ENC 1101 Composition 1

 

Instructor: Dr. Jill McCracken

 

Office: DAV 120 

 

Phone: 873-4740

 

E-mail: jmccrack@stpt.usf.edu

 

Office Hours: Wednesday 10-12 and 1-3

 

Course meetings: M 10:00am-12:50 pm FCT 120

 

 

Student Learning Outcomes

WPA Outcomes for First-Year Composition (http://www.english.ilstu.edu/Hesse/outcomes.html)

• Students will demonstrate Rhetorical Knowledge by focusing on audience, purpose, context, medium, and message;
• Students will demonstrate Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing by developing writing over time through a series of tasks including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing sources into their own ideas, and discussing language, power, and knowledge;
• Students will demonstrate Composing Processes through prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing individually and with peers in a range of composing media;
• Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Conventions by controlling tone, mechanics, and documentation in a variety of common formats and genres.

 

 

Course Description

In this introduction to college-level writing, you will have opportunities to develop your abilities in reading, writing, and analysis that will serve you well both as a student at USF St. Petersburg and in your life outside the university.  Regardless of your major and your chosen career, writing—along with reading, speaking, listening, computing, and problem solving—will help you to achieve a wide range of personal and professional goals.

  

Writing is a method for learning and communicating. Because we communicate with other humans, it is essential to have other humans respond to our writing—to give us feedback on how well we are communicating. In Composition I, we will focus on Conversations: Academic, Political, and Personal. 

 

We will treat writing as a process that takes time and feedback. Although I will offer you feedback on your writing, you and your peers will also offer feedback because writers need to hear from more than one person. With their help and mine, you will learn how to tailor writing for specific readers.

  

In this course you will focus on different kinds of writing projects, present oral and digital compositions, and construct a course portfolio to demonstrate and reflect on the full range of what you learn in the course.

  

Gordon Rule Requirement

According to the Gordon rule, you must develop 6000+ words (24 double-spaced, 12 pt. font pages) of polished text in this class. To show that you have accomplished this requirement, at the end of the semester you will turn in a portfolio of a significant representation of your work throughout the semester. In order for you to be able to create this portfolio, you will need to keep every single piece of work you produce in this class.

 

Required Texts

The McGraw Hill Guide: Writing for College, Writing for Life Roen, Glau, Maid

ISBN: 978-0-07-249647-5 

 

Portfolio Keeping: A Guide for Students Reynolds and Rice

  

Additional readings as assigned throughout the semester

 

The Writing

 

When reading, planning, drafting, and revising, keep these student learning outcomes in mind (designated in bold are tags that you will apply to your best writing, so that you can easily assemble a portfolio of your best work)::

 

1. rhetorical knowledge RK

• purpose
• responding to the needs of different audiences
• constraints (format, conventions, appropriateness/surprise value)
• context
• genres
• medium

 

2. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing CTRW

 

• writing for inquiry, learning, communicating, and discovery
• finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources
• integrating your ideas with those of others
• understanding the relationships among language, knowledge, and power

 

3. Process

 

• recursion and drafting
• flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proof-reading
• collaborative and social aspects of writing processes
• critique your own work and others' works
• multi-person composition: learn to balance the advantages of relying on others with the responsibility of playing your part
• multimedia composition: use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences 

 

4. Knowledge of Conventions KC

 

• awareness common formats for different kinds of texts
• genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics
• appropriate means of documenting your work
• surface features - syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

 

During this semester you will  assemble an electronic portfolio. Even though the final portfolio is not due until the end of the course, you need to work on this project throughout the whole semester. Wiki allows infinite space for emergent composing processes; the portfolio is a way to make sure you design a lens on your writing and learning for people beyond our class. The portfolio will include a cover letter in which you analyze what you have learned this semester as measured against the aforementioned course learning goals. Essentially, your assertion in the portfolio cover letter is this: “Here are the skills and knowledge that I have learned this semester, and here’s the evidence that I have acquired these skills and this knowledge.” Note that the evidence will be crucial, and you should draw on all sorts of sources to find that evidence—for instance, your journal/blog/wiki-presence, excerpts from formal/unit assignments, notes from peer-group discussions, internet chats with the collaborators in your group, and any other record of your effort. You will turn in a draft of your portfolio at mid-term with a mid-term reflection to make certain that you’re on track. 

 

Open a tab for this wiki in your browser whenever you are online. Check the Course Calendar, read your peers' wiki posts, and read morph's blog...in other words, stay in touch regularly and you'll stay in tune with weekly assignment prompts. Be sure to click on the following link, where you will find a Student Portfolio Permission Form, which you will sign and return to the professor the second week of class. If you have any questions about this form, your portfolio, or who will have access to your work, please let me know.

  

Graded Work

PROCESS WORK = 50% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE (500 points)

 

 

Participation Portfolio: Ultimately, this work which consists of daily writings & logs, blog, progress reports, online exercises and draft conferences as well as class discussion, preparation of reading materials, in class assignments, homework, conference preparation, process drafts (on time), oral and written comments from collaborative works, group evaluations, self-evaluations (reflective memos, mid-term assessments, etc.), electronic participation on discussion boards, and individual and group presentations will be collected in a portfolio at the end of the semester.

 

 

Blog: You will create a blog within this wiki or at blogger.com (including a link to your blog on our class wiki). Some blog posts will be assigned, while others will be up to you. Either way, you are responsible for approximately 3 posts a week (200 words minimum). When you blog, you should include a summary of the text and your reaction to the piece/text. List three questions that the article presented to you as the reader. In addition to writing blogs, you will respond to one another’s blog, and perhaps other blogs in the blogosphere. Reaction postings should be about 100 words and provide a response to your peer’s posting.  This will be very much like your reaction; however, this is the space that you can use to express opinion and personal viewpoints in more depth. After you receive peer comments on your blog, you should blog your reaction, again about 100 words, responding to a point or points that your peer presented. By the end of the semester, you should have at least 45 blog posts.

 

 

Wiki: We will use a multiple-user editable format (wiki) throughout this class for various purposes. You are responsible for completing any assigned wiki work.

 

 

Reflections: Each week as you work on your projects for this class, you will submit an electronic progress report in which describe the work you are doing, and how it fits in with the overall scope of the project. These will be formalized at least twice in the semester (one at midterm and one at the end of the semester to accompany the final portfolio) for feedback.

 

 

Drafts and Conferences: You are asked to participate in oral, written, and electronic peer conferences in which you will read and critique one another’s projects. You will be asked to provide feedback to your colleagues in this class for each major writing assignment. To earn all available points, you’ll need to not only respond to others’ work and their commentary on your work, but also communicate with me about your work (drafts, responses, revisions). Each time a draft is due, you will place it on the class discussion board. Members of the class will read and respond to the draft, and to each other’s comments. The author will make final changes to the draft and then submit either to me or to our clients.

 

 

Homework: You will have some form of homework for almost every class period, and I will collect that homework in class for grading. As noted elsewhere, to get full credit for homework, you need to submit it in class on the day that it is due.  The purpose of the homework is to encourage you to engage more fully with assigned readings and to be prepared to discuss them in class.

 

 

In-Class Work and Participation: To earn full credit for class participation, you need to make a positive contribution to the discussion.  Such contributions can take the following forms: Asking thoughtful questions and offering comments that move a discussion forward, showing respect for other members of the class—even if you disagree with them.  We will frequently engage in small-group work in class so that everyone can benefit from multiple forms of feedback. Writers need thoughtful feedback on their writing if they are to improve their writing skills.

 

 

FORMAL COMPOSITIONS = 50% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE (500 points)

 

 

I-Search

 

 

Writing to Analyze (Chapter 7)

 

 

Writing to Convince (Chapter 8)

 

 

Communicating with Design and Visuals (Chapter 18)

 

 

Course Portfolio (McGraw Hill Guide Appendix A; Portfolio Keeping):

You will create a course portfolio for this class that will include final versions of your major writings for the class. Even though the final portfolio is not due until the end of the course, you need to work on this project throughout the whole semester.  The project will include a cover letter in which you analyze what you have learned this semester as measured against the aforementioned course learning goals. Essentially, your assertion in the portfolio cover letter is this: “Here are the skills and knowledge that I have learned this semester, and here’s the evidence that I have acquired these skills and this knowledge.” Note that the evidence will be crucial, and you should draw on all sorts of sources to find that evidence—for instance, your writer’s journal/learning blog, excerpts from formal papers, and notes from peer-group discussions.  You will turn in a draft of your portfolio at mid-term with a mid-term reflection to make certain that you’re on track.

 

 

Grading Policies:

Not all work in this class will receive a grade on it. For some work, you will merely receive participation points; for others, you will receive feedback. Your final grade for this class will be determined by the quality of the portfolios you turn in at the end of the semester. However, you should be prepared to turn in all work you have done on any given project at any time, especially when you are asking for a tentative grade in the course.

 

 

A and B are honor grades, and they reflect active class participation, leadership in your own education, and attention to detail. I believe everyone is capable of A work, but it is work that takes both time and resources.

 

 

Attendance. You are expected to be in class because much of the significant work for the course is done during class--planning, drafting, group work, discussing samples, and practicing a variety of strategies—and missing class hurts not just you, but the entire class. Please read the section on Student Rights and Responsibilities for exact numerics of the attendance policy. You must be in class to turn in papers, and you must have your work to participate in class activities. You have a responsibility to participate fully in your own education.

 

 

Information Management. All of your work in this class must be available to be posted electronically. Please back up everything you write for this course.  Information technologies carry a trace of instability, so it is always good to have redundancy in your writing process: make copies and put them in different places! If you need more information about backing up, please see me or talk with your classmates.

 

 

Computer Labs. To find a place to work on campus, consult Campus Computing.

 

 

Individual Assignments. Individual assignments will be graded on a rubric like the basic one below. Each major assignment will have additional criteria underneath each main heading.

 

 

Grading Criteria	0—No attempt turned in	1—Incomplete Attempt	2—Needs Attention	3--Satisfactory	4--Effective	5—Highly Effective
Rhetorical Knowledge
Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing
Composing Processes
Knowledge of Conventions

 

 

 

 

Course Portfolios

The final course portfolios will be graded holistically by a team of writing instructors in a blind review. They will be scored on the following criteria, and the score for the portfolio will count 50% of your final grade for the class.

	Beginning (1)	Developing (2)	Competent (3)	Mature (4)	Exemplary (5)
Rhetorical Knowledge
Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing
Composing Processes
Conventions
Overall score

 

 

Incomplete Grade Policy. An “I” grade indicates incomplete coursework and may be awarded to an undergraduate student only when a small portion of the student’s work is incomplete and only when the student is otherwise earning a passing grade.

 

 

Make-up, Missed Work Policy. We will stipulate deadlines in our class meetings. While in-class work cannot be made up, if you must miss a class, let me know in advance so that we can rearrange draft deadlines. You are responsible for obtaining any handouts or assignments for that class session. Late work will not be accepted.

 

 

Examinations. A course portfolio will be used in lieu of a final examination.

 

 

Student Rights and Responsibilities

·        You have the right to do well in this class. You are responsible for earning the grade you want; grades are not “given,” or “deserved,” or “received.” You earn your grade by your performance not only on final drafts but also by participating in groups, drafting and revising documents, and making connections to work outside this class. Please make sure that you ask any questions you have.

You are responsible for being in class and being in class prepared. It is your right to choose to attend class. If you choose not to attend, there are certain consequences. After the third absence, you will fail the course.

If you are more than 15 minutes late to class, you will be considered absent for that day.

·        You have the right to a full class period of work. If I am unexpectedly delayed at the beginning of class, you are asked to wait 15 minutes from the beginning of class. If, after 15 minutes, a designated member of the English department has not otherwise notified you, class is dismissed.

·        You have the right to prompt feedback. This feedback will come not only from your instructor but also your peers.

·        You are responsible for showing all work (from notes to emails to presentation-ready material) you have completed over the course of the semester. Please keep all work (from handwritten notes to email to final drafts) until you receive your final grade at the end of the semester. Delete nothing (especially email) and throw nothing away. Make frequent back-ups of your electronic documents. Failure of technology is not an excuse for late or missing work.

·        You are responsible for completing all assignments for the class. You must complete all major assignments and turn in complete portfolios in order to be eligible to pass the class. All presentation portfolio material must be turned in at least twice—as drafts seen by your classmates and me, to meet this requirement.

·        You are responsible for finding out what you missed when you are not in class. Get the names, phone #s, and email addresses of at least 3 classmates. Daily agendas are posted on the class wiki with homework assignments. Be sure that you check your email and the wiki page on a regular basis before class, in class, and between classes.

·        You are responsible for contacting me when you are absent, have questions, or want to discuss your standing in the class. You may do so during office hours or by email or phone. Emergencies happen, but I can’t do anything to help unless I know about your situation.

·        You are responsible for making sure you know what is due when. If you are unsure, ask.

·        This is a work environment. We will work together to complete projects and meet deadlines. Because we will be moving at the pace set by the class, some dates may change. Any changes will be announced in class and on the course wiki.

 

 

Portfolios and Program Assessment

Please be aware that all portfolio materials should be considered public writing. Electronic portfolios will be collected and used to assess the first-year composition program. Although these documents are public, individual students will not be identified in the program assessment.

 

 

In addition, electronic portfolios may be used in composition research. Please review and complete the Student Permission Form for Portfolio Research. Although you may opt-out of the portfolio research via the student portfolio permission form, all portfolios will be collected for program assessment.

 

 

College/University Policies

 

 

Religious Preference Absence Policy. Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major religious observance must provide advance notice of the date(s) to the instructor in writing.

 

 

Accommodation Policy. Students with documented learning and/or physical disabilities in need of accommodation are strongly encouraged to work with Student Disability Services and inform the instructor about any special requirements they may have regarding note taking, reading assignments, and test taking.

 

 

Academic Dishonesty Policy. (from USF Undergraduate Catalog http://www.stpete.usf.edu/ugc/documents/MicrosoftWord-Gr.pdf)

Students attending USF are awarded degrees in recognition of successful completion of coursework in their chosen fields of study. Each individual is expected to earn his/her degree on the basis of personal effort. Consequently, any form of cheating on examinations or plagiarism on assigned papers constitutes unacceptable deceit and dishonesty. Disruption of the classroom or teaching environment is also unacceptable. This cannot be tolerated in the University community and will be punishable, according to the seriousness of the offense, in conformity with this rule.

 

 

Penalties for Academic Dishonesty. Penalties for academic dishonesty will depend on the seriousness of the offense and may include assignment of an “F” or a numerical value of zero on the subject paper, lab report, etc., an “F” or an “FF” grade (the latter indicating academic dishonesty) in the course, suspension or expulsion from the University.

 

 

Disruption of Academic Process. Disruption of academic process is defined as the act or words of a student in a classroom or teaching environment which in the reasonable estimation of a faculty member: (a) directs attention from the academic matters at hand, such as noisy distractions; persistent, disrespectful or abusive interruptions of lecture, exam or academic discussions, or (b) presents a danger to the health, safety or well being of the faculty member or students. For a specific list of behaviors that will be considered disruption of the academic process in this class, please see “It Should Go Without Saying” in Course Documents in Blackboard. This list may be amended at the instructor’s discretion.

 

 

Punishment Guidelines for Disruption of Academic Process. Punishments for disruption of academic process will depend on the seriousness of the disruption and will range from a private verbal reprimand to dismissal from class with a final grade of “W,” if the student is passing the course, shown on the student record. If the student is not passing the course, a grade of “F” will be shown on the student record. Particularly serious instances of disruption or the academic process may result in suspension or permanent expulsion from the University.

 

 

 

 

Resources for this Class

Each Other. Successful communicators compose for other people. They write or sketch things out for themselves, muddle about in ideas for a while, and eventually they realize what their main point is in communicating. At some point in this process, they begin to shape their communications for others. If others are to understand what you compose and be attentive to all your fine points, then you have to think about how you shape your text for the particular people you most want to understand your compositions. In this class, we will try to test your texts with the particular audiences you identify, but we will also test them out with each other. This process requires that in this class we develop respectful and thoughtful ways of listening and attending to each others’ communications: I want you to be able to work in the safest of contexts to get feedback on your work in order to make it as effective as possible. Therefore, you will have to get to know others in class and give their work the same respect and attention you would like for your own. You will rarely have this opportunity to take chances and be creative in your communications while receiving this careful feedback.

               My hope is that you will all be invested in the course and the ideas we explore and discover. Investment always involves a certain amount of passion, and therefore, there will be a great deal of give and take in our discussions. As I am sure we will not all share the same views, different opinions should be expressed in a manner that facilitates communication. Because writing is often a personal experience, and explores personal situations, it is imperative that we develop an atmosphere of respect and safety in this class. If at any time you are uncomfortable with the class material and/or discussions, let me know. I expect you to 1) come to class prepared and take pride in the work you do, 2) offer support and encouragement to your classmates, 3) listen to others carefully before offering your opinion, and 4) talk to me outside of class if anything that happens during class bothers you. In order to maintain a productive work environment, I expect you to turn off your cell phone or pager before each class period and refrain from eating, sleeping, reading the newspaper or your personal email, talking outside of group discussion or lectures, and entering the classroom late or leaving early without permission.

 

 

Me. People who come regularly to office hours usually get better grades in class because they give their work more attention and also are more engaged with it. When you come to office hours, you don’t need to make any special preparations: just come with a question or something on which you’re working. (And if you can’t come during my scheduled office hours, talk to me after class or send me an e-mail to make an appointment.)

 

 

Freedom of Speech and Cognitive Liberty. As you will see, classrooms are spaces devoted to free inquiry. This is a rhetorical space, one where composers are response-able to each other: they think and write in response to each other, and not to a preconceived notion of each other. Assume the best in those you study with and be generous with your respect, and you will teach them to respond in kind.

 

 

Gender and Pronoun Reference. It is no longer customary to use the masculine pronoun for cases of indefinite pronoun reference, for example, “When a professor grades papers, he is often swayed by a student’s degree of effort.”  Instead, style books recommend changing pronouns to the plural form, for example, “When professors grade papers, they are often swayed by a student’s degree of effort.” Some call this practice “gender-fair language.” Others just call it good sense. Regardless of the reason, it is required in this course, so bring your gender-bender sentences to class so we can figure them out together.

 

 

Contacting Me. The quickest and most reliable way to reach me is through e-mail (jmccrack@stpt.usf.edu). I check it often. You can also call my office at 873-4740. If you do leave a message, please leave a number where I can reach you.