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English 101: Composition
Spring 2007
Section 005: MW
7:20-8:35pm, Krug Hall 209
Section 006: MW 8:45-10:00pm, Krug Hall 209
|
Pabich
Office Hours: Wed 2:15-4:15 Ground Floor, SUB 1
E-mail: mpabich@gmu.edu |
Course Texts
- Lunsford, Andrea A. & Ruszkiewicz,
John J. Everything’s an Argument.
4th ed.
New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. [EAA]
- Lunsford, Andrea. Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference. 3rd ed.
New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005. [EW]
<>(Different usage manuals are also OK, pending approval.)<> - The
George Mason Review
[GMUR], if/when it becomes available
How do I
know what
I think until I see what I say?
E.M. Forster
Abstract
The aims of English 101 are to get you better
acquainted with the kinds of writing you’ll be doing in college, and to
help you gain better control of your voice as a writer. We will be
focusing on the subjects of persuasion, critical thinking, and
rewriting. We are, all of
us, writers, whether we're getting paid for it, or not. And we all have
interesting thoughts. But it takes practice and revision to shape those
thoughts into interesting essays. Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets it
right the first time.
We will be a great deal of writing, in a
variety of contexts. We’ll also be reading and talking. People
often think of reading and writing as separate things. In fact, they go
together: we read our writing as we write, and we compose responses
constantly (in our minds, at least) as we read. Writing is a kind of
conversation. And whether that conversation is happening between writer
and reader, between friends, or entirely within ourselves, we converse
better when we have friendly, articulate and challenging partners.
There
is no such thing as good writing. There is only good rewriting.
Louis Brandeis
The Class
Grades. Possible grades
for this course are A, A-, B+, B, B-, C, and NC (no credit).
Getting a final grade of NC means that you would have to repeat English
101 in order to get credit. (Bear in mind that incompletes will
not be given; unfinished work at the end of the semester would result
in an NC.) NC’s do not appear on students’ transcripts.
They do not affect students’ GPA’s.
Your semester grade will be determined using the following values:
Personal
Essay
Argument
Research Essay
Usage/Style Bell-ringer
Other Assignments/Participation
|
20%
20%
30%
5%
25%
100% |
Essays. The backbone of
our class consists of three graded writing assignments: a personal
essay, an argument, and a
research paper. For each essay we will write at least two
drafts, to be reviewed in small-group writing
workshops. The argument and personal essay will each be at least
1,000 words in length; i.e., about four pages. The body of the
research essay will be 1,800 words in length; i.e., six
pages, not counting the title and works cited pages. All essays must be
word-processed, double-spaced, in 12-pt. Times New Roman or a
similar font, with left and right margins of 1.25", and
left-justified. We will discuss the specific content requirements
of the
essays as we begin writing them.
Usage/style bell-ringers. Many
of our classes will begin with a
five-minute “bell-ringer” presentation, dedicated to a specific issue
of usage or composition. It’s a way to brush up and get better
acquinted with some
good tricks of the trade in writing. The presentation will include a
handout (with holes for a 3-ring binder), a talk, and some Q&A.
Small assignments; participation.
Small assignments include all non-essay writing and reading assignments
and in-class work that we will be doing in class and as homework.
Participation includes taking part in our con-ver--sations and
small-group activities. This is the day-to-day stuff of our
class, and it’s important.
An
essay is an exercise in honesty. And it takes practice, being honest.
Anonymous
Policies
Attendance. In many ways
a class such as ours depends on talking and working together. We’re
counting on you to pitch in.
Participation is necessary to getting credit, and you can only
participate if you show up. Be here, be on time, and be prepared. Also:
please keep your cell phones quiet.
Late submissions. I do not accept late, or e-mailed,
small assignments. Essays handed
in up to one class meeting late will be docked a letter grade;
e.g., an “A-” paper turned in a day late will be given a “B-.” I
do not accept essays that are more than one class meeting late.
Students with disabilities.
If you have a documented disability and need appropriate
accommodations, please notify me privately.
Plagiarism. We'll be
discussing plagiarism--what it is and how to avoid it--in the coming
weeks. Forthwith,
the GMU English Department's official line on plagiarism:
Plagiarism
means
using the words, opinions, or factual information from
another person without giving that person credit. Writers give
credit through the use of accepted documentation styles, such as
parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes; a simple listing of
books and articles is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the
equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in an
academic setting.
Student writers are often confused as to what should
be cited.
Some think that only direct quotations need to be credited. While
direct quotations do need citations, so do paraphrases and summaries of
opinions or factual information formerly unknown to the writers or
which the writers did not discover themselves. Exceptions to this
include information that can be obtained from a variety of sources, the
writers’ own insights or findings from their own field research, and
what has been termed common knowledge. What constitutes common
knowledge can sometimes be precarious; what is common knowledge for one
audience may not be so for another…In other words, writers provide a
citation for any piece of information that they think their readers
might want to investigate further. Not only is this attitude
considerate of readers, it will almost certainly ensure that writers
will never be guilty of plagiarism.
To add my two cents, plagiarism is not only wrong, it's easy to
spot, especially in a class where we
read so much of each other’s writing.
Our Website
Our website, located at http://mason.gmu.edu/~mpabich/engl101/index.html,
is required browsing. It will feature the syllabus, class schedule, and
handouts, which you will be responsible
for printing. The home page will also have announcements
(cancellations, changes of venue, &c.).
The Writing Center
In their own words, The Writing Center “seeks to
foster a writing climate on campus and beyond by offering free writing
support to George Mason students, faculty, staff and alumni. No matter
what your writing abilities are, our writing specialists can help you
develop the skills you need to become a successful writer.” And
the service is free!
I strongly encourage all of you to make use of this
great resource. The Writing Center is located at Robinson
A114, and is open Monday to Thursday 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday 9:30 am
to 2:30 pm. Call them for an appointment at (703) 993-1200, or
e-mail them at wcenter@gmu.edu.
For more information, consult their website: http://www.gmu.edu/departments/writingcenter/wcwelcome.html