English 112 Strategies for University Writing Instructor: Dr Emily Aoife Somers Office hours: MWF 15.00-16.

00 Office: BuTo 527 | Emily.somers@ubc.ca English 112 is intended to expose students to a variety of discursive forms, functions, and formats. We will therefore study a variety of materials: personal essays, academic research from different disciplines, letters, legal documents, and other forms of expository prose. By reading, and engaging, with a variety of authors and genres, we will hone our critical skills for evaluating (and critiquing) the contents and contexts of communication. As this is a university course in writing strategies, questions concerning academic research and methodology will be considered in detail. Students will have opportunities to write in-class essays, participate in modules to deepen investigative skills, as well as design and complete a formal paper. In considering how voice, genre, and style affect communication strategies, we will engage in sophisticated analysis of how knowledge is developed and conveyed via conventional and variant modes. Although our readings will range widely, across disciplines and media, a general theme we will keep returning to is the construction and projection of the ethical self. What or who is it? How do we locate its identity? How do we formalize a sense of it through relations, circumstances and interconnections? Whats at stake when we deconstruct the ethical self and its claims to virtue and righteousness? Is being moral an internal disposition, or is it measured in actions demonstrated to the broader world? How does writing (and other forms of communication) persuade us to subscribe to a vision or version of a particular ethic? To broadly question the postures of an ethical self, we will read materials from the past and present that discuss presumed obligations of virtue in topics such as childhood, family, human rights, community, nationality, environments, and ethnicity. The goal is to be diverse in our considerations, but conscientious of current social problems, while also exploring different vistas of knowledge and understanding that might offer potential solutions. To enhance our efforts, we will continually apply Giltrows meditations on matters of discourse as they apply to our own writing, and that of the essays we will be reading. Assigned Readings: To conserve paper, this hardcopy handout does not include a scheduled list of assigned readings. For these, you need to access the courses webpage: <http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/esomers/> Look for the English 112 link, on the right-hand side. Here, you will find a list of topics, scheduled assignments, as well as the required readings for each class, which you must read prior to the day in question. Please note that your demonstrated familiarity with the readings will be taken into account in assessing your participation mark (which is a sizable %10, or almost a full letter grade-and-a-half, of your final grade). There are a couple of readings and videos which you can access only by visiting the course website. You should print copies of online materials and bring them to class on the assigned date. Assignments: Assignments are due in hardcopy at the beginning of class on the due date. If you want to submit a paper outside of class, please ask the receptionist in the English Department (BuTo 397) to date-stamp it and place it in my mailbox. Do not slide papers under my office door or e-mail them to me (these do not count as on time). Late papers will be penalized by 3% per day (not including weekends or holidays) until one week after the deadline; after that time, I will not accept the assignment. Please see me well in advance of a due date if you anticipate problems so that we can discuss possible extensions. For extensions based on medical reasons I require a doctors note. Plagiarism (defined by UBC as a form of academic misconduct in which an individual submits or presents the work of another person as his or her own and as dovetailing, repeated submission of the same assignment) will not be tolerated. The minimum

penalty will be a zero on the assignment. Please review the UBC Calendar Academic regulations for the university policy on cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty. Also visit www.arts.ubc.ca and go to the students section for useful information on avoiding plagiarism and on correct documentation. Because the method of instruction is interactive, it is absolutely critical that students complete weekly readings ahead of time, bring textbooks to class, and come prepared to engage in a discussion. Your attendance is mandatory. Please be advised that, according to the Department of Englishs policy, more than three absences (even if accompanied by documented excuse) means that you will have not met the educational objectives of this course. This can lead to serious consequences, such as possibly not being permitted to sit the final exam. Sometimes missing a class if unavoidable, but please consult with me about multiple absences.

Texts (available at the UBC bookstore): Giltrow, Janet. Academic Writing (3rd Ed.), Broadview Press Krakauer, Jon. Into The Wild. Anchor. Roberts, Tammy, et al (eds). Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose. Broadview Press. Evaluation: Participation Research Proposal Research Paper

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Criteria for Evaluation: Grades for each assignment will not be based only on technical language skills (although these are important) but also on creative and critical thinking. Part of your responsibility in each assignment is to reflect your understanding of the assignments formal requirements. In other words, it is important that you understandand can show this in your writingwhat is expected of you. In particular, the university-level research essay is very different from the schoolroom essay. These are two different genres, modes of communication that are designed to serve different interpretative communities (i.e., different types of readerships). Whereas a schoolroom essay generally addresses a topic, and then tries to provide a conclusive statement on that topic, a research essay begins not with a topic as such, but rather with the state of knowledge in a certain field. You generally begin, in other words, not with an abstract hypothetical statement (Video games cause people to act violently) but with citation, summary, analysis, and comparison of what established authorities have said about your topic. More specifically, you begin your paper by exploring the debates of different positions in the academic literature. These observations will help to focus your ideas into an argument. Out of debate and exploration, you develop a unique position of your own. The overall cohesiveness of the paper will also be taken into account. As this is a course in university writing, we will of course be evaluating effective strategies for composition. Personal Contact: I will hold three office hours a week. This time is reserved for you, the student, to come in for personal discussions. I urge you to take advantage of the opportunities to come round, discuss your work, and other matters related to the course. Within reason, alternative times can be arranged. Electronic Devices: Laptops and other forms of personal technology are increasingly a part of our learning environment. In principle, I support students who choose to make use of these devices to aid and enhance their work in the classroom. But I formally request that you do not use any electronic device for purposes unrelated to the course. In particular, I consider personal texting or web roaming during classroom hours to be very discourteous behaviour. This is my pet hate, to be honest with you. It is no different than if you were to pick up a telephone and call a friend whilst a lecture was being given. Therefore, please be advised that I have nil tolerance for the use of electronic devices for any reason other than what pertains to the work we are doing in English 112. PLEASE dont. Respectful language and Courteous Etiquette: My classroom is a safe space. This is very important to me. To ensure this, I insist upon a level of polite discourse that is respectful of

ethnicity, nationality, ability challenges, and diverse gender and sexual identities. I follow, in part, the policies established by the UBC Positive Space Campaign, as well as the principles for inclusive language as set out by the Department of Womens Studies and Gender Relations: http://positivespace.ubc.ca Please note: this isnt about being politically correct: its about being respectful. And I am a respectful woman, if nothing else. Email Etiquette: I check e-mail once a day, Monday to Friday, during business hours, and I aim to respond within one business day. Late-night and weekend e-mails may not be read until the next business day. Please note that this means I generally cannot respond to emails written on the eve before an exam/essay is due. As a word to the wise, leaving things to the last minute is not a good plan. If you write to an email account other than the one listed on the first page, chances are good that I will not get your letter. Moreover, if you write from a hotmail account with a dodgy-sounding name [MasterCoolio666@hotmail.com], my spam blocker will likely filter your message. Please use your UBC email account for all academic communications. Writing resources: UBC Writing Centre: Online:

Tutorials on writing essays. Also FREE but you must book in advance. An excellent site with loads of helpful tips: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/