English III

Millington Central High School
University of Memphis Fall 2007
English Composition English 1010

Instructor: Tracy Dobson      e-mail: tdobson@scsk12.net
Room: 306                                           Phone: 481-4927
Office Hours: daily before and after school, “A” and “D” lunch.

Description
This course explores a key question: How does language make meaning? This is, of course, a terrifically complicated question that we'll only begin to explore, but it will guide our careful reading and consideration of how texts––our own and others'––are composed and constructed.
As a means of exploring our key question, you'll engage in an array of challenging, college-level reading and writing tasks. The aim is for you to become a more skillful user and consumer of language. Thought of another way, the aim is for you to locate compass points in the great sea of words and images in which we often feel adrift. You should also be prepared to thoughtfully and civilly share your ideas and written work with others in the class.

Learning Outcomes
You will develop and demonstrate the abilities to:
A) Comprehend complex college-level texts;
B) Identify central themes and arguments in texts while forming your own;
C) Discern, analyze, and critique an author's purpose and stylistic/rhetorical choices.
D) Express ideas clearly and effectively;
E) Explore, discover, and develop you own ideas as they intersect with the ideas of others by effectively quoting, summarizing, paraphrasing, and synthesizing;
F) Engage writing rhetorically through awareness of how purpose, audience, persona, and context intersect in the processes and production of a text.
G) Organize and write coherent essays through writing processes that include multiple- drafts, peer response, and flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading;
H) Recognize and employ standard academic grammar and syntax as well as appropriate
means of documentation (MLA);
I) Explore a range of media and literacies, including computer literacy and visual/graphic literacy.

Prerequisites
All students enrolled in English 1010 must have met one of the following prerequisites:
* DSPW 0800 with a grade of “C” or better;
* ACT English sub-score of at least 19;
* SAT verbal score of at least 460;
* A satisfactory score on a placement test administered by U of M Testing Center.
Further, this course must be completed with a grade of “C” or better before students can count credit for English 1020.
Required Texts (Texts are available in the university book store.)
Eschholz, Paul, Alred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. Language Awareness: Readings for
College Writers. 9th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say. New York: W. W. Norton, 2006.
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.

Policy on Absences
Your regular, punctual attendance is expected. Three absences will be considered excessive and will lower your final grade by at least one full letter grade. If you miss five classes, you'll likely fail the course. Coming to class late or leaving early disrupts everyone and should be avoided. Arriving more than twenty minutes late for class will be marked as an absence. For an assignment to be considered for full credit, you are accountable for submitting work due on its assigned date whether you are in class or not. It is also your responsibility to see me about handouts or changes to the class schedule you missed due to absence.

Policy on Late Papers
Due dates for assigned work are clearly noted on the course schedule. It is expected that you will comply with those due dates. Should there be circumstances that prevent you from submitting a major writing assignment on its due date, it is your responsibility to notify me and to discuss with me a mutually acceptable alternative. Otherwise, a late major writing assignment will be graded down one full letter grade and will only be accepted one day late; papers will not be accepted later than one day. No homework assignments will be accepted late for credit.

Policy on Academic Honesty
Integrity is expected of you in all academic work. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that your submitted work must be your own with, of course, accurate attributions to, and citations of, others' work where appropriate. Failure to adhere to this principle will result in failure on the assignment and other consequences as per University policy, which can include failure in the course, suspension, and/or expulsion from the university.

Format for Assignments
Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments should be submitted typed, double-spaced, in a standard 12-point font, with one-inch margins and numbered pages. Documentation and citations should conform to MLA specifications.

Policy on Grade of Incomplete
A grade of “I” will be awarded only when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. An “I” will not be awarded to a student who has not submitted work according to the assigned due dates during the course of the semester. An “I” will convert to an “F” as per University policy.



Course Requirements and Grading
Your semester grade will be determined as follows:
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
Reader response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
Textual analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
Synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
Reflective evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Class participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
(Includes attendance, preparation, contributions, journal, quizzes, etc.) -----
100%

A separate handout and/or verbal explanation will be presented and discussed in class for each of the above assignments that will describe the purpose and process for each assignment as well as its grading criteria. Below, however, are brief descriptions of each assignment:
• The summary is an academic précis.
• Your reader response provides a descriptive analysis of your understanding
of an academic text.
• The textual analysis constructs an interpretation of an essay by investigating
the writer's stylistic and rhetorical choices and strategies.
• Your synthesis engages a number of complementary essays on the same topic
as a means of exploring their individual and collective meaning.
• The reflective evaluation requires you to analyze and evaluate your own work according to the Learning Outcomes for English 1010.
• Your journal (a composition book) will include writing done both inside and
outside of class. It's essential to have your journal in class everyday. Your journal will be collected on Tuesdays for review and returned on Wednesdays.

All of your assignments will be collected and submitted in a final portfolio.

Semester Grade Percentages (for The University of Memphis)
90 -100 = A 80 - 89 = B 70 - 79 = C 60 - 69 = D 59 and below = F
We will follow the Shelby County grade scale for all assignments and for quarter and semester grades, and whatever your semester grade is at MCHS will convert to the above letter grade for the university.

Class Schedule
This schedule is subject to revision. Such revisions will be discussed in class. You are responsible for keeping track of any schedule revisions. All assigned reading is to be completed before the date of our class meeting. The abbreviation FOC refers to the “Focusing on Content” exercises after a reading selection; the abbreviation FOW refers to “Focusing on Writing” exercises. Readings will be found in Language Awareness. Exercises in They Say, I Say (TSIS) and Rules for Writers (RFW) will be noted by those abbreviations.
Please bring your journal and textbooks to every class session.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are designated study days to use for working on British literature projects. Only due dates are posted.

Tuesday, 8/21
Topic approval due. Must have text to show for approval.

Week One: Coming to an Awareness of Language
Monday, 8/27
• Syllabus with course purposes and policies distributed, explained.
• Homework: Read lit. narratives of Malcolm X (37), Keller (43), and Raymond (48).

Tuesday, 8/28
? Précis for each of the three introductory articles due.

Wednesday, 8/29
• Discussion of literacy narratives.
• In-class writing: How I Learned to Read and Write.
• Homework: Complete in-class writing.

Friday, 8/31
• Informal sharing of literacy narratives.
• Introduce Chapter 2 “Writers on Writing.”
• Homework: Read Hairston's “What Happens When People Write?” (79), Do FOC 2
and 3 (84) and FOW 1 and 4 (84-5); read Flower's “Writing for an Audience” (88), Do FOC 1, 2, and 3 (90) and FOW 1 (90).

Week Two: Writers on Writing
Monday, 9/3 Labor Day. No Class.

Wednesday, 9/5
• Discuss Hairston and Flowers.
• Read and discuss Lamott's “Shitty First Drafts” (93).
• Homework: Read TSIS “Introduction” and “Chapter Two.”

Friday, 9/7
• The academic summary introduced, explained.
• In-class collaboration, drafting.
• Homework: Summary.

Week Three: Men and Women Talking
Monday, 9/10
• Due: Summary.
• Language and Gender: In-class reading/discussion of Tannen's “How to Give Orders
Like a Man” (312)
• Homework: Read Cobb's “Gender Wars in Cyberspace” (300), Do FOW 1 and 3
(304-5); Read “Thompson's “He and She: What's the Real Difference?” (322).

Wednesday, 9/12
• “Case Study: The Language of Sexual Discrimination”: Begin reading Irvin's
“'Queer' Evolution: Word Goes Mainstream” (328), Wilchins's “Because That's
What We Do to Faggots” (332), and August's “Real Men Don't: Anti-Male Bias
in English” (336).
• Homework: Finish reading the “Case Study”; write a 1-page personal reaction to
Wilchins's and August's essays.

Friday, 9/14
• Assigned: Reader response.
• Small group discussions of selected essays.
• Homework: Draft of reader response essay.

Week Four: Reading as Meaning Making
Monday, 9/17
• Due: Reader response essay draft.
• In-class writing workshop: peer/teacher conferences
• TSIS “Chapter One.”

Wednesday, 9/19
• In-class writing workshop: peer/teacher conferences, cont.
• Incorporating quotations; TSIS “Chapter Three.”

Friday, 9/20
• In-class writing workshop: peer/teacher conferences;
• Incorporating quotations; RFR 403-11.
• Homework: Reader response essay final draft.

Week Five: Language, Culture, Diversity
Monday, 9/24
Due: Reader response.
• Read and discuss McNeil’s “English Belongs to Everybody” (537).
• Homework: Sojourner Truth's “Ain't I a Woman?” (556).
Wednesday, 9/26
• Analyzing Sojourner Truth's “Ain't I a Woman?”: How tone, diction, and imagery
convey meaning.
• Homework: Read Cofer's “And May He Be Bilingual” (560), Do FOC 1 (564) and
FOW 1, 2, and 3 (565).

Friday, 9/28
• Discuss Cofer's essay. Read and discuss Lorde's “The Fourth of July” (567), and FOC
2 and FOW 1, 2, and 3.
• Homework: Read Kingsolver's “Going to Japan” (573), Do FOC 1, 3 (575) and FOW
FOW 1, 2, and 3 (576).

Week 6: Analyzing How Language Works
Monday, 10/1
• Discuss Kingsolver's essay; analyzing figurative language and organization.
• Assigned: Textual analysis.
• Homework: Select essay for your textual analysis and write a 1-2 page summary and
initial reaction.

Tuesday, 10/02
? Synopsis of original work due.

Wednesday, 10/3
• Small group collaborative discussions; RFW 84-88.
• Homework: Begin drafting textual analysis.

Friday, 10/5
• In-class drafting and conferencing; RFW 110-115.
• Homework: Complete first draft of textual analysis.

Week Seven: Textual Analysis
Monday, 10/8
• Due: Textual analysis draft.
• In-class writing workshop; RFW 115-121.

Wednesday, 10/10
• In-class writing workshop: refining an interpretive conclusion; organizing your essay;
RFW 122-127.

Thursday, 10/11
? Précis for each of the three critical analyses due.

Friday, 10/12
• Due: Textual analysis final draft.
• Introduction: Language and Politics
• Read and discuss Vaid's “Separate and Unequal” (251)
• Homework: Read Allport's “The Language of Prejudice” (217), Do FOC 1, 2, and 3
(236) and FOW 1 (236).

Week Eight: Language and Politics, Language as Politics
Monday, 10/15
Fall Break. No class.
Wednesday, 10/17
• Discuss Allport's essay; read and discuss Hayakawas' “Words with Built-in
Judgments” (229).
• Homework: Read Naylor's “The Meanings of a Word” (237), Do FOC 1 and 4 (240)
and FOW 1 and 3 (240).

Friday, 10/19
• Discuss Naylor's essay; read and discuss “An Essay on a Wickedly Powerful Word”
(241).
• Homework: Read King's “Should English Be the Law?” (180) and write responses to
questions 3, 4, and 6 (189).

Week Nine: The English-Only Debate
Monday, 10/22
• Read and discuss Lewis's “An Open Letter to Diversity's Victims” (196) and
Marquez's “Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public” (200).
• Homework: Hayakawa's “Bilingualism in America: English Should Be the
Official Language” (190) and write responses to questions 1 and 5 (195).

Wednesday, 10/24
• Read and discuss Mellix's “From Outside, In” (203)
• Homework: Select one of the questions from “Making Connections: The English-
Only Debate” (213) and write a 1-2 page response.

Friday, 10/26
• Share ideas, share responses.

Week Ten: Synthesizing Ideas
Monday, 10/29
• Assigned: Essay of synthesis.
• Homework: Begin drafting synthesis essay.

Wednesday, 10/31
• Collaborative group discussion of essays; TSIS “Chapter Four.”

Friday, 11/2
• In-class writing workshop: developing an interpretive conclusion, organizing material;
TSIS “Chapter Five.”
• Homework: Complete first draft of synthesis.

Week Eleven: Essay of Synthesis
Monday, 11/5
• Due: Synthesis draft.
• In-class peer response/teacher conferences.
• Homework: Synthesis essay.

Wednesday, 11/7
• In-class writing workshop: synthesizing sources; TSIS “Chapter Seven.”




Friday, 11/9
• Due: essay of synthesis.
• Visual Rhetoric? What's It Mean to 'Picture' Language? Discuss “Picturing
Language” (137), (243), (382), (441), and (590).
• Homework: Read “Case Study: Violence and the Media” (398-417) and choose one
of the “Making Connections: Violence and the Media” (419-19) to write a 2
page response.

Week Twelve: Language and Mass Media
Monday, 11/12
• Discuss “Case Study: Violence and the Media” readings and written responses.
• Homework: Read Birks' “Selection, Slanting, and Charged Language” (351).

Wednesday, 11/14
• Read and discuss Bryson's “The Hard Sell: Advertising in America” (423).
• Homework: Read Twitchell's “How to Advertise a Dangerous Product” (455).

Thursday, 11/15
? Persuasive essay due

Friday, 11/16
• Read and discuss Herz's “A Name So Smooth, the Product Glides In” (638).
• Assigned: Reflective evaluation.
• Homework: Begin drafting reflective evaluation essay.

Week Thirteen: America Wired
Monday, 11/19
• Read and McKissack's “Cyberghetto: Blacks Are Falling Through the Net.”
• Homework: Read Mandaville's “Digital Islam” (521).

Wednesday, 11/21
• Read and discuss Safire's “Blog” (510) and Bristow's “Text Messaging: Take Note” (513).
• Homework: Reflective evaluation draft.

Friday, 11/23
Thanksgiving Break. No class.

Week Fourteen: Bringing Things Together
Monday, 11/26
• Due: Reflective evaluation draft.
• In-class peer response/teacher conferences; TSIS “Chapter Eight.”

Wednesday, 11/28
• In-class writing workshop; TSIS “Chapter Nine.”

Friday, 11/30
• Read and discuss Orwell's “Politics and the English Language” (138).

Week Fifteen
Monday, 12/3
• Due: Portfolio with reflective evaluation and core assignments.

Wednesday, 12/5
• Class Wrap-up.

Friday, 12/7
• Final Exam period.

December 10-18
Presentations due