Syllabus – Fall 2004
Sara Littlejohn – Instructor
Office Hours: Petty 01D
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:30-12:30 Wednesdays 2:15 – 3:15
or by appointment
Phone 334-3294
Email Address: sjlittle@uncg.edu If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me – stop by my office during my scheduled hours or send me an email.
Course Description
English 101 is a course that will help you develop your writing, reading, and critical thinking abilities. It is important that you have control over your writing and reading choices. You will actively choose your audience, purpose and message with each piece of writing you do. In our class you will be responsible for coming to class to workshop your writing in groups to deepen your reading, writing, and revising skills. You will also choose which pieces to read from the text as well as the final pieces to include in your portfolio. What you write and read about in English 101, as well as how much you get from the class, is largely up to you.
Learning Goals for English 101
? To understand, practice, and actively engage in the steps of the writing
process
? Communicating effectively and clearly
? Understanding the aims and methods of intellectual discourse
? Evaluating different view points
? 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
? Writing and evaluating arguments
Attendance
Coming to class is the key to success in English 101. All of the assignments build upon each other. If you miss class, you are responsible for any missed work. If you anticipate being absent, please notify me in advance, so you can make arrangements for your assignments. I will post all assignments on BlackBoard, so check it regularly, particularly if you miss class. After you miss class three times, it will start to affect your grade in a negative way.
Disability Services
Students with any sort of disability who need accommodations for any of their courses should contact 334-5440.
Classroom Manners
Please don’t be late. We often cover housekeeping matters, due dates, criteria for assignments, etc. during the first part of class. You will miss important information. If you have to leave class early, please let me know before class begins. Also, please be courteous to all speakers in class by not interrupting or talking to other people at the same time another person has the floor. Finally, out of courtesy, please keep your cell phones and pagers turned off during class.
Classroom Community
This class will be a writing community and you will be responsible for evaluating
and delivering constructive criticism to your fellow classmates. Although students
should view the classroom as a safe place to express ideas, any behavior that
is discriminatory or otherwise isolating to other students will not be tolerated.
We have a responsibility to one another to create a healthy learning environment
that does not promote hostility or discrimination. We must maintain a mutual
respect and behave in such a way that does not disrupt our learning community.
Plagiarism Policy
Students must do their own work. They may seek and receive help from peers, from instructors, and from Writing Center Personnel, but the student must generate all writings. Students must cite all sources of information. Any cases of plagiarism will be handled in accordance with the Academic Integrity Code. You may reference relevant information at the Academic Integrity website at http://saf.dept.uncg.edu/ai/academicintegrity.html.
Grade Composition
Draft Credit 15%
Response Papers 15%
Class Participation 10%
Attendance 10%
Portfolio 50%
Required Texts
Writing Matters ed. Chris Porter
50 Essays ed. Samuel Cohen
A Pocket Style Manual 4th Ed. Ed. Diana Hacker
Response Papers
Response papers should be a minimum of 2 full pages. They must be typed. Consider these informal responses to the readings. You are free to choose any reading from the Fifty Essays text. Here you can explore your opinions about a piece, ask thoughtful questions, and comment positively or negatively about what you have read. All responses must refer back to the text. Include examples and quotes from the reading in your response papers to help illustrate your points. This is not a formal essay; it is a place for you to think about the readings and reflect on your ideas before coming to class. Response papers are due by the end of class on the due date. I will not accept late response papers.
Class Format for your Essays
Each student will choose a personal topic for the semester. You will explore your topic in a series of four essays. Your personal topic should be an activity, issue, or concern that you have experience with. Yet, you should also be interested in exploring this topic further. Each paper will explore the topic from different perspectives. Each paper will include a series of drafts, in-class exercises, and peer review. You will have occasional homework assignments as well as in class responsibilities to read and respond to student work. We will be doing group work in 101. Don’t panic. It will all make sense and be useful for completing assignments and going over drafts of papers in class.
Essays
I will consider essays complete if they are more than just a summary of the material presented, if they address the assignment, and if they represent a solid effort on your part. Incomplete essays are one page or less, include skimpy content, or reflect serious slackness on your part.
You will receive 100% draft credit for complete essays that are turned in
on time. If you receive an A or A- on your essay, you do not have to do a major
revision on it for the portfolio. You can consider it complete, except for
following suggestions for revision and correcting minor punctuation and grammatical
errors. Essays are due by the end of class on the due date.
I will not accept late essays.
Paper Assignments
1. Prospectus – Your first writing this semester will be an explanation
of your choice of topic and a detailed plan of the three essays you will be
writing this semester.
2. Interpreting Personal Experience – Tell a story about an experience
you have relating to your topic and what you learned
3. Controversy and Inquiry – Using your knowledge of your topic, argue
for a position on a relevant issue, using either primary or secondary research
to back up your opinion.
? Primary includes the results of interviews, surveys, or observations, written
in report format
? Secondary includes the results of information gathered from books, magazines,
and articles about a journey you would like to take
4. Cultural Analysis – focus on an aspect of the topic and its place
within our culture. What does this part of your topic reveal about what you
or our culture values?
Portfolios
The portfolio will be the culmination of your work in English 101. You will be including revised and edited versions of your writings. It is necessary to save all of the writing you do this semester, including response papers, essays, and in class writings, so that you can use them for your portfolio. At the end of the semester, you will compile your best work into a portfolio of polished work. This will include revisions of three of your papers and a reflective portfolio letter, all presented in an organized fashion.
Criteria for Evaluation of Writing
? Clarity – Is your essay written in clear and concise language?
? Focus – Does your essay have a clear main point?
Does your entire essay focus on your point?
? Development – Is your essay thoroughly developed with examples and
details?
? Correctness – Is your essay written in Standard Written English?
? Organization – Is your essay clear and logically organized?
Things to remember about your papers:
• 12 pt Times New Roman
Double Spaced
Use pre-set margins (1” top and bottom, 1.25” left and right)
•
Page numbers
Include your last name with your page number in the upper, right-hand corner.
For Microsoft Word, go to “Insert,” select “Page Numbers,” change “Position” to “Top
of Page.” This should automatically insert your page numbers. To include
your name, simply click on a page’s number, this should open the header.
Type in our name and click the “Align Right” icon on the tool bar.
•
Please title your papers.
•
The front page should correspond with MLA guidelines as described in your grammar
handbook.
T Aug 17 Course introduction
R Aug 19 Explanation of Papers; Topic Development
T Aug 24 Response paper due; Topic Development
R Aug 26 Topic Development/Declaration; Introduction to Prospectus
T Aug 31 Topic Declaration; Work on Prosepectus
R Sep 1 Work on Prospectus
T Sep 7 Response Paper due; Work on Prospectus
R Sep 9 Work on Prospectus
T Sep 14 Prospectus due; Introduction to Personal Experience paper
R Sep 16 Work on Personal Experience paper
T Sep 21 Response Paper due; Work on Personal Experience paper
R Sep 23 Work on Personal Experience Paper
T Sep 28 Conferences
R Sep 30 Conferences
T Oct 5 Personal Experience Paper Due; Introduce Controversial Inquiry paper
R Oct 7 Work on Controversial Inquiry Paper
T Oct 12 Fall Break – No Class
R Oct 14 Work on Controversial Inquiry Paper and Annotations
T Oct 19 Annotations Due; Work on Controversial Inquiry Paper
R Oct 21 Work on Controversial Inquiry Paper
T Oct 26 Response Paper Due; Work on Controversial Inquiry Paper
R Oct 28 Work on Controversial Inquiry Paper
T Nov 2 Conferences
R Nov 4 Conferences
T Nov 9 Controversial Inquiry Paper Due; Discussion of Cultural Analysis paper
R Nov 11 Work on Cultural Analysis Paper
T Nov 16 Response paper due; Work on Cultural Analysis paper
R Nov 18 Work on Cultural Analysis paper
T Nov 23 Cultural Analysis Paper Due; Introduction to Portfolios
R Nov 25 Thanksgiving – No Class
T Nov 30 Work on Portfolios
R Dec 2 Portfolios Due Last Day of Classes
T Dec 7 Reading Day
F Dec 10 Final Exam Period 3:30 – 6:30