San Jos� State University 
Department of English and Comparative Literature 
English 1B, Composition 2 (GE C3), Section 26, Fall 2011 


Instructor: DJ Quinn 
Office Location: Faculty Office Building room 104 
Telephone: (408) (924-4601) 
Email: dennis.quinn@sjsu.edu 
Office Hours: Monday 3:00-4:00/ Wednesday 10:00-11:00 
Class Days/Time: Monday/Wednesday 12:00-1:15 
Classroom: Clark Hall, room 316 
Prerequisites: English 1A, Composition 1 
GE Category: Written Communication C3 

Faculty Web Page and MYSJSU Messaging 

Copies of the course materials such as the syllabus, major assignment handouts, etc. may 
be found on my faculty web page at http://www.sjsu.edu/people/dennis.quinn or 
accessible through the Quick Links>Faculty Web Page links on the SJSU home page. 
You are responsible for regularly checking with the messaging system through 
Desire2Learn (sjsu.desire2learn.com). 

Course Description 

English 1B is the second course in SJSU�s two-semester lower-division composition 
sequence. Beyond providing repeated practice in planning and executing essays, and 
broadening and deepening students� understanding of the genres, audiences, and purposes 
of college writing, English 1B differs from English 1A in its emphasis on persuasive and 
critical writing (with less attention paid to the personal essay), its requirement for fewer 
but longer essays, and its introduction to writing informed by research. Students will 
develop sophistication in writing analytical, argumentative, and critical essays; a mature 
writing style appropriate to university discourse; reading abilities that will provide an 
adequate foundation for upper-division work; proficiency in basic library research skills 
and in writing papers informed by research; and mastery of the mechanics of writing. 

Prerequisites: Passage of Written Communication 1A (C or better) or approved 
equivalent. 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 


Course Goals and Student Learning Objectives 

Building on the college-level proficiencies required in English 1A, students shall achieve 
the ability to write complete essays that demonstrate advanced proficiency in all of the 
following: 

� 
Clear and effective communication of meaning. 
� 
An identifiable focus (argumentative essays will state their thesis clearly and will 
show an awareness, implied or stated, of some opposing point of view). 
� 
An appropriate voice that demonstrates an awareness of audience and purpose. 
� 
Careful attention to review and revision. 
� 
Effective and correct use of supporting materials, including independent research 
(e.g., quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and citing sources); 
� 
Effective analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and synthesis of ideas encountered in 
multiple readings. 
� 
Effective organization and development of ideas at paragraph and essay levels. 
� 
Appropriate and effective sentence structure and diction. 
� 
Command of conventional mechanics (e.g., punctuation, spelling, reference, 
agreement). 
Student Learning Objectives: 

SLO 1: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to refine the 
competencies established in Written Communication 1A. 

SLO 2: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to use (locate, 
analyze, and evaluate) supporting materials, including independent library research, and 
identify key concepts and terms that describe the information needed. 

SLO 3: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to select 
efficient and effective approaches for accessing information utilizing an appropriate 
investigative method or information retrieval system. 

SLO 4: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to synthesize 
ideas encountered in multiple readings. 

SLO 5: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to incorporate 
principles of design and communication to construct effective arguments. 

SLO 6: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to identify and 
discuss issues related to censorship and freedom of speech. 

Information available online 

You are responsible for reading the following information online at 

http://www.sjsu.edu/english/comp/policyforsyllabi.html 

� 
Course guidelines 
� 
Academic policies (academic integrity, plagiarism, ADA and DRC policies) 
� 
Adding and dropping classes 
English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 


Required Texts/Readings 

Textbook 

Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments, 3rd Edition, Alfano and O�Brien, 

ISBN: 978-0-205-75847-0 

Other Readings 

Additional readings will be posted to the course website (sjsu.desire2learn.com) as 
needed. Check the course outline below for details. 

Other equipment / material requirements (optional) 

One spiral notebook. You need to take notes, so you�ll need one of these. 
A folder for your essays and homework, all of which you will save until December. 
A data storage device of some kind, on which you will save your essays. 
A computer with access to the internet and a printer (see below for details). 
Highlighters of at least three different colors. 


Classroom Protocol 

1) Late Assignments 
If you are not in class on the day an assignment is due, I will not accept that 
assignment. (Should you arrive in the last few minutes of class for the sole purpose of 
turning in your homework, I reserve the right to refuse that assignment.) Later in this 
packet, you will find four homework coupons. They may be used to hand in assignments 
up to one week late. 

In the event of severe illness or other emergency, an exception might be made as long as 
the work is accompanied by written verification (only official doctors� notes will be 
accepted for this purpose). If you know in advance that you will be absent on a certain 
day, please make arrangements with me before the absence to turn in the necessary work. 
Arrangements may never be made after the class has already been missed. By then, it is 
too late. 

2) Required Writing 

This is a composition course and, as such, will require significant writing on your part. 
Over the course of the semester, you will write two major (6-8 page) essays, each of 
which will be significantly revised three times, as well as a number of smaller essays. 
You will write essays in and out of class. Any reading that you do will be accompanied 
by a response blog, which you will use to write at least two of the smaller essays. There 
is, to put it mildly, a lot of writing in this class. At the end of the semester, you will 
assemble a portfolio of your work, which will include much of the writing you have done 
in this class, so hang on to everything. 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 


English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 
4 
3) Participation (Reading and cell phones) 
Your participation is not optional. In a seminar class, particularly one of this size, if even 
one person is sitting out discussions or activities the whole class suffers. If you do not 
have the necessary materials with you, you cannot fully participate. I therefore reserve 
the right to dock up to five points from your final grade for lack of preparation. Likewise, 
sleeping, engaging in side conversations, doing other homework, playing with your cell 
phone, will damage your grade to the degree that I believe they damage the class dynamic. 
A note on texting during class: A recent experiment at the University of Binghamton 
demonstrated that students whose attention is on their phones during class score 50 
points lower on tests. As such, I may drop your next essay grade by 50 points if I catch 
you reading or sending text messages during class. 
Academic policies 
You are responsible for reading the SJSU academic polices available online: 
http://www.sjsu.edu/english/comp/policyforsyllabi.html 
Assignments and Grading Policy 
Grading: A-F. 
The Department of English reaffirms its commitment to the differential grading scale as 
defined in the official SJSU Catalog (�The Grading System�). Grades issued must 
represent a full range of student performance: A = excellent; B = above average; C = 
average; D = below average; F = failure. 
� The �A� essay will be well organized and well developed, demonstrating a clear 
understanding and fulfillment of the assignment. It will show the student�s ability to use 
language effectively and construct sentences distinguished by syntactic complexity and 
variety. Such essays will be essentially free of grammatical, mechanical, and usage 
errors. 
� The �B� essay will demonstrate competence in the same categories as the �A� essay. The 
chief difference is that the �B� essay will show describable weaknesses in one of those 
categories. It may slight one of the assigned tasks, show less facility of expression, or 
contain some minor grammatical, mechanical, or usage flaws. 
� The �C� essay will complete all tasks set by the assignment, but show weakness in 
fundamentals (usually development), with barely enough specific information to illustrate 
the experience or support generalizations. The sentence construction may be less mature, 
and the use of language less effective and correct than the �B� essay. 
� The �D� essay will neglect one of the assigned tasks and be noticeably superficial in its 
treatment of the assignment�that is, too simplistic or short. The essay may reveal some 
problems in development, with insufficient specific information to illustrate the 
experience or support generalizations. It will contain grammatical, mechanical, and 
usage errors that render some sentences incomprehensible. 
� The 
�F� 
essay 
will 
demonstrate 
a 
striking 
underdevelopment 
of 
ideas 
and 
insufficient 
or 
unfocused 
organization. 
It 
will 
contain 
serious 
grammatical, 
mechanical, 
and 
usage 
errors 
that 
render 
some 
sentences 
incomprehensible. 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 
5 
Grading: 
Class Participation: 50 points 
Reading Blogs* (see below): 150 points 
Difficulty Papers: 100 points (2 @ 50 points each) 
In- and out of-class activities: 100 points 
Out of Class Essays: 300 points (2 @ 150 points each) 
End-of-Semester Portfolio: 300 points 
*Each assignment is graded on a credit/no credit basis � at the end of the semester, the percentage of 
completed assignments is converted to points. 
965-1000 points = A+ 925-964 points = A 895-924 points = A- 
865-894 points = B+ 825-864 points = B 795-824 points = B- 
765-794 points = C+ 725-764 points = C 695-724 points = C- 
665-694 points = D+ 625-664 points = D 595-624 points = D- 
<600 points = F 
Reading Blogs 
There 
will 
be 
a 
number 
of 
reading 
blogs 
assigned 
over 
the 
course 
of 
the 
semester, 
to 
be 
written 
in 
a 
designated 
section 
on 
Desire2Learn. 
Each 
blog 
must 
be 
at 
least 
250 
words 
long 
and 
must 
discuss, 
in 
specific 
detail 
with 
reference 
to 
the 
reading, 
some 
point 
of 
difficulty 
or 
question 
that 
you 
had 
about 
it. 
You 
might 
isolate 
a 
certain 
phrase 
or 
reference, 
and 
discuss 
how 
and 
why 
you 
think 
it 
confused 
you. 
You 
might 
choose 
an 
argument 
that 
the 
author 
made 
which 
did 
not 
make 
sense. 
In 
any 
event, 
the 
blog 
will 
serve 
as 
a 
place 
for 
you 
to 
say 
�the 
reading 
challenged 
me 
in 
this 
way.� 
We 
will 
use 
the 
blogs 
as 
a 
starting 
point 
for 
class 
discussion, 
and 
twice 
during 
the 
semester 
you 
will 
use 
the 
blogs 
to 
write 
a 
longer 
Difficulty 
Paper. 
Besides 
the 
requirements 
above, 
the 
blogs 
will 
not 
be 
graded 
on 
how 
well 
you 
write. 
In 
other 
words, 
you 
should 
not 
focus 
on 
sentence 
structure, 
grammar, 
spelling 
or 
mechanics 
as 
you 
write: 
simply 
focus 
you 
efforts 
on 
analyzing 
an 
aspect 
of 
the 
reading 
that 
challenged 
you 
or 
gave 
you 
trouble. 
As 
long 
as 
you 
do 
that, 
and 
keep 
to 
the 
required 
length, 
you 
will 
get 
credit. 
In 
addition, 
the 
blogs 
will 
have 
a 
response 
requirement. 
For 
each 
blog 
assigned, 
you 
should 
comment 
on 
another 
student�s 
blog. 
These 
comments, 
taken 
together, 
will 
be 
worth 
an 
extra 
blog 
entry�s 
worth 
of 
credit 
(meaning 
that 
if 
you 
respond 
to 
most 
of 
the 
blogs 
you 
will 
receive 
extra 
credit 
worth 
one 
blog). 
You 
need 
only 
respond 
to 
one 
blog 
entry 
per 
assignment, 
and 
your 
response 
should 
be 
at 
least 
three 
sentences 
long, 
should 
respond 
specifically 
to 
some 
aspect 
of 
the 
entry 
and 
should 
be 
unique. 
You 
can 
make 
an 
entry 
�unique� 
in 
one 
of 
two 
ways: 
either 
your 
response 
should 
comment 
on 
an 
significant 
aspect 
of 
the 
blog 
that 
no 
other 
commenter 
has 
mentioned 
or 
it 
should 
be 
the 
only 
(or 
first) 
comment. 
Obviously, 
the 
easiest 
way 
to 
make 
sure 
that 
you 
have 
a 
�unique� 
comment 
is 
to 
be 
the 
first 
person 
to 
comment 
on 
a 
given 
blog 
entry. 
Like 
your 
blog, 
your 
comment 
will 
not 
be 
graded 
on 
grammar 
or 
sentence 
structure, 
only 
uniqueness 
and 
quality 
of 
response. 
The 
reading 
blogs 
will 
be 
worth 
15% 
of 
your 
final 
grade. 

Paper Format 

Unless you want to lose points, no plastic sheets, title pages or strange fonts, please; just 
use 8.5x11� paper, 12 point type and one inch margins. All of the pages should be 
numbered and double-spaced. Staple the pages together. At the top of the first page, 
insert a title and the proper header. Get in the habit or reading everything you write 
before you hand it in. If any of these are missing, including page numbers, a staple or 
the proper header, you will lose ten points off of the final grade of the assignment. 

The header: in the top left hand corner of the first page, include your name, my name, the 
date, the class and the assignment with word-count. Put this at the top of everything you 
hand in, whether it is a reading response, homework or a long essay. For example: 

Samantha Student 
English 1B Section 26 
25 September 2011 
Essay #1: 1567 words 

Student Technology Resources 

Computer labs for student use are available in the Academic Success Center located on 
the 1st floor of Clark Hall and on the 2nd floor of the Student Union. Additional computer 
labs may be available in your department/college. Computers are also available in the 
Martin Luther King Library. 

A wide variety of audio-visual equipment is available for student checkout from Media 
Services located in IRC 112. These items include digital and VHS camcorders, VHS and 
Beta video players, 16 mm, slide, overhead, DVD, CD, and audiotape players, sound 
systems, wireless microphones, projection screens and monitors. 

Learning Assistance Resource Center 

The Learning Assistance Resource Center (LARC) is located in Room 600 in the Student 
Services Center. It is designed to assist students in the development of their full academic 
potential and to motivate them to become self-directed learners. The center provides 
support services, such as skills assessment, individual or group tutorials, subject advising, 
learning assistance, summer academic preparation and basic skills development. The 
LARC website is located at http:/www.sjsu.edu/larc/. 

SJSU Writing Center 

The SJSU Writing Center is located in Room 126 in Clark Hall. It is staffed by 
professional instructors and upper-division or graduate-level writing specialists from each 
of the seven SJSU colleges. Our writing specialists have met a rigorous GPA 
requirement, and they are well trained to assist all students at all levels within all 
disciplines to become better writers. The Writing Center website is located at 
http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/about/staff/. 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 


English 1B, Fall 2011, Course Schedule 

(subject to change with notice) 

REMINDERS: 

* Reading Blogs are due for each essay we read 
* Reading assignments should be completed by the day they appear on the schedule for 
discussion 
* The assignments due each day can also be found on the course website, Desire2Learn 
in the class calendar. 
Table 1 Course Schedule 

Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines 
1 Wednesday 
08/24 
Why am I Here? 
Introduction to the course 
2 Monday 
08/29 
Where am I? 
Introductions to each other 
What is composition? 
Read: Foster: �What Are We Talking About When We Talk About 
Composition?� and Swales �Create a Research Space� 
Envision chapter 1. 
Write: �Where I�m From� poem 
Foster/ Swales Reading Blog 
Wednesday 
08/31 
What�s the Point? 
Argumentation and rhetoric 
Read: McCarthy: �Stranger in Strange Lands� 
Envision chapter 2 
Write: McCarthy Reading Blog 
3 Monday 
09/05 
No Class: Labor Day 
Wednesday 
09/07 
How Do We Start? 
Making an argument 
Read: Perl: �The Composing Process of Unskilled College 
Writers�; Berkenkotter: �Decisions and Revisions� and 
Murray �Response of a Laboratory Rat� 
Envision chapter 3 
Write: Perl/ Berkenkotter and Murray Reading Blog 
Print out one of the first three blogs and bring it in 
4 Monday 
09/12 
Where Does This Come From? 
Research basics 
Read: DiPardo: �Peer Response Groups� 
Envision chapter 4; 
Write: DiPardo Reading Blog 
DP part 2 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 Page 7 of 12 


Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines 
Wednesday 
09/14 
What are the Rules of the Game? 
Guidelines for academic discourse 
Read: Lautano/ Glade: �Academic Discourse� and 
Deans/Sakamoto: �Conventional Ballgames� or 
Tannen: �Oral and Literate Strategies� or � 
Henderson & Hirst: �Reframing Academic Literacy� or 
Johns: �Discourse Communities and Communities of 
Practice� 
Write: Blog for One Reading 
Complete Descriptive Outline for one article. 
DP Part 3 
5 Monday 
09/19 
How to Succeed in Academia Without Really Trying 
Academic discourse: grammar for writing 
Write: First Draft Due (3 copies/ 4 pages) 
Wednesday 
09/21 
What are Others Doing? 
Self-editing strategies/ Peer review 
Read: Essays for peer review 
Write: Peer review response sheets 
6 Monday 
09/26 
How Do I Make This Better? 
Revision tactics and practice 
Read: Sommers: �Revision Strategies of Basic Writers� 
Write: Sommers Blog 
Second draft (6 pages) 
Wednesday 
09/28 
How Do I Cite This? 
Description 
Read: Madraso: �Proofreading, the Skill We�ve Neglected to 
Teach� and Tomlinson: �Turning. Tying, and Training 
Texts� 
Write: Madraso/Tomlinson Blog 
Bring copy of essay 
7 Monday 
10/03 
Individual conferences: 
Note times on Desire2Learn for meetings in my office 
Wednesday 
10/05 
Individual conferences 
Note times on Desire2Learn for meetings in my office 
8 Monday 
10/10 
What Are We Talking About? 
Description 
Read: Emig �Writing as a Mode of Learning� and Fulkerson: 
�Four Philosophies in Composition� 
Envision chapter 5 
Write: Emig Blog 
Essay Portfolio Due 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 Page 8 of 12 


Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines 
Wednesday 
10/12 
How Do We Do? 
The issue of language rights 
Read: CCCC: �Students� Right to Their Own Language� or 
Kinloch: �Revisiting the Promise of Students� Right to 
their Own Language� or Fordham: �Dissin� the Standard�; 
Envision Chapter 6 
Write: Blog for one reading 
9 Monday 
10/17 
Where Do We Get Information? 
Research: Meet in the library 
Read: Murray: �Teach the Process, Not the Product� and Kleine: 
�What Is It We Do When We Write Articles�� 
Write: Murry/Kleine Blog 
Wednesday 
10/19 
Does This Really Matter, Later? 
Writing in professional contexts 
Read: Wardle: �Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New 
Workplaces� and Mirabelli: �Learning to Serve: The 
Language and Literacy of Food Service Workers� 
Write: Wardle/Mirabelli Blog 
List of possible topics for essay #2 
10 Monday 
10/24 
How Picky Should We Be? 
Grammar rules and expectations 
Read: Lunsford: �Mistakes are a Part of Life� and Williams �A 
Phenomenology of Error� 
Write: Lunsford/Williams Blog 
Choose topic for Essay #2 
Wednesday 
10/26 
Who Are We? 
Different purposes and communities of writers in the classroom 
Peer Review 
Read: Goen-Salter: �Generation 1.5� and Destendau & Wald: 
�Promoting Generation 1.5� 
Write: Goen-Salter/ Destendau & Wald Blog 
Editing Log 
Essay 2 Rough Draft Due (3 copies/ 5 pages) 
11 Monday 
10/31 
How Do We Fix This? 
In-class editing activities 
Read: Partners� essays for peer review 
Write: Additional comments for draft 
Second draft due (2 copies/ 7 pages) 
Wednesday 
11/02 
How Do We Cite This? 
Citing sources 
Write: Bring highlighters/ Clean copy of essay 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 Page 9 of 12 


Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines 
12 Monday 
11/07 
Individual conferences: 
Note times on Desire2Learn for meetings in my office 
Wednesday 
11/09 
Individual conferences: 
Note times on Desire2Learn for meetings in my office 
13 Monday 
11/14 
Where Do We Go From Here? 
Review essay writing, plan for final month 
Read: Envision chapter 9 
Write: Portfolio #2 due 
Wednesday 
11/16 
How Do We Talk About Revision? 
In-class revision discussion 
Key concepts in composition 
Read: 3 essays from packet 
Write: Blog for three essays (print out and bring in) 
Be ready for presentation 
14 Monday 
11/21 
How Do We Take Our Essays Seriously? 
Treating to our essays like the professionals do 
Read: 3 essays from packet 
Write: Blog for three essays (print out and bring in) 
Wednesday 
11/23 
What Did We Mean To Say? 
Reading for format and intent 
Read: 3 essays from packet 
Write: Blog for three essays (print out and bring in) 
Complete Descriptive Outline for 1 Essay 
15 Monday 
11/28 
Why Is This So Hard? 
Incorporating difficulty papers into peer review 
Read: 3 essays from packet 
Write: Blog for three essays (print out and bring in) 
Editing Log for Essay 2 
Wednesday 
11/30 
How Does This All Come Together? 
In-class revision of essays 
Read: 3 essays from packet 
Write: Blog for three essays (print out and bring in) 
Bring all portfolio essays, list of 3 additional pieces 
Bring in Editing Logs from both essays 
16 Monday 
12/05 
How Does Editing Work, Again? 
Practice revision/ review portfolio letter 
Read: 3 essays from packet 
Write: Blog for three essays (print out and bring in) 
Bring all portfolio essays, 3 highlighters 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 Page 10 of 12 


Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines 
Wednesday 
12/07 
Where Do We Go From Here? 
Next steps/ Portfolio review 
Write: Final portfolio due 
Final Wednesday 
12/14 
Pick up portfolio and course grade in my office 

Important SJSU dates Fall 2011 
Monday August 22 Academic Year Begins � Fall Semester Begins 
Mon-Tues August 22-23 Pre-Instruction Activities: Orientation, Advisement, Faculty 
Meetings and Conferences (P) 
Wednesday August 24 First Day of Instruction � Classes Begin 
Monday September 5 Labor Day -Campus Closed (L) 
Tuesday September 6 Last Day to Drop Courses Without an Entry on Student�s 
Permanent Record (D) 
Tuesday September 13 Last Day to Add Courses & Register Late (A) 
Wednesday September 21 Enrollment Census Date (CD) 
Friday November 11 Veteran�s Day -Campus Closed (V) 
Wednesday November 23 Classes that start at 5:00 PM or later will not meet 
Thursday November 24 Thanksgiving Holiday -Campus Closed (T) 
Friday November 25 Rescheduled Holiday -Campus Closed (RH) 
Thursday December 8 Last Day of Instruction -Last Day of Classes 
Friday December 9 Study/Conference Day (no classes or exams) (SC) 
Mon-Fri December 12-16 Final Examinations (exams) 
Monday December 19 Final Examinations Make-Up Day (MU) 
Tuesday December 20 Grade Evaluation Day (E) 
Wednesday December 21 Grades Due From Faculty -End of Fall Semester (G) 
Monday December 26 Christmas Holiday Observed -Campus Closed (CH) 

English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 Page 11 of 12 


English 1B, Section 26; Fall 2011 Page 12 of 12 
Homework Coupons: 
These homework coupons may be used once, and must be handed in with late 
assignments. They may not be traded. They are not a pass: you must still hand in the 
assignment, but with a coupon you are allowed to hand it in up to one week late. The top 
coupon may only be used for reading blogs. The second coupon may be used for any 
assignment that is not a major essay or a blog. The third coupon may be used for a major 
essay. The bottom coupon may be used for any assignment that is not a rough draft or a 
revised draft. This includes team assignments, prewriting and reading blogs. At the end 
of the semester, unused coupons may be turned in for one point each. 
READING 
BLOG 
HOMEWORK 
COUPON 
1 
Student 
name: 
Class: 
Assignment: 
Reason: 
Date: 
NON-�-ESSAY/BLOG 
HOMEWORK 
COUPON 
2 
Student 
name: 
Class: 
Assignment: 
Reason: 
Date: 
OUT-�-OF-�-CLASS 
ESSAY 
HOMEWORK 
COUPON 
3 
Student 
name: 
Class: 
Assignment: 
Reason: 
Date: 
MISCELANEOUS 
HOMEWORK 
COUPON 
4 
Student 
name: 
Class: 
Assignment: 
Reason: 
Date: