college composition two – unit 1 seminar: “in the beginning…” -or- “yo, teach! what is...

College Composition Two – Unit 1 Seminar:

“In the Beginning…”-or-

“Yo, Teach! What is this crazyclass all about, anyway?”

Professor Ben LuceKU Maine

[email protected]

February 6, 2012

WELCOME TO THIS UNIQUE CAMPUS COURSE

Some reasons why this fancy online class is cool:

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1)I sure can’t spit food on you from here.

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2)You can attend the seminar from home (or anywhere!).

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3)I don’t even need to tuck in my shirt!

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4)You can attend class in your PJs (just like the commercials!).

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5)I can pretend that you are laughing at all my jokes.

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6)You won’t have to see the light glaring off of my bald spot!

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6)You won’t have to see the light glaring off of my bald spot!

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TONIGHT’S AWESOME AGENDA

1) Blah Blah Blah…

2) Grading, Discussions, Etc.

3) Ben’s 3 Most Important Things about Writing

4) O/S

5) Persuasive Writing & The Big Idea

6) Wrapping Up Unit 1

7) Unit 2 Discussion & Project

8) Questions? Comments?

9) Go Watch The Voice!

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IMPORTANT SYLLABUS STUFF

INSTRUCTOR AND SEMINAR INFORMATIONInstructor Name and Credentials: Ben Luce: M.F.A., University of

Southern Maine

Kaplan Email Address: [email protected]

Office/Cell Phone Number: (207) 513-3639 (office)

(207) 749-1833 (cell)

Course/Seminar Day and Time: Mondays 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm EST

You can participate in the seminar through either of the 2 options listed on the seminar page for each Unit.

COURSE MATERIALS

The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing [Handbook available in PDF form on the Writing Center web site]

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GRADING CRITERIA

ASSESSMENT: NUMBER: PTS EACH: TOTAL:

Seminars 9 10 90

Discussions (online) 9 40 360

Unit 2 Project 1 60 60

Unit 4 Project 1 100 100

Draft Project 1 150 150

Final Project 1 240 240

TOTAL POINTS 1000

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LATE WORK POLICY

Students are expected to submit all outside-of-class assignments and projects on the due date as listed in the course syllabus. The University acknowledges that at times extenuating circumstances occur, so late work or alternative assignments will be accepted up to one week after the original due date. Ten percent (10%) will be deducted for any late assignment. The instructor may require an alternative version of the assignment be submitted.

Extenuating Circumstances: If you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from completing projects, quizzes, seminars or participating in the class, please contact the instructor to make alternative arrangements. The possibility of alternative arrangements is at the discretion of the instructor.

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SEMINARS, SEMINARS, SEMINARS…

A description of all seminars to be held can be found in the Flex Seminar Guide under the Course Home in your class.

Seminar Participation (synchronous discussion): You can earn credit for seminar by participating in 1 of the 2 options listed on the seminar page for a Unit.

Seminar Option 1: Live seminars will be held weekly. More information about how to access the seminars will follow in a separate communication.

Seminar Option 2: Respond to the seminar discussion questions listed. Each response will be graded individually and posted to the grade book using the rubric found in the “Rubrics” section of this document.

• For information on seminar grading, please find the Seminar Rubric in the “Rubrics” section at the end of the syllabus.

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…AND DISCUSSION BOARDS, TOO, YO!

A description of all discussion questions can be found under each of the units in the course.

Discussion Question Participation: Discussions provide a forum for students to ask questions and answer important questions about the course material. The discussion questions also allow students to receive feedback from the instructor and other students in the class. The professor will interact with students within the discussion board each week. A discussion grade will be posted to the grade sheet for each Unit.

Please find your Discussion Board Rubrics for all discussions in the “Rubrics” section at the end of the syllabus.

So, does anyone have questions about the syllabus, grading, seminars, discussions or any of the other blah blah stuff?

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BEN’S THREE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS

1) Grammar (Yikes!)

*Major Parts of Speech:-Nouns-Verbs-Pronouns-Adjectives-Adverbs

*Significant Errors:-Fragments-”Because he kicked me.”-Run-ons-”Ben went to the store, he bought a monkey.”

-AWK = awkward, wordy, confusing sentences

-You, you, you – avoid using “you” as much as possible. Why?

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2) Essay Structure (you know, like, organization and stuff):

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I) Introduction-States the Writer’s Thesis

-Grabs the Reader’s Attention/Interest(i.e. “So what?”)

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II) Support-MUST be Specific and Directly Support Topic

-The “Body” of the Essay

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II) Support-MUST be Specific and Directly Support Topic

-The “Body” of the Essay

III) Conclusion-Restates the Essay’s Topic-Adds “Something” -(Yes, I know that statement is vague – Stay tuned for an explanation)

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3) Thesis Statement (as scary as that sounds)

-Thesis Statements have TWO parts (and you can’t have one without the other):

1) Narrow Topic2) Main Point

“The legal minimum age to purchase alcohol should be 18 rather than 21.”

-Why does every essay need a NARROW topic?

-What important role does the main point play?

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HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS ROOM?

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POSSIBLE DESCRIPTIVE LISTS

-Whiteboard -Large

-Desks -Clean

-Rolling Chairs -Comfortable Chairs

-Purple Wall -Colorful

-Computers -Empty

What is the difference between the details in the first column and the details in the second?

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POSSIBLE DESCRIPTIVE LISTS

-Whiteboard -Large

-Desks -Clean

-Rolling Chairs -Comfortable Chairs

-Purple Wall -Colorful

-Computers -Empty

FACTS OPINIONS

What is the difference between the details in the first column and the details in the second?

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AND WHAT ABOUT THIS PICTURE?

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FACTS & OPINIONS

Which specific details about the second picture are clearly facts?

Which specific details about it are opinions?

What are the “fancy” names for fact and opinion statements? Hint:1) O_ _ _ _ _ _ _ e

2) S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ e

(And yes, that dude in the glasses is me.)

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OBJECTIVE & SUBJECTIVE DETAILS

Fact Details = Objective Information

Opinion Details = Subjective Information

“The legal minimum age to purchase alcohol should be 18 rather than 21.”

Is the above thesis statement objective or subjective?

Strongly supporting subjective points with objective information not only helps prove a thesis, but also creates the effective illusion of Opinion as Fact, and makes your writing more persuasive.

Does anyone have questions about any of these concepts?

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PERSUASIVE WRITING & BIG IDEAS

Here’s a good question for you, gang:

What is the goal of persuasive writing?

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Contrary to what many people think, the goal of persuasion is NOT actually to change everyone’s mind. You will drive yourself crazy if you put that much pressure on your persuasive arguments.

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Contrary to what many people think, the goal of persuasion is NOT actually to change everyone’s mind. You will drive yourself crazy if you put that much pressure on your persuasive arguments (and I sure don’t want you to go crazy!).

The goal of persuasive writing is to inspire your audience to CONSIDER your ideas.

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COLLEGE COMP II & THE BIG IDEA

CM220 introduces the theme of invention and the exploration of BIG IDEAS that impact the world, our communities, and our lives, while situating these themes within a persuasive writing framework. Students explore and practice several persuasive forms of writing throughout the course and examine writing as invention in various settings and situations. They will create an “appeal for change” as a final project that presents an idea and a plan for implementation. One component of the final will be a multi-modal component such as a blog, podcast, or web site that can disseminate the student’s idea to a wide audience.

Final Project Includes:

-Persuasive Big Idea Essay

-Letter to an Editor

-Personal Reflection

-Visual/Multi-Modal presentation

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BIG IDEA CONSIDERATIONS

1) Choose a topic that interests you

2) Address the issue and your ideas

3) Consider all sides of the issue

4) Begin to focus your topic

5) Develop topic and research questions

Are there any general Big Idea questions at this point?

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WRAPPING UP UNIT 1…STARTING UNIT 2

1) Check Introduction Responses

2) Finish Unit 1 Discussion Responses to Other Students-Complete By Tuesday (2/7) at Midnight

3) Review Ben’s Feedback in DB and Gradebook

4) Check Grades for Seminar & Discussion

1) Unit 2 Discussion (online)-Initial Response Due By End of Saturday (11/19)

-Student Responses Completed by Tuesday (11/22) at Midnight

2) Unit 2 Project (will be moved to Unit 3)-Not Due Until TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21st

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GOOD NIGHT, GANG!

Thanks so much for your attendance and participation. I look forward to continuing to work with you through the rest of the term.

I will post an announcement online recapping the upcoming assignment due dates.

Please do not hesitate to email/text/call me with any questions that you have about the Unit 2 Discussion or Project instructions. We will discuss the Project in detail during next Monday’s seminar.

The Voice, here we come!

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college composition two – unit 1 seminar: “in the beginning…” -or- “yo, teach! what is...

Documents

fancy online class

class assignments

spit food

seminar informationinstructor

seminar page

bald spot

writing center web site

phone number