page analysis of
the reception of
Betrayal.
The goal is to practice reading and evaluating
critical work to determine if it is useful to you.
As we have discussed in class, you will look at
the writer’s thesis and support, as well as the language used and sense of
audience.
Read the on-line, customer reviews from Amazon.com and
determine what criteria are being used.
Does the reader compare/contrast the book?
Does the reader invoke his/her own experience?
Once you have determined the criteria the
reviewers have used, determine what value the reviewers are assigning the
book.
What do they seem to feel is important in a novel?
Does the author’s identity as a Nobel laureate
come into play?
The paper must end with a one
hundred word review and rating of
Betrayal
that you would contribute to Amazon.com.
You do not have to post the review if you do
not want to, however.
Your examination of the on-line reviews will be
primary research.
As such, you will need to document this work.
In your text, you will have to quote,
paraphrase, and/or summarize reviews and identify their sources.
You will need to provide a works cited page in
MLA format listing each of the reviews you are citing.
The format rules for this
can be found in
PSM 127-54.
The paper will be evaluated on the knowledge of the
text, the clarity of the conclusion, the use of
quotations/paraphrases/summaries, and attention to format and usage rules.
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
This paper will be a culmination of your work
throughout the term.
We have been looking at
Beloved
as a kind of case study for the cultural importance of prizes.
In an argumentative,
researched paper of five to seven pages, contribute to the discourse
surrounding Beloved and the
Pulitzer, NBA, or any other literary award.
You may begin with any of several questions.
What does
Beloved’s
winning a literary prize tell us about the book?
The author?
The audience?
The prize?
If a novel wins a prize such as the Pultizer,
does that imply that the book’s moral stance is validated?
Are the criticisms/praise of the novel valid or
not?
If so, why or why not?
How is Morrison’s winning the Nobel prize
related?
The paper should be argumentative in form,
establishing a thesis, supporting it with evidence, acknowledging
counter-arguments and concluding.
You are expected to use outside sources
including the essays we read in class, but you must cite the knowledge you
acquired from the source and include a complete works cited page.
As with Paper 1, this paper should follow all the
usual format rules.
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.
Personal Portfolio
This is due on the last day of
class.
It should contain each of the three papers that you
wrote, with my comments on them and the rubrics.
It should also contain your writing narrative,
completed editing journal, and all of the quizzes.
You are to fill in the scores and I will check
them against my own scores to be sure mine are accurate.
Most importantly, it should have a
one to two page personal statement, following the format rules, in which you
describe how your writing has progressed from the first paper to the last.
You must cite specific examples of improvement
or lack of improvement from your papers, writing narrative, and/or editing
journal.
Do not focus solely on the scores.
Do not use the paper as an opportunity to
evaluate the class (good or bad).
There will be an opportunity for this in
November. The personal statement is worth twenty of the fifty points in the
portfolio.
Please assemble this in a paper
folder, do not use three ring binders.
Except for quizzes, points will be deducted for
any missing items.
Group Project
At the beginning of the semester, you will be randomly
organized into five groups.
Throughout the semester, you will work in these
groups on informal and formal projects.
1.) Lead a Discussion (100 points).
Your group will be responsible for leading a
forty-five minute class discussion of the text assigned on the day of your
discussion (see calendar).
You may conduct the discussion in the way you
see fit. In addition to the forty-five minute discussion, your group will
make a ten to fifteen minute presentation on a particular cultural prize.
The presentation must consist of a profile of
the prize including its history, controversies, past winners, criteria for
winning, method of selecting a winner, frequency, amount of the award and
most importantly, the cultural importance of the award.
What does it tell us about what our culture
values?
Or does not value?
Your group must inform me
of which prize you have chosen: the Academy Awards, the Booker Prize, the
Pulitzer Prize, the Golden Raspberry Award, the
Praemium Imperiale,
or the Polar Prize.
At the end of your presentation your group must
give me: a outline of your discussion and a written version of the prize you
profiled (2-4 pages, following the rules for written work)
You will be graded on equal participation of
group members, preparation, clarity, organization, and class engagement.
Each group must meet at least twice outside of class for the project.
Some time will also be provided in class for
group work.
On the day of the discussion, each group member
must turn in a
Group Member Evaluation Form
for each member.
Each member must also fill out and turn in a
Peer
Rating of Group Members.
If these forms are not turned in on time, ten
points will be deducted from the final score.
These forms are available for download from the
D2L site.
2.) A prediction for the Nobel Prize in Literature for
2010 (50 points).
This must be a list of the ten most likely
candidates.
As part of this prediction, you will be
collaborating with the other groups and the other section of this class to
create a display case in the Library devoted to the Nobel Prize in
Literature and this year’s award. The list is due on 23 September.
Each group must also bring a written list of
ideas for how to create a display in the library informing the campus
community about the prize.
This site was created for the use of students enrolled at California University of Pennsylvania by M.G. Aune. Last updated: 18 August 2010.