Assignment to bring to library, Thursday, 11/19

Class,

Having gotten your first taste of research in the databases, I want you to continue refining your research question. As Theresa the librarian pointed out, your first search results can help you to narrow down your topic. In abstracts and categories, you can find related terms. You can also find out what people are talking about and what type of research has been done. You can use these terms and topics to narrow down your own.

Remember, you are going to write a five-seven page essay that will go into depth on your topic. Therefore, you want to make your research question as specific as possible. Also, you want your question to invite debate / seek out opposing view points / foster a conversation that does not have a single, simple answer.

We've spent two class periods going over how to develop a specific research question, and we don't have more time to spend on this topic. It is, however, crucial to a successful essay. So, if you have questions about what makes for a good research question, please check out this site: http://libguides.lmu.edu/c.php?g=323167&p=2173967 . If you want to run your research question by me, just send an email.

So, what to bring to post to the blog.

1. Write down your initial area of interest
2. Your initial research question
3. Your revised research question that is focused and that invites debate / multiple perspectives.
4. What you have been able to discover so far in your research in the databases. Are there more relevant articles than you expected? Fewer? Have you found articles in the database that suggest any new directions for your research? From your searches, offer one example of an article you think may help you. You don't have to provide an in-depth summary, just a general idea.

Stay focused these last few weeks of class. Use this time to stay true to your goals and build up some confidence heading into winter. You got this...

Assignment to bring to Library on Tuesday, 11/17

Class,

Here is the assignment. Please bring print and bring to the library on Tuesday. As always, email with any questions.

The goal: have two specific research questions to start your initial searches through the library database. We're spending a fair amount of time on these questions because they will help you research efficiently. Keep in mind that your questions will evolve as you get deeper into research. At the end of the research process, you will have gathered research that will put you in a position to answer your own question with some authority. If you keep up with these individual steps along the way, you will be very prepared to write your essay when the time comes.

So, here's the assignment:
1. Write down your research question as it stands right now, at this very moment.
2. Conduct some light research. "Light" research includes googling your topic to find out who are the important people involved in your topic, what are the ongoing controversies and debates, key dates, etc. Searching Wikipedia may help, too. I recommend searches like "video games violence NPR" or "NYTimes banana farming" to help you get an idea of what's going on with your topic.
3. Write down terms, people, dates, etc. that seem like they may be relevant to your research. It's a good idea to keep all this stuff in one place in your notebook to make it easy to find when you start writing your essay.
4. After conducing this "light research," go back to your initial research question. Now that you know a little bit more about your topic, how can you make your question more specific? Has your initial research shifted your focus? What new information do you want to find out about? Write your responses to these questions in 1-2 paragraphs.
5. Write two research questions to get started with your research on Tuesday. (The goal here is to come up with two different approaches to your topic; this step will help you generate ideas and have a backup in case you get stuck)

Remember, we'll meet on the second floor of the library. It is in the Donahue building just inside the main entrance. Ask a librarian if you have any trouble finding the teaching lab.

Have a great weekend

Professor Rattner

Your initial research topic

Class,

Using your notes and questions from today as a foundation, answer and elaborate on the following questions. Write your answers in complete sentence, using one-two paragraphs. Be thorough and detailed.

Even if you think you may wind up switching topics, complete these steps. You can use the methods we will practice (starting today) to come up with a research topic in any class for the rest of your college days.

This first step is an exciting place to be because it will lead you into the unknown. Stick with it, and, ideally, you'll come out on the other side of these next several weeks with deep knowledge on something you care about.


Questions and responses:

What two topics did you circle in your list?
For which of those two topics did you come up with questions?
What drew you to the topic? How did you first hear about it? Do you have a personal connection to it?  Describe in detail.
What about it makes you want to know more?
How much do you know about the topic?
Of the questions you wrote down in class, which one or two seem the most promising?
What potential obstacles do you foresee in researching and writing about this topic?

Quick response to question: Slater or Ryan?

Class,

Please post a one-two-sentence response to the following question: Which text will you respond to in the next essay, Ryan's Ted Talk or Slater's article? In your response, provide an explanation for your choice. What specifically interests you? What makes it easier or more interesting for you to respond to your chosen text?

I look forward to reading your responses

Professor Rattner

A Million First Dates

To get some practice with quotations and to increase your knowledge of the dating scene, you'll read one chapter from They Say, I Say and an article from the excellent magazine The Atlantic.

From They Say, read "Chapter Three: As He Himself Puts It: The Art of Quoting" (42-50). You'll be using two templates from this chapter, the one for introducing a quotation (46) and the one for explaining a quotation (47). Also, pay particular attention to the section on how not to quote.

With Dan Slater's article "A Million First Dates," find a quotation that stands out to you as, well, quotable. Remember, you want a quote to be interesting and to provoke thought/argument. You want it to be a sentence or two that captures a point so well that is worth repeating word-for-word.

After you introduce and explain the quotation, write a few sentences in which you say whether or not Slater does a good job supporting his claim. How (Ethos, Logos, Pathos) does he try to convince you the reader? Are you convinced? Why or why not?

I look forward to reading your responses and to our class discussion Thursday. As always, let me know if you have any questions

Shitty First Drafts

You just wrote your first draft of the first essay you will write for this course. Going off your personal reactions to the writing process, respond to Lamott's essay. Use your initial reactions to respond to the following questions. Remember to provide examples and quotations to support your points and to respond to what previous posters have said.

Lamott says that perceptions most people have of how writers work is different than the reality of the work itself. She refers to this as the "fantasy of the uninitiated." What does she mean by that?

Later in the essay, Lamott refers to going through many experiences as a writer and coming to a place where she "eventually let myself trust the process - sort of, more or less." She is referring to the writing process, but why does she write "more or less?"

Is Lamott's essay useful? Or not? Explain. Share some of your writing experiences. Do you feel any closer to "trusting the process?"

Lastly, did your impressions of your essay match up your reviewer's feedback? What would you guess might Lamott have to say about that?

I look forward to reading your responses

Zadie Smith's "Joy"

Read "Chapter One: Starting with What Others Are Saying" in They Say, I Say (19-29)

Read Zadie Smith's essay "Joy" in Best American Essays (145-151)

Pay attention to Smith's excellent use of detail and example.

Think about the three questions I posed in class:

- What do I notice? (Patterns, details)

- What is this telling me? (Intended audience, what is the heart / central idea of this essay)

- What is this teaching me? (How might I use the techniques and ideas for my own writing and thinking; how does this expand my range of what is possible in writing and thinking; how does this compare with previously held ideas and knowledge)

In your blog response, answer the following question: how do Smith's definition of joy differ from our commonplace definition of that term? In what ways are her ideas different from your own? 

As part of your answer, I'd like you to do two things:

 - Describe something that gives you joy

 - Use the templates from They Say on page 24. The section of the chapter is titled "Templates for Introducing 'Standard Views.'" For example: Conventional wisdom has it that joy __________; however, Zadie Smith suggests ___________.

As always, email me with any questions. I look forward to reading your responses. See you Thursday!

Dave Eggers Assignment

   Read They Say, I Say, “Introduction: Entering the Conversation” (1-15)

-               In Best Essays, read Dave Eggers’ “The Man at the River” (31-33)

o   While reading, consider these questions:

§  What are the American’s “default settings”?

§  Why, at the end, does the speaker say he “doesn’t want to be…someone who needs to cross a river to see anything at all?”

§  David Foster Wallace and Dave Eggers seem to be addressing a similar issue, that of being stuck in one's own head. Which author do you think is more effective at conveying his message? why?

§  The author, Dave Eggers, spent a lot of time in Sudan where this essay is set. In fact, many of the details of the story correspond to Eggers’ life. Why, then, might he have chosen to put this story in the third person?

o   On the blog, respond to two of the above questions

o   Use quotations from the essay to support your answer

o   If someone else has responded to the same question, reference that person’s response in your response. Use the template from TSIS on page 15 to do so.

§  Example: Professor Rattner suggests that Eggers makes himself seem like a hateful ogre. I disagree. In my view, Eggers comes across as a gentle goat.

§  You get the idea

-               Post your response by the start of class on Thursday, 09/07. Late work will not be accepted

-               I look forward to reading your responses

-               Enjoy!!

Course Syllabus

HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

English 101| College Composition 1: Expository Writing & Research

FALL 2015 | TTr | 2:00 – 3:15 | Frost 235

Nicholas Rattner, Instructor | nrattner@hcc.edu

Office Hours: By appointment | Don 366 (adjunct office)

Welcome

This course is designed to help you develop the critical thinking, reading, and writing skills necessary for success at the college level. Our primary focus is to refine your academic writings skills, and in order to do so, we will work through each step of the writing process: brainstorming, drafting, revising, copy-editing, and reflecting. By the end of the course, you should be familiar with the elements of effective academic writing and have a better sense of your own strengths and weaknesses as a writer. From the beginning of this course, we will take as a basic premise that in order to become a more attentive writer, one must necessarily cultivate an active, attentive reading practice. Reading and writing are inextricable. By starting from a position of academic inquiry, not of simply repeating or recasting knowledge, but of posing questions, problems, and exercising independent thought, you will see that academic writing demands a rigorous practice that will ask you to keep your eyes and minds open. This course is designed to allow you, the student, to be an initiate into the ever-unfolding process of contributing meaning in your own work, and to be engaged in a sustained effort at “supporting, testing, and complicating theses, not just having them.” As you construct your own essays throughout the semester, you will be challenged to inhabit the role of a writer and to see your own texts as valuable and vital contributions to our academic community at HCC. Critical thinking isn’t just a dusty teacher-term; it’s all about finding your place in the world and leaving a mark.

Course Policies

1 – Accommodations: If you have a condition that requires any special attention, please see me immediately. Accommodations are easily made.

2 – Participation: This is a discussion class; discussion comprises a significant portion of your grade. If you miss class, there is no way to make this up. Discussion requires our being present. It is not possible to be present when you use your cellphone or computer in class. If you do, you will be marked absent for the day. No joke. I will inform you by email.

3 – Schedule: The schedule of readings and assignments are adapted to the needs to the class. Therefore, the syllabus is not set in stone. If you miss a class, check with your classmates or with me for the homework.

4 – Timeliness: No late assignments will be accepted. You will be granted one exception to this rule if you speak with first. I’ll work with you, but it is your responsibility to contact me before assignments are due (not an hour before class, not after class).

5 – Conduct: You are expected to be honest in your criticisms, and yet respectful to others. We are working together to improve our skills.

6 – If you have a question, ask.

Catalog Description

This course is the first half of the college composition sequence and focuses on expository writing, critical thinking, and research, with emphases on the following: critical reading and interpretation of nonfiction texts; engaging with and analyzing texts; using summary, paraphrase, and quotation; finding, evaluating and documenting sources; and writing with purpose. Students will produce approximately 3000 words of formal written work, including a documented research paper of at least 1250 words.

Teaching Procedure

This class is much more interesting when people read assignments and voice their opinions. Therefore, we’ll spend considerable time discussing assigned reading, examining issues raised, and stylistic and rhetorical choices made. We’ll also do a lot of writing, editing, and researching in class. These activities will prepare you for the semester’s graded assignments. Additional writing activities will expose you to new techniques in an effort to enlarge your stylistic palette.

Required Texts & Materials

·       They Say/I Say. Gerald Graff. W.W. Norton.

·       The Best American Essays 2014. Ed. by John Jeremiah Sullivan.

·       Handouts, from newest credible texts, provided for you.

·       A notebook (any bound notebook) for in-class and homework exercises, essay ideas, etc.

Course Outcomes

Writing: Students should be able to produce college-level essays that

·       Have a main idea with supporting paragraphs;

·       Use observations from life and from readings as examples and support;

·       Are well organized and sufficiently developed;

·       Are clearly written in terms of sentence structure, transitions, etc.;

·       Are grammatically correct;

·       Are appropriately formatted and presented.

Process: Students should treat writing as a process and demonstrate ability to

·       Revise writing in substantive ways by re-thinking and re-seeing drafts and by experimenting with different ways of developing and communicating ideas;

·       Be a more perceptive reader of your own writing and learn to provide constructive feedback to others about their writing;

·       Manage effectively your writing processes by reflecting on your texts and making choices about them that are appropriate to the assignment.

Reading: Students should be able to read at college level, as demonstrated by their ability to

·       Identify the main ideas and supporting details in readings;

·       Develop your thinking by questioning your own and others’ views;

·       Recognize models of clear organization, expression, and style;

·       Differentiate opinion from fact;

·       Define terms from context;

·       Recognize authors’ attitudes and biases.

Research: Students should be able to write a college-level research paper that

·       Successfully makes use of secondary sources, which should include library databases and may include appropriate internet sources;

·       Uses documentation appropriately and avoids plagiarism.

Grading System

Essay 1                                                 10 points

Essay 2                                                 10 points

Essay 3                                                 20 points

Final Paper                                           10 points

Reading Responses / Blog                    15 points

Writer’s Notebook                                5 points

Writing Community membership         30 points

                                                            ________

                                                            100 points total

Essays

Your classmates, with my facilitation, will review first draft(s) and/or sections of each essay, and then I will grade the final version. For the first essay, a draft comprises a portion of your grade. In other words, even if you ace the final essay, you can earn at best a B if you do not hand in an earlier draft.

Responses to readings & Blog

For most reading assignments, you’ll respond with a brief, informal writing assignment. The scope of this writing will be given in class or will be posted in the class blog. For most of these assignments, I will ask you to quote, briefly and correctly, from the text. I’m looking to see that you’ve read the essay, understood its ideas, and formed thoughts in response to those ideas. Don’t worry too much about grammar, spelling, or “correctness.” Instead, concentrate on saying something. Look at these informal assignments as a way to prepare for class discussion, to reflect on your writing process, and to generate ideas for the long essays. For the blog, respond to the lead question and to what other folks have said. Make it a conversation. Late assignments will not be accepted.

Writer’s Notebook

The first section of your notebook is for in-class notes and various, pre-paper writings. The second half is for your writings. Some of the exercises will be suggested in class, but I also encourage you to experiment with anything that interests you and to try new things.  Write songs, raps, stories, journal entries, a pitch to an imagined investor for a business you would one day like to build…whatever. These writing are yours, so I will simply check whether you are writing. I will not read what you’ve written.

1-2 pages / week. Please number your pages to make it easy for me to check.

Community Membership

An important part of this course is your participation in a community that is respectful and helpful to other people in the class. Review of your participation in this community will include completing all in-class writings, participating in review workshops, and taking an active role in class discussion. Excellent attendance, quality feedback, and no missing in-class writings will receive thirty points. Each missed workshop will reduce your total by five points, each missed in-class writing by two points.

Attendance

You may miss up to three classes. Three times of coming into class late equals a full day of missed class. Using a cellphone in class = not being in class. (Please do not use your cellphone in class. If you do, I will give you the option to stay or to leave; either way, you will be marked absent.) You may miss up to three classes, after which a class missed will decrease your end total by a full letter grade. After five classes missed, there will be no way to pass the course, zero exceptions. If you realize this is the case, I encourage you to withdraw to avoid receiving an F.  

Procedure for Evaluating Student Performance

Students are expected to participate in class discussions, to offer full and useful responses to the writings of peers, to keep absences to a minimum, and to write at least four typed essays that are free of grammar and spelling errors. Essays will be at least three pages long, excepting the research paper, which will be five-six pages long. Short assignments will be graded on a 10-point scale.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism can exist in numerous ways, ranging from taking an entire paper (from the Internet or a friend) and presenting it as your own, to “borrowing” a few sentences from a source without providing proper documentation. The bottom line is this: If the idea is not yours, and you present it as your own without giving credit, that is plagiarism. Over the course of the semester, we will study strategies for incorporating interesting ideas into our essay and how to cite (give credit) properly. Still, when in doubt, ask. Plagiarism is no joke. Committing plagiarism will result in a zero for the work at-hand, potential failure of this class, and a referral to the Dean of Students for further disciplinary action.

Due dates for Essay Assignments

Essay 1: Personal Essay

First draft due: 09/29   Final Draft due: 10/06

Essay 2: Critical Response Essay

Final draft due: 11/03              Note: Drafts are not part of your grade for this essay. If you wish to revise your essay for a higher grade, you will have two weeks from the time I return it to you.

Essay 3: Academic Research Essay

Due: 12/10                  Note: Drafts are not part of your grade for this essay. If you wish to revise your essay for a higher grade, you will have until the exam period for this class to make revisions.

Essay 4: Reflection

Due: During week of final exams

How to post on this blog

1.     Make sure you are logged out of your HCC email

2.     Click on the title of the most recent post

3.     Read over the questions and previous comments

4.     Enter your comment in the space provided (you may want to type it in Word and then copy & paste)

5.     In the Comment as: box, select Name/URL, type in your name, and click “Continue”

6.     Finally, click “Publish”

7.     Sit back & admire what ye have wrought