Freshman Composition! Course number: ENG 1301 Days: T/TR Time: 9:30 – 10:45 and 3:15-4:30 Rm. TBA Instructor: Cheyenne Riggs Office: 109 Email: [email protected] Hours: 1:30 – 3:00 T/TR and after the 3:15 class Course Description (e-catalog) - Principles and techniques, which may include documentation, of written, expository, and persuasive composition; analysis of literary, expository, and/or persuasive texts; emphasis on critical thinking. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES*: (San Antonio College) Learning Outcome 1: The student will be able to recognize and apply the principles of writing as a process, including pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing, to produce essays as basic units of writing. Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will write a minimum of four essays, excluding the final examination, that show awareness of audience and purpose and writing as a process. The essays will constitute at least 60 percent of the course grade, and minimum competency requirements for the course will be a grade average of 70 or better.) Learning Outcome 2: The student will be able to make connections between reading and writing skills by recognizing audience and purpose through the study of a variety of texts. Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will demonstrate competency by reading a variety of texts to include works that address global awareness and civic responsibility, participating in discussions about the texts, and modeling an understanding of audience and purpose through written assignments. Learning Outcome 3: The student will recognize the importance of using a variety of rhetorical strategies to write essays that have precise controlling ideas, clear thesis statements, coherent topic sentences developed through appropriate supporting details, sufficient transitions and other cues to help the reader connect ideas, and a logical overall structure containing an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will demonstrate an understanding of rhetorical strategies in essay writing by composing a minimum of four essays totaling 2000 words or more and a final in-class exam essay of 500 words or more. An average grade of 70 or better on essays will demonstrate competency. Learning Outcome 4: The student will achieve basic competency in edited Standard American English as expected in the local and national communities. Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will demonstrate increased competency in using effective grammar, spelling, punctuation, and discipline-standard formatting in academic written assignments. Learning Outcome 5: The student will be able to utilize basic research skills in the writing process. Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will demonstrate research skills by attending a library orientation and using library search tools to access at least one academic source relevant to a written course assignment. Necessary materials - Textbook: The Bedford Guide for College Writers with Reader, Research Manual and th Handbook, 9 edition ISBN: - 9780312601539 Notebook: for in-class note-taking and writing assignments An active internet connection, Microsoft word and the willingness/ability to use both Description: Welcome to Composition I! This course is designed to help students expand, refine, and ideally master critical reading and writing skills. We will work together, studying various types of expository reading and writing, to challenge you to think critically about the world around you, structure arguments, develop personal narratives with voice and flow, and undergo research in any field. This class will help develop the tools you will need to be successful readers and writers in any major, in a post-university job setting, and in life. After this class, you should feel confident and competent in: - - Understanding the writing process and how drafts and ideas morph and mold into polished, carefully considered pieces of writing Understanding reading as a means of self-enlightenment and writing as a tool for communication and learning. Writing to communicate challenges you to produce clear, coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion and audience. Writing to learn gives you tools for understanding complex texts and ideas – and for exploring your own thoughts and experiences Understanding complex arguments and prose and analyzing them critically Synthesizing a substantial amount of information on a narrow topic, setting up literary reviews, and incorporating and building upon other scholars’ ideas when contributing valuable research in a particular field Class Structure: This class will attempt to cover as many types of writing as possible, in order to fully prepare you for the writing tasks you will face in your studies. We will begin by talking about audience and purpose, the writing process, and self-reflection. We will read several articles that will give us a starting point from which to form our arguments and eventually our papers. We will work on developing arguments and creating well-structured and purposeful essays. We will also work on basic grammatical errors to move our writing closer to Standard American English. Towards the end of the semester, we will complete a collaborative research assignment. We will also work on in-class writing assignments to prepare for the final exam (and for future in-class writing assignments.) Course Policies and Attendance: • This syllabus is your guide to this course. Please refer to the syllabus if you have any questions before emailing me. Please also check it before every class meeting for assignments to make sure you are prepared for class. • Lessons and skills learned in this class are cumulative: each day, we will build on the lessons, drafts, workshops and group discussions of the class before. Therefore, attendance is required. 1-2 absences – no penalty 3 absences – 10 points off your participation grade 4 absences – 20 points off your participation grade More than 4 absences – You may be dropped from the class if it is before the drop date or given an F if it is after * Use your absences wisely. While I appreciate students letting me know if they will be absent, there is ultimately no difference between an excused absence and an unexcused absence, so use your absences wisely. I do my best to warn students if they are near their absence limit, but ultimately, it is your responsibility to keep track of your attendance. (There is an additional attendance policy for peerreview days, see below.) • Please come to class on time and stay the entire lesson unless you have a prior engagement and you speak to me first. Leaving early and arriving late is disruptive to the students around you. Repeated unexcused tardies will be counted as an absence. • Please turn off your cell phones before class. I notice which students pay attention and which are busy with their phones, and it does affect your final grade as well as how much I am willing to work with you in different situations. • Do not sleep in my class. This is incredibly rude. You will be counted absent or possibly woken up with a loud noise and/or something thrown at you. • Laptops should only be in use during active note-taking. If I find that you are doing anything on your laptop other than classwork, you will be asked to leave and you will not get credit for that day. Late Assignments: My late paper policy is as follows: <1 day late (this includes turning the paper in after class has begun) = minus 10 points 1 full day late = minus 20 points 2 full days late = minus 30 points …and so on Please let me know if you have extenuating circumstances that prevented you from turning in your assignment on time. Being responsible and making an effort to work with me goes far. I encourage you to come to me during office hours if you are having difficulties writing the assignment, including brainstorming for ideas or finding a direction for your paper. I DO NOT ACCEPT late reading responses, quizzes or notes. Period. Canvas/Email: There is a Canvas site for this course, which we will use throughout the semester for grades, assignments, and email, so you must check your student email inbox regularly. Peer-Review Policy On peer-review days, I will check for complete typed drafts. If your draft is not substantially complete, or if you miss class, I will lower your grade on that paper by one letter grade (10 points). You may also be counted absent, even if you come to class. Being “present” means being prepared and actively participating. Contact via Email This is a writing class. As writing students and future professionals, I expect all correspondence with me to be edited and proofread as carefully as an assignment. Please open your emails with “Dear Ms. Riggs” as a proper salutation, introduce yourself, identify your question or concern, and close with “Sincerely,” “Best,” or any other form of closing, and your name. This is also true of mail sent within Canvas. Please take the time to write me properly – professional communication is a necessary skill that will take you far. Please allow at least 24 hours for me to respond to an email. Academic Honesty All students are expected to abide by this university’s academic honesty policy. While we recognize that writing is often a collaborative effort, any and all borrowed ideas should be given the proper citation. Style guides are available in the library to assist you. Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in an automatic 0 for the assignment, possibly the course, and a permanent mark on your academic record. It’s not worth it. Writing Center SAC’s Academic Support Center is a free tutoring service available to all registered students. All writers, myself included, benefit from additional feedback about our work. The Academic Support Center (ASC) provides tutoring in math, writing, and other subjects to currently enrolled students on a walk-in basis, and students can receive individual or group help. Tutors help students understand their class material, develop study skills, and work collaboratively to help students achieve their learning goals. The ASC also provides students access to computers, study spaces, and academic resources. For more information visit: http://mywebdev.alamo.edu/main.aspx?id=7687 Grades Each assignment will be graded out of a certain number of possible points, and each student’s final grade will be computed according to the following weight: Quizzes and participation (Attendance/Preparedness/Classwork): 15% Reading Responses and notes: 25% Paper 1: 10% Paper 2: 10% Paper 3: 15% Paper 4: 15% Final Exam: 10% Semester Grade (out of 1000) A=90-100 B=80-89 C=70-79 D=60-69 F=0-59 * You MUST earn an average of a 70 or higher on all papers to move on to Comp. II, regardless of overall course grade. **Additionally, you MUST earn a C or better in the course to move on to Comp. II! Extra Credit: Extra credit opportunities will be available throughout the semester. Points will be added to your participation grade. Stay tuned. Explanation of Assignments Papers: We will write five papers, including the final in-class essay, during the semester. All papers will be turned in via Canvas in Microsoft Word format. More details will be provided as the due dates approach. Peer Review: Before our papers are due, we will have a peer-review day in which we will take turns reading each other’s rough drafts and providing constructive feedback. This is a vital part of the writing process, giving students a sense of audience and helping them improve their editing and critical thinking skills. Rough drafts must be complete (no outlines or partial drafts.) Rather than turn your rough draft in to me, you will receive your rough drafts with peer feedback after the peer review in order to help you improve the rough draft for final revision. See the above peer-review policy for additional information. All rough drafts are printed out and brought to class on the day they are due. Reading assignments: During the semester we will read a variety of texts. It is your responsibility to read all assignments before they are discussed in class. This class (and most of your future college courses) relies heavily on what you learn outside of class – you cannot write about or discuss something unless you have read it first. That being said, I take a lot of pride and go to great lengths to make sure that your reading assignments are relevant and interesting, so please do not insult me by skipping the reading. Reading Responses: I will frequently ask you to “respond” to your reading assignment. A good response will not only include your thoughts and feelings about the piece, but will demonstrate your thorough understanding of the argument and perspective of the reading and your ability to engage with others. You will have a response due the class day after reading is assigned. Use this tool to not only gather your thoughts on the readings so that you can contribute to class discussion. Responses are expected to be a minimum of 2-3 paragraphs in length. We will discuss this more in class, and I will provide a sample response as well. All reading responses are turned in via Canvas. Notes: You will occasionally be required to take notes on the assigned reading for the day. Please turn in these notes through canvas or on paper in class. A grade will be taken on how well these notes cover the material and follow the assigned reading. This will help you to improve your note-taking abilities and prepare for class discussions. Notes may be turned in either via Canvas or on paper. Quizzes: After each paper is returned, you will need to go to Canvas and take a “quiz” on the comments and feedback I have given you. I spend an incredible amount of time reading and commenting on each essay, and I want to make sure you are understanding this feedback and utilizing it to better your writing. These quizzes are easy and require no more effort than simply reading and synthesizing my comments. All quizzes are taken via Canvas. Discussion: This is a college level course. I expect you to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings. I encourage you to make notes, underline, highlight, and generally destroy your textbook by filling it with all your thought graffiti, to better gather your thoughts before the responses and discussions. Regularly participating in discussions will help the class generate a better knowledge and understanding of the readings, provide us with your unique perspective based upon your personal experiences and worldview, and improve your participation score. SAVE ALL OF YOUR WORK IN MULTIPLE PLACES! Do not discard any responses, quizzes, rough or final drafts of papers, etc. until you are given a final grade for the course. Additionally, DO NOT rely on one machine or location to save your work – use cloud-based hard drives or another means of saving your work somewhere other than your central computer. Computer crashes, forgotten flash drives or other mechanical failures will not be accepted as reason for not having an assignment ready turn in. Responsible students save their work in multiple places, save it often, and do not wait until the last minute to print/turn in assignments. Week Date Class Week 1 20 Jan Introduction to the course: college reading, writing, and thinking, Canvas demonstration Watch: A Vision of Students Today, Rhetorical Situations, Syllabus Quiz (on Canvas) Purpose and Audience, “Habits of Mind” from “Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing”, Writing reflections: Where are you? Unit I: Cultural Studies: Race, Class and Gender introduction 22 Jan Week 2 27 Jan Homework Brooks, “The Opportunity Gap” pgs. 118-120 John Oliver: “The Gender Wage Gap” 29 Jan Week 3 Week 4 3 Feb Reading Strategies p. 18 - 22 and Critical Thinking p. 2529 and 37-43, Purpose and audience 12-13 Paper #1 assigned, discussion, The Writing Process p. 710, reading responses and critical thinking/reading: “Disappearing Act”, “The High Cost of Manliness” pgs. 535-537 (sample reading response to HCoM on pg. 24) and “ Reading discussion, intersectionality, peer review discussion and expectations, sample paper examined 5 Feb Rough Draft for Paper #1 Due, Peer review 10 Feb Unit II: Rhetorical Analysis: Visuals Intro to rhetorical analysis, Detroit and Chrysler (commercial here,) photo essay, parts of an essay and introductions Print, read, and bring to class: “Defining Racism” (.pdf pgs. 1-4) and submit Reading Response #1 (via Canvas) Print, read, and bring to class: “Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is” and annotation, “Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person” and Reading Response #2 Rough draft paper #1 (bring one hard copy to class) Paper #1 due 12 Feb Week 5 17 Feb 19 Feb Week 6 Week 7 24 Feb Week 9 Notes #1, “Responding to Visual Representations” p. 290-304 Watch this Apple commercial then print, read, and bring to class: “Change the World: Ethos as Brand Recognition in an Apple Commercial” and post Reading Response #3 group ad analysis, create outline, dos and don’ts of analysis Outlines returned, Watch: Killing us softly, discussion Be on the lookout for an advertisement to analyze! Rough Draft Paper #2 (bring one hard copy and your ad to class) Paper #2 Due 26 Feb Peer Review, workshop papers 3 March Unit III: Arguing a Position: Technology and Us, introduction to unit, arguing a position, types of support, Logos Pathos Ethos, Louie C.K Hates Cell Phones and Slate Magazine’s Louis C.K. Hates Cell Phones, but He’s Wrong Listen: John Oliver, Net Neutrality: freewrite and Notes #2, “Taking a Stand" pgs. 166-176 discuss, practice arguing a position (173) SPRING BREAK read Clive Thompson, “The New Literacy” p. 584Listen: John McWhorter, Texting is Killing 586 and Reading Response #4 Language, JK!!! Freewrite and discuss, structure of 5 March Week * Visual rhetoric, Uncovering hidden messages in ads, Watch Kate Walsh’s Cadillac Commercial and read “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit” pgs. 305-307, PIE paragraphs, Paper #2 Assigned Discussion, outlining and organizing a paper, Activity: class group ad analysis 10 March 12 March 17 March arguments and logical fallacies 19 March Discuss readings, They say, I say + activity **** Week 10 24 March Quoting vs. paraphrasing and activity, ***** I language and emotive language 26 March Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 31 March Thesis statement review, counterarguments and rebuttals + activity Listen: debate: More Clicks, Fewer Bricks, 2 April finish More Clicks, catch-up day 7 April Conferences 9 April Conferences 14 April Unit IV: Research: What Interests You? 16 April Week 14 21 April PRINT, READ, AND BRING TO CLASS Brownstein, “You Can Tell Everybody This Is Your Song” and EITHER Stone, “Grief in the Age of Facebook” pgs. 587-589 OR Copeland, “Is Facebook Making Us Sad?” pgs. 591-593 and Reading Responses #5 Research and pick one article that relates to either technology and language/writing, social media, or technology and education. Write a response over this article (as reading response #6). Include link to article in response! Rough Draft Paper 3 (Bring FIVE hard copies – very important!) Read and comment on group rough drafts, be prepared to discuss! Read and comment on group rough drafts, be prepared to discuss! Paper #3 due Paper #4 assigned, research and research processes, how to do annotated bibs, sample annotated bib, MLA formatting groups chosen, topic discussion, how to do research, Notes #3, “Evaluating Sources” pgs. 679-686 Research questions, how to use sources, Wong, “5 Easy Ways to Spot a B.S. News Story on the Internet”, assign sample annotated bib Source navigator (pg. 642), Searching Library databases Research topic and question due (discuss with 667-669, computer lab tutorial and independent me in class) research 23 April work in computer lab Week 15 28 April Week 16 30 April 5 May 7 May Sample annotated bib returned, Computer lab and presentations Catch-up day in-class essay practice, group review thesis review and outlining, prompt practice FINAL! (date is tentative) Sample annotation due (as Reading Response #7) Paper #4 due
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