Reading and Writing Your World

English 101, Section 12 MWF 11 11:50 McIver 227

Fall 2001

Instructor: Kari Warren Email Address: kariwarren@yahoo.com
Office: McIver 137 Office Phone: 334-5867
Home Phone: 336-760-6174** Office Hours: MWF 12:00 1:00 & by appointment


Required Texts and Materials:

Dreams and Inward Journeys, Ford and Ford

Ship Fever, Andrea Barrett

Writing Matters: 2000-2001Edition, Jones, Grutsch-McKinney, & Tower

The Little Brown Handbook

What This Class Is About:

This class is about observing the world around us and then writing about that world in order to begin thinking about it in new and productive ways. It is also about discovering your connection to the world through reflection and self-discovery. In the end, you should be able to see other perspectives on issues and themes as well as your own perspective. In order to achieve these ends, this course will focus on developing a writing process that allows you to become a more confident writer in many disciplines. We will accomplish this goal through extensive reading and writing, reflection on our writing process, and most importantly through revision. Using group work, peer review, and class discussion, I hope we will be able to take some of the mystery out of writing and create an environment where we can discuss our writing with each other, In the end, you should feel more comfortable with yourself as a writer and feel more prepared to meet the challenges of writing at the college level.

My Philosophy on Writing:

This is the way I feel about writing. EVERYONE IN THIS CLASS HAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE TO SAY. Forget it if someone has ever told you that you dont write well. Thats bull. You might need practice getting your thoughts in order, but what you have to say is important. In this class you will write about whatever you want to write aboutI will not give you any specific topics. I am here to help get your ideas on paper in a clear, logical way. Also, the methods you learn in this classfinding ideas, getting started, developing detail, revising, editingwill help you in your other classes. When you have to write a paper for business, communications, art, history, or whatever, you will already know how to set it up and go about it. Youll be halfway there.

Requirements:

  • reading
  • 3 revised essays taken through several drafts (15 20 pages of polished writing) incorporated into final portfolio
  • in-class writing exercises
  • group activities/presentations
  • several conferences with me
  • Writing Notebook (weekly writings)

Attendance:

Because this class is based on discussion and papers rather than lectures and multiple-choice tests, it is important for you to attend class regularly. We will rely on peer review, group work, and in-class writing exercises to meet our goals, so you need to be here. If you miss a class, you MUST contact a fellow student or your instructor (me) in order to determine what you missed and what you need to accomplish before the next class. The official policy of this course is that after three absences (thats a whole week of class), your grade starts to drop severely. If you miss more than six classes, I will drop you from the course

Collaboration:

This is something that is one of the most important things about this course. As I said earlier, this class is not based on lectures or multiple-choice tests; this class is a discussion class. And not just a discussion with me, the teacher; you will have to discuss stuff with your classmates as well. So collaborationworking togetheris necessary for the whole class to come off successfully. This part of the grade is fairly all encompassing and very subjective. It includes participating in class discussion and participating in peer reviews and peer group work (participating does not mean showing upit means actually contributing something valuable to the discussion and work at hand). In addition to collaborating with your peers, it also means working with me in everything that you do for this classshowing up, talking in class (about the subject at hand), conferencing, etc. Failure to do these things will result in a bad collaboration grade at the end of the semester. Below Ive outlined the way a couple of the big collaboration points work:

  • Conferences: Conferences serve as a valuable part of a first year writing coursethey allow the instructor and student time to discuss writing issues one-on-one. As a result, missing a conference will count as a class absence. We will meet at least three times during the semester, probably four, to discuss your work in the course.
  • Peer Review: Another important part of collaboration is helping your friends in class with their own work. Periodically, we will have what I call peer review during class time. You will have to discuss your ideas and read your work to another student or a small group of students, getting comments and advice from them. Im not the only teacher in the classbecause each one of you has a valuable opinion and unique experiences to bring to the class, your comments are just as important as mine are.
  • Writing Notebook: The Writing Notebook serves an integral role in this course. You will write one entry per week, mostly of your own choosing, but sometimes in response to the readings. This entry of your own can be something going on in your life, a recent or past adventure, a poem, a short story, etc. This is a space to experiment with your writing.

Mutual Respect:

Respect for others in this class is expected. Any behavior that distracts (eating, talking while others are talking, etc.) or is disrespectful (personal attacks, offensive remarks, etc.) is unacceptable. I will ask you to leave the classroom if you choose to act in such a way. Cell phones and beepers should be turned off during class time. If your phone rings, Ill assume it is for me and answer it accordingly. You may be reached during classes or conferences at the department phone number (334-5311) in the case of an emergency.

Portfolio:

Your work will be evaluated in this course in a portfolio system. As a result, you will not be graded on individual papers. You will turn in a midterm and a final portfolio that provide examples of your best revised work. You will have multiple opportunities to revise your work throughout the semester, so the portfolio will show not only your efforts to revise but also your progress during the semester. Each portfolio should be typed and placed in your 3 ring binder. Well discuss this throughout the semester, so dont worry.

Students with Disabilities:

If you have a disability that could affect your performance in this course or for which you need accommodation, please contact me and/or the Office of Disability Services at 334-5440.

Writing Center:

The Writing Center is located in 101 McIver. It is open M TH, 9:00 8:00 and F 9 3. The Writing Center is a very valuable resource for your writing in this class and in your other classes as well. You may make an appointment by calling 334-3125 or just drop by.

Academic Misconduct:

Using someone elses ideas or words as your own an any assignment is plagiarism. It is a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy as defined in the student handbook. Dont do it. If you are concerned that you might be inadvertently violating this policy or you are having trouble with the work in this class, just come see me.

Grading:

The grading in this course may be different from what youre used to: in lieu of letter grades on each assignment, you will get comments that will lead you in your revisions. All papers are due at the beginning of class in which they are assigned. They need to be IN MY HANDS if you decide to turn them in early or if we make other arrangements. NO EXCEPTIONS. I dont take late papers. The breakdown of grades is as follows:

50% Collaboration (includes but is not limited to journals, attendance, class/group discussion, writings, midterm portfolio, presentations)

50% Final Portfolio (includes but is not limited to 3 essays, self-evaluation letters, and other polished writings) We will discuss midterm and final portfolios throughout the semester.