home

=Welcome to Your New Wiki!=

(librarian) and Kalpana's pages periodically for assignments and information about the class. All students have to post their chapter summaries of the novel “I’ll ask you three times, //are you OK?”// by Naomi Shihab Nye in their respective pages. I will post the syllabus and distribute the same on the first day of class. Please buy the books before you get to class on the first day because I will assign readings then. All home work is assigned in class for this class, so it is important that you attend all the classes regularly. We will be writing a two page research essay on a social topic, and it is important that you attend the library instruction session led by Diane Duesterhoeft on January September 13 and 15. I will indicate the dates on the syllabus as well. Essays – 40 points Research Essay – 10 pointsCulture of the Week Brochure 10 pointsSummary of “My Name is Kahn” 5 pointsQuizzes and Exams 10 points“I’ll ask you three times” 5 pointsAttendance and Participation 10 pointsLearning Assistance Center 10 points**Grading Scale** A – 100 – 90 pointsB – 80 – 89 pointsC – 70 – 79 pointsF – Below 70 points**Attendance Policy** I abide by the policies stipulated by St. Mary’s University with attendance and code of conduct. However, there are several advantages in attending class. Students learn to share and formulate ideas through class discussions, synthesize a working draft through group work, and enhance confidence in writing and public speaking by sharing in class. Absences will also affect your grades considerable, and you may not procure the grade that you deserve for not attending classes. Any student who misses two weeks of class (four class periods) is subject to being dropped without warning. Should you miss a class, please email your professor immediately and call your study buddy for any assignment. Coming late to class is not only a disruption but also loss of instruction, so plan on arriving on time**. If you come late four times, it is equivalent to one absence.** I will take roll each class period not just to monitor your presence, but to track your participation. **Essay Design/Format** Your final version of the essay must be typed double spaced with font size of 12. Make sure to include your name, the course number (EN 1311), the professor’s name (Iyengar), and the date on each essay/assignment. Remember to center the title of your assignment. Please do not say “Essay 1” or “Assignment 1.” See example below. **All essays are two full pages long unless specified**. **No exceptions to this requirement.**
 * EN 1313 (Rhetoric and Composition for International Students)**
 * Spring 2011**
 * Days and Time**: Tuesdays and Thursdays (12.35 to 1.50)
 * Classroom**: Reinbolt 002 (Near Assumption Chapel)**Instructor**: Kalpana M. Iyengar - Director/English as a Second Language (ESL) and Intensive English Program (IEP)
 * Office**: Chaminade Tower 411 ** Email ** : Kiyengar@stmarytx.edu
 * Phone ** : 431-6367
 * Office Hours ** : TTh – 11.15 to 12.00 or by appointment. You are welcome to correspond with me via Wiki or come by my office anytime.
 * Additional Materials:** Folders with sturdy pockets/sleeves. Please do not use a folder with prongs. One of these folders is for your portfolio, and the other one is to save all the assignments and handouts.Ruled note pad for class work and quizzes.
 * WIKI**: Welcome to the EN 1313 Wiki. It is mandatory that all students reference Diane
 * Course Objectives**: This class is designed to facilitate students to learn to read from a variety of texts and write exemplary academic papers. This class requires extensive reading and elaborates writing assignments. In addition, students will master research techniques that are essential for one’s success across curriculum. We will produce multiple drafts of the essays for clarity, authenticity, and precision depending on the rhetorical situation. The course will motivate students to think critically and improve their language skills by focusing on purpose, audience, genre, stance, and design in writing. Plenty of time is provided for students to revise each essay for the portfolio by establishing a nurturing learning community. Students will also analyze the writing processes; engage in collaborative group discussions and writing; shape intelligent ideas using Bloom’s taxonomy; and master research techniques including APA documentation style manual.
 * Grading Policy**

Gowri M. Iyengar EN 1313Iyengar 1/13/11 Performance Pedagogy

Performing arts is valued in our multicultural society for its engagement and entertainment aspects. Performing arts such as dance and music concerts keep cultures alive and help second generation children to acquire valuable lessons. You may also choose a topic of your interest 1. Racism 2. Culture Shock 3. Gender Differences 4. Terrorism 5. Globalization December 6: Movie continued
 * Code of Conduct:** Students are expected to follow the university policies with respect to behavior and dealings with classmates, university personnel, and authority figures. Also, remember that we are all adults and your peers and professors deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy. There is absolutely no texting, email activity, or cellular phone usage allowed in class. You may be asked to leave the classroom if you are found fiddling with your electronic gadgets in class. You may use the laptop if it is required by the professor.
 * Weekly Schedule (Tentative/can change with prior notice)** (All readings are from The Mercury Reader (TMR) and “I’ll ask you three times”. You are required to read the novel at home so you can participate and contribute to discussions in class. Make sure to post the summary of chapters as instructed on the wiki page. As part of the StMU community Reading Experience, we will read Niomi’s novel using guided reading strategy where the professor provides help in small groups to interpret the text. This method will help students become independent readers eventually)
 * August 16 and 18**
 * Aug 16**: Introductions, Wiki sign-up, syllabus discussion, and diagnostic writing
 * Aug 18** – “I’ll ask you three times, //are you OK?”// and the structure of a novel
 * Naomi’s Novel/Guided Reading**: First 7 chapters (pages 1 to 51)
 * Writing Assignment** - Name Game. Interview someone on campus about their first and last names. In the USA, we use our last names along with our first names unlike in some international cultures where we use initials before the given name. My name in India was B.P. Kalpana (B for the ancestral place, Bindiganavile and P for my father name, Prasannakumar). Ask about the history, cultural affiliations, and connotations of both first and last names. My name is Kalpana M. Iyengar. Kalpana is my first name, which means imagination in the south Indian language called Kannada and Iyengar is the social class I belong to back home. My father’s sister gave me that name because she was in love with the famous Kannada movie actress Kalpana (she was famous with the title “Minuguthare”- minuge for shining and thare for star). Some relatives even today jokingly call me Minugethare! My given name was Srilatha so that it would rhyme with my brothers’ names; Srihari, Srikanth, and Srinidhi. Since father’s sister has a say in the naming ritual in my culture, I was named Kalpana instead of Srilatha. Find out why the family chose that name, does the person like his/her name and would he/she have changed it given a choice. Try to elicit as much information as possible. The following StMU faculty and staff have agreed to speak with you. Please make appoints with them as soon as you get a chance.
 * 1) Jo Ann Rivas (Registrar/6789)
 * 2) Elvire Smoilk (Registrar/6789)
 * 3) Dora Ybarra (Business Office/8065)
 * 4) Marina Robles (VP Office/5032)
 * 5) Dr. Bahman Rezia (Computer Science)
 * 6) Mildred Rodriguez (English Communication/3107)
 * 7) Dr. Albert Sun (Industrial Engineering)
 * 8) Dr. Alice Kersnowski (English)
 * 9) Cyra Dumitru (English)
 * Due: August 25 -** **Naomi’s Novel/Guided Reading:** Chapters 8 to 14 (pages 55 to 101)
 * August 23 and 25**: What is an essay? Lecture and discussion.**Reading Assignment**: //My Mother’s Memoirs, My Father’s Lie, and Other True Stories// on page 71 of TMR**W**riting Assignment: Write an essay on one of your childhood memories that you still remember to this day. Some of my memories are – My grandfather’s murder, The Biology teacher that I loved, missing older brother, Garrulous and loveable aunts, an accident that ruined my front teeth, and the beautiful monsoon rains in India.**Aug 30**: Research paper topic discussion in class. Please bring your Using Sources Effectively text to class**First draft of narrative essay 1 due: Sep 1**
 * Sep 6 and 8****Sep 6**: Narrative essay draft discussion and peer review
 * Sep 8**: Thesis statement, topic sentences, transitional expressions, and sentence level errors (fragments, comma splice, and run-on). Please bring your //Signs: A Grammar handbook// text to class. Read pages 182, 183, and 201**Reading Assignment**: //How to Mark a Book// on page 7 in TMR**Sep 13 and 15: Library Instruction Session** with Diane Duesterhoeft. Diane will help you decide on a topic for your research essay on a social issue. You must choose a topic for your research paper with Diane’s help
 * Sep 15th**: Research Paper discussion continued (we will discuss the APA format, plagiarism, summary writing, paraphrasing, and using direct quotes). Please bring your //Using Sources Effectively// text to class**Narrative essay 1 due in class**
 * Sep 20 and 22**
 * Sep 20:** //What is intelligence, Anyway// on page 51 of TMRDiscussion of Asimov’s essay in class. Lecture and discussion of process analysis essay.**Writing Assignment**: Write a process analysis essay on one of the following topics.1. How to apply to a university?2. How does a computer work?3. How to plan for a vacation4. How to get to America from your country?
 * Sep 22: Naomi’s Novel/Guided Reading:** Chapters 15 to 21 (pages 103 to 135)
 * First draft of the process analysis essay due: Sep 27**
 * Sep 29**: Process analysis draft discussion
 * October 4 and 6**
 * Oct 4:** Definition essay discussion. Feel free to choose a topic of your choice. Make sure to get the topic approved by the instructor. A few definition topics are as follows.
 * Definition essay draft due Oct 6**
 * Writing assignment** (**Culture of the Week brochure**): Please write about one aspect of your culture (festivals, foods, dresses, languages and dialects, art, etc) that you would like to share with your classmates. You are required to design a brochure using Microsoft Publisher as part of mid-term examination. I am fromIndia and I have a rich and engaging cultural background. For example, in my culture, we celebrate several festivals a year. Some of them are Deepavali (festival of lights), Holi (festival of colors), Navarathri (festival of dolls), Ramanavami (the birth of Lord Rama) etc. I shall briefly talk to you about one of these festivals so you get an idea about my culture.San Antonio also has an enriching cultural heritage. We celebrate the Fiesta, Cinco De Mayo, and Luminaria. You may research about these events and write about them as well.
 * Oct 6**: Culture of the week brochure discussion and definition essay discussion**Reading assignment**: //Where I Come From Is Like This// on page 16 of TMR and Globalization on page 28 of TMR
 * Oct 11**: //Where I Come From Is Like This// and //Globalization// discussion in class**Oct 13**: Quiz on //Race Matters// and //The Perils of Indifference// //(page 168 in the MR)//
 * Naomi’s Novel/Guided Reading:** Chapters 22 to 29 (pages 141 to 207)
 * Definition essay due in class**.
 * Oct 18 and 20**
 * Oct 18**: Culture of the Week Brochure Presentations. I will have a sign-in sheet in class so that you are prepared for the presentation**Reading Assignment**: Research paper discussion. I will provide handouts. Please bring //Using Sources Effectively// text to class**Reading Assignment**: Each student will read an essay from the Mercury Reader and make a brief presentation of the essay in class. Other students are encouraged to read all the essays as well so that we can have a lovely discussion of the topics assigned.
 * 1) //Dead Men’s Path// by Chinua Achebe on page 1 of TMR
 * 2) //Hygiene and Social Attitudes// on page 13
 * 3) //Katrina: Growing Despair Amid the Ruins// on page 25
 * 4) //Graduation// on page 30
 * 5) //Caged Bird// on page 44
 * 6) //Is There a There in Cyberspace// on page 80
 * 7) //Why I Want a Wife// on page 108
 * 8) //The Depressed Person// on page 178
 * 9) //Listening// on page 19
 * Oct 20**: Oral presentations. I will have a sign in sheet in class the week before so that you are prepared with your presentations. All students must submit a page long summary or reflection on the essay assigned for oral presentation**Oct 25and 27**
 * Oct 25**: Presentation continued and research paper discussion (paraphrase, summarize, and direct quote). I will quiz you on these three ways of using the secondary sources in the research essay. Please bring //Using Sources Effectively// text to class
 * November 1 – Naomi’s Novel/Guided Reading**: Chapters 30 to 33 (pages 209 to 241)**Writing Assignment**: Write a classification division essay on a topic of your choice. A few topics are as follows.1. How we use language differently – at home, in social circles, at office, at school, and at synagogue (mosque, temple, and church).2. The different ways how men and women cope with pain and death3. Your neighbors – friendly, nosey, annoying, and demanding4. Your friends – emotional, stoic, depressed, crazy, and nagging5. Your professors – English, Biology, Engineering, Math, Kinesiology, Statistics, and art6. Cars – Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Volvo
 * First draft of Classification division essay due: Nov 3.**
 * Nov 8 and 10**
 * Nov 8**: Classification division essay discussion in class. Please come with a topic of your choice so we can help you formulate ideas for an essay.
 * Nov 15 and 17**
 * Nov 15:** International Education Week Book Reading (UC conference room A)
 * Nov 17**: Classification division essay peer review.
 * Nov 22**: Open book quiz on //College Pressures// by William Zinsser on page 139 of TMR**Nov 29**: //My Name is Kahn – A Hindi Movie with English Subtitles//
 * Final Examination: December 8/Thursday - (Research essay due) and another in-class writing assignment.**


 * Requirements for the final week **** : Make sure to bring a page long summary or reflection of the movie //My Name is Khan// to share with your classmates the day your presentations are due. Make the presentation interactive by involving and engaging your peers. If you miss class on the day you were to present, you will get a zero for the assignment. Also, finish up your two page research essay. I will not read more than 2 1/2 pages because you must be able to manage the topic within two pages. No exceptions to this requirement. Finally, the final exam has two parts. One is your research essay and the other is an in-class writing piece where I will ask you to write an essay on one of the topics that we reviewed in class. Please turn in any extra credit assignment and post the same on the wiki page. **