Professor McGeehon's Online Calendar and Links
A resource for WRI 110: Freshman Composition
Schedule of Assignments and Events
Week 1
August 30: The Syllabus:
The Skeleton of the Class; Quick Write #1
Sept 1: Read: the
Syllabus, and be prepared for a Quiz;
Read: “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott (handout) and 'Where do you
get your Ideas?' by Neil Gaiman
http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/essay03.asp
Due today: Review your syllabus, and be prepared for a short,
“open-book” quiz. Also answer the following questions: What
are the benefits of Rough Drafts? Where do ideas come from?
What do Lamott and Gaiman say in their essays? Do you agree with
them? Why? (½ page maximum)
Sept 3: Read:
“Responding-Really Responding-to Other Students’ Writing” by Richard
Straub (handout)
Due Today: The topic of your descriptive essay. Be ready to tell
your story.
Discussion: Writing Workshop.
Week 2
Sept 6: Rough Draft Due;
Writing Workshop #1.
Bring: Your papers; a pen or pencil; the writing workshop
questions handout.
Sept 8: Serve Day. No class.
Sept 10: Read:
Brief Penguin Handbook, pp. 55-59, 60-62 (section 5d and 5e)
Complete MYCOMP: Longman’s Writing Workshop: Revising Activities
(including paragraphing, clarifying voice, achieving sentence variety,
and read aloud) http://www.longmanwriterswarehousecomp.com/process/
Professor McGeehon will turn back rough drafts; comment on most common
errors in rough drafts..
Due Today: Bring your rough drafts (and any work you have
complete since writing workshop) today. We will be
discussing the suggestions that have received from your fellow
students, and how to integrate them into your final drafts. We
will also discuss the requirements for your final drafts.
Week 3
Sept 13: Paper #1 Due.
Read: Brief Penguin Handbook, pp. 187-206 and
MYCOMP: “Researchnavigator.com Section 3: Using your Library” http://www.researchnavigator.com/articles/article_main.asp?p=173442
Library Tour: Finding Library Resources. Meet in the
Murdock Learning Resource Center during class today.
Sept 15: Read: Brief
Penguin Handbook: pp. 179-187 and
MYCOMP: “Researchnavigator.com Section 1: The Research Process” http://www.researchnavigator.com/index.asp?redir=
Bring: All of your syllabi, from each of your classes this
semester. We will be brainstorming possible research topics
today. Also bring a page of notes from both the handbook and the
Mycomp page for an open note quiz about the research process.
Sept 17: Read: “No
Pain, No Gain” by Theresa Duncan http://slate.msn.com/id/2103427/
Due today: After reading the article above, answer the following
questions: What facts are presented in the text? What
opinions are presented? What is the THESIS of the text?
(½ to 1 page)
Week 4
Sept 20: Read:
“HOUDINI!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss by Kenneth Silverman,” reviewed
by Teller http://pennandteller.com/sincity/teller/articles/houdini.html;
Listen: Teller on Fresh Air (at the bottom of the screen): http://freshair.npr.org/day_fa.jhtml?displayValue=day&todayDate=11/24/2000
Due Today: Read the review and answer the following
questions: What is the expertise of the review’s author (you may
need to poke around to find out)? Why do you trust or not trust
his insight into the contents of the book reviewed? How is this
expertise presented in the text? (½ to 1 page)
Research prospectus meetings will occur today.
Sept 22: Read: “The
Illusion Fields” by Michael Feingold http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0430/feingold.php
and “Gods, Greeks and Ancient Shtick”
By Ben Brantley http://theater2.nytimes.com/2004/07/23/theater/reviews/23FROG.html
Due today: Compare the two reviews. What are the
similarities between them? What are the differences? How
does the opinions of the authors shape their presentation of the
performance? Include quotations from the text in your
answers. (1 to 1 ½ pages)
Research prospectus meetings will occur today.
Sept 24: Due Today: Find
a class, chapel service, dinner, or any other event to observe for an
hour this week. Take detailed notes during the event, and write a
½ page maximum explanation of what occurred. Bring both
your notes and your completed explanation to class today.
Bring today: A copy of the performance, song, poem, etc. that you
will review for your expository paper.
Research prospectus meetings will occur today.
Week 5
Sept 27: Rough Draft due;
Writing workshop #2.
Bring: Your papers; a pen or pencil; the writing workshop
questions handout.
Sept 29: Read: “Internet
for Information and Communication Technology” The Judge Section ONLY!
http://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/tutorial/ict?sid=28126&op=render&manifestid=48&page=indexhtml
Turn back papers; Review common mistakes.
Due Today: Read the Judge section of the website above, take the
quizzes, and come to class prepared to discuss the issue of trusting
web based resources. Please bring at least 1 page of handwritten
(or typed, if you prefer) notes taken from the website.
Oct 1: Read: Brief
Penguin Handbook pg 207-214; “Critically Analyzing Information
Sources”
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm
Due Today: We will be having a brief quiz on the readings for
today.
Week 6
Oct 4: Expository Paper
Final Draft DUE.
Bring: ALL sources for your research paper that you have so far
today. We will be meeting in small groups to evaluate sources.
Oct 6: Penguin Handbook,
pg 233-270 and “Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format”
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.htmlMLA
Documentation.
Today we will be discussing MLA formatting. Bring your handbooks
to class and be ready to participate in an in-class activity.
Oct 8: Mid-semester
Holiday. No Class.
Week 7
Oct 11: Due Today:
Bring 3 of your sources for your research paper, and in a typed
document make a short bibliography, presenting the sources in
perfect MLA bibliographical formatting. We will be meeting in
small groups to critique one another’s formatting.
Oct 13: Read: Brief
Penguin handbook, pp. 102-114,
MYCOMP: “Writing an Essay to Persuade” http://www.longmanwriterswarehousecomp.com/process/pr_1a.cfm
and “No Place to Stand: When you're Christian, progressive, and
"pro-life," voting your conscience is often easier said than done” by
Heidi Schlumpf
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0406&article=040610
Due Today: Read the essay and answer the following
question: What has shaped your political point of view?
Where do your views come from? How were they formed, and by
who? (1 page) Also complete the MYCOMP activity and be prepared
to discuss.
Oct 15: Read:
“Doonesbury” May 9, 2004 http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html?uc_full_date=20040509,
“The cheating game” by Carolyn Kleiner and Mary Lord http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/articles/brief/cocheata_brief.php
The Brief Penguin Handbook pg. 215-223 and “Avoiding Plagerism: MLA
Citation Style” http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/248/254760/ap/index.htm
Due Today: Today we are going to be discussing the avoidance of
plagarism in a text. Please come to class prepared to discuss
this topic with 1-2 pages of handwritten notes culled from the above
texts for a possible quiz, and with questions you may have about the
avoidance of plagiarism.
Week 8
Oct 18: Read: “The
Logical Fallacies” http://datanation.com/fallacies/index.htm
Bring: A photocopy of an Opinion-Ed piece from a major newspaper
and write a short (½ to one page) examination of the piece by
answering the following questions: What is thesis of the piece?
What arguments are presented? What facts/figures/examples are used to
back up the claims of the author? Also be prepared for an open
note (NOT an open book!) quiz by bring 1 full page of notes on the
fallacies.
Oct 20: Research Working
Bibliography DUE in perfect MLA formatting.
Discussion: Taking notes.
Bring: 1 package of index cards and ONE of your resources for your
research paper.
Oct 22: Read: Brief
Penguin Handbook pg 233 and http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/quotations.shtml
Due Today: One of the requirements for the persuasive paper is
that you “must include at least 2 quotes from two different factual
sources, and a bibliography of these sources” (McGeehon 4).
Today, bring a sentence integrating a quotation from one of your
sources, and be prepared to discuss the integration of quotes into the
body of an essay.
Week 9
Oct 25: Rough Draft #1 Due.
Tonight @ 7 p.m.: “Bowling for Columbine” a film by Michael
Moore. Meet in EHS 102. Bring a notebook, pen or pencil,
and an open mind. Both Freshman Composition courses will be
watching this together tonight.
Oct 27: Bowling for Columbine
Discussion.
Assignment: During the movie take notes on the content
presented. Visit the Bowling for Columbine website at http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/bowlingforcolumbine/
and a rebuttal of the movie here: http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html
Then answer the following questions:
What specific arguments are presented in the movie?
What LOGICAL fallacies are present?
What facts are present?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Moore’s arguments?
What do YOU think? What is your opinion on this movie?
(1-2 pages)
Oct 29: Reading: “Baby Cakes”
by Neil Gaiman (handout); “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the
Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen” by Jonathan
Swift. http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/%7Erbear/modest.html
Due Today: Read the above texts and answer the following
questions: Find a definition of Satire. How do these texts
fit into this definition? (1 page)
Week 10
Nov 1: Rough Draft #2
Due. Discussion: Point of View.
Nov 3: Today is going to be a
little different. We are going to be discussing the presidential
election and how it was presented last night. Find a television
on November 2 and watch the election coverage for at least 2
hours. During that time, record what network you watched, what
the slant or bias of the coverage seemed to be, and any other
information that hits you as important. Bring your notes to class
today and be prepared for a discussion.
Nov 5: No Class Today.
Write your second rough draft!
Week 11
Nov 8: Rough Draft #3
Due. Writing Workshop #3.
Bring: Your papers; a pen or pencil; the writing workshop
questions handout.
Nov 10: Turn back papers; go
over common mistakes.
Nov 12: Paper #3 DUE!
Read: “Brief Penguin Handbook pg 223-229”. Bring your note
cards for your research paper. Discussion: Planning and writing
your research paper.
Week 12
Nov. 15: Example Research
Paper.
Nov. 17: Example Research
Paper.
Nov. 19: Example Research
Paper.
Week 13
Nov. 22: Rough Draft #1
due; Writing Workshop #4
Nov. 24: Turn Back Papers;
Review Common Mistakes.
Nov. 26: Thanksgiving
Holiday. No Class.
Week 14
Nov. 29: Bring your papers with
you; final questions.
Dec. 1: Draft #2 due;
Writing Workshop #5.
Dec. 3: Turn back papers;
discuss final questions.
Week 15:
Dec 6: Final Draft Due.
Paper Presentation.
Dec 8: Paper Presentation.
Dec 10: Paper Presentation.
