Writing and rhetoric ii syllabus
- 1. Spring 2020 Writing & Rhetoric II ENGL 102 | TLC 139 | T/Th 2:00-3:15 pm Ben Shane | bashane@uidaho.edu Brink 116 | Office Hours: Tue. Noon-2pm Course Description The aim of this course is to help each of you become a better communicator through study and practice. You will work to improve your ability to receive and convey information effectively through reading and writing, speaking and listening. We will work with the essential tools of the English language: words, sentences, and arguments. We will read a lot. We will write a lot. We will discuss often. If you are not motivated to work hard in order to further your education, this is not the class for you. If you are looking for an “easy A,” or just want to get a required course out of the way, you will struggle with the workload and expectations. My job is to help you learn, but you are all legal adults and I will expect you to comport yourselves as such. That means taking responsibility for yourself and your learning. No matter what you do in life, communication is an essential skill. If you can read and listen well, if you can write and speak clearly, the whole world opens before you. If you cannot communicate well, you limit your ability to think, learn, interact, and grow. I don’t care what you are studying, what career you want to have, or what you want to do in life—whatever it is, being a strong communicator will improve your life and the lives of people around you. Course Policies ATTENDANCE. Attendance is required. You are allowed two (2) absences without penalty. After that, each absence will result in a three-percent (3%) reduction in your final grade. For
- 2. 2 example, if your course work earns you a 92%, but you have four absences during the semester, your final grade will be an 86%. If you accrue six total absences, that is grounds for failure of the course. There are no excused or unexcused absences. It is your responsibility to keep track of your absences, and to communicate with me any concerns you have. If you are habitually late to class or on your cell phone or laptop during class, I will count each such occasion as half an absence without warning or explanation. Being present means being present, mentally as well as physically. READING. There will be assigned reading every week of the semester, if not every class period. When I ask you to read something, whether it is a story, essay, article, or poem, I expect you to read carefully, take notes, and critically assess the reading. Skimming is not reading, and will not be satisfactory in this course. If you are not prepared to read closely, you will do very poorly in this course. QUIZZES. We will have quizzes frequently. Many will be quizzes over the day’s reading or the previous class lecture. If you are not reading carefully and taking notes in class, you are likely to do very poorly on these quizzes. TESTS. At the end of each unit you will take a test over that unit’s material. Again, it will cover readings, lectures, in-class materials, and any other relevant information. If you are not keeping up with your work and studying, you are likely to do poorly on these tests. WRITING ASSIGNMENTS. We will have a variety of writing assignments, ranging in genre and length. Graded writing assignments will have specific, concrete expectations. If you fail to meet a given assignment’s requirements, you will fail that assignment. GRADING. Your performance on the above assignments determines your final grade. Final Grade Breakdown: Quizzes: 30% Tests: 30% Writing: 30% Attendance & Participation: 10% Grades in ENGL 102 courses at the University of Idaho are given as A/B/C/N/F. As a reminder: Accruing six absences, for any reason, is grounds for failing this course. TECHNOLOGY. There will be no need for technology in this classroom except when I explicitly ask you to use your computer or cell phone for a quiz or test. Please bring these items to class, but keep them put away unless an activity calls for them. If I see you on your phone or computer, I will mark you down for half an absence without warning or explanation. MY EXPECTATIONS. You are all in this class as students. That means you are here to learn. I expect each of you to value your education, and to put in the time and effort necessary to make the most of it. If your goal is anything other than learning—if you just want an A, or if
- 3. 3 you just want to check another box toward graduation—then you are in the wrong class. In fact, if your goal is not learning, you should not be in school at all, and your time would be better spent in one of a thousand other productive, meaningful endeavors. Schedule Below is a general outline of the semester until Spring Recess. Quizzes will not be announced beforehand, so you should always come to class prepared for a quiz on the day’s reading or previous lecture. Tests will be at the end of every unit. “Readings” should be completed before class. So, for Week 1, Thursday 1/16, you should have already read this syllabus before class. This schedule is subject to change as the semester develops. Refer to BbLearn and come to class for the latest updates. Topic Reading Week 1 Thurs. 1/16 Class Expectations Syllabus Week 2 Tue. 1/21 Thurs. 1/23 Nouns Verbs “The Things They Carried” “Dr. H.A. Moynihan” Week 3 Tue. 1/28 Thurs. 1/30 Adjective & Adverbs Unit 1 Test “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” Study! Week 4 Tue. 2/4 Thurs. 2/6 Simple Sentences Complex Sentences “bone black” Strunk & White 1 Continued on next page
- 4. 4 Topic Reading Week 5 Tue. 2/1 Thurs. 2/13 Fragments, etc. Unit 2 Test “Tiger Bites;” Strunk & White 2 Study! Week 6 Tue. 2/18 Thurs. 2/20 Logical Fallacies Logical Fallacies How to Win Every Argument 1 HtWEA 2; “The Meme Factory” Week 7 Tue. 2/25 Thurs. 2/27 Logical Argumentation Logical Argumentation Syllogisms; “The Meme Factory” TBD Week 8 Tue. 3/3 Thurs. 3/5 LIBRARY WEEK Meet in Library Week 9 Tue. 3/10 Thurs. 3/12 Evidence-Based Claims Evidence-Based Claims “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” Week 10 NO CLASS— SPRING RECESS 3/16-3/20 Week 11 Tue. 3/24 Thurs. 3/26 TBD TBD Week 12 TBD TBD
- 5. 5 Topic Reading ENGLTue. 3/31 Thurs. 4/2 Week 13 Tue. 4/7 Thurs. 4/9 TBD TBD Week 14 Tue. 4/14 Thurs. 4/16 TBD TBD Week 15 Tue. 4/21 Thurs. 4/23 TBD TBD Week 16 Tue. 4/28 Thurs. 4/30 TBD TBD Week 17 (Dead Week) Tue. 5/5 Thurs. 5/7 Final Portfolio FINALS WEEK Final Exam
- 6. 6 University Disability Support Services Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary or permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Support Services located in the Idaho Commons Building, Room 306. Please meet with the staff of the DSS office at the beginning of each semester to set up accommodations for the semester so that you may notify your instructor(s) early in the semester regarding accommodation(s) needed for the course. • 885-6307 • dss@uidaho.edu • http://www.uidaho.edu/studentaffairs/asap/dss University Classroom Learning Civility Clause: In any environment in which people gather to learn, it is essential that all members feel as free and safe as possible in their participation. To this end, it is expected that everyone in this course will be treated with mutual respect and civility, with an understanding that all of us (students, instructors, professors, guests, and teaching assistants) will be respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning. Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and respect, you are encouraged to meet with your instructor during office hours to discuss your concern. Additional resources for expression of concern or requesting support include the Dean of Students office and staff (5-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (5-6716), or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (5- 4285)