Professor Andre Peltier
Office: 617C Pray Harrold
Phone: (734) 487-1041
Sec: 033 CRN: 11142
Time: T/Th 8:00-9:15
Room # 416 Pray Harrold
Office Hours: T/R 7:00-8:00, 1:00-2:00
11:00-12:00, M/W 8:30-9:30, 2:30-3:30
E-Mail: apeltier@emich.edu
andrepeltier@hotmail.com
peltierandre1@gmail.com
English 121: Gen. Ed. Rationale
In English 121, EMU students develop the foundation for writing, research, and critical thinking strategies that they will use throughout their college careers and in the workplace. Writing is both a means of communication, and a tool for developing new ideas. Good writers are flexible. They know how to assess the expectations of a variety of audiences with whom they want to communicate and how to draw on or develop different writing strategies to meet those expectations. Good writers also understand that different kinds of writing have different conventions, and they can move fluidly between those conventions. English 121 students develop these strategies that are key to effective communication throughout the course. Students write between 50-70 pages of draft work and between 20-30 pages of polished, final-draft work during the course of the semester, and that work is supported and directed by frequent feedback from the instructor.
Course Outcomes:
By the conclusion of English 121, while some students might still be at earlier stages of beginning writing, developing writing, or competent writing, the most successful students will have achieved the outcomes described below through producing accomplished writing in the context of English 121:
=> Adapting one's own interests, ideas, and research strategies to the modes of inquiry used in college-level academic disciplines
=> Reading, incorporating, and citing sources using to the conventions appropriate to a given genre
=> Recognizing, planning, and making choices throughout the composing process to address the appropriate purposes, audience needs, and genre conventions for one's writing
=> Selecting and presenting evidence in writing that supports one's own ideas as well as provides readers with necessary background information, examples, and details to appreciate those ideas
=> Recognizing and consciously controlling the conventions of standard English, including sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling, so that they fit with the expectations of a chosen genre
Course Policies:
=> Late homework and e-mail submissions will not be accepted.
=> Lap Tops should be used for course work only.
=> All drafts must be typed (with a font of 10 - 12, in “Times New Roman”), double spaced, stapled, and complete, following the standard MLA format found in the textbook.
=> All sources must be cited properly as found in the textbook.
=> Internet sources are not allowed unless pre-approved.
=> Turn cellular phones off during class. Do not play with them during class! If you are seen playing with it, your phone will be confiscated.
Course Supplies:
=> Bryson, Bill. The Mother Tongue. We will read this book about the history of the English language throughout the semester and you will write homework assignments about the chapters as we cover them.
=> Magazines and Local Newspapers: The final paper will be about an issue in your community so you need to follow the local news throughout the semester in order to construct an argument about it.
=> You will also need a good collegiate dictionary and a stapler.
Department Participation and Attendance Policy:
=> Students enrolled in English Department classes are expected to participate
in daily interactive activities. They will, for example, routinely discuss reading assignments, write in class on impromptu topics, participate in collaborative activities, or engage in peer review of drafts. Students who miss these activities cannot reasonably make them up. As a result, students who do not participate regularly should expect to receive lower grades in the course, and students who miss more than the equivalent of two weeks of class should consider withdrawing and taking the class in a future semester. Students who know that other commitments will make it impossible to attend at certain times (early mornings, nights, Fridays) should enroll in classes that do not meet at these times.
Course Requirements:
=> There will be three major writing assignments throughout the semester. Along with completing the papers, you are also required to participate in peer editing. Papers one and two may be revised; the revision grade will replace the original paper grade. However, before you revise, you must first meet with me to discuss how you plan to improve it, but if you fail to participate in peer-editing, you will lose the opportunity to revise. If the revision is done with little effort, it is always possible for the grade to go down.
=> Paper One: Explaining Your Concept
* Pick a concept or term from within you major (if you don’t have a major yet, consider topics related to other classes you have this semester). With this paper, you will explain the history and information regarding your topic. Construct an informative essay focusing on the different aspects of this concept or term. (4 pages) Due Oct 16
=> Paper Two: APA Analysis
*Following the rules and format for papers in APA, discuss the research process and theoretical framework for an in-depth analysis of the topic you discussed in Paper 1. (5 pages) Due Nov 13
=> Paper Three: MLA Argument
* Following the rules and format for papers in MLA, construct an argument relating to the topic discussed in Paper 1. You will write a six paper argument containing a thesis statement, support, and a strong sense of your audience and warrant. You need to include at least four books or journal articles and at least one personal interview as sources. (6 pages) Due Dec 13
=> There are 13 one to two page homework writing assignments worth ten points each. The lowest one will be dropped (Assignment 13 cannot be dropped). Many of them will relate to the Bill Bryson book, but some also involves other texts we will cover. Each is due on the day on which it is listed on the schedule. They must be typed and stapled and they will not be accepted late.
=> Lastly, there will be a Group Presentation worth 100 points. Each group will present information about a specific aspect of writing and composition. Group 1: Commas and semicolons, Group 2: Doing and incorporating research, Group 3: Outlining and organizing, Group 4: MLA Format including citations and Works Cited Pages, Group 5: APA Format including citations and Bibliography page. The presentations should be between five and ten minutes and should include an activity for the class. Due Oct 25
Grading: There are a total of 1000 points possible throughout the semester.
=> Paper #1 = 150 points
=> Paper #2 = 275points
=> Paper #3 = 275 points
=> Participation = 50 points
=> Homework = 120 points
=> Peer Editing = 30 Points
=> Group Presentation = 100 Points
Plagiarism:
=> Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately passes off another's words or ideas without acknowledging their source. For example, turning another's work as your own is plagiarism. If you plagiarize in this class, you will likely fail the assignment on which you are working and your case may be passed to the university for additional disciplinary action. Because of the design and nature of this course, it will take as much (or more) work for you to plagiarize in it than it will to actually complete the work of the class.
EMU Writing Support:
The University Writing Center (115 Halle Library) offers one-to-one writing consulting for both undergraduate and graduate students. Students can make appointments or drop in between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays. One-to-one consulting is also available in the Student Success Center in the First-Year Complex from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Students should bring a draft of what they’re working on and their assignment.
The UWC also offers small group workshops on various topics related to writing (e.g., Strategies for Successful College Reading; Peer Review; Revising and Editing Your Writing). Descriptions of all UWC workshops will be posted at www.emich.edu/english/writing-center by mid-September. Workshops are offered at various times Monday through Friday in the UWC. To register for a workshop, click the "Register" link from the UWC page.
Course Schedule
Sept 6 Introduction; Asking the right questions; Library Web Site
Sept 11 Claims, Warrants, and Support; Read and Discuss Thomas Jefferson: “The Declaration of Independence” handout; Start discussing Paper 1; Quick MLA overview
Sept 13 Discussion about how advertising attracts people; Get into groups and develop questions about the advertisements; Writing Assignment #1: Find an Advertisement in a magazine or a newspaper and explain how it is making its argument by discussing its claim, warrants, and support
Sept 18 Read Chapters 1-3 of The Mother Tongue. Writing Assignment #2: Explain his main point and how he organizes them; Discuss quotes, paraphrasing, & citations.
Sept 20 Writing Assignment #3: Barbara Ehrenreich: “Premature Pragmatism” Handout: explain her thesis and main points while using both quotes and Paraphrasing and also discuss how she incorporated field research; Peer-editing of homework
Sept 25 Analyzing arguments with sources; Writing Assignment #4: Mark Jackson: “The Liberal Arts: A Practical View” handout: Compare his focus on college life with that of Ehrenreich; Peer editing of homework
Sept 27 Peer-Editing Workshop; Punctuation discussion; Writing Assignment #5: Explain your topic for Paper #1; Discuss Group Presentations
Oct 2 Office Day: Meet in my office rather than in the class room
Oct 4 Discuss Library computer system; Read The Mother Tongue Chapters 4-6; Writing Assignment #6: Explain how his discussion of ??? relates to the writing process
Oct 9 Library Research Day: Meet in Halle Library Computing Commons
Oct 11 Peer Editing for Paper #1
Oct 16 Paper #1Due; APA Format discussion
Oct 18 Read The Mother Tongue chapters 7-10; Writing Assignment #7: Explain how his discussion of ??? relates to your group presentation and format it in APA
Oct 23 Punctuation review; work on Group Presentations
Oct 25 Group Presentations
Oct 30 Work on Paper 2; Read The Mother Tongue chapters 11-13; Writing Assignment #8: Compare his explanation of ??? to ??? and do it in APA
Nov 1 Library Day
Nov 6 Office Day
Nov 8 Peer Editing for Paper #2
Nov 13 Paper #2 Due; Review MLA Format
Nov 15 Writing Assignment #9: Compare and contrast APA with MLA; Discuss interviews; Writing Assignment #10: Explain who you will interview and why that person is an authority in the field
Nov 20 Discuss Annotated Bibliography; Writing Assignment #11: Find an article in a newspaper and discuss how the writer incorporates an interview as a source
Nov 22 No Class - Thanksgiving
Nov 27 Review Library Web Site and Annotated Bibliography; Read The Mother Tongue chapters 14-16; Writing Assignment #12: Explain how Bryson’s use of sources relates to how you plan to use sources throughout paper #3
Nov 29 Library Day
Dec 4 Writing Assignment #13: Annotated Bibliography; Discuss your sources
Dec 6 Office Day
Dec 11 Peer Editing for Paper #3
Dec 13 Paper #3 Due 7:30 AM
