English 124.027: Public and Private Spaces

2006 Modern Language Building | TTh 2:30-4 p.m. | Winter 2000

Instructor: Amanda Watson (alwatson@umich.edu)
Office: 3023A Tisch Hall
Phone: 764-0418
Office hours: Thursday 10-11:30 and by appointment
Mailbox: 3161 Angell Hall

Course description:

What separates personal places -- our homes, the landscapes where we grew up -- from the world at large? Why is it important for so many writers to evoke this sense of place? This course is designed to introduce you, gradually and enjoyably, to the key facets of the college writing experience by means of writing about literary works. More specifically, we will concentrate on revision -- of a thesis, of an argument, of your prose style -- as a central part of the process of writing. How do we "translate" the raw materials of our own, often quite personal, experience (including our responses to literature) into finished essays? How do we move from summary and description of these responses into the kind of analysis that makes literature so rewarding? How do we convert journal notes, brief written responses, and unpolished rough drafts into writing we can be proud to show our peers and instructors in the university community? We will focus on the topic of public and private places to explore the inner terrain of a variety of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. As the semester goes on, we will try to discover models for our own progression from personal narratives to formal academic writing.

Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
James Joyce, Dubliners
Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
Andrea Lunsford and Robert Connors, EasyWriter: A Pocket Guide

Please note: you should purchase your textbooks by no later than the end of the seventh week of the semester (Shaman Drum returns unsold books after this time). You can also order your textbooks online at the Shaman Drum website.

A course pack of additional readings will be available at Accu-Copy (518 E. William). Readings from the course pack are designated "CP" on the syllabus.

Schedule of Readings and Assignments for the Course

(Please note: this syllabus is subject to change.)

Course policies

If you need to be excused from class because of a medical or family emergency or a religious observance, please see me in advance or as soon after the event as possible. I will require that you bring in documentation of the reasons for your absence where appropriate.

Participation: Participation in class counts for 10% of your grade (see grade breakdown below). Participation includes your active involvement in both class discussions and in workshops. You are expected to have read the text(s) listed on the syllabus for each class meeting. Since our readings will serve as the basis for both discussion and, on occasion, in-class writing, it is crucial to your participation grade that you complete the reading on time.

In-class presentations: Twice in the semester, you will be asked to make an in-class presentation as part of a small group. These presentations will count for 5% of your grade. For each presentation, you and one or two other members of the class will sign up to lead a class discussion for approximately 20 minutes. You and your partner(s) will be responsible for presenting one or two questions about the assigned reading, soliciting responses from your classmates, and keeping the discussion going for the first third of the class period.

Course web page: An online version of this syllabus, together with each week's reading and writing assignments for the course, will be posted on the course web site. If you lose any of your handouts, you should visit the main page of the web site. In addition, you will be asked to complete online reading and writing assignments using the UM CourseTools resources. More detailed instructions will follow.

Workshops: There will be four in-class writing workshops, during which you will work together in small groups to comment on each other's drafts. Each workshop will take place on a Tuesday. Multiple copies of your draft will be due to me at the beginning of class on the Thursday before the workshop. I will redistribute the copies of your draft to the other members of your workshop group at the end of the Thursday class meeting immediately before the workshop. When you turn in your drafts, therefore, please include your fellow group members' names in the header at the top of your first page. More information about the workshop process will be provided in a separate handout.

Paper format: Unless otherwise specified, all assignments for this class must be typed, in a 12-point font, and double-spaced. Your margins should be approximately 1" wide. Multiple-page assignments must be stapled (I will not be held responsible for missing pages!) and have page numbers. You don't need to provide a separate title page for your papers--just put a header with your name, the date, and the course number at the top of your first page. And remember: every paper must have a title!

Late papers: Late workshop drafts will not be accepted and will result in a lower grade, at my discretion, on the revised paper. Late revised papers will be marked down a third of a letter grade per day. I will allow one extension of up to seven days, but you must notify me at least 24 hours before the final due date for the paper if you wish to request an extension. There will be no extensions on the final paper, which is due on April 14th.

Rewrites: As this course is designed to teach you how to revise your work, opportunities for rewriting are already built into the syllabus. You will be revising drafts of all four papers; see the syllabus for details. I will not, however, accept rewrites of final drafts except under special circumstances. Please see me before requesting a rewrite.

Conferences: You will be asked to sign up for a short (20 minutes) conference with me during the seventh or eighth week of the semester. I will circulate a sign-up sheet before the conferences begin. In addition to this longer conference, you are always welcome to come to my office hours with any questions you may have about the course, the assignments, or the readings.

Plagiarism: See the "Plagiarism" handout for details on what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. The University takes plagiarism very, very seriously. It's considered a breach of academic standards, as well as a form of theft. If you use someone else's words and/or ideas without appropriate attribution, you will fail the assignment and be placed on academic probation. In short, just don't do it. And if you aren't sure how to cite a source, please ask!

Grade breakdown

Papers:

Paper 1: 15%

Paper 2: 20%

Paper 3: 20%

Paper 4: 20%

total: 75%

Other written assignments: 10%

Attendance & participation: 10%

In-class presentations: 5%

Grading standard

This grading standard is adapted from Maxine Hairston's Instructor's Manual: Contemporary Composition, 4^th edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986).

The "A" paper

The "B" paper

This paper is a strong one that does more than fulfill the assignment. It shows evidence of thought and planning, and thoroughly develops its analysis into a clear and interesting point. Although the logic of the analysis may need further clarification, it is generally well-organized with plenty of detailed supporting evidence and fluid transitions. Because the writer is dealing in the specific rather than the general, he or she has been able to demonstrate successfully why his or her argument should be important and relevant to the reader. To cross the border into the "A" realm, this paper needs to push its thinking and analysis further, beyond common knowledge or well-worn definitions and opinions into fresher intellectual ground. The paper is stylistically adept, does not have too many mechanical errors, and is a pleasure to read.

The "C" paper

The "C" paper comes in many different forms. In general, such a paper fulfills the assignment in a routine way, shows some evidence of engagement with the topic, and sets forth an argument that isn't quite analytical enough. As it stands, this paper does not fully make clear the importance or relevance of its argument; upon finishing it, the reader is left to ask "So what?"or "What's the point?" Such questions are signs that the point the essay is trying to make is too simplistic, never going beyond a black/white, yes/no, either/or framework in order to engage more complex ways of thinking about the issues at hand. This paper is usually stylistically adequate, and generally (but not completely) avoids glaring platitudes and distracting word choice.

A "C" might also describe essays which either have many fresh, complex ideas that are unfortunately buried beneath the mechanical and stylistic problems or that express common and relatively uninspired ideas with perfect diction and style.

The "D" paper

This essay has many weaknesses, but at least attempts to fulfill the terms of the assignment. The writer has attempted to formulate some sort of argument and may even posit a thesis (although usually not clearly); however, no evidence of real or effective engagement or innovation exists. Numerous mechanical, syntactical, expressive and organizational problems mar the development of an effective and easy-to-follow argument in this paper. Clichés, unexamined assumptions, and unsupported assertions are also the rule here, but the paper is comprehensible in a general way.

The "E" paper

This paper is full of mechanical, syntactical, and grammatical errors. It reads like it was written during an all-nighter the night before. It makes little or no effort to think analytically, relying instead on far too many cliches, unexamined assumptions and unsupported assertions. The rare idea is presented haphazardly. The "E" paper may not adhere to the assignment, or may be a plagiarized paper.