Mon-u-mental Songs (A CD you buy from me)

Everythings an Argument edited by Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walters. 2^nd edition.

Writing Matters edited by Jones, Grutsch McKinney, & Tower.

Everyday Writer edited by Andrea Lunsford

Dictionary & Thesarus

Pen/cil

Loose-leaf three-ring binder and paper for the binder

Floppy disks to save your work on

Your brains and heart

1) As you complete the readings and listenings this semester, you will be analyzing (through interpretation and evaluation) various communicative and argumentative strategies.

2) You will also respond to those readings and listenings in writing. As you do so, you will learn how to construct persuasive arguments and present them clearly and effectively, both in writing and in speech.

3) As you make your arguments, you will use "evidence," both from your personal experience and from the public world. In doing so, you will learn how to locate, synthesize, evaluate, and communicate relevant information.

4) As you apply these skills to your research, you will learn how to effectively weigh evidence and consider the arguments of differing viewpoints.

5) In the end, you will be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the aims of intellectual discourse and how to effectively use the rhetorical triangle.

1) You will participate in writing-for-learning activities both during class time and in your journal outside of class.

2) You will draft and revise your papers so as to help you develop and practice your understanding of audience, purpose, focus, language, and voice.

3) You will compile your work in a portfolio, which will demonstrate your awareness of your growth in thinking and communicating.

4) You will present a piece of original writing at the end of the semester as a way of celebrating your growth throughout the course of the semester.

Throughout the course of this semester, you will draft and revise four different essays. At the end, you will compile these essays as well as other writings from class in a collection that will represent your growth and development as a writer and thinker. This portfolio is worth forty percent (40%) of your final grade.

To help you understand how writing and speaking are sisters in the process of communication, and to help you understand the rhetorical triangle more completely, you will participate in a small group (3-5 people) and debate serious issues facing the music industry today. This is worth thirty percent (30%) of your final grade.

Often, in class, you will be asked to respond to a song or reading. Sometimes, you will do this outside of class. Occasionally, throughout the semester, I will collect these writings to see how your writing and thinking skills are developing. This is worth twenty percent (20%) of your final grade.

As you are a member of this class, you are expected to be an active part of it. This means you need to be prepared to discuss the readings and listenings in both small groups and as a whole class and to respond to them in writings. It also means that you need to listen attentively. Participation counts for ten percent (10%) of your final grade.

Because this class is designed around what happens in class, it is important that you be present and active during class meeting. I assume you will attend class regularly, but you have four (4) free absences for illness, car trouble, funerals, hospital visits, and other various emergencies. If you are absent more than four times, then a letter grade will be deducted from your final grade at the end of the semester. If you miss more than six (6) classes, two letter grades will be deducted from your final grade at the end of the semester. Should you miss eight (8) or more classes, you are encouraged to drop so as to avoid a failing grade.

Always be prepared for class so that you can actively contribute to discussion. If written assignments or drafts are due for group work, and you are not prepared, I will count you absent. The same rule applies for reading assignments.

Walking into class late is disruptive and annoying. Class starts at 11:00 and I assume everyone has put that in their schedules. If you are more than five minutes late to class, I will count you absent. Two lates equals an absence and carries the same consequences stated under the "Attendance" section.

Before class starts, please turn off beepers, cell phones, and any other noise-making devices. Also, please refrain from eating, reading the newspaper, doing other homework, chatting with neighbors, and/or sleeping during class. The same goes for thoughtless and hurtful speech or behavior. I reserve the right to ask students to leave class at any time and to drop students from the course.

Late work will not be accepted. Everything must be ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Plagiarism (using another persons words, ideas, and/or efforts as your own) constitutes a failing grade. If you are not entirely certain what plagiarism is, then lets talk. Also, please read the "Academic Integrity Policy" in your Student Calendar and Handbook or on the UNCG website.

The Writing Center is a wonderful resource available to you, and I encourage you take advantage of it. There, you can learn more about writing and sharpen the skills you already have. It is located in McIver 101 and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. To schedule an appointment at the Writing Center, call 334-3125.

The library on campus is another wonderful learning resource. And, just so you know, it is also what the majority of your tuition supports. But it is not the only library available to you; with the help of the librarians there, you can also borrow materials from other university libraries.

These labs are located all across the campus. They contain both IBM and Macintosh compatible computers on which you can find all kinds of cool software, including Microsoft Word, and they provide access to the Internet as well as your email account.

If you have a disability that can or will affect your performance in this class or for which you need accommodating, please let me know and/or contact Disability Services at 334-5440. This information will remain confidential, and I will do all that I can to help you meet your needs.

I am here to help you, and should you have any questions about your writing or the readings, I encourage you to visit me during my office hours or set up an appointment so that we can talk about answers.