SPRING 2015

English 111: Reading & Writing

Corey Dressel
cdressel10@winona.edu
Office Hours: by appointment only
Office: Minne 357
Today's students can put dope in their veins or hope in their brains.
If they can conceive it and believe it, they can achieve it.
They must know it is not their aptitude but their attitude that will
determine their altitude.
Jesse Jackson

TEXTS
Why I Write by George Orwell
Publisher: Penguin
Format: Paperback
Published: 02 Sep 2004
ADDITIONAL
Series: Penguin Great
Additional

Ideas
ISBN: 9780141019000

They Poured Fire on Us from

the Sky co-authored by Benson
Deng, Alephonsion Deng, &
Benjamin Ajak.

Publisher: PublicAffairs
Format: Paperback336 pages
Published: June 12, 2006
ISBN-10: 1586483889

Writers Help for Hacker Handbooks by Diana

Hacker, Stephen A. Bernhardt, & Nancy
Sommers. Writershelp.bedfordstmartins.com
an e-handbook

They Say / I Say: The Moves

That Matter in Academic
Writing (2nd ed.) co-authored by
Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstei

Published: W.W. Norton & Co.

Format: Paperback352 pages
Published: February 2014
ISBN 978-0-393-93584-4

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong

Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang

Publisher: Coffee House Press

Format: Paperback320 pages
Published: April 2008
ISBN: 978-1-56689-208-7

*Please note that there

will be a number of
additional articles from
various sources that will
be assigned

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES

An open mind (seriously, theres a reason this is first!)

A willingness to speak in class and take risks
You MUST bring your computer to class every day for in-class writing
assignments; however, they are to remain shut until prompted to open them.
Notebook, writing utensils, highlighter, and folderwhich are to be used for
this class only.
A WSU email address that you will need to check daily.
A good attitude and respectful demeanor!

COURSE GOALS
By the end of this course, students should be able to
Demonstrate a solid understanding of the various elements within
literature.
Develop close reading skills: the ability to find passages that provide
insight to the theme(s), character, plot development, and symbolism.
Analyze and evaluate various arguments presented in the required reading
and presented by your classmates.
Communicate clear and constructive arguments through participation in class
discussions and through the writing assignments.
Demonstrate an understanding of the writing process: constructing ideas,
organizing ideas into an outline, creating a draft from an outline,
revising the drafts through a thorough editing process, and presenting a
paper.
Demonstrate a solid understanding of the various elements with composition.
Perform proper and appropriate research methods.
Document in correct MLA format.

Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of
our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?
Cesar Chavez

AUDIENCE
This class is intended for those students who are looking to fulfill four credits in
University Studies focused on reading and writing. Courses in the humanities explore
the human experience through literature, media, and other forms of the arts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE

As the Winona State University course catalogue states: This course aims to
strengthen students' reading and writing abilities in preparation for college-level
writing. A means of learning and inquiry, the writing in this class is based on
interpreting, analyzing, and critiquing texts, as well as on conducting research,
synthesizing sources, and using citation/documentation formats. You will work with
the elements and principles of composition in response to the literature presented.
The reading assignments are intended to stimulate your thinking, your imagination,
your effective writing, and broaden your understanding of specific elements of
humanity.
PLEASE BE AWARE that some of the content within this class presents sensitive topics,
to include sexually explicit scenes. In addition, the content is culturally,
politically, and religiously charged, which will describe elements of sexual
relations, social dynamics, cultural dynamics, political dynamics, and war.
! If you think that any of the contained material may be offensive to you, drop
this class immediately and find a section that may be more appropriate for you.

The sea is really only drops of water

Tom Shadyac

GRADING
MISCELLANEOUS
Daily quizzes 5 pts (each)

Class participation 25 pts
Daily Writing Assignments, D2L responses, &
Writers Help exercises 5-10 pts (each)
= Roughly 300-400 pts
PAPERS & PROJECTS
Unit 1 Narrative 100 pts
Unit 2 Essay 150 pts
Unit 3 Project 200 pts
This I believe 50 pts


= Roughly 500 pts

GRADING POLICY

All assignments should be completed and turned in on time according to the

requirements outlined on the assignment sheet. All papers will be penalized one grade
letter (10%) per day the assignment is late. For example, if your paper receives a B
but you turned it in one day late your recorded grade will be dropped to a C.
Likewise, if your paper is two days late, it will be dropped to a D, and so forth.
Please note:
! In order to receive a passing grade this course, you will have to:
" Receive a passing grade on at least 80% of the quizzes (as this indicates
that you have missed too many of the required readings) AND
" Receive a passing grade on at least 80% of the in-class writing and group
work
" Complete EVERY paper assignment

IN SHORT, YOU CANNOT OPT OUT OF ANY OF THE ASSIGNMENTS AND STILL PASS THE COURSE.

! Daily quizzes, D2L responses, and participation may not be made-up regardless
of why you missed class

! I will be happy to meet with you prior to a papers due date, but I will not
comment on any rough draft sent to me through email!

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Specifics for each assignment will be provided at the commencement of each unit.
UNIT 1: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS WEEKS 1-4
Part I: Personal Argumentative Narrative (600900 words = 2-3 pages) 100 pts
UNIT 2: ETHICAL ISSUES WEEKS 5-9
Part II: Ethical Issue Argument Essay (9001300 words = 3-4 pages) 150 pts
UNIT 3: RESEARCHED ARGUMENT WEEKS 10-16
Researched Argument Project (18002400 words) 200 pts
FINAL
This I Believe (A Podcast posted to YouTube from a 2-pg personal narrative)50 pts

READING & DAILY READING QUIZZES

On many days we have reading, there will be a short quiz given at the beginning of
class. These quizzes are brief and designed only to reward you for consistently and
conscientiously completing our course reading.

! PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IF YOU FAIL MORE THAN 20% OF THESE QUIZZES (ROUGHLY 5-7 QUIZZES), YOU WILL

FAIL THE COURSE AS THIS INDICATES THAT YOU HAVE MISSED TOO MUCH OF THE REQUIRED READING.

DAILY PARTICIPATION POLICY

Daily participation is a must your grade depends on it!
I believe that we all learn best from interacting with one another, sharing ideas,
challenging each other to think in new and different ways, and from explaining our
thoughts to others. Given this, you are expected to contribute regularly to our
class discussions. Truly participating means that you express your opinion, but it
also means that you engage your classmates, ask them about their thoughts, sometimes
offer others the chance to answer first, and try to respond to where our discussion
is at the moment.
So we can build our own academic community, I ask that you address each other by name
and respond to each other by saying things like, I agree with what John said, but I
also wonder. . . . If you need to go back to a moment in the discussion, make sure
your classmates know youre aware that youre backtracking by saying something like,
I realize this was a few comments back, but it just occurred to me. . .
In short, keep in mind that truly participating in class means much more than waiting
on your turn to speak. Not everyone will contribute during every class, but you are
expected to contribute regularly. I expect everyone to engage in the class
discussions with thoughtful insight and respect! Do not mistake showing up for class
as participation. Participation points depend upon your active involvement in the
form of comments, suggestions, questions, and the like.

IN-CLASS WRITING, GROUP WORK, AND HOMEWORK

I believe that one of the best routes to understanding is writing, so well be doing
a lot of in-class writing. Almost all of this writing will be informal; I wont be
checking your grammar or looking for perfect expression of thoughts. Instead, Ill
be asking your opinion, asking you to consider certain questions or problems. Ill
grade your in-class writing mostly on how much you engaged the question or activity.
In short, perfection isnt the goal; rather, showing me that youre really thinking
about the task and the course concepts is the aim. Sometimes well use our in-class
writing as a means of jumpstarting our discussions and other times Ill collect them
and read them privately.
Often students find these in-class writings key to helping them develop their paper
topics, and seeing your thoughts and ideas helps me keep my finger on the pulse of
the class. In fact, many of our writing assignments in class and for homework will
constitute the building blocks of your papers. They are very important opportunities
for you to test ideas and get feedback on your writing at many different stages. In
other words, these writings arent just busy work; theyre integral to the course.
For a description of how this type of writing will be evaluated, please see the sheet
on informal writing. Homework assignments, unless stated otherwise, will be used
toward similar ends and also graded using the same criteria.

THE M&M CLAUSE

The famed rock band Van Halen gained notoriety and a certain reputation for being
divas when they put a clause in their contract about not having any brown M&Ms in
the dishes of candy provided for them backstage. Rather than being divas, however,
it turns out they were just trying to make sure everyone had really read the details
about how the band wanted equipment set up and so forth. This is my brown M &M
clause. If youve really read the syllabus prior to coming to class for the first
time, write your name down on a sheet of paper and submit it to me with the phrase M
& M clause on it. Youll earn 5 points of extra credit for doing so. If I catch you
telling your classmates who didnt read the syllabus about this five points, you earn
nothing.

ATTENDANCE POLICY
STUDENTS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO COME TO EVERY CLASS. After three absences,
the students grade will be docked one whole grade. For example, if you were
going to receive a B as your final class grade, but were absent 4 times, you
would receive a C; likewise, if you were absent 5 times you would receive a D,
and so forth.
ATTENDANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT. Each day there will be a short reading quiz on the
material assigned. These quizzes will be factored into your final grade. If you
are absent, you will not be allowed to make up this quiz; likewise, if you are
late for class, you will not be allowed to make up the quiz.

TARDINESS POLICY
Please be on time every day! If you are late, you forfeit the opportunity to take
that days quiz. Additionally, if you are continually tardy, I will consider
this disruptive to the class and several instances of tardiness may constitute
one absence.

CLASS CONDUCT POLICY

You are expected to conduct yourself in a respectful and collegial manner. This
includes, but is not limited to:
Come prepared, having read all the required reading assigned for the day. You
are ineffective during class discussions and group work, and are doing your
classmates no favors by coming unprepared.
Respectfully communicate with myself and your classmates at all times.
Regardless of the topic or nature of our discussion, no personal slurs or
derogatory remarks will be tolerated!
Participation is a must! If we all sat quietly in our desks and offered no
ideas nor added to the discussion, we would simply all be sitting in our desks
staring at each other. This is unproductive. Everybodys voice is welcome:
offer a suggestion, counter someones idea, pose a question to me or a
classmate, or point out something of interest.
Pay attention. Students who talk among themselves during class discussion or
lecture are extremely disruptive and disrespectful to the rest of the class.
This includes napping, texting, reading a magazine, or the like. If you find
it necessary to engage in any of the above activities, you will be asked to do
so somewhere else.

IN OTHER WORDS, IF CAUGHT INDULGING IN THIS SORT OF DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE!

PLAGIARISM
This policy applies to ALL your writing, including, but not limited to, d2l posts,
rough drafts, emails, papers, etc.
All students in this class will be held to the plagiarism policy adapted by WSU
and outlined in detail in the WSU catalogue, which includes, but is not limited
to:
! CHEATING: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials or having
someone else do work for you.
! DECEPTION AND MISREPRESENTATION: Lying about or misrepresenting your work,
academic records, or credentials.
! ENABLING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Helping someone else to commit an act of
academic dishonesty.
! FABRICATION: Inventing or falsifying information. For example, inventing
data or referencing sources you did not use.
! MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: Submitting work you have done in previous classes as
if it were new and original work.
! PLAGIARISM: Using the words or ideas of another writer without proper
acknowledgement so that they seem as if they are your own.

PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THIS CLASS.

IF YOU ENGAGE IN PLAGIARISM OR ACADEMIC DISHONESTY OF ANY KIND, IT
COULD LEAD TO IMMEDIATE FAILURE THIS COURSE.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Student Support Services, 457-5465: http://www.winona.edu/studentsupportservices
Inclusion and Diversity Office, 457-5595: http://winona.edu.culuraldiversity
LGBTA Advocate, 457-2391: http://winona.edu/counselingcenter
Disability Resource Center, 457-2391: http://www.winona.edu/disabilityservices

Students needing accommodations for disabilities should also schedule an

appointment with me during my office hours to discuss their needs.
Counseling Center, 457-5330: http://www.winona.edu/counselingcenter
Advising and Retention, 457-5600: http://www.winona.edu/advising
Winona State Universitys Writing Center (WC), Minn 340:
http://www.winona.edu/writingcenter Located on the 3rd floor of Minn Hall, the
WC offers students free, individualized instruction in all aspects of writing,
from brainstorming and drafting through revising and editing. Walk-ins are
welcome, though appointments are recommended during busy weeks. You may sign up
on the door of the Writing Center for an individual session with a writing
instructor.
Library: http://www.winona.edu.library
Allison Quam is our liaison for the library and is available to help you with
resources, research, etc. aquam@winona.edu

Sympathy is the strongest instinct in nature

Darwin (1871)


FOR English 111Culture and Language Exchange Program (CLEP): If you want to learn about a specific
culture or improve your language skills in a specific language, this program is a great opportunity for you. This
program involves domestic students getting together with international students on a one-on-one basis. You
can choose to be a part of the culture exchange program where you will learn about a specific culture with an
international student or the language exchange program where you will practice your language skills in a
specific language. If you are at all interested, I can give you the materials you need to sign up for this program
or visit this website for more information: http://www.winona.edu/internationalservices/clep.asp.

Cultural and Language Exchange Program

International Services and Cultural Outreach Office
The Cultural and Language Exchange Program is an opportunity for WSU faculty members and students to exchange
culture and language with one another in an informal environment. There are two parts to this program: the cultural
exchange and language exchange.
The cultural exchange involves people meeting together to learn more about one anothers culture. As a cultural
exchange participant, you will be able to request to be paired with someone from a certain region or country. This
program involves a 3-week time commitment.
The language exchange involves people meeting together to improve their language skills in a specific language. As a
language exchange participant, you will be able to request to be paired with someone who is a native speaker of the
language you would like to improve. This program is a 6-week time commitment.
If interested in either program, please stop by International Services and Cultural Outreach Office to pick up the
following materials:

Cultural and Language Exchange Sign Up Sheet

Cultural and Language Exchange Rules and Regulations
Cultural and Language Exchange Discussion and Activity Ideas

International Services and Cultural Outreach:

175 W Mark Street- Kryzsko Commons 233
IS@winona.edu

507-457-5303

Contact information:
Ting-Ting Luan
TLuan11@winona.edu 612-323-9172