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Writing 20: Academic Writing / Spring 2008
Professor Keith Wilhite

Re-Writing the 1950s



Office Hours: W 1:00-3:30 (and by appointment)
Office Telephone: 660-7075

Professor Keith Wilhite
Office: 200Y Art Building (East campus)
Email: keith.wilhite@duke.edu


Section 17 T/TH 4:25 - 5:40, West Duke 108A                                              
Section 49 T/TH 2:50 - 4:05, West Duke 108A                                              
Section 66 T/TH 11:40 - 12:55, White Lec. 106

Purpose of the Course
This is a course in academic writing, and our primary goal is to enhance your skills as an informed reader and writer of academic texts. You should leave this course better prepared to write provocative and persuasive academic essays at the university level. 

Towards that end, the goals and practices for our Writing 20 course will include:

1. Reading closely and critically for the purpose of scholarly analysis
2. Responding to and making use of the work of others
3. Drafting and revising texts
4. Making your written texts public through workshops and presentations

Acts of reading and writing will inform every activity and every intellectual move we make this semester.  We will practice critical reading strategies—paying attention both to what writers say and how they articulate their ideas—and we will apply those reading skills to published texts and the essays you and your peers write.  In addition to more formal writing assignments, you will write short responses to the assigned readings and the essays you read for peer workshops, as well as reflections on your own work in progress.  The ability to engage with the work of others through writing and to assess your own development as a writer will be central to our work in this course.  Good academic writing is always writing in response to other texts, and that’s what we’ll be practicing this semester. 

I ask that you review the complete Course Goals and Practices for Writing 20 before our next class.  Please visit: http://uwp.aas.duke.edu/writing20/students/goals.html.

Course Content and Informing Questions
We will be approaching these goals and practices through the lens of 1950s U.S. culture, paying particular attention to issues of race, gender, and sexuality. Over the past half-century, Americans have rebelled against 1950s conformity and oppression, reflected nostalgically on its family values, ridiculed the decade’s so-called innocence, and made the styles and sounds of the ‘50s “retro chic.”  Our goal will be to examine how contemporary writers and filmmakers reinvent, revise and “re-write” this formative era of American history—and, more specifically, to ask what their projects tell us about our lives as readers, viewers, and writers of cultural texts.    

As we move forward, I’d like us to keep these questions in mind:

  • Why does this postwar decade still occupy such a prominent place in the U.S. cultural imagination?
  • What do writers and filmmakers hope to uncover through their various re-writings of the 1950s?
  • How can you use the complexities, contradictions, and insights of their projects to produce new, interesting writing about our cultural fascination with the 1950s?

Required Texts
Harris, Joseph.  Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts.  Logan Utah: Utah State Univ. Press, 2006.
Mosley, Walter.  White Butterfly.  New York: Washington Square Press, 1992.

E-Reserves & Electronic Course Readings
There are two crucial buttons on our Blackboard (Bb) site related to our readings: “E-Reserves” and “Course Readings.”  The former will link you to chapters posted by the Duke University Library’s Reserves Department; the latter takes you to a folder containing articles I’ve pulled together from several of the Library’s electronic databases.  These are also required texts for our course, and you are responsible for downloading, printing, reading, and bringing these texts with you to class on the assigned date. 

Course Practices and Engagement
The only way to become a better writer is through practice—not only through the revision of your own writing, which is critical, but through developing the practice of reading and responding to the written work of others.  In one form or another, we will devote most of our class time to talking about your writing: the drafts and revisions of your major writing projects, your written responses to students’ papers for workshops, and your written responses to the published works we read.  Whether discussing the day’s reading, responding to a student essay, conducting an in-class workshop, conferencing, or performing in-class writing activities, your writing will almost always be the subject of the day.  The success of our class depends upon your participation in these activities, your enthusiastic response to the works we read, and your commitment to revising your work.

Your preparation for class, your engagement in our discussions, and your responses to others (in class, in peer reviews, or on any blogs or discussion boards we set up on Bb) will be a factor in your final grade for the course.  You are expected to be in the room, on time, cell phone off, ready to participate every class period this semester.  If you are not present in class, or you consistently arrive late, you cannot effectively engage in our discussions.  Work missed as a result of an absence (i.e. workshops or in-class writing) cannot be made up at a later date.  You are responsible for keeping up with any information you missed during your absence, especially any discussions of upcoming assignments.  Check our Bb Announcements and Assignments pages regularly, and please contact another student if you’re absent from class.

Writing Assignments

Reading Responses: You will write weekly responses (ranging anywhere from one paragraph to three pages in length) to the works we read and the films we watch.  Most often, these responses will address passages, scenes, or ideas that you found especially provocative, challenging, vexing, or otherwise enlightening.  These responses are a space for you to grapple with issues and concepts, explore new ideas, and situate your own thinking in relationship to the work of other writers.

Peer Responses: You will compose a number of responses to your peers’ work over the course of the semester.  The form of these responses may vary: formal critiques, in-class written responses, or verbal feedback.  We might also experiment with some of the audio options on Bb, which may require you to purchase an inexpensive microphone ($5-$8, I think) at the Duke U Bookstore.  I’ll offer more details as they become available.

Major Writing Projects: The majority of your grade this semester will be determined by your work on the two Major Writing Projects (MWPs).  MWP 1 invites you to offer an original interpretation of Walter Mosley’s White Butterfly, situating your analysis in relation to other readings from our course.  For MWP 2, you will put together a Portfolio of your revised responses to Pleasantville, Far From Heaven, and your discussion and analysis of the archival research you’ll conduct later this semester.  MWP 2 will also include a Panel Presentation as a capstone to the course.

The MWPs will go through several stages: exploratory writing and/or topic proposals, initial draft, peer workshop and/or conferences, a revised draft that I will comment on, and then another round of revision before you post a final version to Bb.  This order may vary and the details of each stage may change, but you should expect to produce 2-3 drafts, offer and receive peer reviews, and receive some form of response from me—either written or verbal—before you submit the final version of your essay for a grade.  You will receive a detailed assignment sheet for the two major projects.

Self-Assessment Writing: At some point between the initial drafting of your MWPs and the final revisions, I will ask you to reflect on how your project has developed.  You will comment on goals and strategies, specific revision moves, how your thinking has evolved, what comments on your work have proven helpful, and/or how you plan to proceed with your revisions on the project.

Grading
Your grade will primarily be determined by the quality of your written work.  All informal writing for the course will be evaluated on a 2-1-0 scoring system.  A two means that your work meets the expectations of the assignment, shows critical thinking, and is logically organized.  A one means the assignment was completed but has serious deficiencies.  Incomplete assignments will receive a zero.  On occasion, a truly exceptional response will be awarded a three. 

The MWPs will receive letter grades on an A to F scale.  Only work that demonstrates innovative thinking and superior clarity in writing and delivery will earn above average grades.  An essay that simply identifies and restates the main ideas of a text is unsatisfactory at this point in your intellectual life.  A good essay will note passages and ideas of particular interest and complexity and offer an intelligent discussion of those passages and concepts.  An exceptional essay will articulate a strong and insightful position in response to the texts you’re reading and move beyond what has been said before.  Here’s the breakdown for your course grade: 


Informal Writing & Engagement
Reading Responses: 20%
Engagement: 10%
Self-Assessment Writing: 5%
Peer Responses: 5%

Major Writing Projects                            
MWP 1 – Literary Analysis: 25%        
MWP 2.1 – Portfolio: 25%
MWP 2.2 – Panel Presentation: 10%
           



Late Work
Informal Writing and early drafts of the MWPs will not be accepted after the assigned due date/time has passed.  I will accept a late final draft of an MWP, but only if you’ve made prior arrangements with me.  That means you would need to contact me at least 24 hours in advance and explain why your final draft will not be ready on time.  Late papers will receive at least one letter-grade deduction.    

Procedures and Format Requirements
I have posted a detailed list of “Writing Requirements” for your assignments.  (See the “Course Documents” page on Bb.)  As a general rule, though, I expect all the writing you do outside of class to be typed.  I expect you to read your work for—and correct—errors in spelling and grammar.  All your work must be properly cited and documented.  I prefer that you use MLA style, but APA and Chicago are also acceptable for this course.  Visit Bb and click on our “Library Links” button for links to citation guidelines.

Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s ideas or words as your own, whether in writing or speaking.  Copying material from another source without using quotation marks and citing your source is plagiarism.  Paraphrasing or summarizing information without citing your source is plagiarism.  Presenting another student’s paper as your own is plagiarism.  Duke University considers plagiarism a grave offense.  If you plagiarize, you will receive an F for that assignment and possibly for the course. 

We will discuss ways to avoid plagiarism and strategies for properly and productively including the work of other writers in your essays.  Please remember that you are responsible at all times for meeting and upholding the Duke Community Standard.     

Email
Email is the best way to get in touch with me and, unless I’m out of town, I will respond to your inquiries within 24 hours.  I am thrilled to answer questions about the course, an assignment, or schedule a conference with you via email.  Email is also a good way to let me know if you’re going to be absent from class.  Email is not an appropriate forum for appealing a grade.  We can certainly discuss your grade at any point during the semester, but please schedule a meeting with me if you have questions or concerns about how I have evaluated your work.

A word of advice: Audience is an oft-neglected rhetorical consideration when writing emails.  An email sent by a student to a professor—or by a professor to a student—should be considered an official form of communication.  

The Writing Studio
The Writing Studio offers free help with drafting and revising any writing project associated with any course at Duke.  Trained tutors are available to help students who are struggling with writing, as well as students who are confident writers in search of critical feedback to help them polish their work.  You can meet with a tutor on a one-time basis to help with a particularly difficult assignment, or you can meet with a tutor on a regular basis.  To learn more, or to make an appointment, please visit the Writing Studio website at http://uwp.aas.duke.edu/wstudio/.  

Portfolio @ Duke
If you would like to create an online archive of your college work, including your academic writing projects, Portfolio@Duke is an excellent resource.  To learn more, visit: http://www.duke.edu/studentportfolio.


Re-Writing the 1950s: Course Schedule (Spring 2008)

 

I. Introduction

Week 1

TH 1/10           Course Introduction

Week 2

T 1/15              Harris, “Introduction” and “Coming to Terms” (1-33)

                        Handout: Class Discussion (in class)

Writing Due: Intellectual Autobiography (1 ½-to-2 pp.)

 

TH 1/17           Coontz, “What We Really Miss About the 1950s” (E-Reserves)

                        Writing Due: “Coming to Terms” with Coontz’s Project (1-to-1 ½ pp.)

 

                                                           

 

II. Gender, Domesticity, and 1950s Suburbia

Week 3

T 1/22              Marling, “Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook” (E-Reserves)

                        Neuhaus, “The Way to a Man’s Heart” (Course Readings)

 

TH 1/24           Hayden, “Sitcom Suburbs” (E-Reserves)         

                        May, “Explosive Issues: Sex, Women, and the Bomb” (E-Reserves)

                        Writing Due: Reading Response: Abstracts (2 paragraphs)

 

Week 4

 

T 1/29              Dickson, “The Pleasantville Effect” (Course Readings)

 

            **Tuesday, Jan. 29, West Duke 08A: Pleasantville Screening 7-9 pm**                  

 

TH 1/31           No Class

           

 

III. Race, Identity, and 1950s Los Angeles

Week 5

T 2/5                Mosley, White Butterfly (41-110)

                        Writing Due: Pleasantville Response (3 pp.)

 

TH 2/7             Mosley, White Butterfly (111-187)

                        Mosley, “The World of Easy Rawlins” (Course Readings)

 

 

Week 6

T 2/12              Mosley, White Butterfly (188-252)

                        Anderson, “A City Called Heaven” (E-Reserves)

                        Writing Due: Reading Response: Mosley’s L.A. (2 pp.)

 

TH 2/14           Mosley, White Butterfly (253-309)

                        Harris, “Forwarding” and “Countering” (54-72)



Week 7

T 2/19              Berger, “‘The Black Dick’: Race, Sexuality, and Discourse…” (Course Readings)

                        Lock, “Invisible Detection: The Case of Walter Mosley” (Course Readings)

                        Muller, “Double Agent: L.A. Crime Cycle of Walter Mosley” (E-Reserves)

                        Writing Due: Assessing the Critical Response (2 pp.)

 

TH 2/21           **Library Instruction: Class Will Meet In Lilly Library**

(1st Floor, room immediately to the left as you enter)

 

 

Week 8

T 2/26              MWP 1 Workshop

                        Writing Due: Exploratory Writing for MWP 1 (1-2 pp.)

 

TH 2/28           MWP 1 Workshop

                        Writing Due: Rough Draft MWP 1 (3-4 pp.)

 

Week 9

T 3/4                MWP 1 Workshop

Harris, “Revising” (98-123)

Writing Due: Revised Draft MWP 1 (4-5 pp.)

 

TH 3/6             No Class: Writing Conference Appointments Available

 

F 3/7                Writing Due: Final Draft MWP 1 (posted to Bb before 6:00pm)

 

 

Week 10

SPRING BREAK

 

 

IV. Sexuality and Cold War Politics

Week 11

T 3/18              Reading: Loftin, “Unacceptable Mannerisms” (Course Readings)

Writing Due: Blog Questions and Responses

 

            **Tuesday, March 18, West Duke 08A: Far From Heaven Screening, 7-9 pm**

 

TH 3/20           No Class

                       

 

Week 12

T 3/25              **Meet in Perkins Library (West Campus)**: Images of the 1950s

                                    (We’ll gather outside the Perk Café at our regular meeting time.)

 

TH 3/27           Reading: Friedman, “The Smearing of Joe McCarthy” (Course Readings)

                        Writing Due: Blog Questions and Responses

 

 

FRIDAY 3/28: Writing Due: Far From Heaven Response (3 pp.)

                                                Post to Bb File Exchange any time before 6:00 p.m.

 

 

V. Back to the 1950s

Week 13

T 4/1                **Meet in Perkins Library (West Campus)**: More Work w/ 1950s Images

                                    (Again, let’s gather outside the Perk Café at our regular meeting time.)

 

 

TH 4/3             MWP 2 Workshop: Far From Heaven Responses

Writing Due: Peer Responses

 

 

Week 14

T 4/8                MWP 2 Workshop: Visual Annotation

                        Writing Due: Rough Draft of Visual Annotation

 

TH 4/10           MWP 2 Workshop: Portfolio

Writing Due: Bring rough drafts of your Pleasantville Response, Far From

Heaven Response, and Visual Annotation to class

 

Week 15

T 4/15              Course Evaluations

MWP 2 Workshop: The Introduction

Writing Due: Rough Draft of MWP 2 Introduction (2-3 pp.)

 

TH 4/17           Presentations of Visual Annotations

 

Week 16

T 4/22              Presentations of Visual Annotations (Last Day of Class)

 

Monday 4/28               Final Draft MWP 2 Portfolio (posted to Bb before 6:00 pm)