COLLEGE WRITING:
English Composition through
  the *5 Senses

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Course Description and Rationale: It often occurs to me that the traditional writing styles we all practiced in high school are not the only types of writing we might actually practice in our lives. In English 101 you'll have the freedom to explore various genres of writing far beyond a 5 paragraph essay. But first, we need to appreciate just how many different types of writing exist, in how many ways writing impacts our lives and the way we come to know our selves and our worlds. To do this, we'll focus on human sensory experience and identity. We experience and interpret our worlds in unique ways by employing each of our five senses, sometimes individually, often collaboratively. Many of us record these experiences using the written word in the form of emails or blogs, and sometimes in diaries or as stories. In this course, you will write about your lives through an examination of the *five senses (is there a sixth?), inquiries that will serve as introductions to the various genres, conventions and structures of English composition. Through brainstorming, sensory workshops, discussion, and both collaborative and individual writing, reading, and editing exercises, you will achieve a greater understanding of how you come to know yourselves and the worlds in which you inhabit…and you might just discover along your journey that indeed, you are a writer!

• Via the course assignments you will experience, discuss, and practice composing a variety of writing styles, genres, and structures.
• You will learn about and consult online and print resources for revising, editing and documenting your writing. Through regular in-class revision workshops and through blog participation, you will develop your ability to respond to the writings of peers and your own writings in helpful ways.
• You will consider, read, and write about the abilities and limitations of human experience, perception, and interpretation through the senses.
• You will practice integrating your reading by way of referencing words, phrases, and sentences that are meaningful to you as you write your own blogs, essays, and final papers.
• You will develop an on-line presence (blog) and create a portfolio that includes a variety of written work.
• You will achieve success as writer-investigators and will submit a piece of writing for potential publication.

• Ackerman, D. (1990). A Natural History of the Senses. USA : Vintage Books.
• Hacker, D. (2007). A Writer’s Reference. Boston : Beford/St. Martin’s.
• In addition to the above texts, your instructor will provide you with additional reading materials throughout the course.
• You are responsible for having your texts and reading materials with you at all class meetings.
• Check Amazon.com, Ebay.com, and Half.com for inexpensive alternatives to purchasing your texts at a bookstore.

Required Materials: You will need: access to a computer, a printer, and the internet; an active email account; a notebook; a pen; a highlighter; a 3-ring binder for your portfolio; and a folder in which to keep handouts and other printed matter. It would be wise to also have a dictionary/thesaurus.

Class Format: In this class, you will do a lot of individual reading and writing, and you will also work together in small groups for feedback and discussion. At the beginning of each class, we will review the homework posted to our blogs by our group members and offer comments and questions. We will then spend time reading literature reflective of the week’s theme and then discuss the reading first within our groups and then together as a class. We may also spend some time exploring our senses by watching film and television excerpts and enjoying related activities when applicable. The remainder of the class will be scheduled for writing activities.

• Blog/Homework: Weekly assignments will be posted to the blogs. You will often be given time in class to start/complete these assignments. Consider the blog a place where you can explore and develop your ideas and get feedback from classmates. The process of reading and commenting on our classmates’ blogs is just as important as writing the blogs. These assignments are designed to support your main essay writing and final paper. Feel free to use your blogging homework as the start of your essays.
• Writing Assignments: First of all, you may not use the word "you". Your instructor will explain in class. For  more advice on what not to use, click me. (HINT: CLICK ME AND MEMORIZE THIS). There will be 5 main writing assignments that will later be useful to you when you write your final paper. Assignments will be approximately 1200 words, typed, double-spaced, and will be written in a variety of genres. These writing assignments will be both posted to your blogs and handed in to your instructor. You may use your blog assignments as starting points for these essays. All writing assignments are graded pass/fail; students should expect to revise each essay a minimum of three times. NOTE: YOUR ESSAYS ARE TO BE TYPED IN TIMES NEW ROMAN, 12pt FONT, BLACK INK, ON WHITE PAPER, DOUBLE-SPACED, SINGLE-SIDED, FORMATTED ACCORIDNG TO APA, CMS or MLA STYLE, and APPROX 1200 WORDS!!! YOU ALSO NEED TO POST YOUR ESSAYS ON YOUR BLOGS ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL PAGES. LIST THE WORD COUNT WITH YOUR GOAL STATEMENT!
• Peer Editing Projects: You will be responsible for responding to and evaluating three essays (2 written by your classmates, 1 written by you). You will explain your edits and responses in a 3-5 pargraph blog entry and discuss them with the writers.
• Final Paper: The final paper will be an autoethnography and will be approximately 10 pages (double-spaced) in length. We will discuss our ideas for this paper before beginning. You will analyze your blog assignments and essays in order to complete this assignment.
• Portfolio and Cover Statement: You will keep all of your work, including ALL pre-writing such as mind maps, outlines, etc, and all drafts of your essays in a 3-ring binder. At the end of the semester, you will submit this portfolio to your professor and will include your reflective letters to your professor and a cover statement discussing your writing process and two essays of your choice. Review the guidelines for the Final Portfolio.
• Reflective Letters: Your reflective letters will be written to your instructor and should be written with an appreciation for and an understanding of the letter genre. Your voice may be informal and you may use "you". You will think about your progress throughout the semester and discuss your conclusions both at the mid-term and at the end of the semester. You may make suggestions for future courses, comment on specific assignments or components in the course, reflect on your progress, etc. 2-3 pages each, double-spaced.

• When you are absent, you will email your instructor and inform him of your absence and the reason for this absence. In addition, you will state the name and email address of the student you will contact to ask about what you missed due to your absence. You will then email that student (and cc your instructor) to inquire about missed work. I will not contact you about missed work or conferences.
• It is completely your responsibility to complete all assignments by their due date, whether you are present in class or not. LATE WORK FOR ANY REASON WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Period. Done Deal. No questions asked. No excuses. No discussion.
• More than four absences FOR ANY REASON may result in a lowering of your final grade.

Participation is defined (but is not limited to) as follows:

 

NOTE ABOUT REVISIONS
When revising an essay, please follow theses instructions:

1. Hand in both your original essay and the revision to your instructor within two weeks of receiving your evaluated essay.
2. Please post the revision on the same blog page as your original essay and clearly designate which is the original and which is the revision.
3. Rather than creating a new set of goals, I would like you to thoroughly explain the changes you made from the previous draft. BE SPECIFIC. I will not accept revisions without a strong explanation statement! Same goes for your peer-editing projects.

BEFORE WE START, GET THE NAMES, EMAILS, AND PHONE NUMBERS of at least four people in this class who you can contact for information or assistance should you be absent or feel confused. PLEASE contact other students first to see if they can answer your questions before emailing your instructor. You can also find the emails of students in your class on the BLOGROLL (you'll find the link at the top of any page of this website).

• In-class reading: Excerpt from Kawai’s Buddhism and the Art of Psychotherapy
• Homework:     
  • ****Set up and design your blog. You'll find a guide to help you by clicking here.
  • YOUR BLOG USERNAME SHOULD BE YOUR LAST & FIRST NAME AND YOUR 4 LETTER IUP I.D.
    e.g. John Smith XFDG
    So....your blog address will be http://smithjohnxfdg.wordpress.com
  • Make sure you are registered on this site, MarlenHarrison.com (click LOGIN/MEMBER AREA at top right of this page). NOTE: This site is not related to your Wordpress blog nor is it related to your IUP email or the IUP website. Your username and password may be anything you wish. MAKE SURE YOU WRITE DOWN YOUR username and passwords for both this site and your wordpress blog so that should you forget them, you can easily retrieve them. It might be a good idea to use the same username and password for both Wordpress and MarlenHarrison.com to make your life a little easier.
  • BLOG ENTRY  #1: Answer Kawai’s question, “What is I?” 3-5 paragraphs.
    
  • Read, annotate and bring to class: Hacker, pp. 3-13; Ackerman’s Natural History of the Senses, Introduction. (-5 points if you forget it or if not annotated!)
  • Review the guidelines for the Final Portfolio so that you know what will be expected of you at the end of the semester.
    

Week 1b - Writer Debate; Genres of Writing

• Discussion of Hacker & Ackerman readings
• Examination of Willy Wonka: Click Me First (and then choose p. 47) ....now Click Me Next (and choose p. 94)
• Homework:
  • Finish setting up and designing your blogs.
  • Print, read, annotate, and bring to class Beverly Faryna's Who Am I? Finding Identity & Voice in Composition.  (-5 points if you forget it or if not annotated!)
  • Visit the English 101 Forum and contribute an example to the genre list - make sure you list the genre and provide a link to an example of that genre. Click me to add your info. (-5 points if you don't do this by next Wednesday or if done incorrectly!)
  • Make sure you have your Hacker book with you on Friday! (-5 points if you forget it!)

• In-class discussion: "Who Am I?"; Using the internet for research
• In-class activity: Discussion of APA and MLA formatting standards - please make sure you have your Hacker book with you! Familiarize yourself with Hacker, pp. 355-488, MLA, APA  & CMS style. This looks like a lot of information, but don’t worry, most of these pages are various examples of how to set-up papers, format citations, and create a references or works cited list. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING THIS INFO & FORMATTING YOUR WORK ACCORDINGLY FROM HERE ON OUT!
• Homework:
  • Finish setting up and designing your blogs.
  • BLOG ENTRY  #2: Choose one of your senses and a writing genre and introduce yourself to your classmates via this sense. For example, you may tell a story about a personal experience that involved a specific sense, or write from the perspective of your chosen sense (e.g., as if your nose or your eyes were explaining who you are). You could describe the sense, compare it to other senses, write a letter to your sense or compose a poem in praise of it! You could create an advertisment or magazine ad, create a conversation or interview with the sense, or write a biography about it! You may even want to include poetry, music, or art to further illustrate your ideas. BE AS CREATIVE OR AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS YOU WISH!  3-5 paragraphs
    1) **Before you begin, identify what your writing goals are: What do you want to accomplish (personal goals for the writing), what kind of writing is this (genre), & who are you writing to (intended audience)? Be thorough and specific and explain how you will acheive these goals. Think of it as a checklist for yourself! See Hacker's checklist on page 5 for more info. 1-2 paragraphs
    2) **After you finish writing, discuss how you did or did not achieve all of the above goals. 1-2 paragraphs
    
    
  • Read and annotate Ackerman, TASTE, pp.125-172. Make sure you bring your book to class next Wednesday! (-5 points if you forget it or if not annotated!)
  • Print, read, annotate, and bring to class William Zinsser's The Lead and the Ending (-5 points if you forget it or if not annotated!)
  • If you haven't left comments on your group members' blogs yet, please do so. Check the BLOGROLL to find your group members' blogs; you only need to leave comments for them. If your group member has not completed any of the homework, choose someone else in your class.
  • Make sure to check your blog this week and respond to comments left for you by your readers.
  • Print out Lara Vapnyar's Pot Luck and bring to class on Wednesday . You don't have to read it, we'll do that in class as a group. (-5 points if you forget it!)
    
    

Week 2a - NO CLASS, MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY

Jan 21st, Week 2b – “Taste this, it's disgusting!” Writing narrative essays

• In-class reading: Pot Luck
• In-class discussion: Ackerman on Taste; Pot Luck
• Review Types of Essays (OWL)
• Homework:
  • BLOG ENTRY #3: First, do some research to learn what makes a good narrative. Next, tell a story about a flavor or food that you feel strongly about. You may reminisce about a specific experience, create a fictional history about a specific food, etc, but your writing should definitely conform to the narrative genre. Don't explain the significance or describe your topic, narrate it! You can use this blog entry as a starting point for your first essay. You might want to listen to NPR's FOOD STORIES to help you get some ideas. 3-5 paragraphs.
    1) **Before you begin, identify what your writing goals are: What do you want to accomplish (personal goals for the writing), what kind of writing is this (genre), & who are you writing to (intended audience)? Be thorough and specific and explain how you will acheive these goals. Think of it as a checklist for yourself! See Hacker's checklist on page 5 for more info. 1-2 paragraphs
    2) **After you finish writing, discuss how you did or did not achieve all of the above goals. 1-2 paragraphs
    
    
  • HAVE YOUR ESSAY READ ALOUD TO YOU AS YOU FOLLOW ALONG MAKING COMMENTS ON YOUR OWN COPY. AFTER YOU FIX ANY ERRORS YOU FIND, GIVE THE ESSAY TO SOMEONE TO PROOFREAD. IF YOU FAIL TO COMPLETE ONE OF THESE STEPS I CAN PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE!
  • Make sure to check your blog this week and respond to comments left for you by your readers.
  • Print out, read, annotate, and bring to class: Anne LaMott's Shitty First Drafts (click me) (-5 points if you forget it or if not annotated!) HEY! Don't forget THE LEAD AND THE ENDING
    
  • Read, annotate and bring to class Hacker pp. 14-23; 57-66. (-5 points if you forget it or if not annotated!)
  • Choose any of your favorite foods (candy, fruit, chips, etc) and bring some to your next class (3b); if necessary, please check with your parents to confirm that you have no known food allergies. (-5 points if you arrive to class emptyhanded)

• In-class discussion: The Lead and the Ending; Shitty First Drafts; Hacker on drafting and analyzing texts; what makes a good narrative?
• TASTE WORKSHOP!!!
• Homework:
  • ESSAY #1: Craft a narrative story that somehow reflects the human sense of taste. You may use your blog entry from Wednesday as a starting point! 4-5 pages
    
    • You will hand in a typed and printed version for your instructor. You will also post this to your blog on its own unique page.
    • Don't forget APA, MLA or CMS formatting! Use your Hacker book or the internet to find examples to assist you.
    • ON A SEPARATE PRINTED PAGE: 1) **Before you begin, identify what your writing goals are: What do you want to accomplish (personal goals for the writing), what kind of writing is this (genre), & who are you writing to (intended audience)? Be thorough and specific and explain how you will acheive these goals. Think of it as a checklist for yourself! See Hacker's checklist on page 5 for more info. 1-2 paragraphs
      2) **After you finish writing, discuss how you did or did not achieve all of the above goals. 1-2 paragraphs
      
  • HAVE YOUR ESSAY READ ALOUD TO YOU AS YOU FOLLOW ALONG MAKING COMMENTS ON YOUR OWN COPY. AFTER YOU FIX ANY ERRORS YOU FIND, GIVE THE ESSAY TO SOMEONE TO PROOFREAD. IF YOU FAIL TO COMPLETE ONE OF THESE STEPS I CAN PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE!
    
  • Make sure to check your blog this week and respond to comments left for you by your readers.
  • Read, annotate and bring to class Ackerman, VISION, pp. 227-285. (-5 points if you forget it or if not annotated!)
  • Print out excerpt from Plato’s Republic (click me) and bring to class on Monday. (-5 points if you forget it)

 

• In-class reading: Excerpt from Plato’s Republic (click me) (please print it prior to class).
• In-class discussion: Plato; Ackerman on Vision
  
• Homework:
  • BLOG ENTRY #4: In Plato’s allegory of the cave, he discusses the idea that seeing is believing, even if what we see is not actually reality. Write about a time in your life when like Plato’s cave-dwellers, what you saw was different from reality. 3-5 paragraphs
    1) **Before you begin, identify what your writing goals are: What do you want to accomplish (personal goals for the writing), what kind of writing is this (genre), & who are you writing to (intended audience)? Be thorough and specific and explain how you will acheive these goals. Think of it as a checklist for yourself! See Hacker's checklist on page 5 for more info. 1-2 paragraphs
    2) **After you finish writing, discuss how you did or did not achieve all of the above goals. 1-2 paragraphs
    
  • Make sure to check your blog this week and respond to comments left for you by your readers.
  • Read, annotate, and bring to class Linda Flower's WRITING FOR AN AUDIENCE 

• Homework:
  
  • Read, annotate and bring to class Ackerman, TOUCH, pp. 65-123. 
  • Read, annotate and bring to class Hacker, pp. 123-160
  • Find, read, and bring three printed copies of an article, essay, or excerpt from literature about the sense of touch. Anything goes here. You will use these next week in class. How can you find these? Try an internet or library search! 

e.g. Barack Obama, English 101-057, 4:00-4:30

TIMES: Monday Feb 9th & Tuesday Feb 10th, 10-5 (last available time slot 4:30-5:00PM)

• In-class reading: The documents students bring to class
• Homework:
  • Make sure to check your blog this week and respond to comments left for you by your readers.
  • Read, annotate, bring to class Hacker, pp. 317-352 On Research Writing 
  • BLOG ENTRY #6: 3-5 paragraphs about touch, texture, or physical feelings/sensations. You may write anything you like, but try to find connections within the readings from this class and INCLUDE AT LEAST 3 CITATIONS (that means you'll also need a works cited or references section)! Make sure to check your blog this week and respond to comments left for you by your readers. Though not required for this blog entry, your instructor will expect you to consider your writing goals, as always.
    1) **Before you begin, identify what your writing goals are: What do you want to accomplish (personal goals for the writing), what kind of writing is this (genre), & who are you writing to (intended audience)? Be thorough and specific and explain how you will acheive these goals. Think of it as a checklist for yourself! See Hacker's checklist on page 5 for more info. 1-2 paragraphs
    2) **After you finish writing, discuss how you did or did not achieve all of the above goals. 1-2 paragraph
    

 

 

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March 16th, Week 10a – “Hearing"

3/18 Week 10b - CLASS CONCERT

• Homework: No homework tonight, use this time to revise an essay or work on a peer editing project.

 

3/20 Week 10c - Hearing Workshop