ENG 106: Composition II

Objectives

This course is an opportunity to develop a skill shared by successful persons in all fields: the ability to communicate effectively. Specifically, you will have the chance to grow in the following areas:

Research and Reading: By midterm, you should know how to find primary and secondary sources in a library and on the Internet, evaluate and interpret these sources, and take notes on them. As you read these sources, you also will learn to infer information about audience and purpose, thus preparing yourself to interpret the complex, often veiled messages you encounter in law, business, and the media.

Communication: By the end of the course, you should be able to write a clear, contestable claim and support it with relevant, credible evidence drawn from primary and secondary sources. In addition, you should be able to present this evidence in a clear, organized, and engaging fashion.

Technology: To complement these other skills, you will learn to make effective use of technology to find and share information. By the end of the course, you will be able to find material on the World Wide Web, communicate via a listserv or an online forum, and design a World Wide Web site.

Deeper appreciation of language: As you practice reading and writing, you will expand your understanding of how words in print make meaning, becoming conversant with a variety of rhetorical, grammatical, and typographical concepts.

Broader understanding of the humanities and expanded cultural literacy: In virtually all of your assignments, you will do research on and write about the history of a subject related to your prospective major. Thus, you will build a foundation for your future studies as you become familiar with important people, places, events, trends, and terms.

Supplies

Dodds, Jack. The Ready Reference Handbook. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
Ramage, John D., and John C. Bean. Writing Arguments. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1998.
The American Heritage College Dictionary
A three-ring binder and five dividers
Three IBM-formatted diskettes and computer paper

Policies

The following statement appears in the department guidelines for ENG 106: "A grade of F will be assigned if by the end of the course a student has missed more than six hours of a course, regardless of the reason for those absences (15% of the class time, e.g. 6 MWF or 4TTh classes in the regular semester)." To see the complete policies on attendance and plagiarism, as well as other information about the composition program at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, visit the World Wide Web site of the Department of English, Theatre, and Languages (www.uncp.edu/etl).

Conferences

I am committed to helping each of you to achieve your potential as a reader, writer, and thinker. To this end, I will interact with you regularly through class discussions, group exercises, and informal one-on-one talks during our class meetings. In addition, I will meet with each of you for two conferences, one during each half of the semester. Each of these conferences, which will last about 10 minutes, will take place during a regular class meeting.

To make these conferences worthwhile, you should keep all of your course materials--including notes, photocopies, drafts, and final projects--in a three-ring notebook and bring this notebook to every class meeting. You also should print a blank progress report and keep it at the front of this notebook. Throughout the semester, use this blank report to write comments and questions about your work. During each conference, I will look at the materials in your notebook, especially your progress report, and discuss your successes, as well as areas where you can improve. After each conference, I also will fill out a progress report for you and share it with you. You should place this report in your notebook, as well.

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 or the online forum 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.

Spring 2000 · 149 Dial

Professor Mark Canada
118 Dial, 521-6431
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
canada@sassette.uncp.edu
www.uncp.edu/home/canada
Office Hours: 9:15-10:15 MTWRF

Schedule

Be Your Best

January 11: Computers (Dial lab)
January 13: Mindset

Research

January 18: Snow day
January 20: Finding sources (library)
January 25: Snow day
January 27: Snow day
February 1: Outlines (Dial lab)
February 3: Taking notes (Dial lab)

Drafts

February 8: Argument (Dial lab)
February 10: Workshop (Dial lab)
February 15: Workshop (Dial lab)
February 17: Workshop (Dial lab)
February 22: Workshop (library); group site due
February 24: Workshop (Dial lab)
February 29: Individual page due (library)
March 2: Workshop (library)

Revision

March 7-9: No class (spring break)
March 14: Support
March 16: Paragraphs
March 21: Draft of article due
March 23: Sentences
March 28: Sentences
March 30: Words

Proofreading

April 4: Grammar
April 6: Punctuation, mechanics

Graphics and Speaking

April 11: Article due; typography
April 13: Web design
April 18: Workshop
April 20: Resume due, interviews

Tests

April 25: Practice
April 27: Practice
May 2: Final exam
May 4: Final exam

Assignments

Format

During class on the day an assignment is due, you must turn in a 9x12 envelope containing the following items in the order listed:

The first item must be a hard copy of your final draft. This draft must be typed in an appropriate font, such as 12-point Times, and must be bound with a paper clip. Your last name and the page number must appear on each page.
Behind this final draft must be all of the material you used or created in preparing this assignment, including rough drafts, notes, and photocopies of all sources you quoted or paraphrased.
The final item must be an IBM-formatted diskette containing all of your work on the assignment, including your outline, rough drafts, and final draft. This diskette should have a label with your name, e-mail address, and telephone number on it.

Write your name, e-mail address, and telephone number on the outside of this envelope and turn it into me when I request it in class. If you cannot be in class when I collect the assignment, you must notify me in advance. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in an F for the assignment.

Criteria

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 and insightfully 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 have an attractive, professional appearance and 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.

Grades

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.

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.

Group World Wide Web Site (10 points)

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

a 600-word essay that makes a definition claim about the subject and throughly supports this claim with relevant, specific information drawn from at least one primary source and at least three secondary sources;
an annotated bibliography that analyzes the type, content, timeliness, and credibility of at least three relevant sources, including at least one Internet site linked to your site.
lists of relevant people, places, and events.

Use the sample page as a model.

Individual World Wide Web Page (20 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 business in modern America, you might create a page on Henry Ford, department stores, or Internet commerce. Your page should include the following elements:

a 600-word essay that makes a definition or causal claim about this person, place, event, or other element and throughly supports this claim with relevant, specific information drawn from at least one primary source and at least three secondary sources;
an annotated bibliography that analyzes the type, content, timeliness, and credibility of at least three relevant sources, including at least one Internet site linked to your site.
lists of relevant people, places, and events.

Use the sample page as a model.

Article (30 points)

In an article of about 2000 words, state and support a causal claim about the person, place, event, or other element you described in the previous assignment. For example, if you created a page on polio for your group's site on health in modern America, you might write an article explaining the causes of polio or the effectiveness of treatment in modern America. Your article should contain the following elements:

a title and a byline;
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.

You should turn in this article in the form of a World Wide Web site. It does not, however, have to have the same format as the group and individual Web pages. You may create your own design by using colors, lines, and typefaces to present your information clearly and attractively. I also encourage you to include pictures, sound recordings, charts, maps, and anything else that helps to illuminate your subject

Resume (10 points)

Build a World Wide Web page that outlines your qualifications for work in a specific field. This online resume should include the following elements:

your name and a link to your e-mail address;
a current photograph of you;
a description of your job objective;
a summary of your education;
a summary of your job experience or skills, along with several descriptions of specific work you have done;
a link to the World Wide Web pages you created in this class.

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. Updated February 17, 2000 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke © Mark Canada, 2000 | canada@sassette.uncp.edu