Sherry turkle growing up tethered summary

Argumentative Essay

COURSE OVERVIEW

WRT 110 introduces students to the advanced practices of writing, reading, and thinking

required in many university courses. Students learn to approach writing as a process of invention,

crafting, revising, and editing. The course also emphasizes the rhetorical aspects of writing, such

as audience, arrangement, and academic conventions. Students learn to read diverse texts

critically by practicing close-reading strategies, such as highlighting, annotating, and note taking.

Students should become more confident and competent at understanding the positions of others

as well as asserting their own informed perspectives.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Colombo, Gary, et al. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing.

10 th ed. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin, 2016. Print.

Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic

Writing. 2 nd

ed. NY: W.W. Norton & Co. 2010. Electronic (available on Blackboard)

ADDITIONAL USEFUL RESOURCES:

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

• Guide to Grammar and Writing: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

• The Center for Reading and Writing, Auerbach 209, 860-768-4312

• Student Success Center, Behind B Complex, 860-768-7003, ssc@hartford.edu

GRADING BREAKDOWN

Journals responses (5) 25%

Presentations 10%

Attendance & Participation 10%

Essay 1 (4-5 pages) 25%

Essay 2 (5-7 pages) 30%

ATTENDANCE/LATENESS POLICY

Attendance in this course is mandatory. It is imperative that you come to class regularly so that

you do not fall behind. You may miss 2 class sessions without it directly affecting your grade.

Unexcused absences past a second will negatively impact your grade for the course, lowering it

up to 1/3 of a letter grade for each additional absence. Of course, if there are extenuating

circumstances preventing you from coming to class, then you should meet with me to discuss

options. Please, as a courtesy to your peers, do not come to class if you are sick or contagious.

mailto:ppritchet@hartford.edu
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Lateness is sometimes unavoidable. If you find that you are late to class, please enter the room

quietly, and sit in the closest available seat (preferably one on the side of the classroom).

Habitual lateness will negatively impact your grade for the course. Leaving class early, like

being late, is sometimes necessary. If you know that you must leave a class early, please email

me ahead of time as a courtesy.

Note: You are responsible for what goes on in class, whether you are present or not.

FORMATTING & SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS

I do not accept work submitted via email (unless you are physically unable to bring it in person,

in which case arrangements should be made ahead of time). Please know that an absence from

class does not warrant an extended deadline—in any situation it is YOUR responsibility to make

sure I receive your completed assignment on time.

Assignments are due—in hard copy—at the beginning of class. Late assignments will be

penalized by 2/3 of a letter grade for each day that they are late (an A will drop to a B+, etc.)

All assignments, unless otherwise specified, must be formatted as follows: typed, double-spaced,

12-point font, Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins on all sides and stapled in the upper left-

hand corner.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

As a courtesy, please turn off your cell phones unless you are expecting an absolutely crucial

call. Repeated interruptions from your cell phone—or any other electronic device, for that

matter—during class time can result in a reduced participation grade or your being asked to leave

class.

Any electronic recording of class is prohibited. No exceptions.

You may use laptops, tablets, etc. during class time to take notes, and by “take notes” I do not

mean update your Facebook status, browse through Instagram’s “discover” page, or look for new

ways to decorate your room on Pinterest. Please be advised that if you are distracted during class,

you are less likely to grasp the materials necessary for your success in this course. I reserve the

right to revoke anyone’s individual technology privileges at any time.

READINGS & JOURNAL/ARTICLE ASSIGNMENTS:

This course is reading and writing intensive. In order to do well you must keep up with short

weekly readings and produce a brief journal entry for each one (a total of five). Each entry must

be between 150-250 words and should be typed, adhering to all of the formatting standards listed

earlier in this syllabus. Journals account for a significant portion of your grade and will be

collected and graded at random.

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Treat each journal entry as if it were going to be developed into a longer, more detailed

research/argumentative project. Be prepared to discuss your journal entry with the class.

HOW TO WRITE A JOURNAL ENTRY

The aim of keeping a journal is to make you an active reader. That means annotating the text,

underling it, asking questions about what you don’t understand, drawing an outline of the

author’s argument and what kind of audience it’s pitched to. This is an opportunity to engage in a

dialogue with the author. Journal work will be handed in once a week and exchanged with other

students for feedback. Please print out a hardcopy to share with another student.

Here are some basic points of exploration you can pursue:

 express personal thoughts and reactions

 comment and ask questions regarding the plot, narrative structure, point of view, characterization, or setting

 share observations on context

 provide additional research information or insight

 What did you not understand? Were there any unfamiliar words or references? What things do you hope will be explained further as you read more or hear more in class? Are

you wondering what reactions your classmates have to anything in the reading?

 Would you argue with the author on any points? Can you imagine others who would? Do you think the author is ignoring anything vital or misrepresenting reality in any way?

Does this seem to be a conscious or unconscious choice?

 Have you had any personal experience with the subject that makes you see it in a different light? Have you talked with anyone else who has?

 What seem to be the major concepts key terms in this piece of reading? How important are they likely to be in the course in the long run? How important are they likely to be to

people outside of this course or this discipline or this college?

The primary purpose of this kind of writing is to use it to examine your own reading practice

more thoroughly. This style of writing should be free and more creative than a structured essay.

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

Each student will submit two essays where they will be expected to develop an argumentative

topic that takes a perspective, supports it, and documents sources. The first argumentative essay

will be expected to be four to five pages and will utilize Rereading America. The second essay is

expected to be five to seven pages and will be derived from independent research conducted by

students.

To be fully engaged in the writing process students will be expected to draft, edit, and revise

each essay. It will be at each student’s discretion to utilize the feedback they receive and make

the necessary edits before submitting the essay for final review.

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PLAGIARISM and ACADEMIC HONESTY

All papers and exams must be the student’s own work. What this means is that students are

permitted, and expected, to discuss their ideas with the instructors and other students and to

request and accept advice from them. But if a piece of information or an idea comes from

someone else, students should do the same thing that they would do when it comes from a book,

an article, or online: cite the source. All academic work is collaborative in the sense that it builds

on what others have written. Using such material is not plagiarism as long as it is appropriately

cited. When using the same words as the source, put them inside quotation marks. If you are

uncertain, ask, don’t guess.

A NOTE ON DISABILITY

Students with documented disabilities should meet with me during the first week of class to

discuss accommodations.

EMAIL ETIQUETTE

Please check your UHart email account (@hartford.edu) and BlackBoard Learn (BB/L) page at

least twice a week, since I will often distribute class materials, updates, and information via these

media. I check my email promptly throughout the semester and will respond as quickly as I can,

usually within 24 hours.

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COURSE SCHEDULE (Readings & Assignments):

*Readings, assignments, and due dates are all subject to be changed at the discretion of the

instructor.

**All reading and writing assignments should be completed in full by the start of class on the

date on which they are due.

Week One

W 8/30: Introduction to the course; syllabus overview

F 9/1: “Sam Walton/Jay Z,” George Packer

Week Two

M 9/4: Labor Day – No Class

W 9/6: “How to Identify Ethos, Logos, and Pathos” Shmoop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf81d0YS58E; Analyze a TV commercial: TBD

F 9/8: “Looking for Work,” Gary Soto

Journal 1 due

Week Three

M 9/11: “Becoming Members of Society,” Aaron Devor

W 9/13: “‘Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel

F 9/15: “From Fly Girls to Bitches and Hoes,” Joan Morgan

Journal 2 due

Week Four

M 9/18: “How Immigrants Became ‘Other,’” Marcello & Carola Suarez-Orozco

W 9/20: “Class in America,” Gregory Mantsios

F 9/22: “Beyond Outrage,” Robert B. Reich

Journal 3 due

Week Five

M 9/25: “The Case for Reparations,” Coates

W 9/27: “Theories and Constructs of Race,” Holtzman & Sharpe

F 9/29: “Gentrification,” Alexie

Journal 4 due

Week Six

M 10/2: “Growing Up Tethered,” Sherry Turkle

W 10/4: “Cybersexism,” Laurie Penny

F 10/6: “The Loneliness of the Interconnected,” Charles Seife

Journal 5 due

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf81d0YS58E
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Week Seven

M 10/9: Summaries and transitions. They Say/I Say. In class worskhopping. Choosing a topic

W10/11: Writing a thesis statement/peer review of rough drafts

F 10/13: No class—instructor conference

Week Eight

M 10/16: Paper 1 draft due. (This should be a completed draft, citations included. Please bring a

hard copy to class for peer review)

W 10/18: In-class revision workshop

F 10/20: Paper 1 due; write self-reflective in-class essay

Week Nine

M 10/23: “George Orwell…Meet Mark Zuckerberg,” Lori Andrews

W 10/25: Writing arguments and how to write an introduction.

F 10/27: Workshop on writing body paragraphs/concluding paragraphs.

Week Ten

M 10/30: Screening of Ex Machina in class

W 11/1: Screening of Ex Machina in class

F 11/3: Screening of Ex Machina in class

Week Eleven

M 11/6: LIBRARY VISIT – Meet at Mortenson

W 11/8: Finding scholarly sources workshop

F 11/10: Annotating &summarizing sources.

Week Twelve

M 11/13: Presentations on papers

W 11/15: Presentations on papers

F 11/17: Presentations on papers

Week Thirteen

Thanksgiving break—no class.

Week Fourteen

M 11/27: Presentations on papers

W 11/29: Presentations on papers

F 12/1: Presentations on papers

Week Fifteen

M 12/4: Reflective exercise (in-class)

W 12/6: TBA

F 12/8: Final papers due – hard copy only