ENG 1020: Introductory College Writing
Dr. Lisa Maruca
Section 901/ Fall 2008
TTh 10:45-1:10 in 0507 Oakland Center
Contact Information
Email: (preferred method)
Office: 313.577.7697 (do not leave voice mail)
Cell/Text: 248.890.5177
Office hours: TTh after class in the Oakland Center; MW 10-3 in 5057 Woodward (old Macabees Bldg), Room 9405.3 (call first)
Course Description
With a grade of C or better, ENG 1020 fulfills the General Education Basic Composition (BC) graduation requirement. Successful completion of Basic Composition (BC) with a grade of C or better is a prerequisite to enrolling in courses that fulfill the General Education IC (Intermediate Composition) requirement for graduation (e.g., ENG 3010, 3050, Literature and Writing courses, etc.).
Building upon students’ diverse skills, English 1020 prepares students for reading, research, and writing in college classes. The main goals of the course are (1) to teach students to consider the rhetorical situation for any piece of writing; (2) to have students integrate reading, research, and writing in the genres of analysis and argument; and (3) to teach students to develop analyses and arguments using appropriate content, effective organization, and appropriate expression and mechanics, all while using a flexible writing process that incorporates drafting, revising, editing, and documenting sources.
To achieve these goals, the course places considerable emphasis upon the relationship between reading and writing, the evaluation and development of information and ideas through research, the genres of analysis and argumentation, and the use of multiple technologies for research and writing.
Instructor’s Course Philosophy/Methods:
In this course we will focus mostly on academic and professional modes of writing such as summary, analysis and research. However, you also will learn the basics of all good writing, including organization, grammar, and clarity. What will help you the most, though, is repeated practice. As you work on the numerous assignments listed in the schedule, including in-class assignments and group work, your confidence in your writing should increase as your skills improve. Thus English 1020 should help you tackle the variety of writing tasks--academic, personal and professional-- that you will face in the future.
Several theories about writing will underlie our work in this course:
1. Writing is a skill that can be learned. No one is born a great writer--or a bad one. Like most skills, writing well is a matter of learning the techniques accepted in a certain environment, and then practicing them, again and again and again!
2. Writing is a process. Writing, even by the best writers, can always be improved, and most people (including professional writers and your own professors) need to rework their writing substantially before they are satisfied. One of the most important things you can learn in this class is how to revise successfully. You will work, therefore, on at least one draft of each paper before turning it in for a final grade, and you can continue to revise if you are not satisfied with your grade.
3. Writing is rarely an isolated activity. Instead, writing is a form of communication between you and an audience, either real or imagined. In this class we will give that audience a chance to talk back. You will participate in writing workshops with other writers who will help you--as you help them--make your paper stronger. It is my belief that all of us, no matter what our individual skill level, have something to offer each other in the form of writing advice. Commenting on others' writing is also a great way to learn to see your own work more critically.
You will also, of course, learn from my comments. I try to make my feedback as constructive as possible, to help you do better on your next paper, or even your next class. During any part of this course, please let me know what I can do to help you learn more.
4. Writing is a dynamic that cannot be separated from reading. We will thus discuss the form and content of the essays in Writing Material, learning not only from what the writers say, but also how they say it. This textbook introduces students to the history and politics of the writing technologies that we are all immersed in as readers and writers.
Learning Objectives:
· to develop analytical and critical strategies for reading complex texts with varied sources of information, multiple perspectives, and complicated arguments
· to identify and analyze the structure of analysis and arguments in a variety of texts and media, identifying authors’ claims, evidence, appeals, organization, and style, and evaluating their persuasive effect
· to consider the rhetorical situation for any given piece of writing, including audience, purpose, and context
· to conduct research by finding and evaluating print and electronic sources, generating information and ideas from research, and synthesizing them with respect to the topic and ideas of the writer
· to write effectively in multiple analytical and argumentative genres, generating a clearly defined topic and purpose/thesis, organizing and developing complex content and reasoning, and using standard text conventions for academic writing
· to use a flexible writing process that includes generating ideas, writing, revising, providing/responding to feedback in multiple drafts, and editing text and tone for multiple audiences
· to make productive use of a varied set of technologies for research and writing
Required Textbooks:
Ede, Lisa. The Academic Writer: A Brief Guide. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.
Tribble, Evelyn B. and Anne Trubek. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age . New York: Longman, 2002.
Ruszkiewicz, John, Daniel E. Seward, and Maxine Hairston. SF Writer. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.
Course Requirements:
· Attendance
· Weekly reading journal/exercises from Academic Writer (length varies)
· Weekly reading summaries from Writing Material (1 pg each)
· Paper 1: Writing Process/Self-Analysis (4 pgs):
· Paper 2: Rhetorical Analysis (4 pgs)
· Paper 3: Argument (6pgs)
· Paper 4: Argument (8 pgs)
· Drafts of all papers
See attached handout for details on requirements and weight of each assignment.
Attendance:
The English Department stipulates that students enrolled in any English classes must attend one of the first two class sessions; otherwise, they may be required to drop the class. In this class, students receive credit for every class attended, contributing towards a grade that makes up a substantial part of the final semester grade (see Grading Polices handout, attached). To ensure daily credit, students must sign in on each day’s attendance log.
Incompletes/Withdrawals:
Incompletes (the grade of “I”) will be granted only in an emergency situation. If you have a family emergency or serious illness, it is possible, with my approval, to momentarily put the course on hold, and receive an "I" for the semester--if you have finished the first two-thirds of the course already with passing grades. (If you are in doubt about whether you qualify, please ask.) In order to receive an Incomplete, you MUST send me a written proposal, outlining both your reasons for requesting this grade and your plans for completing the course requirements. If I agree to the Incomplete, I will fill out and send you the attached form, “Incomplete Grade Change Notice,” which you MUST sign and return to me in class or at my office before the semester ends.
When you do finish your work, I will change your "I" to the appropriate regular letter grade.Please note: According to university policy, students have only one year to complete the work or the grade becomes an F. Keep this in mind when requesting an Incomplete. I do not contact students to remind them of impending deadlines—the responsibility rests with you.
If you leave the course before it is two-thirds complete, you will need to officially withdraw on Pipeline. Student-initiated withdrawal beginning in the 5th week has three possible categories: WP: withdrawal with a passing grade to date; WF: withdrawal with a failing grade to date; WN: withdrawal if never attended or no graded work to date. If you leave the course without signing the Incomplete form and without officially withdrawing, you will receive an F on all incomplete assignments.
Research and Academic Honesty (plagiarism policy):
From the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Policy on Plagiarism: The principle of honesty is recognized as fundamental to a scholarly community. Students are expected to honor this principle and instructors are expected to take appropriate action when instances of academic dishonesty are discovered. An instructor, on discovering such an instance, may give a failing grade on the assignment or for the course. The instructor has the responsibility of notifying the student of the alleged violation and the action being taken. Both the student and the instructor are entitled to academic due process in all such cases. Acts of dishonesty may lead to suspension or exclusion. (2007- 2009 Undergraduate Bulletin, page 254)
You are expected to conduct yourself with personal and professional integrity in all aspects of the course. Academic dishonesty refers to purposeful plagiarism (copying or paraphrasing without citation) or fraud (e.g., turning a paper in that you did not write). We will review source use and citation conventions later in the semester, but in the meantime, use research only with permission from the instructor and always document its appearance in your papers. FRAUDULENT PAPERS WILL RECEIVE AN AUTOMATIC F AND CANNOT BE REVISED. All cases of plagiarism will be reported to the English Department and kept on file. Blatant or persistent cases of fraud will be reported to the university officials and can result in expulsion. Plagiarism is easy to catch--don't risk it!
Writing Center :
The Writing Center (2nd floor, UGL) provides individual tutoring consultations free of charge for students at Wayne State University. Undergraduate students in General Education courses, including composition courses, receive priority for tutoring appointments. The Writing Center serves as a resource for writers, providing tutoring sessions on the range of activities in the writing process – considering the audience, analyzing the assignment or genre, brainstorming, researching, writing drafts, revising, editing, and preparing documentation. The Writing Center is not an editing or proofreading service; rather, students are guided as they engage collaboratively in the process of academic writing, from developing an idea to correctly citing sources. To make an appointment, consult the Writing Center website: http://www.clas.wayne.edu/writing/. To submit material for online tutoring, consult the Writing Center HOOT website (Hypertext One-on-One Tutoring): http://www.clas.wayne.edu/unit-inner.asp?WebPageID=1330.
Office of Educational Accessibility Services:
If you feel that you may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, please contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Additionally, the Office of Educational Accessibility Services (EAS) coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. The Office is located in 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library, phone: 313-577-1851/577-3335 (TTD).
Other Resources:
· Academic Success Center http://www.success.wayne.edu/
· Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) http://www.caps.wayne.edu
Student-Teacher Communication:
I am happy to have as much individual contact with you as possible--feel free to email me, call me, or to set up an appointment to see me in person. I encourage you seek my help on grammar and other writing issues, to submit extra drafts, to discuss readings, and to question me about your progress. First-year writing courses are difficult, but I am here to help you getthrough it. PLEASE seek me out whenever you have difficulties of any sort. However, it is a university policy that e-mail correspondences between students and instructors must be conducted via WSU e-mail, especially when dealing with graded work or other private issues.
English 1020: Grading Policies
Grade Weighting:
Final Grades will be determined by weighting each assignment as follows:
· Attendance: 5pts/class (140 pts total)· AW journals: 10 pts/week (60 pts total)
· Reading summaries: 10 pts/week (100 pts total—your lowest score will not count)
· Paper 1 brainstorming: 10 pts
· Paper 1 draft: 25 pts
· Paper 1 final: 100 pts
· Paper 2 draft: 25 pts
· Paper 2 final: 100 pts / · Paper 3 proposal: 10 pts
· Paper 3 research journal: 30 pts
· Paper 3 outline: 10 pts
· Paper 3 draft: 30 pts
· Paper 3 final: 150 pts
· Paper 4 proposal: 10 pts
· Paper 4 research journal: 25 pts
· Paper 4 draft: 25 pts
· Paper 4 final: 150 pts
The semester grade will be calculated based on a percentage of points earned out of 1000 possible points (90-100% =A; 80-89%=B; 70-79%=C, 60-69%=D; below 60=F). Progress can be tracked using the “My Grades” link in Blackboard tools.
Late papers:
· Reading journals, summaries and drafts must be turned in the day they are due, and will not be accepted late. Students who miss class can email the instructor with missing work to receive credit.
· Final papers will be accepted for up to one week after they are due with no penalty. After that they lose one letter grade a week.
Format of papers:
· one-inch margins, double-spaced, 12 pt. Times Roman or similar font
· no skipped lines between paragraphs
· numbered pages
· centered title on first page (title page NOT necessary)
· subheads accepted and encouraged
· MLA citation style (in text)
· Works Cited page for papers using outside sources (not included in page requirement)
Other policies on assignments:
· Reading journals can be hand-written. Completely answer the questions or follow the instructions on the pages given in the syllabus. These are graded on completeness, not grammar or style.
· Summaries should be brief—no more that 250 words (1 pg double spaced) per week. They must follow the format guidelines above. They are graded on a ten point scale based on accuracy as well as grammar and style.
· Drafts of papers are not evaluated—you get credit just for doing it. However, they must follow the format guidelines above. Short drafts will have points deducted.
· Final papers MUST meet the minimum page number or will not be accepted.
· Revisions are welcome at any time up through the last day of class. Students who are not happy with a grade can always attempt to improve it. Revisions must be more then just correcting errors, however; there must be evidence of rethinking organization, content and/or style as well. A higher grade is not guaranteed.