English 101: Academic Writing 

& the Rhetoric of the Long 1960sInstructor: Catherine Bayly, Lecturer in UMD Professional & Academic Writing Programs

Office Hours: Tawes 2109; Monday 9-10am, 2-3:00pm; (Virtual) Wednesday 9-10am; Friday 2-2:30pm (Note: Please make appointments for office hours, as I am frequently running student meetings in my office or elsewhere.)

Best Contact: cbayly@umd.edu (Note: I use a Canvas course site to post the syllabus, announcements, assignments, etc. Please set your notifications to “immediately” and be sure to provide the email address you use most frequently.)

Meetings: As you know from Testudo, our class will meet Monday and Friday in person. The readings and due dates are on the syllabus. On the days in between, you will have a series of assignments, lectures, discussion boards, collaborations, workshops, etc. that will be all be completed virtually. These days are not days off—this is college after all!  In fact, these days are meant to substantially augment our learning, helping us to practice and hone the rhetorical writing concepts we will study. All elements of virtual meetings must be completed for full credit.

The readings for virtual days are on the syllabus, and the actual work for those days (aside from assignment due dates) will be open and available to you from Tuesday at noon until Wednesday at 11:59pm. (There may be times this due time will be extended or specified--those exceptions will be noted on the discussion board.) You’ll need to budget your time as works for you within that window. Each virtual will be worth points toward the class—most will have four potential scores to indicate exemplary work, satisfactory work, unsatisfactory work, and failure to submit the assignment.

 

Required Text

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2014.

Inventing Arguments: A Rhetoric and Reader for the University of Maryland’s Academic Writing Program. Boston: Pearson, 2014.

 (Please also purchase a notebook of your choice for the course and be sure to have pens, paper, printer ink, staples, etc. You may also want a writing handbook—my recommendation is the

following: Wysocki, Anne Frances and Dennis Lynch, The DK Handbook. 3rd ed. Boston, Pearson, 2014.)

 

Course Description

Welcome to English 101 at the University of Maryland! I am a veteran teacher of this course, and I teach with a targeted focus on protest and advocacy.  As a class, we will be honing our rhetorical writing skills—and, as examples, we’ll be studying an array of texts (visual and auditory, as well as on the page) from the American 1960s. The 1960s was a period rich with radical and reactionary perspectives and a laser-sharp (or sometimes bleary-eyed) focus on social change.  I hope this spirit of change will invade your writing, and I will encourage you to write your research papers on subjects of global, local, or personal import.  While you certainly have time and freedom to decide on a topic, I hope you’ll consider questions of sustainability as a prime focus.  This doesn’t just mean “green”—it means the way we live—it means humanity, world-wisdom, diversity, economy, lifestyle, equality, justice, health, race, gender, resources, etc.  Through the semester, we will see how the 1960s marched these essential questions into the light. Then we will attempt to make connections to our present day lives and emulate the passionate advocacy of “The Turbulent Sixties” to invigorate our academic writing. 

“Academic writing” may sound like a course that introduces you to the kinds of writing expected of you throughout college, and in many ways, it is. However, as this course prepares you for the scholarly work necessary for your history, psychology, and biology courses, it also introduces you to the kind of rhetorical writing and thinking that will enable you to become a reflective and critical thinker who can enter intellectual conversations inside and outside the academy.

To achieve these ends, this course is grounded in our personal inquiry and rhetoric. Our goal is first to inquire, to determine what is known—and credible—about a topic or issue. Then, we ask questions about what is known: How do we understand and define this issue? How might we evaluate it? What can we do about it? Engaging in this inquiry and responding to these questions leads to rhetorical practice. We use rhetorical skills to construct knowledge by creating arguments that are built on the foundations of what has already been thought and said. Thus inquiry and rhetorical practice rely on investigating and reflecting upon the thoughts and ideas of others. In other words, inquiry and rhetorical practice rely on doing research so that we can join the conversation ethically and critically. Also, because academic writing is part of a larger conversation within and often across disciplines, one of its conventions is rigorous review by peers.

In English 101, you will hone the skills of clarifying issues, asking questions, leveraging rhetorical strategies, entering into scholarly conversations, researching topics, using evidence, and engaging in peer review. Your work in English 101 will be oriented by several concepts:

Rhetoric, defined by Aristotle as “the art of observing the available means of persuasion,” is the study of effective language use. Rhetoric provides a method for successful and persuasive

academic argumentation. Through rhetoric, we are attentive to issues of the rhetorical situation of any writing (its audience, purpose, writer, context, and genre) as well as the role of rhetorical appeals in any persuasive discourse.

Inquiry is understood as learning through questioning. One tool you will use to inquire is stasis theory, a rhetorical concept with its roots in ancient legal practice. Stasis theory offers a way of inventing, categorizing, and analyzing what is at issue in a situation with a series of questions: whether something exists, how it is defined, what its causes are, what its effects or consequences are, how we value it, what we should do about it, and who has the right to act on these questions.

Writing Process and Reflection. Writing is a process, and while that process varies for each writer, drafts, feedback, and revision are essential elements for any effective composition. In addition, by stepping back to reflect on your writing and your writing process, you learn more about who you are as a writer and what academic writing is. In reflection, you gain the insights that enable you to assess your work and make productive changes towards improvement.

Research and critical reading of academic sources invites you into the conversations of various disciplines. You will also learn the types of sources that are acceptable for academic papers and the methods appropriate to integrate them into your writing and to document them.

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of an Academic Writing course, you will be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of writing as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate sources, and as a process that involves composing, editing, and revising.

Demonstrate critical reading and analytical skills, including understanding an argument's major assertions and assumptions, and how to evaluate its supporting evidence.

Demonstrate facility with the fundamentals of persuasion, especially as they are adapted to a variety of special situations and audiences in academic writing.

Demonstrate research skills, integrate your own ideas with those of others, and apply the conventions of attribution and citation correctly.

Use Standard Written English and revise and edit your own writing for appropriateness. You will take responsibility for such features as format, syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Demonstrate an understanding of the connection between writing and thinking and use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating in an academic setting.

 

Essential Course Rules

Rule#1: REDUCE DISTRACTIONS

No cell phones visible in the classroom: As a woman of the 21st century, I understand quite well the siren song of a vibrating iPhone. And we can certainly debate the merits of our collective connection to “the matrix.” However, in a scholarly environment, we must resist the temptation to use indiscriminately.

Food, etc.: I do understand that our classes all fall around mealtimes.  So, please eat if you must, but keep your chomping to a minimum, and no three-pointers to the trash can.

Rule #2: PROOFREAD. By implementing practices of printing your work, reading aloud, and finding a draft reviewer, you will save yourself time and find places to improve your writing. If you simply read from the computer screen, your eyes auto-correct and you tend to miss many places where you could revise and correct.

1. Every graded assignment must be proofread aloud.2. Each assignment requires an editing/proof- reading draft on which this proofreading exercise

was performed. Specifically, you must print a hard copy of your paper, read it aloud (or listen to a friend do so).

3. Complete an in-class draft workshop.4. Note any errors: typos, inconsistencies, mistakes in grammar, punctuation, mechanics, etc.

Include this copy in your final assignment packet and hand in.5. After doing so, return to your word processor for a final edit.6. Finally, print a clean copy.

 

RULE #3: NO LATE PAPERS.

 

In this course (and in life), missing deadlines is frowned upon.  Any work turned in late will lose a full letter grade per class meeting.  (For example, a paper due Monday that is turned in Wednesday will receive a maximum score of 90%.)  This seems very fair.  However, I also understand that circumstances arise in which work must be delayed. So I am more than willing to offer extensions to those who ask with very good reason and at least 24 hours in advance.  Extensions should only be requested when absolutely necessary and the guidelines should be clear and adhered to.

 

RULE #4: ATTEND

 

Although we won’t have exams in this class, all course materials and assignments will be addressed in class meeting.  Therefore, attendance is mandatory.  I expect that students will arrive on time, ready to engage in discussion and take notes during lecture.  That said, I know a busy life can mean logistical issues occasionally arise. Therefore, five unexcused absences from course meetings will be allowed. (And I will take attendance daily.)  At the sixth   absence, your course grade will be reduced by a single letter.  (For example, if you have an 87% for the course, but have been absent six times, your final grade will be a 77%.) I do hope this won’t happen.

 

Similarly, I’ve found that late arrivals truly disrupt the class environment.  The late person may miss materials the class has already addressed.  So this puts the late arriver at a disadvantage, but the class a whole pays in time wasted.  Therefore, every three   late arrivals (beyond minute one) count as an absence.

 

I extend some generosity to you, just as I hope you will extend generosity to me.  If for some reason I will miss class, I will communicate as soon as possible and upload materials to ELMS/Canvas to add to your learning.  And, if you will miss class, I assume you will make arrangements and get missed materials from a classmate. You may want to swiftly find a person you can count on in an emergency absence.

 

*PLEASE SEE THE UNIVERSITY MANDATED ATTENDANCE POLICY AT THE END OF THIS SYLLABUS.

While I don’t count our virtual days as traditional attendance, each virtual period (Tuesday 11 am to Thursday 11 am) will be worth points toward your final grade. In addition, failure to complete five   or more of these tasks will reduce your final score automatically by one letter grade.

 

RULE #5: WORKSHOPS MATTER

In this course, each major assignment includes its own draft workshop day.  Draft workshops enable you to develop two major writing skills that are integral to this course: 1) learning to be a critic of your own writing and the writing of others, and 2) learning how to revise your work given comments and questions from your peers. Your writing will improve by having others read and respond to it.

The kind of revision we do on workshop days will highlight (and recall) the major goals of each assignment.  So, the revisions won’t just be proofreading—they will include what are called global, or

substantive, revisions.  We will review papers holistically and discuss their merits as well as places for major improvement.

In my years of teaching composition, I’ve found draft workshopping to be essential to successful writing. Therefore, these workshops are required.  At each workshop, I will require different “things.”  I will often request full, paper drafts (unless otherwise stated) of the assignment in question. Although I know that paper drafts are a bit of a pain, I truly believe that they often suit our editorial purposes better than electronic drafts. 

If you do not have a PAPER draft, you will lose workshop points. And if you do not have any draft in class that day (this includes not having it in class because you are absent), your final grade for that paper will be reduced by a letter grade – that is, an A paper will be a B paper if you did not have your draft.  If you attend without a full draft, or with an electronic version, you will still lose 10% on the assignment, but you may still gain points for the workshop.  So, even if your draft isn’t up to snuff, please attend workshop.

Please follow rules carefully for virtual workshops.

RULE #6: PARTICIPATE

This semester, you will receive a grade for participation. This grade will reflect your presence in class, your involvement in class discussion, the level of thoroughness and thoughtfulness in your answers, and the degree of respect and maturity you show in communicating with others. Students who are present and on time, involved in discussion, thoughtful and thorough in their answers, and respectful and mature in their interactions will receive high grades in class participation. Students who are frequently absent or late, text or talk during class, do not participate in discussions, are not prepared to answer questions, and/or do not comport themselves respectfully and maturely will receive low marks for participation.

I find participation is hard to quantify, as students feel varying levels of comfort talking aloud.  Therefore, I will assess participation on several unannounced days throughout the semester.  Some will be class discussion, some will be responses to texts, and some will be small group work.  If you are anxious about speaking aloud (as I was as a student), please speak to me about this.  And perhaps we can find ways to encourage you sharing your thoughts.

Your virtual days also count toward participation, so please be aware of the work assigned each week to be completed outside of class!

Assignments and Grade Breakdown

Grade Breakdown The percentages of contribution to your final grade are as follows:

Academic Summary 5%

Rhetorical Analysis 15%

Argument of Inquiry 15%

Digital Forum 15%

Revised Position Paper 25%

Discussion board posts, class participation, draft workshops, reflective writing assignments (including final reflective memo)                                                    

25%

 

 

Course Assignments

Academic Summary. Summary is an element of good critical reading, which is, in turn, the cornerstone of academic writing. With this assignment, we take the first step in learning many skills crucial to successful academic writing, including clarity and concision, effective and ethical use of sources, and the interconnection of reading and writing. We will look at two speeches from the 1960s, one by Robert F. Kennedy and one by Shirley Chisholm. The former is an early environmentalist speech and the latter is a speech on women’s rights.  While we’ll all become familiar with both speeches, in groups you will summarize the latter speech in full for this assignment. The former will be used for a single-sentence-summary.

Rhetorical Analysis: For this assignment, you will analyze two persuasive texts that relate to an issue you have chosen by taking into consideration rhetorical appeals, style, organization, exigence, rhetorical situation, and intended audience. You will choose one of our summary articles as a jumping off point, and choose 1960s and contemporary texts regarding equality or environmental stewardship to analyze. (While print texts would be fine, I suggest a multimodal approach here—meaning you might choose a song, poem, photograph, news article, etc.)  So, there will be an element of comparison, as well as strong, targeted analysis of the contemporary and 1960s texts you’ve chosen. Your goal is to make an argument about the effectiveness of the texts for their given audiences. This assignment will be completed on the media platform, either blogger.com or weebly.com.

Inquiry Paper: This assignment initiates your semester-long personal exploration of an issue. Here, you will enter an academic conversation by identifying a topic for research that connects in some way to your academic, extracurricular, personal, or civic interests and/or experiences. In this course,

I would like you to use personal passions as a guideline for choosing a topic—please choose something you imagine yourself advocating for in the future, if only as a pipedream!  Recall my “sustainability” list above and consider topics such as humanity, world-wisdom, diversity, economy, lifestyle, equality, justice, health, race, gender, resources, etc. 

You will use the heuristic of stasis theory to investigate your topic and to learn the issues and debates within it. A major part of this project is explore how scholarly research and listening to the ideas of others can inform, expand, and complicate your experiential understanding of the topic. The goal of this essay is three-fold: 1) to argue for the personal exigence and global importance of this issue, 2) to raise important questions about the issue, and 3) to investigate possible responses to these questions. A library session will introduce you to the skills of finding and evaluating worthy sources. 3-4 pages.

Digital Forum: You will shift gears in this assignment, moving from writing to academic audiences in analog form to writing to popular audiences in digital form. More specifically, you will compose a website that offers an audience of your choice a digital forum. This forum will display three distinct arguments leveraged by different stakeholders invested in your issue. Extending the work of your Argument of Inquiry paper, you will identify a new conversation within your issue and the three different ways stakeholders engage it. This will provide the reader great insight into the development of your topic over time, as well as help us think of connections between foundational advocacy and modern takes on the issue.  In addition to the three stakeholder pages, you will also compose an “About” page and a “Required Reading List.” This list of annotated sources should 1) offer your audience additional information about your issue, and 2) extend your research base by annotating five new sources that take up your issue. Approx. 1800 words.

Position Paper: This paper is the culmination of the research, writing, and reflection you have conducted throughout the semester. Your goal is to compose an essay that offers the most persuasive arguments for this position, that refutes competing positions and alternatives, and that organizes your ideas effectively and efficiently. The final paper is directed to a specific, academic audience, and it should include a bibliography of approximately 15 sources. Approximately 10 pages. 

Revision Assignment and Reflective Memo: Reflection and revision are keys to one’s success as a writer. And we perform these acts throughout the class. Through reflection and revision you are able to think critically about your identity as a writer, your writing process, and the feedback you’ve received. You can then leverage these reflections as you continue to write and thus improve upon your work.

At the end of the semester, you will revise your Position Paper Draft and reflect on the process and the semester as a whole. Here, you have the opportunity to demonstrate what you’ve learned over the course of the semester and to gain a unique picture of who you are as a writer. Your reflective memo will discuss the substantive revisions you made to this essay, your understanding of

academic writing, and your progress as a writer over the course of the semester. Reflective Memo 1 page, single-spaced

Revision Policy

Revision Policy for Assignment #1: So that you are able to gain a sense of the rigor of this course, for the first assignment, no essays will fail on the first attempt (except of course for lateness or plagiarism). If the essay would have failed, I will give it a W for “grade withheld” and ask you to revise the assignment. If the essay is not revised acceptably within a specified time, it will be recorded as an F. If the essay is revised in an acceptable manner, it will be granted as high as a C, but no higher.

Revision is a major part of this course and a major element of strong writing practice. You will revise each of your papers after the scheduled draft workshop. I am also happy to meet with you before your paper is due to discuss your essay ideas and your drafts. In addition, your final assignment for this course asks you to revise substantively an essay you’ve submitted and to which I’ve responded. Since I stress revision throughout the course and since there are so many opportunities for you to revise your work, there will not be possibilities for additional revisions to essays after they have been returned. Given this policy, please use me, your classmates, and the Writing Center as resources for essay revision and improvement before the submission deadlines.

Numerical Grading System

After consulting with others in the English department, Academic Writing has created a consistent grading system across all sections of English 101. We use the following 100-point grade scale for all English 101 classes:

94-97% = A90-93% = A-87-89% = B+84-86% = B80-83% = B-77-79% = C+74-76% = C70-73% = C-67-69% = D+64-66% = D60-63% = D-1-59% = F

Important Miscellany

Paper FormatThe format for papers will vary, but unless otherwise indicated, standard format is double-spaced

throughout (with no extra spaces between paragraphs), readable font (12 point, no italics except for titles or emphasis), one-inch margins on all sides, left justified, with your name, my name/the section number, and a telling title on the first page. When you have cited information, you should follow the MLA style guidelines appropriate for the topic or situation.  Number all pages. The final draft of each assignment should be clearly labeled as such. Papers that do not follow these formatting guidelines will be penalized.

Paper Submission

It is extremely important that you save all graded work so that you can work from it at the end of the semester. Also, I will consult these materials when reviewing your final revision assignment and when considering your progress over the course of the semester. We will discuss this requirement in more detail as the semester progresses.

Office Hours

Think of my office as an extension of the classroom and use my office hours to discuss any aspect of your writing or reading, as well as any questions you may have about class procedures or requirements. Come to office hours with questions about class discussions, writing techniques or strategies, writing projects you’re working on, ideas you wish to develop, and so on. I will be available for office hours at all times listed on the syllabus. However, I see office hours as meetings—and scheduling meetings as an important part of our professional lives.  So, any time you’d like to visit my office, please email me to discuss an ideal meeting time.  I am also happy to schedule another time to meet if my office hours conflict with your schedule.

ConferencesWe will have at least one set of one-on-one conferences in my office (see the course schedule for conference days). These meetings aremandatory. If you cannot attend our scheduled conference, please email me at least 24 hours before our planned time. If you miss our conference without emailing, I will count it as a class absence.

Writing Center

All students should consider visiting the tutors at UMD’s Writing Center as a way to improve the overall quality of their writing. The Writing Center is for all student writers—including those who see themselves as strong writers. It is an excellent resource for you; please take advantage of it.

The Writing Center offers both daytime and evening hours. Online tutoring is also available. You can make an appointment through the website below.

Website:           <http://english.umd.edu/academics/writingcenter>

Address:          1205 Tawes Hall

(301) 405-3785

writadmin@umd.edu

 

 

      Academic Integrity

      Plagiarism, whether it is submitting someone else’s work as your own, submitting your own work completed for another class without my permission, or otherwise violating the University’s code of Academic Integrity, will not be tolerated. You are expected to understand the University’s policies regarding academic integrity. These policies can be found at the website of the Office of Student Conduct, www.shc.umd.edu. Please visit this website, click on the “students” link, and read the information carefully.

 

      Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Your success in the class is important to me. If there are circumstances that may affect your performance in this class, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can work together to develop strategies for adapting assignments to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course.

In order to receive official university accommodations, you will need to register and request accommodations through the Office of Disability Support Services. DSS provides services for students with physical and emotional disabilities and is located in 0106 Shoemaker on the University of Maryland campus. Information about Learning Assistance Service and/or Disability Support Service can be found www.counseling.umd.edu/LAS or www.counseling.umd.edu/DSS. You can also reach DSS by phone at 301-314-7682.

 

University Mandated Attendance Policy for English 101

Unexcused or “discretionary” absences. Discretionary absences should be viewed not as “free days” but as days you may need to deal with emergencies. You may miss two full weeks of class without substantial penalty—you will, however, lose participation and attendance points for those missed classes. For each unexcused absence after two weeks, your final grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. This means that if you have an A average but have one absence more than two weeks of unexcused absences, you will earn a B in the course.

Excused absences. The University excuses absences for certain reasons (illness, representing the UMD at certain events, religious observance, and the death of an immediate family member), provided the cause of absence is appropriately documented (see below).  

Religious observances. The University's policy "Assignments and Attendance on Dates of Religious Observance" provides that students should not be penalized because of observances of their religious beliefs; students shall be given an opportunity, whenever feasible, to make up within a reasonable time any academic assignment that is missed because of individual participation in religious observances. Students are responsible for obtaining material missed during their absences. Furthermore, students have the responsibility to inform the instructor of any intended absences for religious observances in advance. The student should provide written notification to the professor within the first two weeks of the semester. The notification must identify the religious holiday(s) and the date(s).

Documentation Requirements to Justify an Excused Absence for Illness. The University’s policy is to excuse class absences that result from a student’s own illness. The procedure and documentation required for an illness to be an excused absence differs depending on the frequency of the absence. 

For a single class meeting missed: If you miss only one class meeting for illness, you may submit a self-signed note to the instructor (that is, a note from a health care provider is not required for a single class missed, and the Health Center will not provide written excuses for a single absence). Each note must also contain an acknowledgment by the student that the information provided is true and correct; in this way, it must follow the Code of Student Conduct or may result in disciplinary action. Such documentation will NOT be honored as an excused absence if the absence coincides with a Major Scheduled Grading Event, which for ENGL 101 is a paper due date. If you know you will miss class, make an effort to alert your instructor and make arrangements in advance. Also, your documentation must be presented to the instructor upon returning to class.

For Multiple but Non-Consecutive Meetings Missed: If you will miss more than one class meeting for a medical concern, but these will not be consecutive, you should provide documentation from a health care provider upon returning to class after the first of these absences that details future dates to be missed OR provide a note from a doctor that states specific dates missed (the note must state specific dates, rather than broadly name a time frame; that is, for example, documentation must say the student missed class on 9/12, 9/16 and 9/20 for a medical concern, rather than saying the student may have missed class repeatedly between 9/11-9/21).

For Multiple Consecutive (more than one in a row) Meetings Missed OR an Absence Involving a Major Grading Event: If you will have a prolonged absence (meaning more than one absence for the same illness) or have missed a class involving a major grading event, you are required to provide written documentation of the illness from the Health Center or from an outside health care provider upon returning to class. In cases where written verification is provided, the Health Center or outside health care provider shall verify dates of treatment and indicate the time frame that the student was unable to meet academic responsibilities. No diagnostic information need be provided on this note.

Absence due to participation in a University Event:  If your absence is not due to an illness but is, rather, due to your participation in an official University event, you must provide documentation for this absence prior to the absence; the documentation should be an official form from the University.

Week One: Welcome to the Course!

Monday, August 29: Get to Know Each Other

o Task: Buy Course Books

Virtual Period: Fundamentals of the Course

o Read: IA Chapter 1o Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WAN3z_dYaoo Consider: How does this film relate to the terms from the article?  Why would this be a

fruitful period for rhetoric as you understand it?  What is the cause-effect relationship here?  In other words, what is the rhetorical situation causing the social movements?  How do some of the issues from the long 60s relate to issues we discuss today?  Did you see any relevance to your own field(s) of study?

o Task: Discussion Board #1: Movements of the 1960s

Friday, September 1: Introduce the Summary

o Read: TSIS – “Entering the Conversation”o Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amZD8XxTsjQo Consider: When reading the chapter and viewing the video, begin to think about

how we discuss texts.  How do we acknowledge the points of others?  How does that relate to how we discuss our own points?  What’s a reasonable point at which to start? 

Week Two: Summary Work

Monday, September 5: Class Cancelled - Happy Labor Day!

o Read: http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/equal_rights_for_women.htm

Virtual Period: Chisholm's Main Ideas

o Read: TSIS – CH 2 – “Her Point Is”

o Discussion Board #2: Chisholm’s Main Ideas

Friday, September 9: Thesis & Outline Work

o Task: Come to class with a group-drafted thesis statement and potential outline for your summary!

Week Three: Finishing Summary and on to Rhetorical Analysis (RA)

Monday, September 12: Peer Editing Principles and History of Rhetorical Appeals

o Read: IA 59-63o Read: IA Chapter 6o Task: Continue working on Summary in your Google Docso Task: Come with any last questions about our Summary

Virtual Period: Summary Draft Workshop

o Task: Summary Draft Workshopo Task: Discussion Board #3: Practicing with Rhetorical Appeals

Friday, September 16: Introduce Rhetorical Analysis Blog Assignment and Summary "Group Talk"

o Read: IA Chapter 4o Read: TSIS Chapter 4o Due: Summary (via Canvas by 11:59 pm)

Week Four: Rhetorical Analysis (RA)

Monday, September 19: Blog Tutorial and Practice Rhetorical Concepts

o Read: IA Chapter 9o Task: Come to class with ideas for Rhetorical Analysis themes, and we'll group

up!

Virtual Period: Rhetorical Analysis Invention

o Read: IA Chapter 8  o Task: Discussion Board #4: Rhetorical Texts from the 1960so Task: Create a URL for your blog

Friday, September 23:Logical Fallacy and Chosen Group Texts

o Read: IA 349 – 356o Task: Come with a strong idea of texts for your group, and we'll solidify those in

classo Task: Send CB a link to your blog with Texts added (by 11:59pm) - we'll discuss

the posting scheduling in class today

Week Five: Continuing Rhetorical Analysis/Academic Concepts

Monday, September 26: Stasis Theory in Academic/Rhetorical Writing

o Read: IA Chapters 18, 19, and 20o Read or Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=CmCBOLmIBaM or http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179381o Task: Post a link to your blog on our ELMS Homepageo Task: Peruse your classmates' blog and texts

Virtual Period: Canons of Rhetoric and RA Work

o Read: IA Chapter 17o Read: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.htmlo Task: Discussion Board #5: Canons of Rhetoric & Harrison Bergerono Task: Four posts should be up on each group blog

Friday, September 30: Thesis Invention Workshop

o Read or Listen: http://www.latexnet.org/~burnt/Game.html or http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/fiction-podcast-t-c-boyle-reads-donald-barthelme

o Task: Draft a thesis statement for "Game"o Task: Four more (eight total) posts should be up on each group blogo Task: Each person should comment on three posts on classmates' blogs

Week   Six: Finish RA, Begin Inquiry Paper

Monday, October 3: Explore Critical Introductions, Thesis Workshop

o Task: Come with complete thesis statement connecting the arguments between your texts. This should be a single sentence that does the work of articulating what your group found to be the major connection, shift, similarity, or difference between your two texts.

o Task: Four more (12 total) posts should be up on each group blog

o Task: Each person should comment on three more (six total) comments on classmates' blogs

o Note: Come prepared to sign up for RA Presentations (we'll look at the presentation rubric!)

Virtual Period: Explore Inquiry Paper

o Read: Assignment sheet for the Inquiry Papero Task: Discussion Board #6: Understanding Argument of Inquiry (Creativity,

Inquiry, & Stases)o Task: Final three (nine total) comments on classmates' blogso Note: Your group should likely have a working CI outline

Friday, October 7: Three RA Presentations, Inquiry Q&A

o Task: If your group is presenting, email CB your powerpoint by class timeo Read: Argument of Inquiry - FAQs from DB6o Note: You should be working in groups on your Blog CIs

Week   Seven: Inquiring Minds

Monday, October 10: Two RA Presentations, and Discussion of Voice and Inquiry

o Task: If your group is presenting, email CB your powerpoint by class timeo Read: http://www.ualr.edu/sequoyah/uploads/2011/11/SanViet.html#SanViet-

div2-d0e1165 o Rhetorical Analysis Blogs are done, and CIs are complete and posted

Virtual Period: Voice (continued)

o Read: IA Chapter 2o Read: IA, MLK's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"o Task: Discussion Board #7: Creativity and the Personal in Scholarly

Argumentation (plus Stases)o Task: Inquiry Experience/Narrative

Friday, October 14: Research Session at McKeldin

o Read: IA: Chapter 5o Task: Know your basic research topic and question, so you are prepared to

discuss it with CB and the research librarian

 

Week Eight: Inquiry   Drafting

Monday, October 17: Honing Our Topics, Sharing our Work, Moving Toward Research

o Task: Revise your narrative piece based on class feedback and research information from McKeldin

o Task: Come to class ready to share and discuss these revised pieces aloudo Note: You should do some more basic research on your topic over the weekend,

so you can be sure of your research question. We'll share our narratives and discuss how they do (or don't) lead us to our inquiries! Then, we'll discuss the complex bridge between narrative and research and how that works for our audience.

Virtual Period: Stasis Theory and Our Topics

o Read: IA Chapter 10o Task: Discussion Board #8: Narratives, Thesis Statements, & Stasis

Friday, October 21: Concision of Language

o Read: Examples of Inquiry (from the Interpolations Website)—Please each choose one Inquiry essay (first four essays on the page) to read from the most recent edition. https://www.english.umd.edu/academics/academicwriting/interpolations/spring-2015.  Please identify the theses in these pieces and evaluate the transition. Also, evaluate the sentence level language here. How strong is it? Or where does it fall short?

o Task: Write the first body paragraph for your Inquiry paper. (This should follow the intro, research transition, and thesis.) We'll revise these for Concision of Language.

Week Nine: Completing Our Inquiries

Monday, October 24: Weaving Scholarship and Experience, Audience, DF

o Read: Examples of Inquiry (from the Interpolations Website)—Please each choose one Inquiry essay (first four essays on the page) to read from the most recent edition. https://www.english.umd.edu/academics/academicwriting/interpolations/spring-2015.  Identify how sourcework is used in these paragraphs. 

o Task: Bring in copies of your sources (print or online). And be sure you're working on your paper's body paragraphs. You should be mostly done with the body of the paper. We'll work on sourcing these paragraphs.

Virtual Period: Introducing Our Next Assignment, the Digital Forum (DF)

o Read: Digital Forum Assignment Sheeto Task: Discussion Board #9: Weebly Scavenger Hunt & Digital Forum Intro

Friday, October 28: Inquiry Draft Workshop

o Read: IA Chapters 23 and 24o Task: Bring in a FULL-LENGTH, PRINTED, PAPER COPY of your Inquiry

Week Ten: Digital Forum

Monday, October 31: Q&A, DF Examples: Audience shift, arguments, annotations

o Read: http://tigerparenting.weebly.com/, http://whattodoaboutassessment.weebly.com/, http://greekeconomiccrisissolutions.weebly.com/, http://4momatwork.weebly.com/economic-necessity.html

o Task: Come to class with ideas for the three perspectives you'll explore in your DF. These should be linked to the topic of your Inquiry, but they should address a different stasis point from that inquiry.

o Task: Come with questions you have about the DF (after viewing the examples and reading the assignment sheet). There will likely be many!

o Note: You should be revising your AI paper for submission Wednesday.

Virtual Period: Working on DF

o Task: Explanatory Paragrapho Task: Discussion Board #10: Analysis of DF Mission Statements for Web

Audiences, About Pageso Read: IA Chapter 7 and TSIS Chapter 6o Task: Inquiry Due on Canvas

Friday, November 4: Conferences, no class

o Task: You should have a finished about page, and drafts of one or two arguments on your actual site by this date. If you have a conference with me today, bring a laptop and be prepared to show me your progress on your site. I'm

excited to chat with you about your project and any/all questions you may have! Make sure to bring those too.

o Task: Work on your DFs on your own time

Week Eleven: Finishing DF, and on to the Final Paper

Monday, November 7: Conferences, no class

o Task: You should have a finished about page, drafts of two or three arguments, and at least one annotation on your actual site by this date. If you have a conference with me today, bring a laptop and be prepared to show me your progress on your site. I'm excited to chat with you about your project and any/all questions you may have! Make sure to bring those too.

o Task: Post DF Hyperlinks to the DF Hyperlink Discussion Board. o Task: Work on your DFs on your own time

Virtual Period: Digital Forum Draft Workshop

o Task: DB#11 - TBDo Note: You'll need a complete DF to get full credit for the workshop

Friday, November 11: Introduce Final Paper, Parts of a Full argument, Audience

o Read: Final Paper Assignment Sheet

Week   Twelve: Introductory Elements of the Final Paper

Monday, November 14: Thesis Share and Intro/Narration Lab

o Read: American Security: Triumphs And Downfalls Of The Patriot Act and Rainbow Over Capitol Hill. Read for the introductory elements.  Evaluate what you like and dislike, what works/doesn’t work, and why.  Be prepared to discuss. 

o Task: Compose a thesis statement/statement of argument for the final papero Note: We'll work on intros and narrations in class.o Task: DF Due

Virtual Period: Narration/Intro Share and Partition Writing Lab

o Task: Discussion Board #12: Partition Functionality in a Long(ish) Essay & Introduction/Narration

o Note: Your introduction and narration should be complete at this point.

Friday, November 18: Partition Share and Confirmation and Refutation Discussion

o Read: Discriminatory and Unconstitutional: English Only in U.S. and reread Rainbow Over Capitol Hill? In both, please consider the arrangement of the rhetorical appeal and how that relates to the paper's audience.

o Note: Your introduction, narration, partition, and thesis should be complete at this point.

Week   Thirteen: A Little Work and Mostly Feasting

Monday, November 21: Writing Lab

o We'll meet today for treats and writing and sharing our frustrations and successes. I will introduce the Source Glossing Assignment, due after break.

o Note: You should be using this time to meet with me, meet with peers, draft, and visit the Writing Center or library. Your paper should be at least halfway complete. 

Virtual Period: Class Cancelled - Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 25: Class Cancelled - Happy Thanksgiving!

Week   Fourteen: Back in Business, Finishing the Paper

Monday, November 28: Optional Conferences - No Class

o Note: You should be using this time to meet with me, meet with peers, draft, and visit the Writing Center or library. Your paper should be very nearly complete. 

Virtual Period: Sourcework in the Final Paper, Conclusions

o Task: Final Paper Research Assignment/Source Glossingo Task: Discussion Board #13: Conclusions: Tips & Tricks and How to Employ

Them

Friday, December 2: Final Paper Draft Workshop

o Note: You will need a FULL-LENGTH PRINTED PAPER COPY of your final paper to get full credit for this workshop. This workshop is high stakes, both quantitatively and qualitatively. You can earn up to 4% toward your semester grade through exemplary workshop participation. Your success will also surely predict your success in the final paper revisions!

Week   Fifteen: Revision and Reflection

Monday, December 5: Revision, Emails, and Audience

o Task: Bring in your final paper, revised from draft workshop, with a list of additional goals that came up. These are most likely things that feel "too much," "too substantial," and "incredibly important."

o Read: IA Chapter 24 and 25o Read: Assignment_Final Paper Emailo Read: Course Reflectiono Note: We'll explore the following questions: How revision differs from writing? 

What are the elements of a strong and substantial revision?  How do we make self-directed changes to dramatically and globally change our writing?  What does a bad revision do?

Virtual Period: Revision Exercises, And "The Why"

o Read: IA Chapter 26 and 29o Task: TBD

Friday, December 9: Final Q&A (1%)

o Task: You'll need to come to class with one last substantive question about how to make your paper truly shine. We'll discuss what these can be. Please read this.

o Read: IA Chapter 28

Week Sixteen: Done-Done

Monday, December 12: The moment of Judgment

o Task: Final Paper due, complete printed copy requiredo Task: Audience email sent (1%)o Task: Reflection due by 11:59 pm