Persuasive Writing
English 425 Home | Schedule of Assignments | Grading Criteria | Announcements and Updates | Contact Information |
Welcome
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. In other words, we will think about written (and spoken)
language as a powerful tool. We will think about language use as an act
which matters, a deed which has consequences.
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 use persuasive writing.
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?
Primary Course Activities and Requirements
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
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. If in your "extracurricular" reading you come across a
passage or a text which does something interesting with language or a
particular writing strategy, please feel free to bring it to class to
share with us. Given that we are studying the use of language as an act
which has consequences, 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
the readings or in class. We will talk about them in class, and I will
often post information about the exercises on our class website (linked
from the Schedule of Assignments). These exercises will not always be
graded; when they are graded, they will be evaluated on a scale of 1-10.
Papers are chances for you to develop your ideas, 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 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 paper placed in my campus mailbox between Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. and the following Monday at 2:30 p.m. drops two letter grades. I will not accept a paper after 2:30 p.m. on the Monday following its due date; instead, you will receive a zero for the assignment.
Participation
In other classes, have you found that your participation increases the
learning you achieve? Class participation will be informally but clearly
reflected in your papers, since your papers will benefit from the clarity
of thought and expression and the exchange of ideas which
class discussions provoke. In addition, class participation is formally
accounted for in your grade for this class. Class participation includes
(but is not limited to) involvement in large and small group discussions,
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 talk with me, review this code at http://www.umich.edu/~oscr/20010701SRR.html, 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, etc.); thus, your presence will
have 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 two absences 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
unexcused absence after your first two 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, write me a memo or send me an email well
in advance. Make clear for what you are asking and tell me whatever I
need to know to make a decision, which I will convey to you in writing or
via email (making the request does not guarantee an
affirmative reply). I can't usually give you full attention in
the moments before or after
class. I will make better decisions if I am given good information and
time to consider a question or
problem.
Grading
Your final grade in this course is a compilation of assignments, as the
list below makes clear.
Paper #1 | 15% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paper #2 | 25% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paper #3 | 25% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercises | 20% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Participation | 15% |
Remember that absences, late arrivals, and early departures also have an impact on your overall grade for the semester (see the "Course Activities and Requirements" section above for more information).
Office Hours
I will hold office hours throughout the semester. Office
hours are an extension of the classroom. You are welcome to come by with
questions, comments, and concerns. If you are enjoying a writing
strategy or topic and would
like to discuss it further, if you are having a problem with
the course, if you don't understand something, come and see me. I am
happy to talk with you about your writing exercises or papers during
office
hours, whether it is to work with you at the brainstorming stage or to
give you some feedback on a draft. Why not stop
by?
Communication Outside of Office Hours
With Me
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. Outside of office hours, email is by
far the best option. When possible, I will use email 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 class.
With Your Classmates
Your classmates are an integral part of your English 425 experience. I
recommend that you introduce yourself to people in this class (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, etc. This email exchange
is voluntary, so if someone declines to give you her or his email address,
please respect that
choice.
Services for Students with
Disabilities
If you think you may need an accommodation for any sort of disability,
please contact Services for Students with Disabilities (G-219 Angell Hall,
763-3000, http://www.umich.edu/~sswd/ssd)
and make an appointment to see
me during my office hours within the first two weeks of the
semester.
The Gayle Morris Sweetland Writing
Center
You may find the Sweetland Writing Center to be a valuable resource when
you write papers for this and other University of Michigan classes. If
you are interested in finding out more about their services, including the
On-Line Writing Lab, Writing Workshops, and Peer Tutoring, visit the
Sweetland at 1139 Angell Hall, call 764-0429, or check out their
website
at http://www.lsa.umich.edu/swc.
The Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
Program
This course is part of the Advanced
Writing in the Disciplines Program (AWDP). That means it fulfills the
Upper-Level Writing Requirement. The mission of the AWDP is predicated on
the belief that "Writing makes thought visible and enhances learning," and
the AWDP's "purpose is to provide writing-centered courses in students'
chosen
fields (or fields of interest) that incorporate writing as a catalyst for
research, dialogue, analysis, and expression." In this class, we'll go a
step further--we'll see writing not only as something which enhances
learning and acts as a catalyst for research, dialogue, analysis, and
expression, but also as something which is performative, which has real
consequences in the world. Since our philosophy about writing includes
the AWDP's, this course fulfills that requirement.
Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, cheating, double
submission of papers, aiding and abetting dishonesty, and fabrication,
will not be tolerated. Carefully review the English Department's
policy
on plagiarism. If you have any questions about "what counts,"
please see me
immediately.
Some Final Notes
Commercial Notetaking
The collection, recounting, promulgation, or selling of materials based on
this course, including its website, lectures, 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.
A.T.03
Persuasive Writing
English 425 Home | Schedule of Assignments | Grading Criteria | Announcements and Updates | Contact Information |