Required texts The Fight for English: how language pundits ate, shot, and left by David Crystal (Oxford 2006). The Way We Talk Now by Geoffrey Nunberg (Houghton Mifflin, 2001) You will also be asked on a regular basis to print hard copies of various essays and reviews on the internet and bring them to class. English 218 is an advanced writing course with a simple purpose: to help you write better. Assignments are varied in form, content, purpose, length and resource. You will write reviews, etymologies and essays. We will all maintain a class blog. You will revise each assignment. You will have some kind of writing due every class. In short, you will write. Often. Classroom time will be devoted to analyzing published pieces to see how they succeed (or fail). We will talk about writing strategies. We will look at each other’s work, including my own. From time to time I may bring in professional pieces that I’m working on. We will discuss issues of language use (and abuse). We will probably even talk about grammar and punctuation. We will edit and revise and write. Did I mention you will write a lot in this course? Attendance As we meet only once a week for class, attendance is of paramount importance. YOU MAY NOT MISS CLASS. If for some unforeseen reason, you can’t come to class (broken leg, death in the family, apocalypse), make sure you really can’t come. Missing one class is the equivalent of missing an entire week. If you miss two classes, you will not receive a passing grade and will probably be asked to drop the course. So don’t take attendance lightly. Plagiarism The Department of English uses the following definition of plagiarism provided by the Prentice Hall Handbook for Writers: “Plagiarism consists of passing off the ideas, opinions, conclusions, facts, words—in short, the intellectual work—of another as your own.” Any student found guilty of plagiarism will automatically fail the entire course; depending on the severity of the case and any other contributing factors, the case may also be referred to the office of the dean. The final penalty for plagiarism can be expulsion from the university. General Requirements You will create a portfolio of various assignments, including a personal essay, a book review, an essay about some aspect of Philadelphia, a movie review, and an etymological profile. You will also post regularly on a class blog, Weekly Scribblers. BUT any of these assignments could be dropped or changed as the semester rolls along. I like to keep our options open and if an idea for an interesting writing assignment comes our way, we’ll make use of it. Assignments and classroom time are designed to keep you writing as much as possible. You also need to read various articles, essays and reviews and prepare to talk about them in class. From time to time I will copy and pass out your own assignments and we will analyze them as a class. There are no exams or tests, but I reserve the right to quiz you from time to time. Take notes during class. Take a lot of notes. Take notes as if the fate of the world is dependent upon your note-taking. I approach your assignments as if I’m your editor. It is my job to guide each of your pieces to fruition. You write. I comment. You write again. Assignments and Drafts There will be a series of short assignments (500-800 words). Sometimes a complete draft will be due early, so we can discuss them. You will hand in each short assignment on paper (double-spaced, Times New Roman) in class. You will also send an electronic copy to my email box. I will comment profusely on your paper copy and return it to you. You will then be responsible for revising each assignment, but will not return it to me until the final class along with all your drafts and revisions in one portfolio. There will also be an extended essay (4000-5000 words) on some aspect of Philadelphia. You will work through successive drafts of these. Drafts: If a draft is assigned for a particular due date, then a complete draft is due (not a “this is all I was able to do” draft). You need to treat draft due dates the same as assignment due dates. Don’t miss assignments. Hand in everything. If you miss an assignment, I will be flabbergasted and will wonder if you have lost your mind. If you miss two assignments, you will most likely fail the course. If you are going to be late with something, talk to me before the due date. Before. Not the date due. Not the day after. Talk to me before the due date. All I ask is you do the work. |
| English 218 Advanced Composition Spring 2008 Olney 111, Mondays, 6:15 PM - 9:05 Professor Edward G. Pettit ed@omnigatherum.com Office: Olney 158 School phone: 215-951-1160 |
| Weekly Scribblers |
| A student who failed to do an assignment is haunted by a former student who once made the same mistake. |
| Renaissance multi-tasking |