Alessandro PorcoCurriculum Vitae
EDUCATION
PhD Studies, English Literature (2005 – Present)
The Jill Kelly Poems. *
ENG
201 J1: Advanced Writing 1
MWF
5:00-5:50pm, Clemens 104 / Clemens 128
Instructor: Alessandro Porco
Office: Clemens 1034
E-Mail: asporco@buffalo.edu
Office Hours: Mon.
4:00-4:50 / Wed. 4:00-4:50
Mailbox: located outside of
the English Graduate Office, Clemens 302
“[. . .] we may not have had the background, or the
education, to weep at Prince Hamlet's death, [but] we had all tried enough
times to pass and kick a ball, we had on our separate rock-strewn sandlots
taken enough lumps and bruises, to know that we were viewing something truly
fine, something that only comes with years of toil, something very like art.” –
Frederick Exley, A Fan’s Notes
Welcome to ENG 201, an
advanced writing course focusing on methods of analysis, argumentation, and
research. The general thematic focus of our class will be that of Sports,
Literature, and Culture. Our readings will include fiction, non-fiction,
poetry, and essays by major and minor North American writers and thinkers on
major and minor sports alike — from
football (Exley), Baseball (Updike), and Nascar (Wolfe) to pro-wrestling
(Holmes) and horse racing (Thompson). The course divides roughly into three sections:
(I) Heroes (II) Fans (III) The Wild World of Sports. While our readings and
class discussions will attempt to map out the place of sport in North American
culture, tackling — with Butkus-like verve — issues of gender, race, and class,
the ultimate purpose of this course is to develop your critical reading,
writing, and research skills. Sustained intellectual rigor in papers ranging in
length from 5 to 10 pages will, of course, require significant effort. Thus,
expect a fair bit of class time to be devoted to basic writing skills:
developing a thesis statement, organizing an argument, revising essay drafts,
as well as more thorny writing-related matters, such as engaging and
synthesizing research materials in your own work. Furthermore, this class is a
computer-mediated section of ENG 201: we will alternate our meetings in the
Composition Computer Classroom (Clemens 128) and our regular classroom (Clemens
104). Students will freewrite, write drafts of papers, and critique other
students’ papers on the computer; in addition, we will do research on the World
Wide Web and through the library system.
Texts
Lunsford, Andrea A. The
Everyday Writer – 3rd Edition.
Exley, Frederick. A
Fan’s Notes. 1968.
Halberstam, David. The Best American Sports Writing
of the Century. General Ed. Glenn Stout.
Supplies
·
Any good dictionary. If you do
not currently own one, this is a good time to invest in one. There are many available in the
bookstore. (I recommend Webster’s or
American Heritage.)
·
A full-sized notebook for writing assignments in class. OR, a 3 ring binder with loose-leaf paper.
·
A sturdy folder in which you keep all your work for the class AND a
disk on which you save all your writing (including multiple drafts).
·
A pocket folder in which you put the cover letter, drafts and final
version of each assignment when you hand it in.
Note: Save all the writing you do during the
semester. You can clear your files
in May. Until then, you never know what
may prove to be useful during a revision.
If you compose and revise on a computer, periodically print out (or save
on disk) versions of your draft so that you have a record of its process. Keep a copy for yourself (either on disk
or a hard copy) of all major assignments handed in to me. In addition, keep all
drafts on which you have received comments from me or your classmates.
Course Requirements
and Grading Policy
This is a workshop course in writing in which class activities are
essential to your development as a writer; in class activities will include
class discussion and debate, written and oral responses, freewriting and peer
review. The success of the course, and your successful performance in it,
depends upon your participation and contributions, both spoken and written.
Grading Policy
UB uses a lettered grading policy, A - F, including + and – grades. An
incomplete grade may only be given to students who have (1)
fulfilled the attendance requirement for the course and (2) completed all but
one of the written assignments. Your final grade will be calculated according
to the following breakdown:
Engagement – 10%
Major Assignments – 70% (3 essays in total)
Class Presentation (PTI) – 5%
Quizzes – 5%
Portfolio – 10%
ENGAGEMENT –
·
Participation begins with attendance. Both absences and tardiness will
affect this portion of your grade. You are allowed THREE absences without
penalty. A fourth absence will result in the reduction of this portion of your
grade by a full letter grade. A fifth absence will result in the reduction of
your final grade by a full letter grade. A sixth absence will absolutely result
in a failing grade for the course. NO EXCEPTIONS. Although the advice
"Better late than never" should be heeded (you will learn by being
present), arrival in class more than 15 minutes after it begins will be
considered an absence.
·
You are responsible for contacting me or a fellow class member if you
miss a class, and you are expected to be fully prepared for the next class
session. I know that sickness happens, accidents happen, bad weather happens,
computer problems happen, over‑sleeping happens, family crises happen,
the bus never comes ... that's what the three excused absences are for. Save
them for these kinds of emergencies.
·
Your engagement grade will also reflect the quality and thoughtfulness
of your contributions in class, respect shown to class members, your attitude
and role in small group exercises, and evidence given of completion of reading
assignments. Preparation for, attitude toward, and involvement in our
individual conferences count here, too.
·
Please note that many in‑class writing exercises depend upon your
having read the assigned material. Review your syllabus frequently, and plan
your workload accordingly.
MAJOR WRITING
ASSIGNMENTS
- Essays and major writing assignments
are due at the beginning of class on the date due. Late essays are
subject to having their final grade reduced (1/3 grade for each day late).
Don’t test me on this. And don’t make it a habit. Absence from class on
the date due does not excuse the lateness of your assignment. Allow plenty
of time for printing your essay/assignment in the computer lab, and/or
keep an extra printer cartridge handy at home. DO NOT EMAIL PAPERS.
- All major writing assignments handed
in to me are to be word-processed. Use a reasonable font (Times, usually
11 or 12 pt.), double-spaced, with 1” margins. Follow MLA methods of
citation.
- Assignments which are more than
one week late will receive an F. However, you must complete all the major
writing assignments and submit a complete final portfolio in order to earn
a passing grade for the course.
- Essays will be evaluated for: quality
(including technical and mechanical elements); command of voice, tone, and
a sense of audience; the degree to which they satisfy the given
assignment; and the development they demonstrate from earlier efforts or
original drafts.
- Plagiarism: using another person’s words and ideas as
though they were your own. It is easy to avoid plagiarism: simply put the
material you have taken from someone else’s writing in quotation marks and
cite the person’s name and publication in your paper. Plagiarism is a
serious offense which can result in expulsion from the University. A paper
which contains any plagiarized material at all will receive an F;
two such plagiarized papers will result in the student receiving an F for
the course. (Note: plagiarism is not restricted to the use of published
work; the passing of another student’s work as your own, or a paper you
wrote for another course, is also a case of plagiarism).
CLASS PRESENTATION
During the term, each
student is required to give a 5 minute presentation on an issue related to or
stemming from class readings. These presentations are scheduled to take place
on the 10th and 14th of November
QUIZZES
There will be quizzes throughout
the term; questions will be related to the assigned readings.
END OF TERM
PORTFOLIO
Your portfolio
consists of all writing submitted in this course: rough drafts, graded drafts,
and writing especially revised for the portfolio reviews (see the schedule).
The end‑of‑semester portfolio will include an autobiography of
yourself as a writer and final revisions of three of the major assignments (the
nature of the revision will be discussed in class).
Weekly Schedule
Week 1
Writing Assignment #1: How
Do We Construct Our Heroes? (See Handout)
Rough Draft Due MON.
SEPT. 8TH
Final Draft Due WED.
SEPT. 17TH
M Aug. 25
Introductory Class:
Syllabus; Important Dates; Course Objectives; Assignment #1
Homework: Read Gay Talese's
"The Silent Season of a Hero" (BASW, p. 3-23)
W Aug. 27 – Computer Room
Introductory Class:
Computer ID and passwords; saving work; navigating UBLearns
Discuss Talese
In-class Writing
Assignment: Compose a one-paragraph response to the following question: “What does
the term ‘sports’ mean to you?”
Homework: Read Tom Wolfe
"The Last American Hero" (BASW, p. 23-58)
F Aug. 29
Conclude Talese discussion
Discuss Wolfe
Lesson: Introduce
Compare/Contrast Essay Form
Homework: Read John
Updike's "Hub Fans Bid Kit Adieu" (BASW, p. 304-317)
Week 2
M Sept. 1 – NO CLASS (Labor
Day)
W Sept. 3
Conclude Discussion of
Wolfe
Discuss Updike
Lesson: How to Write a
Thesis Statement
In-class Writing: Start
composing a thesis statement for peer review
Homeowrk: Read Norman
Mailer's "Ego" (BASW, p. 713-737); complete thesis statement
for Friday
F Sept. 5 – Computer Room
Cont’d work on thesis
statements / Peer review of thesis statements
Discuss Mailer
Homework: Assignment #1
Rough Draft (Due on Monday)
Week 3
M Sept. 8
Review of all “Hero”
readings
Peer review of assignment
#1 rough drafts
ASSIGNMENT #1 ROUGH DRAFT
DUE
W Sept. 10 – Computer Room
Lesson: Introducing visuals
into your essays
Lesson: Integrating Quotes
(OREO Presentation)
F Sept. 12
Lesson: Summary, Paraphrase,
Quotation
** Remember to get a head
start on reading Exley’s A FAN’S NOTES
Week 4
M Sept. 15 – Computer Room
How to write a Works Cited
(The Everyday Writer, p, 374-385)
Cont’d discussion of
integrating quotations
In-class writing exercise:
Summary
W Sept. 17
Lesson: 20 Common Errors (The Everyday Writer)
ASSIGNMENT #1 FINAL DRAFT
DUE
F Sept. 19 – Computer Room
Discuss the hero as
"Underdog" (film clips: Rudy and Dodgeball)
Homework: Read Pierre
Bourdieu's "How Can One Be a Sports Fan?" (Course Reserve)
** Remember to get a head
start on reading Exley's A FAN'S NOTES
Week 5
Writing Assignment #2:
Critical Analysis of A Fan’s Notes (See Handout)
Rough Draft Due WED. OCT.
8TH
Final Draft Due FRI. OCT.
17TH
M. Sept. 22
Discuss Bourdieu
Homework: Read Lawrence A.
Wenner’s “In Search of the Sports Bar: Masculinity, Alcohol, Sports, and the
Mediation of Public Space” (course reserve) and continue reading A Fan’s
Notes
W. Sept. 24 – Computer Room
Cont’d discussion of
Bourdieu
Discuss Wenner
Lesson: How to write a good
paragraph (The Everday Writer, p. 49-62)
Homework: finish reading A Fan’s Notes
F. Sept. 26
Introducing A Fan’s Notes
Lesson: How to create a
Framing Device
Week 6
M. Sept 29 – Computer Room
Cont’d discussion of A Fan’s Notes
Lesson: Techniques for
writing an Introduction and Conclusion
W Oct. 1
Discussion of A Fan’s Notes
Discuss appropriate
language practices (i.e. diction and tone) in essay writing
Homework: Read Nick
Hornby’s “The Greatest Game” (Course Reserve)
Homework: Compose a rough
thesis statement; bring to class for peer review on Friday
F Oct. 3 – Computer Room
Discussion of A Fan’s Notes in relation to Hornby,
Bourdieu, and Wenner
Peer review of thesis
statements (on computer)
Week 7
M Oct. 6
Discussion of A Fan’s Notes in relation to Hornby,
Bourdieu, and Wenner
Review of earlier
discussion on writing Introductions and Conclusions
W Oct. 8 – Computer Room
In-class writing: Work on
assignment #2 rought draft (computer)
ASSIGNMENT #2 ROUGH DRAFT
DUE (at the end of class)
F Oct. 10
FINDAL DAY on A Fan’s Notes in relation to Hornby,
Bourdieu, and Wenner
Review of Frame Device,
Integrating Quotes, and 20 Common Errors
Week 8
M Oct. 13 – Computer Room
Individual Conferences (No
class)
W Oct. 15
Individual Conferences (No
class)
F Oct. 17
LIBRARY INSTRUCTION CLASS
ASSIGNMENT #2 FINAL DRAFT
DUE IN CLASS
Week 9
Writing Assignment #3:
Argumentative Research Paper (See Handout)