WR 121: English Composition
Fall term, 2007 – 3 credits
Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 8:00-8:50
Rook 209
Instructor: Sue Pesznecker (PEZ-nekker)
Office: Rook 231; office hours: 10:00-11:00 am, M-W-F; I’m also generally available other times on M-W-F mornings.
Email: peszneck@pdx.edu
Phone: 503-657-6958 x2153
In this course, we’ll review the structure, content, and processes associated with college writing. By the end of the class, you’ll have explored several styles of academic writing and will be familiar with the MLA (Modern Language Association) style of citation formatting. When faced with a writing task, you’ll be able to work through the process of generating ideas, organizing them into an essay, and polishing the final product. You’ll also have a good idea of how to adapt your writing to a variety of academic and real-life situations.
Required Texts and Materials
Bring to every class:
1. Bruce Ballenger’s The Curious Writer (Concise Edition); ISBN 0-321-43781-0.
2. Jane E. Aaron’s LB Brief (Third Edition); ISBN 978-0-205-53059-5.
3. A spiral notebook and pen or pencil for in-class notes and writing
You’ll also need:
1. A personal “system” for organizing and saving all of the work done in this class, for the duration of the class—this includes invention work, drafts, notes, etc. Everything!
2. Copier or printer access: you will occasionally be asked to make copies of your writing for your small writing group. This must be done before class on the day the pieces are due.
Recommended but not required: A small dictionary (a dictionary/thesaurus is even better).
As part of this class, I’ve created a class blog: http://cccwritinginthefall.blogspot.com/. You can read (and respond to) the blog simply by going to this URL. I’ll use the blog to post homework assignments, a copy of the syllabus, and materials to help you with the class.
Here at CCC, everyone wants you to succeed in your class work as well as in all aspects of your student life. When in doubt, or any time you have concerns, contact your instructors, academic advisors, or other CCC staff. We’re here to help!
Course Prerequisites
You must either be test-placed in RD-115 or WR 121, or must have successfully completed WR 095 (receiving a C or better) before you may take this class. If you haven’t passed WR 095 or been placed in this class through testing, you may not be ready for WR 121. Please see me immediately if you have concerns about this.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to:
• Exercise original thought in generating, selecting, and narrowing topics;
• Choose appropriate supporting material for an essay;
• Arrange ideas in a logical way, maintaining unity and coherence in a well-developed essay;
• Use various methods of development to explain and support a thesis in multi-paragraph essays;
• Write grammatically correct and complete sentences in class activities and in graded assignments;
• Summarize the main ideas of various essays and read essays critically to analyze thesis, structure, and verbal/written patterns of development;
• Use MLA format to cite sources appropriately and correctly, both in class activities and in graded assignments;
• Work through a personal writing process that includes these stages of choosing and narrowing a topic, generating ideas, drafting, revising, and proofreading.
• Use word-processing software to create, save, and print a file;
• Use a computer to access and navigate course-related web sites (as necessary).
Peer Writing Groups
On the second or third day of class, you’ll be organized into peer writing groups, each with 4-5 students. You’ll sit with and work with your group throughout the term; your responsibilities as a student in WR 121 include being an active member of this group. I think you’ll be pleased to find how much you’ll help each other as you grapple with new reading and writing tasks.
Please share an email address or other contact information with your writing group members.
Course Requirements
Details of each assignment will be provided in class; the following is an explanation of what will go into your final grade.
**Participation and Process: 15 percent of course grade
Regular attendance is essential! This class requires participation—as an individual, as a class member, and as a member of your writing group. Simply just showing up to class won’t earn you anything higher than a ‘C’—you must take an active role. You may miss up to two classes without penalty; after that your grade will be affected. If you miss six or more classes, you’ll likely fail the class. Workshop days—noted on the schedule—are especially important; please don’t be absent on those days. Note: classes may begin with a short quiz covering assigned reading; if you’re late, you’ll miss it, and it can’t be made up.**Essays: 40 percent of course grade; 10 percent for each 3-4 page essay:
I would like to meet with each of you at least once this term. This meeting counts for 5% of your final grade. I’ll work with you on scheduling, and I’m also available to you at any time you have questions or if you’d like to discuss your work in the class. Feel free to drop by during office hours for help, encouragement, or just conversation. If you receive consistently low marks you should definitely come see me for individual tutoring. If possible, email me first so I can set aside and devote the time to you.
a. Diagnostic essay (written in-class on day one or two)**Writing Process Assignments: 20 percent of course grade; 5 percent for each 2-page task:
b. Analysis essay
c. Personal narrative essay
d. Position (proposal) essay
a. Reader response journal**Final Reflective Letter: 5 percent of course grade
b. Review of film, book, short story, or nonfiction piece
c. Summary of a nonfiction essay
d. Critique of an argument/position paper
**Final Essay (in-class): 20 percent of course grade (written in class on the final day)
Grading
Grades for individual assignments will be assigned as follows:
A: (90-100%) Assignment includes everything needed for a grade of ‘B,’ and shows skilled execution of the basic tenets of writing, as well as explicit attention to detail and careful proofreading. The work has few if any errors.Final grades will be assigned as follows:
B: (80-89%) Written assignments are complete and work is of good quality. Essays are at least 3-4 pages long with few errors. All work shows evidence of careful reading, thoughtful preparation, and a genuine interest in improving one’s writing.
C: (70-79%) Assignment meets the minimum course requirements. There may be multiple spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.
D/F: (below 70%) Assignment is short, unsatisfactory, or missing key elements; the work does not meet the minimum course requirements, there are frequent errors, and the student shows insufficient interest in developing his or her writing skills.
A: (90-100%) All requirements for a grade of ‘B’ are met. There is explicit attention to detail in all aspects and opportunities of “process” and class participation. Work is of high quality and shows excellent effort.Extra Revision Option (ERO): Most written work turned in on time is eligible for an extra revision option, under the following guidelines:
B: (80-89%) Individual assignments are of ‘A’ or ‘B’ quality with few or no absences and little or no late work. The student has been an active participant in class and small group activities. The student’s work shows improvement as the term progresses.
C: (70-79%) Individual assignments are of ‘C’ quality or above. Assignments and participation meet the minimum class requirements. Work over the term shows minimal improvement or effort. There may be late or missing work and multiple absences.
D/F: (Below 70%) Assignments are short, unsatisfactory, or missing key elements. There may be excessive absences or failure to be active in class or in small group work. Assignments do not meet minimum course requirements, nor has the student shown genuine interest in developing better writing skills.
• From the day a graded draft is returned to you, you’ll have one week to write and submit an optional extra revision. In other words, if you receive a paper back on Monday, a revised draft would be due the following Monday. Tracking this schedule is up to you.Late work: Work turned in late receives a 1-grade deduction (e.g., an A- becomes a B+, etc.) for each day of lateness. If not turned in by 1 week after the original due date, work receives zero points. Note that an essay turned in on time and graded as D or F still receives points and receives the ERO (see above). The moral of the story? Turn your work in on time!
• Your revision must be turned in with the original graded draft.
• The ERO is not available for late papers or for in-class essays.
• Essay #4 is not ERO-eligible, as it’s due the Friday before Finals Week.
Additional Policies
Add/Drop, Withdrawals, Audits, and Incompletes: I cannot add students after the first week of the term, regardless of College-wide registration procedures. Students who withdraw early in the term will not need my signature. Students who withdraw late in the term will need my signature and may be responsible for a course grade. I will not drop students who simply stop coming to class. If you disappear and do not withdraw, expect an F. Students who wish to Audit the class must make that clear to me in writing by the end of Week 8.
Absences: Absences are not an excuse for late work. If you are ill or must be absent, there are many ways to get your work to me on time: you can send it with a classmate; you can drop it off during my office hours; and if you contact me first, I may accept it via email. If you expect a prolonged absence, please contact me to discuss as soon as you can.
Did You Miss Class, and Need to Get the Assignments? Check the blog, or contact one of your group members.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism means that you misrepresent someone else’s work or thoughts as your own. This includes cutting, pasting, or copying material without citing it. It includes copying someone else’s work and turning it in as yours. It also includes using someone’s ideas—even if paraphrased—without giving them credit.
Plagiarism is an unacceptable and extremely serious action. It is grounds for failure of the essay in question and possibly of this class. We’ll discuss and study plagiarism throughout the term. If you have questions about it at any time, please ask me, or send me an email. I will check student work for plagiarism throughout the course.
Email correspondence: I am available by email and generally respond to messages within 24 hours. When you write me an email, it “counts,” i.e., please use professional writing skills. Include a greeting or salutation as well as some kind of closing or signature. Don’t use slang or the type of Internet jargon that you might use when texting your friends. Be conscious of the words you choose and how they may come across by whoever is reading your email (in other words, think about your tone). Review your message for error before you hit
Be awake! Our class meets early—if I have to be present and awake, so do you! ☺ Please be on time, and give yourself enough time before class to eat, have coffee, or do whatever you need to do to be fully awake.
Food and Drink in Class: Eat breakfast before you come to class. (Again, I have to, so I expect you to do the same.) Food is distracting in a writing classroom, and I don’t want to grade papers with little grease circles on it. Coffee, tea, and other beverages are permitted.
Cell Phones and Other Electronics: Our class is a CELL PHONE-FREE zone. Cell phones, pagers, PDAs, iPods, MP3 players, laptops, and all related electronic items must be OFF during class sessions. If you want to use a laptop during class (and I don’t encourage this), see me privately. Laptops may not be used during in-class essay writing.
Submitting Assignments: All out-of-class assignments must be submitted as typed hard copy—please do not email me electronic files, as I won’t open or accept them. See the class style guide (below) for an example of how to set up your typed papers. Handwritten assignments (i.e., those done in class) must be legible. (If I can’t read them, how can I grade them?)
Late Papers: You’ll have plenty of notice as to when assignments are due, and ample time to turn them in. There should be no reason for late work. I do not give incompletes unless: (a) the situation is dire (i.e., family or personal emergency); (b) you have already completed enough of the class work that you can finish the remainder quickly, and (c) you sign an English department contract stipulating your intention of completing the class within a set time.
Learning Disabilities: If you have a documented learning disability, and need any special provisions in order to succeed in the class, let me know during the first week of the term. You should also contact Casey Sims, Coordinator of Special Services at casey@clackamas.edu or at 503-657-6958, ext. 2324. Casey can also provide suggestions if you think you may have a reading or writing disability, or have struggled with these topics in the past.
Extra Credit (due by the end of Week 9): You may earn up to 3% in extra credit for the following activities during the weeks we’re in class:
1. Attending a public reading by a poet or writer, and writing a (typed) 1-page summary of the event.
2. Reading a book during the class period and writing a 1-page summary of the work.
3. Completing other extra credits tasks that you have negotiated with me before the event.
Save Your Work: SAVE EVERYTHING! Don’t throw away any of your writing work for this class, even if it seems rough or unfinished. This includes brainstorming exercises, notes, outlines, rough drafts, etc. You may end up needing some or all of this over the course of the class. When using the computer to create your final paper, save each draft under a different filename.
Diversity Statement: In this class community, we respect the rights of all persons, regardless of race, class, gender, age, ethnicity, spiritual practices, sexual orientation, political affiliation, physical ability, or size.
Style Guide
Unless written and turned in during a class session, all assignments should be typed and double-spaced, with a standard 12-pitch font and 1” margins. All work should have a title. Number your pages in the upper right corner; begin the numbering on page 2. Staple pages together—no paper clips or fingernailed fold-overs, please!
See the printed course syllabus for an example of how to set up your papers.
