Week 1

1. Week 1 English 107

2. English 107 Overview

3. Welcome to English 107 • Dr. Margo Bond Collins • margocollins@gmail.com • Weekly Live Chats: • These chats give detailed instructions for assignments, hints and strategies for success in the course, writing instruction, and grammar and usage tips. I strongly encourage you to either attend them or view the recordings each week.

4. Course Overview: You and Me • In this course, I will be acting as your writing coach (and cheerleader!). • I will help you gain access to the tools you will need to succeed, but as with any athlete, it’s up to you to put in the practice time to improve your performance. • I know that many of you are coming back to school for the first time in years, so this course is designed to move you from one step to the next. • Every assignment you do builds on the previous assignments.

5. Course Overview: Your Work • It’s important for you to turn in every assignment. Five weeks goes by awfully quickly, so keep up with the work! • Keeping up with the work will be easier if you do all of the readings and use the multi-media presentations available under “course materials.” For example, if week one covers apostrophe usage, I’ll be watching for it in your papers. If you have trouble with it, I’ll expect you to go back over the material as a review—this will be easier if you’ve already seen it once.

6. Course Overview: Hints for Success • Be sure to participate fully in the Discussion Boards; these discussions make up a large portion of your grade. • Listen to these chats—either live or recorded—as I will be going over the assignments in detail and giving you hints on how to do them correctly. • Turn in all your work on time!

7. MyCompLab Info • The MyCompLab feature of this course provides you with resources that emphasize many of the writing strategies in your textbook. You will need to use your access code (from ENGL 106) to enter the MyCompLab at www.mycomplab.com to explore the features of the lab and to complete some of the assignment requirements for this course. • Our Course Code for MyCompLab for this class is BondColins770288C.

8. Discussion Board Week 1

9. DB, Part 1 • Select a topic for your IP 1 argument essay. • Use prewriting strategies (freewriting, mapping, clustering, brainstorming) to explore a specific issue related to the selected topic. • Develop a thesis statement, supporting ideas and specific details for your essay’s content. • Consider your purpose as you plan your essay. The purpose of your essay may be to evaluate (argue a claim of value), to solve a problem (argue a claim of policy) to analyze causes and effects (argue a claim of cause and/or effect) or to argue a disputable fact (argue claim of fact or definition).  • Discuss your ideas with peers and provide feedback on their ideas as you respond to discussion board postings.

10. Topic Possibilities • Criminal Justice (reducing juvenile delinquency; prison security ; DUI problem in rural areas; human trafficking in United States; police misconduct; treatment of mentally ill in prison; prison privatization; medical negligence inside prisons; effects of justice system on families/children) • Education (improving inner-city schools; alternative/charter schools; effect of technology on education; importance of early childhood education; improving curriculum/learning; class size/teacher-student ratio; teacher recruitment; improving student achievement/graduation rates; rural school issues; legalizing  state lottery to fund public education; gender, race or ethnic issues in education) • Technology ( impact on small businesses/entrepreneurship; social networks and marketing tactics; social networks and effect on society; technology and consumerism; online privacy/secure networking; rural areas and Internet access; technological innovation/new products; green technology; online intellectual property; online plagiarism)

11. Topics, Cont. • Healthcare (healthcare management issues; issues in patient care; national medical database; food safety; problem of obesity in America; preventive care initiatives; state healthcare reform; teen pregnancy and prenatal care; health information technology effects on physician-patient care; environmental dangers to health; veterans and healthcare benefits) • Business (SME financing; economy effect on small businesses; undercapitalization and bankruptcy; issues related to health or liability insurance costs; Entrepreneurial Myth; the Small Business Job Act; social media and small business marketing: small business certification and customer trust) • Visual Communication and Music (effects of new media on the arts; censorship of the arts; marketing the arts and consumerism; impact on politics; impact on education; impact on artist promotions; social media and the marketing of the arts; internet theft of artistic images and music)

12. What to Post to the DB for Part 1 • Write a paragraph explaining your use of different prewriting strategies to plan your IP 1. Identify the specific prewriting strategies and how each contributed to the development of your thesis statement and supporting ideas. • Post your ideas from your prewriting in the following format: • Topic • Narrowed Issue/problem • Thesis Statement (specific argument claim) • Outline with three or more supporting arguments (main points) listing specific details under each point

13. DB, Part 2 • Explore MyCompLab; take note of what you find. • Write a paragraph describing your exploration of the MyCompLab and the features that you found most helpful in completing Unit 1 assignments?  Provide specific details of the resources you referred to and explain how these increased your understanding of the writing process, specifically using prewriting or other planning strategies.

14. DB Responses • In your own words, please post responses to the Discussion Board and comment on at least two other postings. • Comments should relate to discussing the effectiveness of your classmates’ argument essay plan: thesis statements, supporting points, and specific details or examples. Comment on their use of prewriting strategies. What did you learn from their discussion of different strategies? • You will be graded on the quality of your postings. I expect you to respond substantively to at least two of your classmates each week.

15. Creating Strong Thesis Statements • What is a thesis statement? It’s the central claim of your paper—your main idea about your topic. Everything in your paper will serve to support this main idea. • Your thesis statement should: • be a statement (not a question) • be debatable (something that not everyone would agree with) • be concise (say what you need to say without rambling)

16. What’s Wrong with these “thesis” statements? • How could the school system let children who can’t read pass each grade and graduate? • Many scientists agree that global warming is a problem for humanity • There are too many prisoners in the prisons and because the prisons are overcrowded with all of these prisoners, the prison system should be overhauled to eliminate having all those people in the same place—maybe they should build more prisons or quit putting so many people into prison.

17. Thesis Revisions • The federal government should require all schoolchildren to take a standardized exam before allowing them to move to the next grade. • Many scientists agree that global warming is a threat to humanity. Therefore, the U.S. should attempt to minimize dangerous emissions by requiring all cars to undergo emissions testing. • Because U.S. prisons are dangerously overcrowded, nonviolent drug offenders should be sentenced to participation in rehabilitation programs rather than jail time.

18. Individual Project Week 1

19. IP Overview • Using the topic (issue), thesis statement, and supporting points from your DB 1 posting, write a 350-500 word (1-2 pages) argument essay defending your thesis statement and supporting points with logical reasoning and evidence based on your knowledge and experience. Do not research topic or use outside sources.

20. The Essay • This is a formal essay assignment and should be formatted as follows: • An introduction paragraph which defines the issue and states your thesis statement in the last sentence. • Several body paragraphs, each stating a main point in support of your thesis statement. Each main point must be supported with logical reasoning and evidence (specific details to explain and illustrate your points) • A concluding paragraph should summarize main points and thesis. 

21. How to Write a Persuasive Essay • As a general rule, persuasive papers follow this form: Your paper should have an overall thesis statement (what you’re trying to convince your audience of) in the introduction. You should have several body paragraphs, each of which follows a “claim – evidence – explanation” format.

22. Body Paragraphs: Claim and Evidence • Each paragraph begins with a claim: • Connected to the thesis • Proves part of the thesis • Each claim should be supported by evidence: • Examples • Personal Experience • Statistics • Expert Testimony

23. Body Paragraphs: Explanation and Transition • Every piece of evidence must have an explanation. It is not enough to make a claim and provide evidence; you have to explain how the evidence proves your claim. • If you have more evidence, you can add it, then explain it. Repeat until you have given all of your evidence and explained it all • Begin a new paragraph; be sure to offer a transition to the next idea. • REPEAT

24. Sample Paper Structure • Introduction with Thesis • Claim • Evidence • Explanation • Claim • Evidence • Explanation • Evidence • Explanation • Transition • Claim • Evidence • Explanation • Conclusion that sums up the paper

25. Grammar And Style Week 1

26. A few notes on Style • Always avoid “you” in academic essays—proofread your essay and, if necessary, revise sentences to eliminate the word “you.” • Avoid questions in your essay. Questions require your reader to do the work for you and are therefore often the sign of a “lazy” writer. • Avoid unnecessary intensifiers like so or very—they don’t add much meaning to your words.

27. Some Grammar Reminders: Run-Ons • Run-on Examples: • Jessie likes to read she likes to write. • I am going to the store, however I need to stop at the carwash first. • Run-on Corrections: • Jessie likes to read, and she likes to write. • I am going to the store; however, I need to stop at the carwash first.

28. Fragments and Subject-Verb Agreement • Fragment Example: • We are taking the children to see Santa. At Woodland mall. • Fragment Correction: • We are taking the children to see Santa at Woodland mall. • Subject-Verb Agreement Error: • They did not look tired, but they was up all night. • Subject-Verb Agreement Correction: • They did not look tired, but they were up all night.