Composition II

Introduction

Composition II is an opportunity to develop a skill shared by successful persons in all fields: the ability to write effectively. If you take this course seriously and work hard, you will learn to make the most of the writing process to write clear, engaging, and compelling essays. You also will find that the skills you develop here will help you in your other classes and in your career.

Specifically, I have designed this course to help you achieve the following goals:

Writing

Make the writing process more manageable by practicing effective techniques of prewriting, writing, and revision
Write clear, precise, substantive, and contestable claims
Organize your thoughts and research in effective paragraphs and essays
Interpret data and use scholarly sources effectively to make an argument
Write clear, engaging sentences
Begin to master Standard Written English

Reading and Thinking

Conduct original research on primary sources
Find and evaluate print and electronic sources
Read sources critically to understand their arguments and research
Think about issues and academic subject areas in a way that helps you to understand causes, effects, meaning, and mechanisms

Supplies

Dodds, Jack. The Ready Reference Handbook.
Morrow, Nancy, and Marlene Clarke. Currents of Inquiry.
The American Heritage College Dictionary
A three-ring binder and five dividers
Three IBM-formatted diskettes and computer paper

Be Your Best

You can expect me to be the best teacher I can be. I will be on time to class, give you my full attention and energy during every class discussion, respond thoughtfully to your oral comments and written assignments, and work hard to make this course interesting and rewarding.

I expect you to be your best, as well. Although this course is no more difficult than most college courses, it demands regular attendance, a commitment to in-class discussion and writing, and a large amount of out-of-class preparation, including reading and writing assignments, library research, and study. I expect you to make these commitments, to show up to class on time and ready to work, to check your e-mail for announcements the day before you come to class, and to turn in neatly typed, carefully edited assignments on time. For tips on improving your study habits, see Be Your Best.

Professor Mark Canada
118 Dial Humanities Building
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
canada@sassette.uncp.edu
www.uncp.edu/home/canada
521-6431
Office Hours: 10-11 M-F

Schedule

Preparation

May 28: Introduction, prewriting

Research

May 31: Finding sources (library)
June 1: Evaluating sources
June 2: Taking notes

Writing

June 3: Paragraphs
June 4: Paragraphs
June 7: A1 due, research (library)
June 8: Paragraphs
June 9: Proofreading
June 10: A2 due, argument, claims
June 11: Drafts

Revision

June 14: Support
June 15: Support
June 16: Organization
June 17: Organization
June 18: Clarity
June 21: Clarity
June 22: Introductions, conclusions
June 23: Style

Proofreading

June 24: Grammar
June 25: Words
June 26: Punctuation

Professional Writing

June 27: A3 due, resume
June 28: Cover letter, interview

Essay Exams

June 29: A4 due, essay writing
June 30: Final exam
July 1: Final exam

Assignments

Out-of-class assignments must be typed in an appropriate font, such as 12-point Times, and bound with a paper clip. Your last name and the page number must appear on each page. In some cases, you will have to submit the assignment on diskette, as well. Place all of the notes, drafts, and photocopies you use in writing your annotated bibliography in your notebook, along with a copy of the final draft. All assignments are due during class on the date listed on the syllabus. I will not accept late assignments except in the case of personal incapacitation, a death in the family, or an advance arrangement with me. Before you submit a final draft of any assignment, please review the following criteria, which I will use in grading each assignment:

Content: The project should thoroughly address its subject with accurate, credible, timely, and relevant information. If the project is supposed to be argumentative, it should state a clear, substantive, contestable, and precise claim early and support this claim with appropriate evidence.
Clarity: The project should present information in a clear, logical fashion. In particular, paragraphs generally should begin with precise topic sentences, followed by clear, well-organized sentences that support the topic sentence. The writer should use transitional words and phrases effectively to guide the reader through the information.
Readability: The project should engage the reader with lively, concise writing and should generally lack typographical errors, as well as lapses in tone, register, punctuation, spelling, word choice, and grammar. The project should effectively incorporate source material with proper use of attribution, paraphrases, and quotations. Longer projects should begin with an engaging introduction and include a satisfying conclusion.
Format: Parenthetical citations and the bibliography or list of works cited should conform to MLA style. The project also should conform to any particular format requirements set by the instructor.

Note: Each project must be your own work. That is, except for properly cited quotations, every sentence and phrase must be in your own words. All interpretations, except for those properly cited, also must be your own. If you turn in someone else's work, use a source's exact words without placing these words in quotation marks, or use an interpretation you found in a source without giving credit to the source, you may fail this course. You must be prepared to prove that you have done all your own work by showing me your sources and discussing the details of your project with me in conference.

Using a point system, I will assign grades as follows:

A (90-100 percent): This project clearly meets all of these criteria, although it may contain one or two very minor lapses.
B (80-89 percent): This project contains a few minor lapses, but otherwise generally meets the criteria for an A.
C (70-79 percent): This project may contain more than a few minor lapses or one major lapse. Nevertheless, it adequately meets the requirements of the assignment.
D (60-69 percent): This project may be strong in one area, but it contains many minor or major lapses and, as a result, does not adequately meet the requirements of the assignment.
F (below 60 percent): This project contains plagiarism or an overwhelming number of lapses that make it an inadequate response to the assignment.

Assignment 1: Group Site on General Subject (10 points)

Working as a group, create a World Wide Web site that introduces a subject from antebellum America--such as art, health, politics, science, recreation, or business--to a reader with little or no previous knowledge of it. Your page should include the following elements:

a one-paragraph essay with general information about the subject;
an annotated bibliography that analyzes the type, content, timeliness, and credibility of at least three relevant sources;
lists of relevant people, places, and events.

Use the sample page as a model.

Assignment 2: Individual Page on Specific Subject (10 points)

Working independently, create a World Wide Web page on a specific person, place, event, or other element relevant to your group's subject. For example, if your group built a page on health in antebellum America, you might create a page on Dorothea Dix, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, the introduction of ether, tuberculosis, infant mortality, or exercise in antebellum America. Your page should include the following elements:

a one-paragraph essay that uses at least one paraphrase, one full or partial quotation, and attribution to describe the subject;
an annotated bibliography that analyzes the type, content, timeliness, and credibility of at least three relevant sources;
lists of relevant people, places, and events.

Use the sample page as a model.

Assignment 3: Individual Article on Specific Topic (40 points)

In an article of about 2000 words, interpret the causes, consequences, or meaning of the person, place, event, or other element you described in the previous assignment. For example, if you created a page on tuberculosis for your group's site on health in antebellum America, you might write an article explaining the causes of tuberculosis, the effectiveness of treatment in antebellum America, or the effect tuberculosis had on antebellum Americans' views on health and mortality. Your article appear in the form of a World Wide Web page and should contain the following elements:

an introduction that engages the reader and states a claim;
one or two paragraphs providing background information, such as relevant people, places, events, and definitions;
several paragraphs that support the claim with facts, as well as paraphrases and quotations from several relevant, credible, and timely sources;
a conclusion that leaves the reader feeling enlightened and satisfied;
a list of works cited conforming to MLA format;
links to other relevant, credible World Wide Web sites if any are available.

Assignment 4: Job Materials (10 points)

Create materials that you could use to apply for a specific internship or job. These materials should include the following elements:

a cover letter that announces your interest in a specific position, introduces your resume, and calls for some action;
a resume that lists contact information, a job objective, and details of your education and experience;
a 9x13 envelope that contains the cover letter and resume and that is addressed to the employer.

Quizzes (10 points)

To help you master important writing concepts and skills, I have posted lesson plans for each unit on the Web. Before each unit, read these plans and place them in your notebook, along with about 20 sheets of blank notebook paper. During class, I sometimes will assign a quiz in which you must complete an exercise, define a term, or otherwise draw on these lesson plans or a reading assignment. Each of these quizzes, which may cover anything we have covered in the class up to that point, will be worth 1 to 5 points. You must be present in class and have any necessary materials, such as exercises in the lesson plans, to earn credit for these assignments.

Quiz 1: Describe something you have learned since the course began. (1 point)
Quiz 2: Describe several methods for doing research. (3 points) Identify the two terms I assigned you in class. (2 points)
Quiz 3: Proofread your partner's paper and identify mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics. (3 points)
Quiz 4: Review "Time Squeeze: The Extra Month of Work" and find some information that you might use in an argumentative essay about work. Using the format we have discussed in class, paraphrase this information. (3 points)

Final Exam (20 points)

At the end of the course, you will take a final exam. On this exam, you will have a chance to demonstrate what you have learned about claims, use of sources, organization, and other writing skills.

Grades

Using the criteria outlined above, I will evaluate your assignments and give you a score for each. I also will record your scores in one of the grids below so that you can keep track of your progress. Please check to make sure that the score written on your assignment matches the one I recorded here. To preserve your privacy, I have not listed your names here; instead, I have used the student numbers (S#) that I gave you at the beginning of the course.

At midterm and at the end of the course, I will add up your points, divide by the number of possible points at that stage of the semester, and record your grade according to the following scale:

90-100: A
80-89: B
70-79: C
60-69: D
below 60: F

Assignment	1.1	1.2	1.3	1.4	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.4	2.5	2.6	3.1	3.2	3.3	3.4	4.1	4.2	4.3	4.4	4.5	4.6	4.7
Quiz 1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Quiz 2	5	4	4			5	5	4	5		5	4	5	5		5	5	5	3	4	4
Quiz 3	3	3					3		3		3		3	3			3		3
Quiz 4	1	3	2		0	1	2	2	3	0	3	2	3	2	2	1	0	2			3
A1	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	7
A2	10	10	8	0	6	10	10	10	9	7	10	9	9	10	8	9	9	3	7		8
A3	33	33	27	0	7	40	40	26	37		40	26	29	36	26	33	35	28	36	0	30
A4	7	9	7	0	6	10	9	8	9	8	8	8	9	10	8	8	8	8	8	0	9
Final exam	17	20	15	0	13	17	20	20	17	11	20	11	17	20	13	17	17	17	15	0	20
Total points	87	93	74	11	42	93	99	80	93		98	69	83	95	65	81	85	71	80		82
Grade	B	A	C	F	F	A	A	B	A		A	D	B	A	D	B	B	C	B	F	B