Office Location and Hours: Petty Basement, Office 01J. Monday: 2:30-3:30; T/R: 10-11; by appointment

Course Description: This semester you will develop your writing, reading, and critical thinking abilities. The theme for our class is “Identity, Culture, and Community,” and you will explore your own thoughts, feelings, and experiences related to each of these areas and many others through writing and reading. We’ll ask questions like, “What is your identity as a writer?”; “What communities are you a member of, and how do you affect these communities?”; “What is your cultural identity?; and “How do identity, culture and community intersect?” When exploring these issues you will write journals, in-class writings, read pieces by published authors, write formal essays, and do basic research. By the semester’s end I hope you will understand your own personal history, both culturally and as a writer, and have learned to think critically about your role as an individual and as a member of larger world communities.

Required Textbooks/Materials:
Bishop, Wendy. A Process Reader.
Maimon, Elaine P. and Janice H. Peritz. A Writer’s Resource.
Pipher, Mary. The Middle of Everywhere.
Writing Matters. (English Department Publication)

Other materials you will need include:
Blue or black ink pens (no other colors will be accepted); White, loose-leaf college-ruled paper; two folders or binders (one for journals and one for the final portfolio); a dictionary; floppy disks; a notebook; a highlighter

Web Access: Assignments will be given in class and then posted on Blackboard. If you do not have a computer, you will be expected to use the ones available for student use in the library or other on campus computer labs. Lab use is free. In the event of inclement weather or instructor absence, you may be assigned online activities to complete which will count as your attendance for that day.

Disability Access Statement: If you have a disability that may affect your academic performance and are seeking accommodations, it is your responsibility to inform the Office of Disability Services at 334-5440 or ods@uncg.edu.

Learning Objectives: To understand, practice, and actively engage in the steps of the writing process; to communicate effectively and clearly; to understand the aims and methods of intellectual discourse; to evaluate different viewpoints; to explore individual voice in writing; to write thoughtful responses to articles and prompts; to learn about documentation, formatting, grammar, and punctuation to clarify meaning

Grade Composition:
Essays (3 @ 15% each) 45%
Journal 15%
Final Portfolio 30%
Attendance/Participation 10%

IMPORTANT CLASS POLICIES

Since the theme of our class this semester is “Identity, Culture, and Community,” our readings, discussions, and the essays you write will explore these three aspects and the places that these three meet. In order for our academic community to function with trust and respect and to be fair to all students, the policies explained below are considered as a contract between you, other students in the class, and myself as fellow classroom community members.

College Classroom Behavior: All of your work is a direct representation of who you are, so make sure that all you say and do is executed in a mature, professional manner.
? I expect you to come to class on time and prepared with all books and materials and with assignments complete, and I expect you to pay attention in class by following along, taking notes, and asking relevant questions at the time information is presented.
? I expect you to treat your fellow classmates and me with the utmost respect. Remember that any exceedingly negative comments or reactions in class can severely hinder another student’s academic development. Not liking something (or someone) does not give you a right to make derogatory comments.
? Never disrupt the class in any way. (This includes making rude noises, remarks or gestures, throwing things, etc.). If you do, you will be asked to leave and you will need to meet with me for a conference before you are allowed to return.
? I expect you to keep all electronic devices (including cell phones, text messengers, Palm Pilots, and stereo headsets) off and put away.
? Work done in class, such as quizzes, class activities, discussion, and peer workshops cannot be made up. You will receive zeros for these assignments if you miss them.

Attendance: At the beginning of each class, you will sign an attendance sheet. If your name is not on the sheet, I will mark you absent. You are allowed three “excused” (non-penalized) absences from class. Use these days wisely, such as when you are sick or have an emergency. After four TOTAL (excused and un-excused) absences you will be dropped from this class. It is your responsibility to get any missed assignments from the postings on Blackboard or from a fellow student.

Class always begins promptly at the designated time. Three tardies will always equal one absence. If you are tardy and miss an assignment or a quiz, you will not have a chance to make it up. Please treat this class as you would an important job, and be on time every day. It is always your responsibility to see me after class to be marked present when you come in late. If you do not see me, the absence will remain on my record.

Add/Drop and Withdraw: If a class, time, or teacher is not right for you, you may make schedule changes. If you decide not to complete the course, you are responsible for withdrawing from the class. If you just stop coming to class and never officially withdraw, you will receive an “F.”

Plagiarism:
Part of your work and responsibility as a scholar is that you accept the rules and ethics of writing and documenting your outside sources. In addition to downloading a paper off of the Internet or getting someone to write one for you, plagiarism is:
• Verbatim copying without proper acknowledgement—whether you copy a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph, or a whole paper, the source material must be introduced, in quotation marks, and documented.
• Paraphrasing without proper acknowledgement—reworded source material must be introduced and documented; again, the length of the paraphrased material doesn’t matter—you still have to cite it!
• Failing to acknowledge sources—any time you use sources, you need to identify the source material both within the essay and on a works cited page.
• Use of other's ideas without acknowledgement.
When you submit work, your reputation as a writer is at stake. Do not risk a grade on an essay or in the course by either deliberately or accidentally plagiarizing.
Visit http://studentconduct.uncg.edu/policy/academicintegrity/ for more information on the University’s Academic Integrity policy.

The Writing Center:
The Writing Center is a wonderful tool for you to use for help with any aspect of the writing process and for any of your classes. The Writing Center is located in 101 McIver and is open M-R 9a.m.-8p.m; Fridays 9a.m.-3p.m. and Sundays 5p.m.-8p.m. You can call the Writing Center at 334-3282 to make an appointment.

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS

Formal Essays:
You will be given assignments for three formal essays throughout the course of the semester. They will be due at the beginning of class on the day designated. If the essay is not on my desk when class begins, I will count it as late.

Late Essays: A late essay will receive a half-letter grade reduction for each day it’s late. (Turning the essay in after class on the day it is due still counts as one day late!) Thus, if your essay is due on Monday at 8 am, and you turn it in Monday at 1pm, it still receives a half-letter grade reduction. If you turn it in on Wednesday, you get a letter and a half reduction, and so on, including weekends. The late penalty applies until I receive the paper. After the paper has lost 2 ½ letter grades (5 days), I will no longer accept it and no credit will be given for that essay.

If you are absent the day an essay is due, you may email it to me before class time to avoid the late penalty. I must receive and confirm receipt of the paper before class time. If you did not receive a confirmation email from me, I did not get it. Always keep copies of all email communication with me.

Extensions: If you have a major emergency, I may allow you to prearrange an extension. You will need to contact me prior to the due date to discuss whether the circumstance warrants such an extension. You are allowed one such extension. If you have not prearranged an extension, the late penalty will apply.

Format: All essays will be 4-5 pages typed, double-spaced, with 12 pt. Times New Roman font. A hard copy (print out) is the only acceptable format for formal essays and revisions. Printer or computer problems are not acceptable excuses for failing to have an essay. You will print one copy of the essay for me for grading; save another copy to keep.

Academic Writing: You will be writing college-level, academic essays that will be read by strangers. You are responsible for selecting suitable essay topics, but the following topics are off limits for ALL writing assignments: explicit sexual activity, criminal/illegal activities, and prejudicial/hate-based ideas.

Length: Papers that do not meet the assigned length requirement will be docked the number of points for the missing length. For example, if a 2-page paper is ½ page short, 25% of the paper is missing and 25% will be deducted from your grade.

Journal: Your journal will be your most important tool over the course of this semester. While the journal is a place for you to respond to required prompts that I will give you (see final page of the syllabus), you will also write journals of your choice on our daily readings, class discussions, personal journals related to your writing process, or your own thoughts on any subject. The journal is a place for you to write freely, and I will NOT grade the journal for grammar or formality. Each journal entry should take approximately 15-20 minutes to write, should be on college-ruled loose-leaf paper, and should be kept in your journal folder. The final journal should contain a minimum of 30 responses, including the assigned prompts.

I will collect the journal every two-three weeks to check your progress both with the assigned prompts and with your personal entries. It is your responsibility to weekly respond to in-class discussions, assigned readings, or write on any personal thoughts unrelated to our class. I will not remind you to complete unassigned journal entries.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to consistently write in your journal! These journal entries are very important to your growth as a writer, and they will serve both as starting points for all your papers and as a record of your development over the course of the semester. At the semester’s end, you will select 5-8 journals to include in your Final Portfolio as a representation of your development as a writer.

Final Portfolio: On your last day of class, you will submit a Writing Portfolio to me. This portfolio will include:
1. Revised and polished copies of each of your three formal essays.
2. Five to eight journal entries that you choose as samples that chart your development as a writer over the course of the semester.
3. A Revision Letter for EACH revised piece of writing, which tells me what you revised and how you feel about the final product.
4. A letter to me (1-2 pages typed) describing your thoughts and feelings about the evolution of your portfolio and how your writing has changed over the course of the semester.
More detailed instructions about the presentation of the portfolio will be given later in the semester.

Since you will use your journals and revise your essays
throughout the course of the semester, it is imperative that you

KEEP EVERYTHING YOU WRITE FOR THIS CLASS UNTIL THE SEMESTER IS OVER.

If you lose or throw away a journal or paper that you may need later,
it will be solely your own responsibility to re-create this work.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE AND DUE DATES

Week Topic
Week One:
August 17; 19 Introductions; Assign Groups; Define Class Theme
Week Two:
August 24; 26 Discuss our writing processes and concepts of Identity; Essay #1 Assigned
Week Three:
August 31; Sept. 2 Continue Identity discussion; Essay #1 Workshop; Sign up for conferences
Week Four:
Sept. 7; 9 Conferences; Continue working on
Essay #1
Week Five:
Sept. 14; 16 Essay #1 Due Tuesday (9/14); Discuss concepts of Community
Week Six:
Sept. 21; 23 Essay #2 Assigned; Continue Community Discussions; Begin Pipher readings
Week Seven:
Sept. 28; 30 Continue Pipher readings; Essay #2 Workshop; Sign up for conferences
Week Eight:
Oct. 5; 7 Conferences
Week Nine:
Oct. 12; 14 Fall Break – No class on Tuesday, Oct. 12
Essay #2 Due Thursday (10/14);
Essay #3 Assigned; Continue Pipher
Week Ten:
Oct. 19; 21 Begin discussion of Culture and Research.
Sign up for conferences; Library Day on Thursday
Week Eleven:
Oct. 26; 28 Conferences on Tues./Wed; Continue Culture/Research discussion
Week Twelve:
Nov. 2; 4 Essay #3 Workshop; Begin discussion of Revision
Week Thirteen:
Nov. 9; 11 Essay #3 Due on Tuesday (11/9); Revision Workshops for Essay #1
Week Fourteen:
Nov. 16; 18 Revision Workshops for Essay #2
Week Fifteen:
Nov. 23; 25 Revision Workshops for Essay #3
Thanksgiving Break – No class on Thursday, Nov. 25
Week Sixteen:
Nov. 30; Dec. 2 Revision Workshop for Essay #3
Final Portfolio Due Thursday (12/2)

I reserve the right to make changes to this syllabus at any time. You will be notified when these changes are made.

ASSIGNED JOURNAL TOPICS

As stated above, you may use your journal for a variety of purposes to record your thoughts and writing ideas. However, the following journals will be connected to all your major papers and are thus required. I will assign these during class, and they will be due by the time we meet for conferences on your papers. If you have questions or need more direction about what these responses should include, please ask.

For Essay #1: Due at Conference time on September 7 or 9
1. Why is writing important to you? (Either personally or professionally)
2. Describe your writing process. What happens when you sit down to write?
3. Describe your first memories of reading and writing in your native language.
4. Describe your experiences with the English language from childhood up to this point (or when you first learned English, if it is not your native language). Have your experiences been positive or negative? Why?
5. Choose and complete one of the following questions on pg. 116-118 of Bishop: #2, 3, or 9.

For Essay #2: Due at Conference time on October 5 or 7
1. Discuss your role as a community member. You may choose any community other than our classroom.
2. Answer question #7 on pg. 190 of Bishop.
3. Complete Activity B on pg. 187 of Bishop.
4. Complete Activity E on pg. 189 of Bishop.

For Essay #3: Due at Conference time on October 26 or 27
1. Free write on the topic you want to research.
2. Write briefly about how you define your own cultural identity.
3. Discuss your feelings (fear, anxiety, excitement) about the research process.
4. Discuss your progress on the research project.

*Please remember that these assigned journals make up only 13 of the 30 journals you should write by the end of the semester!