Office: DeBartolo Hall 227
Office phone: 742-3647
Home phone: 505-9567
Office hours: 2-5 p.m. Tuesday
E-mail:  jdflick@cc.ysu.edu (campus)
     jdflick@aol.com (home)
Class hours: 10-10:50 a.m. Monday & Wednesday in DeBartolo Hall 250 (computer lab),
 Tuesday in DeBartolo 347 and Friday in DeBartolo 261.
Class newsgroup: ysu.english.w00-1072

• The Aims of Argument (third edition) by Timothy W. Crusius and Carolyn E. Channell.
• Decisions: A Writer’s Handbook by Leonard Rosen.  Also be aware of Decisions’ Web site, http://www.abacon.com/compsite/index.html, which can answer many questions not only about composing essays, but also about grammar, punctuation and other basics concerning language, and how to credit sources.
• At least two 3.5- inch computer discs.
• In addition to the textbook, I may require you to read materials located at Research and Argument: Tools for Teachers and Students, at the OhioLINK Web Site, http://karn.ohiolink.edu/~sg-ysu/.

• A Student’s Guide to Writing at YSU http://enterprise.cis.ysu.edu~writing/Guide.htm.
• DeBartolo Labs http://cis.ysu.edu/~dattardo/labs/.
• Maag Library http://www.cis.ysu.edu/~library/.
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr., http://www.cc.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/strunk/.
• Jack Lynch’s Grammar and Style Notes, http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/.
• Inkspot, http://www.inkspot.com.
• Online Reference Works from Carnegie-Mellon, http://www.cs.cmu.edu/references.html.
• The Ohio Directory, http://sites.ohio.com/.
• From Pencils to Pixels by Dr. Dennis Baron, http://www.english.uiuc.edu/baron/aitg/pencils.htm.

    During the next 10 weeks, you will complete two argumentative essays, one individually and one collaboratively.  As the course description says: "This course will help you develop your ability to think critically and to write argumentative essays supported by evidence."  The purpose of the group project is to allow you to practice the techniques you’ll use in individual projects, and I’ll always try to give you feedback on your group efforts before you complete your individual versions.  In each case, you’ll work you way through the planning, research, and writing processes, with assistance and advice from me as you move along.  You’ll do a lot of independent work, but I am always available to help.  My job is to provide information and resources, a structured opportunity for learning.  If you have questions about locating sources on the Web, ask.  I’m not a computer science major, but I have extensive experience in writing via computers and researching through the Web.  Also, feel free to help each other.  A vast amount of information is available through the Web, an amount so vast that no one person can know all of the available resources
    A computer newsgroup will be available for this class.  I’ll use the newsgroup as a forum to communicate with the whole class, but don’t be shy about using it as a place to share ideas and ask questions.  Unix accounts for the newsgroup have been assigned to each student who doesn’t already have an account; log-in IDs and e-mail addresses will be assigned the first day of class if students don’t have them already.  I may have you post some of your assignments on the newsgroup and comment on each other’s work.  Reader feedback, audience input, is valuable for any writing project.
    Now that I've got it up and running, I expect you to often visit this class Web site frequently.  Resources that I believe will aid the class as a whole will be posted on the class Web site.

• You should use an IBM-compatible word processing program.  You have access to a number of computer labs on campus, so even if you don’t have access to a computer at home you should be able to complete your assignments using a word processor.  Don’t hand in handwritten assignments.  (Don’t laugh – one student in my class last spring handed in handwritten drafts of each essay.)
• Papers are due at the beginning of class on a state due date, and I will not accept late papers unless you make arrangements in advance and agree you have a good reason to be late.  If an emergency crops up, feel free to call or e-mail me -- that’s why I have listed my home and office phone numbers and e-mail addresses at the top of this syllabus.   And always make back-up copies of your files on a computer disc, to make sure your work doesn’t disappear.
• Present your work in a neat, reasonably professional-looking format.  Use the MLA  documentation system for your bibliography and final projects.  For instructions on MLA documentation, consult Decisions.
• If you’re concerned about grammar and mechanics, consult Decisions.  Help is also available through the Writing Center, or through me.
• If I find any plagiarism in either project, you will fail the course.  Plagiarism means presenting the work of others as you own work, including copying materials from a published text or an on-line text, without giving proper credit; and copying the work of other students and passing it off as you own.  No matter how desperate you are, don’t plagiarize.  You must learn to give credit where credit is due, do your own work and not steal the work of others.
• You may rewrite any of the assignments to improve your grade.  I place no limit on the number of writes.  I will accept rewrites until the end of the exam period scheduled for this class. My attitude about writing essays can be summed up by a statement made by Roald Dahl: "Good writing is essentially rewriting."
• I will hold student conferences on request, or as I see they are needed, and hold brief student conferences during our classes in the computer lab.  I will observe office hours strictly, and meet with students privately upon request.  You should also feel free to call me at home or in my office anytime, and communicate with me via e-mail, either at my campus e-mail address or at my home e-mail address.  Let me know how I can help you.
• When you turn in your assignments, please assist my record keeping by writing at the top of the first page, along with your name and the date, a listing of the project and the specific assignment.  For instance, "Individual project, source evaluation."  If you are rewriting a part of the assignment, also list the number of the draft.  This will help me avoid any confusion.

           You may be absent from class three times for any reason, no questions asked, no penalty.  After that, if you are absent for any reason, the points for your final grade will drop by five points for every additional absence.  If you are absent 11 times (more than 25% of the class meetings) for any reason, you will receive a grade of NC for the class, no matter what your point total.  I also expect you to be on time.  If you are consistently tardy, I will count your late arrivals as absences, which could result in lowering your grade.   While class is in session, I expect you to focus on classwork.

 Final grades will be based on the two projects, and class participation, with points awarded as follows:
Individual Project: 65 points total:

• Research proposal: 10 points
• Source evaluation: 15  points
• Paper: 40 points

Group Project: 35 points total:

• Research proposal: 5  points (group grade)
• Source evaluation: 5 points (individual grade)
• Paper: 15 points (group grade)
• Individual participation: 10 points (individual grade).

• newsgroup contributions: 25 points
• in-class assignments: 25 points

      The final product of each project should be a persuasive essay, an argumentative paper.  Your projects may express your personal opinions, but only if you can back up those opinions with examples proving your point or sources verifying the validity of your views.  After all, learning how to research is one of the main goals of this course.  You may draw materials from a wide range of sources available through the Web, but you must identify your sources.  Give the reader proof, tell the reader where you found this proof, and offer sound reasoning.  The bottom line is, be clear and don’t confuse the reader.
For each of the two projects, you’ll need to complete three tasks:

• Write out a research proposal that explains why your topic interests you, outlines the central issues involved, describes the research you plan to undertake, and defines your intended audience.
• Locate, select and evaluate on-line, print and (when appropriate) other sources.  You’ll present your evaluation in an annotated bibliography.
• Write a persuasive essay for a specific audience, with clear ideas, appropriate supporting data, correct documentation, and effective prose.  Consult Decisions for information about documentation.

    You must complete all three portions of each project in order to pass this course.  You must receive a passing grade for each task before you can move on to the next.

Group Research Project
    Read over these possible topics for your project.  During the first week of the quarter, I expect all of you to form groups of three to research and write an argumentative essay.  After you form your groups, each group needs to agree on a topic.  The topics I present here are broad topics, but don’t think that I expect you to explore every minute aspect of a broad topic.  Also, I strongly urge you to remember that questions I ask about topics are merely suggestions, neither subjects that must be discussed nor the only subjects that can be discussed.  The goal of each project is a persuasive essay, so feel free to persuade me.  Your first step will be to narrow the topic, to allow you to focus your essay.  Your group needs to agree on how to narrow down the topic to focus your project:
 

• What impact has computer communication, the World Wide Web, had on the world’s social structure, and what effects will it have in the future?  Has society benefited from computers, and if so, how; on the other hand, what derogatory effects has society suffered due to computers?  How do the effects of computers compare to the effects of earlier changes in communication technology?  What does the Y2K "crisis" tell us about the world’s attitude toward computers?
• Should Ohio change the method it uses to fund public education in Ohio?  If so, what changes should be made?  In the controversial DeRolph decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ordered the state government to make changes in its funding system.  (For a history of the DeRolph case, and resources related to the still-pending court battle, see http://www.ohio.com/bj/projects/shortchange/032597/.)   Some changes have been made, and state government is telling the Ohio Supreme Court that public education in Ohio is now adequately funded.  The Ohio Coalition for Adequacy and Equity -- the organization that filed the DeRolph lawsuit -- disagrees, saying more changes are needed.  The decision remains under appeal.  What is unfair about the state’s method of funding schools?  Have the changes in state funding of education solved the problems cited in the DeRolph case?  How does Ohio’s funding of public schools compare with that of other states?  What other changes in school funding, if any, should be made in Ohio?
• Is the steel industry dead in Youngstown, or have local steel mills simply refocused their production?  Are the days of huge mills employing thousands of people to produce massive quantities of a raw material gone forever in the Youngstown area?  Has the steel industry refocused on the production of more specific products, instead of massive quantities of a raw material?  Have labor unions priced American steelworkers out of the market because it’s much cheaper to employ workers in foreign lands?
• How much power does the Mafia wield in the Youngstown area?  With the recent trials of several public officials, that question has been widely debated.  But the influence of organized crime has been a widely debated subject in the Mahoning Valley for many years.  For instance, the question of the Mob’s influence, or lack of influence, on Jim Traficant has been widely debated since his days as Mahoning County sheriff, before he was elected to Congress.  Is the Mob truly a power in the Mahoning Valley, or is the power of the Mob simply overblown by the local media and urban legend? For starters, look into "AmericanMafia.com" at http://www.americanmafia.com/.
• Americans are often captivated by trials.  The contentions of both sides in major lawsuits, or criminal trials, are often widely publicized.  You may choose a famous trial, research both sides and synthesize your research into a persuasive essay supporting your position on one side of the case – and not necessarily on the side that won the case.  You may retry Sam Shepherd, Patty Hearst, Sacco and Vanzetti, Alger Hiss, the Chicago Seven, the Menendez Brothers, the Boston Strangler, O.J. Simpson or the Scopes "money trial."  For other possibilities, log onto the Court TV Online at http://www.courttv.com/national/ or "Famous American Trials" by Doug Linder at http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/ftrials.htm.  In order to argue your position effectively, you must consider what objections the opposing lawyer might raise about your contentions.  Don’t be afraid to contradict or argue with the "authorities" or "experts."
• Finally, choose your own topic.  Find a controversy that interests your group, a controversy with at least two defensible positions, and seek information concerning both sides of the controversy.  Look at the questions for the above topics, and the requirements for your individual research project, for guidance on how you deal with the subject material.  Research the subject and write a persuasive essay.  As long as you keep me informed, and clear your ideas with before you move ahead, I can be flexible.

Individual Research Project
         For this project, the choice of topic is entirely in your hands.  Devise a topic that will allow you to meet the following requirements:
 

• Your paper must make an argument about a "real" issue.  "Real" issues are those that people care about but that don’t have obvious or clear-cut answers.  Choose a topic or problem that affects real people in serious ways, but that is also something about which serious, thoughtful people disagree.
• Your paper must be directed to a specific audience, such as your congressional representative, the manager of a business, the readers of a specific magazine, or the members of a specific organization.
• Your topic must be something that can be researched using published materials as well as Internet sources.
• Your finished paper should be between 8 and 12 pages long, including a "Works Cited" or Bibliography page.
• Your topic should be current, so that you can work with recent materials, but not so new that nothing is available yet in print.

• Jan. 18: Group project proposals
• Feb. 8: Group source evaluation/annotated bibliography
• Feb. 29: Group essays
• Jan. 24: Individual project proposals
• Feb. 21: Individual evaluation/annotated bibliography
• March 6: Individual drafts due