English 104.15 Academic Writing I

MWF 9-10:20; MWF 12:30-1:20

Instructor: Leah Ulansey

Tel. 410-889-7436;

email leahu@earthlink.net

Welcome to English 104! This course is an introduction to academic writing. Good academic writing, like all good writing, starts with a writer who is in touch with him- or herself and who is able to be fully present in the medium of language. Good academic writing, like all good writing, demands that we question certain mental habits instilled in us by our culture--for instance, the habit of “meeting the world with a blurry euphemism” (as a student of mine once put it). In other words, good academic writing, like all good writing, requires much more than just following the rules and not making mistakes. It requires all the risks and challenges that are inherent in genuine communication.

In order to help you develop a writing voice that is strong, lucid, compelling, direct, memorable and wholly yours, we will, throughout the semester, be reading and writing not only academic essays but also a variety of non-fiction prose, including personal and autobiographical writings as well as persuasive and analytic essays.

Class time will be divided between 1) discussion of assigned readings,  2) in-class writing exercises and 3) workshop-discussions of student writing. The workshop-discussions of student writing are central to the course. Each of you can and should contribute to creating a supportive and stimulating classroom atmosphere for writing and responding to each others' work. Your own work will benefit immensely from this.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. You will be required to write and revise four formal papers.

2. You will be required to write a variety of informal essays, both in class and at home.

3. You will be required to do assigned readings in advance and come to class prepared to participate.

GRADING POLICY:

4 formal papers                                       =60% (15% each)

Informal papers                                      =20%

Class participation                                  =20%

REQUIRED TEXTS (Available in the Goucher bookstore):

Donald Hall, Writing Well

 Lyons, Autobiography: A Reader for Writers

A NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: Building on the ideas of others is a good thing. It is part of being a scholar and it is the beginning, not the end, of original thinking. Always acknowledge your sources and influences proudly. To do so is to become part of the scholarly community. To plagiarize is to present the intellectual work of others as if it were your own. This can be done intentionally or, sometimes, unintentionally. For instance, when summarizing another person’s ideas, it is not enough to acknowledge your source. You must summarize the ideas in your own words.  This is, in fact, a good way to test your grasp of the ideas. If you can’t paraphrase an argument, you probably don’t fully understand it. If you use the language (specific words or phrases) of your source, you must quote it directly. We will discuss the details of documentation and plagiarism later in the semester. For now, be aware that NONE of your papers this semester require secondary sources, unless specifically indicated.

Schedule

Aug         28 (Wed.) Introduction. The writing process. Elements of good writing 

                                 (content, organization, style, mechanics, voice, power)                          

                30 (Fri.) Intro. Voice and writing.

Sept.        2 (Mon.) Labor day-no class

4 (Wed.) George Orwell, “On Shooting an Elephant” (In Lyons, Autobiography, 167)

                6  (Fri.) Orwell (cont.) Voice and writing

9 Edward Albee, Zoo Story (xerox). Content and brainstorming.

11 Albee, cont.

                13 Writing Well, Ch 1

16 Style and voice (imagery and metaphor) James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” (xerox).

18 Baldwin (cont.)

                20 Writing Well, Ch 2

                23: Franz Kafka, “The Hunger Artist (xerox)

25 Kafka cont.

                27 First paper due. (on Orwell, Albee, or Baldwin). Library orientation session.

Nov.        30 Maxine Hong Kingston, “White Tigers” (diction and audience)

Oct.         2 Kingston (cont.)

4 Writing Well, Ch 3

7 Alice Walker, “Everyday Use” (xerox)

9 Walker, cont. Revision and the writing process.

                11 Writing Well, Ch 4

14 Toni Cade Bambara, “The Lesson”

16 Writing Well, Ch. 5

                18  Fall break

21 Fall break

23 Writing Well, Ch 6

                25 Revision of first paper

28 Style, voice and mechanics: In Lyons,  Autobiography, essays by Conroy (117),

     Angleou (125), Mebane (142)

30 Writing Well, Ch 7

Nov.        1. Second paper due (on  Kafka, Kingston, Walker or Bambara)

4 Style, voice and mechanics (sentence structure): In Lyons, Autobiography,

     essays by Thoreau (193), Kazin (202), Malcolm X (207)

6 In Lyons, Autobiography, essays by Joan Baez (261), James Thurber (289)

                8 Revision of second paper

11 Summarizing and critiquing an argument. Reading: Janice Radwell, “The Book  

    of the Month Club and the General Reader” (xerox)--the politics of literary taste

13 Radwell, cont.

15  Radwell, cont.

Nov.     18 Summarizing and critiquing an argument.

     Reading: John Berger, from Ways of Seeing (xerox)—the institution of Art

20 Berger., cont.

22  Berger cont.

                25 Third paper due (Radwell or Berger)

27 Thanksgiving break

                29 Thanksgiving break

Dec.         2 Summarizing and critiquing an argument

                Reading: Eric Lott, from Love and Theft (on “blackface”)

4 Lott, cont.

                6 Fourth paper due: autobiographical essay

                9 Conclusion