English 1301 Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking



English 1301. Exposition: Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking

Instructor: Piper Davis

Course Information: Section 042, T/Th 8:00-9:20am & Section 044, T/Th 9:30-10:50am

Course Location: 102/103 Preston Hall

Office/Hours: 212 Carlisle Hall / T & Th 11:30am– 1:00pm, or by appointment

Email: pdavis@uta.edu

Blog:

Phone (Messages Only): 817-272-2692

Course Description: English 1301 is an integrated course in critical thinking, reading, and writing. Because these three processes are mutually dependent, we will spend our time in the course reading and analyzing various types of texts, as well as writing about them. The type of formal writing we will do in this class is generally known as expository writing, which is a combination of informative and argumentative writing. In this course, you will not only demonstrate an understanding of texts we read throughout the semester, but you will also have opportunities to explore and to express your own thoughts about the issues surrounding these texts.

Student Learning Outcomes: After successfully completing ENGL 1301, students will be able to:

• Respond critically to their own academic writing and to the writing of their peers.

• Write with clarity, demonstrating awareness of audience and adapting writing to suit various forms, including: informal reflections, personal narrative, timed writing, reader response, and analytical essays.

• Read and respond critically to course materials, using synthesis and analysis to generate academic discourse.

• Recognize and synthesize multiple interpretations of a single text.

• Examine and analyze the relationship between written and visual texts.

• Develop an effective thesis statement and support it with textual evidence.

• Integrate secondary materials into writing assignments through paraphrase, quotation, and/or summary.

• Employ standard Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines for formatting and citation.

• Utilize a web log to access course content and to respond to discussion questions.

Required Texts and Materials:

Reader: Kirszner and Mandell, The Blair Reader, 6th Edition

Rhetoric: Graff and Birkenstein, They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing

Handbook: Troyka, Simon & Schuster Quick Access Handbook for Writers, 5th Edition

OneBook text: Spiegelman, Maus I and Maus II

Coursepack available in bookstore

Pocket folder for submitting essay projects and a folder or stapler to keep reading logs together

Description of Major Assignments: As English 1301 students, you will conduct an oral presentation, which consists of planning, preparing notes for, and leading a 20-30 minute class discussion on one reading assignment. You are graded daily on class participation, which includes making thoughtful contributions in response to the reading, asking and answering questions, and presenting a general attitude of interest in the course content. You are asked to prepare for class discussion by writing summary-responses and by responding to discussion questions on the blog. Periodically, quizzes (both announced and unannounced) will test your understanding of the reading material and the concepts taught in class. Major essay projects include the Literacy Autobiography, the Synthesis Essay, and the OneBook Essay related to Art Spiegelman’s Maus I and Maus II. In preparation for these projects, several homework and in-class writing activities will be assigned.

Grades: Grades in first-year composition are A, B, C, F, and Z. The Z grade is reserved for students who attend class regularly, participate actively, and complete all the assigned work on time, but simply fail to write well enough to earn a passing grade. This judgment is made by the instructor and not necessarily based upon a number average. The Z grade is intended to reward students for good effort. While students who receive a Z will not get credit for the course, the Z grade will not affect their grade point average. They may repeat the course for credit until they do earn a passing grade. The F grade, which does negatively affect GPA, goes to failing students who do not attend class regularly, do not participate actively, or do not complete assigned work. All major essay projects must be completed to pass the course. If you fail to complete an essay project, you will fail the course, regardless of your average. Keep all papers until you receive your final grade from the university. You cannot challenge a grade without evidence.

Grade Weighting: Your final grade for this course is based on a 1000 point scale, calculated in the following manner:

Essay Project One - Literacy Autobiography 150 points

Essay Project Two - OneBook Essay 250 points

Essay Project Three - Synthesis Essay 150 points

Reading Responses (Logs and Blogs) 100 points

Quizzes, Homework, Daily Grades 75 points

In-Class Essay Exam 100 points

Class Participation 100 points

Oral Presentation 75 points

*Occasional opportunities for extra credit points may be announced throughout the semester.*

Essay Projects: Students enrolled in English 1301 will complete three essay projects during the semester. These essays must be typed, double-spaced in Times New Roman font set at 12 points with one inch margins on all sides. All papers will be formatted and works will be cited according to MLA guidelines. A minimum of one rough draft is mandatory for each essay (the OneBook essay requires two rough drafts). You will receive feedback on these drafts in peer review workshops and in student-teacher conferences, scheduled outside of class time. Additionally, you will receive individual feedback from me in the form of comments on pre-writing and first drafts of early assignments. All drafts, comments, and peer review materials must be turned in with the final draft. These essay assignments must be turned in on the due date in a two-pocket folder (no file folders or binders). Place the stapled presentation copy in the right hand side of the folder with the first page facing out and ALL required pre-writing materials, rough drafts, peer review worksheets, and teacher conference worksheets on the left side of the folder. You may be asked to provide an electronic copy and/or to sign a voluntary release form which authorizes me to share your work with others for instructional purposes.

Peer Reviews: Each essay will include mandatory peer review workshops. You will be required to include all peer review materials in the paper’s final folder in order to receive full credit. It is very important that you attend class on peer-review days, as you will not be able to make up these points.

Revision Policy: Re-writing is an important means for improving both the writing process and the final product. You have the option of revising the Literacy Autobiography and the OneBook Essay after they have been graded. You must request a rewrite opportunity immediately upon receipt of your graded essay, and will have one week to revise and resubmit the paper. Revision does not simply mean making grammatical and spelling corrections as they appear marked on the initial paper; to be eligible for a revised grade, a re-written essay must be substantially changed in both form and content. The original graded draft must accompany the re-written copy, with all changes highlighted. The initial grade and the revised grade will be averaged to arrive at the final grade for each of these essay projects. Note that Essay Project #3 is not available for re-writing. Also note that points lost due to missing process work (drafts, peer review, etc.) cannot be regained through revision.

Attendance Policy: Improvement in writing is a complex process that requires a great deal of practice and feedback from readers. Regular attendance is thus necessary for success in this course. GRADED ACTIVITIES TAKE PLACE EVERY DAY IN ENGLISH 1301. These daily grades cannot be made up or turned in late. Since every student will miss class occasionally or have a “bad quiz day”; daily assignments/quizzes are graded on a cumulative point scale, which makes each of these grades only a very small percentage of the course grade. While this system allows flexibility for students with generally good attendance, students who miss more than three classes may find it quite difficult to do well in this course.

Classroom Participation: Attendance in class means more than your presence in a desk. You are expected to come to class prepared to discuss reading and writing assignments. Your active participation in discussion means that all cell phones, pagers, iPods, MP3 players, laptops, and other electronic devices should be turned off and put away when entering the classroom; all earpieces should be removed. (We can still hear your phone vibrating! Make sure it is off or silent.) When Reading Logs or drafts of writing assignments are due, they are an integral part of the planned activities for the day. Arriving to class without them is unproductive for you and distracting for other students. For this reason, students without drafts will be asked to leave the classroom on peer review days. They will be counted absent. Likewise, students who repeatedly cause disturbances or withdraw from class participation may be counted absent and/or asked to leave for the day.

Late Assignments: Papers are due at the beginning of class on the due date specified. Late quizzes, homework, and other daily assignments will not be accepted for any reason short of the most extreme, unavoidable, and extended circumstances requiring a student to miss 3 or more classes. Verifiable documentation will be required in these cases, and all work must be made up. Late essay projects will be accepted, but are subject to a penalty of ten percent for each class day late.

Drop Policy: If you choose to withdraw from this course, it is your responsibility to do so within the university's deadlines. In order to drop a course, you must meet with your major’s academic advisor, not me.

The Writing Center: The Writing Center on the fourth floor of the Central Library provides assistance to all UT Arlington students at any stage of the writing process. Its tutors are carefully chosen and trained, and are thoroughly familiar with the first-year composition program. They can discuss any aspect of writing with you, from preliminary analysis of a text to organizing your ideas to meet the expectations of an audience. The Writing Center is not an editing service; tutors will not correct your grammar or rewrite your essay for you, but they are qualified to teach you how to do it yourself. Tutors will not predict what grade you will earn on your assignment. We encourage you to use the Writing Center's services to assist you in this class (or any of your other courses), no matter your writing level. Please be aware that tutoring sessions do take time, so be sure to allow sufficient time to complete a tutoring session and incorporate appropriate suggestions to your essay before it is due. Call 817-272-2601 or visit room 411 of the Central Library to set up an appointment.

Students Obtaining Academic Readiness (SOAR): The SOAR program (132 Hammond Hall; 817-272-2617) is the largest tutoring service on campus. SOAR Student Support Services offers free tutorial assistance to students who qualify in one of three ways: income eligibility, documented physical or learning disability, or being a first generation college. SOAR Cost-Share Tutorial offers individual tutoring by appointment to any UT Arlington student for $6.50 per hour. For more information and course listings, visit .

Counseling Services: Counseling Services (216 Davis Hall; 817-272-3671) offers many academic and personal services. Individual guidance and group training sessions are available in reading, time management, note taking, test preparation, and other study skills. There are also regularly scheduled seminars on both academic subjects and career development, all taught by qualified counselors. Trained peer counselors teach a one-credit course in “College Adjustment” to small classes of first year students; topics include academic skill building, time management, and an introduction to services available on the UT Arlington campus. Learning specialists are available to discuss learning disabilities. For more information, visit .

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. Scholastic dishonesty “includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts” (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 50101, Section 2.2). You can get in trouble for plagiarism—even if you do not intend to cheat—by failing to correctly indicate places where you are making use of the work of another. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the conventions of citation by which you indicate which ideas are not your own and how your reader can find those sources. Read your handbook for more information on quoting and citing properly to avoid plagiarism. If you still do not understand, ask your instructor.

Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112 - The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of their need for accommodation and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.  Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at uta.edu/disability. Also, you may visit the Office for Students with Disabilities in room 102 of University Hall or call them at 817-272-3364.

E-Culture Policy: All students are required to have access to the Internet. Computer use, printing, and Internet access is available to UT Arlington students in the Central Library, Ransom Hall, and at other locations across campus. The University of Texas at Arlington has issued each student a secure email address, through which information concerning registration, financial aid, payment of bills, progress in courses, academic advising, and graduation may be safely sent. You may find information about activating and using your UTA email account at uta.edu/email. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, and it remains active as long as a student is enrolled at UT-Arlington. For your protection, the university email account will be the only acceptable email account used for communication between the professor and students in English 1301. Changes in reading schedules, homework assignments, or class cancellations may be communicated to you through your student email account. You are responsible for checking their email regularly.

Syllabus and Schedule Changes: I have tried to make this document as complete as possible; however, during the course of the semester I may be required to alter, add, or abandon certain policies or assignments. I reserve the right to make such changes as they become necessary. Minor changes will be posted on the class blog, announced in class, and a notice will be emailed to your UT Arlington email address. If major changes become necessary, you will receive a new copy of the syllabus.

NOTES ABOUT ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE:

• Assignments are due the day they appear on the syllabus.

• Reading a wide variety of texts is important in a writing class. Reading provides writers with ideas for writing, models of various writing styles and results in better papers. In addition to the fact that your grade on major papers will be affected by your ability to read, analyze, and write in response to ideas in the texts we read in class, reading response and quiz grades will frequently be based upon these texts. DON’T FALL BEHIND ON YOUR READING!

• The Simon and Schuster Quick Access Handbook for Writers is required for your own benefit, to help you familiarize yourself with academic standards and conventions of American English. As a college student, you are expected to be able to utilize these conventions in your writing. Although we will not have written homework assignments from the S&S handbook, you are responsible for the information it contains, and this information may show up in daily class work or quizzes. Only you know how much or how little you will need to review your handbook in order to be familiar with this information.

• Reading Logs should be completed by the assigned dates. Reading Logs may or may not be collected each time they are assigned, but they will be taken up for assessment and feedback several times during the semester. Please bring Reading Logs to class each day just in case.

• Each Reading Log is worth 7.5 points. If you complete all 10 on time, you will receive a total of 75 points. The remaining 25 points for the “Reading Response” grade will be awarded for responses to weekly discussion questions posted on the class blog. Each thoughtful response is worth five points, up to a maximum of 25 points. Complete these at your own pace throughout the semester. Credit will only be awarded for responses posted within the week the question is posted (by class time on Thursday). Limit one graded post per week.

• Although English 1301 does not have a final exam, I reserve the right to require a class meeting during our final exam period if it becomes necessary.

|Date |Writing and Other Homework Due |Reading Due |In-Class Activities |

|Week 1 |T 8/28 |Purchase Textbooks | |Syllabus Discussion / Course Intro |

| | | | | |

| | | | |Bartholomae “Inventing the |

| | | | |University” in class |

| |Th 8/30 |Read thoroughly and thoughtfully. Taking notes|GRAFF: Intro, Chs. 1-2 |Topic: Summary-Response |

| | |while reading is recommended, so that you will|HANDOUT: Friere, “Banking |Literacy Autobiography Assignment |

| | |be prepared to share your thoughts. |Concept” |Sheet |

| | | | |Quiz 1 |

|Week 2 |T 9/4 |Reading Log #1: Summary-Response (S/R) |BLAIR: Eighner “On Dumpster |Topic: Effective Thesis Statements |

| | | |Diving” 454 | |

| | | |BLAIR: Douglass “Learning to |Topic: The Literacy Autobiography |

| | | |Read and Write” 150 |as Genre |

| |Th 9/6 |Reading Log #2: Tannen S/R |BLAIR: Tannen “Marked Women” |Discussion Leader(s) #1 |

| | | |393 | |

| | | |BLAIR: Rodriguez “Aria” 139 |Topic: Conquering the Essay Exam |

|Week 3 |T 9/11 |Prepare for in-class essay exam | |IN-CLASS ESSAY EXAM |

| |Th 9/13 |Map of your Literacy Autobiography |HANDOUT: Woolf “Solid Objects”|Discussion Leader(s) #2 |

| | | |HANDOUT: Butler “Speech | |

| | | |Sounds” HANDOUT: Sartre from |Quiz 2 |

| | | |Nausea | |

|Week 4 |T 9/18 |Draft of Literacy Autobiography Due | |Peer Review |

| | | | | |

| | |Self-Assessment of Lit Autobiography | | |

| |Th 9/20 |LITERACY AUTOBIOGRAPHY DUE | |Library Day A: Professor Davis’s |

| | | | |students meet in B20 of Central |

| | | | |Library. |

| | | | |Professor Slack’s students meet in |

| | | | |class as usual. |

|Week 5 |T 9/25 |Reading Log #3: McCloud S/R |PACKET: McCloud Understanding |Discussion Leader(s) #3 |

| | | |Comics Chs. 1-2 | |

| | | |PACKET: Holocaust background | |

| | | |info. | |

| |Th 9/27 |Reading Log #4: S/R of each OR synthesis of |MAUS I: Chs. 1-3 |Discussion Leader(s) #4 |

| | |two texts. |BLAIR: Huxley “Propaganda Under| |

| | | |a Dictatorship” 183 | |

| | | |PACKET: Lakoff “The Power of | |

| | | |Words in Wartime” | |

|Week 6 |T 10/2 |Reading Log #5: S/R of each OR synthesis of |MAUS I: Chs. 4-6 |Discussion Leader(s) #5 |

| | |both texts. |BLAIR: Milgram “The Perils of | |

| | | |Obedience” 764 | |

| |Th 10/4 |Reading Log #6: S/R of each OR synthesis of |MAUS II: Chs. 1-2 |Discussion Leader(s) #6 |

| | |both texts. |PACKET: Zelizer “Conveying | |

| | | |Atrocity in Image” | |

| | | |BLAIR: Florida “The | |

| | | |Transformation of Everyday | |

| | | |Life” 302 | |

|Week 7 |T 10/9 |Reading Log #7: S/R |MAUS II: Chs. 3-5 |Discussion Leader(s) #7 |

| | | |HANDOUT: Michaels “My Yiddish” | |

| | | | |One Book Essay Assignment Sheet |

| |Th 10/11 |Invention Exercise; Freewriting |GRAFF: Chs. 3-4 |Topic: Writing as Process |

| | | |HANDOUT: Lamott “Shitty First | |

| | | |Drafts” |Quiz 3 |

|Week 8 |T 10/16 |First Drafts Due: Bring 2 Copies |GRAFF: Chs. 6-7 |Peer Review #1 |

| | | | | |

| | |Rubric/Self Assessment Tool | |Quiz 4 |

| |Th 10/18 |Watch Freedom Writers before class | |Film Discussion |

|Week 9 |T 10/23 |* Drafts Returned |GRAFF: Chs. 8-10 |Topic: MLA Format |

| | | | |Major Issues Addressed |

| | | | | |

| | | | |Quiz 5 |

| |Th 10/25 |Second Draft Due: Bring 4 Copies | |Peer Review #2 |

| | | | | |

| | |* Full participation in the Peer Review | | |

| | |process counts as 3 daily grades. | | |

|Week 10 |T 10/30 |* Full participation in the Peer Review | |Peer Review #2 continued |

| | |process counts as 3 daily grades. | | |

| |Th 11/1 |ONE BOOK ESSAY DUE | |Library Day B: Professor Slack’s |

| | | | |students meet in B20 of Central |

| | | | |Library. |

| | | | |Professor Davis’s students meet in |

| | | | |class as usual. |

| |FRIDAY 11/2: LAST DAY TO DROP!! |

|Week 11 |T 11/6 |Reading Log #8: S/R |BLAIR: Coben “The Key to My |Discussion Leader(s) #8 |

| | | |Father” 56 | |

| | | | |Synthesis Essay Assignment Sheet |

| |Th 11/8 |Reading Log #9: S/R |BLAIR: Alexie “The Unauthorized|Discussion Leader(s) #9 |

| | | |Autobiography of Me” 47 | |

|Week 12 |T 11/13 |Reading Log #10: S/R |BLAIR: LeGuin “The Ones Who |Discussion Leader(s) #10 |

| | | |Walk Away from Omelas” 777 | |

| |Th 11/15 |DEADLINE FOR GRADED BLOG RESPONSES |PACKET: Didion "On Keeping a |Discussion Leader(s) #11 |

| | | |Notebook" | |

|Week 13 |T 11/20 |Synthesis / Reader Response Issue Proposal Due| |Topic: Readers and their Responses |

| | | | | |

| | |Pre-writing Activity (in class) | | |

| |Th 11/22 | THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY – NO CLASS |

|Week 14 |T 11/27 |Rough Draft Due | |Rubric and Self- Assessment |

| |Th 11/29 |Polished Draft Due: bring 4 copies | | Peer Review |

| | | | | |

| | |* Full participation in the Peer Review | | |

| | |process counts as 3 daily grades. | | |

|Week 15 |T 12/4 |* Full participation in the Peer Review | | Peer Review Continued |

| | |process counts as 3 daily grades. | | |

| |Th 12/6 |SYNTHESIS ESSAY DUE | | |

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