Welcome to English 425. The official title of this course is “Advanced Essay Writing,” which is a vague but workable title for an upper-level writing course. In this particular section of “Advanced Essay Writing,” we will work on a particular type of writing: argumentative or persuasive writing. We will think about written (and spoken) language as a very powerful tool. What we say and what we write matters, and they matter a lot.

In fact, the signers of the United States Constitution declared the free use of language—freedom of expression—to be the most important right of United States citizens. Susan B. Anthony and dozens of other women used the only power they had, the power of language, to ensure women their right to vote in the United States. And the persuasive eloquence of Martin Luther King, Jr., changed this nation's consciousness. These were ordinary people doing extraordinary things with language. What about you? Do you aspire to extraordinary things, or do you simply hope to land a great job or appeal a parking ticket? Either way, you'll need to write or speak persuasively.

This semester, we will increase our awareness of, respect for, and facility with persuasive writing. To heighten your enthusiasm for and understanding of argumentative writing, you will choose topics that matter to you as we play with, analyze, and practice such language use. We'll write almost daily, and you will submit occasional writing exercises and three formal essays to be evaluated during the semester.

Frequently, you will have the chance to consider ideas with which you disagree or examine things from a completely new or foreign perspective. Additional objectives of this class are that you increasingly will exhibit what Howard Gabennesch of the University of Southern Indiana calls “the willingness to grant due process to [different] ideas . . . before rendering an informed and reasoned verdict” and that you will “recogni[ze] that the world is often not what it seems.” To help us achieve these objectives, would you please keep them in mind as you participate in the activities of this course?

There is one required textbook for this course, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, 3rd edition. Ancient Rhetorics is available at Shaman Drum Bookshop (313 South State Street, 662-7407, <http://www.shamandrum.com>), and also is on reserve at the undergraduate library. Throughout the semester I will post information and exercises for you on our course website.  You occasionally will need to print this material and bring it with you to class. Please bring Ancient Rhetorics, your course notebook (including handouts distributed throughout the term and lots of blank paper), notes and drafts for the paper on which we are currently working, and of course a pen or two to each class session.

The Schedule of Assignments includes readings, writing exercises, and three formal essays. Quizzes are a possibility. These (hopefully infrequent) quizzes and your active engagement in small-group and class workshops and discussions amount to the participation component of the course. Attendance is required.

Readings
This course is based on discussion, not lectures, so I expect you to do the assigned reading carefully and come to class ready to talk about your reactions to it. Additionally, when you come across a passage or a text on your own—in readings for other courses, in a political address, in a newspaper editorial, in a television commercial, a magazine ad, a top-40 song—which does something interesting with language or a particular writing strategy, please bring it to class to share with us. Language matters. I encourage you to read other people's language as carefully as you write and read your own.

Writing Exercises and Papers
Writing exercises are short, thoughtful responses to questions posed in our readings or in class. We will talk about these exercises in class, and I often will post information about the exercises on our course website, linked from the online Schedule of Assignments. Some information and readings I’ve used in previous semesters already are online, but as our class develops its own paces, rhythms, and interests, I’ll make modifications to the exercises, and additions and subtractions to the readings. As I adapt this online material to our class throughout the semester, I welcome your suggestions.  These writing exercises will not always be graded. When they are graded, they will be evaluated on a scale of 1-10.

Papers are opportunities for you to develop your ideas more fully, to express arguments for a particular audience and with a particular purpose in mind. I will distribute assignment sheets for papers two weeks before each paper is due, and I will distribute and we will discuss grading criteria within the first three weeks of class.

Papers and writing exercises must be typed, double-spaced, left-justified, and printed in a standard font and font size (usually 10 or 12, depending on the font), with one or one and one-quarter inch margins. All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Writing exercises will not be accepted after the start of class on the day they are due; instead, you will receive a zero for the assignment. A copy of your first or second paper placed in my campus mailbox at any time between Friday at 4:00 p.m. and the following Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., or a copy of your third paper placed in my campus mailbox at any time between Tuesday at 4:00 pm and 12:00 pm on the Thursday immediately following its due date, drops two letter grades. I will not accept either of the first two papers after 2:30 p.m. on the Wednesday following its due date or the third paper after 12:00 pm on the Thursday following its due date; instead, you will receive a zero for the assignment. Please do not email papers or exercises to me (if you will be absent on a day an assignment is due, consider emailing it to a classmate you trust for "on-time" delivery).

Participation
In other classes, have you found that your participation increases what you get out of the course? Class participation informally but clearly will be reflected in your papers, since your papers will benefit from the creativity and clarity of thought and expression and the exchange of ideas which class discussions provoke. In addition, class participation formally is accounted for in your grade for this class. Class participation includes (but is not limited to) involvement in large and small group discussions, workshops, writing exercises, and an occasional unannounced quiz. Some active participation is taken as a given. Intelligent, frequent participation which forwards class discussion or consideration of relevant issues can raise your grade (questions you ask, by the way, may be as interesting as the answers we come up with). Failure to participate at a basic level, including by virtue of excessive absences, can reduce your grade, as can negative or inappropriate participation.

I expect you to come to each session prepared, with reading and writing assignments completed. I also expect you to be attentive and responsive to other members of this class—your colleagues. This classroom must be one of mutual respect and open exchange. The University's Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities explains that the University of Michigan “is dedicated to supporting and maintaining its scholarly community. As its central purpose, this community promotes intellectual inquiry through vigorous discourse. Values which undergird this purpose include civility, dignity, diversity, education, equality, freedom, honesty, and safety.” If you have any questions, please review this Statement at http://www.umich.edu/~oscr/statement.htm or call the Office of Student Conflict Resolution at 936-6308.

Attendance
Attendance is required. It is a prerequisite for class participation (discussion, workshops, quizzes, and the like). Your presence has a direct and important effect on your success in this course. If you are absent, seek out two classmates for an explanation of what was covered that day, and then see me during office hours. You may have three absences, regardless of cause, without penalty (if you are absent on a day a paper or writing exercise is due, the assignment still must be submitted by the start of class on the due date to avoid late penalties). For each absence other than those three absences, your final grade will be lowered by one letter grade. Two late arrivals or early departures of less than fifteen minutes convert to one absence. If you miss more than fifteen minutes of a class, you will be considered absent.

Adapting the Course Procedures and Requirements
If you have questions about course procedures or if you want to bypass a course requirement or deadline, please send me an email well in advance. I can't usually give you full attention in the moments before or after class (in fact, I teach another course immediately before ours). I will make better decisions if I am given good information and time to consider your request.

With Your Classmates
Your classmates are an integral part of your English 425 experience. I recommend that you introduce yourself to people in this course (you will have opportunities to do so early in the semester), and that you exchange email addresses with several classmates so that you can form study groups, find out what you missed in case of an absence, and the like. This email exchange is voluntary, so if someone declines to give you her or his email address, please respect that choice.

With Me
I will use students' "umich" email accounts to contact class members in case class is canceled because of snow or some other emergency, or if I want to pass on useful information about the course. The most efficient way to get in touch with me outside of class time and office hours is email. During the semester, I check my email every weekday—more frequently than I check my campus mailbox for notes. I have an answering machine on my office phone, but I check that only on days when our class meets. Email by far is the best option. Please be sure, though, to email me from your “umich” account, rather than from a commercial account. I am quick to delete email from addresses I don’t recognize.

This course fulfills the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts’ Upper-Level Writing Requirement. If you have questions about the ULWR, please contact the program’s administrators at the Sweetland Writing Center.

Your final grade in this course is determined as follows: 
            Paper #1                        15%                        Exercises            20%
            Paper #2                        25%                        Participation       15%
            Paper #3                        25%

Did you notice that an “E” in participation will preclude you from earning an “A” in this course—no matter how good your writing is? This emphasis on participation reflects the research on teaching and learning which demonstrates that—regardless of your learning style—activities such as discussion and ungraded, short writing exercises significantly increase learning. To account for the learning which cannot be reflected entirely in your graded writing assignments, your participation contributes to your overall grade in this course.

Remember that absences, late arrivals, and early departures also have an impact on your overall grade for the semester (see the “Primary Activities and Requirements” section above for more information).

Commercial Notetaking
The collection, recounting, promulgation, or selling of materials based on this course, including its website, lectures, discussions, exercises, assignments, handouts, or other activities and materials is prohibited.

Changes in the Policies and Schedule of Assignments
These course policies and the schedule of assignments are subject to change. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out about such changes.