Unit 2: Arguing from Sources
Homework schedule

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WRT 105
Practices of Academic Writing
Section 267, Fall 2005
Syracuse University
Time: Thursdays 12:30 - 1:50 p.m.
Place: 213B HB Crouse

6 October

Prepare for class

1. In Howard Ch. 3, study sections 3e and 3f, pp. 62-78. I've put a new PDF of Ch. 3 in the Blackboard Documents folder; I think this one will work, and the fonts and pages will be stable in a PDF (whereas they are not in the Microsoft Word document that I had to give you earlier). So I recommend deleting the Word version of Ch. 3 and downloading the PDF.
2. In Howard Ch. 4, study section 4a, pp. 87-98
3. In Howard Ch. 4, do Exercise 4-2, p. 98: "For a paper that you are now working on, produce a first draft using one of the methods of drafting described above: filling in your outline; writing a pastiche draft; or writing a no-notes draft." The paper you are beginning will be a five-page position statement derived from one of the themes that we generated in class on 9/27. These themes are on Slides 7-10 of the 9/27 PowerPoint, which is in the Documents folder on the class Blackbord site.
4. Save your draft with a .doc extension. (If you're working in Microsoft Word, this will be done automatically.) Put a copy of your draft in the Digital Dropbox on our Blackboard site.

Bring to class

1. Three printed copies of your draft.

In class

1. We'll discuss, as a whole class and in small groups, ways to develop your ideas into an essay.
2. We'll make appointments for individual conferences on October 12 & 14.

11 October

Prepare for class

1. In Howard Ch. 3, review section 3e.
2. Revise the thesis for your paper.
3. In Howard Ch. 10, study section 10d.
4. Make a list of evidence that would explain your belief in your thesis, and be prepared to talk about it in class.
5. Put your thesis and evidence into a single document, and put them in the Digital Dropbox in our class Blackboard site.

Bring to class

1. Three printed copies of your thesis and evidence.

In class

1. We'll discuss, as a whole class and in small groups, ways to revise your thesis and evidence and use them to structure your essay.

11 October

12 October

13 October

14 October

18 October

Prepare for class

1. Full draft of your essay

Bring to class

1. Three copies of your essay

In class

1. Workshop drafts
2. Preview assignment for next class

20 October--NO CLASS MEETING

25 October

Prepare for class

1. Full revised draft of your essay
2. An informal page (or more, if you wish) of writing about the issues in the following source:
   Bowen, Meredith. "Your Student Fee. . .: HillTV's 'Over the Hill' Prompts Re-evaluation of Programming." Daily Orange [Syracuse University] 18 Oct. 2005.
   Your writing should be informal but reflective and carefully considered. My specific question is, what can and should you do about these issues? If you'd also like to talk about what others (e.g., our class or the chancellor) should do, you are welcome to do so. I'll ask you to hand this writing in, and you may hand it in anonymously, if you wish. I ask you to do this writing because I am disturbed by these issues; I want to know your perspective on them; and I want to explore any possibilities for taking my (or our) own actions to counter what Chancellor Cantor calls "degrading and divisive" images and remarks.

Bring to class

1. Three copies of your essay
2. Your reflective writing on the issues in the Bowen article.

In class

Forecast for Earlville Tuesday: 7" of heavy, wet snow.
So I'm going to teach from home.
What does this mean for you?
It means you still go to class; Syracuse is only forecast for slush.
Once you get to class, start a group. The groups should be 4 students each, if possible. If the numbers work out oddly, make it 3 to a group rather than 5.
Hand papers around amongst the group. When your paper is read, tell your classmates what concerns you have, and ask for their advice.
When you are reading somebody else's paper, don't try to be the "teacher" and give "right" answers; instead, be a reader and tell the writer how you react. And make whatever suggestions you can. Try to focus on the development of ideas rather than on things like grammar and punctuation. Editing matters, but the first task is to get the paper well developed. Still, if the writer is most concerned about grammar and punctuation and wants you to focus on that, go for it.

THEN AT THE END OF CLASS, go to a computer and send me an email. In the email, tell me who was in your group; what advice each person gave you; how useful you found that advice; and what questions you still have. I'll respond as fast as I can to your questions.
I'll be on email, IM (profbfromwv), and Blackboard all day. You can also use old-fashioned technology and CALL me! 315-691-5116.

27 October

Prepare for class

1. Final draft of your essay.
2. Drop your essay in the Blackboard digital dropbox.

Bring to class

In class

1. Preview assignment for next class

Unit 3 homework schedule