Approaching Great Ideas: Critical Readings for College Writers

by Lee A. Jacobus

Class Introduction to Course

1 Review syllabus, course schedule, and Canvas site
9.8 Class discussion: what does it mean to think critically and why is thinking critically
important?

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Class Discussion of the Writing Process and How to Read Critically

2
Read: “W-3: Writing Processes” - The Little Seagull Handbook, pp. 9 - 16
9.12 Read: “Part 1: Reading and Writing about Great Ideas” - Approaching Great Ideas,
pp. 3 - 18

In-class: “W-1: Writing Contexts” and “W-16 Reading Strategies” - The Little
Seagull Handbook, pp. 2-5; 83-88.

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Class Review of Annotated Reading and Plagiarism

3
Due: Annotated reading (include margin notes, questions, underlining/highlighting,
9.15 etc.) [Suggest that you select a short newspaper article from online and assign it to
students to read and annotate. This should be due by the start of Class 3 so it can
be reviewed in class.]

Read: “R-4g: Avoiding Plagiarism” - The Little Seagull Handbook, pp. 117-118

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Module 1: How Democracy Relates to Human Rights

Class Part 1. Module 1 Assignment Sheet

4
Part 2. Discussion of Readings - Defining Democracy
9.19
Read: Alexis de Tocqueville, “The Idea of Rights in the United States” -
Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 84 - 87
Read: Emile Durkheim, “The Intellectual Elite and Democracy” - Approaching Great
Ideas, pp. 90 – 93

Homework Journal: On pg 88-89, answer #6 and one of the following: #3, #4, or
#5 in Responding to Ideas
On page 93, answer either #2 or #5 in Responding to Ideas

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Class Discussion of Readings - The Argument for Democracy
5
Read: Robert A. Dahl, “Why Democracy” - Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 96 - 108
9.22 Class Discussion: how is democracy historically defined and how is it enacted today
in the U.S.? What does democracy mean and how can there be some argument
about the enactment of democracy?

Homework Journal: On pg 109, answer #3 and #4 in Understanding Ideas and #2

in Responding to Ideas

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Class Discussion of Readings - Is Democracy the only way?

6
Read: Cornel West, “The Deep Democratic Tradition in America” - Approaching
9.26 Great Ideas, pp. 111 – 117

Read: Fareed Zakaria, “Illiberal Democracy” - Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 120 –
125
Class Discussion: how is democracy very deeply rooted in the U.S. and in its
application and viewpoints on human rights? Discuss other countries like Russia
and China that are not democracies and how that affects their application and
viewpoints on human rights. Must a country be democratic in order to value human
rights? Discuss examples that support and refute that claim that democracy is the
only way.

Homework Journal: On pg 117, answer #1 or #2 in Responding to Ideas. On pg

126, answer #2 and choose either #3 or #4 in Responding to Ideas

In-class: “W-7: Arguments” and “W-8 Rhetorical Analysis ”- The Little Seagull
Handbook, pp. 43-48; 49-53

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Class M1 Exploratory Draft Due

7 You must have:
o 2-3 full pages
9.29 o a printed copy of the draft
o access to a laptop *note you can rent one at University Hall or
Sprague Library if you need to

In-class workshop: central claim, inverted triangle

Peer review

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Class M1 Middle Draft A Due

8 You must have:
10.3 o 3-4 full pages
 o a printed copy of the draft
o access to a laptop
o
In-class workshop: body paragraphs, topic sentences

Peer review

Read: “W-4: Developing Paragraphs” - The Little Seagull Handbook, pp. 17 – 29.
Introduction to the parts of the paragraph, flow, and breaking away from the 5
paragraph essay format.

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Class Middle Draft B Due

9 You must have:
o 4-5 full pages
10.6 o a printed copy of the draft
o access to a laptop
o
In-class workshop: organization, integrating sources, conclusions

Visual Notes Due on Canvas by midnight

Module 2: How Freedom Depends on Justice

*note that Visual Notes for the week will now be due by Friday at midnight

Class Part 1. Module 2 Assignment Sheet

10
Part 2. General Class Discussion on Justice and Freedom in the U.S.
10.10
Read: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “The Four Freedoms” - Approaching Great Ideas,
pp. 153 - 158
Read: John Rawls, “A Theory of Justice” - Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 159-165

Homework Journal: On pg 156-157, answer #2 and choose either #3 or #5 in

Responding to Ideas
On page 166-167, answer #1 and choose either #4 or #5 in Responding to Ideas

Bring: 1-2 current articles with you to class that relate to the readings

Due: M1 Final Draft by 11:59 pm

Class
11 Read: Baldwin, “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth
Anniversary of the Emancipation”- Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 169-173
10.13 Read: King, Jr. “I Have a Dream”- Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 176-180

Homework Journal: On pg 174-175, answer #4 and one of the following: #2, #5, or
#6 in Responding to Ideas
On page 181, answer #4 in Responding to Ideas
 Bring: 1-2 current articles with you to class that relate to the readings

Class
12 Read: Amartya Sen, “The Idea of Justice,” Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 183 - 187
Read: bell hooks, “Feminist Politics: Where We Stand,” Approaching Great Ideas,
10.17 pp. 190 – 195

Homework Journal: On pg 188, answer #2 and #3 in Responding to Ideas

On page 195-196, answer #6 and choose either #1 or #2 in Responding to Ideas

Bring: 1-2 current articles with you to class that relate to the readings

Class M2 Exploratory Draft Due

13 You must have:
o 3-4 full pages
10.20 o a printed copy of the draft
o access to a laptop *note you can rent one at University Hall or
Sprague Library if you need to

In-class workshop: central claim, inverted triangle

Peer review

Class M2 Middle Draft Due

14 You must have:
o 4-5 full pages
10.24 o a printed copy of the draft
o access to a laptop

In-class workshop: body paragraphs, organization

Peer review

Due: Midterm Review

Final Draft of M1 Essay, early draft of M2, and short 1-2 paragraph reflection (see
Canvas for specifics)

Class Group Conferences

15
You must have the following for your conference:
10.27 o all of your drafts and materials
o a revised draft with revisions based on our work in the last class
o conference sheet filled out
o any questions you might have as you are drafting

Module 3: Documented Essay: How Society Regards Wealth and Poverty

*Visual Notes for the week will still be due by Friday at midnight

Class Part 1. M3 Assignment Sheet

16
 Part 2. Discussion of Labor and its connections with Wealth & Poverty
10.31
Read: Adam Smith, “The Value of Labor” - Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 281-286

Homework Journal: On pg 286-287, answer #2, #3, and #4 in Responding to Ideas

Bring: 1-2 current articles with you to class that relate to the readings

Class Discussion on Wealth and its “value” in the U.S.

17
Read: Andrew Carnegie, “The Gospel of Wealth”- Approaching Great Ideas, pp.
11.3 289-300

Homework Journal: On pg 300-301, answer #2 and choose #2, #3 or #5 in

Responding to Ideas

Bring: 1-2 current articles with you to class that relate to the readings

Due: M2 Final Draft by 11:59 pm

Class Discussion on Poverty, Financial Inequality, and Obligations to the Poor

18
Read: John Kenneth Galbraith, “Inequality” - Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 317-326
11.7 Read: Michael Gazzaniga, “Toward a Universal Ethics” - Approaching Great Ideas,
pp. 414-426

Homework Journal: On pg 326-327, answer #2 and #4 in Responding to Ideas

On pg 427-428, answer #3 and choose either #5 or #6 in Responding to Ideas

Bring: 1-2 current articles with you to class that relate to the readings

Class Discussion on the role of the Middle Class in the U.S. and its relationship with
19 Wealth and Poverty

11.10 Read: Elizabeth Warren, “The Vanishing Middle Class” - Approaching Great Ideas,
pp. 344-354

Read: John Dewey “Education and Morality”- Approaching Great Ideas, pp. 400-402

Homework Journal: On pg 354-355, answer #1 and choose either #2 or #3 in

Responding to Ideas
On page 403, answer #1 and choose either #2 or #3 in Responding to Ideas

Bring: 1-2 current articles with you to class that relate to the readings

Class M3 Exploratory Draft Due

20 You must have
o 2-3 full pages
11.14 o A printed copy in class
o A laptop
 Read: “R-1: Doing Research”- The Little Seagull Handbook, pp. 90-102

In-class: “W-14 Annotated Bibliographies” - The Little Seagull Handbook pp.74-78.

Class Library Day

21 o Meet at Sprague Library with exploratory draft, laptop, and be
prepared to check out books
11.17

Class Annotated Bibliography Workshop

22 You must have:
o Your exploratory draft
11.21 o Access to online articles you found (download and save them or send
the link to your email. Don’t just save the link on the library search
engine. The articles will not be there when you go back to them and
you will waste time in class searching for them again
o At least 2-3 books
o A laptop
Introduction to Proposals

In-class: “W-12 Proposals” -The Little Seagull Handbook pp. 66-69

11.23- Thanksgiving Break

11.24 o Complete the Annotated Bibliography and post to Canvas by
midnight on Sunday
o Complete the proposal and have it with you during conferences on
Tuesday
o Take some time off to relax and enjoy with your family/friends 

Class Conferences
23 - Must have all draft work and materials
- Conference sheet filled out
11.28 - Proposal
- Any questions you have from the drafting/research process

Class M3 Middle Draft A Due

24 You must have
- at least 4-5 pages with textual evidence
12.1 - a printed copy of the draft in class
- a laptop
- all research materials and your original exploratory draft

Peer review

Class M3 Middle Draft B Due

25 You must have:
- at least 5-6 pages with textual evidence
12.5 - a printed copy of the draft in class *note this needs to be ONE-SIDED
printing
- a laptop
 - all research materials and all drafts

Cut and paste activity

Class Further Engagement with Sources and Multi-Modal Work

26
Prezi Creation Workshop
12.8 You must have:
- all draft work and materials
- A laptop

Revisit: “R-4 Integrating Sources, Avoiding Plagiarism”- The Little Seagull

Handbook pp. 107-118.
See also: MLA Style in The Little Seagull Handbook pp.119 for a MLA 8 help

Class Portfolio Drafting and Revision

27 - Portfolio Assignment Sheet

12.12 Due: M3 Final Draft by 11:59 pm

Class Portfolio Drafting and Revision

28

12.13

Final Exams: we will meet for an hour during our scheduled time in our Tuesday classroom.
105.23: December 19th at 10:15 am
105.58: December 19th at 3:15 pm