REQUIRED TEXTS:
Writing Matters
On Writing: A Process Reader
MACNOLIA
Other required texts/handouts TBA on Blackboard.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course helps you devise strategies you can use in all the writing you will do in college. You will learn skills of composing—how to come up with ideas, get them on paper, revise them and make them interesting and persuasive to readers. During the semester, you’ll do a lot of writing both in and out of class. We will examine how published writers write, and how we, as students of writing, can learn from other writers. LEARNING GOALS: 1) to develop your own ideas in conversation with other writers, 2) to read sources critically, 3) to cite and acknowledge sources properly, 4) to revise your writing in response to feedback, 5) to offer substantive and useful critiques of student work in progress, and 6) to practice techniques gleaned from published writers.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is mandatory and will be taken every class meeting. After three absences, your grade goes down 3 points off your final grade average for each missed day. After 6 absences, you fail the course. Your presence is required for class discussion and group work. In extenuating circumstances, such as severe illness and family responsibilities, this policy may be reconsidered. If you are absent, find out what you missed from a classmate or your instructor. Absence is no excuse for late essays and no excuse for being unprepared at your next class meeting.
Two lates = one absence. Two left earlies = one absence. Unprepared for class = absence.
PORTFOLIO SYSTEM: When you turn in an assignment you will receive feedback
from your instructor and from your classmates on how to improve each assignment
for revision instead of receiving a grade. You will be required to revise most
of the writing you do throughout the course. You will have two major papers
of approximately 3-5 typed pages each, along with 6 shorter essays of 1-3 pages
in length. At the end of the semester, you will select your best work to put
in a portfolio, which then will be graded as a whole. This system takes the
focus off of “making the grade” and allows you to concentrate on
improving your writing.
Save all your drafts! These will need to be in your final portfolio. All of
the writing you do for this class is eligible for the final portfolio, so save
everything.
LATENESS POLICY: This class is built around the idea of revision. When you
hand in a draft of an essay, I will provide comments in the margins which will
suggest direction for future revision. If your paper is handed in late, no
comments or suggestions will be provided for that assignment, and you will
only get half credit for the assignment. Not doing an assignment at all reflects
poorly on your effort in the course and results in a 0 for that assignment.
I do not accept papers by email.
To receive full credit for late assignments: After turning in your essay to
me, take that draft of the essay to the University Writing Center to receive
feedback from a staff member, who will help you revise the essay. Once I get
a note from the Writing Center that you came in to work on your essay, you
then get full credit for that assignment.
JOURNALS: You will be required to keep a journal for this class to practice
informal writing, to be collected at mid-semester and near the end of the semester.
Some topics for your journal will be assigned (for example you may be asked
to respond to a class reading) but most of the time you will be free to write
about topics of your own choosing—but please remember that I will be
reading it. Do not write anything in your journal that you would not want me
to see. Your journal will not be graded for content, only for completion. Journal
guidelines will be handed out later.
IN-CLASS WRITING: Please come prepared with a pen and paper each day for in-class
writing. Oftentimes in-class writing assignments are designed to help you get
started on your formal essays. Like your journals, your in-class writing and
minor assignments will not be graded for their content, although failure to
complete such assignments will negatively impact your grade.
WRITING LEADERS: Each student will be responsible for providing one prompt
for in-class writing. The leader’s responsibilities for that day include:
1) bringing in a prompt; 2) presenting the prompt to the class; 3) leading
a brief discussion of what the class wrote. More info on writing leaders and
writing prompts will be provided in class.
CONFERENCES: You will be required to meet with me at least two times during the semester to discuss your work. At this time classes will be cancelled so we can focus on your work and your individual writing challenges. If you wish, you may schedule a meeting with me at any time during the semester to discuss your work. Missing a scheduled conference is equivalent to one absence. Missing a scheduled conference is also discourteous to your instructor’s time.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY: Students are expected to abide by the terms of the student code of academic conduct, available in your undergraduate bulletin or online at http://studentconduct.uncg.edu. I urge you all to examine this material, and consult me with any questions you may have about plagiarism and academic integrity before it becomes an issue. Ignorance of what constitutes plagiarism is not an acceptable excuse for plagiarism. Understand that academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated and can result in a failing grade, and may result in expulsion from UNCG.
RESPECT: This classroom is a writing community. You will all be doing a lot of workshopping and group work with your writing. As such, it is critical that we treat each other with the appropriate level of courtesy and respect. No one should be made to feel unwelcome here. Failure to treat other students with the respect they deserve will severely negatively impact your class participation grade, and severe disruptiveness can result in being dropped from the course.
GRADES: If you are diligent in doing all your required work both in and out
of class, and you put a good effort into your assignments, you will do well
in this course, and you will improve your writing.
50% CLASS PARTICIPATION:
25%: In-Class Writing Assignments, Group Work, Class Discussion,
Quizzes, and Being Prepared. 50 POINTS
25%: Completing all required assignments including journals on time:
6 short essays @ 4 points each
2 long essays @ 6 points each
total journals @ 10 points
1 midterm portfolio @ 4 points
= 50 POINTS
50% FINAL PORTFOLIO:
Your portfolio will be a collection of your best work from this class, which
will include approximately 20 pages of revised writing drawn from essays, journal
entries and in-class writings. Your final portfolio is due the last day of
classes. No late portfolios will be accepted. If your portfolio is not in by
that time, you will fail the course.
TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE (1ST HALF): WM = Writing Matters
OW = On Writing: A process reader
BB = Blackboard.com (class website)
E = Essay
Week 1: Aug. 16, 18
Introduction to Course/Rhetoric
TUE: (Day 1)
Go over syllabus; interviews
HW
- Read: WM pp. 3-10; 51-53
- BB: Print out “Assignments” THURS: (Day 2)
Discuss Rhetoric; Meet your new groups
HW
- Read: OW pp. 170-182; For Mon. Journal: “Making Meaning” Response
- E1 assigned
Week 2: Aug. 23, 25
Plagiarism/Rhetoric
TUE: (Day 3)
Discuss Plagiarism; observation, detail; scene
HW
-E2 assigned
-Skim: OW pp. 580-604 THURS: (Day 4)
DUE: E1: Letters
Ad Discussion; Rules and Stealing
HW
- Bring in Advertisement to Present to Class
- Read: OW pp. 242-246
Week 3: Aug. 30, Sept. 1
Textual Analysis
TUE: (Day 5)
Discuss thesis; Ad Presentations; ad writing exercises
HW
- Read: OW pp. 319 -322
- BB: Read and Print “Hateful Things” and “Recapture the
Flag”
THURS: (Day 6)
DUE: E2: The Portrait; Read Portrait to Groups; Reflection letter; Discuss
readings
HW
- Read: OW pp. 210-223: Assigned Journal: Pick a Topic from Reading
- Read: WM pp. 32-34
Tuesday, Sept. 6 NO CLASS—Extended Labor Day
Week 4: Sept. 8
Receive “Body Piercing” handout Invention, Workshops
THURS: (Day 7)
DUE: E3: Text Analysis (First Draft)
Reflection Letter; Mock Workshop; discuss lists and associational exercises;
sign up for conferences
HW
- E4 assigned
- Prepare for conference
- Read ALL of MACNOLIA for Mon. Sept 19th
Week 5: Sept. 13, 15
CONFERENCE WEEK — NO CLASS
DUE: E4: List (in conference or by Friday in mailbox)
Week 6: Sept. 20, 22
MACNOLIA
TUE: (Day 8)
Discuss Macnolia
HW
- Read: OW pp. 349-358
- Re-read “focus poems” TBA from MACNOLIA
THURS: (Day 9)
Discuss “focus poems”; Workshop
DUE: E3: Text Analysis ( 2nd Draft; make 2 copies)
HW
- E5 Assigned
Week 7: Sept. 27, 29
Spellbound
TUE: (Day 10)
Watch Spellbound; take notes; discuss midterm portfolio handout
HW
- Re-Read “focus poems” TBA from MACNOLIA
- Read OW: p526-535; Assigned Journal Response: Try This THURS: (Day 11)
Due E5: Poem-Essay
Finish Spellbound; Compare w/Macnolia; Discuss “focus poems”; sign
up for conferences
HW
- work on midterm portfolio; prepare for conference
Week 8: Oct. 4, 6
CONFERENCE WEEK — NO CLASS
Receive Prospective Grades; Discuss midterm portfolios
HW
- BB: Print Second half Schedule
- Put together midterm
Friday, October 7 LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW
Fall Break No Class on Monday or Tuesday
Midterm Portfolio Due: Thurs Oct. 13 + Journals Due (8 Entries)
E6: Due Fri Oct. 21
E7: Due Thurs Nov. 3
Second Journals (5): Due Thurs Nov. 10
E8: Due Tues Nov. 15
Final Portfolio: Due Mon Dec. 5
Second Half Schedule and Readings: TBA