Expository Writing I: Technology and Society

Instructor: Curtis Gruenler English 113.15, Fall 2003

Office: Lubbers 306 Office phone: 395-7996

E-mail: gruenler@hope.edu Home phone 399-3731

Office hours: MWRF 3:30-4:30, R 11-12, and by appointment (Please don’t call after 9 p.m.)

“It was no thought or word that called culture into being, but a tool or a weapon. After the stone axe we needed song and story to remember innocence, to record effect—and so to describe the limits, to say what can be done without damage.” –Wendell Berry

Goals

The primary goal of English 113 is to improve your writing skills. Through attention to each aspect of the writing process, you will become better able to write clear and coherent expository prose that is purposefully organized, written with attention to style, and developed in a manner appropriate to the audience and situation. Effective expository writing also depends on your ability to read and think critically and to do research, so we will work on these skills too. We will be practicing these skills through investigating together the relationships between technology and society, and I hope that you will also develop greater insight into the issues we discuss and become better able to make good judgments about our technological society and your own use of technology.

Here is how the English department has expressed the goals of English 113.

· Goal 1: To help students improve their skills in expository writing.

1. Students will approach writing as a process--exploring, planning, and organizing; giving attention to purpose and audience; drafting; revising and editing.

2. Students will develop their ideas using effective means of organization and support.

3. Students will construct unified and coherent paragraphs and will employ varied sentence structures and effective word choice to develop a vigorous prose style.

4. Students will engage in workshop evaluations of one another’s drafts as a means of sharpening their thinking about writing.

5. Students will submit final essays with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

· Goal 2: To help students improve their library and research skills.

1. Students will analyze and focus research assignments or topics.

2. Students will evaluate and use primary and secondary sources, including electronic and field research, where appropriate, in addition to the library.

3. Students will document sources accurately, using the MLA style.

· Goal 3: To engage students in a significant intellectual question or topic.

1. Students will read, analyze, evaluate, and discuss texts, for both content and technique.

2. Students will engage in critical thinking about issues and arguments.

Requirements

Written work: I will ask you to do two main kinds of writing: formal essays and various informal responses and assignments. The best way to learn to write is by writing, and you will do a total of at least 50 pages of writing, 20 of which will be in polished, final form. Informal writing gives you an opportunity to practice writing as a way of thinking, and formal essays give you practice in producing the kind of finished product that will be expected of you in academic and other contexts. Informal assignments will generally not be graded with a letter grade, but you will get credit for them at the end as part of your participation in the class. The informal assignments are designed to help prepare you to do a good job on the formal essays.

For the formal essays, you will first turn in a rough draft in order to get feedback on it through small group workshops. On workshop days, you will need to bring extra copies of your rough draft to class. The number of extra copies will depend on what kind of workshop we are having that day.

At the end of the semester, you will submit all drafts of your formal essays in a portfolio along with a concluding essay reflecting on your development as a writer during the semester. Portfolios may also include rewritten versions of final drafts of papers you submitted earlier in the semester. Further instructions on assembling your portfolio will come later.

After I grade each essay, you may rewrite it once for a new grade that will replace the previous one. Since you only get one more chance, be thorough. You may turn these rewrites in at any time up until you submit your final portfolio.

You will have a great deal of freedom to choose topics for your formal essays that interest you. Your best writing will come from writing about something you care about. The requirements for each essay will have more to do with what kind of writing I ask you to do and what kind of sources to use. Here’s a brief overview of the four formal essay assignments:

• Essay 1: Using your own experience as well as what you have read, assess the value of a technology used in education.
• Essay 2: Analyze an argument about an aspect of technology, such as an essay we have read or an advertisement (since ads always contain at least an implied argument).
• Essay 3: Research essay on any topic that has to do with technology and society. I’ll give you some more specific suggestions about possible topics.
• Essay 4: In response to the readings from the course, both essays and fiction, articulate your own values with regard to the use of technology. Again, I’ll have some specific suggestions for ways to approach this task.

Participation and attendance: Class discussion is crucial to reaching the goals of this course, so success will depend on your attendance and active participation in class sessions. I will excuse two absences automatically. Beyond two, I will excuse absences only by prior arrangement or for serious illness or emergency. (If you feel like you’ve got the flu, please stay in bed or go to the Health Clinic instead of going to class.) Each unexcused absence will lower your participation grade a step. Assigned work must be completed even if you are absent, though I am happy to grant extensions for sickness and emergencies—just ask.

Grading

Participation (including small group) and informal writing: 25%

Essay 1: 15%

Essay 2: 15%

Essay 3: 20%

Essay 4: 15%

Completed portfolio and conclusion: 10%

Due dates: Having rough drafts for workshop days is crucial to the mechanics of the course. Therefore, not having a complete rough draft on a workshop day will incur a one-letter-grade penalty on the final draft. Grades for late final drafts will be lowered a step for each week they are late. You must complete all the formal essays in order to receive a grade for the course.

Academic Honesty

All work turned in for this course should represent the work of the person whose name appears on it. Representing another’s work as your own is not only dishonest, it also defeats your learning. Please do learn from others by discussing texts and assignments with them both inside and outside of class. I am happy to discuss assignments with you while you are working on them. And you are welcome to learn from any other sources. In the end, however, all written work must be done by you alone.

Unacknowledged use of another’s words or ideas is plagiarism. Any quotation or direct copying from another’s work must be set off from your text either by quotation marks or by indentation, and it must be given an adequate citation (this includes quotations from our required texts as well as any other sources you use). Paraphrases must also be given an adequate citation. If you are uncertain about how to avoid plagiarism or how to give adequate citations, consult A Writer’s Reference, and if you have any questions, talk with me. Cases of academic dishonesty will be handled using the procedures outlined in the Hope College Catalog. The penalty is failure, either of the assignment or of the entire course, depending on the instructor’s judgment of the seriousness of the case.

Advice from Previous Students

Answers from spring, 2003 students (all the ones that filled out a form) to the question at the end of the semester: What advice would you give a friend who is planning to take this course?

• Do the readings—they’re interesting.
• Don’t get behind on your papers, especially the research paper.
• Participate in class and take advantage of the writing help.
• Have something to say during class time.
• Keep redoing your papers.
• Go for it—it’s a fun and good course.
• Write your paper ahead of time and take it to the academic support center.
• Have fun.
• Be prepared to write, for you’ll do plenty of it.
• Do all the readings—they are very interesting and informative.
• Keep up on the readings and make sure you understand them.
• You may want to get a hearing aid because the prof speaks quietly! Redo your papers—it’s not that hard to get an A. Don’t bother with the reading assignments—they aren’t that useful.
• Do the readings—they really are interesting.
• Write papers early and lead the assignments not only for their worth, but they will need to be used in your own papers as cites.
• Make sure you keep up on the reading and start your papers early.
• Show up for class, and be original in your writings for a good grade.
• Enjoy technology J.

Additional Help

The Academic Support Center (ext. 7830) on the second floor of Van Zoeren offers individual help with your writing. Call for an appointment. There is no charge.

Texts

Berry, Wendell. In the Presence of Fear. Great Barrington, MA: The Orion Society, 2001.

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. Fifth edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.

Paul, Richard, and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools Pocket-Size Guide, Foundation for Critical Thinking, 1999.

Teich, Albert H., ed. Technology and the Future. Ninth edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson, 2002. $36

A college dictionary (I recommend the American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition).

Schedule

Note: TF refers to Technology and the Future.

Aug. 26: Introduction

Aug. 28: Read Stephen Talbott, “Why Is the Moon Getting Farther Away?” (handout, also online at http://www.praxagora.com/stevet/netfuture/1998/Apr3098_70.html - 1) and write a paragraph describing an educational experience it brings to mind.

Sept. 2: Read “Computers in Education: The Web and the Plow” by Lowell Monke (handout, also online at http://www.gemair.com/~lmonke/). Read Hacker section C1 (pp. 3-12) and do writing exercise E-ex C1-1 at http://dianahacker.com/writersref/flash/wr_menu.asp. Settle on a tentative focus for essay 1 and write out some ideas to share in your small group. Also, take diagnostic Test A at http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/hackerdiag/.

Sept. 4: Read TF 1-12: Leo Marx, “Does Improved Technology Mean Progress?” Read Hacker C2 (13-17). Write a paragraph in answer to this question: What are Leo Marx’s audience, purpose, and thesis in this essay? Also, bring to class two tentative thesis statements for your essay 1. [Note: for further information about any of the authors in TF, see the accompanying web site.]

Sept. 9: Read TF 23-36: Alvin M. Weinberg, “Can Technology Replace Social Engineering?” and Wendell Berry, “Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer.” Bring two good questions about each article. Read Hacker C5 (37-42) and do E-ex C2-1 on thesis statements at http://www.dianahacker.com/writersref/flash/wr_menu.asp. Bring a revised version of your thesis statement for essay 1.

Sept. 11: TF 172-183: Brian Martin, “Technological Vulnerability”; Berry 1-9, “Thoughts in the Presence of Fear.” Write a paragraph on how the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack or the August 14, 2003 blackout has affected your view of technology. Also do E-ex C2-2 on introductions at http://www.dianahacker.com/writersref/flash/wr_menu.asp and bring a draft of your introduction for essay 1.

Sept. 16: Workshops on Essay 1

Sept. 18: Workshops on Essay 1

Sept. 23: Berry 11-31, “The Idea of a Local Economy.” Write a one-page summary of Berry’s essay. Read Hacker C3 (17-23) and do E-ex C3-2 at http://www.dianahacker.com/writersref/flash/wr_menu.asp.

Sept. 25: TF 71-77: E. F. Schumacher, “Buddhist Economics.” Read Hacker C4 (23-36) and bring a paragraph from your current draft of essay 1 to work on during class.

Sept. 30: Read David Ehrenfeld, “The Cow Tipping Point” (handout) and pages 1-14 of The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking. Bring an ad to analyze during class. Final draft of Essay 1 due.

Sept. 30-Oct. 1 (Tues. evening-Wed. afternoon): Critical Issues Symposium

Oct. 2: TF 196-208 on stem cell research. Write an analysis of a presentation from the Critical Issues Symposium using the template on page 10 of the Guide to Critical Thinking.

Oct. 7: Read TF 209-227, Leon Kass, “The Wisdom of Repugnance” and Jerome Groopman, “Science Fiction: A Comment on Leon Kass’s Bioethics.” Read Hacker C6 (46-54). Write a paragraph about whether you find Kass or Groopman more convincing and why. Bring a draft of your introduction for essay 2.

Oct. 9: Read Bruce Sterling, chapter 1 of Tomorrow Now (handout). Draft of Essay 2 due. Do E-ex C3-1 on peer review at http://www.dianahacker.com/writersref/flash/wr_menu.asp.

Oct. 14: Fall Recess

Oct. 16: Read TF 148-164, Langdon Winner, “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” Pick a piece of technology and write a page analyzing its politics.

Oct. 21: Read TF 231-241, Paul Ceruzzi, “An Unforeseen Revolution” and 258-267, Lawrence Lessig, “The Internet Under Siege”; Lev Grossman, “It’s All Free” (handout). Final draft of essay 2 due.

Oct. 23: Read “FAQ on Computerized Technology and Human Responsibility” by Stephen Talbott, http://www.praxagora.com/stevet/netfuture/faq.html. Read Hacker R1 (395-309) and do E-ex R1-1 on research questions at http://www.dianahacker.com/writersref/flash/rs_menu.asp. Bring three good research questions on your tentative topic for essay 3.

Oct. 28: Meet at Library Teaching Lab. Read Hacker R2 and R3 (310-320).

Oct. 30: Meet at Library Teaching Lab. Read Hacker, MLA-1, MLA-2, and MLA-3 (329-340) and do E-ex MLA 2-1 on plagiarism and MLA 3-1 on integrating sources at http://www.dianahacker.com/writersref/flash/rs_menu.asp.

Nov. 4: Report on research sources due.

Nov. 6: Read TF 295-322, Bill Joy, “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us” and John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid, “A Response to Bill Joy and the Doom-and-Gloom Technofuturists.” Read Hacker MLA-4 and MLA-5 (340-377) and do E-ex MLA4-1 at http://www.dianahacker.com/writersref/flash/rs_menu.asp.

Nov. 11: Draft of Essay 3 due.

Nov. 13: Read Gardner Dozois, “A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows” (handout). Write a paragraph about how you would like to see the story continue.

Nov. 18: Read Linda Nagata, “Goddesses” (handout). Final draft of Essay 3 due. Bring topic for essay 4.

Nov. 20: Workshops on Essay 4.

Nov. 25: Workshops on Essay 4.

Nov. 27: Thanksgiving

Dec. 2: Read Berry 33-42, “In Distrust of Movements.”

Dec. 4: Wrap up. Final draft of essay 4 due.

Dec. 11: Final portfolio due by noon. Please hand it in at the English department office, and be sure it has my name on it. If you would like me to return it to you by mail, please include a self-addressed envelope that is big enough (the English dept. will pay for the postage).