Download Syllabus
The Individual and the American Dream
English 120-L27: Expository Writing
Fall 2016 Tuesday/Fridays: Room 412 HW
EMAIL: mh985@hunter.cuny.edu OFFICE: 1238 HW
INSTRUCTOR: Megan Hanson OFFICE HOURS: T/F 1:00 – 2:00
OFFICE PHONE: 772-5114
EMAIL: mh985@hunter.cuny.edu OFFICE: 1238 HW
INSTRUCTOR: Megan Hanson OFFICE HOURS: T/F 1:00 – 2:00
OFFICE PHONE: 772-5114
The Individual and the American Dream
“Why
should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe?
. . . America is a poem in our eyes. . . .”
. . . America is a poem in our eyes. . . .”
-Ralph
Waldo Emerson
Course Goals:
The goals of
English 120 are to promote students’ abilities to do the following:
·
Develop
nuanced and persuasive research questions and thesis statements
·
Identify,
evaluate, and effectively incorporate a variety of sources to explore the
research question and thesis statement
·
Apply
effective evidence to academic writing situations
·
Organize
arguments logically and effectively
·
Choose
effective style and grammar for academic audiences
·
Incorporate
peer and instructor feedback
·
Reflect
on the writing and revision process
In
addition, our goal is to explore the ideological origins of the "American Dream."
How has this collective ideal been embedded into the American character? While America has undergone social and
industrial developments as a country, what enduring qualities has allowed this
ideal to adapt to the shifting trends in American culture? What consequences has
it had for the 21st century?
We
will discuss close
reading
of essays, articles, speeches, letters, advertisements or any other excerpts of
public and private expressions of American voices. In doing so, we are examining the individual's
role in interpreting cultural ideals. With particular attention to personal
narrative and the development of individual voice, we
can
trace
the foundational roots of the American imagination. By storytelling our private experiences,
we participate in a collective American culture that is sensitive to shifting
social and historical contexts. How do our personal narratives reflect our
contexts; how much do they contribute to the spread of culture? The large, mysterious question: Do our
stories have the power to kill or uphold a cultural ideal?
Required
Textbooks:
(Can be
purchased from Hunter College Bookstore, Shakespeare & Co. or online):
- Gerald Graff,
Cathy Birkenstein, and Russell Durst. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter
in Academic Writing with Readings, 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 2015. (The edition is important. Get the 3rd edition.)
ISBN: 978-0393937510. Price: $50.00.
·
Bullock, Richard and Francine
Weinberg. The Little
Seagull Handbook, 2nd ed.
ISBN-13: 978-0-393-93580-6. Price:
$25 ($12.50 with They Say/I Say)
These two books can be purchased together as a bundle
for $50 under the following ISBN: 978-0-393-27996-2.
(Editions and prices are subject to change.)
·
One more book may be announced on Tuesday,
8/30
Course
Requirements:
Our explorations of
individual voice, as well as practices in close reading and critical thinking,
will culminate in a research paper
of 10 pages following MLA citation formatting, which will
serve as the final for this course. On our way to this goal, however, we will
maintain exploratory conversations/comments/thoughts via Blackboard (BB). For participation, we will post a link to a source
(article, movie, blog, etc) with a short summary (2 or 3) sentences by every Sunday
night at 11:59 PM. To receive full credit for each Blackboard response, please
comment on at least two of your classmates’ posts.
Along with daily participation and in-class reading and
writing exercises, students are required to submit a final portfolio
containing: a pre-semester reading response, a 10-page documented research
paper with a Work Cited page and several drafts, an annotated bibliography, a
post-semester reading response, and a final reflective portfolio essay. Please
keep all of your work throughout the semester saved both digitally and as a
hardcopy.
Grading
Policy:
Class
participation
|
15%
|
Group
work, BB, and drafts
|
15%
|
Essay
#1
|
15%
|
Essay
#2 AND/OR annotated bibliography
|
15%
|
Final
research paper
|
30%
|
Final
portfolio essay with revised reading response
|
10%
|
Course
Policies:
Attendance/Tardiness:
If you miss more than three days of class (excused or otherwise), your final
grade will be substantially reduced. Any student who misses more than six class
sessions for any reason will receive an “F.” When absent, it is your
responsibility to find out what you missed and obtain the necessary information
from another student. Please do not be late. If consistent lateness is a
problem, your final grade will be reduced. If you are more than fifteen minutes
late to class, this will count as an unexcused absence.
Late
work: All homework and essays should be ready to be handed
in at the beginning of class on the day they are due. If extenuating
circumstances arise, please contact me as soon as possible – the sooner the
better, including any doubts or concerns about future projects. All formal writing assignments must be
typed, double-spaced, with standard one-inch margins and in 12 point Times New
Roman font.
Electronic
devices such as cell phones, iPods, etc. are prohibited.
Computers/laptops/iPads or other similar tablets are permitted for notetaking,
etc., only by the permission of the teacher. This counts as the first warning. After a second warning, the third violation
of this policy will result in dismissal from the classroom and a noted Absence
from that day’s class.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism
and cheating will not be tolerated. Plagiarism
is defined as word-for-word copying without acknowledgment of the language or
ideas of another writer. Obviously, having another person write or dictate
all or part of one’s composition is forbidden. In addition, a writer should
copy no printed passage, no matter how brief, without acknowledging its source
and either placing it in quotation marks or setting it aside as a blocked
quotation. This applies to even the briefest of phrases if they are truly
individual and distinctive.
Hunter
College Academic Integrity Statement: Hunter College regards
acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations,
obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official
documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The
college is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and
will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College
Academic Integrity Procedures.
Hunter
College Academic Accommodation Statement: In compliance with
the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational
parity and accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or
medical conditions. It is recommended that all students with documented
disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical and/or Learning) consult the Office
of ACCESSability located in Room 1214B East to secure necessary academic
accommodations. For further information and assistance please call
(212-772-4857) /TTY (212-650-3230).
************************************************************************
How
to be successful in this class:
1. Come
to class on time and prepared to participate. Participation includes having
assignments completed, bringing needed materials, contributing to discussions
in a positive manner, and working on what is assigned during the class period.
2. Keep
this syllabus and any changes made to it on hand. Know when writing assignments
are due. Know when reading should be completed.
3. Keep
all of your work. Do not throw anything away.
4. Ask
questions. It is your responsibility to find out what you need to know in order
to be successful in your academic endeavors, as well as in the other areas of
your life. Check the class Blackboard site at least once a week.
If
any problems should arise, you may contact me--or I may contact
you--to discuss them. If a problem seems too difficult for us to resolve,
mediation is available through the English Department.
Course
Schedule:
*This
schedule is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. All changes will
be announced in class.
**All page numbers refer to They Say, I Say With Readings; BB refers to Blackboard.
Date
|
Topic
|
Readings Due
|
Assignments Due
|
Friday
8/26
|
Course
Introductions, Syllabus,
Handout
reading from BB about American Dream
|
||
Tuesday
8/30
|
Discuss
Ramos - How many ways to read?
Define
“American Dream”
|
Pre-Semester
Reading Response on Ramos article
|
|
Friday
9/2
|
Let’s
demystify “academic writing”
Visual
rhetoric discussion: persuade, entertain, inform?
|
|
|
Tuesday
9/6
|
Visual
Rhetoric
|
Rhetorical
Analysis guide; rhetorical analysis sample student paper
|
|
Friday
9/9
|
Junot
Diaz
|
Junot
Diaz interview at the Strand
|
|
Tuesday
9/13
|
Discuss
Graff and Rose
How
do we plan our writing?
How
do we summarize others’ writing?
|
Preface
and Introduction (xviii-14), Chapter 19 opening, (539-541)
Krugman
“Confronting Inequality” (561-580)
King,
“The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” (610-617)
Roemer,
“America Remains the World’s Beacon of Success” (618-622)
|
Blog
post by Tuesday 9 AM.
Write
a 3-5 paragraph response to the readings:
1) Summarize both sides of the argument,
Does the American Dream still exist? as presented by Krugman, King and Roemer
2)
What is the strongest argument and why?
3)What
is your personal response/thought to the argument
|
Friday
9/16
|
Group
work: create a reverse-outline
|
Sample
research paper
Chapter
4: “3 Ways to Respond” (55-67)
|
Assigned in class: Essay #1 The
Rhetorical Analysis, along with Carroll’s Steps toward
Rhetorical Analysis
|
Tuesday
9/20
|
Nature
of Intelligence/Different Kinds of Intelligence: Intellectual Pluralism
Watch
debate Buckley v. Baldwin
|
Graff,
“Hidden Intellectualism” (264-271)
Rose,
“Blue Collar Brilliance” (272 – 284)
Thompson,
“Smarter Than You Think” (346-360)
|
Post
3 possible research topics by Friday 1:00 PM
Weekly
blog post
|
Friday
9/23
|
Meet in Library
Room: E404
Librarians
Ingrid Bonadie-Joseph, Sarah Johnson
|
Jones,
“Finding the
Good
Argument” (BB
|
|
Tuesday
9/27
|
GUEST;
maintaining creativity in academic writing; the role of “I”; the nature of
writing: Public or Private?
|
Chapter
9: “Academic Writing Doesn’t Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice” (121-128)
|
Rough
draft of 3 possible Research Paper Questions (posted)
Weekly
blog post
|
Friday
9/30
|
Peer
Editing Workshop
Sign
up for Individual Conferences
1:00
– 4:40
|
DUE in class:
Essay #1 ROUGH DRAFT
|
|
Tuesday
10/4
|
No
Class
|
Weekly
blog post: Reviewing Graff, Rose, and Howard Gardner, write 3-5 paragraphs
discussing one kind of non-academic intelligence you possess, its characteristics,
and how you use it.
|
|
Friday
10/7
|
Writing
with Social Media; handed back in-class writing.
|
Chapter
12 and 13 (163-172):
Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
(313-329)
Gladwell,
“Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted” (399-415)
Cullington,
“Does Texting Affect Writing” (361-371)
|
DUE in class: Final Essay #1
Rhetorical Analysis
|
Tuesday
10/11
|
No
Class
|
1.
Create a fake Twitter account
2.
Post a blog or in class writing assignment using 10
- 15 tweets (1400 – 2000 characters)
Or Instagram account and post
minimum of 1400 – 2000 characters (max is 2200)
3.
Post the link
4.
Respond to at least 2 classmates’ posts.
|
|
Friday
10/14
|
Individual
Conferences
|
||
Tuesday
10/18
|
MLA
Citation Bootcamp
MLA
Library Tutorial (BB)
|
Read
articles applying BEAM Method
Bring
an article you have found on your topic and come prepared to summarize it and
apply the BEAM method
|
Assigned in class:
Essay #2
Weekly
blog post
|
Friday
10/21
|
MLA
Bootcamp Day 2;
Synthesis
|
||
Tuesday
10/25
|
Meet in Library
Room: 404
with
Sarah
|
Post
3 Revised Research Questions
Weekly
blog post: Summarize Rosenberg’s article and summarize your experience
reading scholarly articles.
|
|
Friday
10/28
|
Annotated
Bibliography
|
Chapter
14: “Reading for the Conversation” (173-183)
Chapter
introductions to 17 (297-298) and 19 (539-541)
Chapter
5: “Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say” (68-75)
|
DUE in class:
A working bibliography in MLA format of your 10 sources SO FAR
|
Tuesday
11/1
|
Peer
Review Workshop
Responding
to Different Views
|
F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Crack-Up”
TBA
|
Bring
finalized research questions and working annotated bibliography
Weekly
blog post
|
Friday
11/4
|
Watch
David Foster Wallace
|
David
Foster Wallace, “This is Water”
|
DUE IN CLASS:
Final Annotated Bibliography
DUE in class:
Essay #2
|
Tuesday
11/8
|
Peer
Workshop of Outlines
Arranging
Longer Essays
The
Opposition
|
Chapter
8: “Connecting the Parts” (105-118)
Chapter
6: “Planting a Naysayer in Your Text” (78-90)
Ungar
and “The New Liberal Arts”
|
Due in class:
Revised Research Question and Outline for Research Paper
Weekly
blog post
|
Friday
11/11
|
Catch
up
|
||
Tuesday
11/15
|
Peer
Review and Revision Workshop
|
Due in class:
Rough Draft of Research Paper
Weekly
blog post
|
|
Friday
11/18
|
Style,
Voice, and the Revision Process;
Sign
up for individual conferences
|
“Letter
from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King
|
|
Tuesday
11/22
|
Individual
Conferences:
Bring
research question, outline, and Annotated bibliography
|
Weekly
blog post
|
|
Friday
11/25
|
No
Class
|
||
Tuesday
11/29
|
Writing
about Writing; Reflection
|
Chapter 11: “Using the Templates to Revise” (139-159)
|
Due in class: Draft #2 of research paper
|
Friday
12/2
|
Informal
Presentations; Reflecting on The Writing Process; Metacommentary:
|
Chapter
10: “The Art of Metacommentary” (129-136)
|
Assigned in class: Reflective Essay
|
Tuesday
12/6
|
Informal
Presentations
Handed back reading responses |
Last
weekly blog post
|
|
Friday
12/9
|
Peer
Review and Revision Workshop
|
DUE on turnitin.com: Final Research Paper
|
|
Tuesday
12/13
|
Reading
Day
No
Class
|
Re-read
Ramos
|
Due on turnitin.com: Revision of Pre-Semester Reading Response
Due on turnitin.com: Reflective Essay
|
Tuesday
12/20
|
Exam Day: Turn in final portfolio
Classroom and Time TBA |
Final
Portfolio
|
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