Engl 1028 Honors Composition II Special Topic: Global Warming

O'Donnell, ETSU, Fall 2016


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Policies
last update: August 15, 2016

 

Course Description

Alright, the topic of this section of Honors Composition II -- global warming, or, more precisely, anthropogenic global warming, sometimes known by the acronymn AGW, often simply called climate change -- might not sound like a ladleful of laughs. But this is one of the great issues of our time. And it turns out that a lot of recent great writing has been done on the subject, in a variety of genres. We'll read a novel by Barbara Kingsolver, an award-winning nonfiction book by Elizabeth Kolbert, and a selection of interesting, thought provoking articles. Students will write from sources in a variety of modes. You'll learn how to do academic writing on serious topics, in a way that can be engaging and, yes, even fun for your readers.

 

Course and Instructor 
English 1028 Honors Composition II Special Topic: Global Warming, TR 12:45-2:05pm, Burleson 301

Instructor: Dr. Kevin O'Donnell, http://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/

odonnell@etsu.edu 423 439-6679 
Office: Burleson Hall 313

Fall 2016 Office Hours: TR 11:30am-12:30pm; W 3:15-5:15 

 

Texts

- Elizabeth Kolbert. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. Picador, 2015. $16.00

- Barbara Kingsolver. Flight Behavior: A Novel. Harper Perennial 2013 (2012). $16.99

- Bill McKibben, editor. The Global Warming Reader: A Century of Writing About Climate Change. Penguin Books, 2012. $18.00

- A selection of readings posted on the web.

 

Assignments / Final Grade Breakdown

- 5 mini review essays, 600-900 words each, which you'll write about articles or other works that you read for class: -- 40% (10% each; lowest grade, excluding Fs, dropped)

- Annotated bibliography, with at least 10 good sources -- 15%

- Research project, 8-10 pages -- 30%

- Other, ungraded assignments, including occasional in-class writing -- 5%

- Participation -- 5%

 

Attendance, Due Dates 

 Attendance: I will strive to make the class meetings worthwhile. So you should strive to be there. The English Department official policy: more than 6 absences and you fail the course. In addition, my individual policy is that, if you miss anywhere between 3 and 5 classes, I reserve the option to lower your final grade up to one full letter grade. 

 Due Dates: All due dates are posted on the calendar. I do not accept late work. If you must miss class on a day when a paper is due, email your work as an attachment to odonnell@etsu.edu. Then also bring a hard copy to the following class period.