English 101/Fall 2004
203 392 5024
Engleman D Wing 276
You are encouraged to creatively and critically explore all learning possibilities as a writer. Most of your writing will involve your research choices within the topics of education, art and technology. You will also do plenty of writing and thinking about your own writing processes and about your responses to assigned essays and the writing of other students. Hopefully, we can all get to know each other, respect each other, learn from each other, and appreciate and enjoy our time together this term.
Learning Goals:
1) To improve self-confidence and respect for ourselves as interesting writers and thinkers
2) To practice academic speaking, writing
and reading as modes of inquiry and persuasive expression
3) To practice increasingly sophisticated critical and creative
thinking through research, analysis, discussion, composition and revision of
academic essays, as well as to practice thinking about how creative and
untraditional writing may or may not be effective
4) To practice research skills including planning, seeking and
evaluating sources, drafting, synthesizing sources with our own ideas,
presenting finished work, and practicing correct Modern Language Association
(MLA) as a documentation style that shows readers how ideas are integrated into
essays
In addition to addressing your individual learning goals as powerfully as possible, we will achieve success with these four goals in a number of ways. We will read, re-read, and discuss essays, and we will use articles, stories, and poems to help us build our own good thinking and writing. We will practice innovative and helpful writing activities in class to help us to create our own essay ideas. And finally, we will compose, research, revise, and revise again as needed to create a portfolio of three, researched essays. At all times we will critically review our thinking, reading and writing, while we learn to reflect on our processes. Our reading goal is focused on finding ideas that we can continue to think about and develop as writers, while learning to read and do research more creatively and critically. The writing goal in this class is to develop processes that will help us create and improve the ways we articulate our best ideas. Given the quality of our resources, and the flexibility with writing challenges, there really are no limits to what we may learn and write for ourselves.
These goals will be formally assessed via written work throughout the term, and in final portfolios and learning journals. Also, these goals will be informally assessed via class discussion, conferences, and classroom behavior.
All writing students are also strongly encouraged to use tutoring resources in the Wintergreen Writing Center (392-6824). I will make every attempt to help you address your individual learning problems, but some writers need tutors and teachers. We are fortunate at SCSU to be able to offer excellent, free tutoring and I strongly encourage writers at all levels to use the help of intelligent readers.
A loose leaf binder is needed to
work as your ³learning journal² to collect: 1) reading assignments with your
reading annotations and summaries, 2) your research on your individual
grammatical and mechanical writing problems, 3) all required drafts of
assignments, 4) all of your research notes for your essays, and 5) all of your
freewriting. You will need to carefully collect and exhibit these five elements
in a loose binder for a mid-term and final grade, plus if you learn to manage
your course materials carefully, you will learn to learn better.
A Writerıs Reference (fifth edition w/CD)
by Diana HackerYou can buy the book, use it, sell it back (though I advise
keeping it handy for the rest of your life!), and still have it on your
computer with the CD.
A functioning MYSCSU email account
(If you prefer your own address, just go into your MYSCSU account and set it up
to forward your mail to your own personal address if that is your preference.)
Daily access to the Internet for
email and assigned Internet pages such as http://www.southernct.edu/~hochman/willz.html
and its links. Please let me know if you are having any access or computer
related problems as soon as possible.
At least 2 disks (floppy disks, university drives, or web storage
alternatives are acceptable)--one to
use in and out of class and one to back up all workplease test your disks at
home and in class so you can avoid storage-related problems while easily
transporting and backing up all of your class work. Back up wisely and often because your good work throughout
the term will become part of your portfolio.
Course policies begin with respecting our own and othersı ideas, and with reading and writing all assignments. It will be our policy to be writers and think about our individual writing, reading and researching processes. All questions are apropos. Students are expected to really think about important ideas within our topics, students must question readings critically (instead of giving up and not reading and carefully thinking about our assigned texts), and students must write all assignments to achieve a passing grade. Essays (from idea structures and throughout all drafts) should be formatted as college-level work. Handing in all assignments (including drafts) on time will help us manage the course most effectively. Handing in more than two essay assignments (idea structure or drafts) late will lower the final grade one plus or minus level and continue to lower the grade at that level for each additional late paper. Deadlines are part of what writers learn. To help us understand this point, no work will be accepted more than one week after the due date without permission from the professor. Extensions can be negotiated when circumstances (in my judgment) are reasonable. Students are required to do, collect and keep all in-class and out-of-class writing, and students are required to back up their word processed writing on a separate disc. We will often use computers and the Internet often in this class. If you are an inexperienced computer user, please set up a quick appointment for training with our help desk (392 5123) or stop into Schwartz 003B, the Student Technology Resource Center.
It will also be our class policy to try to enjoy our work together and to get to know each member of the classand you knowto have some fun! Also, all students are encouraged to criticize classes (and the professor), and to suggest alternative readings and learning activities to improve our classes.
All drafts of essays should be formatted using these following six college writing guidelines because practicing use of these guidelines will help ensure that all of your college writing is presentable. Use A Writerıs Referenceıs Document Design chapter for more detailed instruction.
1) Essays are word processed. Students are strongly encouraged to find effective ways to use the computer labs at SCSU and to ask questions about how to use computer resources.
2) Essays are double spaced and use 12-point font (Times or Times New Roman only).
3) Paragraphs are left indented one tab (five spaces) or not indented and separated with an extra line space between each paragraph.
4) All essay pages are numbered, use one-inch margins, and are stapled or clipped together.
5) Essays begin with the studentıs name, the due date, the course number (with section) and the professorıs name separately spaced against the left-hand margin. The title of the essay should be centered and in bold on the first page, two spaces below the heading. (All essays in this class must be titled.)
6) MLA citation style must be used to document sources. The class will review resources on using the MLA in your text and online to ensure that sources are correctly documented according to Modern Language Association (MLA) style.
Your final portfolio of three essays will achieve 60% of your grade, in-class participation (including email to our class list) will achieve 20% of your grade, composing a chronological and comprehensive learning journal will achieve 10% of your grade, and improvement and effort in class will achieve the final 10% of your grade.
Grades in the A range are earned by writers who show advanced expository, creative and analytical thinking in a coherent, well-researched, cohesive manner, as well as showing advanced consciousness and sophistication with their writing processes. These writers are typically trying to be creative and intelligent, and they will use significant support and appropriate tones to achieve results readers find interesting and informative. Their texts will be relatively free of syntax problems, their textsı meanings will not be obscured by grammatical and mechanical errors, and their use of sources will be wisely, honestly and correctly synthesized into their essays. Writers earning Aıs will be the ones others want to listen to when the class discusses readings, as well as the ones who offer others helpful ideas with writing. These writers rarely if ever miss classes or deadlines.
Grades in the B range are earned by writers who achieve good success with most assignments. B range students are practicing expository, creative and analytical thinking in a generally coherent, well-researched and cohesive manner. B range writers are typically becoming more aware of writing processes and attempting to express complex ideas more carefully. Improvement is evident in their termıs work. Their essays are always supported with the ideas of others. Their finished texts will occasionally but not consistently exhibit problems with grammar, punctuation, syntax and documentation. Writers in the B range will regularly contribute to class discussion and complete assigned work in ways that exceed minimal, college-level expectations.
Grades in the C range are earned by writers who complete the minimal course challenges in a satisfactory manner. Though doing the work, the C range writer may not be as much engaged in the writing and thinking of the classıs learning community as B or A writers. The grade of C reflects ongoing concerns with individual literacy challenges and is achieved by working to address weaknesses and trying to improve.
Sometimes, but not often, students are close to doing satisfactory work and they may earn a grade in the D range by at least attempting to answer all writing and reading challenges and showing progress.
Failure to attend class regularly and failure to complete all writing and reading assignments will result in a grade of F.
Before handing in our first essay, students will discuss grading rubrics in class to better understand how our classıs essays will be valued as part of the portfolio. However, drafts will not be gradedyour writing will receive careful scrutiny from peers and teacher (with a grade approximation), and those comments will help you to improve the writing for inclusion in your graded final portfolios. We will discuss approximate grades on papers and at mid-term, and at any time you request.
There will be interesting opportunities to attend and report on poetry and fiction readings for extra class participation credit. Even though your idea structures, drafts, and final drafts will not be graded, each idea structure, draft, and final draft should be considered as a major assignment that must be carefully and completely presented on time. Grades are reduced when work is late more than twice, and you cannot pass the class without doing all of the required work. If you are uncomfortable with not having your work graded during the term or just interested in the status of your grade, you are encouraged to stop in during office hours for specific grade approximation and hopefully some discussion about how to earn better grades and how to see your effort and work more clearly.
Since research is central in our class, we need to understand plagiarism. When students plagiarize, they intentionally use someone elseıs words or ideas without documenting sources. Instead of stealing someoneıs words or ideas, we will learn to use them more powerfully with documentation. Quoting an authorityıs words or citing someone elseıs ideas almost always strengthens our own thinking. Issues of plagiarism, when not intentionally trying to deceive readers, almost always result in better understanding about how to use sources to enhance your essay. If there is any doubt about plagiarism, please discuss them with the professor or Writing Center tutors. Intentional plagiarists will not pass this class and students proven to be academically dishonest may be expelled from the university. Letıs learn to be proud of the academic ways we present our research and our own thinkingthatıs a big part of what this course is all about. See the SCSU Student Handbook (pages 80-81) for our official statement on academic honesty.
Our class work will be
centered on workshopping and helping each other understand the texts we
experience. Therefore our class contributions must be strongly valued. After
three absences, ongoing, each absence will lower the final grade one plus or
minus level, and more than six absences will result in failure. If there are
exceptional circumstances regarding absences, please inform the professor as
soon as possible. All possible consideration and flexibility will be offered.
If you know you will have to be absent, discuss the absence in advance with me and I will ensure that you keep up with the
work. If you are absent unexpectedly, you are still required to be prepared for
the next class so I recommend that you call me during office hours if you are
not certain what our plans or previous coursework require in the next class.
(See "What to do when absent" on our homepage.)
Class Plans
The term will involve reading and discussing selected essays, articles, links, and assigned reading in texts. The purpose of our reading assignments will be to develop writing ideas. We will practice many forms of writing such as email, freewriting, creative writing, expository writing, criticism, research writing, rewriting and reflective writing. All class work will be collected in a learning journal that will be checked at midterm and graded at the end of the term. If we work well together, itıs more than likely we will improve our abilities to participate in meaningful academic discourse. In this class we will explore a variety of ways writers may compose, research and respond to texts. Plans are subject to change based on class needs, but in general, we will adapt a rhythm of reading, writing and talking that will include collaboration, research, conferences, instruction about writing, practice with writing and careful responses to our ideas.
We will creatively compose our own, individual essays and present them to our learning community for help and improvement. In the first week, the course will begin by carefully reading this syllabus, writing about some of our writing strengths and weaknesses, writing about our last experience with research, and evaluating the course as presented in the syllabus. We will write paired stories in class, and get to know each other better.
If we start thinking about our ideas about education, art and technology now, writing ideas may more quickly and powerfully come into focus when required. In other words, you might start imagining now what you could write about for the topics of educaition, art, and technology. For the first essay, you may start thinking about the differences between education and learning. What do you think education can really do? For the second essay, you may start thinking about what art is in your experience, and how your ways of experiencing art create ideas. What is your favorite art work and how can you make others experience it through you? For the third essay, you may start thinking about how technology is affecting our culture and language, and how you can make technology a more powerful learning resource by writing and researching it.
I believe that starting to think about these questions now and throughout our writing and research will give us answers and new questions about the brave new worlds of computers, art and education that we live in. I also know that good thinking creates good writing. There are no correct answers to the questions above--how you decide to respond to these questions as researchers and writers is up to youbut hopefully thinking about these questions will help you find specific ideas to care about and think about and write about during the term. In fact, I challenge you to write creative essays that use a variety of techniques to express your best thinking about what you care about most within the broad ranges of education, art, and computers. You will even be permitted to extend and connect these topics in your writing challenges if your thinking requires that flexibility.
In essence, the question behind these questions will always be, ³How do I write well in college?² and ³How will I narrow the broad topic questions into specific and individual answers that shape the idea of my essay?² Hopefully, writing about central issues in our learning lives and focusing on how we express our thinking in writing and researching to others will provide us with ideas that are interesting and necessary for our readers. Toward that goal, you will be encouraged to narrow the topics of education, art and computers into writing projects that are personally satisfying, intelligent and interesting.
There will be neither midterm nor final exam because reading, writing and researching work will be ongoing and required most days throughout the term. These plans are subject to change and students are strongly encouraged to actively discuss class planning during all stages of the term. Consult our web page for specific, day-to-day plans and assignments.
Due for our next class: Syllabus Review &Writer
Introduction
Dear Students,
I composed and researched this syllabus based on feedback from students and colleagues, and with the help of a close review of the English 101 syllabi previously used at SCSU. While scrutinizing syllabi for this course, I read a paragraph about why research is part of writing and learning. The following was written by SCSU Professor Henderson for her Fall 2000 English 101 syllabus. I believe her words are a good place for us to begin thinking about our class: ³In this course, we will be looking at all the activities writers engage in when they write, including research. I donıt know of a single writer who writes without conducting some sort of research. Research, as I think of it, is an essential part of the performanceı of writing, a choice that writers make in order to understand something better, to know something more deeply, and to make connections between our own thoughts and the thoughts of others. We will be engaging in many kinds of research acts, acts that take place both in and out of the library. We will be looking at research as an idea and exploring the choices, we, as writers, make (and the questions we ask) when we search and re-search for knowledge.² Professor Henderson does a fine job of expressing my idea of English 101 at SCSU. However, before we get too far with what this class will become, letıs do some quick work to demonstrate your understanding of this syllabus and yourself as a writer.
Please write a letter to me that analyzes your response to this syllabus. Itıs ok to criticize my writing! Are there particular points or policies that are not as clear as you would like? Do you have suggestions for how the class could operate that are creative and useful? Does this syllabus seem like writing that frames and guides a positive learning experience for you in this class? Do our own class goals reflect your understanding of English Department goals (http://www.southernct.edu/~hochman/ 101goalsandobjectives)? Why? Why not? After you have reviewed the syllabus and reflected on the course, please continue your letter by describing your previous writing instruction at SCSU or your most recent writing class elsewhere. How do previous policies and practices compare with those in this syllabus? What happened in your previous experience that seemed most beneficial or most hurtful? How does your previous experience fit into the goals and expectations of this class? Finally, you will conclude your letter by talking about yourself as a writer. What are your individual strengths and weaknesses? Why donıt you like to write? What do you like to write? What are your experiences about when you write with research? What are your particular interests? Do you have specific learning goals for this course to add to those stated in the syllabus? This writing assignment is structured to make you carefully consider our class and then think about how you, as a writer, fit into it. All letters should be wordprocessed, carefully written, and at least one page in length. This initial writing challenge is due for our next class.
I will use your letter as a writing sample of what you can show me about your critical reading and thinking abilities, your voice, and your writing abilities. Though un-graded, I advise you to put some good effort and thought into this assignment.
Sincerely,