Long Beach City College – Fall 2004

English 3: Argumentative and Critical Writing

Section 70997

Instructor: Dr. Karen Rose Class room: P105

Office: P103 Class time: MW 2-4 p.m.

Phone: 562-938-4099 Course web site: www.skidandkaren.com

E-mail: krose@lbcc.edu

Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. and by appt.

Prerequisite

You must have completed English 1 with a grade of C or better.

Course Description

English 3 is an introduction to the elements and uses of critical thinking and writing. Analytical, persuasive, evaluative, and argumentative writing will be emphasized.

Required Textbook

Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings, 6^th Edition, Eds. John Ramage, John Bean, and June Johnson.

Requirements

• 3 essays
• 1 research project
• Quizzes and in-class responses
• Midterm
• Final
• Participation in group and class discussions

Grading

Your final grade for the course will be determined as follows:

Essay 1 100 points

Essay 2 125 points

Essay 3 150 points

Research project 250 points

Midterm 100 points

Final 100 points

Quizzes 50 points

Attendance 25 points (less 5 points per absence)

_________

TOTAL 1000 points

Grading Scale

A = 1000 – 900 points

B = 899 – 800 points

C = 799 – 700 points

D = 699 – 600 points

F = 599 or less points

Attendance

I will take attendance at the beginning of class everyday. I expect you to arrive on time, bring your textbook to class, and be prepared to participate in class discussions and activities. Your failure to fulfill these expectations will adversely affect your grade. Please make note of the following rules:

· If you miss five class meetings, I will drop you from the class.

· If you arrive after attendance is taken, you are tardy. Three tardies count as one absence.

· In-class work missed during an absence cannot be made up.

Late work

Fifteen points will be deducted for each day your essay is late (including weekends). In-class work cannot be made up. When an assignment is due, it must be handed in at the beginning of the class.

Classroom conduct

Treat your classmates as you would want them to treat you! When somebody is talking, pay attention and listen to what he or she has to say, even if you disagree with what is being said. You have the right to speak up and present your viewpoint, but personal insults are not acceptable. Treating one another (and me) with respect will make our class more fun. And finally, please make sure that all cell phones are turned off during class.

Essay Format

All essays must follow MLA format: double-spaced, one-inch margins, with a typeface equivalent to approximately 300 words per page. To cite sources, be sure to include parenthetical citations and a works cited page. We will discuss MLA format in class; it is also explained in Chapter 17 of Writing Arguments.

Plagiarism

The use of another’s ideas or words as if they were one’s own is plagiarism. Be aware that LBCC regulations require that all instances of plagiarism be reported to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action. Please be careful to cite other people’s words and ideas that you incorporate – by way of quotation, paraphrase, and summary – into your essays.

Resources

Take advantage of the resources available to help you develop your writing skills and succeed in this class:

· Me -- I am dedicated to helping each of you achieve your academic goals. If you feel that you need extra assistance, please come to my office hours. I will be happy to help you.

· Writing and Reading Center -- The WRC is located at L149 on the LAC campus and GG129 on the PCC campus. You can receive FREE walk-in writing assistance from an English instructor or tutor. For more information, please ask me or call the Writing and Reading Center at 938-4520

· Computer Labs -- The English Department Computer Lab is located in P111 and is available to all students currently enrolled in an English course. For more information, visit the English Department’s web site at: http://engl.lbcc.edu. The Open Access Computer Lab is located in the south wing of the 2^nd floor of the Library Building (L208). It is free to use the computers (PC and Mac) for word processing or to access the Internet. Printing costs 10¢ per page. For more information, call 562-938-4852, or visit the web site: http://clas.lbcc.cc.ca.us/openaccess1.html

· Our class web site -- On our web site you will find the syllabus, assignments, and links to many web sites that I think you will find helpful. Please visit http://www.skidandkaren.com. Click on “Karen’s English Students.”

Course Schedule and Assignments

Note: this schedule is subject to change. If we need to spend more time

on any of the topics listed below, we will make adjustments.

	Mondays	Wednesdays
Week One Aug. 16 & 18	Course overview Interviews and introductions	Read Chapter 1, “Argument: An Introduction” (3-21) Read Chapter 17, “Using, Citing, and Documenting Sources” (384-405) Discuss MLA format
Week Two Aug. 23 & 25	Read Chapter 4, “The Core of an Argument: A Claim with Reasons” (75-86) Read Nicholas Kristof, “Let Them Sweat” (626-627) Read Chris Anderson, “Columnist Endorses Slave Labor for Children” (627-8) Read Tom Hayden and Charles Kernaghan, “Pennies and Hour, and No Way Up” (628-629)	Read Chapter 2, “Reading Arguments” (22-48) Discuss essay 1 assignment
Week Three Aug. 30 & Sept. 1	Read Chapter 3, “Writing Arguments” (49–71)	Quiz Read George Bush, “Graduation Speech at West Point” (726-730) Read Richard Falk, “The New Bush Doctrine” (730-735)
Week Four Sept. 6 & 8	Labor Day No classes!	Peer edit day for essay 1
Week Five Sept. 13 & 15	Essay 1 due Read Appendix One, “Informal Fallacies” (424-437)	Quiz Read Chapter 6, “Using Evidence Effectively” (109-128)
Week Six Sept. 20 & 22	Read Keith Bradsher, “Gimme an SUV—ASAP” (471-477) Read Tom Randall, “CAFE Belongs in the Graveyard with Its Victims” (477-479) Read Steven K. Lofton, “Affidavit of Steven K. Lofton” (591-594) Read Lisa Schiffren, “Gay Marriage, an Oxymoron” (590-591)	Read Chapter 16, “Finding and Evaluating Sources” (357-383) Overview of research project
Week Seven Sept. 27 & 29	Read Chapter 5, “The Logical Structure of Arguments” (87-108)	Quiz Discuss essay 2 assignment
Week Eight Oct. 4 & 6	Read Chapter 7, “Moving Your Audience: Ethos and Pathos” (129-139) Read John Derbyshire, “Maternal Madness” (709-11) Read Michelle Cottle, “Punishment that Fits” (713-716) Read Anna Quindlen, “Playing God on No Sleep” (717-719)	Read editorial from April 11, 2002, New York Times, “The President’s Narrow Morality” (694-5) Read Orrin G. Hatch, “Hatch Makes the Case for Regenerative Medicine” (695-699) Read Mona Charen, “Stem Cell Simplicities” (699-701)
Week Nine Oct. 11 & 13	Peer edit day for essay 2	Essay 2 due Discuss essay 3 assignment
Week Ten Oct. 18 & 20	Read Chapter 8, “Accommodating Your Audience: Treating Different Views” (140-164)	Quiz Read Andrew Sullivan, “Here Comes the Groom: A (Conservative) Case for Gay Marriage” (586-590) Read Kathryn Jean Lopez, “Egg Heads” (601-604) Read Gloria Steinem, “Supremacy Crimes” (659-662)
Week Eleven Oct. 25 & 27	Midterm Exam	Read Chapter 9, “Conducting Visual Arguments” (165-196)
Week Twelve Nov. 1 & 3	No class meeting - Conferences	Peer edit day for essay 3
Week Thirteen Nov. 8 & 10	No class meeting - Conferences	Essay 3 due Read Chapter 10, “An Intro to the Types of Claims” (199-207)
Week Fourteen Nov. 15 & 17	Read Chapter 15, “Proposal Arguments” (319-354)	Robert F. Kennedy, “Better Gas Mileage, Greater Security” (467-8) Read Froma Harrop, “Questioning the Motives of Home-Schooling Parents” (720-722) Read Raquel Cepeda, “Money, Power, Elect: Where’s the Hip-Hop Agenda? (550-557)
Week Fifteen Nov. 22 & 24	Read Gregory A. Jaffe, “Lessen the Fear of Genetically Engineered Crops” (510-511) Read Froma Harrop, “Food Industry Should Modify Its Stance on Altered Food” (511-513) Read sustainusa.org, “What is the FDA Trying to Feed Us? (513)	Read John J. Miller, “Our ‘Next Manifest Destiny’” (735-740) Read tompaine.com, “I Want You to Invade Iraq” (741) Read Not in Our Name Project, “A Statement of Conscience” (745-747)
Week Sixteen Nov. 29 & Dec. 1	Bring draft of Research Project to class	Oral Reports
Week Seventeen Dec. 6 & 8	Oral Reports	Oral Reports Research project due
Finals Week	Final Exam Wednesday, December 15 1:20 – 3:50 p.m.