This area is reserved for up-to-date news and announcements, including homework assignments or changes in schedule.

9/1 Note: The MLA Documentation Test has been moved to Week 5: 9/15. Also note that I will be gone on 10/13 because I will be out of the country. This will push the remaining schedule after that class back one day, which eliminates the test on Logical Fallacies.

9/10 Note: In addition to studying for the forthcoming MLA citation test, students are responsible for completing the Works Cited Homework assigned in class.

Required Texts and Supplies

• Current Issues and Enduring Questions, 7th ed., Barnet and Bedau,
  ISBN 0312412711
• Rules for Writers, 5th ed., Hacker, ISBN 0312406851
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., Gibaldi,
  ISBN 0873529863
• A college-level dictionary approved by the instructor
• An email account and computer access to the Internet
• A "Collected Works" notebook for turning in assignments

• Developmental Exercises to Accompany Rules for Writers, 5th ed., Van Goor and Hacker, ISBN 0312410824

Weekly Syllabus

(Subject to revision to meet changing conditions, or at the discretion of the instructor)

Week 1: 8/18

• Meet at Western Wake Campus at Millpond Village
• Introduction: course philosophy, requirements, texts, etc.
• HW: Current Issues, ch. 1; do exercise #3 on p. 29 in Collected Works notebook

Week 2: 8/25

• Meet at Apex HS - Bldg. B, Room 309
• Research and evaluation of sources
• HW: Current Issues, chs. 2 & 7; do exercise on p. 63 in Collected Works notebook

Week 3: 9/1

• Visit from WTCC librarian to discuss research methods
• Research organization and MLA documentation; plagiarism
• HW: MLA Handbook, chs. 1 & 2; Current Issues, pp. 278-288 (do not read pages related to APA format)

Week 4: 9/8

• MLA documentation
• HW: MLA Handbook, chs. 5 & 6; do Works Cited Homework

• Test on MLA documentation
• Discussion of the parts of an argument; Classic Argument
• HW: Current Issues, chs. 3 & 6 (but also skim chs. 4 & 5); choose one of the "Topics for Critical Thinking and Writing" for Epstein ("Thinking the Unthinkable: Organ Sales" p. 105-6), Brady ("I Want a Wife" p. 117-18) and Swift ("A Modest Proposal" p. 217-18) in Collected Works notebook; also, choose topic for Classic Argument essay
  (Extra credit: read Jouni Koponen's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's story "Babycakes" and write a brief reader response to how it compares with Swift's "A Modest Proposal.")

• Thesis statements and topic sentences; essay format
• Research Classic Argument topic
• Choose either controversial issue of public policy or a historical decision that remains controversial today
• HW: MLA Handbook, chs. 3 & 4

• Workshops on Classic Argument essay
• HW: Write Final draft of Classic Argument essay

Week 8: 10/13

• No class – Instructor away

• Final draft of Classic Argument essay due
• HW: Current Issues, ch. 11

Week 10: 10/27

• Research Rogerian Argument topic

Week 11: 11/03

• Workshops on Rogerian Argument essay
• HW: Write Final draft of Rogerian Argument essay

• Final draft of Rogerian Argument essay due
• HW: Current Issues, ch. 12; Annotated Bibliography for either Classic or Rogerian Argument essay

Week 13: 11/17

• Annotated Bibliography due
• Discuss analysis of poetry and fiction
• HW: Current Issues, ch. 13

Week 14: 12/1

• Research Literary Argument topic
• HW: Evaluation of Sources for Literary Argument essay

Week 15: 12/8

• Evaluation of Sources due
• Workshops on Literary Argument essay
• Turn in "Collected Works" notebook of completed homework to the instructor
• HW: Write Final draft of Literary Argument essay

Week 16: 12/15

• Final draft of Literary Argument essay due
• Oral Presentations
• What is Happiness?

Grading

• Classic Argument Essay: 20%
• Rogerian Argument Essay: 20%
• Literary Argument Essay: 20%
• Annotated Bibliography: 10%
• Evaluation of Sources: 10%
• Homework, quizzes, workshops, MLA documentation test: 10%
• Oral Communications Presentation: 5%

Course Descriptions and Goals

The purpose of this class is to help you become a better writer. And because the best way of learning how to write is to write -- rather than listen to lectures about writing -- you will write a lot. You will write journals, freewrites, peer-reviews, and write and revise three major argument essays, as well as two smaller writing projects and an oral presentation. In class, through discussion and workshopping, we will develop strategies for effective communication, and we will explore the ways in which writing is a process and not just a finished product. Because writing is active, you will earn how to take action, to question what others may take for granted, and to use your writing skills to make changes in the real world.

In your classes here at the college, you are in training to become a professional in your chosen field. An important part of being a professional is consistently doing the work you're supposed to do every working day. In your job, your responsibilities will include coming to work each day, arriving on time, and completing your assigned tasks by the date they are due. During your time here at Wake Tech, you have similar responsibilities, which you should meet in a professional manner.

Course Objectives

1. Finding and using sources to research a given topic; this part of the course deals with an introduction to library resources such as the Readers' Guide, NewsBank, popular periodicals, professional journals, NCLive, SIRS, etc.
2. Constructing a Works Cited page from given entries; additionally, students will be assigned tasks to demonstrate the proper technique in using parenthetical referencing.
3. Using outside sources effectively to substantiate and validate a stated position; additionally, students will either conduct interviews to access data or read data material and respond to questions assessing their critical reading and comprehension.
4. Writing researched argumentative papers. [Note: Each research essay must include at least one source from NCLive and SIRS, and no more than one electronic source via Google.]

Attendance and Coursework Policy

1. According to the Student Handbook, students are required to be in attendance at least 90 percent of all scheduled course hours unless unavoidable absences can be justified to the satidfaction of the instructed. Which means that, since we only meet once per week, you are allowed two unexcused absences for the entire course. Upon the third unexcused absence, the student will be dropped from the class.
2. Students are expected to be in their seats when the class starts. If you arrive over ten minutes late to class, you will be counted as tardy. Three tardies will equal one unexcused absence.
3. It is the responsibility of the student to see the instructor about make-up options if you miss in-class quizzes or tests.
4. Students are expected to turn in all work on the due date. If an assignment is going to be late, you must discuss the situation with the instructor ahead of time. Each day late that an assignment is turned in, it will be automatically reduced two letter grades; after the second day, it will automatically receive an F.
5. If a student must leave class early, he or she must let the instructor know at the beginning of class.
6. Students are expected to be both attentive and respectful of their classmates and instructor. Attentive and respectful behavior includes the following:
   • Listen attentively to both the instructor and questions/comments by students.
   • Give the class your full attention; do not work from other classes; do not listen to CD/MP3 players; turn off all cell phones and/or beepers; do not talk with other students.
   • Do not leave and return while the class is in progress. If you need to use the bathroom or get a drink of water, do so before you walk in the door, or at one of the scheduled breaks.
   • Food is a distraction and will not be allowed. You may bring in water to drink, but no sodas or sports drinks; other classes have to use the room after us, and we need to keep it as clean as possible.

The Writing Center

Please use the ILC Writing Center, located in room 126 in the Engineering Technology Annex. It is there to help you, and there are tutors who can give you additional help with grammar and writing topics that are difficult for you. Each of you should take advantage of this free service, but if a special note is made on your assignment that you need to go to the Writing Center on a regular basis, it is because the instructor is concerned that you will not be successful in this class without some additional one-on-one assistance, and it is a requirement for your success. If you do not take advantage of this opportunity, then you may have problems passing this class with a grade of C, which is necessary to proceed to your next required English class.