Composition 2: Syllabus

Imagine a force that would allow you to move objects and even people without ever touching them. This force can also open doors—both the physical kinds made of wood or metal and the figurative ones that lead to good jobs and healthy relationships. Is this force magical? You might say that. The force is language, and you already know something about how to use it. Indeed, you have been using it ever since you were a year old, and over that time it probably has helped you attain more than you realize—a later curfew, perhaps, or a favor from a friend.

In this course, you will begin to learn to use language even more effectively to attain loftier goals, such as good grades, scholarships, acceptance into graduate school, a rewarding career, leadership positions, a successful family life, improvements to the world around you, and more. Specifically, you will learn the skill of argument, a skill that has enabled Thomas Jefferson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Rachel Carson, and Martin Luther King Jr.—not to mention modern leaders in science, business, education, and virtually every other profession—to move objects, people, and even whole nations.

As any of these people might have told you, mastering the magical force of language is not easy. To achieve our goals in this course, we will have to work—very long and very hard. Plan to spend many hours tracking down and poring over books, writing drafts, revising, proofreading, discussing, and writing some more. Plan to be tired and frustrated. And plan to look back on a very challenging semester and say, "I'm glad I did that."

Instructor

At Work

Professor Mark Canada
118 Dial Building
ETL Department
UNC-Pembroke
mark.canada@uncp.edu
(910) 521-6431
Office hours: 7-8 a.m. M-F, 9-10 a.m. F

At Home

Mark Canada
The Canadas

I had the good fortune of discovering the magical force of language early in my life. After a childhood spent reading and making up stories, I worked for my high school newspaper and then went on to Indiana University, where I studied journalism and English. After I graduated, I worked as a copy editor for newspapers in Franklin and Fort Wayne, Indiana, before enrolling in graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1997, I completed my Ph.D. in English, majoring in American literature and minoring in the English language, and I came to work as a professor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. In my job, I use language every day, not only when I write a lesson plan or an article, but also when I work one-on-one with students, participate in committee meetings, and argue for raises.

Language has also proved to be an asset for me at home, where I use it to build and maintain healthy relationships with my wife, Lisa, and our two children, 4-year-old Esprit and 1-year-old Will. I also like to have fun with language, especially in my family’s World Wide Web site., where we publish news about our lives.

P’s and Q’s

Objectives

Language: Success in college and the world beyond requires more than basic literacy. In this course, you will learn not only how to decipher language, but also how to analyze it for clues about purpose, audience, and agenda. Specifically, we will study logical fallacies, ethos, and other concepts.

Ideas: As you develop your understanding of language, you also will explore the world of colonial America and become familiar with some of the ideas of the time.

Research: One of the most valuable skills you will learn in college is the ability to gather detailed, reliable information so that you can make informed decisions. In this course, you will learn how to locate and evaluate information, as well as how to quote, paraphrase, and cite source material.

Communication: Knowledge confined to a single person's brain has limited use. It is through sharing this knowledge that humans make progress in medicine, science, politics, and every other human endeavor. In this course, you will explore every major component of effective rhetoric, from well-formed arguments and general organization down to precise, lively words and carefully placed commas. In addition, we will examine the fundamentals of graphic communication, oral communication, and World Wide Web design.

Supplies

The SF Writer
Everything’s an Argument
Early American Writing
Hardback college dictionary
3-ring binder
3 IBM-formatted diskettes

As I have explained in the course objectives at the left, this course will give you the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in the areas of language, ideas, research, and communication. As your guide, I will work hard to help you achieve these objectives. I want to see every one of you succeed. Of course, your success will depend primarily on you. To help you make the most out of your abilities, I have put together the following list of “p’s and q’s”:

Preparation

Before you can succeed, you need to prepare. Indeed, preparation is the single most important key to success, not only in this class, but also in college and in life. You already have taken the first step by reading this syllabus. Take a few minutes every few weeks to review this syllabus, which describes not only the assignments, but also my criteria for grading them. An equally important form of preparation is reading the lessons that I will post on the Web throughout the semester. Each lesson contains objectives, assignments, class activities, names and terms you need to know, announcements, discussion, and resources for further study. In short, the lessons are your keys to success in this course. Like any keys, however, they need someone to operate them. Before each unit, you should visit this online syllabus, click on the link to the unit lesson, and read the lesson carefully, preparing yourself to meet the objectives and completing the appopriate assignments. Come to class with notes and questions on the lesson and other assignments. Finally, review the lesson at the end of the week to make sure you have met the objectives.

Participation

Once you are prepared to learn, you also need to show up for class and to participate in class exercises and discussions. According to department policy, if you miss more than four class meetings for any reason, you will fail this course. Furthermore, research shows that active participation dramatically increases the amount a person learns. As you will see when you read the lessons, you will have plenty of opportunities to become engaged with the course material through writing, presentations, and discussion. We will begin each unit with a “Think Fast” exercise, in which you will respond in writing to a question about the material covered in the lesson. I then will set the stage for the lesson by giving a brief audio-visual presentation. You then will take center stage for much of the remainder of the lesson as you collaborate in groups, discuss the material with me as a class, review the material in a “Think Again” writing exercise, and meet with me in one-on-one conferences. Finally, I will close the lesson with some announcements about upcoming lessons and assignments. I encourage you to make the most of each of these course components by participating actively and thoughtfully.

Physical Health

Your mind is part of your body. It should come as no surprise, then, that good physical health can improve your learning and your grades. Studies have suggested that eating breakfast can improve test performance, that protein can boost alertness, and that exercise can help a person think effectively. I suggest drinking 8-10 glasses of water each day, avoiding junk food and caffeine, exercising at least a half-hour each day, and maintaining a consistent schedule of seven to nine hours of sleep every night. You may be surprised by the difference these simple practices can make not only in your health, but also in your productivity and consequent academic success.

Politeness

Your grades depend entirely on your performance. Nevertheless, being polite is good practice for life after college and can help you establish a good rapport with your professors. When I write recommendations for a student to earn a scholarship, enter graduate school, or obtain a job, I always include a paragraph on the student’s character and comment specifically on qualities such as punctuality and politeness. In addition to doing your best work in this course, put your best self on display. Show up for class and conferences on time and wait until class has ended before packing up your books. Turn in assignments when they are due and avoid making excuses for absences or poor work.

Quality

Nothing impresses a teacher or an employer more than work that shines not only in content, but also in form. Invest the time and energy into submitting assignments of which you can be proud. For starters, read each assignment carefully and try to provide exactly what the professor requests. In addition to researching, writing, revising, and proofreading your work carefully, follow instructions on format, such as use of correct bibliographic citations.

Questions

When you need information or help, ask. For example, if you have problems coming to class, keeping up with assignments, or using the computer, see me immediately. In addition, please note the following statement from Disability Support Services: "Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester (preferably within the first week) as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please contact Mary Helen Walker, Disability Support Services, DF Lowry building, 521-6695.”

Assignments

Evaluation

Length: 500-600 words

Sources: 5

Due: Sept. 10, 2002

Value: 10 points

Proposal

Length: 500-600 words

Sources: 3

Due: 8 a.m. Sept. 30, 2002

Value: 10 points

Presentation 1

Length: 15 minutes

Sources: 5

Dates: Sept. 30-Oct. 4, 2002

Value: 10 points

Definition

Length: 500-600 words

Sources: 5

Due: 8 a.m. Oct. 28, 2002

Value: 10 points

Causal Argument

Length: 2,000-3,000 words

Sources: 10

Due: 8 a.m. Nov. 11, 2002

Value: 20 points

Portfolio

Length: 3 essays

Due: 8 a.m. Nov. 25, 2002

Value: 30 points

Presentation 2

Length: 15 minutes

Sources: 5

Dates: Nov. 25-Dec. 6, 2002

Value: 10 points

You will complete four written assignments, as well as three oral presentations. Details for each of these assignments appear below.

Evaluation

Using the format described in your text book, write a concise, detailed, clear, organized, and engaging evaluation of your performance in this course. This essay should contain a clear claim stating the grade you believe your performance merits, along with supporting evidence drawn from at least five sources, including essays you wrote for this course, this syllabus, the department guidelines for ENG 106, and at least one of the text books for this course.

Proposal

In this assignment, you will go back in time and enter the conversation about life in early America. Choose a writer whose work we have examined in the course and respond to him or her in an essay of your own. Specifically, you should use the format described in your text book to write a concise, detailed, clear, organized, and engaging proposal arguing that some action should or should not take place. This essay should contain a clear claim stating a proposal, along with supporting evidence drawn from at least three primary sources from Early American Writing.

Presentation 1

Drawing on the material in your evaluation, make a presentation arguing for the midterm grade you believe your performance thus far in the course merits. Like the written evaluation, this presentation should state a clear claim and support it with evidence drawn from at least five sources, including essays you wrote for this course, this syllabus, the department guidelines for ENG 106, and at least one of the text books for this course. You also must use at least one visual aid to make your case. Finally, you will demonstrate your understanding of concepts and terms covered in the course by answering questions from me. You must bring hard copies of all of your assignments, along with all of the material you used or created in preparing these assignments, including rough drafts, notes, and photocopies of your sources with quoted or paraphrased passages highlighted.

Definition

Using the format described in your text book, write a concise, detailed, clear, organized, and engaging definition of some aspect of early American culture, politics, or geography. This essay should contain a clear claim stating a definition, along with supporting evidence drawn from at least five credible sources, including four primary sources from Early American Writing and one secondary source.

Causal Argument

Using the format described in your text book, write a concise, detailed, clear, organized, and engaging causal argument regarding some aspect of early America. This essay should contain a clear claim stating a cause and an effect, along with supporting evidence drawn from at least 10 credible sources, including at least three primary sources and at least five secondary sources.

Portfolio

To demonstrate their abilities, many professional artists, journalists, and educators maintain something called a portfolio. In this portfolio, which may be a folder or large carrying case, they store samples of their work—logos they have designed, for example, or news articles they have written. Then, when they go to a job interview, they can do more than simply talk about their skills. They can show what they have done. In this course, you, too, will build a portfolio, which will contain three of the four essays you have written this semester. Specifically, it must include your evaluation, your causal analysis, and either your definition or your proposal. This portfolio, which you will publish on the World Wide Web and submit it to me in printed form, should demonstrate the best written and visual communication you are capable of creating. After I grade it, I will pass along the hard copy to two of my fellow professors, who will also evaluate it, assigning it a grade of “P” if it is “passing” material and “NP” if it is “not passing” material. Please note that you should submit the hard copy in a 3-ring binder and include notes and photocopies for all of the assignments you are submitting.

Presentation 2

As in your first presentation, you will draw on the material in your evaluation to make a presentation. In this case, however, you will be arguing for the final grade you believe your performance thus far in the course merits. Once again, this presentation should include at least one visual aid, state a clear claim, and support it with evidence drawn from at least five sources, including essays you wrote for this course, this syllabus, the department guidelines for ENG 106, and at least one of the text books for this course. Furthermore, you will need to use eye contact, articulation, and other strategies of spoken communication to make your case effectively. Finally, you again will need to demonstrate your understanding of concepts and terms covered in the course by answering questions from me. You must bring hard copies of all of your assignments, along with all of the material you used or created in preparing your these assignments, including rough drafts, notes, and photocopies of your sources with quoted or paraphrased passages highlighted.

Grades

A (90-100 percent)

A student who earns an A has excelled in both skills and knowledge. In content, clarity, style, and integrity, the student's work fully or almost fully meets course criteria. In short, the student has mastered the material and is likely to succeed in future challenges.

B (80-89 percent)

A student who earns a B has demonstrated many of the same qualities shown by the student who earns an A, but is deficient a few minor areas. The student has generally mastered the material and is likely to succeed in future challenges.

C (70-79 percent)

A student who earns a C has demonstrated some of the same qualities shown by the student who earns an A or a B. Although the work is adequate, it suffers from several minor deficiencies. Nevertheless, the work suggests that the student is competent and is ready to take on future challenges, though he or she may need to shore up some of these deficiencies to succeed.

D (60-69 percent)

A student who earns a D is deficient in at least one major area or many minor areas. Students who receive a D in the course must take it again.

F (below 60 percent)

A student will earn an F for one of the following reasons:

The student's work contains a glaring example of plagiarism.
The student's work does not meet the requirements of the assignment, such as number of sources or deadline.
The student's work contains glaring deficiencies, indicating that the student is unprepared to meet future challenges.
The student has missed more than four class meetings for any reason.

Students who receive an F in the course must take it again.

Each time I evaluate your work, I will write you a detailed evaluation and assign you points based on the quality of your work. When I evaluate your work on each of these occasions, I will use the criteria below:

Content

Each written and oral assignment should contain all of the components described on the syllabus. Furthermore, it should thoroughly and insightfully address its subject with accurate, credible, timely, and relevant information.

Clarity

Each written and oral assignment should present information in a clear, logical fashion. In general, each paragraph in the written projects generally should begin with a precise topic sentence, followed by clear, well-organized sentences that support the topic sentence. Transitional words and phrases should effectively guide the audience through the information.

Style

All work should engage the audience with lively, concise writing or oral presentation and should generally lack lapses in tone, register, punctuation, mechanics, spelling, word choice, and grammar. Each assignment should effectively incorporate source material with proper use of attribution, paraphrases, and quotations. Longer assignments should begin with engaging introductions and include satisfying conclusions. Both written and oral projects should be functional and attractive, conforming to all appropriate professional standards. In particular, all parenthetical citations and lists of works cited in the written projects should conform to MLA style.

Integrity

Each assignment 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 are guilty of plagiarism and 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.

“This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact Mary Helen Walker, Disability Support Services, DF Lowry building, 521-6695.”