REBECCA LAWSON M.A.

Welcome to English 101

Course Description from the L.A. Mission Catalog

English 101 develops proficiency in college-level reading and writing through the application of the principles of rhetoric and the techniques of critical thinking. Students will write expository essays based on college level readings. Emphasis is placed on the research paper.

NOTE: This is the first freshman composition course that meets requirements for the BA at four-year colleges and universities, comprising intensive reading, writing of essays, term papers, the study of style, methods of discourse, logic, and documentation.

Student Learning Outcomes: Produce unified essays of 1,000 words that shows a mastery of

critical thinking, logical organization, and mechanics. Identify and analyze the logical fallacies in academic articles,

literature, and other media. Produce a 6 to 8 page research paper which utilizes library research

materials and documents evidence.

What is academic writing?

Academic Writing is NOT… Being perfect the first time Always having “original” ideas that are not influenced

by anyone else Being better than others around you

Academic Writing IS… A process Developing ideas in connection with other ideas Being part of a community of writers and engaging in

the ongoing academic conversation.

Writing As A Process or a Journey

• Writing develops both recursively (as a process) and socially (interacting with other texts).

• The process of rhetoric in both reading and writing means thinking about how to use language for a particular audience, within a particular context, and how to use appropriate conventions (grammar rules).

• It is important to note that reading and writing are connected to each other.

• All writers enter conversations and communities through their words, so writers must be readers of many texts, and should also be aware of context and culture.

• This class aims to help you understand all these writing techniques and use them successfully in your own writing.

Writing as Exploration and Connections

• We will read and analyze many kinds of writing that are a part of the academic conversation. 

• We will use outside sources to inspire and inform our own writing

• We will workshop our own essays.• These activities, along with student-instructor conferences,

peer work, and discussions, will demonstrate the social nature of writing.

• What is truly essential in this class is the ability to communicate a given message through writing, reading, and speaking in class.

• So, get to know your classmates, your professor, and most of all, yourself. We will support each other to grow as students, writers, readers, communicators, and individuals.

Important Class Information:

• My Office Hour and Location can be found at the top of the syllabus and on Moodle. • My email addresses: lawsonrw@lamission.edu and

professorrlawson@gmail.com You may wish to write the second address down on your syllabus.

• Our Required Materials and Textbooks:• Mirror on America, 5th edition, by Joan T. Mims and Elizabeth

M. Nollen. ISBN: 978-0-312-66765-8• The Little Penguin Handbook, 3rd edition, by Lester Faigley.

ISBN: 978-0-205-21134-0• MyWritingLab access card (packaged with “Writing Simplified”

(sold at discount only at the LAMC bookstore)• Regular and reliable access to School Email• Regularly check our class blog: • Notebook/Pens for writing and note taking in class

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Grading

Your grade will consist of the following: Two 4-5 page take-home essays: 100 points each One 6-8 page Research Paper: 200 points Final In-class Essay: 100 points Homework, Readings, and In-class assignments: 5-20

points each, depending on length and difficulty. Attendance and Participation

Extra Credit: I give one extra credit assignment, usually toward the end of the semester. It will be worth 25 extra credit points. The assignment will be a short 2 page paper based on a pop culture product of your choice (book, movie, tv show, song, etc). More details to come.

Syllabus Highlights

Late Assignments/Papers: • As a rule, I do not accept late assignments.

• All papers and homework assignments are due at the beginning of the period.

• If you arrive late to class, you must turn in your work to me immediately upon arriving. I will not accept homework turned in at the end of the period.

• If you know you are going to be absent, please make arrangements to have your work in my box in the LA Mission faculty mailroom before class or to have it in class with a classmate on the day it is due. • Do not email papers. You may email me *about* a paper, but do not email the

paper itself. I only accept printed copies. •

• Exception to late work rule: ONCE in the semester you will be allowed to turn in a paper one week after it was originally due with no penalty. If you would like to do this, please fill out the "Late Contract” (which can be found attached the syllabus on our class blog) and sign and attach it to your late assignment.

Syllabus Highlights

Take note of my policies on paper format, where you can print your papers if you don’t have a printer at home.

Take note of my policy on required rough drafts and peer review.

Record Keeping: Please keep a copy of all assignments you turn in for this class. Do not throw anything away after it has been passed back to you. Neatly organize your work and keep it until AFTER the end of the semester.

Syllabus Highlights

Take note of my policies on paper format, where you can print your papers if you don’t have a printer at home.

Take note of my policy on required rough drafts and peer review.

Record Keeping: Please keep a copy of all assignments you turn in for this class. Do not throw anything away after it has been passed back to you. Neatly organize your work and keep it until AFTER the end of the semester.

Please take note of my policy on plagiarism. In a few weeks, we will have a class devoted to discussing academic honesty and plagiarism: exactly what it is and how to avoid it.

Attendance Policies

This is a once a week class, and therefore attendance is very important. As a member of this class, you are part of a community of writers. It is important that

you be here to participate in class activities and offer your contribution to your classmates’ learning process.

We will be doing activities and assignments during class that cannot be made up if you are not present. You will be responsible for any work you miss when you are not in class.

You are only allowed ONE free absence. Students who are absent more than three times during the session will be

dropped without question after the fourth absence. Please refer to the syllabus schedule and the class blog for upcoming assignments and

instructions. You may also wish to exchange phone numbers with someone else in the class so that

you can catch up on what you missed. Please save your absence for a day when you truly need it. In the case of an

emergency, please contact me as soon as possible via email to let me know your situation.

Tardiness: It is essential that you be on time. I will be taking roll at the beginning of class each day. If you arrive after I have taken roll, you will be

marked tardy. If you are tardy, please come into class quietly without disturbing others. At the break, you must come see me so I can change your absence to a tardy. Three tardies will count as one absence. Do not leave class early. I will often make announcements at the end of class that you will need to

hear, and if you do choose to leave before class is finished, you will be marked ½ absent

Technology and Student Conduct

I encourage the productive use of technology in class (laptops and tablets), but do not allow distractions (phones, games, texts, apps) Students will keep their cell phones turned off in class.

To avoid checking text messages, which may seem harmless, please keep your cell phones in your bags, not your pockets or on your desk.

I love my smart phone as much as the next person, and I will sometimes use my smart phone for class related reasons, however I will never use it for personal reasons in class, and I expect the same from you.

Our classroom will be a place of learning and respect. Disruptive or disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated and may

affect your grade. Also, students who disrupt the class after the first warning will be asked to leave and will be marked absent for the day.

The Secret to Success!

• It’s simple. Only 2 things.

1. Come to class.2. Do the work.

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Syllabus Highlights

Education Accommodations: If you have any special needs, please see me privately. Sharing your situation with me will help me to be a more effective instructor. If you are a student with a disability and require classroom accommodations,

please see me to discuss arrangements. The sooner I am aware that you are eligible for accommodations, the quicker I will be able to provide them.

If you have not done so already, you may also wish to contact the DSP&S Office in Instruction Building 1018 (phone #818.364. 7732/TTD 818.364.7861) and bring a letter stating the accommodations that are needed.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: If a campus emergency that poses risk to students occurs, please be prepared to

immediately follow the instructions of your Instructor. Do not exit the classroom until instructed to do so. If building evacuation is required, you will be asked to leave all of your non-

essential personal belongings in the classroom and quickly, yet orderly and safely, exit the classroom and the building, preferably through the main doors. Proceed to a safe location near the walkway intersection.

As the last person to exit, I will lock the classroom door behind me and meet you outside of the building in order to account for your presence and safety.

Questions and Answers

Any questions? Please ask any questions you might have

about the syllabus. No question is a bad question, and all

questions will help your classmates who

might be wondering the same thing!

Expanded Syllabus on our Class Blog

http://english101lawsonfall2013.weebly.com/ The Late Contract List of Student Resources available at LA Mission

Learning Names

When you have over 150+ new students every semester like I do, it can be a challenge to learn all of their names!

Please be patient with me as I learn your names.

When I call on you, I may say “Yes,…(?)” or “What do you think,….(?) and pause for you to offer your name. Please remind me (and the rest of the class) of your name before offering your comment/answer.

We may do several ice-breaker exercises over the course of the semester to help learn names.

Break Time!

Please return in 15 minutes.

What can I do to be successful in this class?

Come to classDo the work

THIS INCLUDES THE READINGS!Strive for excellenceIn order to help you meet these goals…

Have a partner in the class who will take notes/get copies of assignment sheets for you (assignment sheets will also be posted on the class blog)

Come to see me during my office hours. Come to class prepared to participate. Indulge in curiosity. Question your assumptions.

Quckwrite: Pop Culture

• Write about a favorite band or musician, movie, or TV show of yours. • Why is it a favorite? • What do you think makes it popular? • To put it another way, why does it

appeal to people?

What is “Pop Culture”?

• In the introduction to our textbook Mirror on America, pop culture is defined as “all of the objects, people, events, and places to which most of us readily relate and which comprise a society at any given time” (xv).

• What this means: • Pop culture is short for “popular culture.” This means

it has a broad appeal. (A large cross section of society relates to it.)

• Pop culture is defined in opposition to “high culture” (which is a label I’m not fond of). “High culture” is thought to be more accessible to the educated/elite.

Class List of Pop Culture

What are some specific examples of pop culture you we can come up with as a class? Again, we’re talking about things like TV, Movies,

music, books/novels (yes, comic books count!!) that have a broad appeal.

Why study “Pop Culture”?

Historically, academia (schools, universities, professors) put a lot of emphasis on “high culture” and disregarded “pop culture,” thinking it wasn’t worth studying or analyzing.

Recently, many scholars and universities have recognized the value of pop culture as an area of study.

Some general assumptions that the study of pop culture makes: The art (this includes movies, music, tv, etc.) that a culture produces

reveals what that culture values. The art a culture produces reveals widely held attitudes about

important/controversial issues. While Pop Culture can reveal attitudes, it can also change them. In other words, the pop culture that we are exposed to can affect how

and what we think.

Analysis of Pop Culture

• Look at the list of examples of pop culture on p. xv – xvi in your Mirror on America text book, and consider our class list, then answer the following question:

• “We’ve made lists, individually and as a class, of examples of pop culture that we enjoy. What are some important issues that your examples of pop culture brings up?”

• In other words, what important issues/ideas might these examples of pop culture lead us to discuss?

• By answering these questions, we are beginning to do the work of analyzing pop culture.

What is “Rhetoric”?

Definition of RHETORIC (from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

1: the art of speaking or writing effectively: as a : the study of principles and rules of

composition formulated by critics of ancient times

b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion

2a : skill in the effective use of speech b : a type or mode of language or speech; also :

insincere or grandiloquent language

Who Uses Rhetoric?

The short answer is, everyone. If you have ever convinced someone to come around to your point of view, written a facebook post, or written a clever tweet on twitter, you have used rhetoric effectively.

Rhetoric is simply the study of how to communicate effectively and persuasively.

When I talk about “rhetorical choices,” I am talking about the choices that a writer makes in order to fulfill the purpose of the piece of writing and communicate effectively.

Engaging With What You Read

• I will be asking you to engage with the articles I assign this semester rather than simply reading.

• For each assigned reading, you might…– Do a reading response– Annotate (See p. 3-8 of Mirror on America for an example

of annotation.) – Look up unfamiliar words. – Come to class with questions, concerns, or ideas that the

reading inspired in you.

• Remember, the more carefully you read and prepare at home, the more fully you will be able to participate in the class discussion of the reading and its ideas.

Reading and Responding

In our class, we will use READING as a tool to enhance our WRITING.

Today, we are reading “The Watcher at the Gate” by Gail Godwin.

Questions: What do we know about the author from this

reading? What is she trying to share about writing and the

writing process with us by writing this essay?

Brainstorming and Freewriting

Brainstorming is a writing activity that asks you to write down ideas quickly, in short bursts without worrying about correctness. You might use an idea web You might make lists of phrases/ideas as they

come to you.Freewriting is “stream of consciousness”

writing about a topic. While you freewrite, keep your pen or pencil moving and do not worry about unity, coherence, or correctness.

Brainstorming and Freewriting Practice

Brainstorm or freewrite for five minutes about the following topic:

“Attitudes and ideas I have about language, reading, writing, or education.”

Brainstorming and Freewriting Practice

Now, pick one of the ideas you brainstormed that seems interesting to you, and ask yourself why you have this attitude.

What outside factors and influences caused you to think this way?

Are there other people who have this same attitude?

What is the “big picture” or cultural trends that you are a part of because of this attitude/idea?

Diagnostic Essay:

In response to our reading and brainstorming, we will be writing a diagnostic essay. “Diagnostic essay” simply means a brief, in-

class writing that I will use to see where people are in their development as writers and what issues we need to address as a class.

Please don’t stress it. You will receive full credit for completing the assignment.

Diagnostic Essay:

Prompt: Agree or disagree with the following statement:

“I am a writer.” Why do you answer this question the way that you do?

What events and circumstances have led you to this conclusion?

Look back at your brainstorming and freewriting. You can also make connections to any of the issues and

concepts Godwin brings up in her essay.

Please write at least one full page. When you finish, turn in your diagnostic essay and check the

homework for next week on the Syllabus Schedule. After you are done, you can leave. Have a great week!

For Next Week: Thursday, September 5th

Topics: Effective Reading Strategies, Defining "Pop Culture", and Effective Class Discussion

Due: Reading Mirror on America (MOA): "Mickey Mouse as an

Icon: Taking Pop Culture Seriously" p. 1-11. Answer one of the “Probing Content” questions on page 11

and bring to class. Do not use the sample answers.   Note: please take this week as an example and always answer one of

the post-reading questions for every “Mirror on America” reading we do as a class. Bring your answers to class for credit.

Handout Reading: “Pop Culture: An Overview” Reading The Little Penguin Handbook (LPH), p. 1-6

NOTE: You must have all required class materials by this date. Always bring your textbooks to class.