English Composition I: Eng 101 Spring 2011Ms. Christine Tobincmtobin2@uncg.eduMailbox: MHRA 3114Office: McIver 328; 256-8553 Office Hours Wednesday 2:00-5:00 or by appointment101-42 (11:00-12:15) – MHRA 1211

I. Course Information

A. Description

English Composition is designed to introduce students to college level writing. Composition treats writing as a way to learn as well as a skill. Throughout the semester you will be asked to analyze written text as a way to better understand how an argument is constructed; through your own writing, you will become more adept at creating an argument and communicating the tenets of your support. Because composition is process oriented (as opposed to product), much of the course is devoted to the process of writing, both inception and revision. All formal assignments will be submitted as drafts, to be critiqued by peers in small groups and by me, as your instructor. As the composition classroom is about continued improvement, drafts will undergo multiple revisions before the final portfolio. Writing is not a skill that can be learned in one semester, but we become better writers through the continued practice of reading, writing, critiquing, and revising.

B. Learning Goals

1) Interpret and evaluate written and/or oral arguments2) Locate and evaluate relevant information3) Construct and communicate cogent arguments4) Adapt modes of communication to the audience and/or purpose

C. Materials

Dodson, Will, Alan Benson and Jacob Babb, eds. Techne Rhetorike. 2nd ed.

Southlake, TX: Fountainhead, 2010. Print. (ISBN: 978-1-59871-385-5)

Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say I Say. New York: W. W. Norton,

2006. Print (ISBN: 978-0-393-92409-1)

Readings on Blackboard. [You are expected to print and bring a copy to class.]

D. Other Requirements

Access to Blackboard, UNCG email, a Word compatible word processing program, and a printer.

1-inch three ring binder for the portfolio OR binding at print services. Paper for notes and in-class writing assignments.

II. Class Policies

A. Decorum

Be respectful of yourself, your peers, me, and our learning environment. This means 1) active participation in class; 2) having course materials with you; 3) completing reading and writing assignments on time and 4) not introducing distractions during class time: these include (but are not limited to) talking, texting, laptop use, arriving late or leaving early, and loud or repetitive noises.

B. Electronics

You do not need a laptop during class. However, if you choose to bring a laptop, be aware that they may be used in class only to take notes pertaining to our class or to view documents on our Blackboard website. Any student who uses a laptop for any non-classroom activity during class time will not be allowed to use a laptop in class again. To be perfectly clear: one violation means no laptop.

Turn off all electronic devices and store them away; don’t just put them on vibrate. Please, no texting or checking messages during class ever. If you are using electronics during class, you will either be marked absent or asked to leave.

C. Attendance

Students are allowed a maximum of two absences without a grade penalty. For every absence beyond those allowed, students will be

penalized one-half letter grade. Students who miss four classes will fail the course.

You are, by state law, allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays, which do not count toward your total. If you plan to miss class because of religious holidays, you must notify me in advance of your absence.

If you are more than five minutes late to class or leave more than five minutes early, you are considered tardy. Three tardies will count as an absence.

D. Conferences

An individual conference is required during the first half of the semester; we will discuss broad issues that came up during the first essay assignment and any questions about revision. Conferences are mandatory and class is cancelled for a week to accommodate schedules. Failure to show is considered an absence from class.

E. Email policy

An email is probably the most efficient way to get in touch with me; be aware, however, that I do not check mail after 9:00 pm. Also, I teach T/Th between 9:30 and 3:30, so I cannot frequently check or return emails during that time. I will return emails within 24 hours. If you do not hear back from me in 24 hours, please resend the original email. Please sign emails with your name and section number.

III. Assignments

A. Grading

1) Participation grades 34%

Your participation grade is made up of 1) peer reviews (4 @ 3% each); 2) in-class assignments and quizzes (13%); and 3) informal essays (9%).

2) Formal essays 21%

There are four formal essays (around 5 pages each). Each essay is worth 6% of your final grade, half (3%) when you turn in the 1st draft for workshop and half (3%) when you turn in the 2nd draft to me. To earn the full 6%, your drafts must be complete and on time. You will be given a provisional grade for the final draft; however, this provisional

grade is just to give you a sense of where you stand and it does not count toward your semester grade; the final grade is not assigned until the portfolio.

4) Portfolio 45%

The portfolio is composed of 25-30 pages of polished (revised) writing, all previous drafts, and a reflection piece. The reflection essay is a meta commentary on your growth as a writer. The portfolio is due at the end of the semester, though it is often helpful to begin the revision process early. Please keep all versions of your essays, as well as any peer critiques from workshops, until the end of the semester. A more detailed assignment sheet will be posted on Blackboard under “Assignments” toward the end of the semester.

B. Guidelines

1) Late assignments will not be accepted. If you are absent on a due date, the assignment still needs to be turned in. Please make arrangements with me beforehand if you know you will be absent.

2) Papers should be formatted as follows:

Stapled! (if hard copy is required)TitledDouble spacedOne inch ruled marginsSize 12 Times New RomanPages numberedName, course #, assignment, and date in upper left hand corner of 1st

page

3) For formal essays that will be workshopped, please bring one hard copy on the day of the workshop. On the day the 1st draft is due, please post your essay to Blackboard as an attachment to the thread on the discussion board by 5:00 pm. (Please make sure the attachment is saved as a Microsoft Word document or Rich Text File; i.e., .doc or .rtf. Please do not post the attachment as a .docx file as your peers must be able to open the attachment and everyone might not have this version of Word.)

4) On the day 2nd drafts are due to me, please post the paper to SafeAssign as an attachment (Microsoft Word document or Rich Text File) by 5:00 pm. If the document is not saved as one of these types and I cannot open the file, then it will be considered late. I will read and respond with comments and return the paper to you electronically.

SafeAssign can be found on Blackboard under “Assignments.” Further instructions will be given before the first essay is due.

5) Peer responses are due to the writer during the next class. Responses can either be a 1-2 page typed response or can follow questions on the handout, and should provide helpful feedback for the writer. Peer responses should be turned in to me with the 2nd drafts.

Peer critiques are an integral part of the writing process in a composition classroom. As such, you are expected to read and respond to the essay drafts of your workshop group. Your workshop group, composed of three people chosen at random, will meet to discuss your drafts; peer critiques give helpful feedback to the writer when it comes time for revision. However, critiques also help strengthen your skills as a reader, which in turn strengthen your skills as a writer. Peer critiques will be checked to earn a grade.

6) For two of the short essays (part of your participation grade), you must attend outside events on campus. One of these events must be cultural (a dance performance or play) or academic (a lecture or discussion group). After attending the event, you will write a 2-page response giving a brief (very brief) overview of the event as well as your thoughts and reactions. While a short summary of the event is necessary for the reader’s understanding, I am most interested in your response. You might think about what role this event plays in campus life, why you chose to attend it, how the experience made your think, or what connections it might have to your classes. A listing of campus events can be found at http://calendar.uncg.edu. The last day to turn in the first response is Tuesday, March 15 at 5:00 pm. The last day to turn in the second response is Thursday, April 14 at 5:00 pm.

C. Plagiarism

“Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu. I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy. Violations of academic integrity will be reported to university officials and may result in

consequences for the course ranging in severity from re-doing an assignment to failing the course.

D. MLA Style

Papers (including citations) should be formatted according to MLA guidelines. The Writing Center and library have helpful links for information about MLA style. The UNCG datebook also has a brief overview of MLA style in the back as a quick reference. Techne Rhetorike has a longer explanation of MLA style in the Supplementals. The following links also provide helpful information about MLA: http://www.uncg.edu/eng/writingcenter/citations.html andhttp://library.uncg.edu/depts/ref/qil/styles.asp.

E. Student Services

Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Disability Services on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: ods@uncg.edu.

The Writing Center is located in 3211 of the MHRA building. They can help you at any stage of the writing process, from prewriting to polishing. Please schedule an appointment with them at any point during the semester if you need outside help with your writing. For more information visit www.uncg.edu/eng/writingcenter/.

Each visit to the Writing Center will be counted as half a point extra credit added to your final grade.

Calendar is subject to change. Updates will be listed on Blackboard.Assignments are listed on the day they are due.

TR: Techne RhetorikeTSIS: They Say I SayBB: reading is posted on Blackboard; please print & bring to class

Reading Assignments due Written Assignment DueWeek 1 Why write?Tues, January 11 Introduction & syllabus. “Two

Questions” by Lynda Barry; from Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (BB)

Thur, January 13 “Learning the Language” & “New Worlds New Words” (BB); “Introduction” (TSIS)

Week 2 AudienceTues, January 18 “Text essay” (BB); “Developing the

Idea of the Audience” (TR)Thur, January 20 In-class writing In-class writing due to

SafeAssign by Friday @ 5:00

Week 3 SummaryTues, January 25 Chapters 1 & 2 (TSIS)Thur, January 27 “Summarizing, Paraphrasing &

Quoting” (TR); “The Art of Annotation” (TR)

Essay 1, draft 1 due to BB

Week 4 QuotingTues, February 1 Chapter 3 (TSIS) Peer review due; hard copy

of essay 1Thur, February 3 “NBA Dress Code” (BB)Week 5 RespondingTues, February 8 Chapters 4-6 (TSIS); “The

Response Essay” (TR)Essay 1, draft 2 due to SafeAssign

Thur, February 10

“Keeping the Beat” (TR); The Thesis (BB)

Week 6 ConnectingTues, February 15

Chapters 7 & 8 (TSIS)

Thur, February “Facebook is a Disease” (BB) Essay 2, draft 1 due to BB

17Week 7 Rhetorical ConceptsTues, February 22

“Toulmin argument” (BB) Peer reviews due; hard copy of essay 2

Thur, February 24

“Introduction to Rhetorical Concepts (TR)

Essay 2, draft 2 due Friday by 7:00 pm to SafeAssign

Week 8Tues, March 1 No class – conferencesThur, March 3 No class – conferencesWeek 9 Visual RhetoricTues, March 15 No class – conferences Thur, March 17 “Analyzing Visual Media” (TR);

“Visual Arguments (BB)Week 10 FallaciesTues, March 22 “Logical Fallacies” (TR); Rhetorical

Fallacies (BB)Thur, March 24 In-class writing assignment

(fallacies)Essay 3, draft 1 due to BB

Week 11 Textual AnalysisTues, March 29 “Textual Analysis” (TR); Letter

from Bush to Hussein (BB)Thur, March 31 Student analysis of Bush’s letter

(BB)Essay 3, draft 2 due to SafeAssign

Week 12 Forms of ArgumentTues, April 5 “Arguments of Definition and

Evaluation” (BB)Thur, April 7 “Arguments of Persuasion and

Proposal” (BB)Essay 4, draft 1 due to BB

Week 13 VoiceTues, April 12 “The Rhetoric of Voice” (TR) Peer review due; hard copy

of essay 4Thur, April 14 Chapter 9 (TSIS)Week 14 MetacommentaryTues, April 19 Chapter 10 (TSIS); “Revision is

Writing” (TR)Thur, April 21 Revision day—bring your drafts Portfolio due to McIver by

Friday, April 22 @ 5:00Wed, April 27 Reading DayTues, May 3Tues, May 3Thur, April 28

Eng 101-34 (8:00) – exam @ 8:00Eng 101-39 (9:30) – exam @ NoonEng 101-42 (11:00) – exam @ Noon