January 5 to February 8, 2011
e-mail: jmcmahon@elcamino.edu; Office: PE4
Phone extension 5673
Website for students:http://herculodge.typepad.com/breakthrough_writer/
Required Texts: The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner; The Face on Your Plate by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson; Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely; In the Pond by Ha Jin
Two 6-Page Research Papers (1,500 words): 300 each; 270-300 is A; 240-269 is B; 210-239 is C; 180-209 is D
Two 4-Page In-Class Essays (1,000): 200 each; 180-200 is A; 160-179 is B; 140-159 is C; 120-139 is D
Grand Total: 1,000 points
Reading and Writing Schedule
January 5: Writing introductions, go over course outline, grading, etc
January 6: Weiner Chapters 1 and 2
January 10 Weiner Chapters 3-5
January 11 Weiner Chapters 6 and 7
January 12 In-class 1,000 word essay. It’s okay to type at home if you have time
January 13 Masson Chapter 1
January 17 Holiday
January 18 Masson Chapters 2 and 3
January 19 Masson Chapters 4 and 5
January 20 1,500-word research paper is due in my office, PE4: I’ll be there at 5 P.M. First come, first serve.
January 24 Ariely Chapters 1-3
January 25 Ariely Chapters 4-6
January 26 Ariely Chapters 7-9
January 27 Ariely Chapters 10-12
January 31 Second 1,500-word research paper is due in my office, PE4. I’ll be there at 5:00 P.M. First come, first serve.
February 1 Ha Jin 1-60
February 2 Ha Jin 61-120
February 3 Ha Jin 121-178 (the end)
February 7 In-Class 1,000-word essay due. You can type it at home if you have time.
February 8 Consultations in my office, PE4.
Essay Assignments
Essay 1: The Geography of Bliss
In a 1,000-word essay develop a thesis that explains the wisdom the book teaches us about happiness.
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paragraph 2: Thesis with 4 mapping components
Paragraphs 3-7: Elaborate on your mapping components
Paragraph 8: Conclusion, a dramatic restatement of your thesis
Essay 2: The Face on Your Plate
In a 1,500-word research paper, develop a thesis that defends or refutes Masson’s vegan ideology.
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paragraph 2: Thesis with 4 or 5 mapping components
Paragraphs 3-9: Elaborate your mapping components
Paragraph 10: Conclusion, a dramatic restatement of your thesis
Last Page: Works Cited page with no fewer than 5 sources
Essay 3: Predictably Irrational
In a 5-page essay use extended definition and classification to analyze Predictably Irrational. Develop a thesis that defines the term "predictably irrational" by breaking it down into 4 or 5 categories (your mapping components) that you will illustrate with examples that ARE NOT IN THE BOOK.
Paragraph One: Introduction
Paragraph Two: Thesis with 4 or 5 mapping components
Paragraphs Three-Nine: Illustrate and elaborate your mapping components
Paragraph 10: Conclusion, a restatement of your thesis
Last page: Works Cited page with no fewer than 3 sources
Essay 4: In the Pond
In a 1,000-word essay, write a psychological profile of Bin, explaining how his desires for higher self-regard, power, and happiness are sabotaged by his own irrational faculties. Successful essays will use your personal observations that compare to Bin's self-destructiveness.
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paragraph 2: Thesis with 4 mapping components
Paragraphs 3-6: Elaborate and illustrate your mapping components
Paragraph 7: Conclusion, a restatement of your thesis
College Policies and Objectives:
Students with Disabilities:
If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible.
Student Learning Objectives
Students will compose an argumentative essay that shows an ability to
support a claim using analysis, elements of argumentation, and
integration of primary and secondary sources. This essay will be well
organized, follow proper MLA format, and be technically correct in
paragraph composition, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and
usage.
Course Objectives
The student will be able to: 1. Read expository prose critically to distinguish between perception and inference, surface and implied meanings, fact and opinion. 2. Analyze the way arguments are presented in readings and the media. 3. Demonstrate the ability to organize and develop written arguments and compositions. 4. Refine writing skills developed in English 1A: focusing a topic, formulating a thesis, providing support, and developing unity and coherence. 5. Evaluate the accuracy and cogency of arguments by identifying logical fallacies and drawing inferences from readings and media presentations. 6. Formulate and develop arguments and critical theories about issues, argumentative prose, and literary interpretations.
Major Topics
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Structures of argument: Thinking, reading, discussing. Evaluate data, credibility, and relevance. |
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Understanding and evaluating claims: Reasons, purposes, support, ambiguity, vagueness, complexity. Assessing credibility: Causal arguments, moral reasoning. |
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Evaluating arguments and explanations: Relevance, clarity, testability, and consistency. Identifying assumptions, developing counter arguments and justifications. |
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Writing argumentative, evaluative, and analytic essays: Prewriting, writing, and rewriting. Topic selection: Narrowing, evaluating validity and relevance. Developing parts of the argumentative essay: Strategies for organizing an argument or evaluation, including evidence, inductive and deductive reasoning. Avoiding logical fallacies. |
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Literary analysis: Evaluating point of view, inferences, and assumptions. Understanding diction, identification, aesthetic distance, and focus. Exploring rhetorical devices: Satire, irony, paradox, over-statement and understatement, evaluating authority. |
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Comparative analysis: Analyzing symbols, analogy, ambiguity, and imagery. |
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Deductive reasoning in expressive or expository literature: Recognizing assumptions in literary criticism and theory. |
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Political and advertising rhetoric: Slanders, euphemisms, innuendo, loaded questions, downplaying, avoidance, stereotyping, hyperbole, persuasive definitions. Information tailoring and the news media: Loaded language in reporting and advertising. |
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(Major writing assignments will consist of approximately 6 essays totaling 6000 words.) |
Success in McMahon’s Class Is Predicated on Three Major Components:
One. Turn in 4 five-page research papers with correct MLA format ON TIME. Research Papers (all 4 of your essays) have a minimum of 4 sources, which can include Signs of Life in the USA, my lecture notes, interviews, and online sources.
Two. Do the reading assignments so that you can write a one-paragraph response that is cohesive, coherent and well developed in the five surprise closed-book reading tests.
Three. Show up on time to 90% of the classes. Missing 3 out of 30 classes is 90%.
Policies:
You can’t make-up reading exams. Points are irretrievably lost. This policy encourages class attendance.
Late Papers: I don’t accept late papers more than one week after the original due date and I reduce a full grade; no late papers accepted once new set of essays is due.
Research Papers should be approximately 1,200 words, 12 font, Times New Roman, page numbers, name, and essay title in upper right hand corner (headers in Microsoft View) and Works Cited should have minimum 3 sources and spacing using MLA format.
Revisions: You may revise ONE paper for 10-30 pts. depending on the quality of the rewrite. Revision must be turned in ONE WEEK after original due date.
Plagiarism Policy: If you plagiarize, steal previously written material and attempt to make it appear as if you wrote it, you will get ZERO points on the essay. For a rewrite, the HIGHEST POSSIBLE GRADE WILL BE A C MINUS.
(20 points deducted for not having headers (your last name and page number in the upper right corner of every page and 40 points deducted for not having a correct Works Cited page)
Attendance Policy: For 16-week semesters, students may be dropped after missing 6 classes for ANY REASON, including medical. For Summer and Winter sessions, students may be dropped after missing 4 classes for whatever reason, including medical.
Riding Policy: You cannot “ride” my class. A “rider” is a student who does nothing and tries to turn in papers all at once during the end of the semester. If by the eighth week of the semester you have not turned in your first two essays or are failing the class, I will drop you.
Etiquette Policy: If you’re text-messaging, receiving phone calls, privately conversing or studying for other courses during my class, you will be asked to leave the class.
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