Calendars for ENG 180
Bradley Dilger, Spring 2008, Western Illinois University
This page includes several different (and hopefully useful) ways of looking at our course calendar. I welcome your feedback about these calendars.
Upcoming assignments & deadlines
Refer to the
course web page for assignments.
March 20: P1 final.
March 25: R2 prospectus.
April 08: R2 first draft.
April 24: R2 rewrite.
- May 06: R2 final.
- May 06: Final exam.
Recent & upcoming classes, readings, & activities
See the bottom of the document for weeks past.
Tue Apr 29 (week 15)
- Preparing for class:
- In class:
- Look at drafts and discuss issues with editing.
- Finish discount peer review.
Thu May 01
- Preparing for class:
- Reflect on the course. What worked well? What needs improvement?
- Review the syllabus and your notes from class. Make a list of any material you'd like to talk about.
- In class:
- Final course evaluations.
- Review and prepare for final examination.
Tue May 06
- Final examination, 1:00pm, our regular classroom. Do not be late.
- R2 final: turn in at beginning of class. See the assignment sheet for details.
Past classes
Tue Mar 18 (week 9)
- Preparing for class:
- Review my comments on your P1 draft; I will take individual questions at the end of class.
- Review the R2 assignment.
- In class:
- Q&A on the R2 assignment.
- What is argument? What is argumentative writing?
- Begin work on assignment: idea for argument which fits the framework. Write and email preliminary to me.
Thu Mar 20
- P1 final: submit at the beginning of class.
- Preparing for class:
- Read genres: position (9), evaluation (12), or proposal (17)--just the features/arguments and rhetorical situation.
- Read Lessig piece in chapter 9 (example of argument).
- In class:
- Discuss
Lessig piece: what makes it effective? What are his purpose, stance,
and audience? How does he use ethos, pathos, and logos?
- Discuss key features of the three genres.
- What makes them argumentative?
- Which genre is best suited for your essay idea?
Tue Mar 25 (week 10)
- R2 prospectus: submit by email before class. Do it early if you can!
- Preparing for class:
- Read chapters 39 and 40 in NFGW, so we can talk about research and begin process.
- Read Forrest piece in chapter 54 (example of evaluation).
- In class:
- Discuss Forrest piece.
- Discuss role of research and reading in developing argument.
- Begin process of finding things to read which will help and/or which you can quote from.
Thu Mar 27
- Preparing for class:
- Read chapter 41 in NFGW.
- Read King & Bannon piece in chapter 17 (example of proposal).
- In class:
- Answer the following questions. We will discuss 5 and 7 at the end
of class today, so do those first. Plan to turn in a complete
assignment Tuesday, April 1.
- Name the elements of argument, evaluation, and proposal present in the article.
- Which of the three is it? Why?
- Explain how Rybarski establishes his credibility. Use quotations.
- What research has he done?
- How does Rybarski show he has conducted research?
- Name his sources.
- How would you revise the piece to make it a better proposal?
- What research would you add?
Tue Apr 1 (week 11)
- Preparing for class:
- This is your last chance to talk with me before the draft is due, so review your work carefully.
- Read chapter 42.
- Come to class with several sources to take quotes from and begin to build bits of your essay.
- In class:
- We'll start with questions about the R2 draft.
- Write
your essay, or at least dummy sentences and paragraphs, using at least
two quotes, a long quote, a paraphrase, and a summary.
- Ensure you've cited everything at some level; look ahead as needed.
Thu Apr 3
Tue Apr 8 (week 12)
- R2 draft: turn in at beginning of class.
- Preparing for class:
- Just bring your draft. We're gonna do quick peer reviews in class.
- In class:
- Go over self-evaluation process.
- Do a quick peer review of one or two other essays based on the self-evaluation of your peer.
Thu Apr 10
- Preparing for class:
- Read NFGW 28 and 29 on beginnings and endings.
- In class:
- Wrap up peer review stuff from Tuesday.
- I will return any papers which I've already graded.
- Discuss NFGW 28 & 29.
- Write beginnings and endings for your essays.
Tue Apr 15 (week 13)
- Preparing for class:
- Re-read NFGW 39-41 and your notes from class regarding research.
- You may need this "Decomposition" handout; it provides a strong model for rewriting your essay.
- Think about your essay content: where are its weak points? Do you have a good focus?
- Bring your research logs and other materials.
- In class:
- I will return more essays. I've read and commented on all R2 drafts.
- More discussion of research. Conduct research and work on your essays with my help.
- Discuss my comments on your drafts as needed.
Thu Apr 17
- Preparing for class:
- Read PSM 1-9 on clarity and 10-15 on grammar (pp 2-47). Learn the terms!
- In class:
- Bring your drafts.
- Work through drafts and identify terms PSM uses.
- With improvement of prose in mind, looking for common issues.
Tue Apr 22 (week 14)
- Preparing for class: some re-reading:
- Re-read NFGW 42 on using quotations.
- Read NFGW 45 and PSM 33 on MLA format.
- Any questions about your drafts before Thursday?
- In class:
- Work through examples of source integration: good, bad, and ugly.
- Discuss problem areas in MLA format.
- Work on MLA format and integrating others' work in your draft effectively.
Thu Apr 24
- R2 rewrite: turn in at beginning of class.
- Preparing for class:
- In class:
- Talk about paramedic method.
- Complete another discount peer review.