English 102: Composition II Great Basin College Pahrump Valley Center Fall 2013 Instructor: Dr. Dale Griffith Office: 101A Office Phone: (775) 727-2008 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

Office Hours: Monday 1:30-2:30 pm, Tuesday 12:30-2:30 pm, Wednesday 7:00-8:00 pm, Thursday 10:00-11:00 am

And by Appointment ______Textbooks: Huff, Darrell. How to Lie with Statistics. ISNB 0-393-31072-8. The cheapest place to purchase this book is to get a used edition from either abebooks.com or amazon.com. Edition does not matter.

I have become increasingly disenchanted with the high, and higher, costs of text-books. I have endeavored to do away with assigned text-books in my classes. In regards to formatting of academic essays and term-papers, all of this information is now accessible on the Internet.

The following is a link to updated MLA formatting posted on the Webb by Perdue University; all students are expected to download and copy ALL of the pages in this source. It is to be copied and placed within a binder for use in this class with section dividers. This needs to be done within the first week of class:

For MLA formatting: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Since we may be reading, analyzing, and quoting poetry it is necessary to know the rules for quoting poetry according to MLA formatting as well, such information can be found here:

For MLA formatting for poetry: www.westga.edu/~scarter/Citing_ Poetry _Using_ MLA .rtf

Primary source readings will be passed out in class.

Please note that the cheapest way to purchase these books is through either Amazon.com or abebooks.com. Note: if a student is absent when readings are passed out, it is their responsibility to get a copy from a fellow student, not from me. ______

English 102 1 Course Description: Composition II focuses on research and academic writing. In this course we shall also investigate the use of primary and secondary source materials and the proper use of MLA citation and formatting rules.

Course Objectives: This course addresses the major goals of research-based writing, especially:  To read with critical facility, especially for future academic work. English 102 concentrates on learning to read closely and reflectively, and on integrating the material that one has read into an intelligent, accessible written version for another audience, (usually, but not always, me).  To produce clear, concise, interesting prose. English 102 recognizes that we can all write, but that all of us can always get better at it. It is both a skill and an art that requires the regular practice that perhaps only a writing course provides.  To understand and practice the key academic research skill: synthesis. Synthesis is that technique which combines the material discovered during research into a new, coherent piece of writing, that pays particular attention to voice. (Voice is the writer behind the words; voice allows the audience to hear the author of the document.)  To understand the use and misuse of statistics. English 102 offers the perspective that, although research involves statistical data, not all data is reported in good faith or with clear motive. Researchers must be able to evaluate the use of statistics and to recognize the inflated, sensational, or oversimplified use of them. The text How to Lie with Statistics has been chosen to further our understanding of mass data.  To learn to use MLA documentation formats. Writers are expected to follow standardized footnote and reference formats.

Grades: Following is the breakdown of percentages and letter grade equivalents. 100-95 A 94-90 A- ¬89-86 B+ 85-83 B 82-80 B ¬79-76 C+ 75-73 C 72-70 C- ¬69-66 D+ 65-60 D 56-59 D- 55 and below F

According to the policy established by the College, to receive and Incomplete, a student must have completed at least ¾ of the course with a grade of C or better, but be unable to complete the class for good cause.

Please note that in college grades are based upon academic achievement, not effort.

English 102 2 Attendance Policy: Because English 102 is a writing workshop, regular participation in class is important.

Because of recent problems with students not attending classes and still demanding the right to do make-up work the instructor will withdraw students after SIX absences (which equals three-weeks of course work) unless there are truly, documented, extenuating circumstances.

Please note the following

According to new College procedures faculty no longer have the option of giving students a ‘W” grade at the end of the semester for students who have not completed the course; faculty must now assign such students an “F” letter grade.

For students who have not attended classes or failed to turn in assignments it is now up to the student to drop the class in order to receive a “W” grade. The drop-out date for this semester is October 28.

Also, for students who have received an Incomplete, for whatever reason, it is now necessary to complete all missing work by either October 15, for Spring Semesters, or March 15 for Fall Semesters the following semester, otherwise Incomplete becomes an automatic “F.”

Course Assignments: The English department policy is that no late papers will be accepted. Late submissions will receive a 10% drop in grade per day late.

Policy of Academic Integrity: According to GBC’s stated policy of academic integrity, students are expected to be honest. If ideas are borrowed, the source must be given credit. Internet sources are subject to documentation as well as careful evaluation. We will address the matter of unintentional plagiarism in class, but it occurs when a student paraphrase of the source is too close to the original. Plagiarism is a violation of the standards of intellectual honesty. Students who violate such standards are subject to punishment, ranging from failing a class to dismissal from the institution.

CLASSROOM CONDUCT: Students are expected to observe the conventions of common courtesy: no cell phones in class (please put on vibrate or the preferred method is to turn it off) if a student does answer a cell phone during class, leave the class to do so, and do not come back until the next class (it is disruptive enough to leave the class, do not add insult to injury by disturbing class once again to come back), prompt attendance, courteous listening, and attention to due dates. Male students will please refrain from wearing hats during class (Please remember that the instructor is an antique and used to differing concepts of etiquette than more up-to-date individuals!).

English 102 3 ADA Statement: GBC supports providing equal access for students with disabilities. An advisor is available to discuss appropriate accommodations with students. Please contact the ADA Officer (Julie Byrnes) in Elko at 775.753.2271 at one’s earliest convenience to request timely and appropriate accommodations.

Outcomes: General Education and English 102

Communication Skills Written Communication Students who complete general education courses will demonstrate the ability to use written communication skills in the following ways:

 Choose essay/paper format appropriate to audience and purpose.  Choose diction and style appropriate to audience and purpose.  Integrate evidence, examples, and details to support the central idea or thesis of the text.  Develop coherent and effective paragraphs.  Use standard edited English and the documentation style appropriate to the discipline.

Reading Skills Students who complete General Education courses will:

 Adjust reading speed according to genre, difficulty of text, and reading purpose.  Recognize functions of various selections of text, i.e. offering evidence to support a point  Identify the purpose of the author as presented in a text  Summarize and /or paraphrase main points  Create new text which integrates and synthesizes pre-existing knowledge and knowledge gained from reading in the writing of new texts (papers, essays, and the like)

Measurement of student outcomes All English 102 students produce a research essays which fulfills the above standards.

Critical Thinking: Measurement of outcomes Read How to Lie with Statistics and analyze the contents of an article chosen from a current publication, applying the critical process.

Technological Understanding

Use basic computer technology competently in current applications.

Measurement of learner outcomes

English 102 4 Students demonstrate the ability to use word processing programs to produce accurately formatted papers.

Student Outcomes Measurement Communication Skills Completed Research Paper Analyze statistical content of article Written essay using critical process

Develop hypothesis, gather data, draw Evaluation of essay’s fulfillment of expected conclusions, present conclusions in written outcomes. format

Communicates and expresses thoughts Written essay evaluated for ease of reading fluently and expressively and understanding of presented information

Essay Topics: Three essays will be assigned this semester (please note that because of recent student problems regarding rewrites in this class, NO REWRITES IN ENGLISH 102 WILL BE PERMITTED: it is the students responsibility to not only turn essays in on the day they are due, but to make certain that they are as perfect as possible.

Essay Topics First Essay: The first essay will be an essay concerned with critical thinking using How to Lie with Statistics as the primary source. A series of either graphs or studies will be gone over in class. In the essay the student will be asked to use How to Lie with Statistics to show where the graph, essay, study et cetera show defects in critical thinking. This essay will be a combination of both primary and secondary sources, which must be in- text cited and includes a works cited page with all bibliographic materials following proper MLA formatting rules

Second Essay: the second essay will be a literary analysis which must combine both primary and secondary sources. This essay must combine primary and secondary sources following MLA formatting.

Third Essay: the third essay will be a term paper in which the student must use a minimum of four primary and three secondary sources, properly cited and documented in the works cited page. This essay will combine literary with historical information, primary sources, to arrive at a viable conclusion based upon information given and supported in the body of the essay.

Due Dates for Essays:

First essay due: SEPTEMBER 28TH Second essay due: NOVEMBER 2ND Third and final essay due: DECEMBER 7TH

English 102 5