Drexel University English Alive 102: Persuasive Writing and Reading Fall 2012 Syllabus - P | Lecture notes English Language

Drexel University Department of English & Philosophy Fall 2012

English Alive 102: Persuasive Writing and Reading

Instructor: Henry Israeli Office location: Stratton 314

Class meeting room: Curtis 258 Office hours: MWF 1-1:50

Class meeting times: MWF 1-1:50 Email: hpi22@drexel.edu

Bb Vista site: Phone: n/a

REQUIRED TEXTS

Barnet, Sylvan & Hugo Bedau, Contemporary & Classic Arguments. New York: Bedford, 2005.

Roen, Duane, Gregory R. Glau, and Barry M. Maid. The McGraw Hill Guide: Writing for

College, Writing for Life. 2nd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009.

(Abbreviations on syllabus: C&CA: Contemporary & Classic Arguments; MG: The McGraw Hill Guide;

BbV: Bb Vista readings)

COURSE GOALS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

One of the first things you should keep in mind this term is that you should keep all of your work, as at the

end of the term you will be developing a writing portfolio of your writing from 101 and 102 (and perhaps

other courses).

The Freshman Writing Program at Drexel is a three-course, year-long writing-intensive sequence. During

the year you will learn to

1. Focus on purpose

2. Appreciate and respond to diverse audiences

3. Respond to different kinds of rhetorical situations

4. Use format and structure conventions appropriate to the rhetorical situation

5. Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality

6. Understand how genres shape writing

7. Use writing and reading for inquiry, thinking, and communicating

8. Integrate your ideas with the ideas of others

9. Use research to develop, support, and enhance your ideas

10. Understand how to develop and document ideas

11. Understand writing as a process

12. Critique your own and others’ works

13. Use writing technologies to address a range of audiences

14. Use conventions, including citation methods such as MLA

15. Control surface features such as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling

English 102, the second of these courses, focuses on expanding your understanding of rhetorical aspects

of writing through the art of persuasion and by thinking about writing in your discipline/profession. In

addition to those listed, below, see specific outcomes for English 102 listed at the end of your syllabus.

1. Strengthen your ability to write persuasively

2. Reflect on the subject matter and genres of a discipline/profession in which you are interested

3. Develop a portfolio of your work and describe the material within it for different audiences

4. Access, evaluate, paraphrase, and use fairly and effectively information from a variety of sources

5. Reflect on your own writing and offer useful feedback on other students’ work

6. Strengthen your critical thinking skills, especially in terms of logic

7. Understand the use of visual rhetoric

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (100 points)

Project 1 15 points

Formal Proposal for Project 2 5 points

Annotated Bibliography for Project 2 5 points

Project 2 30 points

Informal writing 15 points

Advertising Analysis 10 points

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Drexel University Department of English & Philosophy Fall 2012

English Alive 102: Persuasive Writing and Reading

Instructor: Henry Israeli Office location: Stratton 314 Class meeting room: Curtis 258 Office hours: MWF 1-1: Class meeting times: MWF 1-1:50 Email: hpi22@drexel.edu Bb Vista site: Phone: n/a REQUIRED TEXTS Barnet, Sylvan & Hugo Bedau, Contemporary & Classic Arguments. New York: Bedford, 2005. Roen, Duane, Gregory R. Glau, and Barry M. Maid. The McGraw Hill Guide: Writing for College, Writing for Life. 2nd^ Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. (Abbreviations on syllabus: C& CA: Contemporary & Classic Arguments; MG : The McGraw Hill Guide; BbV : Bb Vista readings ) COURSE GOALS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES One of the first things you should keep in mind this term is that you should keep all of your work, as at the end of the term you will be developing a writing portfolio of your writing from 101 and 102 (and perhaps other courses). The Freshman Writing Program at Drexel is a three-course, year-long writing-intensive sequence. During the year you will learn to

Focus on purpose
Appreciate and respond to diverse audiences
Respond to different kinds of rhetorical situations
Use format and structure conventions appropriate to the rhetorical situation
Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality
Understand how genres shape writing
Use writing and reading for inquiry, thinking, and communicating
Integrate your ideas with the ideas of others
Use research to develop, support, and enhance your ideas
Understand how to develop and document ideas
Understand writing as a process
Critique your own and others’ works
Use writing technologies to address a range of audiences
Use conventions, including citation methods such as MLA
Control surface features such as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling English 102, the second of these courses, focuses on expanding your understanding of rhetorical aspects of writing through the art of persuasion and by thinking about writing in your discipline/profession. In addition to those listed, below, see specific outcomes for English 102 listed at the end of your syllabus.
Strengthen your ability to write persuasively
Reflect on the subject matter and genres of a discipline/profession in which you are interested
Develop a portfolio of your work and describe the material within it for different audiences
Access, evaluate, paraphrase, and use fairly and effectively information from a variety of sources
Reflect on your own writing and offer useful feedback on other students’ work
Strengthen your critical thinking skills, especially in terms of logic
Understand the use of visual rhetoric COURSE REQUIREMENTS (100 points) Project 1 15 points Formal Proposal for Project 2 5 points Annotated Bibliography for Project 2 5 points Project 2 30 points Informal writing 15 points Advertising Analysis 10 points

Participation 10 points Self-Reflective Analysis 10 points Projects Regardless of how you approach your projects, they should demonstrate the following, in line with the course goals and learning outcomes:  A clear understanding of audience and purpose : Your audience members will be expected to ask, “So what? Why am I reading this?” Your projects should answer those questions  A well-articulated and clear main point or thesis  Research and evidence appropriate for the project, incorporated correctly and cited accurately  Clear organization  Grammatical and stylistic clarity appropriate for college-level writing  Adherence to the conventions and guidelines of the project (due dates, length, format, etc.) Project 1: Informative/persuasive Opinion Piece Task : You will have two key rhetorical goals with this project: to inform and to persuade. Choose a subject that makes you angry, upset, disgruntled, irritated, peeved, or annoyed. It could be something in the world, something specific to Philadelphia, something on campus, something to do with friends or classes or family, or anything else you desire to write about. There is no limitation on subject matter. Explain the subject to its fullest so that your audience understands what you are talking about, then persuade your audience that this is truly a subject worth griping about. Use evidence to aid in your critique, drawing on primary research, and possibly scholarly evidence. Audience, role, genre: You will write a report that addresses your classmates and instructor. Research and evidence: Part of your working through your topic is to think about the kind of evidence you will need. Your project should draw on your own primary research of the topic (see MG 553-58): Steps toward success :

Complete all readings. There are numerous ways to help you plan your project.
Make sure you know that your purpose is clear. If you aren’t sure, ask.
Consider your instructor’s comments and peer reviews and make significant revisions.
Plan on attending a relevant event or visiting an institution or workplace.
Interview someone who will have an authoritative view of your subject.
Again, consider the needs and expectations of your audience when writing. Who will read your report and why?
You must think about the layout of the report (see MG chapter 18).
Checklist: □ Length: 800 to 1,000 words. □ Sources: For this project, you must use substantial research, as mentioned above, including primary research and possibly some scholarly evidence. □ Works Cited: All references must be cited and formatted in line with MLA guidelines. Project 2: Evaluating a problem/proposing a solution (30%) Task : Following from the MG, you will think about a problem, propose a solution to a problem, and argue persuasively for your solution. Your problem will most likely be derived from either 1) your readings in C&CA, 2) something relevant to Drexel and your experience here, or 3) another issue of merit that you propose. Although you will research and discuss the project with your group, you will either a) write the report individually (1600-2000 words) or in pairs of two (3200- 4000 words). Topics: Your team will spend time developing your topics (they do not need to be the same!), as this step is crucial to the development of a good project. You, your instructor, and your classmates will work together on topics, and during this process, you will have an opportunity to see and evaluate each other’s topics. Audience and rhetorical role: Your team will address your classmates and instructor, but these projects could have an audience beyond your classroom. Research and evidence: You need to draw upon substantial evidence to help you persuade your audience. Steps toward success :

Informal writing (15%) As in English 101, informal writing and minor assignments, taken together, make up a major component of your grade in this course. Each week (typically, but not always, on Friday), you are required to write or type one to two pages in response to the readings and the instructions or prompts on your syllabus. Students who do not do the informal writing will receive zero points. Students who write less than one full page will receive only one point. Students who write over one page will receive 2 points. If you are absent you must show your informal writing and formal documentation excusing you from class to the professor at the start of your next class or you will not receive any points. You may voluntarily hand in up to two informal writings for feedback from your professor if you’d like.

Self-Reflective Analysis (10%)

Reread everything you have written this term, including both projects and all of your informal writings. Reflect on your progress this term, how you have grown as a writer. Refer to your own writing and be as specific as possible. 400-600 words.

Additionally, you should include full citations in a Works Cited. Here’s how:

Works Cited

Last name, First name. “Title of Project.” Course Title. Professor ______

_______. Department,

Institution. Date project was submitted. Form of Media (Print, Web,

etc.).

---. “Title of Project.” Course Title. Professor _. Department,

Institution. Date project was submitted. Form of Media (Print, Web,

etc.).

And so on…

Participation (10%) You are expected to attend all classes (see Policies, below). Students who participate at a high level in the course conversations, particularly on Fridays during Informal Writing sessions, will be rewarded. Those who are frequently late, text or IM in class, or do not contribute the course conversation may be penalized at the instructor’s discretion. Students who try to “fly under the radar” or students who are inconsiderate or disruptive will also receive low participation grades. If you do not bring at least 75% of the required pages for Project 1 and Project 2 on the assigned dates for Peer Reviews , you will be docked one letter from your participation grade. If you do not come to class on the assigned dates for Peer Reviews, and you do not provide valid documentation excusing your absence, you will lose two letters from your Participation grade. Quizzes There will be no quizzes in this course unless your professor decides that a significant number of students have not been keeping up with class readings. In that case, professor will give a surprise quiz whose grade will be reflected as part of the participation grade. COURSE POLICIES Academic Integrity: All students must abide by Drexel University’s academic integrity policies. If an act of academic dishonesty is determined to have occurred, for a first offense, one of the following sanctions will be imposed, depending on the severity of the offense: 1) 0% for the assignment; 2) Failure for entire course without the possibility to withdraw; this information, based on the decision of the faculty member and the department head shall be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The incident will result in an official disciplinary record for the student(s). Note that plagiarism is not limited to copying a passage from a source word for word. If you acquire specific information from a source, you must acknowledge that source, even if you have used

your own words and paraphrased that information. Review The Brief Wadsworth Handbook Parts 3 and 4 for acceptable ways of acknowledging the work of other writers. Any academic honesty infraction beyond a first offense is subject to the sanctions described above, as well as to disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed through the University judicial process, administered through the Division for Student Life and Administrative Services/Office of Judicial Affairs. These sanctions may include suspension or expulsion from the University (Drexel University Student Handbook, 2005-2006 ed. [http://www.drexel.edu/studentlife/images/0506Handbook.pdf]). Attendance policy: Your success in this course depends on your interaction with the instructor and the other students. You are permitted 3 unexcused absences. Students who miss 4 classes due to unexcused absences will have their grades penalized by one-third of a grade. A fifth absence will cost you a full grade. Students with six absences will have their grade reduced by two full letters. A student who misses more than 20% (7 or more) of scheduled class time as a result of unexcused OR excused absences will fail the course. Note that an excused absence is defined as one that is the result of a condition or circumstance beyond the student’s control, such as illness, a family crisis or emergency, or essential travel. Normally, an absence will be excused only if there is some documentation verifying the circumstances that caused the absence. If the professor decides that you are perpetually late, causing disruption to the class, he will give you one warning, after which each late will count as ½ of an unexcused absence. Disability : Students with disabilities who request accommodations and services at Drexel need to present a current accommodation verification letter (AVL) to faculty before accommodations can be made. AVLs are issued by the Office of Disability Services (ODS). For additional information, contact the ODS at http://www.drexel.edu/ods/, 3201 Arch St., Ste. 210, Philadelphia, PA 19104, V 215-895-1401 or TTY 215-895-2299. Drop/Withdraw: Students have until the end of the 2nd week of the term to drop a course without financial responsibility. Undergraduates have until the end of the 6th week of the term to withdraw with financial responsibility, according to the University's sliding scale. See http://www.drexel.edu/bursar/ for details on the sliding scale. Late assignments: The learning in this course requires in-depth reading, reflection, writing, discussion, independent work, and team work. To achieve our goals, you must complete your work in a timely manner. Projects and other assignments that are late will be penalized one grade per class late. If you do not have a rough draft of your paper on the peer review date, then you will be penalized according to the Participation section above. If you require an extension on the final draft, you must make your request (you do not need to give a reason) a minimum of 24 hours prior to the due date. NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GIVEN ON THE DUE DATE. Library skills: You must know how to use the library resources. Be sure to go to the library’s New Students’ Guide to the Libraries: http://www.library.drexel.edu/about/studentguide.html. Technology : You need access to Bb Vista, and you also must have an active Drexel email account. (It is easy to set up your Drexel account to forward mail to another account.) DREXEL UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER The Writing Center is located in 0032 MacAlister (x6633). Qualified tutors will help you work through any writing assignment you are having trouble completing successfully. Call or visit the Writing Center or go online (http://www.drexel.edu/coas/engphil/writctr.asp) to make an appointment with a tutor. Writing Center’s Webpage has more details: Stop by the Center; you may find it’s one of the best places on campus to help you enhance your writing (and thinking). After handing in your first project, your professor may decide that you need to visit the Writing Center before handing in your second project. It will then be your responsibility to provide documentation of a visit. CLASS SCHEDULE

MG: Chapter 14, “Using Strategies for Argument,” 457-478 & BbVista: “Rogerian Argument” Review Project 2 topics. Discuss Proposal & Annotated Bibliography C&CA: 179- Come prepared to debate the topic. IW 5 : Read any chapter in C&CA that you have not previously read or written about (or you may choose your Project 2 topic) and write a 2-page long Rogerian argument to convince those with the opposite view to meet you in the middle. NOTE: This informal writing is worth three (3) points. Week 6 10/ 10/ 11/ Proposals for Project 2 due BbV: Read “The Throwaways.” MG, Chapter 11, 358-367, “Writing to Solve Problems” Annotated Bibliography Due IW 6: Read C&CA , 312-324. Singer wrestles with the notions put forth in the book Animals, Men, and Morals. Write a strong argument for the side that you do not believe in (i.e., the opposite side). Week 7 11/ 11/ 11/ MG, Chapter 7 , 180-187, 199-200 (Irony as a Disguise) Assign Advertising Analysis. In-class Peer Review of Project 2. Conference Sign up. Advertising Analysis Sign up. IW7: Read C&CA: 337-343 , “Active and Passive Euthanasia.” Is Rachels’ argument sound? Take a position on the topic and argue for or against his position. Week 8 11/ 11/ 11/ Individual Conferences Individual Conferences Individual Conferences Week 9 11/ 11/ 11/ 11/ Individual Conferences Individual Conferences Thanksgiving Break Thanksgiving Break Week 11/ 11/ Present Advertising Analyses Present Advertising Analyses

11/30 Present Advertising Analyses Final Draft of Project 2 due. Week 12/ 12/ 12/ Present Advertising Analyses Present Advertising Analyses Course Evaluations

Drexel University English Alive 102: Persuasive Writing and Reading Fall 2012 Syllabus - P, Lecture notes of English Language

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Download Drexel University English Alive 102: Persuasive Writing and Reading Fall 2012 Syllabus - P and more Lecture notes English Language in PDF only on Docsity!

Drexel University Department of English & Philosophy Fall 2012

English Alive 102: Persuasive Writing and Reading

Self-Reflective Analysis (10%)

Additionally, you should include full citations in a Works Cited. Here’s how:

Works Cited

Last name, First name. “Title of Project.” Course Title. Professor ______

_______. Department,

Institution. Date project was submitted. Form of Media (Print, Web,

etc.).

---. “Title of Project.” Course Title. Professor ______ _______. Department,

Institution. Date project was submitted. Form of Media (Print, Web,

etc.).

And so on…

Drexel Freshman Writing Program Course Outcomes

What Students Learn and Do in English 102: Persuasive Writing and Reading

Writing and thinking process

1) Students will learn the terminology, rhetorical ideas, and practical approaches of writing

persuasively/argumentatively.

Assessment/Deliverables:

a. Students will demonstrate that knowledge and those skills in at least two major

assignments and several minor writing assignments.

b. Through assignments/class discussions, students will demonstrate an understanding

of and fluency with rhetorical concepts and terms such as argument, persuasion,

visual literacy, logic, logical fallacy, closed prose, open prose, portfolio, reflective

essay, and “surprising-reversal” strategy.

c. These terms will appear in the major project instructions for the course.

2) Students will apply the writing process and revision to the creation of persuasive projects.

Assessment/Deliverables:

a. Students will create at least two major assignments with a substantive written

component.

b. Students will create/continue a writing portfolio that contains work from English 101

and English 102 and may contain work from other courses.

c. Students will create and revise at least one substantive written assignment guided

by instructor and peer rough draft comments (instructors’ evaluations can be

delivered via written comments, verbal comments, and/or conferencing).

d. Students will meet their instructor at least once to discuss a writing assignment.

3) Students will reflect on their own and others’ writing and communication processes and

practices.

Assessment/Deliverables:

a. Students will conduct an in-depth, well-structured peer review of other students’

written work. Peer reviews will be graded or will “count” in the course evaluation.

b. Guided by their instructor, students will create a written cover letter, memo, essay,

report, or other appropriate document for a writing portfolio that analyzes the

portfolio materials and demonstrates their ability to make rhetorical choices about

how they present themselves to external audiences.

4) Students will use course writing and conversations to develop their critical thinking skills

and their ability to engage open-ended, complex problems.

Assessment/Deliverable:

b. Students will create a Works Cited page that includes various sources (scholarly,

non-scholarly, print, Web).

c. Students will demonstrate they can integrate their ideas with the ideas of others.

d. Through their written work students will demonstrate the ability to access, evaluate,

paraphrase, and use fairly and effectively information from a variety of sources.

Reading

13) Students will understand that good reading is connected to good writing and good thinking.

Assessment/Deliverables:

a. Students will read a variety of challenging texts.

b. Students will read a substantial amount of their peers’ writing in the course, and will

provide advice on improvement (i.e., peer review) to their peers.

c. Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze selections from the course readings

that exemplify various modes and styles of writing.

14) Students will see texts as ongoing discussions that they are invited to join.

Assessment/Deliverable:

a. Students will discuss and reflect on readings in assignments and discussions.

Student-Instructor Contract

I understand that the following attendance policy will be in use for Professor Israeli’s English

102 class:

 I am permitted only 3 absences without formal documentation (i.e., doctor’s note or

equivalent)

 A fourth unexcused absence will cost me 1/3 of a letter grade from my final grade

 A fifth unexcused absence will cost me an entire letter grade off my final grade

 A sixth unexcused absence will cost me a second letter grade off my final grade

 If I have a combined total of seven unexcused or excused absences, I cannot receive

credit for this class

 If I am perpetually late, my professor will give me one warning, and beginning the next

class coming late will cost me ½ of an unexcused absence. To be clear, late is defined as

---. “Title of Project.” Course Title. Professor _. Department,

_______________