Engl
3130 Advanced Composition, Spring 2022
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Policies
last update: January 11, 2022
Section
001 and section 088 (honors)
Dr.
Kevin O'Donnell, odonnell@etsu.edu
Professor
of English, Department of Literature and Language, East TN State U
Class
meets MWF at 11:30am-12:25pm in Burleson 303.
Office
Hours: Tues and Thurs at 11:15am-12:35pm in Burleson 313 or on zoom at 491 423 6356.
-
Sid Holt, editor. The Best American Magazine Writing 2021. Columbia
University Press, 2021. ISBN: 978-0231198035 $19.95
-
Steven Pinker. The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to
Writing in the 21st Century. Penguin, 2015. ISBN: 978-0143127796 $18.00
This
course requires a lot of writing, but you get to choose your own topics, and
the grading policy is very forgiving, so most students will have a good time in
this class. If this class works for you
the way that I hope it will, then writing will become a more enjoyable, less
intimidating process.
The
goal of the course is for you to develop your ability to write and revise
sustained, non-fiction prose for various audiences, in various genres. The
emphasis here is on clear, engaging writing. Our working assumption in this
class is that even the most humble nonfiction writing is a creative act.
The
course is built around revision and peer review. During the semester, you will
write five major essays of 5 to 8 pages each. For each of those essays, you
will first write a rough draft, which you will read aloud to two group members
in class; and you will review those two classmates' rough drafts; then you will
revise your draft to submit for a grade.
In
addition to writing, you will read some award-winning nonfiction, in the
magazine writing anthology, and you will read most of a book about writing by
Steven Pinker, which is a fine piece of nonfiction in its own right. And you
will read some fine writing produced by students in this class in previous
semesters.
The
grading policy is built around revision. You drop your lowest of the five essay
grades. And, in the last weeks of the semester, you further revise your best
essay, to post it on the web. (Students enrolled in the honors section, rather
than revising only one essay, will revise their two best essays, at the
end of the semester.) The final revision is worth 30% of the final grade. The
grading policy allows you the freedom to fail, and gives you the chance to
develop your writing skills over the semester, so that your final grade
reflects your best work.
1.
Narrative Essay Based on Experience and Observation
2.
How to/ Tech writing
3.
Review/ Critique (of a movie, book, audio recording, restaurant, computer game
or software or hardware, automobile, etc.)
4.
Viewpoint / Op-ed
5.
Nonfiction Genre of Your Choice (for
example travel writing, sports writing, food writing, profile, memoir; or,
students, if you have another genre in mind, propose it)
1.
Best 4 of 5 major essays (the lowest of the 5 grades is dropped, excluding Fs):
40%
2.
Your best essay revised for the web (honors students revise your two best): 30%
3.
Drafts -- A draft is, by its nature, incomplete; but a good faith effort earns
2 point each draft. Total points: 10%
4.
Participation in draft workshops (peer review), 2 points for each workshop.
Total points: 10%
5.
Miscellaneous, ungraded short memos and other writings (including in-class
writing practice; topic proposals; revision plans; presentations; grammar,
vocab quizzes; etc): 10%
Week
1 Introductions; writing process;
invention
Weeks
2-3 Essay 1: Narrative
Weeks
4-5 Essay 2: How-to/ Tech
Weeks
6-7 Essay 3: Review/ Critique
Week
8 Quoting and paraphrasing
Spring break: March 14-18
Weeks
9-10 Essay 4: Viewpoint
Weeks
11-12 Essay 5: Genre of Your
Choice
Weeks
13-14 Revising for the web
Notes:
- First drafts and revised essays are due on Mondays except where noted.
- First draft due days are also writing group days. Bring a total of 3
copies and be prepared to read your draft out loud for your group.
- For a detailed calendar with reading assignments and other
instructions, click on the Calendar link at the top of this page.
Week 1
Jan 19 and 21
Introductions:
Writing process; peer review process; revision. (Friday Jan 21 is a zoom class:
491 423 6356.)
Week 2
Jan 24-28
First
draft Essay 1: Narrative due -- Peer review
Week 3
Jan 31-Feb 4
Revised
Essay 1: Narrative due. (Friday Feb 4 is a zoom class: 491 423 6356.)
Week 4
Feb 7-11
First
draft Essay 2: How To/ Tech Writing due -- Peer review
Week 5
Feb 14-18
Revised
Essay 2: How To/ Tech Writing due
Week 6
Feb 21-25
First
draft Essay 3: Review/ Critique due -- Peer review
Week 7
Feb 28-March 2
Revised
Essay 3: Review/ Critique due. (Friday March 4 class cancelled.)
Week 8
March 7-11
Practice
quoting and paraphrasing.
Spring
break: March 14-18
Week 9
March 21-25
First
draft Essay 4: Viewpoint due -- Peer review
Week 10
March 28-30
Revised
Essay 4: Viewpoint due. (Friday Apr 1 class cancelled.)
Week 11
Apr 4-8
First
draft Essay 5: Genre of your choice due -- Peer review
Week
12 Apr 11
Revised
Essay 5: Genre of your choice due. (Weds Apr 13 class cancelled.)
Fri
Apr 15: Easter break.
Week
13 Apr 18-22
Revision
activities.
Week
14 apr 25-27
Best
essay(s) revised for the web, due on Mon Apr 25. (Fri Apr 29 class
cancelled.)
1. Class is cancelled on Fridays March 4, Apr 1,
and Apr 29 (and on Wednesday Apr 13).
2. We will zoom, rather than meeting in person,
on Friday Jan 21 and Friday Feb 4.
1.
Face Covering Policy
I
recommend that you wear a mask. I consider it a sign of courtesy to the other
people in the class. However, a federal circuit court ruling prohibits ETSU
from enforcing a mask requirement.
2. Attendance
If
you ever have covid related symptoms, please do not attend class. Instead,
email me and let me know what's going on. You can miss up to 9 classes with no
penalty at all. The official Department of Lit
and Language attendance policy is that, if you miss more than 9, you fail
the course.