College of Arts and Sciences

Division of Languages and Literature

WR 122, sec 05/11—English Composition: Critical Thinking

MWF 10-10:50/12-12:50  AC 1600/1609

Winter 2007

Brandy McKenzie, instructor

          email: mckenzib@mhcc.edu

          website: http://mysite.verizon.net/res1ryso/

          office hrs.: MWF 11-12, English Dept. Lobby

Prerequisite: WR 121 with a grade of C or better

Required texts:

Goshgarian, Gary.  Exploring Language, eleventh ed.  New York: Addison Wesley Longman,

2007.

     Welcome to Writing 122, the second in a series of three required composition courses at MHCC.  Whereas in WR 121 you learned about the basic techniques of writing a college essay, including the use of a thesis, support, organization, and considerations of audience and purpose towards the construction of a solid assertion, in this class we will be working to further your critical abilities themselves.  We will examine several contemporary issues in depth and from a number of different perspectives, particularly focusing on the effects and uses of language.  You will then learn how to best construct a persuasive argument in response to the claims made on these issues, and how to support your position with evidence, logic, and other appeals.

     Your assignments will include:

            2 shorter essays of at least two pages each.  These essays will primarily be used as a diagnostic tool, although they will be graded. 

            4 longer essays, including one with outside research, which should each be at least four full pages long.  These essays will be in response to the issues and readings we discuss in class, and will require you to construct a position in response to the opinions discussed.  These essays are the primary project of this class.  The final long essay—a revision of one of the former three—will require you to do some research outside of the classroom on your own time, in order both to demonstrate your own critical assessment skills and to better prepare you for WR123.  Essays should introduce the issue, offer a thesis in relation to the issue, examine claims made about the issue, and provide specific examples to support your opinions.  Examples are not limited to the readings, but must be appropriate and convincing.  MLA citations should be used.  Please bring in 3 copies of each of your first three essays, one for me and two for your classmates, on the days on which they are due—we will be conducting peer reviews, as explained below.

     Homework assignments and in-class activities corresponding to the class discussions and readings, including reading responses. Although you may have additional homework at different times throughout the course, for every essay assigned from Exploring Language, you are assigned two of the "Thinking Critically" questions printed at the end of the essay as homework.  You may pick any two you choose to address, and should take at least a page to answer each; on days for which I have assigned two or more essays, you need only do two questions total.  Homework assignments may be handwritten unless otherwise noted.  Homework assignments are due on the day noted in the syllabus or at the beginning of class on the first day we discuss the reading in question. In-class activities cannot be made up if missed due to an absence.

            3 peer reviews of the long essays, in which you will be asked to apply the critical skills you have learned to the work of your classmates through offering critiques on grammar, rhetoric, and argumentative techniques.  I will provide a basic set of guidelines in class as the due date for the first paper comes near.

Your grades will be tallied in the following manner, translated to a standard grading scale:

                        Longer essays—40%

                        Homework/in-class—25%

Shorter essays—15%

                        Peer Reviews—10%

                        Participation—10%

I use a standard grading scale, with 90-100 being an A, 80-89 a B, and so forth.   My generalized grading standards are as follows: an “A” paper (or homework assignment) will have a demonstrated mastery of grammar and punctuation with very few mistakes, a solid understanding of the material, and a depth of thought which does not simply repeat what was said in class but develops it in an original way.  A “B” paper will demonstrate at least two of these skills to a satisfactory level, and will show indications of the third.  A “C” paper will meet the basic levels of comprehension and communication necessary to pass the class.

     Please note that your participation is a separate issue from your attendance.  The class will be structured around a discussion format, so every voice counts.  Therefore, you will only be allowed three absences; every absence after that will take 5 points off of your final grade.  Two instances of tardiness longer than fifteen minutes will count as one unexcused absence; a single instance of tardiness longer than half an hour will be automatically counted as an absence.  Late papers and assignments for which you have not received an extension from me before the due date will lose 10% of their grade for every calendar day they are late. Please note that points are taken off for every calendar day, not every class meeting, and therefore turning in a paper even one week late will give you a maximum score of 30 points.

     A note on academic honesty: Failing to credit the ideas and words of others is a serious matter and may result in failure for the course or other disciplinary actions.  To avoid these consequences, credit your sources carefully with in-text documentation and a bibliography.  We will discuss the methods of doing so in class, but if you still need any clarification at all, please ask me.

     I am available during my office hours, by appointment, and by email for any questions you may have regarding the course.

All readings are from Exploring Language unless otherwise noted.  You should have read and prepared to discuss these readings on the day they are listed in the syllabus, as the class discussions will be based upon them.

1/8—Introductions, syllabus

1/10—"Introduction: Thinking and Reading Critically," pp. 1-16

1/12—in-class exercise on critical reading

Short Essay 1 due—"What issue do you feel passionately about? Why?"

1/15—No Class; MLK Day

1/17-19—Langer, "Language and Thought," pp. 34-38

1/22— Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," pp. 204-214

1/24— class will meet in MHCC library

1/26— Simon, “Why Good English Is Good for You,” pp. 547-556; Macneil, “Do You

Speak American?” pp. 530-540

1/29— review of MLA documentation

1/31-2/2— Hayakawa, “Bilingualism in America,” pp. 575-579; Ortiz Cofer, “And May He

Be Bilingual,” pp. 587-591; counterargument

2/4— Long Essay 1 due; peer review (Long essays #1 and 2 should each be written

in response to an idea discussed in class, should be an attempt to form an

argument or state a position in response to that idea, and should use direct

quotes or paraphrases of at least one of the essays we have read for class.

Beyond that, the choice of topics is up to you.) 

2/6— Institute for Propaganda Analysis, "How to Detect Propaganda," pp. 198-203;

“The Pep Talk: Patterns of Persuasion in Political Language,” pp. 215-224

2/8— Taheri, “The Semantics of Murder,” pp. 216-217; Guirard, “A True Jihad or a Sinful

War Against Innocents?” pp. 218-220; Hooten, “Fighting Words: The War Over

Language,” pp. 220-224

2/11— Lutz, “With These Words, I Can Sell You Anything,” pp. 399-411

2/13— advertisements, cont.

2/15— Postman and Powers, "TV News," pp. 369-374

            video clips—news or entertainment?

2/18— King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” pp. 132-140; rhetorical appeals

2/20— movie: Bowling for Columbine

2/22— movie: Bowling for Columbine

2/25— movie: Bowling for Columbine

2/27— Long Essay 2 due; peer review (See notes on Long Essay 1 for instructions;

subject of Long Essay 2 should be something we have discussed in class

since Long Essay 1 was due)

3/1— logical fallacies

3/4— Kore, “The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses,”pp. 498-504; Fish,

“There’s No Such Thing as Free Speech, and It’s a Good Thing, Too,” pp. 508-519

3/6— ALA, “The Freedom to Read,” pp. 446-449; Jacoby, “Book Banning, Real and

Imaginary,” pp. 451-452; Blume, “Is Harry Potter Evil?” pp. 456-457; Bradbury,

“Author’s Afterward from Fahrenheit 451,” pp. 460-462

3/8— Long Essay 3 due; peer review (Choose one of the banned books listed

at the end of this syllabus.  Read this book, summarize your selection,

and analyze it in terms of the issues raised in class.  Details will be

forthcoming.)

3/11— class will meet in library for research instruction

3/13— class will meet in library for research instruction

3/15— Short Essay 2  due: comparison of rhetoric of two different written opinions

on a single issue

****Long Essay 4 will be due between _______ and _______ on ___________________ (Revision of your choice of previous long essays with 2 additional sources for support, one of which must show counterargument, and 2 additional pages)****