ENG 303                                                                 Prof. Don Bushman
Reading and Writing Arguments                             Office:   MO 154
MO 204                                                                   Phone: 962-3655
MWF 11:00-11:50                                                  e-mail: bushmand@uncwil.edu

REQUIRED TEXTS

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In English 303, "Reading and Writing Arguments," we will examine both the kind and the quality of the arguments that you encounter every day.  The kind of arguments will, in most cases, be pretty clear: we'll learn a variety of terms for classifying arguments by type.  An argument's quality, however, is a trickier issue, complicated by a variety of factors--both objective and subjective.

You will write five essays over the course of the semester; each one will argue a defensible position toward a certain question at issue. You will also respond to some of your classmates’ writing in the form of Peer-Response (P-R) Essays, short critical replies to the arguments your peers have written. On days when essays are due, I will collect (1) your early draft, (2) your peers' P-R Essays, and (3) your revised draft. And since this is also a course about reading, we’ll also be analyzing and critiquing the arguments of published writers.  Much of the reading we'll do in here will be on the internet.

At some point in the semester you’ll be delivering, in front of the class, a presentation on one of the essays you've written.  You’ll also be contributing some of the semester’s reading material and leading a day of discussion over the piece that you contribute.

BREAKDOWN OF GRADES

Essay #1 (3-4 pages)--10%

Essay #2  (3-4 pages)
(analysis of "junk mail" item)-- 10%

Essay #3 (4-5 pages)--20%

Essay #4 (4-5 pages)
(analysis of "polemical piece")--20%

Essay #5 (7-8 pages) --20%

Daily Work &
Peer-Response Essays*--20%

* Peer-Response Essays must be written in class during the day they are assigned.