ENG 3203 Fall 2008

Course Name, Number, and Description: Catalog Description: “ENG 3203. Advanced Grammar and Composition. Concentration on the basic terminology and procedures of English grammar and composition, with intensive practice in both. Prerequisites: Nine hours of English. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.”

The TWU fall 2008 semester begins on 25 August 2008; the last day of class for fall 2008 is on 5 December 2008. The final exam for this class will be held on Wednesday, 10 December 2008 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please note that the examination will start a half hour earlier than the regularly scheduled class time.

This course satisfies a degree plan requirement for the Bachelor of Arts in English (or for an upper-level English course for the English minor or in the General Studies degree plan with a concentration in English). This course does NOT fulfill the requirements for English credit in the core curriculum. If you are taking this course for the Bachelor of Arts in English leading to 8-12 certification, you must make a "B" or better to receive credit on that degree plan. This course will be taught entirely in a traditional classroom setting and format.

Instructor Contact Information: Office Location, Phone, Office Hours, Email Address:

Russell Greer, Ph.D. Associate Professor. Office: CFO 803. E-mail: rgreer@twu.edu. Fax: (940) 898-2297. Office telephone: (940) 898-2346.

I will host office hours by appointment in CFO 803 from 9-11 a.m., 12:30-1 p.m., and 2:30-4 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays unless otherwise indicated. Typically, if I cannot hold those regularly scheduled office hours, I will make an announcement in class, post that information on my web site, and/or leave a note on my office door.

To contact me, you may also leave a voice mail for me at (940) 898-2346. I check for messages once a day and try to return calls promptly, often in the evening.

(1) Grammar and Usage in the Classroom by Mark Lester (546 pages, Longman. 2nd edition. ISBN: 978-0205306558);

(2) They Say/I Say by Gerald Graff (81 pages. W.W. Norton. ISBN: 0393924092)

We will not have required readings from a handbook, but for reference purposes only, you should also purchase or have access to a traditional English handbook such as The Bedford Handbook (7th edition) by Diana Hacker (Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. ISBN: 978-0312419332 ).

Please note that Grammar and Usage in the Classroom is available in the TWU library, and the following books are on reserve:

Style : lessons in clarity and grace / Joseph M. Williams.	Main Library	PE1421 .W545 2007
They say/I say : the moves that matter in persuasive writing / Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein.	Main Library	PE1408 .G734 2007

1. Course Goal: To understand the eight parts of speech, the basic sentence, verb forms, phrases, clauses, and verb complements. Student Learning Outcome: To demonstrate this knowledge in six examinations, including a comprehensive final examination.

2. Course Goal: To understand the basic terminology and procedures of composition for academic writing. Student Learning Outcome: To demonstrate this knowledge in three academic essays.

“Honesty in completing assignments is essential to the mission of the university and to the development of the personal integrity of the student. Cheating, plagiarism, or other kinds of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in appropriate sanctions that may include failing an assignment, failing the class, or being suspended or expelled. Suspected cases in this course may be reported to Student Life. The specific disciplinary process for academic dishonesty is found in the TWU Student Handbook. Tools to help you avoid plagiarism are available through the TWU Libraries’ “Quick Links” under “Research Help” (http://www.twu.edu/library/literacy/index.htm)”

This statement was authorized and mandated by the TWU Provost on November 10, 2005.

The following definition of plagiarism appears in Joseph F. Trimmer’s A Guide to MLA Documentation (Sixth Edition), published by Houghton Mifflin Company (2004): “Plagiarism is theft. It is using someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit—or without giving any credit at all—to the writer of the original. Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, it is a serious offense…You can avoid plagiarism by taking notes carefully, by formulating and developing your own ideas and by using quotes responsibly to support, rather than replace, your own work” (25). Note that I have used this quotation from a source and have given it full attribution. You should do the same with your sources. I strongly urge you to read the discussion of academic dishonesty that appears in Section Four of The Student Handbook 2008-2009 (pages 154-156). I intend to follow the TWU policy as outlined in this handbook exactly. It defines plagiarism in this way: “Plagiarism occurs when a student obtains portions or elements of someone else's work, including materials prepared by another person or agency, and presents those ideas or words as her or his own academic work. The intentional or unintentional use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement shall constitute plagiarism. Students are responsible for following guidelines of the appropriate course or discipline (ie; MLA, APA)" (154). In this course, we will use the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. Penalties for first-time offenses include, at the instructor’s discretion, any of the following: (1) “Written reprimand”; (2) “Assignment of a 0 on an assignment"; (3) "Assignment of a lower grade on the test/paper/project in question, with an explanation from the instructor"; (4) “Assignment of a grade of F in the course" (155). A discussion of the more severe penalties for second offenses appears on pages 155-156. If you have any questions about whether or not a practice constitutes plagiarism, please contact me before you turn in the assignment.

Academic writing differs from other kinds of writing in that it is a conversation with other people who are writing and thinking about your topic. As we will learn while reading They Say/I Say, when you write an academic essay you will agree with others, disagree with them, or do a little of both, but above all you will remain in a conversation. If you do not clearly identify their words and ideas from your own, you are not in a position to demonstrate your own critical thinking. Plagiarism, therefore, not only robs others other their proper credit, but it robs you of your ability to respond.

To protect the integrity of the course (in this age of the internet) and help you develop the critical thinking necessary to respond to academic arguments, our department asks students to submit their out-of-class essays to a plagiarism-checking website called www.turnitin.com. That website, in turn, will generate a report for me and to you. It will also archive your paper. If you would prefer not to have your work checked by this plagiarism website and your work archived in it, that is your right. However, instead of using turnitin.com, you would need to write a 250 word essay in my presence (during my office hours) explaining your objections. After accepting this handwritten essay from you, I would then check your future out-of-class work with other electronic tools that do not archive your work.

Turnitin.com has video tutorials on how to upload your papers, and it has tutorials on how to understand proper citation. I urge you to create an account as soon as possible by viewing the student training video found at http://www.turnitin.com/static/training.html) The video will tell you how to create a user profile and upload your paper (as you would with an attachment) and have it checked. It's a fairly easy and painless process, but you must create the user profile first (giving your email address, creating a password, etc.). You will do this only once.

After you create that user profile, you will need to know the class ID and the class password for this class (ENG 3203). Here they are:

Class ID: 2355003
Enrollment Password: English

Above all, remember that if you have any questions as to whether or not you have used another person's work and not given proper credit, please see me before you submit the work.

Disability Support Policy Statement: "If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the office of Disability Support Services (CFO 106, 940-898-3835, dss@twu.edu) in order to obtain the required official notification of your accommodation needs. Please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss approved accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate"

Grading policy, major course assignments and examinations, and attendance policy:

Class Attendance: The Texas Woman's University Handbook 2008-2009 states the following about attendance: "Consistent and attentive attendance is vital to academic success, and is expected of all students. Grades are determined by academic performance, and instructors may give students written notice that attendance is related to specific classroom activities is required and will constitute a specific percentage of a students' grades.

Instructors are strongly encouraged to keep a record of student attendance. They should note absences due to documented student illness, serious illness or death in the students' immediate family, official school activity, state-recognized religious holiday, or other verified absences deemed appropriate by the instructor. Students must consult with instructors regarding the completion of make-up work.

Absences are verified through the Office of Student Life. Absences do not exempt students from academic requirements. Excessive absences, even if documented, may result in a student failing the course. An incomplete may be granted if the student has passing grades in 2/3 of assigned work, but only if the instructor determines that extenuating circumstances prevent the student from being able to complete all course work by the end of the semester or term" (143-144).

For each unexcused absence, I will deduct three points from your final grade (since each class meeting represents about three percent of the class time). Excused absences, as defined by TWU, must be documented through Student Life. If you miss more than fifty percent of any particular class period, you will be counted absent. When I return each test, I will indicate the number of absences I have recorded for you to date.

Final Examination: 22% (All material from tests 1-5 and Verb Complements). Wednesday, 10 December 2008 from 10:30-12:30 a.m.

Each chapter test will consist of 10-20 questions taken directly from Grammar and Usage in the Classroom. The final examination will be comprehensive and longer, but it will also only include questions taken directly from the textbook (with the possible exception of extra credit opportunities). If you do the exercises in the text, you will be preparing for the examinations.

Each essay should be about 3-5 pages long, but essays can be as long as ten pages if necessary. They should be typed and double-spaced. Please use the appropriate format for your intended audience (or the Modern Language Association [MLA] format if you are uncertain). Here is a website with information about the MLA format: MLA format. You will choose (1) the topic for each of your essays, and (2) the audience for each of your essays. Your first essay (September) will be a letter to an editor of a newspaper or magazine. Your second essay (October) will be a blog entry or a response to a blog entry. Your third essay (November) will be a submission for a journal article in your field. Your purpose in writing these essays is to communicate a critical perspective to a specific audience clearly and persuasively. You will turn in a printed copy of your essay to me on the due date indicated on the syllabus and upload your essay to www.turnin.com about the same time.

Of course argumentation is a central focus of each essay, and They Say/I Say will help you structure and find that critical perspective. Every essay should have a strong thesis, strong topic sentences, good grammar, and good evidence. When I report your essay grades to you, I will try to communicate as much specific information as possible by breaking down the grade into five areas, each weighted differently. Fifty percent of your essay grade will come from my assessment of the essay's content and organization: Was there strong content? Were the ideas presented logically and as requested by the assignment? Does the paper contain a clear introduction and summary statement? For style, I will look specifically at sentence structures and transitions. For diction, I will examine your spelling and word choice. For mechanics and grammar, I will focus on whether or not you are using the MLA conventions correctly and whether or not you are making any serious grammatical errors. In particular, I will look for fragments, comma splices, agreement errors (both pronoun and subject/predicate), apostrophe errors, and fused sentences. Four of these errors in any combination in any essay will merit a “20” for the essay.

Please note that I will allow you to rewrite editing failures for your first two papers. For the first paper, I will regrade it completely. For the second paper, the highest mark you can make is a "75" (C), and that is only if there are no substantial grammar errors and the quality of the paper is good. You may not rewrite your third paper if you receive an editing failure.

"1" is the lowest mark for one of these areas; "5" is the highest. I will use this grading scale:

Content (1-5)
Organization (1-5) x 5 = _____________
Style (1-5)
Diction (1-5) x 3 = ___________
Mechanics and Grammar (1-5) x 4 = _______________
Total:__________________

During most class periods, I will offer some thoughts in the form of special topic lectures on (1) composition; (2) style; (3) rhetorical history; or (4) figures of speech. I will try to tie each of these special topic discussions into your upcoming writing assignments, and I will be drawing on a variety of sources. For composition, I will be drawing on material in The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing (ABGW) and Rhetorical Grammar (Kolln) by Martha Kolln. For style, I will be drawing upon Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (Williams) by Joseph Williams. For the history of rhetoric, I will be drawing upon a variety of sources, including Eats, Shoots & Leaves (Truss) by Lynne Truss and others, and for the figures of speech I will be synthesizing multiple sources, most importantly A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms (Lanham) by Richard Lanham and Rhetorical Figures in Science (Fahnestock) by Jeanne Fahnestock. I am not requiring you to purchase these texts, but if the information is interesting and useful, you may want to own them at some future time.

As Associate Professor of English, I am often asked to write letters of recommendation for my students. I do not mind writing these letters. I consider it a professional duty, but please note that I will only write letters of recommendation for students who have received an "A" in at least one of my classes, and I always require that the request be accompanied by a copy of a paper written for one of my classes (it can be as heavily revised as you wish). When you make the request, be sure to note my deadline for writing the letter and to whom I should send it.

Tentative calendar of classes, assignments. The Fall 2008 academic calendar can be found here:

Please note that this daily syllabus is for planning purposes only and is subject to change.

27 Lester: Chapter 1 (Teaching Grammar and Usage) and Chapter 2 (Parts of Speech); Apostrophes 305. Graff: "Preface" and "Introduction" (pgs. ix-14). Special Topic: History and Use of the Apostrophe (Truss, et. al). Introductory Discussion of Essay #1

3 Lester: Chapter 1 (Teaching Grammar and Usage) and Chapter 2 (Parts of Speech).

8 Lester: Chapter 1 (Teaching Grammar and Usage) and Chapter 2 (Parts of Speech). Comma Splices 333. Graff: "They Say" (pgs. 17-27).Graff: "'Her Point Is': The Art of Summarizing" (pgs. 28-38). Special Topic: The Thesis Statement.

10 Test #1 (Parts of Speech). Lester: Chapter 3: Basic Sentences and Their Diagrams. Commas and Appositives 333. Graff: "As He Himself Puts It": The Art of Quoting" (pgs. 39-47). Special Topic: The Structure of Sentences (Kolln)

15 Lester: Chapter 3: Basic Sentences and Their Diagrams. Commas and Adjective Clauses 335. Graff: "Yes/No/Okay, But": Three Ways to Respond" (pgs. 51-63). Special Topic: History of Commas (Truss, et. al)

17 Lester: Chapter 3: Basic Sentences and Their Diagrams. Commas and Coordinate Adjectives 335. Graff: "'And Yet': Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say" (pgs. 64-73). Special Topic: Purpose, Audience and Genre (ABGW)

22 Lester: Chapter 3: Basic Sentences and Their Diagrams. commas and Coordinating Conjunctions 339. Graff: "'Skeptics May Object': Planting a Naysayer in Your Text" (pgs. 74-87). Special Topic: Correctness (Williams)

24 Test #2 (Basic Sentences and Their Diagrams). Lester: Chapter 4: Verb Forms, "Tense," and Helping Verbs. Graff: "'So What? Who Cares?': Saying Why It Matters" (pgs. 88-97).

29 September Essay Due (10%) Lester: Chapter 4: Verb Forms, "Tense," and Helping Verbs. Commas and Introductory Elements 342. Graff: "'As a Result': Connecting the Parts" (pgs. 101-114). Introductory Discussion of Essay #2.

1. Please note that October 2 is the last day to drop a class without academic penalty (5 p.m.). Lester: Chapter 4: Verb Forms, "Tense," and Helping Verbs. Conjunctive Adverbs 345. Graff: "'Ain't So/Is Not": Academic Writing Doesn't Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice" (115-122).

6 Lester: Chapter 4: Verb Forms, "Tense," and Helping Verbs. Dangling Modifiers 345. Graff: "'In Other Words': The Art of Metacommentary" (pgs. 123-132).

13 Test #3 ((Verb Forms, 'Tense,' and Helping Verbs). Lester: Chapter 5: Phrases.

20 Lester: Chapter 5: Phrases. Participles Used as Adjectives 351; Fused Sentences 351.

27 Lester: Chapter 5: Phrases. Pronoun Errors: I/me; we/us; he/him/ she/her; they/them 356.

29. Please note that October 30th is the last day to drop a class or withdraw from the university (5 p.m.). Lester: Chapter 5: Phrases. Pronoun Errors: who and whom 360.

3 November Essay Due (10%). These essays will be graded and returned with comments at the final examination. Lester: Chapter 6: Clauses.

Final Examination: Wednesday, 10 December 2008 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

1. On 26 August 2008: Added link to "History and Use of the Apostrophe" for 27 August

5. On 7 September 2008: Moved Comma Splices 333. Graff: "They Say" (pgs. 17-27). Special Topic: The Thesis Statement (ABGW and Fashnestock) from 3 Sept. to 8 Sept.

6. On 7 September 2008: Added a link to Special Topic: The Thesis Statement for 8 September.

8. On 26 September 2008: Removed special topics from the syllabus after 29 September.

10. On 27 October 2008: Moved the due date for Essay #2 to November 3 (from October 29).

11. On 9 November 2008: I added this clarification to the grading policy for essays: "Please note that I will allow you to rewrite editing failures for your first two papers. For the first paper, I will regrade it completely. For the second paper, the highest mark you can make is a "75" (C), and that is only if there are no substantial grammar errors and the quality of the paper is good. You may not rewrite your third paper if you receive an editing failure."

12. On 10 November 2008: Added this section titled "Letters of Recommendation: "As Associate Professor of English, I am often asked to write letters of recommendation for my students. I do not mind writing these letters. I consider it a professional duty, but please note that I will only write letters of recommendation for students who have received an "A" in at least one of my classes, and I always require that the request be accompanied by a copy of a paper written for one of my classes (it can be as heavily revised as you wish). When you make the request, be sure to note my deadline for writing the letter and to whom I should send it."

13. On 24 November 2008: Eliminated Test #5 on clauses. Clause material will be tested during the final examination. Moved the due date for Essay #3 to 3 December. Changed the point values of tests. Tests 1-4 will count 12% each; the final examination will count 22% (as decided unanimously by the class on 24 December).