Johnson State College
External Degree Program
ENG-1220-JY02 Rhetorical Expression
Syllabus – Spring 2017
Instructor: Diane Sabatino ([email protected])
Dates: Jan. 16 to April 30 (no class April 3 to 7)
Location: Online using Moodle (http://myjsc.jsc.edu)
ADA Statement: Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class
are encouraged to contact JSC’s Learning Specialist in Academic Services, as soon as possible to ensure
that accommodations, if needed, are implemented in a timely fashion. Please call 802-635-1264 or email
[email protected].
Academic Honesty: (from JSC Catalog) Students are expected to conform to the highest standards of
academic honesty in all of their academic work at Johnson State College. Academic dishonesty in any
form is prohibited and unacceptable. Acts of dishonesty for which a student may be disciplined include,
but are not limited to, receiving or providing unauthorized assistance on an examination and plagiarizing
the work of others in writing assignments. The American Heritage Dictionary defines plagiarism in the
following way: “To steal or use (the ideas or writings of another) as one’s own.” Students are responsible
for knowing what specific acts constitute plagiarism; if students are uncertain as to whether a particular
act constitutes plagiarism, they should consult with their instructors before turning in assigned work.
Texts: Texts are available through the JSC bookstore. Call 802-635-2503 or go to www.jsc.bkstr.com.
Required Text: The Longman Reader – Brief Edition –Eleventh Edition
Judith Nadell John Langan Eliza A. Comodromos
ISBN 13: 978-0-13-380040-1
Overview:
Rhetorical Expression is a 3-credit, Pass/Not-Pass course in English Composition. It is required for all External
Degree Program students. Please note there are no letter grades for this course .
Course Goals:
▪ With intensive practice and close instruction, students will become effective and comfortable with the writing
process, including planning, drafting, editing, revising, and proofreading.
▪ Students will acquire an understanding of the mechanics of good writing by learning to identify and correct
technical problems in their own writing and by learning to identify effective techniques and common problems in
the writing of others.
▪ Students will familiarize themselves with standard rhetorical forms and strategies such as description,
exemplification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, and argument/persuasion.
▪ Students will enhance their skills in written expression by concentrating on using clear, precise language and by
working to develop a natural, personal style of writing that incorporates both literal and figurative language and
tone.
▪ When appropriate, students will refine their ability to perform research and to employ academically appropriate
supporting materials properly and effectively in their own writing.
Course Methods/Activities:
Class work is divided into three general areas: participation, informal exercises/assignments, and formal essay
writing. Drafting and revising the various essays, some basic skills exercises and an in-class essay exam.
1. Participation - includes weekly attendance online (Minimum one posting a week). Students will
actively and significantly participate in online discussion and activities.
2.
Informal Written Exercises: Some online class time will be devoted to strengthening writing
mechanics, free writes, responses to assigned questions from readings and other brief assignments.
3.
Formal Essays: Students will submit both a rough and final draft of each of the four assigned essays. Each
essay should be between 1 ½ -3 pages. Two essays will require research proper use of MLA or APA
citation style of documentation. Each essay will have a different focus and will be written in the assigned
rhetorical pattern. The final persuasive/argument essay will be 5-7 pages in length – MLA or APA style.
Evaluating and Grading Policies
This is a Pass/No Pass course, for which students do not receive a letter grade. However, because I am required to
post a grade at the end, which then is translated into a pass/no pass, I offer grades of each of your submissions.
Students will need to have a 75% minimum average and have completed all rough and final drafts of assigned essays
to earn a passing grade. I do not accept a rough draft submission of the final 5-7page paper. This encourages
students to carefully proofread and edit the problematic areas, such as content, grammar/mechanics, citations and
organization addressed and edited in the short essays throughout the semester. The final paper must demonstrate as
noted below… The ability to produce essays with well-organized sentences and paragraphs that make a point and
show a sense of structure in developing the point or thesis of the essay
*The final paper must meet the requirements/objectives of the academic writing standards. If the final project does
not receive a passing grade of 75% or above, the student will not receive a passing grade for the course no matter
the overall average of his/her grades for the semester.
▪ Students must participate regularly in Forum and complete assignments on due dates in order to receive a
passing grade.
Attendance/Postings
Attending class includes both posting homework assignments on time and active significant participation in online
discussion and activities. You will need to post at least once a week. The assignments and due dates are posted on
the syllabus – students will want to submit on the due dates to receive credit for the assignment. No Late
Assignments will be accepted.
Pass
This grade means that the student is able to demonstrate mastery of the writing skills taught in the course at a level
sufficient to expect that the student will be able, in further academic studies, to write adequately at a college level, to
understand assignment directions, and to submit written work when due. Specifically, the passing student will be
able to demonstrate:
▪ A writing process that involves multiple drafts, revision, and editing;
▪ Discovery and development of effective strategies for identifying audience and purpose, making a coherent point,
and choosing rhetorical patterns and strategies to convey that point; and
▪ The ability to produce essays with well-organized sentences and paragraphs that make a point and show a sense of
structure in developing the point or thesis of the essay.
No Pass
Students will not pass the course unless they can demonstrate a mastery of course skills sufficient to expect that the
student will be able to produce appropriate written work for future college studies. In other words, there is no such
thing as a "marginal pass" for this course. Students unable to write a coherent and well-constructed essay by the
conclusion of the course will not pass.
If students fail to observe attendance requirements, to submit written work when due, and plagiarizing from other
students or from external written sources, they will be at risk for the evaluation of NO PASS.
A Note About Plagiarism
The purpose of this course is to help students develop their own ability to think and to communicate such thought
effectively in writing. Plagiarism is logically inconsistent with that purpose and is ethically unacceptable.
Part of what we'll be covering in the course is strategies to avoid unintentional plagiarism. Unintentional plagiarism
should be remedied by the drafting process we'll be using in the course. It will not be tolerated in any form whether
intentional or unintentional. All plagiarized papers will receive an F and the student may be referred to the
academic deal for disciplinary action.
2017 Spring Rhetorical Expression Class Syllabus
Papers, Essay Reading & Response Assignments, Due Dates
Week 1 - January 16
Read – Reading Critically – pages 1-11 – Take note of the sample essay “Family Counterculture” – The
marginal annotations. As well read The Writing Process pages 15 -31. Pay special attention to the
Patterns of writing on page 27 & 28 as you will be reading and analyzing selections from text and
writing short essays this semester using many of these patterns.
Read – Identifying and Writing an Effective Thesis – pages 31-35
Read - Supporting the Thesis with Evidence – pages 35-43
Read – Organize Evidence & Prepare an Outline – pages 43-48
Read – Write the Supporting Paragraphs – pages 52-54
Read – Transitions – pages 54 - 56
Read – Introductions and Conclusions – pages 56 -59
Due – Post by: January 23
Write: Complete and submit your responses to the basic grammar, punctuation and
mechanic exercises.
Write: Write an essay about your strengths and weaknesses in writing – relate your essay to the assigned
reading and writing process – Ex: Introductions may be a problem…why? Developing a thesis
statement may be difficult. Why? Outlines have or have not helped, why? Patterns of writing –
which ones come more easily to you, why? Etc. (This should be between 1 ½ to 3 pages)
Week 2 - Assigned on: January 23
Read - Description – pages 78- 91
Read - David Helvary – “The Storm This Time” – pages 97-102. Answer the following questions on page
103- #1 (close reading) and questions 1-4 on page 103. (writer’s craft)
Read - Narration – pages 110 - 124
Read- Joan Murray – “Someone’s Mother” – pages 135-137. Answer questions #1 on page 137
(close reading) and questions 1-4 on page 137 -138 (writer’s craft)
Due – Post by: January 30
Write: Post your responses to the questions that are assigned to each reading in forum.
Write: Write a response to one student about his/her responses to the readings.
Write: Submit rough draft of a Narrative/Descriptive Essay written in first and/or third person.
(Required paper length between 1 ½ and 3 pages)
Week 3- Assigned on: January 30
Read - Exemplification – pages 141- 156
Read – Kay Hymowitz – “Tweens: Ten Going on Sixteen” – pages 157-161 - Answer questions #1 on
page 161 (close reading) and questions 1-4 on page 162- (writer’s craft)
Read - Division –Classification – pages 172 – 179
Read - David Brooks- “Psst! Human Capital” – Pages 195-197 - Answer questions #1 on page 197 (close
reading) and questions 1-4 on page 197 (writer’s craft)
Due – Post by: February 6
Write: Post your responses to the questions that are assigned to each reading in forum.
Write: Write a response to one student about his/her responses to the readings.
Write: Submit final draft of a Narrative/Descriptive Essay. (Required paper length between 1 ½ and 3 pages)
.
Week 4 - Assigned on: February 6
Read – Process Analysis- pages -205 –213
Read – Alex Horton– “On Getting By” pages 227-242. Answer questions #1 on page 231 (close
reading) and questions 1-4 on page 232. (writer’s craft)
Due – Post by: February 13
Write: Post your responses to the questions that are assigned to each reading.
Write: Write a response to one student about his/her responses to the readings
Write: Complete and submit your responses to the grammar review exercise.
Week 5 - Assigned on: February 13
Read – Comparison –Contrast – pages 247 – 255
Read - Rachel Carson – “A Fable for Tomorrow” - This essay with corresponding questions will be posted; it
is not in the text.
Read - Joseph H. Suina – “And Then I Went to School” This essay with corresponding questions will be posted; it
is not in the text.
Due – Post by: February 20
Write: Post your responses to the questions that are assigned to each reading.
Write: Write a response to one student about his/her responses to the readings
Write: Submit rough draft of a Comparison/Contrast Essay in third person.
(Required paper length between 1 ½ and 3 pages)
Week 6- Assigned on: February 20
Complete Comparison Contrast Essays
Due – Post by: February 27
Write: Submit final draft of a Comparison/Contrast Essay.
(Required paper length between 1 ½ and 3 pages)
Week 7 - Assigned on: February 27
Read – Cause –Effect – pages 281-289
Read – Jaun Williams “The Ruling That Changed America”––pages 311-316
Answer question #1 on page 316 (close reading) and questions 1-4 on page 316 (writer’s craft) –
Review – Writing an Effective Thesis – pages 31-33
Due – Post by: March 6
Write: Post your responses to the questions that are assigned to each reading.
Write: Write a response to one student about his/her responses to the readings
Write: Write a thesis statement for your FINAL Paper, which will be a 5-7 page argument/persuasive
paper, with 2-3 sources cited, works cited and outline. This paper should be written in third person.
Week 8 - Assigned on: March 6
Read: Erica Zwieg’s student essay with marginal notes - “Party with a Purpose” pages 290-292.
Due – Post by: March 13
Write: Select a topic from page 317 under General Assignments to complete the following assignment:
Submit rough draft of a Cause-Effect Essay in third person.
(Required paper length between 1 ½ and 3 pages – with one supporting source.
Week 9 - Assigned on: March 13
Read- Definition – pages 319-325
Read – Jo Goodwin Parker– “What is Poverty?” This essay will be posted along
with questions; it is not in the text.
Due – Post by: March 20
Write: Post your responses to the questions that are assigned to each reading.
Write: Write a response to one student about his/her responses to the reading.
Week 10- Assigned on: March 20
Read – Argumentation-Persuasive- pages 353-375
Due – Post by: March 27
Write - Submit final draft of a Cause-Effect Essay.
(Required paper length between 1 ½ and 3 pages
Week 11 - Assigned on: March 27
Read – Wendell Berry – “Farming and the Global Economy” pages 393 -397 - Answer
question #1 on page 397 close reading) and questions 1-4 on page 397-398 (writer’s craft
FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT Part one AS WELL NEXT WEEK.
Read pages 376 –381 The Student Sample Essay - Pay special attention to the marginal notes/instructions. This
is a good example of a persuasive essay. It is 5 ½ pages in length with cited sources, which falls in line with your 57 page cited paper required for your final persuasive essay.
Work on your final project. As noted in the course description, I do not accept a rough draft submission of the full
final 5-7page paper. ONLY the first full page of your final paper may be submitted for my review. This
encourages students to carefully proofread and edit the problematic areas, such as content, grammar/mechanics,
citations and organization addressed and edited in the short essays throughout the semester. The final paper must
demonstrate as noted … The ability to produce essays with well-organized sentences and paragraphs that make a
point and show a sense of structure in developing the point or thesis of the essay.
Write and submit ONLY the first page of your final argument/persuasive paper
(Required final paper length between 5 and 7 pages) – 2-4 sources from credible sites – peer reviewed
journals, etal
I do not request/accept a rough draft of the full final paper. Students will want to review the noted
comments and suggestions made throughout the semester on earlier papers in terms of effective pattern
use/ content/grammar/mechanics and punctuation concerns. On the first page of the final that you will
submit next week on Monday April 10, I will make general comments and statements to make sure you are
on the right path for your final project.
No Class – April 3 – April 7
Due – Post by: April 10
Write: Post your responses to the questions that are assigned to each reading.
Write: Write a response to one student about his/her responses to the reading.
Due – Post by: April 10
Submit ONLY the first page of your final argument/persuasive paper.
Please note - No late papers will be
accepted.
(Required final paper length between 5 and 7 pages) – 2-4 sources from credible sites – peer reviewed
journals, etal
Week 12 - Assigned on: April 10
Read- Combining The Patterns – pages 417-425
Read – Martin Luther King, Jr. “Where Do We Go From Here: Community or Chaos?” – pages 436-439
Write – Write a paper that highlights the various patterns- used in Martin Luther King’s essay – (a page or two in
length). – Use examples from essay to support your pattern choices.
Due – Post by: April 17
Submit the assigned paper that highlights the various patterns- used in Martin Luther King’s essay – (at least one
page in length). – Use examples from essay to support you pattern choices.
Week 13 - Assigned on: April 17
Complete your final 5 – 7-page persuasive paper.
*The final paper must meet the requirements/objectives of the academic writing standards. If the final project does
not receive a passing grade of 75% or above, the student will not receive a passing grade for the course no matter the
overall average of his/her grades for the semester. These final submissions should demonstrate an
understanding of how to lessen any noted issues through planning, drafting, editing, revising and
proofreading. Be sure to notate the types of patterns you have used in your paper.
Week 14 -Due – Post by: April 24 – Please note - No late papers will be accepted.
Submit – Final Paper An Argument/persuasive paper.
(Required paper length between 5 and 7 pages) 2-4 sources from credible sites – peer
reviewed journals, etal.