ENGL 200 (Sections BQ & BR): Expository Writing II
Spring 2001 -- TU 2:05-3:20 p.m., 3:30-4:45 p.m.
 
Schedule of Classes | Daedalus Online
Information/Help for Daedalus Online
 
Professor Karin Westman
108 Denison Hall; 532-2171
Office Hours: T, U 12:30-1:30 p.m. and by app't
Email: westmank@ksu.edu
 


Course Philosophy and Description
Expository Writing II is the second of two courses required of all students here at Kansas State University. In this writing class, you will study and practice argumentation, so you are prepared for the complex writing tasks that you will do as a college student and later in your workplace and community. We will write five essays, which will be due roughly every three weeks. Your essays will be persuasive pieces that use written argument to explore and persuade others to some new attitude or action.
 
While some of your writing will take place in the classroom, much of what you must satisfactorily complete for the course will require time outside the classroom: reading assignments about aspects of argumentation, writing activities which prepare you for the assignments, generating ideas for drafts, and completing drafts and revisions according to the schedule below.


Texts
Ramage, John D. and John C. Bean, Writing Arguments (5th edition)
Kanning, Sarah L. Expository Writing 200 (3rd edition)
Daedalus Online PIN Card (Core Version)
Recommended: Hacker, Diane, Rules for Writers and a college-level dictionary


Supplies
Several letter-sized filing folders for keeping and handing in your work
8 ½ x 11 college-ruled notebook paper
#2 pencils, pens with blue or black ink
Formatted disks dedicated to this course for storing and backing up your computer files


Attendance: Since the University requires that students attend all classes in which they are enrolled, there are no excused absences. If you are absent for more than nine classroom hours (nine class periods), you will fail this class automatically. If you are absent for more than three, you jeopardize your final grade for the course.
 
If you wish to receive a passing grade in this class, then, attendance is very important. Classroom work or homework assignments missed due to absence cannot be made up. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out from another class member any announcements or assignments. (On those rare occasions when circumstances make it impossible for you attend, please notify me by email or in person in advance so we can discuss the absence.)


Essays: You will write five major assignments for this course. All assigned work is due on the day and time listed below. I do not accept late work. You may arrange for one alternate due date during the semester in advance of the paper's due date; be sure to speak with me in advance, if you need to exercise this option.
 
Drafts and revisions of papers must be typed, double-spaced, with one inch margins (one page = 250 words); the pages should be spell-checked, proof-read, and stapled or paper-clipped together. Your name, my name, the date, and the type of assignment should appear in the upper-left hand corner of the first page. A "Works Cited" page should accompany any assignment that refers to outside sources. Submit the paper in a manila file folder with your name written on the tab. Title pages are not necessary. Do not submit your work in a report cover.


Honor Code and Plagiarism: Be extremely careful in acknowledging the sources that have influenced your work. Should you incorporate the ideas, general phrasing, or exact words of any other source without properly crediting the author, you are guilty of plagiarism and of failure to follow the University's Honor Code. The penalty for plagiarism is severe: you may fail the course and the Dean may be notified of the reason for your failure. If you have any questions about whether you need to cite a source, please see me or consult Hacker's Rules for Writers or Kanning's Expository Writing 200.


Grades: Your grade for the course will be based on your preparation, drafting, and revising of the five writing assignments for the class, as well as your attendance and participation in the class. During the course, I will give you written feedback about your writing, its content, and its effect on your intended audience. I will tell you what's already working well and what still needs work. Some key points:

-- You must pass the Final Portfolio Examination at the end of term to pass the course, no matter what your grades have been during the term.
 
-- Major papers will receive one of four letter grades: R, C, B, or A. The grades you receive on these drafts reflect how I think the paper matches up to the grading standards for the Expository Writing Program. I will clearly indicate to you if I think your paper will pass the Final Portfolio Examination required of all students. Papers that I believe will not pass the Final Portfolio Examination will receive a grade of "R" for "Revision needed," and you must revise these papers in a week's time. If you do not turn in the revised "R" paper within a week, the paper will earn an "F."
 
-- Remember that a paper's grade depends on your hard work during the whole writing process, which will often include in-class and out of class writing exercises, preparing a draft, participating in peer review workshops, and revising. To receive full credit for your hard work, be sure to keep all notes, peer review comments, and drafts for each assignment.
 
-- Because writing develops with lots of thinking and writing and over several drafts, I do have a policy that will also allow you to revise some of your work for a higher grade (see the Revision Policy below).


Portfolio Examination: At the end of week 8 or the beginning of week 9, you will turn in one of your papers to be evaluated for the Midterm Portfolio Examination. A different instructor will read your paper to determine if it meets the minimum requirements for this course. If it passes, it can then be used in the Final Portfolio Examination as a passing paper.


During the last week of class, you will turn in a Final Portfolio that will contain 3 of the five papers you wrote for this class. Again, a different instructor will read your portfolio to determine if it passes. Portfolio readers do not determine your final grade; they just determine if your portfolio passes or fails the course. After I get the results of the Final Portfolio Examination, I will assign you letter grades based on your written work, attendance, and class participation. Please note: it is possible to pass the Portfolio Examination and still fail this course for lack of attendance, excessive lateness, poor class participation, failing to hand work in on time, and plagiarism. For more information about the Portfolio Examination, see the "Instructions to Students for the Portfolio Examination" in Kanning.


Revision Policy: I require you to attempt revision on any essay which receives a grade of "R"and to keep revising until that essay reaches the acceptable level. If you do not turn in a revision of an essay that received an "R" within a week's time limit, that essay will receive a permanent grade of "R" and will be calculated as an "F." Though I do not require revisions of essays which earn acceptable grades when first submitted, I do allow you the option to revise such an essay once. You may not revise in-class essays for higher grades.
 
You must also earn the right to revise any of your major papers for this class. In order to earn this right, you must do all the homework, classroom activities, and participate seriously in the peer-review workshops for each assignment. If you are absent on workshop days or for some other reason do not participate in all the activities leading up to a final draft, you will not be allowed to revise for a higher grade. If you do the activities, homework, and participate in all the peer-review opportunities, you will find that your writing will improve over the term.
 
A paper will be considered revised when it demonstrates significant change in global issues such as focus/purpose (Is the paper on one topic? Is the writer's purpose clear?), or arrangement (Is the order of the information logical and easy to follow?), or development (Is there enough detail and support for the reader to clearly understand the issue), or tone (Is the reader addressing the audience appropriately for the purpose and occasion?). Revisions that do not meet this criteria will be returned unread. Simply correcting errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar is not revision but editing.


Remember that a revision does not automatically receive a better grade. If you choose to revise, keep in mind that the whole paper may need revision once you begin to revise one element of its argument and presentation. If you choose to revise a paper and it earns another grade, I will replace the first grade with the second grade. Before you revise, I strongly encourage you to arrange for a conference with a Writing Center Tutor or with me to discuss your plans for revision. If you do not seem to be making any improvements on a particular paper, I will advise you to leave it and work on a difference assignment.


Your revision must include the following or it will be returned unread:
-- Underline and explain any additions you make to the text on the new version.
-- Mark any deletions on the old version.
-- Write a summary on a separate page explaining why and how you revised -- for example, why you decided to change the paper's focus or arrangement, why you added or deleted a certain part of the paper, why you rearranged the information, and so forth.
-- With the revision, you must turn in all previous notes and drafts, peer response sheets, and a clear label of which assignment you are revising. Place all these items in a file folder with your name on it.


Computing: Over the course of the semester we will be using Daedalus Online, a computer software you have access to by purchasing a Daedalus Online PIN Card at the bookstore. Our work with computers is designed not only as another forum for practicing argumentation, but as a way for you to sharpen your communication skills for an increasingly technological age.
 
If you do not yet have an email account, I encourage you to activate your KSU account. I highly recommend email as a way of touching base with me about your writing -- a kind of virtual office hours. You can send me queries, your thesis statement for an essay, or anything else that could be handled with a quick exchange of messages. I check my email in the morning before classes, in the afternoon, and in the evening.


Conferences: I want you to succeed in this course, and I am happy to meet with you about your writing and your progress. I encourage you to see me before writing assignments are due, or if you have questions about material we discuss in class. Please feel free to stop by during office hours (T, U 12:30-1:30 pm), or contact me by phone or email to arrange a more convenient time to meet.


Note: If you have any condition such as a physical or learning disability that will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as I have outlined it or which will require academic accommodations, please notify me in the first two weeks of the semester.

Schedule of Classes (subject to change)

Evaluating an Argument
 Week1  

 (Preparation for class)
  

 (In class activities)

Jan

11

1

 

--
Introduction to Course Policies and Goals
Introduce in-class writing assignment for 1/16.
Week 2

Jan

16

2
Log on to Daedalus Online using your PIN Card and initiate your account.


Prepare in-class writing assignment according to directions.
Do in-class writing assignment.


Introduce Daedalus Online.

Jan

18

3
Read Chapter 1 (3-23) in Writing Arguments (WA).
Read pages 282-88 in WA.
 
Do exercise on page 288-9 for one of the classes listed (a-i).
Read pp.452-4 in WA.
What is a good argument?
Review exercise on p.288-9.
 
Introduce Evaluation Essay Assignment.
 
Evaluation is a Criteria Match.
Do Task 1, p.453 in class.
Do Task 2, p.454 in class.
 
Week 3

Jan

23

4
Do Task 3, pp.455 in WA.
Read Chapter 2 (24-47) in WA.
Read pp. 292-3 in WA.
Do Task 4, p.461 in class.
Develop and defend criteria for good argumentation.
How "Says and Does"helps you understand what you read.
Do exercise on p.32 in class.

Jan

25

5
Read "Marijuana for Medical Purposes" in Expository Writing 200 (EW 200), pp. 107-8.
Write "says" and "does" statements for each paragraph. (Your goal: to understand the argument's major claims and how it is put together.)
Understanding the How and What of an Argument.
Discussion of essay and "says" and "does" statements.
Week 4

Jan

30

6
Read EW200, pp.33-9, 42-5.
Complete Respond Sequence in Daedalus Online (DOL) for one of the sample essays and print it out.
Read WA, pp.445-52.
 
Work on "Organizing Your Evaluation Essay" in EW200, pp.35-7.
Reminder: First draft due 2/1.
Review Student Samples (EW200).
Organization of Evaluation Essays.
Evidence in Evaluation Essays: Quoting from your source.

Feb

1

7
Bring three copies of first draft for Peer Review.
Learning about Peer Review and linking review comments to grading/passing criteria.
Peer Review Session
Leave with a revision plan.

 

Components of Argument
Week 5

Feb

6

8
Bring three copies of second draft for Peer Review.
Peer Review Session.
More on linking review comments to Grading/Passing Criteria.
Leave with a revision plan.

Feb

7

--
Evaluation Essay due by 4pm to DE108.

Feb

8

9
Read Chapter 4 (75-87) in WA.
Do exercises on pp.78-9, p.81.
Transition to a detailed understanding of arguments.
Exercise on p.84 in class.
Week 6

Feb

13

10
Read Chapter 5 (88-106) in WA
Do exercise on p.91, #1-6, in WA.
Do exercise on p.100 of WA, choosing 2 of the remaining 9 enthymemic arguments.
Structure of Argument: Claims, Stated Reasons, Grounds, Warrants, Backing, Rebuttals, and Qualifiers.
Review exercise on pp.91-2 in WA.
Review responses to exercise on p.100.
 
 
Proposal Arguments: How to Change Reality

Feb

15

11
Read Chapter 14 (307-45) in WA.
Introduce Proposal Essay assignment.
Proposals: We should/should no do X.
Rhetorical situations.
Practical vs. Policy Proposals.
Week 7

Feb

20

12
Bring three possible topics written out to hand in. Have one that you are fairly sure about and two for back-up.
 
Read Chapter 7 (132-151) in WA.
Do exercises on pp.135-6 and pp.148-51.
Finding an issue for a proposal.
Who is your rhetorical audience?
 
Discuss responses to exercises on pp.135-6 and on pp.148-51 in class.

Feb

22

13
With your topic for your proposal essay in mind, write out answers to questions about "Audience-Based Reasons" on pp.136-7 of WA and write out answers to "Stock Issues" on pp.317-8 of WA.
Audience-Based Reasons.
Do exercise on p.138 in class.
Do exercise on p.317 in class.
Week 8

Feb

27

14
Read pp.87-91 in EW200.
Complete Respond Sequence on DOL for one of the sample proposals and print it out.
How Proposals are presented and organized.

Mar

1

15
Bring three copies of first draft for Peer Review.
Peer Review Session.
Linking Review comments to grading/passing criteria.
Leave with a Revision Plan.

Mar

2

--
Submit essay for Midterm Portfolio Review to DE108 by 4 p.m.
Week 9

Mar

6

16
Bring three copies of second draft for Peer Review.
Peer Review Session.
Determine readings for next assignments.
Leave with a Revision Plan.

Mar

8

--
Work on final draft of proposal essay.
No class meeting.

Mar

9

17
Proposal due by 4pm to DE 108.
--

Researched Debate
Week 10

Mar

13

18
Read pp.56-60 and the sample essay on pp.67-8 of EW200.
Read essays selected by class.
Complete Respond Sequence on DOL for the selected essays and print them out.
Introduce Researched Debate Essay.
Review sample essay.
Discuss selected essays.

Mar

15

19
Read selected essays.
Complete Respond Sequence on DOL for the selected essays and print them out.
 
Develop one "issue question" for debate topic to hand in.
Discuss selected essays.

Mar

20

--
--
NO CLASS

Mar

22

--
--
SPRING BREAK
Week 11

Mar

27

20
Review all selected essays.
 
Read pp.387-423 in WA.
Do exercise on p.399.
 
Reread pp.56-60 and pp.67-8 in EW200. Begin drafting your outline for your debate essay using the flow chart on p.57.
Review of main claims of selected essays.
Determine several "issue questions" for debate topic.
 
Using sources effectively and avoiding plagiarism.
Review of exercise on p.399.
 

Review student sample on pp.67-8 of EW200.

Mar

29

21
Bring three copies of your draft of your debate essay for Peer Review.
Peer Review Session.
Leave with a Revision Plan.
Week 12

Apr

3

22
Bring three copies of your debate essay flow chart/outline to class for peer review.
Peer Review Session.
Leave with a Revision Plan.

Apr

4

--
Researched Debate due by 4pm to DE108.


Persuasive Research Paper

Apr

5

23
Read pp.63-67 in WA.
 
Read Chap 16 (361-386) and review Chapter 17 (387-430) in WA.
Introduce Persuasive Research Paper.
Organizational patterns for research reports; review p.64 in WA.
 
Finding, Selecting, Using, and Documenting Sources.
Week 13

Apr

10

24
Read two sample student research essays on pp.26-32 in Prairie Lights 2000.
Review sample research essays.

Apr

12

25
Bring three copies of first draft for Peer Review Session.
Peer Review Session.
Linking Review Comments to grading/passing criteria.
Week 14

Apr

17

26
Bring three copies of second draft for Peer Review Session.
Peer Review Session.

Apr

19

27
Work on final draft of Persuasive Research Paper.
Workday/Conferences

Apr

20

-- Persuasive Research Paper due by 4pm to DE108.
Week 15

Apr

24

28
Read pp.4-8 and p.115 in EW200.
Introduction to "Letter to Portfolio Reader"
Review Student Samples: Common Organizational Patterns and Details to Support Claims.

Apr

26

29
Complete Invention work for your letter.
Prepare a written thesis statement and outline for your letter for review in class.
Bring all your papers to class.
Planning session for Letter and Gathering Evidence.
Week 16

May

1

30
Revise outline and lists of examples in preparation for in-class writing.
Write "Letter to Portfolio Reader" in class.

May

3

31
Prepare revisions to existing drafts in preparation for Final Portfolio Review.
Draft workshop, assignment of your choice.
Finals Week
Mon
May
7
7:30-9:20 am, Final Portfolios due to DE108.
 
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Email: westmank@ksu.edu
Last updated 2 March 2001