- Project III is due next Friday November 27th --sometime between the turkey sandwich and the pie, please!
- Wednesday December 2nd from 4:30-6:00 p.m. OR
- Thursday December 3rd from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tonight's Class
Homework:
Final Portfolio Procedures and Requirements
English Composition 1030/35
Portfolio Procedures
A portfolio is a collection of written work with a reflective introduction. We will use this as our assessment model for English Composition 1030 because it emphasizes process, revision, and reflection, fundamental concepts in writing. The portfolio counts as 50% of your total grade for this course.
Contents
The portfolio must contain the following pieces:
§ An analytical essay (ex. determining the strategies used in an ad or editorial to affect the audience). For this essay, students must include:
· Planning work (ex. brainstorming, freewriting, listing)
· At least one rough draft
· A final, unmarked draft
§ A persuasive/argumentative essay (ex. advocating a position, proposing a solution to a problem, or evaluating an action). For this essay, students must include:
· Planning work (ex. brainstorming, freewriting, listing)
· At least one rough draft, preferably with instructor comments
· A final, unmarked draft
- One assignment that shows ability to summarize and respond to a text
- The endpoint essay
- An introduction (Reflective Letter), set up as the portfolio’s home page, in which you reflect on what you learned in the course and explain how the portfolio demonstrates that learning.
Professor Kiefer’s hints for writing the Reflective Letter
The purpose of the Reflective Letter is to offer you an opportunity to reflect on and assess your growth as a writer. Specifically this letter will give you an opportunity to show where you most struggled, explain how you overcame those difficulties, what you have learned, and explain how the essays in your portfolio illustrate your growth as a writer over the semester by analyzing each essay in the portfolio.
Introduction
Open your reflection with a short introduction that sets the context and tone for reporting the development of your work.
Body
Then divide the body into paragraphs that discuss the essays in your portfolio: Summary/Response or Project I, Analysis (Project II) and Persuasion (Project
Conclusion
Close your reflective/self-assessment letter by explaining how, overall, your portfolio shows your skills and growth this semester (i.e. Consider the parts of your portfolio and your self-analysis of these, what conclusions a reader might draw about you as a writer and reader, from examining your portfolio.)
Instructions for sharing Google Site
College Composition Student Instructions for Sharing Your Electronic
Portfolio
To share the site:
1. Locate the button labeled “More Actions” on the top right of any page.
2. Click on “More Actions.” A menu will appear.
3. Select “Share this site.” A new window will appear.
4. Click the radio button labeled “As viewers.”
Note: the other options will allow other people to edit your site. Only you should change your
site.
5. Click the mouse into the text box. A cursor will appear.
6. Enter the addresses to which you want to give access to the site. You must share your site with
the following address: collcomp@kean.edu. Your professor may also require you to share it
with other address. See him or her for specific instructions.
7. Click “Invite these people.” A new window will appear where you can write an invitation.
8. Write a brief message.
9. Click “Send.”
Portfolio
To share the site:
1. Locate the button labeled “More Actions” on the top right of any page.
2. Click on “More Actions.” A menu will appear.
3. Select “Share this site.” A new window will appear.
4. Click the radio button labeled “As viewers.”
Note: the other options will allow other people to edit your site. Only you should change your
site.
5. Click the mouse into the text box. A cursor will appear.
6. Enter the addresses to which you want to give access to the site. You must share your site with
the following address: collcomp@kean.edu. Your professor may also require you to share it
with other address. See him or her for specific instructions.
7. Click “Invite these people.” A new window will appear where you can write an invitation.
8. Write a brief message.
9. Click “Send.”
Instructions for using Google Sites
College Composition Student Instructions for Using Google Sites
All College Composition students will create an electronic portfolio using Google Sites. These
instructions will help you create yours.
Note: You must use the version of Google Sites available through your Kean email account.
Creating a Site
To create a site:
1. Log into your Kean email account.
2. Select “Sites” from the menu at the top of the screen. A new window or tab will appear.
3. Click “Create Site”
4. Type in a name for the site. You must use the following format: your Kean email login and the
word “portfolio.” John Southton, for example, would name his portfolio southtojportfolio.
5. Tab to “Site Categories.”
6. Type “College Composition Portfolio.”
7. Scroll to “Collaborate With.”
8. Click the radio button next to “Only people I specify can view this site”
9. Select the site’s theme by clicking on it. You professor may require a specific theme, or you
may be able to select their own. Ask your professor to be sure.
10. Click “Create Site.” The main page of your site, on which you will put your reflective
introduction, will appear.
Modifying the Site’s Appearance
You may want to change the site’s appearance after you’ve created it. To do so:
1. Click on “More Actions.” A menu will appear.
2. Select “Manage Site.”The screen will change to include a menu on the left-hand side.
3. Look for the section labeled “Site Appearance”
4. Select the section that will make the change you want:
● Selecting “Colors and Fonts” will allow you to change the colors on the page and the default
style of font.
● Selecting “Themes” will allow you to change the background.
Adding Material to Your Site
Once a site is created, you can start adding material to it. Each document in your portfolio should be
given its own page.
To create a new page:
1. Click the button labeled “Create page.”
2. Select “web page.” You must use this template.
3. Enter the page name in the box labeled “Name.” (Note: Ask your professor if they have a
system for naming pages they want you to use.)
4. Select the level on the website the page will occupy:
● “Put page at the top level” will make the page separate from other pages on the site.
● “Put page under. . .” will set up a sub-page that is linked to another page. You can use this point
to create pages that all deal with the same assignment. Each page would present a different
stage of your work on that assignment.
5. Click “Create Page.” The new page will appear.
Note: To change the format of a page after it is created, select “Page Settings.” This section allows
users to add or remove the page title and links to sub-pages, as well as allow or disallow attachments or
comments.
Adding material to a page
To add material to a page, click on the button labeled “Edit Page” on the top right. The screen will
change, with textboxes appearing over the page title and the body of the page.
You can type material directly into the textboxes, using the menu to select font styles, highlighting, and
other functions. You can also paste material from another program, such as Word.
Copying and pasting into a web page works just like it does in Microsoft Word. If you’re working in
the campus labs, you may need to use the following shortcut keys:
● CTRL+A: to highlight your entire document.
● CTRL+C: to copy
● CTRL+V: to paste
Sometimes the formatting will be changed when you enter the material from Word to Google Sites, and
you will need to correct it.To minimize the possibility of this happening:
● Single space the text, putting a double-space between paragraphs.
● Remove any paragraph indents or tabs.
After adding material to the page, click “Save.” The screen will show your work as part of a web page.
Creating Links Among Pages
Your portfolio is a website, with the individual pages linked together. The links could be embedded
into the text in multiple ways, ways that affect how readers experience your work.
You should create the individual pages first before adding the links.
To create links:
1. Highlight the text that will become a link.
2. Click the “Link” button. A window will appear.
3. Choose “Existing Page.” A list of pages on the site will appear.
4. Select the page to which you want to link. A check mark will appear next to it.
5. Click “OK.”
You can also create a link to a page outside of your portfolio, such as to a source you used for a
research project. To do this, choose “Web Address” instead of “Existing Page” in step 3. Then enter the
address in the box labeled “Link to this URL,” and click “OK.”
Moving Pages
You can change which pages are subordinate to others. These subordinate pages are called subpages.
For example, you can put your planning and rough draft work subordinate to the final draft of an essay.
To move pages:
1. Go to the page you want to move.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Select “Move Page.”A new window will appear, listing all of the pages on your site.
4. Click on the page name you want to use as a major page. A green check will appear next to it.
5. Click “Move.”
Deleting Pages
If you no longer want to include a page in your portfolio, you can delete it. Deleted pages CANNOT
be recovered.
To delete a page:
1. Go to the page you want to delete.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Click “Delete Page.” A warning window will appear.
4. Click “Delete.”
All College Composition students will create an electronic portfolio using Google Sites. These
instructions will help you create yours.
Note: You must use the version of Google Sites available through your Kean email account.
Creating a Site
To create a site:
1. Log into your Kean email account.
2. Select “Sites” from the menu at the top of the screen. A new window or tab will appear.
3. Click “Create Site”
4. Type in a name for the site. You must use the following format: your Kean email login and the
word “portfolio.” John Southton, for example, would name his portfolio southtojportfolio.
5. Tab to “Site Categories.”
6. Type “College Composition Portfolio.”
7. Scroll to “Collaborate With.”
8. Click the radio button next to “Only people I specify can view this site”
9. Select the site’s theme by clicking on it. You professor may require a specific theme, or you
may be able to select their own. Ask your professor to be sure.
10. Click “Create Site.” The main page of your site, on which you will put your reflective
introduction, will appear.
Modifying the Site’s Appearance
You may want to change the site’s appearance after you’ve created it. To do so:
1. Click on “More Actions.” A menu will appear.
2. Select “Manage Site.”The screen will change to include a menu on the left-hand side.
3. Look for the section labeled “Site Appearance”
4. Select the section that will make the change you want:
● Selecting “Colors and Fonts” will allow you to change the colors on the page and the default
style of font.
● Selecting “Themes” will allow you to change the background.
Adding Material to Your Site
Once a site is created, you can start adding material to it. Each document in your portfolio should be
given its own page.
To create a new page:
1. Click the button labeled “Create page.”
2. Select “web page.” You must use this template.
3. Enter the page name in the box labeled “Name.” (Note: Ask your professor if they have a
system for naming pages they want you to use.)
4. Select the level on the website the page will occupy:
● “Put page at the top level” will make the page separate from other pages on the site.
● “Put page under. . .” will set up a sub-page that is linked to another page. You can use this point
to create pages that all deal with the same assignment. Each page would present a different
stage of your work on that assignment.
5. Click “Create Page.” The new page will appear.
Note: To change the format of a page after it is created, select “Page Settings.” This section allows
users to add or remove the page title and links to sub-pages, as well as allow or disallow attachments or
comments.
Adding material to a page
To add material to a page, click on the button labeled “Edit Page” on the top right. The screen will
change, with textboxes appearing over the page title and the body of the page.
You can type material directly into the textboxes, using the menu to select font styles, highlighting, and
other functions. You can also paste material from another program, such as Word.
Copying and pasting into a web page works just like it does in Microsoft Word. If you’re working in
the campus labs, you may need to use the following shortcut keys:
● CTRL+A: to highlight your entire document.
● CTRL+C: to copy
● CTRL+V: to paste
Sometimes the formatting will be changed when you enter the material from Word to Google Sites, and
you will need to correct it.To minimize the possibility of this happening:
● Single space the text, putting a double-space between paragraphs.
● Remove any paragraph indents or tabs.
After adding material to the page, click “Save.” The screen will show your work as part of a web page.
Creating Links Among Pages
Your portfolio is a website, with the individual pages linked together. The links could be embedded
into the text in multiple ways, ways that affect how readers experience your work.
You should create the individual pages first before adding the links.
To create links:
1. Highlight the text that will become a link.
2. Click the “Link” button. A window will appear.
3. Choose “Existing Page.” A list of pages on the site will appear.
4. Select the page to which you want to link. A check mark will appear next to it.
5. Click “OK.”
You can also create a link to a page outside of your portfolio, such as to a source you used for a
research project. To do this, choose “Web Address” instead of “Existing Page” in step 3. Then enter the
address in the box labeled “Link to this URL,” and click “OK.”
Moving Pages
You can change which pages are subordinate to others. These subordinate pages are called subpages.
For example, you can put your planning and rough draft work subordinate to the final draft of an essay.
To move pages:
1. Go to the page you want to move.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Select “Move Page.”A new window will appear, listing all of the pages on your site.
4. Click on the page name you want to use as a major page. A green check will appear next to it.
5. Click “Move.”
Deleting Pages
If you no longer want to include a page in your portfolio, you can delete it. Deleted pages CANNOT
be recovered.
To delete a page:
1. Go to the page you want to delete.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Click “Delete Page.” A warning window will appear.
4. Click “Delete.”
Monday, November 16, 2009
Friday the 13th and another Nor'Easter
Tonight we glossed and paraphrased Project 3 rough drafts using the following guidelines:
Glossing Project 3—Persuasive Essay
Glossing and Interpretive Paraphrase are strategies to help you read and think critically about a text—your own or another author’s. They require you to read carefully and to make detailed summaries of important ideas using different words. These processes will help you become more conscious of the rhetorical choices you and other writers make.
Glossing your own work helps you to gain some distance on a draft. It’s another pause in the writing process, a time to ask, “What have I said?” It can lead to you being better able to answer the question, “What do I mean,” as you interpret and paraphrase your ideas. It can also help you to see and assess the organizational structure of your text. Interpretive Paraphrase involves less summary and more detailed “re-saying” or rewriting. The key questions interpretive paraphrasing asks you to answer are: “What does each paragraph or chunk of text say?” and “What does each paragraph or chunk of text DO within the entire text (i.e. how does it function rhetorically?)” With these key questions you can better analyze what you have said in your draft, or you can critically examine what the author of another text is saying.
1. You need a copy of the draft or the text that you can write on. Title the draft if you haven’t already. Or think of 2 or 3 different titles (creating a title helps you see your texts globally, helps you summarize the meaning of the whole draft).
2. Read the title and the first sentence or two. In the margins of your draft, write some notes to yourself about what you as a reader would expect the text to be about. Based on those first two or three sentences, what do you predict will come next?
3. Part I-Now go through the draft slowly, glossing each paragraph. In the margins write a paraphrase (the same ideas in different words) for each paragraph or chunk of text where you think a natural break occurs. Concentrate on what the draft is actually saying, not what you meant or wanted it to say. A paraphrase as a part of the glossing activity is a direction-finder, a summary, another way of saying something. Part II-Next, write a phrase or sentence on how each paragraph or chunk functions rhetorically within the entire text. What does this text DO for the entire text?
4. Copy those glosses onto another piece of paper. Look at what you’ve got in terms of arrangement or organization. What is happening to the development of ideas? How persuasive have you been? Have you acknowledged the opposition? Are there possible directions for this draft to take, places where it isn’t accomplishing what you had hoped?
5. Ask yourself: What difference does it make to the meaning of the text and to potential readers if you arrange ideas differently? How does it change the conceptual framework?
Homework for Friday, November 20, 2009:
Glossing Project 3—Persuasive Essay
Glossing and Interpretive Paraphrase are strategies to help you read and think critically about a text—your own or another author’s. They require you to read carefully and to make detailed summaries of important ideas using different words. These processes will help you become more conscious of the rhetorical choices you and other writers make.
Glossing your own work helps you to gain some distance on a draft. It’s another pause in the writing process, a time to ask, “What have I said?” It can lead to you being better able to answer the question, “What do I mean,” as you interpret and paraphrase your ideas. It can also help you to see and assess the organizational structure of your text. Interpretive Paraphrase involves less summary and more detailed “re-saying” or rewriting. The key questions interpretive paraphrasing asks you to answer are: “What does each paragraph or chunk of text say?” and “What does each paragraph or chunk of text DO within the entire text (i.e. how does it function rhetorically?)” With these key questions you can better analyze what you have said in your draft, or you can critically examine what the author of another text is saying.
1. You need a copy of the draft or the text that you can write on. Title the draft if you haven’t already. Or think of 2 or 3 different titles (creating a title helps you see your texts globally, helps you summarize the meaning of the whole draft).
2. Read the title and the first sentence or two. In the margins of your draft, write some notes to yourself about what you as a reader would expect the text to be about. Based on those first two or three sentences, what do you predict will come next?
3. Part I-Now go through the draft slowly, glossing each paragraph. In the margins write a paraphrase (the same ideas in different words) for each paragraph or chunk of text where you think a natural break occurs. Concentrate on what the draft is actually saying, not what you meant or wanted it to say. A paraphrase as a part of the glossing activity is a direction-finder, a summary, another way of saying something. Part II-Next, write a phrase or sentence on how each paragraph or chunk functions rhetorically within the entire text. What does this text DO for the entire text?
4. Copy those glosses onto another piece of paper. Look at what you’ve got in terms of arrangement or organization. What is happening to the development of ideas? How persuasive have you been? Have you acknowledged the opposition? Are there possible directions for this draft to take, places where it isn’t accomplishing what you had hoped?
5. Ask yourself: What difference does it make to the meaning of the text and to potential readers if you arrange ideas differently? How does it change the conceptual framework?
Homework for Friday, November 20, 2009:
- Complete draft two of Project Three--Persuasive Essay. Please come to the next class prepared with a hard copy.
- Continue revising earlier papers as necessary for final portfolios due December 11, 2009.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Important Announcement for class Friday, November 13th
The following message was also sent to all student's e-mail addresses.
Please make sure to bring a typed copy of your complete rough draft of Project 3 (persuasive paper) to class with you. You will also want to have access to your paper electronically. We will be doing a drafting activity and it is essential everyone is prepared with a complete first draft of his/her essay.
The Racial Profiling response paper can be submitted via e-mail as usual.
Please make sure to bring a typed copy of your complete rough draft of Project 3 (persuasive paper) to class with you. You will also want to have access to your paper electronically. We will be doing a drafting activity and it is essential everyone is prepared with a complete first draft of his/her essay.
The Racial Profiling response paper can be submitted via e-mail as usual.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tonight 11/06/09
Tonight we reviewed and discussed the following topics:
- Effective introductions and conclusions
- Elements of racial profiling essays to prepare for small and large group discussion
- Review of persuasice techniques to consider as first drafts are written for next week.
Homework:
- Complete first three to four page draft of Project 3.
- Racial profiling response paper as a "response" to reading AND class discussion.
Introduction and Conclusion highlights:
Introductions and Conclusions—
• Intros address the overall purpose or intention of the essay.
• Conclusions define the achievement of the essay.
• They provide a frame for the paper by
– defining the scope and focus of your paper,
– situating your main point in a larger context,
– helping your reader understand the value of your argument.
Introduction
• Sets the tone AND Identifies and limits your subject.
• Orients your reader be explaining specific context and rationale for your argument.
• Presents the thesis or central claim of your subject.
• Engages the reader’s attention and persuades her to keep reading.
Strategies to consider
• Moving from the specific to the general: use and anecdote, quotation, fact or textual detail. Provide a wider view then move to the specific.
• Pose a significant question or problem that serve to focus your inquiry.
• Challenge a commonplace interpretation.
• Be prepared to re-write your introduction at any point during the writing process.
• State your purpose early.
• Don’t worry that you’ll have nothing left to say in the body. Your reader needs a clear statement otherwise there may be confusion about your focus.
The No No’s of Introductions
• Avoid formulaic introductions—the paper will become to general:
– The history-of-the-world: “From the dawn of time…” This kind of opening gives readers the impression that you have not mastered your material sufficiently to say something substantive and specific about it.
– The dictionary definition: “According to Webster’s…” Like any general formula, this one evades the specific demands of your subject. If the definition of terms is important to your argument – take care to make distinctions and present definitions that are specific to your materials.
Conclusion
• The goal is to make your reader feel that the argument has fully achieved the goals you have set in the introduction.
• Your reader should feel convinced by your argument and satisfied that all has come full circle.
• It is a good idea to write the final versions of the introduction and conclusion each with the other in mind.
Strategies
• Even in the conclusion you should strive to produce in your reader a sense of discovery and prospect.
– Indicate how your main point fits into a larger context.
– Explain the implications of your interpretation.
You might incorporate key words and phrases from your introduction, presenting them now in a way to reveal their greater depth, nuance, or implication.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Project 3 Assignment with Due Dates
Our final portfolio project, a persuasive essay, will be assigned during writing conferences this Friday. The Reflective Letter required to open the portfolio will be assigned and explained in class 11/20.
Project 3: Writing in the Public Forum
Purpose:
To strengthen practices for assessing audience and using analysis to identify the form, focus, and rhetorical approach for your writing; to explore and reflect on practices for developing arguments; to practice the effective integration of information from other authors/texts to support your argument; and to gain experience writing for real-world audiences.
Description of the assignment:
Develop a position on a controversial issue (we will brainstorm a list of acceptable topics in class). Specifically you must take a position with respect to a specific statement on your issue put forward by government, business or some other social organization. In other words - your argument must similar to Dr. King's letter in that it must be a reply to and/or extend of an already stated position regarding your topic.
As you develop your position, you will need to make specific references to what others have argued, and you will need to refer to appropriate authorities (facts, experts, research, etc) to support your argument. You will set forward your position as a traditional persuasive essay (similar to the writing by King).
After writing your persuasive essay, you will re-cast your argument as a letter to your congressman, a letter to the editor, a position statement for your school board, or some other public venue. This will be presented in our final class on December 18, 2009.
Criteria for Essay:
1) a clear statement of your position;
2) detailed, complex presentation of issues affecting your position (with specific references to the positions argued by various "sides");
3) a series of logical claims or points to justify your position;
4) references from at least 3 sources;
5) overt connections between claims and support; ;
6) presentation and refutation of relevant counterarguments (replies to the other side's arguments);
7) clear, logical organization including effective use of paragraphing;
8) effective use of paraphrasing and quotation;
9) sentences relatively free from errors.
Writing process must demonstrate:
1) a variety of techniques for invention and revision;
2) increased quality of writing and ideas throughout the revision process;
3) thoughtful analysis of how and what to revise in successive drafts.
Length and form
Essay: MLA format (no title page). Word processed. 1000 words.
Letter: a form suitable for publication as a "letter to the editor" or as a letter to a legislator, administrator, city official, etc. Under 200 words.
Due Dates: Topics & preliminary theses--11/6; Draft 1--11/13; Draft 2--11/20; Final draft—11/27;
Letter presentation—12/18.
Project 3: Writing in the Public Forum
Purpose:
To strengthen practices for assessing audience and using analysis to identify the form, focus, and rhetorical approach for your writing; to explore and reflect on practices for developing arguments; to practice the effective integration of information from other authors/texts to support your argument; and to gain experience writing for real-world audiences.
Description of the assignment:
Develop a position on a controversial issue (we will brainstorm a list of acceptable topics in class). Specifically you must take a position with respect to a specific statement on your issue put forward by government, business or some other social organization. In other words - your argument must similar to Dr. King's letter in that it must be a reply to and/or extend of an already stated position regarding your topic.
As you develop your position, you will need to make specific references to what others have argued, and you will need to refer to appropriate authorities (facts, experts, research, etc) to support your argument. You will set forward your position as a traditional persuasive essay (similar to the writing by King).
After writing your persuasive essay, you will re-cast your argument as a letter to your congressman, a letter to the editor, a position statement for your school board, or some other public venue. This will be presented in our final class on December 18, 2009.
Criteria for Essay:
1) a clear statement of your position;
2) detailed, complex presentation of issues affecting your position (with specific references to the positions argued by various "sides");
3) a series of logical claims or points to justify your position;
4) references from at least 3 sources;
5) overt connections between claims and support; ;
6) presentation and refutation of relevant counterarguments (replies to the other side's arguments);
7) clear, logical organization including effective use of paragraphing;
8) effective use of paraphrasing and quotation;
9) sentences relatively free from errors.
Writing process must demonstrate:
1) a variety of techniques for invention and revision;
2) increased quality of writing and ideas throughout the revision process;
3) thoughtful analysis of how and what to revise in successive drafts.
Length and form
Essay: MLA format (no title page). Word processed. 1000 words.
Letter: a form suitable for publication as a "letter to the editor" or as a letter to a legislator, administrator, city official, etc. Under 200 words.
Due Dates: Topics & preliminary theses--11/6; Draft 1--11/13; Draft 2--11/20; Final draft—11/27;
Letter presentation—12/18.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
FYI--Grading Policies and Standards from Student Information Sheet
The following information is from the 2009-10 College Composition Student Information Sheet and is provided here as a guideline to follow as you begin to prepare your pieces for your portfolio.
Grading Policies
Generally, writing assignments are evaluated according to a) clarity of purpose; b) appropriateness to audience; c) clarity of focus; d) quality of development; e) effectiveness of organization; f) degree of fluency; g) stylistic skill demonstrated through word choice (diction) and sentence structure (syntax); and h) correctness of mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation).
A Excellent fulfillment of the assignments requirements; original substantive content; effective organization and logical development; correct mechanics; clear effective diction and syntax; fluent use of language; correct documentation (when applicable).
B Above average fulfillment of the assignments requirements; thorough and interesting content; good organization; correct mechanics; effective diction and syntax; fluent use of language; correct documentation (when applicable).
C Fulfills basic requirements of the assignment; some solid content; adequate organization; no major mechanical errors; no major documentation errors.
D Does not fulfill basic requirements of the assignment; vague content; ineffective organization; major mechanical errors; significant errors in documentation.
F Does not fulfill basic requirements of the assignment; little content; minimal form; major, serious repeated mechanical errors; violations of the Academic Integrity Policy.
Grading Policies
Generally, writing assignments are evaluated according to a) clarity of purpose; b) appropriateness to audience; c) clarity of focus; d) quality of development; e) effectiveness of organization; f) degree of fluency; g) stylistic skill demonstrated through word choice (diction) and sentence structure (syntax); and h) correctness of mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation).
A Excellent fulfillment of the assignments requirements; original substantive content; effective organization and logical development; correct mechanics; clear effective diction and syntax; fluent use of language; correct documentation (when applicable).
B Above average fulfillment of the assignments requirements; thorough and interesting content; good organization; correct mechanics; effective diction and syntax; fluent use of language; correct documentation (when applicable).
C Fulfills basic requirements of the assignment; some solid content; adequate organization; no major mechanical errors; no major documentation errors.
D Does not fulfill basic requirements of the assignment; vague content; ineffective organization; major mechanical errors; significant errors in documentation.
F Does not fulfill basic requirements of the assignment; little content; minimal form; major, serious repeated mechanical errors; violations of the Academic Integrity Policy.
Friday, October 23, 2009
10/23/09--Homecoming Weekend!
Reminder: Class for Friday October 30th will begin at 6:00 for pre-scheduled individual writing conferences until approximately 8 p.m. After that time I will be available in 307 for additional help until about 9:15 p.m or until all questions are addressed.
Tonight:
Tonight:
- We covered material on the handout included below in a previous post.
- Met in small groups to participate in a writing workshop to work on our thesis statements for Project II.
- Worked on sentence fluency and rhythm by practicing combining sentences using many smaller sentences.
- Examined and discussed questions I consider in assessment and questions for students to consider as they complete their drafts.
- Explored a strategy to use to highlight areas of strength and weakness on the upcoming Project II draft conferences next week.
Homework:
- Project II drafts due No Later than 5p.m. Thursday October 29th! This will give me time to assess and make notes on your drafts before our conferences on Friday.
- Bring your own copy of Project II draft with X's and squiggly lines as outlined in the handout distributed this evening.
Conference Schedule:
- 6:00--David Garcia
- 6:10--Allison C.
- 6:20--David L.
- 6:30--Sam G.
- 6:40--Tina V.
- 6:50--Nilaja S.
- 7:00--Tim T.
- 7:10--Abdulla Q.
- 7:20--Aliza J.
- 7:30--Briama K.
- 7:40--Omari K.
- 7:50--David Giordano
- 8:00--Joey M.
- 8:10-9:15 or so--Open conference/writing time.
Helpful information discussed in tonight's class 10/23/09
More Specifics on Writing
English Comp 1030/35-Prof. Kiefer
October 23, 2009
Thesis
• The thesis refers to the message, or to the experience that is filtered, narrowed and interpreted by the writer.
• This is the point, the message, or what is being said in the writing.
• Its structure reflects the order we impose on our experiences in shaping what we want to say.
Examples to consider
• If the following sentence occurs in the opening paragraph, what might the writer do to fulfill expectation?
– “People have speculated about the nature of language for a long time.”
• The writer should give examples of the “speculations” and arrange them chronologically because “for a long time” implies a historical context.
Paid political advertising is expensive, deceptive and ineffective in helping to educate voters.
• Expectations are a of a three part argument treating the expense, the deceptive tactics and the ineffectiveness of paid political ads in that order.
– Strategies for different methods of development:
• Statistics on expense
• Examples of deceptive tactics.
• Reasons that the writers believe these are deceptive.
“There are many differences between high school and college.”
• This is a throw away sentence. It is self-evident and that elicits the response, “so what?”
• This would be better if the writer engaged the text more enthusiastically:
– if we knew how many points of contrast we would find.
– what areas of high school and college life we would be reading about
– Why the differences are important.
How can we use this in Analysis?
• Your analysis reveals how writers construct their claims, define their assumptions, examines what kinds of evidence they use and where they place it to signal important subtopics.
Blocking material- a way to organize
• This differs from an outline:
– Draw a picture of what you propose to write guided by questions of your material, audience and purpose.
– Determine how many blocks it will take you to do what you want to do by developing a plan to logically organize your material.
Sentence Combining: Developing an eye and ear for prose rhythms.
• Try combing these sentences into one sentence or more with a pleasing rhythm that allows the reader to remain focused on the main idea:
– The canary flew out the window. The canary is yellow.
– My friends and I enjoy something. We race our bicycles around the paths in the park. Our bicycles are lightweight. Our bicycles are ten-speed. The paths are narrow. The paths are winding.
– The national debt concerns Americans. The national debt grows five hundred dollars every second. The national debt totals nearly six trillion dollars.
FYI--Questions I ask while I assess a paper (in addition to whether the requirements were fulfilled.)
• Was the student committed to the assignment?
• What did the student intend to do? What was the purpose of the writing?
• How did the writer define the audience for the piece?
• How thoroughly did the student probe the subject?
• How are the paragraphs arranged?
• What are the most frequent types of sentences?
• What patterns of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage does the paper contain? In what contexts do the errors appear? What makes them similar?
Questions to ask before submitting a paper:
• How much time did I spend on this paper?
• After the first evaluation, what did I try to improve or experiments with on this paper? How successful was I? If I had questions about what I was trying to do what are they?
• What are the strengths of my paper? (Place a squiggly line beside the passages you feel are very good.)
• What are the weaknesses, if any, of my paper? (Place an X beside passages you would like me to help you with or would like to revise. Place an X over punctuation, spelling usage where you need help or clarification.)
• What one thing will I do to improve my next piece of writing?
• What grade would I give myself on this composition?
Resource: Lindeman, Erika, A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers, 4th ed., Oxford University Press: New York, NY. 2001
English Comp 1030/35-Prof. Kiefer
October 23, 2009
Thesis
• The thesis refers to the message, or to the experience that is filtered, narrowed and interpreted by the writer.
• This is the point, the message, or what is being said in the writing.
• Its structure reflects the order we impose on our experiences in shaping what we want to say.
Examples to consider
• If the following sentence occurs in the opening paragraph, what might the writer do to fulfill expectation?
– “People have speculated about the nature of language for a long time.”
• The writer should give examples of the “speculations” and arrange them chronologically because “for a long time” implies a historical context.
Paid political advertising is expensive, deceptive and ineffective in helping to educate voters.
• Expectations are a of a three part argument treating the expense, the deceptive tactics and the ineffectiveness of paid political ads in that order.
– Strategies for different methods of development:
• Statistics on expense
• Examples of deceptive tactics.
• Reasons that the writers believe these are deceptive.
“There are many differences between high school and college.”
• This is a throw away sentence. It is self-evident and that elicits the response, “so what?”
• This would be better if the writer engaged the text more enthusiastically:
– if we knew how many points of contrast we would find.
– what areas of high school and college life we would be reading about
– Why the differences are important.
How can we use this in Analysis?
• Your analysis reveals how writers construct their claims, define their assumptions, examines what kinds of evidence they use and where they place it to signal important subtopics.
Blocking material- a way to organize
• This differs from an outline:
– Draw a picture of what you propose to write guided by questions of your material, audience and purpose.
– Determine how many blocks it will take you to do what you want to do by developing a plan to logically organize your material.
Sentence Combining: Developing an eye and ear for prose rhythms.
• Try combing these sentences into one sentence or more with a pleasing rhythm that allows the reader to remain focused on the main idea:
– The canary flew out the window. The canary is yellow.
– My friends and I enjoy something. We race our bicycles around the paths in the park. Our bicycles are lightweight. Our bicycles are ten-speed. The paths are narrow. The paths are winding.
– The national debt concerns Americans. The national debt grows five hundred dollars every second. The national debt totals nearly six trillion dollars.
FYI--Questions I ask while I assess a paper (in addition to whether the requirements were fulfilled.)
• Was the student committed to the assignment?
• What did the student intend to do? What was the purpose of the writing?
• How did the writer define the audience for the piece?
• How thoroughly did the student probe the subject?
• How are the paragraphs arranged?
• What are the most frequent types of sentences?
• What patterns of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage does the paper contain? In what contexts do the errors appear? What makes them similar?
Questions to ask before submitting a paper:
• How much time did I spend on this paper?
• After the first evaluation, what did I try to improve or experiments with on this paper? How successful was I? If I had questions about what I was trying to do what are they?
• What are the strengths of my paper? (Place a squiggly line beside the passages you feel are very good.)
• What are the weaknesses, if any, of my paper? (Place an X beside passages you would like me to help you with or would like to revise. Place an X over punctuation, spelling usage where you need help or clarification.)
• What one thing will I do to improve my next piece of writing?
• What grade would I give myself on this composition?
Resource: Lindeman, Erika, A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers, 4th ed., Oxford University Press: New York, NY. 2001
Sunday, October 18, 2009
October 16--An evening with a Nor'easter blowing
Re-cap of tonight:
- Review of ethos, logos and pathos.
- Whole group discussion of Birmingham Jail and the rhetorical devices used.
- Meta-write/e-mail about how each student's writing is progressing, your areas of needs and what genre you'd most like to explore with your own writing.
- Time to discuss assessments from returned Project I.
- Writing time for Project II.
Homework this week:
- Read--Quindlan's A New Look....(pg. 773)
- Write Project II draft 1, 2-4 pages min.
- Write a 1-2 page response on either Birmingham Jail OR Quindlan's article.
Friday, October 9, 2009
October 9 --Week Six
We explored the following areas tonight:
- Presented/discussed/considered the elements of argument from an academic perspective
- Viewed Powerpoint and distributed handout on argument and persuasive techniques
- Analyzed our response papers individually
- Met in small writing groups to read and discuss Crimes and response papers to Crimes
- Selected our topics for Project II
Homework due next Friday: ***Change from schedule!!!!
- Read King's Birmingham Jail. Take notes and briefly analyze five examples of persuasive techniques used. Bring this analysis with you for class discussion. No need to submit via e-mail.
- Due next Friday: Begin first draft of Project II--2 pages
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Reminders and topics from 10/20/09
Tonight:
- We learned and used Google Docs--Thank you Shelsie!
- Presentation on rhetoric, purpose, audience, focus and developing writing.
- Highlighted portions of Crimes Against Humanity for response papers.
- Introduced and discussed perameters and deadlines for Project II (listed in a post below.)
- Worked on Project I drafts individually and in conferences.
Homework:
- Complete final draft of Project I. Due 10/9/09 at 5 p.m.
- Read Crimes Against Humanity.
- Write a response paper, 1-2 pages, on Crimes.
- Consider topics and articles for Project II.
Brief synopsis of material from class 10/02/09
Rhetoric
• The study of the elements as or style used in writing or speaking. The art of using language effectively. Rhetoric also has a negative connotation of empty or pretentious language meant to waffle, stall or even deceive.
• Aristotle defines rhetoric as the ability to see what is persuasive in all circumstances through the use of logos, ethos or pathos. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-rhetoric/
• Logos: reason
• Ethos: character or fundamental values of a people
• Pathos: a quality arousing feelings of sympathy, pity, tenderness or sorrow.
• We use different genres for our rhetoric.
Purpose
• Purpose is a writer's reason for trying to convey a particular idea. (Thesis) about a subject to a particular audience of readers. Though it may emerge gradually throughout a piece of writing, in the end the purpose should govern every aspect of it.
Important questions to consider
• Why is the communication happening?
• What’s the point of the communication?
How choosing an audience affects the purpose
• If you don't have a particular intended audience in mind, or if you say that your essay is for "everybody" or "society" or "people interested in this topic," your writing will tend to be as general as your intention. Your real purpose will be (or seem to be) turning in an assignment to the teacher (and the teacher won't be a happy reader). On the other hand, if you see yourself as addressing a real reader, you will have a much clearer understanding of your purpose, and your reader will feel more involved.
How does choosing an audience affect the strategy (style, support, tone, vocabulary)?
• Knowing the intended audience, then, enables you to ask questions and make choices rather than following rules. You will also have to decide how much support to give for a point.
• The real question is "how much support does the intended audience need?" Real-world writers think in these terms, not in terms of length or number of sources.
What does your audience believe?
• Although you may belong to the same general group as your intended readers, it's often a mistake to assume that your readers already agree with you or knows the material you're trying to convey. If the readers agree totally with you, why do they need to read your statement? But if you assume that your readers are either uncommitted or leaning to the other side, then you will know from the start what and why to argue your point.
Developing Focus in Writing
• To focus your writing, you'll need to know how to narrow your focus, so you don't overwhelm your readers with unnecessary information. Knowing who your readers are and why you are writing will help you stay focused.
• Wat focus is really all about—is informally known as sticking to the point.
• Sticking to the point involves having a clear idea of what you want to write and how you want to write about your topic. While you write, you'll want to keep in mind your supporting details to help your readers better understand your main point. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/focus/pop5b.cfm
• The biggest conceptual shift in most students is having too broad of a statement and literally finding everything they ever knew about this topic and dumping it into a paper. They need to consider what they write a pro-active document: a document that's going to be used by a specified audience for a specified reason about a specific area of that broader topic.
• Most academic writing requires a narrow focus because it's easier to move from that into the specific supporting detail highly valued in the academic community.
• The study of the elements as or style used in writing or speaking. The art of using language effectively. Rhetoric also has a negative connotation of empty or pretentious language meant to waffle, stall or even deceive.
• Aristotle defines rhetoric as the ability to see what is persuasive in all circumstances through the use of logos, ethos or pathos. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-rhetoric/
• Logos: reason
• Ethos: character or fundamental values of a people
• Pathos: a quality arousing feelings of sympathy, pity, tenderness or sorrow.
• We use different genres for our rhetoric.
Purpose
• Purpose is a writer's reason for trying to convey a particular idea. (Thesis) about a subject to a particular audience of readers. Though it may emerge gradually throughout a piece of writing, in the end the purpose should govern every aspect of it.
Important questions to consider
• Why is the communication happening?
• What’s the point of the communication?
How choosing an audience affects the purpose
• If you don't have a particular intended audience in mind, or if you say that your essay is for "everybody" or "society" or "people interested in this topic," your writing will tend to be as general as your intention. Your real purpose will be (or seem to be) turning in an assignment to the teacher (and the teacher won't be a happy reader). On the other hand, if you see yourself as addressing a real reader, you will have a much clearer understanding of your purpose, and your reader will feel more involved.
How does choosing an audience affect the strategy (style, support, tone, vocabulary)?
• Knowing the intended audience, then, enables you to ask questions and make choices rather than following rules. You will also have to decide how much support to give for a point.
• The real question is "how much support does the intended audience need?" Real-world writers think in these terms, not in terms of length or number of sources.
What does your audience believe?
• Although you may belong to the same general group as your intended readers, it's often a mistake to assume that your readers already agree with you or knows the material you're trying to convey. If the readers agree totally with you, why do they need to read your statement? But if you assume that your readers are either uncommitted or leaning to the other side, then you will know from the start what and why to argue your point.
Developing Focus in Writing
• To focus your writing, you'll need to know how to narrow your focus, so you don't overwhelm your readers with unnecessary information. Knowing who your readers are and why you are writing will help you stay focused.
• Wat focus is really all about—is informally known as sticking to the point.
• Sticking to the point involves having a clear idea of what you want to write and how you want to write about your topic. While you write, you'll want to keep in mind your supporting details to help your readers better understand your main point. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/focus/pop5b.cfm
• The biggest conceptual shift in most students is having too broad of a statement and literally finding everything they ever knew about this topic and dumping it into a paper. They need to consider what they write a pro-active document: a document that's going to be used by a specified audience for a specified reason about a specific area of that broader topic.
• Most academic writing requires a narrow focus because it's easier to move from that into the specific supporting detail highly valued in the academic community.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Analyzing Opinion Pieces--Project II
Analyzing Opinion Pieces
Our society debates multiple issues: the limits of free speech, the definition of life, health care, the most responsible plan for the economy, and numerous others. Few of these debates have only two sides. Most of them, however, affect how we live, which makes them interesting and important.
Many of these debates occur through writing, particularly via opinion pieces published in newspapers, magazines, and blogs. In order to be active, responsible citizens, people must be able to navigate these debates, figuring out where different writers stand and determining the major elements of their arguments. This assignment will help you gain this critical skill.
Task:
Below are the topics of several recent “Today’s Debate” columns in USA Today. “Today’s Debate” is a section of the editorial page that presents two columns arguing different positions on the same issue. Copies of all these articles are on our class blog at http://kiefersenglishcomp.blogspot.com
Same-sex Marriage—Proposition 8
Arms-Control—Russia and treaties
Middle East Politics—Trouble in Gaza
NFL—Football Dangers
Balancing State Budgets with Gambling
Select one pair of articles. Write an essay that compares and/or contrasts the strategies the authors use to construct their arguments, focusing on their use of logos, pathos, and ethos. You do not have to discuss all three strategies in your essay, but you will need to focus on a point of similarity and/or contrast between the articles.
Assume you are writing for the same audience as your response essays: an Honors high-school English class focusing on popular culture.
Purposes:
This assignment builds on the analytical, critical reading, and critical thinking skills we practiced with the last response essay, applying them to written texts. This essay will also introduce you to some of the common moves used to construct persuasive arguments, moves you can apply in your next major essay.
Hints:
This assignment is intended to help you learn how to break the articles apart, identify the strategies used to create them, and determine how those strategies further the writer’s purpose for his or her chosen audience. Use the same strategies for analysis that we practiced in class.
For this assignment, I want your analysis to emphasize the three major appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. You must use one or all of these terms correctly in your essay.
Assume that your audience has read the articles. As a result, you do not have to spend much time or detail summarizing them. A sentence or two giving the main points should be enough. However, you must draw on specific evidence from the articles to support your points. This means you should paraphrase and quote selectively.
I am willing to let you write about another set of articles that are not included in our textbook or USA Today . However, you must provide me the copy of the articles, and I must give you written permission. If you do not meet either of these criteria, your essay will not be accepted, and you will lose points from your portfolio.
Length: three pages (approximately 750 words)
Evaluation Criteria: I will use the criteria on the College Composition Student Information Sheet to evaluate your essay. You will earn a what-if grade for this assignment. You can also choose to revise it for your portfolio.
Assignment Steps (dates tentative):
· Oct. 2: Assignment distributed
· Oct. 9: Whole-class and group practice on text analysis. Select articles.
· Oct. 16: Invention work.
· Oct. 23: Catch-up/review as needed. Time to draft. Conferences: bring your rough draft for feedback.
· Oct. 30: Revision work on essay based on rough drafts. Prepare for workshop.
· Nov. 6: Deadline draft due by 5:00 p.m. today. Submit via gotprofkiefer@gmail.com email.
Our society debates multiple issues: the limits of free speech, the definition of life, health care, the most responsible plan for the economy, and numerous others. Few of these debates have only two sides. Most of them, however, affect how we live, which makes them interesting and important.
Many of these debates occur through writing, particularly via opinion pieces published in newspapers, magazines, and blogs. In order to be active, responsible citizens, people must be able to navigate these debates, figuring out where different writers stand and determining the major elements of their arguments. This assignment will help you gain this critical skill.
Task:
Below are the topics of several recent “Today’s Debate” columns in USA Today. “Today’s Debate” is a section of the editorial page that presents two columns arguing different positions on the same issue. Copies of all these articles are on our class blog at http://kiefersenglishcomp.blogspot.com
Same-sex Marriage—Proposition 8
Arms-Control—Russia and treaties
Middle East Politics—Trouble in Gaza
NFL—Football Dangers
Balancing State Budgets with Gambling
Select one pair of articles. Write an essay that compares and/or contrasts the strategies the authors use to construct their arguments, focusing on their use of logos, pathos, and ethos. You do not have to discuss all three strategies in your essay, but you will need to focus on a point of similarity and/or contrast between the articles.
Assume you are writing for the same audience as your response essays: an Honors high-school English class focusing on popular culture.
Purposes:
This assignment builds on the analytical, critical reading, and critical thinking skills we practiced with the last response essay, applying them to written texts. This essay will also introduce you to some of the common moves used to construct persuasive arguments, moves you can apply in your next major essay.
Hints:
This assignment is intended to help you learn how to break the articles apart, identify the strategies used to create them, and determine how those strategies further the writer’s purpose for his or her chosen audience. Use the same strategies for analysis that we practiced in class.
For this assignment, I want your analysis to emphasize the three major appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. You must use one or all of these terms correctly in your essay.
Assume that your audience has read the articles. As a result, you do not have to spend much time or detail summarizing them. A sentence or two giving the main points should be enough. However, you must draw on specific evidence from the articles to support your points. This means you should paraphrase and quote selectively.
I am willing to let you write about another set of articles that are not included in our textbook or USA Today . However, you must provide me the copy of the articles, and I must give you written permission. If you do not meet either of these criteria, your essay will not be accepted, and you will lose points from your portfolio.
Length: three pages (approximately 750 words)
Evaluation Criteria: I will use the criteria on the College Composition Student Information Sheet to evaluate your essay. You will earn a what-if grade for this assignment. You can also choose to revise it for your portfolio.
Assignment Steps (dates tentative):
· Oct. 2: Assignment distributed
· Oct. 9: Whole-class and group practice on text analysis. Select articles.
· Oct. 16: Invention work.
· Oct. 23: Catch-up/review as needed. Time to draft. Conferences: bring your rough draft for feedback.
· Oct. 30: Revision work on essay based on rough drafts. Prepare for workshop.
· Nov. 6: Deadline draft due by 5:00 p.m. today. Submit via gotprofkiefer@gmail.com email.
"Today's Debate" article on balancing budgets with gambling
Our view on balancing budgets: States bet on a bad hand
Expanding legalized gambling doesn’t guarantee easy money.
As state governments struggle to cope with the worst recession in decades, the peddlers of something-for-nothing politics are touting a familiar magic potion to resolve financial woes: more legalized gambling.
From Hawaii to Maine, state capitals are awash in proposals for new lotteries, slot-machine parlors, video gambling and full-fledged casinos — all in pursuit of mega-million-dollar jackpots that would help states balance their budgets without belt-tightening or tax hikes.
According to recent surveys, serious proposals to seek revenue from new or expanded gambling operations are percolating this winter in at least a third of the states.
There's just one problem: The most recent evidence says the promised riches won't materialize. A few examples:
• Kansas authorized state casinos in 2007 on the notion that $200 million could be raised each year for debt reduction, capital improvements and property tax relief. Nearly two years later, private casino developers have pulled out of three of the four proposed casino sites, fearing that there's little money to be made in today's down economy.
• Illinois had planned on netting $575 million from the sale of a long-dormant casino license but had to settle for a bid barely one-fifth that size — $125 million — plus a promise of further payments over the next 30 years, but no money in time to help the state's current budget crisis. Meanwhile, tax revenue from existing casinos was off 32% in December compared with the previous year.
• Ohio, which was looking for $292 million in sales for the first year of a new Keno game, has grossed only $46 million.
• Maryland's hopes for $660 million in revenue from new slot machines took a heavy hit last week when only one of six proposed sites for the new gambling centers drew bids. The state Senate president said the bidding process is in "disarray."
• California, which was looking to a boom in tribal casinos as an important source of new revenue, is finding casinos are in trouble, abandoning expansion plans and warning of a serious drop in business.
• In Rhode Island, a glitzy slots palace that the state was counting on for $250 million a year is coming up way short, defaulting on its loans and threatened with bankruptcy. Desperate state politicians are talking of buying out the private owners to keep the shaky facility running.
Gambling, obviously, is not immune to the economic recession, as some in this industry have long claimed. While lottery sales are holding up, casino revenue nationwide appear to be declining.
So like the gamblers who are staying home, state legislators would be wise to defer their dreams of a sudden, life-altering payoff. Even with the federal stimulus bill about to rain down money from Washington, balancing state budgets will require tough choices between raising taxes and cutting services. The record shows that counting on gambling revenue is anything but a sure bet.
Opposing view: States deserve a cut
By Greg Stumbo
On the first Saturday of each May, all eyes turn to the Kentucky Derby to watch what has rightfully been called "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports."
It's always a proud moment for Kentucky and its unparalleled horse industry, no matter who wins.
But in recent years, that industry — and the $4 billion economic impact it has on our economy — has suffered because other states have found they can lure it away with larger purses at the tracks and bigger tax incentives on the farm, all funded by expanded gaming revenue.
If Kentucky wants to keep its competitive edge, I believe it has no choice but to level the playing field by joining them. Other states might have different reasons for considering this option, but the bottom line is protecting our bottom line.
Clearly, Americans like their games of chance. They spend tens of billions of dollars each year in cities like Las Vegas and on everything from the lottery and bingo to March Madness office pools. Gaming easily dwarfs all other forms of entertainment.
Over the past 45 years, ever since New Hampshire established the nation's first modern lottery, states have found that their citizens want these types of games. All but two, Utah and Hawaii, now offer at least one legal form of wagering. We can long argue whether this is a positive trend, but voters have shown no inclination to reverse it.
It might indeed be unwise to rely on gaming revenue for critical state services, but that does not mean we should leave all the money on the table.
If a state's citizens are going to play, and they are, then the home state should benefit, not those that surround it.
State Rep. Greg Stumbo, a Democrat from Prestonsburg, is speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Expanding legalized gambling doesn’t guarantee easy money.
As state governments struggle to cope with the worst recession in decades, the peddlers of something-for-nothing politics are touting a familiar magic potion to resolve financial woes: more legalized gambling.
From Hawaii to Maine, state capitals are awash in proposals for new lotteries, slot-machine parlors, video gambling and full-fledged casinos — all in pursuit of mega-million-dollar jackpots that would help states balance their budgets without belt-tightening or tax hikes.
According to recent surveys, serious proposals to seek revenue from new or expanded gambling operations are percolating this winter in at least a third of the states.
There's just one problem: The most recent evidence says the promised riches won't materialize. A few examples:
• Kansas authorized state casinos in 2007 on the notion that $200 million could be raised each year for debt reduction, capital improvements and property tax relief. Nearly two years later, private casino developers have pulled out of three of the four proposed casino sites, fearing that there's little money to be made in today's down economy.
• Illinois had planned on netting $575 million from the sale of a long-dormant casino license but had to settle for a bid barely one-fifth that size — $125 million — plus a promise of further payments over the next 30 years, but no money in time to help the state's current budget crisis. Meanwhile, tax revenue from existing casinos was off 32% in December compared with the previous year.
• Ohio, which was looking for $292 million in sales for the first year of a new Keno game, has grossed only $46 million.
• Maryland's hopes for $660 million in revenue from new slot machines took a heavy hit last week when only one of six proposed sites for the new gambling centers drew bids. The state Senate president said the bidding process is in "disarray."
• California, which was looking to a boom in tribal casinos as an important source of new revenue, is finding casinos are in trouble, abandoning expansion plans and warning of a serious drop in business.
• In Rhode Island, a glitzy slots palace that the state was counting on for $250 million a year is coming up way short, defaulting on its loans and threatened with bankruptcy. Desperate state politicians are talking of buying out the private owners to keep the shaky facility running.
Gambling, obviously, is not immune to the economic recession, as some in this industry have long claimed. While lottery sales are holding up, casino revenue nationwide appear to be declining.
So like the gamblers who are staying home, state legislators would be wise to defer their dreams of a sudden, life-altering payoff. Even with the federal stimulus bill about to rain down money from Washington, balancing state budgets will require tough choices between raising taxes and cutting services. The record shows that counting on gambling revenue is anything but a sure bet.
Opposing view: States deserve a cut
By Greg Stumbo
On the first Saturday of each May, all eyes turn to the Kentucky Derby to watch what has rightfully been called "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports."
It's always a proud moment for Kentucky and its unparalleled horse industry, no matter who wins.
But in recent years, that industry — and the $4 billion economic impact it has on our economy — has suffered because other states have found they can lure it away with larger purses at the tracks and bigger tax incentives on the farm, all funded by expanded gaming revenue.
If Kentucky wants to keep its competitive edge, I believe it has no choice but to level the playing field by joining them. Other states might have different reasons for considering this option, but the bottom line is protecting our bottom line.
Clearly, Americans like their games of chance. They spend tens of billions of dollars each year in cities like Las Vegas and on everything from the lottery and bingo to March Madness office pools. Gaming easily dwarfs all other forms of entertainment.
Over the past 45 years, ever since New Hampshire established the nation's first modern lottery, states have found that their citizens want these types of games. All but two, Utah and Hawaii, now offer at least one legal form of wagering. We can long argue whether this is a positive trend, but voters have shown no inclination to reverse it.
It might indeed be unwise to rely on gaming revenue for critical state services, but that does not mean we should leave all the money on the table.
If a state's citizens are going to play, and they are, then the home state should benefit, not those that surround it.
State Rep. Greg Stumbo, a Democrat from Prestonsburg, is speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives.
"Today's Debate" articles on the Middle East-January 2009
Our view on the Middle East: Israel’s tactics in Gaza invite Palestinian backlash
Efforts to crush Hamas prompt Arab street to rally behind it.
Israel's bloody 11-day incursion into Gaza appears to have two goals, one entirely justified and one based on wishful thinking.
The first is simply to stop the rocket attacks that have been coming from Gaza, controlled by the militant group Hamas, into Israel. For this, Israel has every right, much as the U.S. would if Mexicans sworn to the destruction of America were firing missiles from Juarez into El Paso.
The second, more expansive goal is to try to smash Hamas and turn the Palestinian masses against the group. As desirable as this might be given Hamas' record of terrorism, decades of Middle East conflict provide scant evidence that Israel can achieve this objective by military means.
(Gaza border: Smoke rises from Israel’s Jan. 6 attack on Hamas / David Silverman, Getty Images)
Decades of punishments — from assassinations to mass imprisonments to confiscation of Palestinians' property and curtailment of their rights — have only engendered more support for Palestinian leaders. It's a matter of human nature, and the Israel's latest offensive appears to be producing more of the same. Tuesday's deaths of dozens of Palestinians sheltering at a United Nations school are likely to intensify the anti-Israeli backlash.
The lesson is that Israel needs to step back and figure out how to prevent the same cycle from repeating without end: Israel punishing innocent Palestinians in response to terrorism, inevitably stirring up more radicalization, resentment and retaliation.
Popular support for terrorism typically ends when people see a future for themselves. The Irish Republican Army's horrific bombings petered out as people on both sides in Northern Ireland got tired of violence and were steered into a credible political process. The Palestinians' own tangled history with Israel tells a similar tale.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization was once as violent and as bent on Israel's destruction as Hamas is today (though without Hamas' radical Islamic fervor). But the PLO came to accept Israel's right to exist under the Oslo Peace Accord signed in 1994, which promised Palestinians a homeland.
The PLO's iconic leader, Yasser Arafat, ultimately reneged on a final peace deal with Israel. But the framework of a two-state solution remains much as it was outlined in the last days of the Clinton presidency eight years ago.
After Arafat died in 2004, Palestinians became disenchanted with his Fatah successors because of corruption that kept them mired in poverty and without that all-important path to a better life. Hamas won elections in 2006 because it promised a way forward, lavished social services and benefits on Palestinians and vowed to end corruption. But it remained committed to terrorism.
Israel's efforts to split Palestinians from Hamas, however, have long lacked the needed carrots to match its sticks. It has particularly failed to build up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government controls the larger Palestinian territory in the West Bank and who wants to be a constructive alternative.
Israel deserves to be safe from Hamas rockets. But it can't ensure lasting security by going after tactical successes likely to radicalize Palestinians over the long term.
Posted at 12:22 AM/ET, January 07, 2009 in Foreign Affairs - Middle East - Editorial, USA TODAY editorial
Opposing view: Israel's inalienable right
Efforts to crush Hamas prompt Arab street to rally behind it.
By Jonathan Peled
Israel has the inalienable right to defend itself and its citizens. While America and Europe are engaged in wars thousands of miles away from their soil, we are entrenched in the front lines of the West's war on terror.
In 2005, Israel voluntarily disengaged from Gaza to create an opportunity for peace, giving Palestinians a chance at self governance and economic prosperity. We worked closely with the U.S. and the international community to prop up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with economic and diplomatic support.
Unfortunately, Israel's withdrawal was soon followed by Hamas' takeover of Gaza. This Iranian-backed terrorist organization has proven time and again to adamantly oppose peace and coexistence. Each Israeli peace overture has been met with terror. In the past three years, more than 6,000 rockets and mortars have fallen on Israel.
Hamas has brought this war onto itself and fights in the most repugnant and cynical way imaginable. They regularly exploit their own people by turning them into human shields and using schools, mosques and population centers as launch pads for attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. These barbaric tactics, which violate international humanitarian law, drastically increase the human toll on all sides.
Israel always prefers a political solution to a military one, but sometimes diplomacy is not possible without the deployment of legitimate force. Israel's counter-terrorism operation will continue until Hamas' capability to attack Israeli civilians is minimized and the status quo of constant rocket fire ends, laying the foundation for a durable and sustainable arrangement.
Previous lulls in violence have been viewed by Israel as an opportunity to build peace, but used by Hamas as an opportunity to build rockets and to smuggle in sophisticated weapons. We will not allow our wish for quiet in the short term to enable our destruction in the long term. Hamas cannot be allowed to regroup, rearm and rebuild the smuggling tunnels and terror infrastructure we are destroying.
Eliminating the Hamas obstacle is the only realistic way to advance the peace process and to achieve peace through a two-state solution. We have already made substantial progress with the Palestinian Authority the Palestinian people's legitimate representative and have seen tangible proof that peace is attainable. We are determined not to allow Hamas' terror to derail the process.
Jonathan Peled is the Israeli embassy's spokesman in Washington.
Efforts to crush Hamas prompt Arab street to rally behind it.
Israel's bloody 11-day incursion into Gaza appears to have two goals, one entirely justified and one based on wishful thinking.
The first is simply to stop the rocket attacks that have been coming from Gaza, controlled by the militant group Hamas, into Israel. For this, Israel has every right, much as the U.S. would if Mexicans sworn to the destruction of America were firing missiles from Juarez into El Paso.
The second, more expansive goal is to try to smash Hamas and turn the Palestinian masses against the group. As desirable as this might be given Hamas' record of terrorism, decades of Middle East conflict provide scant evidence that Israel can achieve this objective by military means.
(Gaza border: Smoke rises from Israel’s Jan. 6 attack on Hamas / David Silverman, Getty Images)
Decades of punishments — from assassinations to mass imprisonments to confiscation of Palestinians' property and curtailment of their rights — have only engendered more support for Palestinian leaders. It's a matter of human nature, and the Israel's latest offensive appears to be producing more of the same. Tuesday's deaths of dozens of Palestinians sheltering at a United Nations school are likely to intensify the anti-Israeli backlash.
The lesson is that Israel needs to step back and figure out how to prevent the same cycle from repeating without end: Israel punishing innocent Palestinians in response to terrorism, inevitably stirring up more radicalization, resentment and retaliation.
Popular support for terrorism typically ends when people see a future for themselves. The Irish Republican Army's horrific bombings petered out as people on both sides in Northern Ireland got tired of violence and were steered into a credible political process. The Palestinians' own tangled history with Israel tells a similar tale.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization was once as violent and as bent on Israel's destruction as Hamas is today (though without Hamas' radical Islamic fervor). But the PLO came to accept Israel's right to exist under the Oslo Peace Accord signed in 1994, which promised Palestinians a homeland.
The PLO's iconic leader, Yasser Arafat, ultimately reneged on a final peace deal with Israel. But the framework of a two-state solution remains much as it was outlined in the last days of the Clinton presidency eight years ago.
After Arafat died in 2004, Palestinians became disenchanted with his Fatah successors because of corruption that kept them mired in poverty and without that all-important path to a better life. Hamas won elections in 2006 because it promised a way forward, lavished social services and benefits on Palestinians and vowed to end corruption. But it remained committed to terrorism.
Israel's efforts to split Palestinians from Hamas, however, have long lacked the needed carrots to match its sticks. It has particularly failed to build up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government controls the larger Palestinian territory in the West Bank and who wants to be a constructive alternative.
Israel deserves to be safe from Hamas rockets. But it can't ensure lasting security by going after tactical successes likely to radicalize Palestinians over the long term.
Posted at 12:22 AM/ET, January 07, 2009 in Foreign Affairs - Middle East - Editorial, USA TODAY editorial
Opposing view: Israel's inalienable right
Efforts to crush Hamas prompt Arab street to rally behind it.
By Jonathan Peled
Israel has the inalienable right to defend itself and its citizens. While America and Europe are engaged in wars thousands of miles away from their soil, we are entrenched in the front lines of the West's war on terror.
In 2005, Israel voluntarily disengaged from Gaza to create an opportunity for peace, giving Palestinians a chance at self governance and economic prosperity. We worked closely with the U.S. and the international community to prop up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with economic and diplomatic support.
Unfortunately, Israel's withdrawal was soon followed by Hamas' takeover of Gaza. This Iranian-backed terrorist organization has proven time and again to adamantly oppose peace and coexistence. Each Israeli peace overture has been met with terror. In the past three years, more than 6,000 rockets and mortars have fallen on Israel.
Hamas has brought this war onto itself and fights in the most repugnant and cynical way imaginable. They regularly exploit their own people by turning them into human shields and using schools, mosques and population centers as launch pads for attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. These barbaric tactics, which violate international humanitarian law, drastically increase the human toll on all sides.
Israel always prefers a political solution to a military one, but sometimes diplomacy is not possible without the deployment of legitimate force. Israel's counter-terrorism operation will continue until Hamas' capability to attack Israeli civilians is minimized and the status quo of constant rocket fire ends, laying the foundation for a durable and sustainable arrangement.
Previous lulls in violence have been viewed by Israel as an opportunity to build peace, but used by Hamas as an opportunity to build rockets and to smuggle in sophisticated weapons. We will not allow our wish for quiet in the short term to enable our destruction in the long term. Hamas cannot be allowed to regroup, rearm and rebuild the smuggling tunnels and terror infrastructure we are destroying.
Eliminating the Hamas obstacle is the only realistic way to advance the peace process and to achieve peace through a two-state solution. We have already made substantial progress with the Palestinian Authority the Palestinian people's legitimate representative and have seen tangible proof that peace is attainable. We are determined not to allow Hamas' terror to derail the process.
Jonathan Peled is the Israeli embassy's spokesman in Washington.
"Today's Debate" articles on same-sex marriage from USA Today
Our view on same-sex marriage: Gay-wedding bell blues
Backers of Proposition 8 in Calif employ scare tactics to win votes.
In California during these last days of Election 2008, the biggest fear-mongering ads aren't from the McCain or Obama camps. They aren't even about taxes or national security. Almost like a time-warp trip back to 2004, one social issue is getting big bucks and big air time: gay marriage.
Religious conservatives are casting Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex weddings, as the last stand against Armageddon. They warn that ministers would be jailed for preaching against homosexuality, or that churches refusing to marry gay couples would face lawsuits and lose tax exemption.
Small matter that thousands of same-sex marriages in California and Massachusetts have neither brought the world to an end nor triggered such excess. Or that with the economy on the ropes and the nation fighting two wars, most people have other things to worry about.
In fact, Americans outside the Golden State could be forgiven for thinking that California already made its decision on gay marriage. After all, in May it became the second state to legalize it (after Massachusetts in 2004, before Connecticut earlier this month), when the California Supreme Court held that gays' inability to marry amounted to discrimination under the state's constitution.
That ruling, however, triggered a predictable backlash and prompted the ballot measure that would reverse the court ruling. Multi-million-dollar campaigns have geared up on both sides. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposes Prop 8, but recent polls are close.
On the face of it, defeat of Prop 8 would be a victory for gay rights. The problem is that May's court decision reignited the divisive culture wars — hardly the best way for gay couples to gain broad social acceptance, as recent history has proved.
After a Massachusetts court legalized same-sex marriage, the result was a wave of bans against it in 2004, part of a Republican strategy to turn out social conservatives in battleground states. Twenty-seven states now have amendments barring same-sex marriage.
This year, besides California, gay-marriage bans are on the ballot in Arizona and Florida. Eight states permit the middle ground preferred by this page — allowing gay men and lesbians to enter civil unions, or register as domestic partners, with the benefits and responsibilities of marriage. The best assure people equal treatment under the law in all practical matters — such as custody of children and next-of-kin status — without the religious implications that the word " marriage" evokes.
Polls show that successive generations have tended to be more accepting of homosexuality, so time might favor an eventual acceptance of gay marriage. Regardless, the states' responsibility is to protect their citizens' rights no matter how their relationships are labeled.
Opposing View
Prop 8 preserves freedoms
By Jim Garlow
When Californians go to the polls on Tuesday, they will decide on an issue that will, because of the state's pace-setting history, have an eventual ripple-down effect on other states.
Proposition 8 would amend California's constitution to define marriage as being only between one man and one woman. Failure to preserve the definition of traditional marriage has resulted in profound losses of personal freedoms.
Let's consider public education. David and Tonia Parker's kindergarten student came home from their Lexington, Mass., school with a textbook teaching about same-sex marriage, without notification of parents. Because same-sex marriage is legal in the state, the courts declared that the Parkers have no rights to parental notification or the privilege to opt their children out of any discussions.
Private business owners face the same treatment. Elaine Huguenin, 25, of Elane Photography LLC in New Mexico, was fined $6,600 under the state's discrimination laws when she declined to photograph a lesbian commitment ceremony.
Doctors Christine Brody and Douglas Fenton of Vista, Calif., were sued for refusing to artificially inseminate a woman with no husband — who turned out to be lesbian — because of their personal religious convictions, even though they provided the names of physicians who would provide such services. The California Supreme Court ruled against the doctors in August.
Churches and religious organizations are not immune. The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of New Jersey, a campground of Methodist heritage, lost a portion of its tax-exempt status in 2007 because of its refusal to permit a lesbian couple to hold a civil union ceremony in its pavilion.
The common thread? When same-sex relationships — especially marriage — acquire government sanction, anyone in opposition to it must be intimidated, silenced, fined, jailed or at least threatened.
For the sake of freedom, Proposition 8 must pass. Failure to stop this in California means it will eventually come to your state.
Jim Garlow, senior pastor at Skyline Church in La Mesa, Calif., directs the California Pastors Rapid Response Team, a network in favor of Proposition 8.
Backers of Proposition 8 in Calif employ scare tactics to win votes.
In California during these last days of Election 2008, the biggest fear-mongering ads aren't from the McCain or Obama camps. They aren't even about taxes or national security. Almost like a time-warp trip back to 2004, one social issue is getting big bucks and big air time: gay marriage.
Religious conservatives are casting Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex weddings, as the last stand against Armageddon. They warn that ministers would be jailed for preaching against homosexuality, or that churches refusing to marry gay couples would face lawsuits and lose tax exemption.
Small matter that thousands of same-sex marriages in California and Massachusetts have neither brought the world to an end nor triggered such excess. Or that with the economy on the ropes and the nation fighting two wars, most people have other things to worry about.
In fact, Americans outside the Golden State could be forgiven for thinking that California already made its decision on gay marriage. After all, in May it became the second state to legalize it (after Massachusetts in 2004, before Connecticut earlier this month), when the California Supreme Court held that gays' inability to marry amounted to discrimination under the state's constitution.
That ruling, however, triggered a predictable backlash and prompted the ballot measure that would reverse the court ruling. Multi-million-dollar campaigns have geared up on both sides. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposes Prop 8, but recent polls are close.
On the face of it, defeat of Prop 8 would be a victory for gay rights. The problem is that May's court decision reignited the divisive culture wars — hardly the best way for gay couples to gain broad social acceptance, as recent history has proved.
After a Massachusetts court legalized same-sex marriage, the result was a wave of bans against it in 2004, part of a Republican strategy to turn out social conservatives in battleground states. Twenty-seven states now have amendments barring same-sex marriage.
This year, besides California, gay-marriage bans are on the ballot in Arizona and Florida. Eight states permit the middle ground preferred by this page — allowing gay men and lesbians to enter civil unions, or register as domestic partners, with the benefits and responsibilities of marriage. The best assure people equal treatment under the law in all practical matters — such as custody of children and next-of-kin status — without the religious implications that the word " marriage" evokes.
Polls show that successive generations have tended to be more accepting of homosexuality, so time might favor an eventual acceptance of gay marriage. Regardless, the states' responsibility is to protect their citizens' rights no matter how their relationships are labeled.
Opposing View
Prop 8 preserves freedoms
By Jim Garlow
When Californians go to the polls on Tuesday, they will decide on an issue that will, because of the state's pace-setting history, have an eventual ripple-down effect on other states.
Proposition 8 would amend California's constitution to define marriage as being only between one man and one woman. Failure to preserve the definition of traditional marriage has resulted in profound losses of personal freedoms.
Let's consider public education. David and Tonia Parker's kindergarten student came home from their Lexington, Mass., school with a textbook teaching about same-sex marriage, without notification of parents. Because same-sex marriage is legal in the state, the courts declared that the Parkers have no rights to parental notification or the privilege to opt their children out of any discussions.
Private business owners face the same treatment. Elaine Huguenin, 25, of Elane Photography LLC in New Mexico, was fined $6,600 under the state's discrimination laws when she declined to photograph a lesbian commitment ceremony.
Doctors Christine Brody and Douglas Fenton of Vista, Calif., were sued for refusing to artificially inseminate a woman with no husband — who turned out to be lesbian — because of their personal religious convictions, even though they provided the names of physicians who would provide such services. The California Supreme Court ruled against the doctors in August.
Churches and religious organizations are not immune. The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of New Jersey, a campground of Methodist heritage, lost a portion of its tax-exempt status in 2007 because of its refusal to permit a lesbian couple to hold a civil union ceremony in its pavilion.
The common thread? When same-sex relationships — especially marriage — acquire government sanction, anyone in opposition to it must be intimidated, silenced, fined, jailed or at least threatened.
For the sake of freedom, Proposition 8 must pass. Failure to stop this in California means it will eventually come to your state.
Jim Garlow, senior pastor at Skyline Church in La Mesa, Calif., directs the California Pastors Rapid Response Team, a network in favor of Proposition 8.
"Today's Debate" articles on arms-control from USA Today
Our view on arms control: U.S.-Russia nuclear deal moves bar in right direction
Arsenal cuts, though worthwhile, are sideshow to today’s big threats.
As the U.S. and Russia whittle down their atomic arsenals, the incremental cuts increasingly resemble a game of nuclear limbo in which negotiators wonder: How low can you go?
Robert McNamara, who died this week and was Defense secretary during some of the darkest days of the Cold War, concluded that about 400 nuclear weapons would achieve "assured" destruction of the Soviet Union. In 1997, the National Academy of Sciences conducted a similar exercise and concluded that about 300 weapons each would be enough for the U.S. and Russia.
So why, a reasonable person might ask, did the U.S. amass more than 32,000 nukes at one point, and the Soviet Union as many as 45,000? And why do the U.S. and Russia still have about 26,000 nuclear weapons between them, some 97% of the world's total?
Whatever combination of fear and over-compensation drove such excess, at least the world's most powerful nuclear nations are taking steps in the right direction.
During President Obama's trip to Russia, which ended Wednesday, he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed in principle to lower the bar another notch, from a maximum of 2,200 deployed long-range nuclear weapons to a limit of 1,675 per nation by 2017. The devices to deliver them — intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), nuclear submarines, bombers and so on — could total no more than 1,100, down from 1,600.
These are modest reductions at best, especially considering that each country retains several thousand more reserve and shorter-range weapons.
Critics of reductions, who have steadily dwindled in number, complain that Obama should have waited for the Pentagon's "nuclear posture review." But that process — which examines likely war scenarios and generates the number of nukes needed for them — was completed during the Bush administration, and defense policymakers surely have a good idea what another would show.
More important are details negotiators must work out if Obama wants an agreement ratified by the Senate before the existing Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) — with its crucial verification regime — expires in December. Among the key issues: Can the U.S. keep excess ICBMs and refit them with conventional weapons? Will Russia demand that the U.S. trade away plans to deploy anti-missile systems?
To some extent, though, this is a sideshow. The 21st century concern is less a war between the world's nuclear behemoths than that terrorists will obtain nuclear materiel or that Iran and North Korea will achieve serious nuclear capability, destabilize their neighborhoods and touch off a scramble by other nations to acquire the bomb. Reductions by the U.S. and Russia won't dissuade rogue nations from pursuing nuclear weapons, but cuts can make it easier to make the case for sanctions against them.
As for the limbo question, Obama's "perhaps not in my lifetime" goal of a world going as low as zero nuclear weapons strikes us as very distant indeed. For now, though, the latest agreement leaves the U.S. with more than enough firepower to play offense, play defense, and make the rubble bounce several times over.
Opposing view: Deal weakens U.S. posture
Obama's policy makes risky reductions in nuclear weapons.
By John Bolton
President Obama has to date failed to articulate any coherent strategic rationale for the substantial cuts in nuclear weapons and delivery systems he agreed to Monday with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Obama's inability to do so is not surprising, because he made these commitments without waiting for an up-to-date "nuclear posture review," the definitive mechanism for assessing America's strategic needs.
Avoiding this authoritative process, coupled with the administration's hell-for-leather insistence on ratifying a new treaty by December, and its proposed cuts in missile-defense expenditures and critical weapons systems such as the F-22, demonstrate just how ideologically committed Obama is to a less robust U.S. defense posture. Not only are the proposed cuts in nuclear weapons levels dangerous, but the reductions in delivery systems are even more reckless, as the United States now significantly relies on such systems to deliver conventional warheads. Russia does not.
Obama's approach weakens our nuclear and conventional capabilities, while leaving Russia exactly at levels to which it would otherwise be driven by its own bleak economic realities. Moreover, Russia still insists on linking reductions in U.S. missile defenses to offensive cuts, and Obama hasn't unequivocally rejected this dangerous connection.
Obama's policy is risky for America and its global allies who shelter under our nuclear umbrella. It is hardly the time to shred that umbrella. Nuclear proliferation threats are growing, with North Korea detonating nuclear devices and testing missiles; Iran's nuclear and missile programs progressing; India and Pakistan increasing their capabilities; and other would-be nuclear states watching America's response.
Although Obama hopes dramatic U.S. nuclear weapons reductions will discourage proliferation, the actual result will be the exact opposite. Reality is much harsher than a wishful-thinking administration willing to accept deep cuts in America's defenses, with our military already stretched thin.
The answer is not to rush into any new treaty with Russia by year's end. Preserving the verification mechanisms of the START treaty, which expires then, is doable by simply extending those mechanisms until new strategic levels can be carefully considered and prudently negotiated. Any other approach leaves America vulnerable. Our president should know better.
John Bolton, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, was U.N. ambassador and under secretary of State for arms control during the George W. Bush administration.
Arsenal cuts, though worthwhile, are sideshow to today’s big threats.
As the U.S. and Russia whittle down their atomic arsenals, the incremental cuts increasingly resemble a game of nuclear limbo in which negotiators wonder: How low can you go?
Robert McNamara, who died this week and was Defense secretary during some of the darkest days of the Cold War, concluded that about 400 nuclear weapons would achieve "assured" destruction of the Soviet Union. In 1997, the National Academy of Sciences conducted a similar exercise and concluded that about 300 weapons each would be enough for the U.S. and Russia.
So why, a reasonable person might ask, did the U.S. amass more than 32,000 nukes at one point, and the Soviet Union as many as 45,000? And why do the U.S. and Russia still have about 26,000 nuclear weapons between them, some 97% of the world's total?
Whatever combination of fear and over-compensation drove such excess, at least the world's most powerful nuclear nations are taking steps in the right direction.
During President Obama's trip to Russia, which ended Wednesday, he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed in principle to lower the bar another notch, from a maximum of 2,200 deployed long-range nuclear weapons to a limit of 1,675 per nation by 2017. The devices to deliver them — intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), nuclear submarines, bombers and so on — could total no more than 1,100, down from 1,600.
These are modest reductions at best, especially considering that each country retains several thousand more reserve and shorter-range weapons.
Critics of reductions, who have steadily dwindled in number, complain that Obama should have waited for the Pentagon's "nuclear posture review." But that process — which examines likely war scenarios and generates the number of nukes needed for them — was completed during the Bush administration, and defense policymakers surely have a good idea what another would show.
More important are details negotiators must work out if Obama wants an agreement ratified by the Senate before the existing Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) — with its crucial verification regime — expires in December. Among the key issues: Can the U.S. keep excess ICBMs and refit them with conventional weapons? Will Russia demand that the U.S. trade away plans to deploy anti-missile systems?
To some extent, though, this is a sideshow. The 21st century concern is less a war between the world's nuclear behemoths than that terrorists will obtain nuclear materiel or that Iran and North Korea will achieve serious nuclear capability, destabilize their neighborhoods and touch off a scramble by other nations to acquire the bomb. Reductions by the U.S. and Russia won't dissuade rogue nations from pursuing nuclear weapons, but cuts can make it easier to make the case for sanctions against them.
As for the limbo question, Obama's "perhaps not in my lifetime" goal of a world going as low as zero nuclear weapons strikes us as very distant indeed. For now, though, the latest agreement leaves the U.S. with more than enough firepower to play offense, play defense, and make the rubble bounce several times over.
Opposing view: Deal weakens U.S. posture
Obama's policy makes risky reductions in nuclear weapons.
By John Bolton
President Obama has to date failed to articulate any coherent strategic rationale for the substantial cuts in nuclear weapons and delivery systems he agreed to Monday with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Obama's inability to do so is not surprising, because he made these commitments without waiting for an up-to-date "nuclear posture review," the definitive mechanism for assessing America's strategic needs.
Avoiding this authoritative process, coupled with the administration's hell-for-leather insistence on ratifying a new treaty by December, and its proposed cuts in missile-defense expenditures and critical weapons systems such as the F-22, demonstrate just how ideologically committed Obama is to a less robust U.S. defense posture. Not only are the proposed cuts in nuclear weapons levels dangerous, but the reductions in delivery systems are even more reckless, as the United States now significantly relies on such systems to deliver conventional warheads. Russia does not.
Obama's approach weakens our nuclear and conventional capabilities, while leaving Russia exactly at levels to which it would otherwise be driven by its own bleak economic realities. Moreover, Russia still insists on linking reductions in U.S. missile defenses to offensive cuts, and Obama hasn't unequivocally rejected this dangerous connection.
Obama's policy is risky for America and its global allies who shelter under our nuclear umbrella. It is hardly the time to shred that umbrella. Nuclear proliferation threats are growing, with North Korea detonating nuclear devices and testing missiles; Iran's nuclear and missile programs progressing; India and Pakistan increasing their capabilities; and other would-be nuclear states watching America's response.
Although Obama hopes dramatic U.S. nuclear weapons reductions will discourage proliferation, the actual result will be the exact opposite. Reality is much harsher than a wishful-thinking administration willing to accept deep cuts in America's defenses, with our military already stretched thin.
The answer is not to rush into any new treaty with Russia by year's end. Preserving the verification mechanisms of the START treaty, which expires then, is doable by simply extending those mechanisms until new strategic levels can be carefully considered and prudently negotiated. Any other approach leaves America vulnerable. Our president should know better.
John Bolton, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, was U.N. ambassador and under secretary of State for arms control during the George W. Bush administration.
"Today's Debate" articles on football from USA Today
Our view on football dangers: NFL drags feet as evidence on head injuries mounts
It’s a violent game, but more can be done to safeguard players’ health.
During Saturday's game against Kentucky, star University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow got knocked cold. In the coming week, Tebow faces a decision hundreds of pro, college and high school players make each season: Whether he has recovered enough from a concussion to play in a key game.
The call comes against a backdrop of mounting evidence that football's violence — combined with the play-through-the-pain mentality that coaches foster and fans love — might be leading to long-term health damage for players.
Just this week, a new survey commissioned by the NFL found that the league's retired players have a far greater chance of suffering from memory-related diseases, such as dementia, later in life than those in the general population. Retirees ages 30 to 49 reported such illnesses at a rate 19 times the normal rate.
You'd think such eye-popping numbers — on top of years of other medical studies with worrisome results — would prompt a sense of urgency on the NFL's part. Instead, the front office has been busy downplaying the news and resisting any link between concussions and long-term damage. The survey has "significant limitations," a spokesman demurred. More research is needed.
True, the survey is not definitive. But it doesn't take a medical degree to figure out that jarring collisions involving today's bigger, stronger, faster football players just might result in some long-term damage to brains. And plenty of people with degrees have confirmed the danger.
About 24% of 2,500 retired NFL players surveyed early this decade had three or more concussions while playing. They were five times as likely to develop mild memory impairments, often precursors to Alzheimer's disease, than players with no concussions, according to a 2005 report by the University of North Carolina's Center for the Study of Retired Athletes. Other research has shown how common concussions are in high school and college football: 5% of players suffered one in 1997. Two or more concussions raised the risk of future concussions and slower recoveries.
To its credit, the NFL has been taking head injuries more seriously in recent years. The league has financed research and changed tackling rules. But it could be doing much more, says Kevin Guskiewicz, who directs the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes. Players should get more education about late-in-life consequences. Systems can measure head impact inside helmets, and several colleges, including UNC, have been using them for years. Why not use them widely on the pros?
When Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, decides about playing on Oct. 10 against LSU, he'll have plenty of expert medical advice and will do so in a far more enlightened atmosphere than existed in years past. (As an example of how attitudes can change, consider how tragedies involving dehydration and heat exhaustion have led coaches to add water breaks and curb "two-a-day" practices in stifling August heat.)
Even so, players will always be torn between rational medical decisions and football's macho culture. The NFL's message about concussions could do a lot to push its own players, and younger ones in college and high school, in a healthier direction.
(Teammates check over Tim Tebow Saturday./By Ed Reinke, AP)
Opposing view: ‘We are leading the way’
The NFL is committed to reducing and properly treating concussions.By Harold Henderson
The NFL has played a leading role for years in advancing the prevention, treatment and awareness of concussions in sports.
We have invested millions in research, leading to improved helmets that better protect players at all levels. We led the development of neuropsychological testing, a key tool in the diagnosis and treatment of concussion. Baseline neuropsychological testing for NFL players is mandated. Return-to-play guidelines are more specific and cautious.
Rule changes and strict enforcement of player safety rules, more intensive player education and internal studies showing that team physicians and players are more conservative with concussions demonstrate our commitment to reducing and properly treating this injury.
We initiated and paid for the Michigan survey to learn more about thousands of retired NFL players. Surveys can provide useful information when statistics are properly understood. The information on memory loss was not a medical diagnosis and did not include concussion history, but it clearly warrants further research that is underway. The report's lead author, David Weir, emphasized that the results do not show football causes memory problems, only that the risk is worth studying.
We already have launched a medical study on long-term effects of concussion on retired players in collaboration with faculties from the University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin, Mount Sinai hospital and Wayne State University. All our funded studies, including the Michigan survey, are public and have led to healthy dialogue among medical professionals.
We will continue to be responsible as the science evolves. The health and safety of our players, current and retired, are paramount, and we are leading the way for other athletes. Our medical committee on concussions includes experts from top medical centers. We have regular dialogue and meetings with our critics to learn from them. However, the debate on long-term effects of concussion is between medical experts, not between the NFL and medical experts. We are dealing with facts and responding accordingly, as our record demonstrates.
No one has the final answer, but we continue to emphasize the need for a careful and cautious approach to this complicated injury.
NFL Executive Vice President Harold Henderson is responsible for the league's programs for retired players.
It’s a violent game, but more can be done to safeguard players’ health.
During Saturday's game against Kentucky, star University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow got knocked cold. In the coming week, Tebow faces a decision hundreds of pro, college and high school players make each season: Whether he has recovered enough from a concussion to play in a key game.
The call comes against a backdrop of mounting evidence that football's violence — combined with the play-through-the-pain mentality that coaches foster and fans love — might be leading to long-term health damage for players.
Just this week, a new survey commissioned by the NFL found that the league's retired players have a far greater chance of suffering from memory-related diseases, such as dementia, later in life than those in the general population. Retirees ages 30 to 49 reported such illnesses at a rate 19 times the normal rate.
You'd think such eye-popping numbers — on top of years of other medical studies with worrisome results — would prompt a sense of urgency on the NFL's part. Instead, the front office has been busy downplaying the news and resisting any link between concussions and long-term damage. The survey has "significant limitations," a spokesman demurred. More research is needed.
True, the survey is not definitive. But it doesn't take a medical degree to figure out that jarring collisions involving today's bigger, stronger, faster football players just might result in some long-term damage to brains. And plenty of people with degrees have confirmed the danger.
About 24% of 2,500 retired NFL players surveyed early this decade had three or more concussions while playing. They were five times as likely to develop mild memory impairments, often precursors to Alzheimer's disease, than players with no concussions, according to a 2005 report by the University of North Carolina's Center for the Study of Retired Athletes. Other research has shown how common concussions are in high school and college football: 5% of players suffered one in 1997. Two or more concussions raised the risk of future concussions and slower recoveries.
To its credit, the NFL has been taking head injuries more seriously in recent years. The league has financed research and changed tackling rules. But it could be doing much more, says Kevin Guskiewicz, who directs the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes. Players should get more education about late-in-life consequences. Systems can measure head impact inside helmets, and several colleges, including UNC, have been using them for years. Why not use them widely on the pros?
When Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, decides about playing on Oct. 10 against LSU, he'll have plenty of expert medical advice and will do so in a far more enlightened atmosphere than existed in years past. (As an example of how attitudes can change, consider how tragedies involving dehydration and heat exhaustion have led coaches to add water breaks and curb "two-a-day" practices in stifling August heat.)
Even so, players will always be torn between rational medical decisions and football's macho culture. The NFL's message about concussions could do a lot to push its own players, and younger ones in college and high school, in a healthier direction.
(Teammates check over Tim Tebow Saturday./By Ed Reinke, AP)
Opposing view: ‘We are leading the way’
The NFL is committed to reducing and properly treating concussions.By Harold Henderson
The NFL has played a leading role for years in advancing the prevention, treatment and awareness of concussions in sports.
We have invested millions in research, leading to improved helmets that better protect players at all levels. We led the development of neuropsychological testing, a key tool in the diagnosis and treatment of concussion. Baseline neuropsychological testing for NFL players is mandated. Return-to-play guidelines are more specific and cautious.
Rule changes and strict enforcement of player safety rules, more intensive player education and internal studies showing that team physicians and players are more conservative with concussions demonstrate our commitment to reducing and properly treating this injury.
We initiated and paid for the Michigan survey to learn more about thousands of retired NFL players. Surveys can provide useful information when statistics are properly understood. The information on memory loss was not a medical diagnosis and did not include concussion history, but it clearly warrants further research that is underway. The report's lead author, David Weir, emphasized that the results do not show football causes memory problems, only that the risk is worth studying.
We already have launched a medical study on long-term effects of concussion on retired players in collaboration with faculties from the University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin, Mount Sinai hospital and Wayne State University. All our funded studies, including the Michigan survey, are public and have led to healthy dialogue among medical professionals.
We will continue to be responsible as the science evolves. The health and safety of our players, current and retired, are paramount, and we are leading the way for other athletes. Our medical committee on concussions includes experts from top medical centers. We have regular dialogue and meetings with our critics to learn from them. However, the debate on long-term effects of concussion is between medical experts, not between the NFL and medical experts. We are dealing with facts and responding accordingly, as our record demonstrates.
No one has the final answer, but we continue to emphasize the need for a careful and cautious approach to this complicated injury.
NFL Executive Vice President Harold Henderson is responsible for the league's programs for retired players.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September 28, 2009
Tonight:
- We reviewed the need to re-think our "I love you" endings and incorporate them into the theses of our papers.
- As a whole group, we reviewed and discussed our personal reactions and reflections on Dick Gregory's "Shame."
- Used a "glossing" strategy to continue working on revising the supporting details and order of paragraphs in our first drafts of Project One, our personal literacy narratives.
- Individual writing conferences about Tan Response papers and/or projects.
Homework:
- Complete the reflection questions on the class schedule about your project and include them in your writing journal. These do not have to be submitted but are to assist in your revision process.
- Submit expanded and revised second draft of Project One --approximately 6 pages.
Reminders:
- If you will be absent from class, please contact Ms. Kiefer and submit the homework that is due.
- Per the policies detailed in the class syllabus more than one absence will negatively effect a student's grade.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Friday September 18th
Announcements/Reminders:
- Last day to drop a class with a 50% refund is 9/23/09.
- All work for the week must be submitted via e-mail by 5 p.m. on Friday
- More than one absence will negatively affect a students grade by as much as a full grade per absence. Remember we only meet once per week!
Material reviewed and discussed this evening:
- Amy Tan's Mother Tongue. Use of introduction to create focus, tone and mood. Dispelling common writing myths: "I;, Beginning a sentence with Because..., And... What is a subordinator anyway? Why you shouldn't use second person :) (pun intended)
- Creating suspense and expectation with an introduction.
- Focus, Development and Organization discussion. Handout.
- Writing and revising Project One using a Hot Spotting strategy.
- Individual conferences and writing help.
Homework for next week:
- Some students must submit their Cell Phone essay if not yet completed and e-mailed no later than Sunday 9/20 at 3 p.m.
- Read Gregory's Shame pg. 324.
- Write a response to Shame--approximately 2 pages double-spaced typed.
- Write and complete a first draft of Project One--approximately 4 pages double-spaced typed.
- Any missing work that has not yet been submitted must be submitted by Sunday 9/20/09.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Reminder to Students
All work should be submitted to gotprofkiefer@gmail.com no later that 5 p.m. on the Friday it is due. Failure to submit work on time will negatively effect a student's grade because a student will not be prepared to participate or conference in the evening's workshop. Thank you.
Friday September 11th
Information we reviewed tonight in class.
Some students have not yet returned their revised cell phone essays.
Sign-up for Kean Campus Alert system.
You must have access to textbook readings during class and at home.
Be on time to class!
- Small Groups met to discuss and read each other's Freewriting summaries.
- Discussed and pre-viewed Amy Tan reading, Mother Tongue. How does this relate to our own literacy? Handout for Summary Response assignment on Tan distributed
- Introduced Project One--Our own literacy narratives. Handout disctributed
- Began building our own Google Sites for our end of class portfolios.
- Class time to freewrite on Project One and conference with Ms. Kiefer.
Homework:
1) Freewrite a minimum of two-pages, double-spaced typed on Project One.
2) Read Amy Tan's Mother Tongue
3) Write summary response on Tan reading
Important Reminders:
Each student must have a working e-mail.Some students have not yet returned their revised cell phone essays.
Sign-up for Kean Campus Alert system.
You must have access to textbook readings during class and at home.
Be on time to class!
Friday, September 4, 2009
First Week Class Summary and Assignments 09/04
Information we reviewed tonight:
1) Revising GELAP Essay
2) Reading Elbow's Freewriting --page 20-23 Comment and Controversy
3) Review Tips for Summarizng handout
4) Complete essay Summary of "Freewriting" by Peter Elbow--(handout) No more than 250 words. Bring two hard copies to class to discuss in small groups.
**Reminder to submit all writing to gotprofkiefer@gmail.com no later than Friday September 11 at 5pm.
Problems or questions? E-mail me at kikiefer@kean.edu
- Reminder to sign-up for campus alert at www.mir3.com/kean
- Syllabus--The key to your success: read it on your own this week.
- Schedule-- Subject to change
- Introductions--Who is next to you and what did you learn about them?
- What's this class about?
- Writing: Process-oriented, rhetorical, social, reflective.
- Reading: Critically, rhetorically, multi-modally (for many uses)
- Pre-comp assessment survey
- GELAP Diagnostic Essay
1) Revising GELAP Essay
2) Reading Elbow's Freewriting --page 20-23 Comment and Controversy
3) Review Tips for Summarizng handout
4) Complete essay Summary of "Freewriting" by Peter Elbow--(handout) No more than 250 words. Bring two hard copies to class to discuss in small groups.
**Reminder to submit all writing to gotprofkiefer@gmail.com no later than Friday September 11 at 5pm.
Problems or questions? E-mail me at kikiefer@kean.edu
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tentative Semester Schedule--Fall 2009
SEMESTER SCHEDULE Fall 2009
College Composition1030 Section 35,
Fridays 6:30-9:15 CAS 307
This calendar is a work in progress. It gives an accurate overview of the quantity and general sequence of assignments - but - to make sure you have the right assignment for any given day you must check the course blog every day. Posts will summarize what we did in class, and state specifically what will be due for the next class. I intend to update the course blog, http://kiefersenglishcomp.blogspot.com/ by 9:00 on the morning following every class. If I forget - it is your responsibility to send me a reminder. Each of the four Summary Response papers are to be submitted electronically AND as two hard copies brought to class the day they are due.
WEEK ONE First Day
Fri 9/4: Distribution & Brief Review of Syllabus and Course Material
GELAP Diagnostic
Introduce Summary Writing w/ Elbow handout & Process Analysis as a genre
Introduce Freewriting. 10min FW: How do you feel about writing for school? Do you like it/dislike it? Why? How do you feel about your ability to write for school?
HW-- Reading: 1) Read Syllabus & Peter Elbow “Freewriting;”
Writing: 2) REVISE GELAP; 3) 10min BStrm: Make a list of ALL of the problems you most struggle with when writing an academic essay. AND, make another list of what you would most like to learn in this class? 4) Summary Response 1 to Elbow 5) Email Contact Information
WEEK TWO:
Fri 9/11:
Discuss Freewrite SRR & Elbow
Building your Google Site
Discuss Reading & SRRs with Model
Introduce Project One—A Literacy Narrative
Partner/Small Group P1 Draft Workshop
HW-- Writing: 1) P1 FW – 2 pgs dbl-spd. 2) Summary Response 2 Tan
Reading: Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue
WEEK THREE
Fri 9/18: Discuss Tan SR & Analysis Form
Introduce Hot Spotting with Model
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
HW: Writing: 1) P1 D1 – 2 more pgs dbl-spd; 2) Hot Spot D1 of P1 for Narrative & Critical Reflection 3) Summary Response 3 Shame
Reading: Gregory’s Shame
WEEK FOUR
Fri 9/25: Introduction to Glossing
GLOSS Shame & Discuss
Whole Class Workshop – Model Gloss P1
Discuss P1 Glossing Revision
HW: Writing:, P1 D2 – 2 more pages (up to 6pgs now); 1) Revise Gloss Outline & Revise – P1 D3; 2) 10min Reflection FW: How did it feel to revise from the Gloss Outline? Did it work? What do you most like about doing this? What do you most dislike? What makes this hard/easy to do?
WEEK FIVE
Tue 10/2: Introduce Rhetorical Principles – What is a text? Genre, Audience, Purpose, Context
Discuss Project Two
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
Partner Copy Editing – Project One
HW-- Reading: 1) Read Project Two Instructions; 1) Crimes Against Humanity, Ward Churchill
Writing:1) Brainstorm & Freewrite on Project 2 2) Response paper for Crimes. 3) Final Draft of Project 1 due 10/9
WEEK SIX
Fri 10/9: Project 1 Due. Deadline Draft
Sign up for conferences
Discuss Argument & Crimes
Whole-class and group practice on text analysis. Select articles.
HW: Writing: 1) Project Two Proposals –
WEEK SEVEN
Fri 10/16: Conferences
Invention Work on Project II
HW: 1) Read Anna Quindlen’s A New Look at an Old Battle
Write: 1) Project 2 FW – 2-3pg; 2) Project 2 D1.
WEEK EIGHT
Fri 10/23: Project Three & Whole Class Topic Brainstorm
Whole Class Workshop – Project 2 Hot Spot
Discuss Principles of Argument - Position Statement, Evidence, Logos, Pathos, Ethos
Discuss Quindlen & Principles of Argument
w/Model– Claims, Evidence, Counter Claims
HW: Writing: 1) Source Search Summary Response Outline 1) Revise P2 , D2– 4-5 dbl-spd pgs total;
WEEK NINE
Fri 10/30: Conferences. Individual revision and copyediting.
Project 3--Persuasion assigned.
HW: Writing: 1) P3 Proposals--Topics and thesis statements 2) Work on Deadline Draft of P2.
Reading: 1) Read Racial Profiling Essays from Banks 757-771.
WEEK TEN
Fri 11/6: Project Two. Deadline Draft Due
Discuss Introductions and Conclusions
Whole Class Workshop – Intros & Conclusions
Small Group discussion Racial Profiling SR5
HW-- Writing: 1) P3 Freewrite – 2-3 pgs; 2) P3 D1; 3) Racial Profiling essay
WEEK ELEVEN
Fri 11/13: Racial Profile Response paper due
Re-visit Rhetorical Principles – Genre, Purpose, Audience, Context
Whole Class Workshop – Project Three Hot Spot
HW: Writing: 1) Intro/Conclusion Revisions; 2) P3 D2
WEEK TWELVE
Fri 11/20: Introduce Portfolio and Introductory Reflective Letter
Whole Class Workshop – Reflection
Whole Class Workshop – Google Sites
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
HW: Writing: 1) Revision Work—P3 D3. 2) Portfolio Preparation
:
WEEK THIRTEEN—NO CLASS
Fri 11/27 Project 3 Deadline Draft Due
THANKSGIVING Friday – NO CLASSES
HW-- Writing: 1) Draft Reflection Letter; 2)
WEEK FOURTEEN
Peer Response Due
Fri 12/4: Discuss GELAP Grading Rubric
Discuss Genre Project progress
Whole Class Workshop – Local Revision and Copy Editing
HW: Genre Work and Portfolio Preparation
WEEK FIFTEEN
Fri 12/11: GELAP & Portfolios Due
Partner Revision Workshops
HW: Persuasive Letter Presentation
WEEK SIXTEEN
Fri 12/18:
Persuasive Letter Presentations
SEMESTER ENDS Monday, December 21, 2009
**Important dates: September 9- Last Day to withdraw with a 100% refund; September 16—Last day to withdraw with a 75% refund, September 23 –Last day to withdraw with a 50% refund. October 30--Last day to withdraw with a “W” (0% refund.)
--Schedule subject to change as necessary.
College Composition1030 Section 35,
Fridays 6:30-9:15 CAS 307
This calendar is a work in progress. It gives an accurate overview of the quantity and general sequence of assignments - but - to make sure you have the right assignment for any given day you must check the course blog every day. Posts will summarize what we did in class, and state specifically what will be due for the next class. I intend to update the course blog, http://kiefersenglishcomp.blogspot.com/ by 9:00 on the morning following every class. If I forget - it is your responsibility to send me a reminder. Each of the four Summary Response papers are to be submitted electronically AND as two hard copies brought to class the day they are due.
WEEK ONE First Day
Fri 9/4: Distribution & Brief Review of Syllabus and Course Material
GELAP Diagnostic
Introduce Summary Writing w/ Elbow handout & Process Analysis as a genre
Introduce Freewriting. 10min FW: How do you feel about writing for school? Do you like it/dislike it? Why? How do you feel about your ability to write for school?
HW-- Reading: 1) Read Syllabus & Peter Elbow “Freewriting;”
Writing: 2) REVISE GELAP; 3) 10min BStrm: Make a list of ALL of the problems you most struggle with when writing an academic essay. AND, make another list of what you would most like to learn in this class? 4) Summary Response 1 to Elbow 5) Email Contact Information
WEEK TWO:
Fri 9/11:
Discuss Freewrite SRR & Elbow
Building your Google Site
Discuss Reading & SRRs with Model
Introduce Project One—A Literacy Narrative
Partner/Small Group P1 Draft Workshop
HW-- Writing: 1) P1 FW – 2 pgs dbl-spd. 2) Summary Response 2 Tan
Reading: Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue
WEEK THREE
Fri 9/18: Discuss Tan SR & Analysis Form
Introduce Hot Spotting with Model
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
HW: Writing: 1) P1 D1 – 2 more pgs dbl-spd; 2) Hot Spot D1 of P1 for Narrative & Critical Reflection 3) Summary Response 3 Shame
Reading: Gregory’s Shame
WEEK FOUR
Fri 9/25: Introduction to Glossing
GLOSS Shame & Discuss
Whole Class Workshop – Model Gloss P1
Discuss P1 Glossing Revision
HW: Writing:, P1 D2 – 2 more pages (up to 6pgs now); 1) Revise Gloss Outline & Revise – P1 D3; 2) 10min Reflection FW: How did it feel to revise from the Gloss Outline? Did it work? What do you most like about doing this? What do you most dislike? What makes this hard/easy to do?
WEEK FIVE
Tue 10/2: Introduce Rhetorical Principles – What is a text? Genre, Audience, Purpose, Context
Discuss Project Two
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
Partner Copy Editing – Project One
HW-- Reading: 1) Read Project Two Instructions; 1) Crimes Against Humanity, Ward Churchill
Writing:1) Brainstorm & Freewrite on Project 2 2) Response paper for Crimes. 3) Final Draft of Project 1 due 10/9
WEEK SIX
Fri 10/9: Project 1 Due. Deadline Draft
Sign up for conferences
Discuss Argument & Crimes
Whole-class and group practice on text analysis. Select articles.
HW: Writing: 1) Project Two Proposals –
WEEK SEVEN
Fri 10/16: Conferences
Invention Work on Project II
HW: 1) Read Anna Quindlen’s A New Look at an Old Battle
Write: 1) Project 2 FW – 2-3pg; 2) Project 2 D1.
WEEK EIGHT
Fri 10/23: Project Three & Whole Class Topic Brainstorm
Whole Class Workshop – Project 2 Hot Spot
Discuss Principles of Argument - Position Statement, Evidence, Logos, Pathos, Ethos
Discuss Quindlen & Principles of Argument
w/Model– Claims, Evidence, Counter Claims
HW: Writing: 1) Source Search Summary Response Outline 1) Revise P2 , D2– 4-5 dbl-spd pgs total;
WEEK NINE
Fri 10/30: Conferences. Individual revision and copyediting.
Project 3--Persuasion assigned.
HW: Writing: 1) P3 Proposals--Topics and thesis statements 2) Work on Deadline Draft of P2.
Reading: 1) Read Racial Profiling Essays from Banks 757-771.
WEEK TEN
Fri 11/6: Project Two. Deadline Draft Due
Discuss Introductions and Conclusions
Whole Class Workshop – Intros & Conclusions
Small Group discussion Racial Profiling SR5
HW-- Writing: 1) P3 Freewrite – 2-3 pgs; 2) P3 D1; 3) Racial Profiling essay
WEEK ELEVEN
Fri 11/13: Racial Profile Response paper due
Re-visit Rhetorical Principles – Genre, Purpose, Audience, Context
Whole Class Workshop – Project Three Hot Spot
HW: Writing: 1) Intro/Conclusion Revisions; 2) P3 D2
WEEK TWELVE
Fri 11/20: Introduce Portfolio and Introductory Reflective Letter
Whole Class Workshop – Reflection
Whole Class Workshop – Google Sites
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
HW: Writing: 1) Revision Work—P3 D3. 2) Portfolio Preparation
:
WEEK THIRTEEN—NO CLASS
Fri 11/27 Project 3 Deadline Draft Due
THANKSGIVING Friday – NO CLASSES
HW-- Writing: 1) Draft Reflection Letter; 2)
WEEK FOURTEEN
Peer Response Due
Fri 12/4: Discuss GELAP Grading Rubric
Discuss Genre Project progress
Whole Class Workshop – Local Revision and Copy Editing
HW: Genre Work and Portfolio Preparation
WEEK FIFTEEN
Fri 12/11: GELAP & Portfolios Due
Partner Revision Workshops
HW: Persuasive Letter Presentation
WEEK SIXTEEN
Fri 12/18:
Persuasive Letter Presentations
SEMESTER ENDS Monday, December 21, 2009
**Important dates: September 9- Last Day to withdraw with a 100% refund; September 16—Last day to withdraw with a 75% refund, September 23 –Last day to withdraw with a 50% refund. October 30--Last day to withdraw with a “W” (0% refund.)
--Schedule subject to change as necessary.
Syllabus --Fall 2009
ENGLISH 1030, 35: COLLEGE COMPOSITION
Fall 2009: 6:30 – 9:15 p.m. Fridays CAS 307
Instructor: Ms. Kim Kiefer
Office/Phone: 320A CAS, 908-737-0391
E-mail Address: KiKiefer@kean.edu for communication
Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com for work submission
Office Hours: Fridays 6:00-6:30 pm, and by appointment
Required Texts and Materials
· Banks, Margot Harper, Comment and Controversy in Today’s World
· Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, The Concise Wadsworth Handbook, 2nd ed.
TWO 2-pocket folders Access to a working printer AND computer
ONE manila folder An EXTRA ink cartridge for your printer!
Pocket (or other) stapler and staples A FULL ream of printer paper!
Paper Clips—large and small Your KEAN Gmail Email Acct ACTIVATED
A USB drive. **You must bring this to every class. [Note: You should not buy a USB drive with U3 capability. This type sometimes does not work on Kean’s computers.]
Course Description
In College Composition you will focus on the study and practice of writing, and on how the development and shape of texts are informed by a variety of rhetorical concepts such as purpose, audience and context. In this course you will have extended opportunities to engage in a variety of compositional practices in a supportive, student-centered environment. In addition to more ‘pragmatic’ goals, one of the objectives for all writing courses I teach is the development of greater critical language awareness. Critical language awareness is about being able to read and write the word and the world (Freire). As I understand and try to teach it, it is a belief that all language learning, including learning to write well, can never be limited to superficial attention to grammar, thesis statements, or traditional academic genres, but rather must always stress critical attention to and exploration of the rhetorical elements mentioned above.
We live in a world full of more text than ever before. People are speaking to us (writing to us) everywhere we go. They are filling our heads with their ideas about us and the world we live in. Now, more than ever, literacy means more than just being able to scratch out your name on a job application. Twenty First Century literacy means being able to manage our way—reading and writing—through the ocean of conversations in which we all live. Greater critical language awareness of the complexities of our rhetorical worlds inevitably serves you in multiple ways—both inside and outside the classroom. It enables you to lift away the surface of a text—whether it be an assignment sheet, an office memorandum, an advertisement, or a constitutional amendment—and makes the differing discourses and implicit values of a particular text more visible. I believe that by becoming a more conscious writer and reader, a person is better equipped to penetrate the multiple rhetorical contexts in which we are all immersed. Such a critical consciousness will inevitably influence your writing and reading in other courses, future jobs, and your lives as citizens. Ultimately, my aim is to have you walk out of this classroom not just being more skillful and more confident writers, but also being more skillful and more confident readers and writers of the world around you. This class isn’t only about you getting As and Bs on writing assignments in this and other classes. This class is about you being able to negotiate the world of text outside this campus with more confidence, knowledge and wisdom.
There are four components to the course—writing, reading, class discussion, and small group work. Generally speaking, our daily, in-class routine will include: whole and small group discussion, in-class writing, and draft workshops. Homework will include: reading, at-home writing and revising, and responding to peer work. At first, the variety of work may be confusing, but will quickly become less so. To minimize confusion, it is important that you save this syllabus and all documents I distribute in one place (one of your folders). You are required to bring all handouts along with the course texts, a notebook, and a media storage device to every class – EVERY DAY. Lack of knowledge of any information given in distributed sheets is not an excuse for mishandled assignments. Refer to this and other documents frequently. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact me or a classmate for assignments.
Reading and Writing Work
Bundles of writing will be required for this course. It is a composition course after all. And, though I will not (cannot) read and/or comment on everything you write for this course, all the writing we do is important to your development and improvement as a writer. Additionally, much of what you write will be compiled into a final portfolio. THUS, you must SAVE EVERYTHING you write during the course for the final portfolio. AGAIN, SAVE EVERYTHING!! Since computer problems and lost books are no uncommon, I strongly advise you to keep HARD COPIES and ELECTRONIC BACK-UPS of everything you write.
**NOTE: All University computer labs are updated with MS Word Vista. Students working on personal computers with older versions of Word 2000 will not be able to open documents generated on campus unless they save the document as “1998-2002 accessible.”
Aside from reading each other’s written work, the outside reading will include the text listed above, some handouts and some research documents. You are expected to read closely enough (to re-read if necessary) – to write critically reflective responses to many of these texts; to discuss the texts and your written response in class; to respond to peers’ written responses; and to connect work with our readings to your own and your peers’ writing. Summary Responses (SR) will be due periodically. Peer Responses (PR) to these are due following SR submission. Late SRs/PRs, if accepted at all, will be marked down.
Aside from graded SRs and PRs, you will be drafting and revising three full length writing projects throughout the course and doing a variety of other kinds of writing work. Though not formally “graded” until the end of term, late or missing work will affect your final grade. Listed below are brief descriptions of writing assignments. More thoroughly detailed handouts and information will be provided:
· Academic Essays – three essays, revised multiple times into final polished drafts.
· Genre Project – adaptation of one of the three essays into a genre other than prose form.
· Final Portfolio – the compilation of work into a graded portfolio, equivalent to a final exam.
· GELAP Compare/Contrast Essays – two in-class, timed, essays.
· General Response Writing – critically reflective responses to: peer writing, your writing process, thinking and learning, etc.
· Miscellaneous Writing Exercises – invention, writing and revision exercises (glossing, hot spotting, author’s notes) used in drafting essays.
· Summary Responses/Peer Responses – reflective responses to course texts and peer SRs.
· Self-Assessments – reflective writing on your writing and learning included in portfolio.
**NOTE: It is very important to keep in mind that the writing work you do for this course IS PUBLIC WRITING. Aside from me, peers and other composition program faculty will see your work. Some of the writing we do includes reflecting on our personal experience. Please keep this in mind as you make choices about what you write about.
Format for Submitted Work
The vast majority of written work for this course must be submitted electronically and therefore must be computer generated in 12-point, Times Roman font, and left-aligned. Pages must be numbered (bottom right) and have ONE-INCH margins all around. All documents submitted must have a proper header on the top left corner of the first page only. Any work submitted not meeting these criteria may be refused and returned without comment or credit. Please bring 2 printed copies of each Summary Reading Response to class to share with your small group. The first time you submit the draft, I will give you suggestions for revision. You will then have the chance to revise, creating what I call a deadline draft. If you do not submit a deadline draft on time during the semester, I will deduct seventy points from your portfolio grade (enough to lower the score one letter grade). If you do not submit two deadline drafts, you will fail the course.
Assignments are due whether or not you are present. Unless otherwise directed, assignments must be emailed to me at gotprofkiefer@gmail.com. You will attach the assignment to an email as a Word or rich text format file; we will discuss how to do this in class. I cannot open Microsoft Works files.
Note: CAS 307 uses Word 2007. While it can read files created in earlier versions of Word, you will need to save Word 2007 files in a special way to ensure they can be read by earlier versions. I will show you how to do this in class.
If I cannot open the file, I will ask you to resubmit it in a file format I can open. You will have twenty-four hours to resubmit the work. If you do not, I will assign the default grade listed on the submitting work chart (included in this packet).
LATE WORK
Assignments are due whether or not you are present. Assignments submitted as attached files are due by the date and time listed on the schedule, on the class blog, and on the assignment sheet. You are responsible for letting me know about any network-related problems that prevent you from submitting assignments.
I will not read deadline drafts turned in 24 hours or more late unless we meet face to face. I am willing to extend deadlines for students with extenuating circumstances if I am approached in advance. Extensions will not be granted for assignments turned in late because of unexcused absences.
Portfolio— At the end of the semester, you will submit an electronic portfolio containing samples of your writing done for the course: the summary/response assignments, your projects and Genre Project.. You will need to include freewrites and rough drafts for the analysis and argument essays. In addition, you will write a reflective introduction explaining why you selected these pieces and evaluating what you learned in the course.
Your portfolio will take the form of a website created using Google Sites through Kean’s servers. You must activate your Kean email account in order to use this version of Google Sites. We will spend time in class practicing this program, and you can access the site on your own.
I will grade the portfolio holistically, using the criteria on the College Composition student information sheet, to determine your score. By waiting until the end of the semester to truly grade your major pieces, I will be able to evaluate everything you have learned about writing. You will also have plenty of time to create the best work you can.
Engaged Participation
Since class discussion and small group work will comprise a majority of in-class work, your engaged participation in these activities is extremely important (hence the below attendance policy). Aside from your participation and presence, it is ASSUMED that you will come prepared to class with your books, other necessary materials,completed homework AND that your cell phones will be TURNED OFF. Repeated use of cell phones during class time will count against your class participation grade.
In addition to your regular attendance, engaged participation, to my mind, includes actively showing each member of this class respect, patience and tolerance. Good writers never work alone, and each of us needs each other to fully succeed in making this class as deep a learning experience as possible. While I am completely committed to my role as the instructor, I am not solely responsible for the progress of each individual in the class and the group at large. Each of you needs to be equally prepared to commit yourselves as best as you are able.
We will spend all of our time in a computer classroom (CAS 307), and I know the Net has several interesting sites to visit. However, it is disrespectful to read unrelated web pages or play games during class. Ten points will be deducted from your participation grade every time you do anything on the computers when the rest of us are not using them. This can cause you to earn a negative participation grade. If we are not using the computers as a class, you must lay the monitor face down on the processor.
The computer penalty also applies to cell phones and other personal electronic devices used without permission. Turn them off before class starts, and keep them stored out of sight. Otherwise, you will lose ten points from your participation grade.
No one, including me, is allowed to bring food or drink in CAS 307. If you bring food or drink into that room, the lab technicians can throw you out of class. If they do, you will be counted absent, and you will lose your participation score for that day. If the lab technician does not throw you out, I will still penalize your participation grade by five points.
My Attendance Policy
The consistent participation and presence of each of you is vital to the continuity, and thus the growth and learning of the entire class. As such, I expect all of you to be here, to be here promptly, and with all necessary work and materials. Absences and latenesses are only recognized as “excused” with appropriate documentation. If you know you will be absent, let me know in advance. Vacation travel is NOT a valid excuse for absence. If you are late and/or miss class repeatedly, your grade will suffer. Three lates equals one absence. More than one absence can affect your final grade. More than two can result in failure of the course. You should obtain cell numbers from peers to contact them for missed assignments.
Kean University Attendance Policy:
Attendance is expected in all courses. Attendance will be a component of the grade of any course if so stated in the syllabus. Students are responsible for informing the instructor in advance or in a timely manner of the reasons for their absence. Instructors in consultation with their department chairs are expected to respect university practices and policies regarding what counts as an excused absence. Typically excused absences include illness, bereavement, or religious observances. Serious tardiness may be dealt with at the discretion of the instructor.
Grades
The percentage breakdowns of the primary components of the course upon which your grade rests are: a) 30% of FINAL GRADE – ALL Weekly Reading and Writing Work including but not limited to: SR/PRs, misc freewrites, draft writing and revision, Genre Project presentation and GELAP exams; b) 20% of FINAL GRADE – Participation and Attendance; and c) 50% of FINAL GRADE – Final Portfolio. More detailed information on grading for specific assignments will be distributed.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me. If you would like to know your approximate grade-to-date, give me advance notice and see me during office hours or make an appointment.
Note To Pass: Students must receive a C or higher to satisfy the composition requirement. If a student in 1030 gets a D, s/he must take 1030 again to complete the requirement. Some departments require no less than a B- for their majors, Education majors for example. If you are unsure, talk to someone within your department.
Plagiarism
By enrolling in this course, you join a community requiring intellectual integrity. When you write your name on an assignment, you take credit for the work contained therein. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty demonstrate a disrespect for the community and will not be tolerated. If guilty of violating this honor code, you may receive an F for the course at the discretion of the faculty member. More information on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are located online at: http://www.kean.edu/academicintegrity.html. I highly recommend that you review this document for reference now and as you continue your academic career at Kean University.
Kean University Definition of Plagiarism:
Plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when a person represents someone else’s words, ideas, phrases, sentences, or data as one’s own work. Copying or paraphrasing text without acknowledging the source, for example, is plagiarism.
The Student Code of Conduct
I strongly advise you to take the time to thoroughly review the below link regarding The Student Code of Conduct. Though specifics may vary, codes of conduct are common to Universities and educational institutions across the country. Violations of code can result in suspension from campus activities or, if serious enough, expulsion. Details of this Kean University’s code of conduct and other materials from the Office of Student Conduct are available online at: http://www.kean.edu/~conduct/Welcome.html.
Learning Support
All College Composition students are entitled to tutoring at the Writing Center on the 1st floor of the CAS Building. You can make appointments in person or by phone: (908) 737-0300. Typical hours are: Tuesday-Thursday 9:30AM to 10:30PM, Friday 9:30AM to 5:30PM, Saturday 9:30AM to 3:30PM. Specific times are posted. I advise ALL students to make use of this service which your tuition pays for. If you plan on going, see me as I can provide instructions for the tutor based on our course.
Personal & Disability Support
Any student who feels that he/she may need an accommodation for any sort of disability, please make an appointment to see me during my office hours. OR, contact the office of Project Excel, CSI room 105A, 908-737-5400 for more information regarding University support for learning and/or other disabilities.
If you suffer from emotionally difficult circumstances, please contact the Kean University Human Relations and Counseling Center for confidential counseling. The Center is located in Room 127 of Downs Hall (908) 737-4850.
_________________________
***This syllabus subject to change with notice
Fall 2009: 6:30 – 9:15 p.m. Fridays CAS 307
Instructor: Ms. Kim Kiefer
Office/Phone: 320A CAS, 908-737-0391
E-mail Address: KiKiefer@kean.edu for communication
Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com for work submission
Office Hours: Fridays 6:00-6:30 pm, and by appointment
Required Texts and Materials
· Banks, Margot Harper, Comment and Controversy in Today’s World
· Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, The Concise Wadsworth Handbook, 2nd ed.
TWO 2-pocket folders Access to a working printer AND computer
ONE manila folder An EXTRA ink cartridge for your printer!
Pocket (or other) stapler and staples A FULL ream of printer paper!
Paper Clips—large and small Your KEAN Gmail Email Acct ACTIVATED
A USB drive. **You must bring this to every class. [Note: You should not buy a USB drive with U3 capability. This type sometimes does not work on Kean’s computers.]
Course Description
In College Composition you will focus on the study and practice of writing, and on how the development and shape of texts are informed by a variety of rhetorical concepts such as purpose, audience and context. In this course you will have extended opportunities to engage in a variety of compositional practices in a supportive, student-centered environment. In addition to more ‘pragmatic’ goals, one of the objectives for all writing courses I teach is the development of greater critical language awareness. Critical language awareness is about being able to read and write the word and the world (Freire). As I understand and try to teach it, it is a belief that all language learning, including learning to write well, can never be limited to superficial attention to grammar, thesis statements, or traditional academic genres, but rather must always stress critical attention to and exploration of the rhetorical elements mentioned above.
We live in a world full of more text than ever before. People are speaking to us (writing to us) everywhere we go. They are filling our heads with their ideas about us and the world we live in. Now, more than ever, literacy means more than just being able to scratch out your name on a job application. Twenty First Century literacy means being able to manage our way—reading and writing—through the ocean of conversations in which we all live. Greater critical language awareness of the complexities of our rhetorical worlds inevitably serves you in multiple ways—both inside and outside the classroom. It enables you to lift away the surface of a text—whether it be an assignment sheet, an office memorandum, an advertisement, or a constitutional amendment—and makes the differing discourses and implicit values of a particular text more visible. I believe that by becoming a more conscious writer and reader, a person is better equipped to penetrate the multiple rhetorical contexts in which we are all immersed. Such a critical consciousness will inevitably influence your writing and reading in other courses, future jobs, and your lives as citizens. Ultimately, my aim is to have you walk out of this classroom not just being more skillful and more confident writers, but also being more skillful and more confident readers and writers of the world around you. This class isn’t only about you getting As and Bs on writing assignments in this and other classes. This class is about you being able to negotiate the world of text outside this campus with more confidence, knowledge and wisdom.
There are four components to the course—writing, reading, class discussion, and small group work. Generally speaking, our daily, in-class routine will include: whole and small group discussion, in-class writing, and draft workshops. Homework will include: reading, at-home writing and revising, and responding to peer work. At first, the variety of work may be confusing, but will quickly become less so. To minimize confusion, it is important that you save this syllabus and all documents I distribute in one place (one of your folders). You are required to bring all handouts along with the course texts, a notebook, and a media storage device to every class – EVERY DAY. Lack of knowledge of any information given in distributed sheets is not an excuse for mishandled assignments. Refer to this and other documents frequently. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact me or a classmate for assignments.
Reading and Writing Work
Bundles of writing will be required for this course. It is a composition course after all. And, though I will not (cannot) read and/or comment on everything you write for this course, all the writing we do is important to your development and improvement as a writer. Additionally, much of what you write will be compiled into a final portfolio. THUS, you must SAVE EVERYTHING you write during the course for the final portfolio. AGAIN, SAVE EVERYTHING!! Since computer problems and lost books are no uncommon, I strongly advise you to keep HARD COPIES and ELECTRONIC BACK-UPS of everything you write.
**NOTE: All University computer labs are updated with MS Word Vista. Students working on personal computers with older versions of Word 2000 will not be able to open documents generated on campus unless they save the document as “1998-2002 accessible.”
Aside from reading each other’s written work, the outside reading will include the text listed above, some handouts and some research documents. You are expected to read closely enough (to re-read if necessary) – to write critically reflective responses to many of these texts; to discuss the texts and your written response in class; to respond to peers’ written responses; and to connect work with our readings to your own and your peers’ writing. Summary Responses (SR) will be due periodically. Peer Responses (PR) to these are due following SR submission. Late SRs/PRs, if accepted at all, will be marked down.
Aside from graded SRs and PRs, you will be drafting and revising three full length writing projects throughout the course and doing a variety of other kinds of writing work. Though not formally “graded” until the end of term, late or missing work will affect your final grade. Listed below are brief descriptions of writing assignments. More thoroughly detailed handouts and information will be provided:
· Academic Essays – three essays, revised multiple times into final polished drafts.
· Genre Project – adaptation of one of the three essays into a genre other than prose form.
· Final Portfolio – the compilation of work into a graded portfolio, equivalent to a final exam.
· GELAP Compare/Contrast Essays – two in-class, timed, essays.
· General Response Writing – critically reflective responses to: peer writing, your writing process, thinking and learning, etc.
· Miscellaneous Writing Exercises – invention, writing and revision exercises (glossing, hot spotting, author’s notes) used in drafting essays.
· Summary Responses/Peer Responses – reflective responses to course texts and peer SRs.
· Self-Assessments – reflective writing on your writing and learning included in portfolio.
**NOTE: It is very important to keep in mind that the writing work you do for this course IS PUBLIC WRITING. Aside from me, peers and other composition program faculty will see your work. Some of the writing we do includes reflecting on our personal experience. Please keep this in mind as you make choices about what you write about.
Format for Submitted Work
The vast majority of written work for this course must be submitted electronically and therefore must be computer generated in 12-point, Times Roman font, and left-aligned. Pages must be numbered (bottom right) and have ONE-INCH margins all around. All documents submitted must have a proper header on the top left corner of the first page only. Any work submitted not meeting these criteria may be refused and returned without comment or credit. Please bring 2 printed copies of each Summary Reading Response to class to share with your small group. The first time you submit the draft, I will give you suggestions for revision. You will then have the chance to revise, creating what I call a deadline draft. If you do not submit a deadline draft on time during the semester, I will deduct seventy points from your portfolio grade (enough to lower the score one letter grade). If you do not submit two deadline drafts, you will fail the course.
Assignments are due whether or not you are present. Unless otherwise directed, assignments must be emailed to me at gotprofkiefer@gmail.com. You will attach the assignment to an email as a Word or rich text format file; we will discuss how to do this in class. I cannot open Microsoft Works files.
Note: CAS 307 uses Word 2007. While it can read files created in earlier versions of Word, you will need to save Word 2007 files in a special way to ensure they can be read by earlier versions. I will show you how to do this in class.
If I cannot open the file, I will ask you to resubmit it in a file format I can open. You will have twenty-four hours to resubmit the work. If you do not, I will assign the default grade listed on the submitting work chart (included in this packet).
LATE WORK
Assignments are due whether or not you are present. Assignments submitted as attached files are due by the date and time listed on the schedule, on the class blog, and on the assignment sheet. You are responsible for letting me know about any network-related problems that prevent you from submitting assignments.
I will not read deadline drafts turned in 24 hours or more late unless we meet face to face. I am willing to extend deadlines for students with extenuating circumstances if I am approached in advance. Extensions will not be granted for assignments turned in late because of unexcused absences.
Portfolio— At the end of the semester, you will submit an electronic portfolio containing samples of your writing done for the course: the summary/response assignments, your projects and Genre Project.. You will need to include freewrites and rough drafts for the analysis and argument essays. In addition, you will write a reflective introduction explaining why you selected these pieces and evaluating what you learned in the course.
Your portfolio will take the form of a website created using Google Sites through Kean’s servers. You must activate your Kean email account in order to use this version of Google Sites. We will spend time in class practicing this program, and you can access the site on your own.
I will grade the portfolio holistically, using the criteria on the College Composition student information sheet, to determine your score. By waiting until the end of the semester to truly grade your major pieces, I will be able to evaluate everything you have learned about writing. You will also have plenty of time to create the best work you can.
Engaged Participation
Since class discussion and small group work will comprise a majority of in-class work, your engaged participation in these activities is extremely important (hence the below attendance policy). Aside from your participation and presence, it is ASSUMED that you will come prepared to class with your books, other necessary materials,completed homework AND that your cell phones will be TURNED OFF. Repeated use of cell phones during class time will count against your class participation grade.
In addition to your regular attendance, engaged participation, to my mind, includes actively showing each member of this class respect, patience and tolerance. Good writers never work alone, and each of us needs each other to fully succeed in making this class as deep a learning experience as possible. While I am completely committed to my role as the instructor, I am not solely responsible for the progress of each individual in the class and the group at large. Each of you needs to be equally prepared to commit yourselves as best as you are able.
We will spend all of our time in a computer classroom (CAS 307), and I know the Net has several interesting sites to visit. However, it is disrespectful to read unrelated web pages or play games during class. Ten points will be deducted from your participation grade every time you do anything on the computers when the rest of us are not using them. This can cause you to earn a negative participation grade. If we are not using the computers as a class, you must lay the monitor face down on the processor.
The computer penalty also applies to cell phones and other personal electronic devices used without permission. Turn them off before class starts, and keep them stored out of sight. Otherwise, you will lose ten points from your participation grade.
No one, including me, is allowed to bring food or drink in CAS 307. If you bring food or drink into that room, the lab technicians can throw you out of class. If they do, you will be counted absent, and you will lose your participation score for that day. If the lab technician does not throw you out, I will still penalize your participation grade by five points.
My Attendance Policy
The consistent participation and presence of each of you is vital to the continuity, and thus the growth and learning of the entire class. As such, I expect all of you to be here, to be here promptly, and with all necessary work and materials. Absences and latenesses are only recognized as “excused” with appropriate documentation. If you know you will be absent, let me know in advance. Vacation travel is NOT a valid excuse for absence. If you are late and/or miss class repeatedly, your grade will suffer. Three lates equals one absence. More than one absence can affect your final grade. More than two can result in failure of the course. You should obtain cell numbers from peers to contact them for missed assignments.
Kean University Attendance Policy:
Attendance is expected in all courses. Attendance will be a component of the grade of any course if so stated in the syllabus. Students are responsible for informing the instructor in advance or in a timely manner of the reasons for their absence. Instructors in consultation with their department chairs are expected to respect university practices and policies regarding what counts as an excused absence. Typically excused absences include illness, bereavement, or religious observances. Serious tardiness may be dealt with at the discretion of the instructor.
Grades
The percentage breakdowns of the primary components of the course upon which your grade rests are: a) 30% of FINAL GRADE – ALL Weekly Reading and Writing Work including but not limited to: SR/PRs, misc freewrites, draft writing and revision, Genre Project presentation and GELAP exams; b) 20% of FINAL GRADE – Participation and Attendance; and c) 50% of FINAL GRADE – Final Portfolio. More detailed information on grading for specific assignments will be distributed.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me. If you would like to know your approximate grade-to-date, give me advance notice and see me during office hours or make an appointment.
Note To Pass: Students must receive a C or higher to satisfy the composition requirement. If a student in 1030 gets a D, s/he must take 1030 again to complete the requirement. Some departments require no less than a B- for their majors, Education majors for example. If you are unsure, talk to someone within your department.
Plagiarism
By enrolling in this course, you join a community requiring intellectual integrity. When you write your name on an assignment, you take credit for the work contained therein. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty demonstrate a disrespect for the community and will not be tolerated. If guilty of violating this honor code, you may receive an F for the course at the discretion of the faculty member. More information on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are located online at: http://www.kean.edu/academicintegrity.html. I highly recommend that you review this document for reference now and as you continue your academic career at Kean University.
Kean University Definition of Plagiarism:
Plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when a person represents someone else’s words, ideas, phrases, sentences, or data as one’s own work. Copying or paraphrasing text without acknowledging the source, for example, is plagiarism.
The Student Code of Conduct
I strongly advise you to take the time to thoroughly review the below link regarding The Student Code of Conduct. Though specifics may vary, codes of conduct are common to Universities and educational institutions across the country. Violations of code can result in suspension from campus activities or, if serious enough, expulsion. Details of this Kean University’s code of conduct and other materials from the Office of Student Conduct are available online at: http://www.kean.edu/~conduct/Welcome.html.
Learning Support
All College Composition students are entitled to tutoring at the Writing Center on the 1st floor of the CAS Building. You can make appointments in person or by phone: (908) 737-0300. Typical hours are: Tuesday-Thursday 9:30AM to 10:30PM, Friday 9:30AM to 5:30PM, Saturday 9:30AM to 3:30PM. Specific times are posted. I advise ALL students to make use of this service which your tuition pays for. If you plan on going, see me as I can provide instructions for the tutor based on our course.
Personal & Disability Support
Any student who feels that he/she may need an accommodation for any sort of disability, please make an appointment to see me during my office hours. OR, contact the office of Project Excel, CSI room 105A, 908-737-5400 for more information regarding University support for learning and/or other disabilities.
If you suffer from emotionally difficult circumstances, please contact the Kean University Human Relations and Counseling Center for confidential counseling. The Center is located in Room 127 of Downs Hall (908) 737-4850.
_________________________
***This syllabus subject to change with notice
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
