Assignments for Friday, April 29, 2011

• Complete classification & division essay (PCW, p. 503, numbers 1-3, 5-8, or 10)


• Read "Social Harmony" (vocabulary: exemplar)


• Read "One Man, Many Wives, Big Problems"


• Read "False Pretense for War in Libya?" (click through to whole article) (vocabulary: dupe, humanitarian, mandate, poignant, pretense, propaganda)


• Read "Is Sugar Toxic?" (vocabulary: chronic, correlation, deleterious, erroneous, metabolize, salient)


• Turn in your rewritten essay. Remember to include your original, graded and marked essay with your rewrite.

Although we're not meeting next Friday, we can't afford to miss another full week of class, so the readings (especially "Sugar") are longer than usual this time; it's a good idea to pace yourself.

Look forward to seeing you this week

Despite an error on the tentative course schedule, our class will be meeting this week on Friday, April 15. The good Friday holiday this year is Friday, April 22. I look forward to seeing you in class this week.

Assignments for Friday, April 15, 2011

• Turn in comparison and contrast essay


• Read "College Pressures" in Patterns, pp. 462-68; learn vocabulary, p. 469


• Read introduction to argumentation in Patterns, pp. 547-55


• Read the Declaration of Independence in Patterns, pp. 575-78; learn vocabulary, p. 579


• Read "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in Patterns, pp. 588-601; learn vocabulary, p. 602

Assignments for Friday, April 8, 2011

• Complete MLA works cited exercise
• Read “Two Ways to Belong in America” (Patterns, p. 411) and learn vocabulary words, pp. 414-15
• Read “Swollen Expectations” (p. 422) and learn vocabulary words, p. 430
• Read Patterns, pp. 447-59 (Classification & Division)
• Read “The Ways We Lie” (p. 485) and learn vocabulary words, p. 493
• Read “On the Internet, There’s No Place to Hide” (p. 495) and learn vocabulary words, p. 499
• From the topics on p. 445 in Patterns, choose from topics 1-3, 5-8, 10, or 11 for a 500-word comparison & contrast essay due Friday, April 15, 2011. Bring your prewriting and, if applicable, rough draft to class on April 8.
  

Works cited exercise

Create a Works Cited page in MLA format for the following articles:

• http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/17/opinion-cue-the-media-war-on-budget-cuts/
• http://pajamasmedia.com/ronradosh/2011/02/16/the-real-face-of-the-muslim-brotherhood/?singlepage=true
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/16/AR2011021606897.html?hpid=topnews
• http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1987697,00.html
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/6679082/Climate-change-this-is-the-worst-scientific-scandal-of-our-generation.html
• http://reason.com/archives/2002/11/01/gun-controls-twisted-outcome/singlepage
• "Friending" in Patterns
• "Grant & Lee" in Patterns
• "Guns and Grief" in Patterns
• "Getting Coffee is Hard to Do" in Patterns
  

Assignments for Friday, April 1, 2011

• Turn in cause & effect essay
• Learn all vocabulary words on pp. 409 & 434, PCW
• Read "Grant & Lee," PCW p. 405
• Read "Friending," PCW p. 431
• Complete questions on "The Power of Words in Wartime" if not completed in class
• PCW Chapt. 11, pp. 383-402 (comparison & contrast)

Assignments for Friday, 3/25/11

• Read PCW, pp. 321-37 (Cause & Effect)
• Learn all vocabulary words listed on p. 355 in PCW
• Learn these words as well: markedly, stringent, sea change, zealous
• Read "Guns and Grief," PCW pp. 350-53
• Read "Gun Control's Twisted Outcome"
• Complete your prewriting at least through opening paragraph and rough outline for a 500-word cause-and-effect essay, due Friday, 1 April 2011. Choose from topics 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, or 9 on p. 380 of PCW.

In-class readings

Read and refer to the following essays:

• "Japan Does Not Face Another Chernobyl"


• "How Worried Should We Be About Radiation from Japan's Nuclear Plant?"


• "Ex-Sandia Engineer..."


• "Source: Miniscule Fallout Reaches US"

In a one-page essay, answer the following questions:

• What caused the current nuclear situation in Japan?


• What, in layman's terms, is happening in the reactors?


• What are the biggest dangers from this situation?


• How dangerous is this situation for the public in Japan and elsewhere (e.g., the U.S.)?

Include a works cited page (provided below) at the end of your essay. Format the works cited page according to the format on p. 716 of LBH.

Works Cited

Jahn, George. "Source: Miniscule Fallout Reaches US." Associated Press. The Associated Press, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

Koski, Elizabeth. “How Worried Should We Be About Radiation from Japan’s Nuclear Plant?” Popular Mechanics. Hearst Communications, 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

Munger, Frank. “Ex-Sandia Engineer Talks About Some of the Worst Things That Could Happen in Japan.” Knoxnews.com. Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group, 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

Tucker, William. “Japan Does Not Face Another Chernobyl.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Co., 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

Assignments for Friday, March 4, 2011

• Learn vocabulary, PCW, pp. 285, 302
• Read "My First Conk," PCW, p. 282
• Read "Get it Right," PCW 299
• Choose a topic on p. 319 for a 500-word process essay due 3/18/11 (Don't use topics 2 or 6)
• Write opening paragraph and outline of process essay and bring to class for workshopping
• Finish parallelism worksheet if not completed in class

Reading on thesis statements

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

Assignment for Friday, February 25, 2011

• Complete your exemplification essay
• Read PCW, pp. 263-79
• Learn vocabulary words, pp. 289 & 309
• Read "Getting Coffee is Hard to Do" (PCW 287)
• Read "The Embalming of Mr. Jones" (PCW 304)

Assignments for Friday, February 18, 2011

• Read PCW, ch. 8 (pp. 199-213)
• Learn all vocabulary words, PCW, pp. 221, 246
• Read "The Peter Principle" (PCW, p. 216)
• Read "Fatwa City” (PCW, p. 242)
• Choose a topic from PCW, p. 261, nos. 1, 2, 6, 7-10, for a 500-word exemplification essay
• Bring the first paragraph and outline of your exemplification essay to class 2/18/11; final essay is due 2/25/11

Update: I've corrected the spelling of fatwa.

Assignments for Friday, February 11, 2011

• Complete narrative essay (PCW, pp. 141-42, no. 1, 5, 8, or 11)
• Vocabulary: accoutrement, acumen, ad nauseam, assail, constancy, contumely, cosmopolitan, devoid, dynamism, elitism, embodiment, evangelical, evince, inclination, manic, nuance, parlance, populism, pretense, pundit, retrograde, status quo, stemwinder, visceral (as always, it helps to learn the words before reading the essay)
• "The Meaning of Sarah Palin"
• "Keep it simple" handout
  

Assignments for Friday, February 4, 2011

• "Narration,” PCW, 83-94
• Vocabulary, p. 124
• “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder,” PCW, 120
• Vocabulary, p. 133
• “Shooting an Elephant,” PCW, 126

Note for this week and next

Class is cancelled for Friday, January 21, 2011.

We can't really afford to miss an entire week of class, so in addition to the assignments for January 21, please read the following essay:

"Politics and the English Language."

Your quiz on January 28 will be over this essay, along with the readings and other assignments for January 21. Please note that "Politics and the English Language" is an older, British essay, and it may be a stretch to follow all of Orwell's prose. It is a classic essay, however, that should repay the hard work of reading and studying.

I hope you enjoy the break and come to class ready to work hard on January 28.

Assignments for Friday, January 21, 2011

For your edification

• Patterns, chapter 1
• LBH, Glossary of Usage, pp. 865-81

For the quiz

• Know the class motto & slogan
• Patterns, pp. 766-69
• LBH, pp. 626-35, including exercise 44.1
• "The Perpetual Adolescent"

Course syllabus

ENGL 1010–ENGLISH COMPOSITION I
MOTLOW STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE – SPRING 2011
Instructor: Milton Stanley, M.F.A.W., M.Div.
Office hours: By appointment

Required Materials
Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide, Eleventh Edition
The Little, Brown Handbook, Eleventh Edition
College dictionary

Course Description
English 1010 is an introduction to college writing. This course is intended to equip you not only in the forms of writing, but in critical reading and methods of organizing and presenting ideas. During the semester you will write six graded essays and will be quizzed over assigned readings. You will also write a number of in-class essays graded pass-fail. For a comprehensive list of course objectives, see the ENGL 1010 weblog.

Class Requirements
· Do all assigned readings in time for quizzes and class discussions.
· Always come to class ready to write.
· Participate in class discussions.
· Complete and turn in all writing assignments on time.
· Do all in-class assignments in dark ink on wide-ruled paper.
· Turn in both printed and electronic copies of out-of-class assignments (please talk to me if you do not have access to word processing and printing services).

Essays
To complete this course, you will write six graded papers:
Essay 1 Narration/description
Essay 2 Example
Essay 3 Process
Essay 4 Cause & effect
Essay 5 Comparison & contrast
Essay 6 Classification
You will also be writing many essays for a grade of pass or fail.

Grading
Grades in this course will be assigned according to the following scale:

• A = 90-100
• B = 80-89
• C = 70-79
• D = 60-69
• F = 0-59

Remember that according to academic convention a C is an average grade. The grade of B indicates above-average work, and an A is given only for outstanding performance. I want you to make the best grade you honestly can. I’m willing to work individually with you through the semester to help you improve your grade. I urge you also to take advantage of a wide range of services offered by Motlow State. Late-term begging, however, is a very bad idea.

Your final grade will be determined according to the following formula:

• Out-of-class essays, 60%
• Exams, 10%
• Quizzes, 15%
• In-class writing, 10%
• Class participation, 5%

In short, at least 40 percent of your final grade is determined by what you do in class. No matter what your other averages may be, however, you must have an average of D or better on your out-of-class essays to pass this course.

Essay Format
For all out-of-class papers, use a 12-point standard font (preferably Times New Roman). Double space your essays on plain white paper with one-inch margins. See The Little, Brown Handbook for manuscript guidelines. Please follow MLA format.

Major Error Policy
At the beginning of this course you will be reminded how to eliminate these major grammatical errors:

• Fused sentence (fs)
• Dangling or misplaced modifier (dm, mm)
• Comma splice (cs)
• Lack of subject-verb agreement (agr, sva)
• Sentence fragment (frag)

After each error has been covered in this course, each instance of one of the errors in an essay will result in a one-half letter grade penalty.

Attendance Policy
You are expected to attend classes regularly, and attendance is sometimes critical for mastering the skills developed in this class. Please remember that quizzes and in-class writing assignments will be given almost every day and cannot be made up.

Classroom Deportment
Please keep in mind we’re all adults here. Texting, talking on the telephone, or web browsing during class is simply rude and shows disrespect for your teacher, your fellow students, and yourself.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is copying someone else's work without giving proper credit to the author. It's cheating and can cause you to fail the course if you're caught. Even inadvertent plagiarism, such as failing to cite a source, is a serious academic offense. Make sure you avoid plagiarism with everything you write. If you're not sure what plagiarism is or how to avoid it, review your Little, Brown Handbook. I am available to help you in person or by e-mail, provided you come to me before turning in your paper.

Weblog
Assignments, helpful information, and special notices will be posted each day on the course weblog: http://mscc-engl-1010.blogspot.com/. Be sure to check the site frequently for important information about the course. Please see me if regular Internet access is a problem for you.

SmarThinking
You also have the benefit of online tutorial help from the SmarThinking service at http://mscc.edu/smartthinking.html. Please take advantage of it.

Other Information
I accept late work only in unusual circumstances. In no circumstance will I give make-ups for daily quizzes or in-class writing assignments. Late work will be lowered at least one letter grade. I do not accept very late work (e.g., saving all your essays till the end of the semester).
In most cases, in-class essays will be graded pass/fail. For the in-class average, every passing essay will be averaged as a grade of 100 and every failing essay as a 50. A missed assignment is averaged as a 0. That said, the vicissitudes of life are sometimes outside our control, so I'll cut you a generous amount of slack. I will drop your three lowest quiz grades and your three lowest pass-fail essay grades. You will also be given the option of rewriting one graded paper. For rewrites, I will accept only papers that have already been graded and returned, and you must turn in your original, graded paper along with your new version.
Please see me if you need special accommodations in keeping with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Disclaimer
This syllabus hits only the high points and cannot include everything you need to know during the semester. Stay tuned for more.

A Final Note
Don't let all these dos and don'ts get you down. If you've made it this far, you probably have what it takes to make it through this course. I want you to do as well as you can, and I'll do my best to help you. But remember that you're the one in charge of your education, so take the initiative in doing the work, asking questions, and seeking help when you need it.

About your instructor

I'm honored to be your teacher this semester. In case you're interested, you can find out more about me here:

Curriculum vitae
Essays
Short essays
Full list of publications
Shorter list of publications

Once again, I look forward to working with you this semester to help you improve your writing, reading, and thinking skills.

Welcome!

This weblog is for Motlow State Community College students in Milton Stanley's Composition 1 class. Be sure to check back here daily for important course information. Please keep in touch, both in-person and electronically. You can contact me electronically either through the comments section on this blog or through my MSCC email. I look forward to working with you in the days ahead to help you enjoy a fruitful, rewarding, and enriching semester.