E NGL I SH 1010: E XPOSI TORY WRI TI NG

FALL 2012 | Department of English | Middle Tennessee State University TUESDAYS + THURSDAYS | 9:40-11:05 AM | EHSA 223 INSTRUCTOR Jennifer Joy Jameson, M.A. CONTACT Jennifer.Jameson@mtsu.edu OFFICE HOURS 1-4 pm, Tuesdays + Thursdays, @ the Starbucks in the Walker Library

COURSE OVERVIEW English 1010 is the first course in your two-semester freshman writing sequence. In this course we will investigate the craft of writing academic essays, putting emphasis on the process of drafting engaging, entertaining, and intellectually rigorous prose. We will expand your experience with the drafting process, improve your knowledge of what makes an effective college-level paper, and enhance your writing on the levels of content, organization, style, grammar, and mechanics. Time will also be spent in workshops which will help find strategies to improve content, organization, word-choice and mechanics. Our approach to learning how to write well at the college-level will be guided by contemporary folklore studies and the practice of ethnography. Throughout the course, we will be exploring local and regional folklorethe artistic or expressive traditions held and passed on among a community or culture, such as crafts, music, stories, foodways, beliefs, and customs. Each of your papers (and many class activities) will involve some level of ethnographic fieldwork, in which you may spend time observing, inquiring about, and at times, participating in, a communitys traditions in an effort to document them and better understand their cultural significance. By using this approach, we will begin to recognize and appreciate the diversity and creativity of cultural expression in everyday life. The tools of ethnography will provide us the ability to write better, and to better understand and engage with the wider world and within our own communities. REQUIRED TEXTS FieldWorking: Reading and Writing Research, 4th Edition, Bonnie Stone Sunstein and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater Easy Writer, 4th Edition, Andrea A. Lunsford (MTSU-customized version) All other readings will be posted on D2L

ASSIGNMENTS + EVALUATION Papers: The four papers you will compose throughout our course will be the bulk of your final grade for English 1010, however, we will ease into the fieldwork and writing process over the course of the semester as we build on our writing and research skills. Each paper will focus on one or more writing strategies, such as rhetorical analysis or synthesis. You will receive a handout with details and requirements when each new paper is introduced in class. The four papers are themed according to the major folklore genres, however, you may choose your specific research topicand you are encouraged to choose topics relevant to your own interests or major (for example, a nursing major may choose to research folk medicine remedies for her Customary Traditions paper; a recording industry major might write about the jokes or jargon commonly told or used in the recording studio-setting for the Oral Traditions paper). By the time you turn in your final paper, you will have engaged in many of the basic methods of ethnographic fieldwork: observation, collection, writing fieldnotes, interviewing, participant-observation, archival research, and analysis. Your grades will count for both process (drafting, editing, etc.) and product (the final draft). Class Work + Notebook: Throughout the course we will have a number of in-class assignments and out-of-class (Notebook) assignments that will be factored into your final course grade. Each of these assignments are designed to further engage you in the writing and research process, and to fine-tune these skills. In-class assignments include written responses, reflections, analyses, and activities. Most of the Notebook assignments are found in our FieldWorking textbook, and should length at approximately 1 typed page. GRADE BREAKDOWN Paper No. 1: ORAL TRADITIONS (literacy narrative) 15% [850 words minimum] Paper No. 2: MATERIAL CULTURE (summary, profile, review) 15% [1,000 words minimum with one additional source required] Paper No. 3: CUSTOMARY TRADITIONS (research, rhetorical/visual analysis) 20% [1,000 words minimum with two additional sources required] Paper No. 4: EMERGENT or CONTEMPORARY TRADITIONS (synthesis) 25% [1,200 words minimum with three additional sources required] Final Exam 10% Class Work/Notebook and Participation 15% TOTAL 100% ATTENDANCE POLICY A consistent presence in class is crucial to the development of our community of writers. Absences can upset the balance in workshops and class discussions. More than two unexcused absences from our class will result in a lowering of your grade a half step (for instance from an A to an A-, A- to B+) for each additional missed class. Any excused absences will need documentation (Doctors note, etc.), though I understand that there may be special circumstances to an absence. In this case, the best thing to do is contact me

 though a letter or note is the general standard that will excuse an absence. Arriving late to class (5-10 minutes late) or leaving early may count as an absence if it happens regularly. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Plagiarism will not be accepted in our classroom. The writing that you share with your peers and myself must be of your own creation not borrowed from another class or lifted off of another source. Evidence of plagiarism will result in an automatic failing grade for this course. If you are unsure about what might be considered plagiarism, please contact me or refer to the section on Avoiding Plagiarism in Easy Writer (p. 201-202). ON GRADING A An A represents outstanding work, a focused and well-executed performance that consistently reaches far beyond the stated goals of an assignment. A work will demonstrate creativity and critical thinking, as well as a fully coherent, well-organized response to the aims of an assignment. An A usually represents, as a final grade, a student who participates each day in class discussions and activities, a student who goes the extra mile on his/her essays putting a lot of effort into revising work and addressing the writing projects with concentration and creativity. This level of energy and focus is consistently sustained throughout the semester, in all activities and responsibilities. B A B grade is given for work that is solidly above average, clearly exceeding the basic requirements. A B represents a writers good understanding of how to create a piece of writing that can address all the aspects of the assignment, and reach past those initial requirements in some strong ways. A B usually represents, as a final grade, a student who often participates in class discussions and activities, a student who, at various points in the semester, has exceeded the basic expectations of the class. Though the student may have excelled in certain areas of class, other areas were not given the same level of attention or intensity. Such a student will have put solid effort into his/her essays, peer reviews, and all other activities and responsibilities. C A C is awarded when all the basic tenets of an assignment are completed. This grade reflects an effort that is average. The writer has not neglected any of the aims of an assignment, but the work does not contain the evidence of the effort, concentration, creativity and editing of an A or B. A C usually represents, as a final grade, a student who occasionally participates in class discussions and adequately completes the courses essays and activities. The basic requirements of the class (participation, attendance, focused writing) have been met, though not consistently exceeded. D This grade represents work that is below average, and does not make an attempt to cover all of the objectives of an assignment.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR THE SEMESTER

NOTE: All reading assignments should be read before the start of class on the day they are listed, as the readings will be discussed in class that day. Students should arrive ready to discuss the assigned materials. Students should always bring their textbooks/readings to class on the days that reading assignments are to be discussed. *The FieldWorking textbook is denoted by FW.

WEEK 1 Writing Culture T, Aug. 28 Introduction to the course Class Activities: Howd you get your name? (personal narratives) Looking at Subcultures (FW, Box 1) Th, Aug. 30 FieldWorking: Stepping In and Stepping Out: Understanding Cultures(p. 1-8) FW: Horace Miner, Body Ritual Among the Nacirema (p. 8-12) *In-Class: Response essay to Body Ritual WEEK 2 Folklore + Fieldnotes T, Sept. 4 Jan Harold Brunvand, The Field of Folklore in The Study of American Folklore Class Activity: Identifying/challenging folklore genres and folk groups Th, Sept. 6 FW: Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook (p. 66-69) *Prewriting Workshop NOTEBOOK Reflection on readings WEEK 3 Oral Tradition + Verbal Arts T, Sept. 11 Intro to Paper No. 1 ORAL TRADITIONS FW: Friday Night at Iowa 80 (p. 24-36) Excerpts from film: The Performed Word (1982, Gerald Davis) Th, Sept. 13 FW: (p. 255-259; 290-297) Gathering Oral Histories Researching Occupation: Recording Insider Language Verbal Performance: Curses Researching Urban Legends Short Film: Pizza Pizza Daddy-O (1968, Bess Lomax Hawes) Class Activity: Gathering Verbal Performances (FW, Box 29) WEEK 4 The Writing Process + Documenting an Event T, Sept. 18 FW: Fieldwriting: From Down Draft to Up Draft including Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott (p. 351-358) *Drafting Workshop

Th, Sept. 20 Paper No. 1 DRAFT due LISTEN TO: This American Lifes 24 Hours at the Golden Apple *Peer Review/Grammar Workshop WEEK 5 Space and Place, Worldview, Cultural Mapping T, Sept. 25 Dennis Covington, Prologue in Salvation on Sand Mountain NOTEBOOK FW: Learning How to Look: Mapping Space + Complete Box 18: Mapping Space (p. 186-191) Th, Sept. 27 Paper No. 1 DUE Scott Russell Sanders, Local Matters in Secrets of the Universe Excerpts from Film: Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2003, Andrew Douglas) WEEK 6 The Culture of Stuff T, Oct. 2 Intro to Paper No. 2 MATERIAL CULTURE FW: Reading an Object: The Cultural Artifact (p. 124-126) Short Film: Peoples Stuff (1992, LeAnn Erickson) Class Activity: Reading an Artifact (FW, Box 13) Th, Oct. 4 FW: Everyday Use by Alice Walker (p. 129-135) Frist Center for Visual Arts, Creation Story exhibit program on Gees Bend Quilters *Drafting / Locating Sources Workshop WEEK 7 Art and Artifact T, Oct. 9 Film: Style Wars (1984, Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver) Th, Oct. 11 Paper No. 2 DRAFT due Various news articles on: Museum of Contemporary Arts Art in the Streets exhibit The Surfing Madonna mosaic Yarn-bombing *In-Class: Summary of discussion on street art/graffiti (film and articles) *Peer Review Workshop

WEEK 8 Local Traditions T, Oct. 16 FALL BREAK, No Class Th, Oct. 18 Paper No. 2 DUE Intro to Paper No. 3 CUSTOMARY TRADITIONS Short Film: Let Your Feet Do The Talkin (2010, Stewart Copeland) NOTEBOOK Profile on Mr. Maupin or Mr. Rothwell, including one additional source WEEK 9 Work-on-Your-Paper-Week T, Oct. 23 NO CLASS, Jennifer @ The American Folklore Society Conference Th, Oct. 25 NO CLASS, Jennifer @ The American Folklore Society Conference *Extra Credit: Summary, Review, or Critical Analysis of a folk art exhibit at an area museum. (Arts Center of Cannon County, Tennessee State Museum, Frist Center for Visual Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery, etc.) WEEK 10 Food as Customary T, Oct. 30 FW: Thickening Your Draft (p. 361-367) Ernest Matthew Mickler, Introduction in White Trash Cooking Class Activity: Listening to the Voices in Your Draft (FW, Box 33) *Research Workshop: Trip to the library to meet with librarian Th, Nov. 1 Paper No. 3 DRAFT due Read 2 oral history transcripts OR watch 2 short films from the Southern Foodways Alliance: (http://southernfoodways.org/documentary/oh/index.html) *Peer Review/Thesis Statement Workshop WEEK 11 Locating Dynamic Sources + Knowing Your Audience T, Nov. 6 FW: Alternative Archives and On Dumpster Diving (p. 335-340) Electronic Archives: Using the Internet (p. 343-345) Th, Nov. 8 Paper No. 3 DUE Intro to Paper No. 4 EMERGENT or CONTEMPORARY TRADITIONS FW: Writing Self, Writing Cultures (p. 55-61) including Freewriting + Mapping Class Activity: Exploratory Writing/Brainstorming (FW, Box 4)

WEEK 12 Folklore on Facebook T, Nov. 13 FW: Reading Electronic Communities + Out Patients (p. 141-157) Class Activity: Rhetorical Analysis examining the social commentary behind viral videos and JPEGs Th, Nov. 15 Robert Dobler, Ghosts in the Machine: Mourning the MySpace Dead from Folklore and the Internet WEEK 13 Revising Your Work T, Nov. 20 Paper No. 4 DRAFT due FW: Revising for a Reader (p. 381-382) *Revision/Peer Review Workshop Th, Nov. 22 THANKSGIVING BREAK, No Class WEEK 14 New Displays of Cultural Identity T, Nov. 27 Short Film: Ten Thousand Points of Light (2010, George King) Class Activity: Discovering cultural identity through holiday decorations NOTEBOOK Locate, document, and describe a yard display or assemblage of holiday decorations (speak with the artist, if possible). Th, Nov. 29 Browse the Philadelphia Folklore Projects Folk Arts of Social Change web exhibit: (http://www.folkloreproject.org/programs/exhibits/fasc) WEEK 15 Wrapping Up T, Dec. 4 Paper No. 4 DUE PRESENTATION DAY: Compose a 5-minute oral presentation of your favorite fieldwork paper Th, Dec. 6 STUDY DAY, No Class WEEK 16 Final Exam Week Dec. 7-13 FINAL EXAM Date TBA *The final exam will be an in-class, on-demand reading and writing assignment