ENG 110: English I |
Brian T. Murphy |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. |
Important Announcements and Updates: Click
HERE
Print-friendly (MS
Word) syllabus here.
Other printable
documents:
Model for Evaluation of Student Writing
Works
Cited page (Instructions & Sample)
Cover Page for Research Essays (Sample)
Revision and Editing Checklist
Incorporating Sources
Paragraph Outline
Essay Outline
DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to provide
students the opportunity to study English grammar and to compose clear, concise
and correct compositions stimulated by reading and discussion. Emphasis is
placed on planning, developing and writing standard college essays employing the
expository pattern of development. Prerequisite: Developmental English courses,
if applicable.
OBJECTIVES:
English I is designed to give students the opportunity to communicate in clear,
precise prose their ideas which have been stimulated by reading and discussion.
Emphasis is placed on organization and standard forms of expository writing. By
the end of the course, students will be able to write a coherent eight-paragraph
essay in class, which will constitute a required test-out for the course.
TEXTS:
Required:
Langan, John.
College Writing Skills with Readings,
8 ed*. Boston: McGraw
Hill, 2011** (Available
used starting at $50.00 at Amazon.com***)
A good college-level (paperback) dictionary (Available used starting at $0.01 at Amazon.com***).
Recommended:
Glenn, Cheryl and Loretta Gray.
Hodges� Harbrace Handbook,
17 ed. Boston:
Thomson Wadsworth, 2010** (The
16th edition is available used starting at $53.94 at Amazon.com***)
Recommended additional texts:****
Bloom, Harold. How to Read and Why. New York: Scribner, 2000. (Available starting at $1.00 at Amazon.com***)
Casagrande, June. Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite. New York: Penguin, 2006. (Available starting at $3.94 at Amazon.com***)
---. Mortal Syntax: 101 Language Choices That Will Get You Clobbered by the Grammar Snobs�Even If You�re Right. New York: Penguin, 2008.( Available used starting at $6.61 at Amazon.com***).
Cathcart, Thomas and Daniel Klein. �Logic.� Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes. New York: Abrams Image, 2006. (Available used starting at $6.73 at Amazon.com**)
---. Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington: Understanding Political Doublespeak through Through Philosophy and Jokes. New York: Abrams Image, 2007. (Available used starting at $10.85 at Amazon.com***).
Clark, Roy P. The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English. New York and Boston: Little, Brown, 2010. (Available used starting at $10.83 at Amazon.com ***).
Crystal, David. Words, Words, Words. New York: Oxford U P, 2006 (Available used starting at $9.28 at Amazon.com***).
Garvey, Mark. Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 2009. (Available starting at $14.48 at Amazon.com ***).�
Kozol, Jonathan. Letters to a Young Teacher. New York: Crown, 2007 (Available starting at $12.15 at Amazon.com***).
Kozol, Jonathan. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America. New York: Crown, 2005 (Available starting at $10.17 at Amazon.com***).
Lederer, Richard. Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language. Charleston, SC: Wyrick & Company, 1987 (Available used starting at $0.01 at Amazon.com***).
Lederer, Richard. More Anguished English: An Expose of Embarrassing Excruciating, and Egregious Errors in English. New York: Dell, 1994 (Available used starting at $0.01 at Amazon.com***).
Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. New York: Gotham Books, 2004 (Available used starting at $2.70 at Amazon.com***).
*Note: Many of the essays to be read and discussed are available online; these are indicated on the schedule (below) as hyperlinks. However, students are still strongly cautioned that they will need to purchase the textbook, both for important information and instructions on the various rhetorical modes and also for essays not available online.
** Previous editions are also available and acceptable: 6th or 7th edition for Langan, College Writing Skills with Readings (Available starting at $0.79 at Amazon.com**) and 15th or 16th edition for Glenn and Gray, Hodges� Harbrace Handbook (Available used starting at $7.89 at Amazon.com**)
*** Prices listed at Amazon.com do not include shipping, and are accurate as of original posting date only; no guarantees of prices or availability are express or implied�.
**** Recommended additional texts are not required purchases, and have not been ordered for the course; however, they provide�depending on the course� alternative readings, historical and cultural backgrounds, criticism, personal literary responses, or entertaining (irreverent, possibly sacrilegious) revisions. Students who find themselves becoming deeply interested in one or more of the required readings may find these interesting and/or useful. When indicated with a dagger (�), texts are only provisionally recommended, as I have not read these works yet, although they have received excellent reviews or recommendations.
CLASS POLICIES:
Attendance:
According to Vaughn College policy,
�Regular attendance is an essential
ingredient for satisfactory academic performance. This policy is a requirement
of Vaughn College but is also mandated by bodies that accredit and certify the
College�s programs. Excessive absences will result in failure of a course.
Arriving to class late three times is equal to one absence.�
Students must not only attend every
class, but also arrive on time, be prepared, and take an active part in class
(see Participation, below).
Moreover, once students get to class, they are expected
to stay in the classroom until the class is over. Leaving class early or getting
up in the middle of class is considered disruptive behavior and should happen
only in extreme emergencies. Students may be required to sign in at the
beginning of each class
session to verify their attendance. Students unable to attend class should
contact the instructor regarding their absence in advance or as soon as they
return to school.
Plagiarism and Cheating:
Plagiarism includes copying or paraphrasing another�s words, ideas, or facts
without crediting the source; submitting a paper written by someone else, either
in whole or in part, as one�s own work; or submitting work previously submitted
for another course or instructor. Plagiarism, cheating, or other forms of
academic dishonesty on any assignment will
result in failure (a grade of zero) for that assignment and may result in further disciplinary
action, including but not limited to failure for the course and expulsion from
the College.
Homework/Essay Submission:
All writing assignments must be
received by the instructor on or before the due date, by the beginning of the
class period, as indicated on the
schedule, below. No late submissions will be accepted. A grade of
�F� will be given for any draft or final essay not submitted on the specified
date.
Make-up Exams/Late Work:
All assignment deadlines and scheduled exam dates are provided at the
beginning of the semester; therefore, late papers will not be accepted nor will
make-up opportunities be offered, except under
extraordinary circumstances with appropriate documentation. Excuses such
as �crashed computers,� �lost flash drives,� or �empty printer ink cartridges� will not
be accepted. It is suggested that all work be saved both on your
computer�s hard drive and on portable storage device.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Attendance
and Participation:
This class will combine both lecture
and discussion. As open discussion is one of the best ways to clarify understandings and to test
conclusions, students are expected not only to attend every session but to take
an active, engaged part in class�joining in discussions and raising and
answering questions.
Essays:
Students will complete at least five (5) expository essays during the semester�four
essays submitted in both typed drafts and final revisions, and an in-class final
exam essay�in a
variety of rhetorical modes, including an in-class final exam essay. Essays must be at
least five to eight paragraphs,
typed (12-point Times New Roman)�, and double-spaced. Essays should be grammatically
correct, free of errors in mechanics, grammar, usage, spelling, and
documentation, and stapled when submitted; they will be evaluated according to the
Model for Evaluation of Student Writing.
Please refer to
Writing a
Literature Paper and
Getting an A
on an English Paper as well as the Paragraph Outline or
Essay Outline and
Revising and Editing Checklist for
additional assistance.
�
On format, handwriting, and neatness, see Chase, Clinton I. �Essay Test Scoring: Interaction of Relevant Variables.�
Journal of Educational Measurement 23.1 (1986): 33-41 and Marshall, Jon
C. and Jerry M. Powers. �Writing Neatness, Composition Errors, and Essay
Grades.� Journal of Educational Measurement 6.2 (1988): 306-324.
In-Class Writing:
Students will complete various in-class writing assignments during the
semester, possibly including short summaries, mini-essays, response papers, and practice
essay exams
Quizzes and Exercises:
With the exception of the first day, class may begin with a short (five- to
ten-minute) quiz or writing assignment on the readings for the day, at the
instructor�s discretion. Quizzes cannot be made up; if you miss a quiz
due to absence or lateness, that grade will be regarded as a 0. At the end of
the semester, the lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Frequent exercises
reviewing essential grammar will also be assigned or completed in class.
Extra
Credit (various opportunities, at 1�2
points each):
During the semester, students may be notified of opportunities for
extra credit, including attendance at various cultural events related to the
class (�Recommended Fieldtrips�). If students attend one or more of these
events, and provide evidence of attendance (ticket stub, program, unretouched
digital image of themselves at the event, et cetera)
along with a typed one- to two-page personal response (review, analysis,
reflection, critique, et cetera), they can receive up to two points
per event added to their final average.
GRADING:
Final average will be calculated as follows:
Attendance & Class Participation |
10 points |
Essay Drafts (4 @ 2.5 points) |
10 points |
Essays (5 @ 12 points) |
60 points |
In-Class Writing |
10 points |
Quizzes and Exercises |
10 points |
Total |
100 points |
Total Points earned (Final Average) will determine the grade received for the course, as follows:
Total Points |
Final Percentage |
Final Grade |
90-100+ |
90-100 |
A |
85-89 |
85-89 |
B+ |
80-84 |
80-84 |
B |
75-79 |
75-79 |
C+ |
70-74 |
70-74 |
C |
60-69 |
60-69 |
D |
0-59 |
0-59 |
F |
NOTE: Regardless of final percentage, students must receive a passing grade on the final essay in order to pass English 110.
OUTLINE:
Projected Schedule of Readings and
Assignments
Note: All readings from College Writing Skills with Readings below are required, and must be completed by the day indicated; they are identified by chapter number and page numbers, including 6th, 7th, and 8th editions, for example, Langan1: An Introduction to Writing (6 ed., 3-47; 7 ed. 4-50; 8 ed. 2-49). Recommended readings from Hodges� Harbrace Handbook are identified below by chapter number; for example, Hodges� 32: Reading Rhetorically. Two essays (Britt, �Neat People vs. Sloppy People� and Zinsser, �College Pressures�) are not included in the textbook, but can be accessed through the links provided. Please bring hardcopy (printout) of these essays on the days indicated on the schedule.
Blue text
indicates links to assignments, resources, or online versions of texts. Those
readings indicated with an asterisk (*) are recommended additional readings or
resources, not required.
Note:
While every effort is made to verify the accuracy and usefulness of these links
and their contents, no guarantees are made. Please notify me of any broken or
outdated links at
[email protected].
Note: This schedule is subject to revision according to the Academic Schedule for the semester, school closings due to inclement weather or other reasons, the instructor�s discretion, and the progress of the class. Additions or changes will be announced in class, and they will also be posted here as well as on the class Announcements page.
Important Dates, Fall 2010 |
|
Classes Begin: | Tuesday, Sept. 7 |
Program Adjustment Period (Drop/Add or Change Section): |
Tuesday, Sept.7�Tuesday, Sept. 21 |
Last Day to Register: | Saturday, Sept. 18 |
Columbus Day: | Monday, Oct. 11 |
Last Day to Withdraw: | Tuesday, Oct. 26 |
Thanksgiving Recess: |
Wed., Nov. 24 through Sun., Nov. 28 |
Exam Period (Finals Week): | Thursday, Dec. 16�Thursday, Dec. 23 |
Classes End: | Thursday, Dec. 23 |
Winter Recess |
Thurs., Dec. 23 to Tues., Jan. 18, 2011 |
Week: |
Dates: |
Readings and Assignments: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Tue. 7 Sep. |
Introduction: Course syllabus and Requirements |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu. 9 Sep. |
Hodges� 31�33: The Rhetorical Situation, Reading Rhetorically, Planning and Drafting Essays Langan 1, 2: An Introduction to Writing, The Writing Process (6 ed. 3-47; 7 ed. 4-50; 8 ed. 2-49) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Tue. 14 Sep. |
Langan
Reading:
�Why Are
Students Turned Off?�
a.k.a.
�What�s Wrong with Our Schools? Teacher
Plays Student, Learns to Lie
and Cheat,� |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu. 16 Sep. |
Hodges� 1, 2: Sentence Sense, Sentence Fragments Langan 23, 24: Subjects and Verbs, Fragments (6 ed. 411-429; 7 ed. 449-468; 8 ed. 459-78)
Online exercises:
Verbs and Subjects,
Sentence Fragments (HW) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Tue. 21 Sep. |
Langan 3, 4: The First and Second Steps in Essay Writing, The Third Step in Essay Writing (6 ed. 48-100; 7 ed. 51-104; 8 ed. 50-109) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu. 23 Sep. |
Hodges�
3: Comma Splices and Fused Sentences; 24: Subordination and Coordination;
Hodges�
34: Revising and Editing Essays; Peer review of Paper 1
Online exercises:
*See also,
a 239-word sentence that is not a run-on sentence,
here. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Tue. 28 Sep. | Langan 7: Introduction To Essay Development (6 ed. 163-169; 7 ed. 170-177; 8 ed. 176-183); 11: Process (6 ed. 227-244 ; 7 ed. 243-263; 8 ed. 254-275) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu. 30 Sep. |
Langan
Reading:
�How to Do Well On A Job Interview,�
Glenda Davis (6 ed. 234-237; 7 ed. 251-254; 8 ed. 263-265); In-class
exercises
Final of
Paper 1 Due
Hodges�
18, 19, 20: Spelling, the Spell Checker, and Hyphenation; Good Usage; Exactness;
Online exercises:
*See also,
What Are the Most Often Misspelled Words?
Frequently Misspelled Words,
Easily
Confused Words
�Spell
Check Poem�
and
The Spell Checker Poem
�Garbage
In, Garbage Out: Errors Caused by Spell-Checking�
�Don�t Computers Make Spelling Instruction
Unnecessary?� (in Malatesha Joshi, R., Rebecca Treiman,
Suzanne Carreker, and Louisa C. Moats.
Langan
Part Five (Readings):
�How to Make It In College, Now That You�re Here,�
Brian O�Keeney (6 ed. 685-690; 7 ed. 734-742; 8 ed. 734-740);
Homework (diction
exercise) due in class: typed.
Possible quiz on �How to
Make It in College...� or in-class exercises
Hodges�
6, 7: Agreement, Verbs;
Langan 26-28: Regular and Irregular Verbs, Subject-Verb Agreement,
Additional Information about Verbs
Online exercises:
Langan
Part Five (Readings):
�Seven Ways to Keep The Peace at Home,�
Daniel A. Sugarman (6 ed. 701-707; 7 ed. 750-757; 8 ed. 751-758);
Langan
13: Comparison or Contrast (6 ed. 264-285; 7 ed. 287-310; 8 ed. 300-323)
Last day to Withdraw
Online exercises: Reading: S.
Britt, �Neat
People vs. Sloppy People� (also here)
Possible in-class assignment.
Hodges�
4: Adjectives and Adverbs;
25: Misplaced Modifiers;
Online exercises:
Langan
15: Division and Classification (6 ed. 303-318; 7 ed. 330-348; 8 ed.
343-362)
Final of
Paper 3 Due
Quiz and/or in-class exercises
Langan
Reading:
�Wait Divisions,�
Tom Bodett
(6 ed. 310-312; 7 ed. 339-341; 8 ed. 352-354)
Quiz and/or in-class exercises
Langan Reading:
�Propaganda
Techniques in Today�s Advertising,�
Ann McClintock (6 ed. 663-667; 7 ed. 706-711; 8 ed. 707-712)
Quiz and/or in-class exercises
W. Zinsser,
�College
Pressures�
(not in textbook;
print out
a copy to bring to class with you).
Quiz and/or
in-class writing
Hodges�
9�11: Capitals; Italics; Abbreviations, Acronyms, and
Numbers; 12�17: The Comma, Unnecessary or Misplaced Commas, The Semicolon, The
Apostrophe,
*See also, Austen, Ian. "The
Comma that Costs 1 Million Dollars (Canadian)." New York Times 25
Oct. 2006: C10. (also
here) and Rules
for Comma Usage
Hodges� 35: Writing Arguments;
Langan
16: Argument (6 ed. 319-338; 7 ed. 350-372; 8 ed. 363-384)
*See also, Cathcart, Thomas
and Daniel Klein.
�Logic.� Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar... :
Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes. New York: Abrams Image, 2006.
27-49.
Final of
Paper 4
Due
Langan Reading:
�College
Lectures: Is Anybody Listening?�
David Daniels (also here
in a PowerPoint presentation)
Paper 4
Returned
Langan:
�Taking Essay Exams,� (6 ed. 341-348; 7 ed. 376-384; 8 ed. 386-394)
Final Exam Period
(Thursday, Dec. 16�Thursday, Dec. 23 �Final Exam�:
Timed essay/Paper 5 |
For each of the assigned essays, a list of topic choices is provided. Select one of the topics to discuss in a well-developed, coherent, and thoughtful essay of at least five to eight paragraphs. Your essay must be on one of the assigned topics for that assignment or developed in consultation with the instructor, or it will receive a grade of �F�. All essays must be submitted on or before the due date, by the beginning of the class period; late work will not be accepted.
Essays must be at least five to six
hundred (500-600) words, five to eight (5-8) paragraphs, but no more than five
pages, typed (in 12-point Times New Roman font), double-spaced�,
and stapled when submitted.
� On format, handwriting, and neatness, see Chase, Clinton I. �Essay Test
Scoring: Interaction of Relevant Variables.� Journal of Educational
Measurement 23.1 (1986): 33-41 and Marshall, Jon C. and Jerry M. Powers.
�Writing Neatness, Composition Errors, and Essay Grades.� Journal of
Educational Measurement 6.2 (1988): 306-324.
Be sure to focus carefully on the topic, and remember that these are formal essays: they must have an appropriate, original title; contain an introduction, body, and conclusion; have a clear, explicit, assertive, objectively worded thesis statement (thesis statements must be underlined); and (unless otherwise indicated) avoid use of I or you throughout. Essays should be grammatically correct, free of errors in mechanics, grammar, usage, spelling, and documentation, and will be evaluated according to the Model for Evaluation of Student Writing. Please refer to the Paragraph Outline or Essay Outline and Revising and Editing Checklist for additional assistance.
Note: Due dates are subject to revision according to the Academic Calendar for the semester, school closings due to inclement weather or other reasons, the instructor�s discretion, and the progress of the class. Changes will be announced in class, and they will also be posted here as well as on the class Announcements page.
Diagnostic Essay (Thursday,
September 9):
Select one of the following topics. (Use of
�I� is allowed
for all three choices.) Note that while the first two topics are similar, they are not
identical: a moment of glory may be brief, not life-changing, while a
life-changing event may not be a moment of glory!
1.) Write a narrative account of a time you enjoyed a �moment of glory� other than completing high school, receiving your driver�s license, or participating in a sports- or competition-related event. Explain what happened, how you reacted, and why you reacted the way that you did. Be sure to explain both the immediate and the long-term significance of this event.
2.) Write a narrative account of a time you experienced a �life-changing event� (as above, other than completing high school, receiving your driver�s license, or participating in a sports- or competition-related event). This may be something you only later came to realize had significantly changed your life, or one that you immediately recognized as life-changing when it happened. Again, explain what happened, how you reacted, and why you reacted the way that you did, as well as both the immediate and the long-term significance of this event.
3.) Why are you here? That is, why are you attending Vaughn College? What are your goals, your purpose, et cetera.
Essay 1: Responding to Reading
Draft for Peer Review due Thursday, September 23; Final Draft due Thursday,
September 30.
After reading
"Why Are
Students Turned Off?" a.k.a. "What�s Wrong with Our Schools? Teacher
Plays Student, Learns to Lie and Cheat" by Casey Banas (Langan
6 ed.
657-662, 7 ed. 700-705; 8 ed. 701-703), select one of the following writing assignments from
the textbook for your first essay:
Assignment 2 (6 ed. p. 662; 7 ed. p. 705; 8 ed. 706)
Glanz says that students like to describe their teachers as �drips, bores, and numerous varieties of idiots.� Write a description of one of your high school teachers or college instructors who either does or does not fit that description. Show, in your essay, that your teacher or instructor was weak, boring, and idiotic�or just the opposite (dynamic, creative, and bright). In either case, your focus should be on providing specific details that enable your readers to see for themselves that your thesis is valid.Assignment 3 (6 ed. p. 662; 7 ed. p. 705; 8 ed. 706)
How does the classroom situation Ellen Glanz describes compare with a classroom situation with which you are familiar�either one from the high school you attended or one from the school in which you are presently enrolled? Select one class you were or are a part of, and write an essay in which you compare or contrast your class with the ones Ellen Glanz describes. Here are some areas you might wish to include in your essay:How interesting the class was
How many of the students did their assignments
What the teaching methods were
How much was actually learned
How active the teacher or instructor was
How passive the students were
What the students thought of the teacher or instructor
Choose any three of the above areas or three other areas. Then decide which method of development you will use: one at a time or point by point.
Essay 2: Process
�Draft� due Tuesday, October 12; Final Draft due Tuesday, October
19 Thursday, October 14; Final Draft due Thursday, October 21.
After reading Langan
Chapter 11 (�Process�)
and the assigned process analysis essays, select one of the following topics and
compose a clear, well-written directive process
analysis. Your reader should be able to understand and complete the process
successfully by following your instructions, and your essay should establish why
it is important or even pleasurable to learn this process.
While use of the second person (�you�) may be appropriate in your introduction and/or conclusion, remember that the focus of the essay is on the process, not the reader. Instead, use the indefinite pronoun (�Next, one should make sure that...�) or the imperative mood (�Next, close the door...�).
1.) If you have an unusual hobby or interest, explain one specific process associated with that hobby: for example, how to groom a horse, evaluate the worth of a baseball card, stretch and prep a canvas, et cetera. Do not attempt to explain an entire hobby, however; that is, while how to make kick a field goal may be an appropriate topic, how to play football is by definition far too broad a topic!
2.) Explain a process that people should know so they can cope with an unusual emergency situation: not how to administer CPR or how to administer first aid to someone badly cut, but what to do if pursued by an alligator or if your car goes off the Whitestone or George Washington Bridge, for example.
3.) Write a humorous explanation of a process: how to flunk a test, how to make a bad impression on a date, how to irritate a teacher, how to make a bad impression on a job interview, or how to be a slob, for instance. This topic is the most challenging of the three, as it asks you to explain how to do something wrong, or how to do something badly.
Thesis: An assertion concerning the process being explained, indicating the importance or benefit of the process, and the major steps necessary to complete the process.
For example: Although [process] may seem intimidating to the beginner, one can save time and money by [step 1], [step 2], and [step 3].
Topic sentence 1: A sentence utilizing an appropriate chronological transition (time marker), indicating the first major step (your first major division), and emphasizing the main idea from your thesis (the process and its importance, ease, interest, or value).
For example: The first step in [process] is to [name and define Step 1].
Topic sentence 2: A sentence utilizing an appropriate chronological transition, indicating the next major step, and emphasizing the main idea from your thesis.
For example: Next, to [process], be sure to [Step 2]
Topic sentence 3: A sentence with an appropriate transition, indicating what the step is, et cetera..
For example: After that, [Step 3].
Topic sentence 4 (if necessary): and so on.
You may include individual phrases or substeps in outline form under each topic sentence, but this is recommended, not required.
Essay 3: Compare/Contrast
�Draft�
due Tuesday, November 2; Final Draft due Tuesday, November 9.
After reading Langan
Chapter 13 and the assigned compare-contrast essays, select one of the following
topics and compose a persuasive comparison-contrast essay; that is, you must
assert something significant about the subjects, that one of the two is in some
way superior to the other (for example, �A is funnier than B because...�).
In addition, your essay should have a title, ideally one more creative or
original than �A
vs. B.�
1.) Contrast print advertisements from at least twenty-five or thirty years ago with ads for similar products in contemporary magazines; for example, advertisements for health and beauty products or for automobiles in Life or Look from the 1950s compared to those in today�s magazines. Caution: research is required; in addition, you must include photocopies or printouts of the ads discussed! (�Not a Cough in a Carload: Images Used by Tobacco Companies to Hide the Hazards of Smoking,� an extensive display of print and television advertisements from the 1920s through the 1950s, is available online at tobacco.stanford.edu.)
2.) Compare/contrast the movie and book versions of the same story; for example, consider Richard Condon, The Manchurian Candidate (as The Manchurian Candidate,1962, and The Manchurian Candidate, 2004), H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds (the classic The War of the Worlds, 1953, and the less than classic 2005 remake), C. S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2005, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 1979 (television, animated), and The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe,1988 (BBC television)), and so on. The book version of the story can be a novel, short story, or play; however, do not attempt this topic using a movie and the novelization of the movie!
Note: Many additional texts that have been made into movies are listed on my Literature and Film page, specifically, here. Feel free to select one of these, but do not follow the instructions for the Literature and Film Research Project. That is, you are not to compare/contrast two or more versions of the same film, or write about the differences between the versions. Instead, be sure to focus on how one version adapts, revises, or alters the story, what is changed or left out, and why.
3.) Compare/contrast two similar fictional characters, ideally from the same genre: Captain Kirk and Captain Picard, Indiana Jones and Han Solo, Emma Woodhouse and Elizabeth Bennet, and so on (not Batman and Superman or any other superheroes, nor Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin, however).
Thesis: An assertion concerning the two subjects of your essay, indicating the specific significant difference between the two and the major divisions of your essay.
For example: Although A
and B are (similar in some way or ways), A (is superior in some way to) B
because of (major criteria: the divisions of your essay).
Although Batman and Superman are both internationally famous superheroes,
Batman is a human being and therefore a far better superhero than Superman;
Bruce Wayne's intelligence, his self-developed skills, and his much cooler toys
make him more believable and realistic than the alien, Superman.
Topic sentence 1: An assertion about how one single criterion, your first major division, distinguishes the two subjects.
For example: The first way in which A
(is superior in some way to) B is (first major criterion); or,
First, while Superman is undoubtedly stronger than Batman, due to his
extraterrestrial origin, Bruce Wayne is far more intelligent than his
Metropolis-based competitor.
Topic sentence 2: An assertion about how one single criterion, your second major division, distinguishes the two subjects.
For example: In addition, A (is
superior in some way to) B because (second major criterion); or,
In addition, since Superman came from Krypton, his powers are merely a
seemingly magical result of his extraterrestrial origin, whereas Bruce Wayne
has developed his own strength, agility, and crime-fighting abilities through
constant training and practice.
Topic sentence 3: An assertion about how one single criterion, your third major division, distinguishes the two subjects; or,
For example: More importantly,
A is also (superior in third major criterion to) B.
Superman is completely dependent on the powers he receives from Earth's
yellow sun, and is totally helpless when confronted with Kryptonite, whereas
Bruce Wayne as Batman has an almost unlimited supply of wonderful weapons,
devices, and means of transportation he has developed.
Topic sentence 4 (if necessary): and so on.
Essay 4:
Division and Classification
�Draft� due Tuesday,
November 23; Final Draft due Thursday, December 2.
After reading Langan
Chapter 15 and the assigned division-classification essays, select any
one of the following topics and compose a clear, well-written essay defining
at least three distinct categories, citing specific
examples. Your categories should display more thought and originality than
good, average, and bad; be based on a single clear, specific
criterion; and be arranged according to a single, logical organizing principle.
In addition, your essay should be persuasive; that is, it should
demonstrate that one type or category is best�or worst�in some way. For
example:
�Bad drivers can be classified according to how dangerous they are�to themselves and to others�as suicidal, homicidal, or just plain stupid.�
Although any of these topics may allow you to draw upon personal experience or observation, the essay must be formal and objective: no first person or second person! Be sure to focus carefully on the topic, and remember that these essays must have an appropriate, original title; contain an introduction, body, and conclusion; have a clear, explicit, assertive, objectively worded thesis statement (thesis statements must be underlined); and avoid use of I or you throughout. Your essays should be carefully revised, edited, and proofread.
1.) Write a classification of the types of television situation comedies (a.k.a. sitcoms). Use specific examples of situation comedies and/or specific elements from specific situation comedies to illustrate each type you define.
2.) Classify college teachers � not by subject area (English, math, etc.) or by age/experience (new/young faculty; established/middle aged faculty; senior/old faculty), but using some other criterion and/or ordering principle. Use specific examples of these teachers� behavior, teaching styles, or approaches in order to illustrate each type.
3.) Classify the types of presents one receives on one specific holiday or event�for example, wedding presents or birthday presents or Christmas presents, et cetera. Use specific examples of presents one might receive to illustrate each type you define.
Note: Your �draft� due on Tuesday, November 23 is not a finished essay for peer review; rather, refer to Writing Assignment 2: Prewriting, steps b. and c., in Chapter 15 (Langan: 6 ed. 317; 7 ed. 346; 8 ed. 360). Your submission should be an essay outline, and take the following form:
Topic: the topic selected from the list provided, above.
Principle of division: what single criterion you use to define groups
Three-part division of topic:
1. Specific name of group
Definition
Defining characteristics or examples (at least three)
2. Specific name of group
Definition
Defining characteristics or examples (at least three)
3. Specific name of group
Definition
Defining characteristics or examples (at least three)
Practice Essay Exam: In-class timed essay
Tuesday, December 14.
You will have approximately ninety minutes to write
an essay of approximately five hundred to six hundred (500-600) words,
or at least (8) paragraphs, arguing either for or against
one of the following statements.
1. In many ways, television has proved to be one of the worst inventions of modern times. All too often, television is harmful because of the shows it broadcasts and the way it is used in the home.
2. Many of society�s worst problems with drugs result from the fact that they are illegal. During Prohibition, Americans discovered that making popular substance unlawful causes more problems than it solves. Like alcohol and tobacco, drugs should be legal in this country.
3. Many of today�s young people are mainly concerned with prestigious careers, making money, and owning things. It seems we no longer teach the benefits of spending time and money to help the community, the country, or the world. Our country can strengthen these human values and improve the world by requiring young people to spend a year working in some type of community service.
Before you begin to write, take time to plan your essay carefully. Be sure to focus carefully on the topic, and remember that these are formal essays: they must have an appropriate, original title; contain a clear beginning (an introduction, with a clear, strong thesis), a middle (the body paragraphs, supporting your thesis), and end (conclusion); have a clear, explicit, assertive, objectively worded thesis statement (thesis statements must be underlined); use appropriate topic sentences and transitions to guide the reader; and avoid use of I or you throughout.
Be sure to include evidence, examples, or other support for your assertions; the more support you include, the stronger and more convincing your essay will be. Your essay will, as always, be evaluated in terms of Content, Organization, Diction, and Mechanics (Words and Sentences). Therefore, make certain your essay is not only well organized and developed, but also grammatically correct, free of errors in mechanics, grammar, usage, and spelling: leave yourself enough time to carefully review, revise, and edit your essay.
You may use both a dictionary and thesaurus during this exam, but no other materials, either electronic or hard-copy.
Essay 5: In-class final timed essay
Thursday, December 16.
You will have approximately ninety minutes to write
an essay of at least five hundred to six hundred (500-600) words,
or at least eight (8) paragraphs, arguing either for or against
one of the statements below.
1. �In truth, there is no rational argument for guns in this society. This is no longer a frontier nation in which people hunt their own food. It is a crowded, overwhelmingly urban country in which letting people have access to guns is a continuing disaster.� (from �Ban The Things. Ban Them All� by Molly Ivins)
2. �If lecture classes were restricted to junior and senior undergraduates and to graduate students, who are less in need of scholarly nurturing and more able to prepare work on their own, they would be far less destructive of students� interests and enthusiasms than the current system.� (from �College Lectures: Is Anybody Listening?� by David Daniels)
3. �Passing students who have not mastered the work cheats them and the employers who expect graduates to have basic skills.� (from �In Praise of the F Word� by Mary Sherry)
Before you begin to write, take time to plan your essay carefully. Be sure to focus carefully on the topic, and remember that these are formal essays: they must have an appropriate, original title; contain a clear beginning (an introduction, with a clear, strong thesis), a middle (the body paragraphs, supporting your thesis), and end (conclusion); have a clear, explicit, assertive, objectively worded thesis statement (thesis statements must be underlined); use appropriate topic sentences and transitions to guide the reader; and avoid use of I or you throughout.
Be sure to include evidence, examples, or other support for your assertions; the more support you include, the stronger and more convincing your essay will be. Your essay will, as always, be evaluated in terms of Content, Organization, Diction, and Mechanics (Words and Sentences). Therefore, make certain your essay is not only well organized and developed, but also grammatically correct, free of errors in mechanics, grammar, usage, and spelling: leave yourself enough time to carefully review, revise, and edit your essay.
You may use both a dictionary and thesaurus during this exam, but no other materials, either electronic or hard-copy.
Grammar, Writing, and Research Papers:
Last Revised: Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Site maintained by Brian T. Murphy
Main page: www.Brian-T-Murphy.com