Composition I

English 101, Autumn 1998

Jack Lynch

Go directly to:

September -- October -- November -- December

Office: (973) 353-5279x516; 516 Hill Hall. Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 11:30-12:30, and by appointment (appointments are always good).

Home: (609) 750-1263 (before 11 p.m.!).

E-mail: jlynch@andromeda.rutgers.edu (the best way to reach me).

Listserv: lynch101@andromeda.rutgers.edu

Course Requirements

English 101 involves the following responsibilities on your part:

Written Assignments: There will be four substantial papers, along with many smaller and less formal writing assignments (in class, via E-mail, &c.). All writing done outside class must be typed.
Final Exam: A final examination is administered by the department. Note that you cannot receive credit for the course without passing the exam. There will also be several in-class practice exams to prepare you for the final.
Class Participation: Regular and active class participation (including doing the readings) is essential, and counts for a large part of your grade. Class participation obviously includes class attendance; if you're not there, you're not participating.
E-Mail Participation: All students will be required to have an E-mail account by the end of the second week of classes; E-mail participation will count toward the class participation grade, and some essential information will be available only electronically. I'll provide any computing help you need.

Readings

Two books -- The Blair Reader, 2nd ed., and The St. Martin's Handbook -- are available from the Rutgers Newark Bookstore in Bradley Hall. Any other required readings will be available in photocopies or on-line.

Computing

This class has a mailing list called lynch101@andromeda.rutgers.edu; all students are required to have an E-mail account by the send of the second week of classes and to participate in the discussions on the list. Although I have the greatest sympathy for those suffering from technological nightmares, don't expect to use computer problems as an excuse for not doing the reading or writing. If you have a computer problem, contact me as soon as possible.

Schedule of Class Meetings

Wed., 2 Sept.: Introduction (class business, &c.).
Mon., 7 Sept.: Labor Day -- no class.
Wed., 9 Sept.: William A. Henry, "In Defense of Elitism," pp. 121-26.
Mon., 14 Sept.: Marie Winn, "The Plug-In Drug," pp. 259-65; John Leonard, "Why Blame TV?," pp. 265-70.
Wed., 16 Sept.: Stephen L. Carter, "Racial Preferences? So What," pp. 127-31; Susan Estrich, "Separate Is Better," pp. 132-35.
Mon., 21 Sept.: Dinesh D'Souza, "The Visigoths in Tweed," pp. 136-45; Huntly Collins, "PC and the Press," pp. 308-15.
Wed., 23 Sept.: Jonathan Kozol, "Savage Inequalities"; Garrett Hardin, "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor," pp. 756-65.
Mon., 28 Sept.: Michael Bronski, "Magic and AIDS: Presumed Innocent," pp. 315-24; Amitai Etzioni, "HIV Sufferers Have a Responsibility," pp. 585-88.
Wed., 30 Sept.: Thomas Jefferson, "Declaration of Independence," pp. 393-96; Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream," pp. 396-99.
Mon., 5 Oct.: Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience," pp. 723-40. FIRST PAPER DUE.
Wed., 7 Oct.: George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," pp. 231-42.
Mon., 12 Oct.: Richard Rodriguez, "Aria," pp. 169-75; Barbara Mellix, "From Outside, In," pp. 175-79.
Wed., 14 Oct.: Eva Hoffman, "Lost in Translation," pp. 193-97; Amy Tan, "Mother Tongue," pp. 197-203.
Mon., 19 Oct.: Alleen Pace Nilsen, "Sexism in English: A 1990s Update," pp. 220-31.
Wed., 21 Oct.: Jonathan Kozol, "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society," pp. 203-11; James Fallows, "The New Immigrants," pp. 211-20.
Mon., 26 Oct.: Nicholson Baker, "Clip Art" (photocopy). SECOND PAPER DUE.
Wed., 28 Oct.: Stephen Jay Gould, "Women's Brains," pp. 356-61; Deborah Tannen, "Marked Women," pp. 362-67.
Mon., 2 Nov.: Lars Eighner, "On Dumpster Diving," pp. 521-31.
Wed., 4 Nov.: Barbara Tuchman, "The Black Death," pp. 616-25.
Mon., 9 Nov.: Pico Iyer, "The Global Village Finally Arrives," pp. 488-92.
Wed., 11 Nov.: Stanley Milgram, "The Perils of Obedience," pp. 765-78.
Mon., 16 Nov.: Louie Crew, "Thriving as an Outsider, Even as an Outcast, in Smalltown America," pp. 424-31. THIRD PAPER DUE.
Wed., 18 Nov.: Frederick Douglass, "Learning to Read and Write," pp. 180-84; Richard Wright, "The Library Card," pp. 406-13.
Mon., 23 Nov.: Shelby Steele, "On Being Black and Middle Class," pp. 501-11.
Wed., 25 Nov.: No class (Friday schedule).
Mon., 30 Nov.: Bob Summer, "Oak Ridge, Tennessee," pp. 31-40.
Wed., 2 Dec.: George Orwell, "Shooting an Elephant," pp. 716-22.
Mon., 7 Dec.: Maxine Hong Kingston, "No Name Woman," pp. 46-56.
Wed., 9 Dec.: Conclusion. FOURTH PAPER DUE.