ENGL 1423.E2 - Winter 2015

Reading and Writing Critically

T, Th 3:00 - 4:30
BAC 204

Prof. Richard Cunningham
Office: BAC 431

Course Description

The goal of reading or of writing critically is to arrive at a critical assessment or judgement of something. Yes, we "criticize," but not in the simple sense in which that word is typically used, the simple sense according to which only negative comments are offered. Rather, we will strive to achieve informed understandings of criteria of judgement against which we then gauge the object of our critical attention. In all cases, questions of good and bad, right and wrong, effective and ineffective, caring and insensitive, etc. will have local, regional, and global, physical and metaphysical implications. Only once we have considered such implications can we arrive at an informed and worthwhile critical judgement of something.

The goal of this section of English 1423 is to offer instruction in using explication, definition, and comparison and contrast to critique through reading and writing. Both reading and writing are practices, and as such both must be practiced. To that end we will read poetry, a play, a short story, a novella, a novel, and movies. Students will write one paper in each of the genres of analysis, definition, and comparison and contrast to give them practice using these genres to arrive at informed, critical assessments on a variety of topics.

Disability Statement

Students with disabilities that affect learning:

If you are a student with a documented disability who anticipates needing accommodations in this course, please inform me after you meet with Kathy O'Rourke (902-585-1823) disability.access@acadiau.ca or Abu Kamara (902-585-1291) abu.kamara@acadiau.ca in Accessibility Services, Student Resource Centre, lower level of the Old SUB.

Plagiarism Statement

The following text is quoted from Plagiarism at Acadia - Student Guide:

See Plagiarism at Acadia - Student Guide, and also

Plagiarism at Acadia - Faculty Guide

Required Course Textbooks

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. 3rd ed. Boston and New York: Bedford St. Martin's, 2011.

Findley, Timothy. Not Wanted on the Voyage. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2006.

Assignments, Grading, and Standards

Assignments

Note:
All course work must be completed by the end of term.
Extensions may only be granted for documented medical reasons.
Grades submitted ''incomplete'' are recorded as ''F'' (0).

Grading System Source Document

Standards

An excellent paper (80 - 100%) will be imaginative, thoughtful, original, well argued, well supported, properly formatted, and virtually error free. There are few excellent papers in any group because they stand out as better than the rest. An excellent paper will engage its own author such that the intelligence behind the paper is evident to the reader.

• Imaginative: If what you write on a topic is trivial or obvious, it will be the opposite of imaginative. If someone else could have written it, your paper will not be imaginative. You must think: and for yourself!
• Thoughtful: The only way to achieve this quality is to think about your topic and what you have to say about it. Thinking takes time, so be sure to give yourself enough time to think about the topic, the text, what you want to say, and how you want to say it.
• Original: Even if you're writing on an assigned topic, you bring something to it that marks it as your own. You have had a different experience of the world than anyone else, and this gives you a unique perspective on any topic.
• Well argued: Another way to think about this quality would be to say that the reasoning in the paper is sound, that one premise follows from another and leads to a third (or from others, and leads to others).
• Well supported: Provide the evidence your reader needs to see in order to understand your reasoning. One necessary form of evidence when writing about a text (whether it be a printed document [such as a novel, poem, or short story] or a movie) is the inclusion within your writing of quotations from the text.
• Properly formatted: You write in full sentences (typically following the subject-verb-object model). Your paragraphs have a single, easily discerned topic. You follow all the rules specific to the assignment (e.g. attend to the specified style guide: MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.; include or refrain from including a title page).
• Virtually error free: Spelling and grammatical mistakes are extremely rare. Use the computer's spell- and grammar-checking functions to help you, as need be. Do not be afraid to request assistance, in advance, from the professor or from the Writing Center.

A good paper (70 - 79%) may have all the qualities of the excellent paper, but not to such an extent. Or a good paper may have most of the qualities of the excellent paper, but not all. Every good paper will communicate to its reader the intelligent engagement of its author.

Course Schedule