Lee Gould

English 105.001: Expository Writing

Fall, 2000

Office hours: Van Meter 107, 9:00-11:00 a.m. TTH or by appointment

Telephone: 410-825-7458 (h), 410-337- (w)

gould8@juno.com or lgould@goucher.edu

Texts: Anzia Yezierska, The Bread Givers

Ernest Hemingway, The Short Stories

Toni Morrison, Sula

Sheridan Baker, The Practical Stylist (without readings)

Welcome to English 105! This course will help you write college-level,research-based essays; your writing will be evaluated for College Writing Proficiency. The course focuses on various types of source-based writing that emphasizes independent research using scholarly sources. The theme,The Search for Self, will serve as an anchor. In readings by Anzia Yezierska, Ernest Hemingway and Toni Morrison we will explore literature that locates the self in terms of: work and community; violence, pain and loss; and personal history/memory and relationships.

        The course will operate as a workshop in which you write, discuss and revise.  Attendance is crucial. Come to every class. Arrive on time. Keep up with the readings. Absences in excess of three will be penalized 1/3 of a grade point or 3.3 points. Attendance at conferences is mandatory and considered part of your attendance.

        All copy for peer review and conference must be typed. When a complete draft is due, include citations and Works Cited page. Bring the required number of copies to class. You may not participate if you arrive unprepared.

Assignments: You will write one-page exploratory essays, process papers, bibliographies, memoir and three research papers. The first two research papers are 5-7 pages, the third 8-12 pages. The first will be a controlled research effort based on sources on our reserve shelf in the library. For all research papers, hand in copies of drafts and notes; in addition, for the second and third papers, hand in copies of all your sources. Papers are due within the first ten minutes of class. Late papers are penalized five points for each day (including week-ends) late.

Portfolios: Hand in your first research paper in a folder; keep all of your research papers in that folder. At the end of the semester, hand in all research papers in this portfolio. You may rewrite one assignment.

        For your rewrite, include a cover letter telling me: 1) the major strengths and weaknesses of the original, 2) what you did to improve it, 3) what help you got. You are encouraged to use the Writing Center. Please include the original marked versions of your three papers.

College Writing Proficiency: Students who earn a grade of B- or better on their research papers are considered for writing proficiency. Those who do not earn CWP must take English 201. Writing Proficiency Criteria is found on the last page of this syllabus.

Assignments

9/1: Introduction

Assignment: Yezierska, 1-66, one-page exploratory paper on reading

Baker last paragraph 15-top of 16 - Selecting a topic

Week 1

9/4: Discussion of Bread Givers, select topic for first paper

Assignment: Yezierska, 67-127, exploratory paper preferably on chosen topic.

9/6: Discussion of Bread Givers, themes and development

Assignment: Yezierska 128-184, one-page exploratory paper

9/ 8: Discussion of Bread Givers

Assignment: Yezierska 185 - 241, one-page exploratory paper

Week 2

9/11: Discussion of Bread Givers (continued)

Assignment: Yezierska 242-281, one-page exploratory paper

Baker: 16-21 middle - Finding a thesis

9/13: Meet in Library

9/15: Finish Bread Givers, thesis and development

Assignment: 3-page process paper

Baker: 139, 145-9, 151-2.

Week 3

9/18: Plagiarism, paraphrase, note-taking, documentation

Assignment: In teams, prepare annotated bibliography of materials on Library Reserve shelf. Bring copies for each person.

Read: Baker 4-13, 27-33.

9/20: Discussion: bibliography, integrating research, development of paper.

Assignment: Complete research for 5-7-page paper on Bread Givers

Baker: 36-50, 53-9

9/22: Development of paper: (contd.) thesis statement - the elegant sentence

Assignment: Prepare draft, bring 3 copies to class.

Week 4:

9/25: Revision: organization, the paragraph

Assignment: Revise papers - final copy due Friday 9/29.

Call home for family stories. Write brief narrative.

9/27: Revision: (contd.) style, mechanics -"Clutter by Wm. Zinsser

Assignment: Final copy of Bread Givers research paper due with cards, notes, draft, all other materials.

9/29: Share family stories. Conclude unit: search for self: work and community

Assignment: Hemingway - 85-103, 128-142 plus handouts: Jung’s "the Importance of Dreams," Freud’s "Erotic Wishes and Dreams." One- two page exploratory paper on anything of interest in the Hemingway reading. Apply Freud’s and/or Jung’s ideas if you wish.

Week 5

10/2:Hemingway: main themes, symbolism.

Hemingway: 128-142,207-232. One-page exploratory paper.

10/4: Hemingway themes, style, introduction of paper #2.

Hemingway: 279-290; 233-266. One-page exploratory paper and one-two page proposal for paper #2. (due 10/11)

10/6: Meet in Library - research for Hemingway paper

Assignment: With partner, begin assembling bibliography - include results in proposal for paper #2.

Week 6:

10/9: Yom Kippur - class cancelled

10/11: Hemingway (continued)

Assignment: Hemingway: 279-90, 331-7, 81-7, 273-8, 233-66, Bettelheim (hand-out).

One-page exploratory paper.

10/13: Hemingway readings concluded, discussion of paper #3.

Assignment: In partners, finish bibliography for your paper (to be handed in.) Annotate four-five articles. Prepare class presentation.

Week 7:

10/16: In-class oral reports on preliminary research for paper #2. 3-5 minutes (timed) Discuss your project - what is your question, why is it important, your thesis, what have you discovered, what sources have you used, what problems do you still need to resolve.

Begin work on draft of paper, due 10/23.

10/18: Reports

Assignment: Continue work on drafts of paper, due 10/25.

10/20-Mid-semester holiday.

Week 8:

10/23: Reports or Skills workshop - TBA

10/25: Peer Review of paper #2 (Bring 3 copies)

10/27- Conferences - class canceled

Assignment: Prepare final copy of paper - due 11/1. Hand in all notes, articles, drafts.

Read: Intro to Trash by Dorothy Allison (hand-out)

Week 9:

10/30: Conferences - class canceled.

11/1: Memoir

Assignment: Prepare 3 page memoir.

11/3: Share memoirs - end of unit: Search for self: reflection on pain and loss

Assignment: Read Sula, 3-48, one-page exploratory paper

Week 10:

11/6: Discussion of Morrison’s Sula

Assignment: Sula 49-85, one-page exploratory paper

11/8: Sula continued

Assignment: Sula 89-137, one-page exploratory paper

11/10 Sula (continued), discussion of paper #3

Assignment: Sula, 138-174, begin exploring secondary sources, prepare 2 page research proposals and bibliography due 11/15

Week 11

11/13: Sula (finished)

Assignment: Bring proposals for paper #3, bibliography to conference.

11/15: Classes cancelled for conferences

11/17: Classes cancelled for conferences

Week 12:

11/20:Workshop - TBA

Assignment: Draft of paper #3 due 11/27

Thanksgiving Holiday - 11/21-11/26

Week 13:

11/27: Revision workshop (3 copies of papers due)

Assignment: Prepare final copy of paper #3 with all articles, notes,

drafts due 12/4

11/29: Class canceled for conferences

12/1: Class canceled for conferences

Week 14:

12/4: Discussion of portfolio, CWP standards for evaluation

Assignment: Development of personal essay - 2 pages

12/6: Sharing personal essays: conclusion - Search for Self - relationships

12/8 Last day of class - evaluations

Portfolios due in box outside of VM 107 12/11 before noon.

Graded Work:

Exploratory papers: 13% Paper #1: 15%

Proposals: 9% Paper #2: 20%

Bibliographies: 10% Paper #3: 25%