Writing 20 Syllabus 2011

Instructor: Tim Fitzmaurice

Sections 2 & 6 MWF 2-3:10 & 3:30-4:40 in Crown Classroom 202, Merrill 132
timfitz@ucsc.edu, 459-2483 Office Hours: Wed 1 to 2 and by appointment in Crown 111

Required Texts:
Ainsworth, Alan, 75 Arguments: An Anthology.
Albom, M, Tuesdays with Morrie
Canada, fist stick knife gun (The texts for both sections are under Wr 20, section 6.)
Easy Writer, a grammar book purchased for your Core Course.

Required Work:
1. Write four formal essays, and revise two of them thoroughly.
2. Work with the Writing Assistant regularly.
3. Meet with the Instructor twice.
4. Do the in-class assignments & oral work, and submit all assignments on time.
5. Attend every class and participate in the discussion. If you will be absent, please let me know as soon as possible. Call or email.

Academic Honesty
It is important that you write your essays yourself without help from unknown sources outside of the class. I need to know how you are doing your work. Then I can help you to do it better. You will be assigned to a writing assistant for help in writing and revising your essays for the ELWR requirement. Please tell me if you need other help.
In addition, you need to be careful about quoting sources or using words from other writers. Be sure to give credit for every quote you use. Put quote marks around everything and use a parenthesis to tell me who said it first. If you use other people’s ideas, you need to tell where you got those ideas too, even if you do not quote the exact words. Good writers quote others. So citing sources won’t make your writing weaker. It will make it stronger. But you must give credit.

English Language Writing Requirement (ELWR)
Even if you do not need to satisfy the ELWR, the class still requires that you write four essays and two thorough revisions. If you have satisfied the ELWR already, then tell me what goals you have for this class when we meet. I will try to make sure the class is an effective experience for you. If you need to satisfy the ELWR Requirement, you have to do a few extra things. In this class we will write four essays and revise two of them. We will use those revisions for the ELWR Portfolio. To pass ELWR this quarter, you have to take an in-class exam for one hour, write a letter to the reader about your writing, and submit two essays (totaling 8 to 12 pages long). Each essay includes two drafts, an original draft with my marks on it and a final revision. The two essays will be from our class this quarter. So you should write every essay with a view to revising it to satisfy the ELWR requirement.

Essay Format
For essays for this class please use white paper and black ink, do not give me cover sheets or titles pages, leave space in the margins for my marks, double space, avoid unusual type fonts, write your name, the class, and the date in the upper right corner of the page, make sure the date is accurate, label it a revision if it is a rewrite, give every essay a title, put a page number on each page, and staple the essay in the upper left hand corner. I will comment on emailed essays, but I need a hard copy to mark the essay and I expect you to provide this. I do not accept essays by email unless we have some previous agreement. And even then, I expect a hard copy to follow.
Any essay in our texts can be used as source material for any essay you write. But no Web material is allowed. No Google. No Wiki quotes. If you have a question about this—or need an exception—talk to me. But I am pretty clear that you need to stay away from the web.
Essay Assignments: (You will receive a full page of description for each of the following assignments. But here is a brief description of what to expect. I may change the assignment significantly if events warrant.)

Essay 1 is on Censorship.
Using the essays provided in Ainsworth, 75 Arguments, especially Chapter 2, please write an analysis of the problem of freedom of expression and its limits. Quote the essays in our texts at least three times for all essays in this course, more if indicated.

Essay 2 is an essay on Identity and Culture.
For this essay we will reach into several chapters in Ainsworth, from Chapter 3, 4, 7 and 9. You will argue that cultural differences need to be understood and either used for happiness and success or modified. Note the essay by Maria Root, “Within, Between, and Beyond Race” or Patel’s “The Media and its representation of Islam and Muslim Women” or Edwards “… Bring me Home a Black Girl” or Sullivan’s “The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage.” You can look at culture is many different ways.

Essay 3 will be based on a reading of fist stick knife gun by Geoffrey Canada.
The essay will be supplemented with an oral report on a topic from Canada, wherein you will explain his position on some issue and your view of the same issue.

Essay 4 is on Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.
You have a wide variety of options, including
a. Death
Since it is the central theme of the book, it is a common choice of topic. It is challenging to say the least to write about this in an organized way. I recommend simpler concepts.
b. Education.
The book demonstrates a different attitude and approach to education. You could write about rethinking education like this.
c. Choose one of the book’s themes
In class we discussed many of the themes of the book. You could choose one of these themes as well and look at what the book said about it and what you thought about it. The themes include family and forgiveness and love and materialism.


Calendar for Writing 20 Winter 2010
Calendar of assignments for Writing 20 Sections 2 & 6.
Tim Fitzmaurice Winter 2011 2-3:10 & 3:30-4:40 Crown 202, Merrill 132
Texts: Ainsworth, Alan, 75 Arguments (2008); Canada, Geoffrey, fist stick knife gun (1995); Albom, Mitch, Tuesdays With Morrie (1997). Easy Writer, a grammar book.

Week 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE ACADEMIC ESSAY
1/5 Wed Introduction to the syllabus and to the ELWR requirements.
Assignments: Write a one-page profile of another student. Read for discussion the essays in Ainsworth 52-59& 138-141 & 114-117. Assignments: Write a brief note to tell me where the thesis is and whether the essay was persuasive. You will speak about this orally in class.
1/7 Fri Introduction of another student is due. Assignment: Read in Ainsworth, Chapter 2 on Censorship. I will assign specific essays. Write your opinion of censoring violence or obscenity.

Week 2 PURPOSE & THESIS: OPENING THE ESSAY
1/10 Mon Assignments: Write a thesis for essay 1. Write an analysis of a quote you intend to use in your essay.
1/12 Wed Assignment: Write a draft of Essay one. SEE YOUR TUTOR!
1/14 Fri Essay 1 is due. Assignments: Read Ainsworth essays pp. 157, 169, 172; Chapter 9 especially pp. 406, 419, 421, 425, 428. I will assign essays for you to focus on over the next week or two. Our next meeting is next Wednesday. Bring in a two-page response to an essay in this group. What is the author’s purpose? How does the writer make their point? What is your opinion? You have assignments for MLK Day.

Week 3 DEVELOPING ESSAYS: ESSAY STRUCTURE
1/17 Mon Holiday Assignments: Read on MLK (Ainsworth 279 & 414) Write a 2-page response to these essays or to the Convocation speaker. (The Convocation is 1/31)
1/19 Wed We will discuss Grammar
1/21 Fri. Assignments: Read Essays from Chapter 7 on Marriage and Divorce. I will assign specific essays. Write an approach or a thesis for Essay 2 on Identity and Culture.

Week 4 SUPPORTING ESSAY: ANALYZING & INTERPRETING TEXTS
1/24 Mon Assignments: Refine your thesis and choose quotable supporting material to analyze for Essay 2. Write the quotes (about three) and your analysis in a page or so.
1/26 Wed We will discuss Grammar
1/28 Fri Essay 2 is due. Assignments: Read Geoffrey Canada’s book, fist stick knife gun, Part 1. Write a response to one section. I will assign the section.

Week 5 REVISING: A WRITER’S GRAMMAR & RHETORIC
1/31 Mon Assignments: Read Canada Part 2. Write a response to one section. MLK Convocation with Terrence Roberts—Little Rock Nine. SC Civic Auditorium 7pm Free
2/2 Wed Assignments: Read essays from Ainsworth Chapter 1 and the Introduction.
2/4 Fri Assignments: Read Canada Part 3. Write a thesis for Essay 3. You can begin to write the rough draft.

Week 6 REVISING: SENTENCE STRUCTURE & STYLE
2/7 Mon Assignment: Write a Draft of Essay 3
2/9 Wed We will discuss revision.
2/11 Fri Essay 3 is due. Assignments: Read Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie to Page 100 and beyond. Write an example, a personal observation, of good education and/or bad education. Revise your essays 1 and 2.

Week 7 REVISING: STRUCTURE OF PARAGRAPHS—UNITY & COHERENCE
2/14 Mon
2/16 Wed We will discuss revision. Assignment: Revise your essays.
2/18 Fri A Revised Essay is due. Assignment: Read the last half of Albom.

Week 8 LOGIC, FACTS, TEXTS, AND EXAMPLES: TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT
2/21 Mon Holiday.
2/23 Wed
2/25 Fri Two Revised Essays are due. Assignment: Write your letter for the ELWR portfolio.

Week 9 IMMEDIATE WRITING
2/28 Mon We will discuss revision and in-class writing.
3/2 Wed In-Class essay for the ELWR. Don’t miss this class!
3/4 Fri All portfolios are due for ELWR. Assignment: Readings from Ainsworth on technology and writing, Chapter 11.

Week 10 WRITING FROM EXPERIENCE
3/7 Mon Assignment: Write your theme and thesis for essay 4.
3/9 Wed Assignment: Write a personal experience to use as an opening for essay 4.
3/11 Fri

Week 11
3/14 Mon Final day of class—No final exam; all revisions & Essay 4 are due.

This calendar is subject to change. But the due dates should be correct. The readings might be adjusted but they are about right. I will ask you to write in class often and the source for those writings will be these essays as well as material I find elsewhere.