Assignments for Friday, December 6, 2013

• Complete your second argumentation essay (due at beginning of class)
• Send or bring me an electronic copy of your essay
• Turn in your rewrite
• Learn the following vocabulary words: brazen, cerebral, complicit, furtive, indispensable, legerdemain, liaison, relegate, visceral
• Read "Knockouts High and Low"
• In one or two sentences, answer each of the following questions about the reading, and bring your written responses to class
• Who are the three famous persons, mentioned explicitly or implicitly by Steyn, who died November 22, 1963?
• What does Lewis mean by "men without chests"?
• What, according to Steyn, is the common theme that connects the "Knockout" game and the U.S. Senate's change in filibuster rules?
• How does Steyn tie together significant ideas from Lewis and Huxley?
• Does Steyn ever state his main idea? If so, what is it? If not, how would you phrase it?

Assignments for Friday, November 22, 2013

• Learn the following vocabulary words: bedraggled, brazen, cadre, caveat, comeuppance, conspiratorial, debacle, fiasco, funereal, indictment, misbegotten, modicum, obligatory, plausible, poignant, praetorian guard, scythe, searing
• Read "Obamacare Schadenfreudrama"
• Choose a topic for your second argumentation essay and begin finding and using sources
• Come to class with research materials and be ready to discuss your progress

Topics for second argumentation essay

Choose one of the following topics or subjects.

• The Affordable Care Act should be repealed.
• The Affordable Care Act needs a little work and can still be of benefit to the country.
• Electronic surveillance is a necessary component of national defense with a proven track record of success and should be continued or expanded by the federal government.
• The federal government's power of electronic surveillance should be severely curtailed, especially against Americans.
• Describe and argue for a coherent strategy for the United States toward Iran's development of nuclear weapons

In-class reading

"Let JFK RIP? It's Complicated"

Assignments for Friday, November 15

• Complete worksheet on rhetorical fallacies, and come to class ready to discuss it.
• Turn in first argumentation essay at beginning of class.
• Email me an electronic copy of your essay at my Motlow email address.

Email note

I have now begun using my Motlow email account. In the future, if you want to contact me by email, please do so at my Motlow address: mstanley[ at ]mscc.edu.

Assignments for Friday, Nov. 8

• Read PA 137-51
• Know and be able to use these words: admonition, atomistic, coerce, connote, crematorium, latency
• Be familiar with the historical significance of Auschwitz
• Read "In Jedwabne"
• If not completed in class, make a Works Cited page in MLA format with four sources to be used in your argumentation essay
• Bring a completed rough draft of your argumentation essay to class

Evaluating web sources

What do you think about these?

College

http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/w-kent-barnds/is-college-worth-it-the-a_b_4122884.html
http://www.theonion.com/articles/college-unveils-new-media-center-every-month,34400/
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348689/congrats-grad-was-it-worth-it-interview
http://www.nationalreview.com/phi-beta-cons/255720/young-alumni-say-college-was-worth-it-jason-fertig

Violent media
http://www.lionlamb.org/media_violence.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/opinion/sunday/does-media-violence-lead-to-the-real-thing.html?_r=0
http://www.theonion.com/articles/tv-blamed-for-rise-in-formulaic-violence,1887/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201309/violence-the-media-and-your-brain
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-j-ferguson/media-violence_b_4018469.html

A few more
http://the7truth7ministries72.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/is-barack-hussein-obama-the-false-prophet-of-rev-13/
http://www.beastobama.com/
http://www.cogwriter.com/barack-obama-prophecy-antichrist.htm
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/antichrist.asp

Quiz

1. In the chapter, "Finding and Evaluating Sources" in Practical Argument, what web service and its founder are referred to repeatedly?

2. According to the same chapter, which of the following is not a good criterion for evaluating the quality of a source: accuracy, credibility, objectivity, length, currency, comprehensiveness, authority?

3. According to your readings for today, are employers using social media in hiring selections?

4. Write the new "class motto."

5. Write the old "class motto."

Assignments for Friday, November 1

• Read PA 275-311, 343-49
• Do Exercise 8.2 for one of the three articles
• Continue gathering sources and infomation for your upcoming paper
• Keep good bibliographic info for each source
• Bring your research and notes to class

Assignments for Friday, October 25

• Learn and be able to use these vocabulary words: brandish, collateral, consensual, discordant, euphemism, eviscerate, exacerbate, existential, monotony, mundane, proximity, symptomatic
• Read "The Drug War's Collateral Damage"
• Read "The Trouble With Wikpedia"
• Read PA pp. 241-72

In-class exercise

In one or two sentences each, answer the following questions about Glenn Reynolds's essay, "The Parent Trap."

1. What is the main idea of "The Parent Trap"?

2. Why are children no longer an economic boost to families?

3. Who is Vladamir Putin?

4. What are some of the "social costs" of parenting in the U.S.?

5. What is evidence that parenting has declined in prestige in recent decades?

6. What recommendations does Reynolds suggest to remedy the parent trap?

Reminder

To receive a grade on an essay, you're required to give or send me an electronic copy of that essay. You can do so by sending it to the email address I gave you in class.

Assignments for Friday, October 18, 2013

• Turn in plagiarism essay, if required
• Email electronic copy of first rhetorical analysis
• Review "The Parent Trap" and be prepared for a quiz and class discussion about the essay

Instructions for plagiarism essay

If you scored less than 80 on the plagiarism quiz, you're required to write a 300- to 500-word essay demonstrating that you understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Your essay must include the following information:

• Definition of plagiarism and why it's considered a serious academic offense,
• Standards in this course for determining sloppy and flagrant plagiarism,
• The penalties in this course for either sloppy or flagrant plagiarism,
• Difference between a direct and indirect quote and what is required to keep each from being plagiarism,
• Specific information on exactly when quotation marks or indentations are required in referencing a source.

In addition to providing good information on plagiarism, please pay careful attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar, as they will be factored into your essay grade. It should go without saying that if you reference any source (including this blog post) in writing your paper, you must attribute that source properly (in MLA format, as best you're able to decipher it from LBH, Chapter 46). Please keep in mind that the purpose of this essay is to show you understand the rules of plagiarism and how to avoid it; don't worry about whether or not the essay is especially entertaining.

Assignments for Friday, October 4, 2013

• Complete rhetorical analysis essay
• Read "The Parent Trap"

Assignments for September 27, 2013

• Read & study PA 89-109
• Don’t worry about “The Parent Trap”
• If you didn't complete it in class, finish 3-paragraph critical response to “One Man, Many Wives, Big Problems”
• Do plagiarism exercises, LBH 654-55
• Complete outline of rhetorical analysis and be prepared to go over it in class
• Familiarize yourself with MLA style, LBH pp. 667-713

Choices for rhetorical analysis

Choose one of the following essays for your four- to six-page rhetorical analysis.

• "Yes, a College Education is Worth the Costs" (PA 29-31)
• "We Send Too Many Students to College" (PA 32-35)
• "College is a Waste of Time" (PA 38-39)
• "What is a College Education Really Worth?" (PA 40-42)
• "Violent Media is Good for Kids" (PA 58-61)
• "When Life Imitates Video" (PA 62-64)
• "One Many, Many Wives, Big Problems" (web)
• "Social Harmony" (web)
• "Excitement Deprives Children of Happiness" (web)

Assignments for Friday, Sept. 20, 2013

• Read PA 51-73 
• Study and learn these vocabulary words: acquiescence, authoritarian, copious, deprivation, egalitarian, evangelical, hierarchy, infanticide, polyamory, polyandry, polygamy, regime, scarcity 
• Read “One Man, Many Wives, Big Problems”
• Be prepared to discuss all assigned readings in class
• Read the plagiarism chapter in LBH
• Bring these two completed exercises to class: Safe practices and the final three exercises here (Here's an extra credit question: Was our use of the first five of these exercises in class today plagiarism?). Also, here is a good treatment of avoiding plagiarism, especially in showing how to use one citation for an entire paragraph.

Assignment for Friday, September 13

• Vocabulary: chasten, emulate, exemplar, meek, menial, predisposition, prowess, rend, revere
•  PA 24-50
• "Social Harmony"   (This essay is part of a much larger web page, so I don’t advise trying to print the whole thing.)

Evaluating persuasive writing

1. Is the main idea stated clearly?
2. Does the writer take a firm, clear stand on a debatable issue?
3. Does the writer use adequate evidence to support that stand?
4. Does the writer take good account of his or her audience?
5. Is the author credible?
6. Are the arguments based on logic but employ emotion effectively?
7. Does the writer take good account of and refute counter-arguments?
8. Does the writer offer or call for solutions?

Ode to a Spell Checker

I have a spelling checker

I disk covered four my pea see.

It plane lee marks four my revue

Miss steaks aye can knot see.

Eye ran this poem threw it,

Your sure real glad two no.

Its very polished in its weigh–

My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a blessing:

It freeze yew lodes of thyme.

It helps me right awl stiles two reed,

And aides me when aye rime.

Each frays comes posed up on my screen

Eye trussed too bee a joule.

The checker pours o’er every word

To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore wee rote with checkers,

Hour spelling was inn deck line,

Butt now when wee dew have a laps,

Wee are not maid too wine.

And now bee cause my spelling

Is checked with such grate flare,

Their are know faults in awl this peace,

Of nun eye am a wear.

To rite with care is quite a feet

Of witch won should be proud,

And wee mussed dew the best wee can,

Sew flaws are knot aloud.

That’s why eye brake in two averse

Cuz eye dew want too please.

Sow glad eye yam that aye did bye

This soft wear four pea seas.

Assignment for September 6

Your assignment for next week is exactly what is written on the tentative schedule,

Practical Argument pp. 1-23 and "Excitement Deprives Children of Happiness"

 

plus three very easy vocabulary words: deprive, inhibit and opt. Of course, you're also responsible for what was covered in this past Friday's lecture, including the so-called class motto. 

If you have any questions or comments, please include them in the comments section below.

Syllabus

ENGL 1020 – FALL 2013
MOTLOW STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Fridays 9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Instructor: Milton Stanley, M.F.A.W., M.Div.
Office hours: By appointment

Weblog

Assignments, helpful information, and special notices will be posted each day on the course weblog: http://mscc-engl-1020.blogspot.com/. Be sure to check the site frequently for important information about the course. I’ll be checking the weblog daily, so it’s also a good way to send me messages. Please see me if regular Internet access is a problem for you. I am not yet up and running with online campus communications systems, so until I am, please do not turn in assignments in Motlow drop box.

Required Materials

• Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology, 2nd Ed. 
• The Little, Brown Handbook, 12th Ed. 
• College dictionary 
• Paper for freewriting, written responses, and quizzes

Course Description

English 1020 builds upon the basic skills covered in ENGL 1010. This course is designed to help you enhance and build your critical thinking skills through an emphasis on argumentation essays, literary analysis, and the completion of a research paper. For a comprehensive list of course goals and objectives, see the ENGL 1020 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’ll write three out-of-class papers:

• Essay 1 Rhetorical analysis essay (4-6 pages) 
• Essay 2 Arguing a position essay (4-6 pages) 
• Essay 3 Arguing a position essay (5-10 pages) 

Several of your in-class papers will also receive a letter grade.

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:

• Rhetorical analysis essay, 20% 
• Arguing a position essay 1,  20% 
• Arguing a position essay 2,  30% 
• Quizzes, 15% 
• In-class writing, 10% 
• Class participation, 5% 

In short, 30 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. Double space your essays on plain white paper with one-inch margins. See The Little, Brown Handbook for manuscript guidelines. Please follow MLA format. Also, you are required to submit an electronic copy of each essay by email or flash drive.

Major Error Policy

During this course you’ll 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) Each instance of one of these 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. Also, I will be following the college’s requirement that I track attendance for financial aid purposes.

Classroom Deportment

Please keep in mind we’re all adults here. Texting, talking on the telephone, web browsing during class, or getting up to leave before class is over is simply rude and shows disrespect to 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 a single instance of flagrant plagiarism will 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.

Current Events

A critical element of writing intelligently about the events and issues shaping our lives is to know something about those events and issues. If you have not already done so, please begin to acquaint yourself with some of these issues and events in the news. If you don’t know where to start, see the “Web sites for current events” link on the top right of the course weblog.

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 some slack. I will drop your two lowest quiz grades and your two lowest in-class essay grades. You will also be given the option of rewriting one out-of-class paper. For rewrites, I will accept only papers that have already been graded and returned.

Please see me if you need special accommodations in keeping with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

You’ve paid money for this course, and I want you to get what you’ve paid for. Should the McMinnville campus be closed due to unforeseen circumstances, we will, if possible, soldier on using the course weblog and other online resources.

Disclaimer

This syllabus hits only the high points and cannot include everything you need to know during the semester. Stay tuned for more, both in class and on the weblog.

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.

Tentative schedule

Week	Date	Textbook readings for quiz*	Classroom concepts & major assignments
1	8/30		Introduction to the course; writing process; plagiarism; critical errors; intro to argument; intro to writing with sources
2	9/6	PA 1-23 "Excitement Deprives Children of Happiness"	Understanding argument
3	9/13	PA 24-50 "Social Harmony" NB: This essay is part of a much larger article, so I don't recommend printing it.	Analyzing arguments
4	9/20	PA 51-73 “One Man, Many Wives, Big Problems"	Thinking and reading critically; rhetorical analysis essay assignment
5	9/27	PA 89-109 “The Parent Trap"	Writing a rhetorical analysis
6	10/4	“Gun Control’s Twisted Outcome"	Rhetorical analysis essay due
	10/11		FALL BREAK
7	10/18	PA 241-72 “The Drug War's Collateral Damage"	Arguing a position; first arguing a position essay assignment
8	10/25	PA 275-311, 343-49 “The Trouble With Wikipedia"	Finding and evaluating sources;
9	11/1	PA 351-70 Web reading	Avoiding plagiarism; drafting essays in-class
10	11/8	PA 137-51 Web reading	Rhetorical fallacies; drafting in-class; peer review workshop
11	11/15	PA 458-78 Web reading	First arguing a position essay due; rhetorical fallacies exercise; second arguing a position essay assignment; annotated bibliography assignment
12	11/22		Annotated bibliography due; guided research in library; individual conferences
	11/29		THANKSGIVING BREAK
13	12/6	Web reading	Second arguing a position essay due
14	12/13	Web reading	In-class writing

*Quizzes may also cover anything discussed in class the previous week.

Class motto

Accept it; you're all right a lot.

About your instructor

I'm honored to be your teacher this semester. In addition to teaching writing part-time at MSCC, I work as a sports writer for the Manchester Times and as preacher and elder for the Christ at Fredonia.

In case you're interested, you can find out more about me here:

Curriculum vitae
Current writing
Essays
Short essays
Selected publications

Once again, I look forward to working with you this semester.

Welcome!

This weblog is for Motlow State Community College students in Milton Stanley's ENGL 1020 classes, meeting Friday mornings in McMinnville. Be sure to check back here daily for important course information. Please keep in touch, and may your work this semester be fruitful, rewarding, and enriching.