Dr. Lacroix's English 1302 Course Policies and Information
Textbooks and other required materials:
Walsh, Sharon K., and Evelyn D. Asch, eds. Civil Disobedience: A
ISBN 1413006655.
Fowler, H. Ramsey, and Jane E. Aaron. The Little, Brown Handbook. 10th Edition. ISBN 0321389514.
a good, recent collegiate dictionary (if the word “explicate” is in it and is not defined in an overly simplistic manner as “to explain,” it’s good)
portable storage (floppy or zip disk or flash memory drive)
Course Objectives:
-- mastery of critical analysis of reading selections and the research process
-- continuation of creative implementation of persuasive / argumentative writing techniques
Course Purpose: (from the instructor’s Freshman Composition Core Curriculum, p. 20)
“English 1302 is designed to enable students to use the writing process and the research process to write analytic and persuasive essays which exhibit mastery of the following qualities:
-- analytical, non-reductive thinking,
-- clearly stated or implied thesis,
-- effective strategy for audience, purpose, and thesis,
-- developed, unified, and coherent paragraphs
-- varied and effective sentence patterns,
-- clear, concrete, lively, and original diction,
-- appropriate tone,
-- correct grammar, and
-- correct manuscript mechanics and citation techniques.”
Graded Prose:
Assignment Percentage of Final Grade
Proposal for Research Paper 10
Annotated Bibliography 20
Research Paper 30
Rogerian Counter-Argument 10
Midterm in-class essay 10
Final in-class essay 10
Grading Criteria:
A (90.00 – 100) = Exceptionally fine work, superior in mechanics, style, and content
B (80.00 – 89.99) = Above average work, superior in one or two of the areas listed above
C (70.00 – 79.99) = Average quality work, good, unexceptional, fulfills minimum requirements of assignment
D (60.00 – 69.99) = Below average work, noticeably weak in areas listed above
F (0 – 59.99) = Failing work, clearly deficient in areas listed above
Evidence of Plagiarism will be graded as “0” (zero).
All students must demonstrate competence in their in-class writing assignments to potentially pass English 1302. All segments of all assignments must be turned in and accepted in order to potentially pass English 1302. The date listed on the syllabus is the very last day (within the first 5 minutes of the beginning of class) on which the assignment will be accepted without penalty. Any assignment turned in during class time on the date due after the first five minutes of class will be docked 5 points from its grade; for every calendar day (including the day the assignment is due) the assignment is late, a 10 point penalty will be assessed on the grade for the assignment (including all non-class-meeting days). Absence is not a valid reason for failure to turn in an assignment on time. All drafts of all out-of-class assignments MUST conform to MLA standards and MUST be typed or word-processed. There is no extra credit, nor is there a curve. You will receive the grade you have earned for the course.
Classroom Etiquette:
All electronic devices must be turned off. This includes, but is not limited to, cellular phones, pagers, gaming devices, PDAs, MP3 / CD players, and recording devices. You absolutely may not use imaging devices in this course (i.e. camcorders, picturephones, etc.). In a non-computer classroom, you may have (and are responsible for any damage to the room by) non-alcoholic beverages. You may not, however, have food in the class. In a computer classroom, you may not have any food and/or beverage. This policy will be strictly enforced.
All of the following are brief descriptions of the course assignments due during the semester. Handouts will be given well in advance of the due date of each assignment.
Proposal for Research Paper:
Each student will write and produce a specific, original, unified persuasive and informative essay proposing her or his research paper topic defining and developing a specific problem in society today and a possible solution to the stated problem he or she is attempting to resolve for the overall research project. The solution to the problem, ultimately, must include some aspect or aspects of civil disobedience. Topics which are not acceptable include, but are not necessarily limited to, abortion, euthenasia, the death penalty, and drug laws (both legal and illegal drugs); it is almost impossible to find unbiased source material or to find an audience member who has not already made up her or his mind on the topic; therefore, it is extremely problematic to write an effective persuasive essay on these topics. This paper must include the proposed research topic, the working thesis, an explanation of anticipated research methods, and problems anticipated in the course of both completing the paper and solving the problem. It will be a minimum of 3 full pages in length and will conform to MLA formatting and citation standards.
Annotated Bibliography:
This formal bibliography will consist of 25 annotated bibliographic entries for material the student has read and intends to use in her or his research paper. For each entry fewer than the 25 entries required for this assignment, 10 points will be deducted from the grade for this assignment. All entries MUST be accompanied by a hard copy of the source material. Electronic copies are not acceptable. This assignment MUST conform to MLA standards. You will receive a handout with specific instructions for the annotated entry and an illustrative example of a correct entry.
Research Paper:
This paper, conforming to all MLA requirements and standards and containing an annotated works cited list (which does not count towards its overall length requirement), will be the major project of the course. It will be argue for a solution to a problem occurring in society today and the role civil disobedience should play in achieving that solution. There are limits regarding acceptable and unacceptable problems to be dealt with in this research project. Specifics will be discussed in class. The essay must persuade its audience (me) that its position is reasonable and viable. The essay will employ both Toulmin structures and Rogerian strategies in its argument and must be a minimum of 10 full pages in length. Hard copies of all sources used in the paper, with the information specifically referenced or cited clearly marked or highlighted, will be turned in along with the paper itself. You will receive a handout with specific instructions for the research paper. Failure to turn in hard copies of any source will result in an automatic zero (0) on the assignment.
Rogerian Counter-Argument Essay:
Each student will write and produce an original, specific, unified argumentative essay (minimum length, 4 full pages) implementing Rogerian strategies to respond to and counterbalance an argument by an author in one of a select list of readings from Civil Disobedience: A Wadsworth Casebook in Argument. This paper must conform to MLA formatting and citation standards. The readings the student may choose between to respond to are Woolman’s “On Paying Taxes” (249-54) or Rowland’s “Against the System” (264-71).
Reading Quizzes:
Students are expected to attend class prepared to discuss the readings accurately and effectively. Quizzes will be given at the instructor’s discretion, and there will be no make-up quizzes given for those missed. All quizzes will be administered at the beginning of class. Tardiness will result in a zero for that day’s quiz.
Mid-Term and Final In-Class Essays:
Each of these in-class essays will be a timed writing. The mid-term exam essay will be an analysis of a section of the documentary Bowling for Columbine. The final exam essay will be an analysis of the movie Wag the Dog. Students will be analyzing, using Toulmin’s structures, as well as appeals, some specific aspect of the selected portion of the films. Each student must make a grade of “C” or better on her or his in-class writing assignments to potentially receive a grade of “C” or better in the course, per HCCS requirements.
Individual Course Syllabii (by CRN):
