SYLLABUS: 76-100 SECTION G, ARGUMENT
MTWTF 10:15-11:45am, Porter Hall A18B
instructor Geoffrey Sauer

M Course overview and administration
Reading and writing as a high school student
Courses of reading and writing taken:
  1. Types of texts typically read/written in class
  2. Approaches to reading/writing assignments
  3. Feedback received from instructors
Uses of and motivations for reading/writing
For T: Read Kozol, from Illiterate America.
T Reading and writing as a college student
Identify assumptions about writing and language you have
Where do these assumptions come from?
Reading and writing as an issue
Rethinking assumptions about writing and language

In class:
Discuss Kozol

For W: Read Scribner, 'Literacy in Three Metaphors'


UNIT I: SUMMARY

W Discuss Scribner (look at assumptions; consider issues)
What is literacy?
Definitions
Literacy as individual attribute
Literacy as social achievement
For Th: Read KGN, Ch. 3 (pp. 32-72)
Th Structure of arguments
Look at structure of Scribner. Discuss.
For M: Read KGN, Ch. 4 (pp. 73-96)
M Approaches to interpretation:
  1. Interpretation as argument
  2. The influence of theory on interpretation
  3. A particular discourse theory: milestones
  4. Building new knowledge about purpose, audience, etc.
Discuss KGN readings, as they apply to Scribner.
For T: Write brief (one paragraph) summary of Scribner
Read Supplement, 'Assumptions'
T Discovering assumptions, implications, and counterexamples
Apply criteria to Scribner
For W: Read Ogbu, 'Literacy and schooling in subordinate cultures'
Read KGN, Ch. 5 (pp. 97-105)
W Literacy, schooling, and society
Who is literate? Why?
Do milestones for Ogbu
For Th: Read Supplement, 'Summary assignment'
Read Supplement, 'Summary examples and criteria'
Read Supplement, 'Support,' 'Quotation,' 'Topic statements,' 'Patterns of Organization,' and 'Non-Sexist Language'
Th Drafting summaries
Planning
Setting goals: content, purpose, audience, procedure
Drafting
Reviewing (evaluating, revising, editing)
Applying summary criteria
Claims and support
Quotation
Topic statements
Patterns of organization
Non-sexist language
Assign Summary paper
Apply criteria to Summary Example
For F: Read Applebee, Langer, Mullis, 'Learning to be Literate in America'
F Functional approaches to literacy

Read George Orwell, 'Politics and the English Language'

For M: Read Gee, 'Literacy, discourse and linguistics'
M What is literacy?
Literacy as social practice
Literacy in use
Saying (writing)-doing-being-valuing-believing
Literacy, discourse and critical thinking
For T: Read Supplement, 'Devil's advocate'
T Video screening of 'American Voices'
Analyzing the varieties of discourse in the United States
For W: Hand in rough draft of summary
W Peer review: Devil's advocate
Revising/editing based on reviews as problem-solving
Define the problem the reader had
Plan its treatment
Execute its treatment
Check the work as a whole
Learn and generalize
Peer review
For Th: Read Hirsch, 'Literacy and cultural literacy'
Th Literacy and schooling
Cultural literacy, communication, and information acquisition
Uses and nature of cultural literacy
The politics of literacy; language and ideology
For F: Hand in final draft of summary
Read KGN, Ch. 6 (pp. 134-148)
Read Knoblauch, 'Literacy & the politics of education'


UNIT II: ANALYSIS

F Overview: synthesis and analysis
Establishing common points of discussion
Building new knowledge about agreements and disagreements
Develop grid
For M: Read KGN, Ch. 7 (pp. 149-163)
M Building a synthesis tree and new knowledge about decision points
Produce group trees
For T: Read KGN, Ch. 9 (pp. 178-187)
Read Supplement, Analysis assignment
Read Supplement, Arguments of existence and significance
T Produce group trees (continued)
Overview of analysis
Exploring issues, questions and problem cases
Arguments of existence and significance
For W: Read KGN, Ch. 10 (pp. 188-197)
Read KGN, Ch. 11 (pp. 198-211)
W Exploring for possible solutions
Building new knowledge about
Problem cases resolved
Implications, assumptions, principles, counterexamples
Strengths and faults (with respect to an issue or question)
Exploring possible issue definitions
Building new knowledge about:
  1. Relevance
  2. Compatibility
  3. Assumptions
Th Thinking critically about argument and persuasion
Identifying fallacies
Analysis paper assigned
For F: Read KGN, Ch. 12 (pp. 212-228)
Read Supplement, 'Analysis criteria' and 'Analysis examples'
Read Supplement, 'Forecasting,' 'Maintaining Focus,' 'Comparisons & Disjunctions'
F Drafting analyses
Planning, drafting, reviewing (evaluating, revising, editing)
Applying analysis criteria
Forecasting
Comparisons and disjunctions
Maintaining focus
Writing about abstract positions rather than authors
Flow between sentences
Emphasis
Apply criteria to example
For M: Hand in rough draft of analysis paper
M Peer review of analysis paper
For T: Read Davis, 'The HAMMER and the Rock,' sections 1-4
T Discuss Davis
For W: Read Davis, 'The HAMMER and the Rock,' sections 5-7
W Break: no class
Th Discuss Davis
For F: Hand in final draft of analysis paper
Read Supplement, 'Paradigm case assignment'


UNIT III: PARADIGM CASE

F Narration and argument
Problem cases
For M: Review KGN, Ch. 9 (pp. 178-187)
Read Supplement, 'Brainstorming'
M Generating ideas for paradigm cases
T Assign paradigm case paper
Discuss possible paradigm cases
For W: Read Supplement, 'Paradigm case criteria and examples'
W Criteria for paradigm case assignment
Apply criteria to paradigm case example
For Th: Read Freire, 'The importance of the act of reading'
Th Words, world, and the word-world:
critical understanding of the act of reading and writing
For F: Hand in paradigm case draft
F Peer review of PCS
For M: Final draft of PCS
M Hand in final draft of PCS


UNIT IV: CONTRIBUTION PAPERS

T Overview contribution
Finding all the available means of persuasion
Assign Contribution paper
Discuss readers and audience
For W: Read KGN, Ch. 14 (pp. 244-274)
Read Supplement, 'Contribution criteria and examples'
W Drafting the contribution
Applying contribution criteria
Active and passive voice
Strong verbs
For Th: Read Resnick & Resnick, 'The nature of literacy'
Th Historical perspectives on literacy
For F: Read Costanzo, 'Reading, writing and thinking in an age of electronic literacy'
F Literacy and technology
For M: Read brief articles on media literacy
M In-class discussion of final papers
T Reading & writing the mass media
For W: Hand in contribution draft
W Peer review on contribution paper
For Th: Read Supplement, 'Publishing on the Web'
Th General feedback: comments on contribution paper
General suggestions for revisions
For F: Work on Contribution Paper and its HTML version
F Concluding lecture and discussion
In-class collaborative work on papers and HTML production
Hand in Contribution paper; turn in online version