ENGLISH 101:

COLLEGE READING, WRITING, AND RESEARCH

Fall 2017, McKay 197, 9:30-10:45 T/Th

Professor: Joe Plicka Office: 103G McKay Office Phone: 675-3612 Office Hours: W 10:00-11:00, Th 11:00-12:00. Please call or email me for appointments at other times. I generally respond within 24 hours. Email: joseph.plicka@byuh.edu

TEXTBOOKS: 📖 One Hundred Great Essays, 5th Edition, Robert Diyanni (editor)

📖 How to Not Write Bad, Ben Yagoda

“Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.”

- Plato

“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”

- William Shakespeare

“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”

- Lao Tzu

Course Catalogue Description

“Learning critical awareness through developing effective writing, reading,

and research skills by analyzing and critiquing literary and other texts. Requires multiple kinds of writing, including a research paper.”

Alternative Course Description

Better Alternative Course Description

An Invitation

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the freshman-year rite of passage, English 101. Surely you have expectations and

assumptions about this course and about myself as the instructor. I am very interested in what

those are. But before we get to that, I will share with you my main assumptions about you when

you enroll in a university course like this:

1) That you came to college, in part, because you *inherently value learning, thinking, and

expressing your thinking through writing, even though it’s not always fun, and even

though it may not **immediately lead to a high-paying job.

2) This part 📖 of you is the part in class today.

* inherently: existing in someone as a permanent and inseparable element, quality, or attribute

** The irony is that these less tangible and obvious skills (thinking and learning) can eventually

lead to better employment, job satisfaction, and overall happiness. But they take time and

patience to nurture and are can’t be easily displayed on a resume or job application.

I invite that part of you 📖 to trust the curriculum and readings to lead you to a higher level of

thinking, writing, and understanding. I invite you to think of this not as my (Brother Plicka’s)

course, but as your own opportunity to gain further light and knowledge. It’s just one class, but,

every little bit helps. As God himself has explained:

“The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” (D&C 93:36)

You are working and paying to be here, so why not seize control of your own destiny and make

the class what you want it to be? I will work alongside you to make it happen.

A Prophetic Invitation

“Even though some of you may be fully occupied with families and have little time for other things at this stage of your lives, you can enlarge your minds and broaden your understanding through the reading of good books. There is much of worth on television. I am the first to recognize this. But I am also mindful of the tremendous waste of time indulged in by many, and particularly by those who spend hours watching titillating trash. How marvelous a thing is a good book! How stimulating to read and share with a great writer thoughts that build and strengthen and broaden one’s horizon!”

- Gordon B. Hinckley, Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1995-2008

What will we do?

1) In this class we will read a few dozen essays on a wide variety of topics and themes.

What these essays have in common are the effective writing strategies used by authors to

describe, explore, persuade, argue, and enlighten. We are here to develop these strategies

in our own writing.

2) We will write three major essays, and three (shorter or informal) minor papers. We will

have reading quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam. We will share, discuss, and debate.

A word about ESSAYS . . .

The ESSAYS we are reading are a valuable type of *literature. Literature teaches us to think

about the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, including good and evil,

darkness and light. It shows us beauty and searches truth. It also presents us with life’s troubles

and terrors: we can and should renounce evil and try to avoid error, while still understanding

what evil and error look like, where they come from, and how they inform our love of the good.

These two poles—good and evil, truth and error—are not just dual opposites, but complementary

forces that we have been commanded to discover and understand.

*our class definition of literature: writings in which expression and form, in connection with

ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic and essential features (usually

poetry, novels, stories, essays, plays, some biography and history).

COURSE POLICIES

Attendance: I have no official attendance policy in English 101. I will take roll as a matter of personal

interest and record keeping, but you will not be penalized directly for being absent. However, we will

have frequent quizzes (that cannot be made up) and you will be evaluated in part on your participation in

class discussion and activities. Therefore, it is to your advantage to attend class regularly. My suggestion:

Don’t miss more than a handful of class meetings (2-3).

Late Work: Meeting deadlines will get you far in life. I will accept late assignments up to one week

after the deadline, but you won’t receive feedback from me on late assignments. Assignments turned

in after a week can receive half credit. If you miss an exam, you have one week to make it up, but instead

of the standard test you will be given an alternative blue book essay exam.

Quizzes: We will have a quiz, in some form or another, almost every day. These cannot be made up.

Notebook: I encourage you to purchase a cheap notebook for this class and use it to take notes on

readings and class discussions. This is because all quizzes and exams are open notebook. Whatever you

have in your English 101 notebook you can use when taking quizzes and exams. The only catch:

everything in your notebook must be written in your own handwriting. Please make sure the

notebook is used solely for English 101. I will collect these notebooks from time to time, but won’t assign

them a grade.

Participation: Student participation can make or break a course like this. I don’t hesitate to elicit

participation by calling on people. Consistent lack of intelligent preparation tells the professor you are

not engaging the material, and shows a lack of interest and commitment. My suggestion: prepare for class

by completing all reading assignments on time and taking notes, listening attentively, and periodically

sharing your thoughts, insights, and questions during class. Other forms of participation include group

work, peer reviews, class presentations, and not mindlessly texting or surfing the web. Sharing and

engaging with each other makes class time go quickly and is just so much more enjoyable than sitting in

silence or listening only to me.

Laptops: Laptops are mostly extraneous in a course like this. There are exceptions. In any case, if you

must have a laptop open in class, please sit on the back row. Recent research indicates that open laptops

are almost equally distracting for the user as well as the people sitting next to them. Seen this way, it

becomes a matter of courtesy.

Be considerate of others: Please try to be on time, so as to avoid disrupting class and asking questions

that have already been covered before you got there. Our class time is limited and valuable. When it

comes to class discussion, civility and courtesy must prevail. I will not abide insults or a lack of respect

towards other members of the class. The classroom is a safe environment for debating and trying out new

ideas, regardless of your personal beliefs or feelings.

Turning assignments in on Canvas: Major assignments will be due on Canvas through the Turnitin

plagiarism filter. Unless instructed otherwise, papers emailed or handed directly to me will not be graded.

Your writing is fair game: Expect to share your writing in class at times throughout the semester, either

with individual classmates, small groups, or the whole class. This is part of the revision and improvement

process and can be helpful not just for the writer but for everyone involved. If you feel uncomfortable

sharing a specific piece of writing because of its personal or sensitive nature, please let me know.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Academic Honesty: In keeping with the principles of the BYUH Honor Code, students are expected to

be honest in all their academic work. Academic honesty means, fundamentally, that any work you present

as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Taking credit for someone else’s

work is called plagiarism. Violations can range from minor to serious. Serious violations can result in a

failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. If you have any questions

or concerns about academic honesty, please discuss them with your professor.

Preventing Sexual Harassment: Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 prohibits sexual

discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds,

including federal loans and grants. Title IX also covers student-to-student sexual harassment. If you

encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please contact Human Resource

Services at 780-8875 (24 hours).

Students with Disabilities: Brigham Young University Hawaii is committed to providing a working and

learning atmosphere which reasonably accommodates a qualified person with disabilities. If you have a

disability that may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Students

with Special Needs Coordinator at 293-3999 or 293-3518. Reasonable academic accommodations are

reviewed for all students who have documented disabilities. If you need assistance or if you feel you

have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through

established grievance policy and procedures by contacting Human Resource Services at 780-8875 (24

hours).

WRITING RESOURCES OUTSIDE OF CLASS

The Reading/Writing Center provides free one-on-one tutoring for students by students in McKay 199.

You can receive help in reading, writing, analyzing, and other related activities. The tutors at the center

are available by appointment twice a week for 30-minutes at a time, but you may also walk in at any time

and receive assistance if a tutor is free. Do go there if you’d like some extra help before turning in

writing assignments, but do not go expecting tutors to “fix” your entire paper for you. They are students

just like you and their job is to assist you in specific areas of concern in your writing and critical thinking.

Also, it gets busy at certain times of the semester, so plan ahead.

The English 101 Lab is located in the Reading and Writing Center, and was created specifically for

students who need extra help with their writing to meet the requirements of the course. After you submit

a few samples of writing, I may assign you to attend the weekly lab. You will meet with the same tutor

each week (you set up the time), and you will work on specific writing skills. This is a great opportunity

for those assigned. If you are assigned to attend the lab, you must attend in order to pass English

101.

CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS WHO EXCEL IN THIS COURSE (As and Bs)

Attend all or most class periods

Complete all readings and take notes to aid comprehension.

Turn all assignments in, on time.

Allow time to draft and revise rather than writing it the night before and never looking back.

Seek help from classmates, professor, the reading and writing center.

Bring thoughtful questions and observations to class discussion.

Respond to comments and questions from professor and classmates

Nasty Business: Grades

Here it is, at the bottom of the syllabus. The part you’ve all been waiting for. What can I say? The usual:

you start off with zero points, but your hard work and preparation translate into points earned. Your

points earned divided by the total possible points in the class will equal a letter grade on the scale you’ve

come to expect—100-90% being an A or A-, 89-80% being a B or B-, etc.

The total breakdown will look something like this:

Quizzes 15% Participation 10%

3 Minor Papers 15% Major Essay #1 10% Major Essay #2 10% Major Essay #3 (8-page research paper) 25% Midterm Exam 10%

Final Exam 5%

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (subject to revision)

Date of Class

Reading to be Completed by This Date

GE = 100 Great Essays

WB = How to Not Write Bad

Assignments Due (BOLD)

Class Activities (ITALICS)

Th 9/7

Introductions, Essays (samples, Dillard), Syllabus Introduce 1st Minor Paper Assignment: Drafting Personal Narratives

T 9/12

Read the syllabus and expect a quiz on it.

1st MINOR PAPER DUE, 4-6 PAGES DOUBLE-SPACED: Drafting Personal Narratives

Th 9/14

GE Diyanni, “Preface” and “Introduction” p. 1-14 GE Cooper, “Labyrinthine,” p. 109

T 9/19

GE Diyanni, “Introduction,” p. 14-29 GE Didion, “Self-Respect” p. 113

Make a “double-column notebook” entry (as explained by Diyanni in the introduction) for Didion’s essay “On Self-Respect.” Do this in your class notebook, or on a separate piece of paper if you aren’t keeping a notebook. Due in class. Introduce Narrative/Descriptive Essay Assignment (1st Major Essay).

Th 9/21

GE Hughes, “Salvation,” p. 262 GE Scudder, “Look at Your Fish,” p. 442

Introduce 2nd Minor Paper Assignment: Analysis and Interpretation Practicing summarizing essays.

T 9/26

GE Sedaris, “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” p. 447 GE Staples, “Just Walk on By,” p. 495

Write a thoughtful summary of one of the essays for today. Refer back to Diyanni’s introduction (section on summarizing) for guidance. Due in class.

Th 9/28

GE Orwell, “Some Thoughts on the Common Toad,” p. 397 GE Sanders, “The Men We Carry In Our Minds,” p. 429

DUE on CANVAS: 2nd Minor Paper - Short Analysis Paper

T 10/3

GE Orwell, “Some Thoughts on the Common Toad,” p. 397 GE Sanders, “The Men We Carry In Our Minds,” p. 429

Th 10/5

Yagoda, Introduction and Part I, pp. 1-25

DUE in class: Narrative/Descriptive Essay first draft. Please bring TWO typed copies to class for peer review

T 10/10

GE McPhee, “Silk Parachute,” 358 GE White, “Once More to the Lake,” p. 562

Th 10/12

Yagoda, “Elements of House Style” and “Punctuation,” pp. 25-58

DUE on CANVAS: Narrative/Descriptive Essay In-Class reading: Dave Barry’s “Road Warrior,” (bring

your books)

T 10/17

GE Cole, “Uncertainty,” p. 106 GE King, “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” p. 298

Th 10/19

GE Robinson, “On Various Kinds of Thinking,” p. 416 GE Melville, “The Advocate,” p. 362

T 10/24

GE Robinson, “On Various Kinds of Thinking,” p. 416 GE Melville, “The Advocate,” p. 362

Introduce Expository Essay Assignment

Th 10/26

Yagoda, pp. 59-78, “Words” GE Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema,” p. 378 GE Montaigne, “Of Smells,” p. 391

T 10/31

GE Johnson, “The Decay of Friendship,” p. 283 GE Holland, “Naps,” p. 258 Yagoda, pp. 78-102, “Grammar”

In-Class MIDTERM: You will be asked to write a 2-3 page handwritten analysis of an essay we have read up until this point. Exam will be open book, open note.

Th 11/2

GE Fussell, “Uniforms,” 192 GE Gordon, “More Than Just a Shrine—Ellis Island,” p. 210

DUE in class: Expository Essay draft, minimum 3 pages double-spaced. Please bring TWO printed copies to class for peer review.

T 11/7

Meet in the Joseph F. Smith Library for instruction. Location: TBA

DUE on CANVAS: Expository Essay

Th 11/9

GE Siegel, “The World Is All That Is the Case,” p. 469

Introduce Argumentative/Persuasive Research Essay Assignment

T 11/14 GE Doyle, “Joyas Voladoras,” p. 139

DUE on CANVAS: Academic Journal Article Summary

Th 11/16

GE Wallace, “Consider the Lobster,” p. 538

T 11/21

GE Brady, “I Want a Wife,” p. 71 GE Porter, “The Necessary Enemy,” p. 411

DUE on CANVAS: Topic Proposal

Th 11/23

NO CLASS!!! THANKSGIVING!!

NO CLASS!! THANKSGIVING!!!

T 11/28

GE Baldwin, “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is,” p. 44

DUE on CANVAS: Library Book Summary

Th 11/30

GE Gould, “Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of the Dinosaurs”

DUE on CANVAS: Annotated Bibliography with Six Sources ***Thesis workshop: PLEASE HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR TOPIC PROPOSAL AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DURING CLASS***

T 12/5

Yagoda, pp. 103-134, “Punctuation,” and “Words and Phrases”

Topic Sentences and Citing Sources

Th 12/7

Yagoda, pp. 135-175, “Sentences”

DUE IN CLASS: BRING AT LEAST THREE PAGES OF A DRAFT OF YOUR ARGUMENTATIVE/PERSUASIVE RESEARCH ESSAY

Th 12/14

FINAL EXAM: 11:00 AM TO 1:50 PM

DUE ON CANVAS BEFORE THE EXAM: Argumentative/Persuasive Research Essay