English 101+, Fall 2009 Syllabus
025: STUDIO M 11-1215 HARV 301, CLASS T&R 1230-145 ILC 135
026: STUDIO M 1230-145 HARV 301, CLASS T&R 1230-145 ILC 135
047: STUDIO M 200-315 SSCI 307, CLASS T&R 330-445 ILC 145
048: STUDIO M 330-445 SSCI 307, CLASS T&R 330-445 ILC 145
instructor Jeremy Frey website www.u.arizona.edu/~freybaby/
email freybaby@email.arizona.edu phone 626.4875 (only during office hours)
office Computer Center (CCIT), room 236, pod G, desk 1 (at
messages & mailbox 621.1836 Department of English office; Modern Languages, room 445 (wire basket – sign the ledger)
listservs engl101-025@listserv.arizona.edu, engl101-026@listserv.arizona.edu, engl101-047@listserv.arizona.edu, engl101-048@listserv.arizona.edu
Note: This Syllabus may change with advance notice.
COURSE OVERVIEW
English 101+ is a writing course designed to strengthen your reading, scholarship and writing: it will help develop your critical thinking skills, introduce you to research and writing strategies and improve your ability to read and write at the college level. It emphasizes writing as inquiry: writing to discover, create and communicate meaning.
We will study a variety of texts: essays, poems, short fiction, films, music and our selves. We will learn strategies to closely read and apply various methods of analysis and argument. Our job as writers is to explore these texts through discussion, research and writing and then articulate our understanding and arguments. As we do so, we will contemplate the ways these texts reflect the society and culture which produced them and which continue to influence the society and culture they currently live. We will examine how current contexts affect our writing and reading of contemporary and past texts.
To this end, you will keep a journal, workshop your own and each other’s work, write short generative assignments and complete invention exercises. This writing will culminate in 3 essays: your own literacy narrative, a textual analysis of another literacy narrative, and then a contextual analysis of your original literacy narrative. Each of these essays will benefit from journaling, workshops and multiple drafts. A final exam essay will synthesize your interaction with the texts of the course.
Your responses, ideas and writing will form the subject matter of the course. Therefore, you will want to carefully read every text, contemplatively respond in your journal, and come to class prepared to share your responses, questions, ideas and writing.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
English 101+ will ask you to think, to write, to “read between the lines,” to critique your and other’s writing, and to revise. This writing intensive course emphasizes critical literacy and composing – the entire process, from invention to revising for focus, development, organization, active style, voice. You will explore independent thinking through intensive workshopping in class and as homework. You will be expected to apply concepts discussed in class and found in homework readings to your writing. Assignments will ask that you comment, analyze, and reflect on your writing and on how the writing of others is put together. You will be encouraged to go beneath the surface of representation, to speculate not only on what things say but how they are put together, to locate assumptions, beliefs, and values at work in various forms of text. In short, this course asks you to become more of a critical thinker and a more effective presenter of your perspective. Since your responses, ideas and writing will form the subject matter of our course, you will want to be sure to come to class having completed the research, writing and reading homework for the day. Please always be prepared to discuss your questions, responses, ideas and writing.
REQUIRED TEXTS & SUPPLIES
Daly-Galeano, Marlowe, Marissa Juárez, and Jacob Witt. A Student's Guide to First-Year Writing. 30th ed. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil, 2009.
Hacker, Diane. Rules for Writers, 6th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.
8.5x11 120-page spiral notebook (this will serve as your Journal).
Copies of your work as needed for class and group discussion.
UA Net account.
REQUIRED WRITING
You must complete all required writing in order to receive credit for the course.
Completing all Journal assignments, Peer Responses and Essay drafts to the best of your ability, with thought and care,
will be worthwhile in and of itself, and will improve your writing … and therefore, your final grade.
1st Essay: Literacy Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
2nd Essay: Literacy Narrative Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
3rd Essay: Literacy Narrative in Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
Final Exam: Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
Final Exam: Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
The Journal is an extremely important part of the course. It includes the work done in class, annotation comments from readings/viewings, in addition to other short writing as assigned as homework. It will have a profound effect on your course grade – either positively or negatively – because it will help you do well on your essay and portfolio assignments. In your journal, you will write short responses to readings and outside experiences, keep track of your research, describe your interviews and/or field observations, and reflect on your writing process. All of this will serve as invention (discovery and exploration of your subject) for the essays. I also expect you to respond to everything we read in your Journal. The focus for these assignments will be indicated on the syllabus or announced in class; in order to get the most out of the Journal, it should show evidence of critical thinking. Succeeding in this writing will have a profound effect on your grades, in this class and others, as you will strengthen your ability to interact with the texts of any given course.
Written Assignments (bolded & italicized)
Formal Assignments You will write 3 out-of-class essays. Your 1st essay will be a Literacy Narrative. For this essay you'll need to “unpack” and reconsider a familiar “stories” about what literacy is and how it works. For your 2nd essay, a Literacy Narrative Analysis, you will analyze a literacy narrative essay for its strategies and craft. Finally, for your 3rd essay, the Literacy Narrative in Context, you will stand back and examine your 1st essay and discuss it in terms of other “texts” or “lenses.” You will explore how your essay can be better understood given some context. For the Final Exam, you will revise and reflect on your Literacy Narrative, taking into account what you have learned this semester.
The 3 out-of-class essays will be written through a process of drafting and workshopping, both in-class and as homework. Based on comments you receive from your peers and me, you will revise all your essays. Revisions should show significant changes in focus, organization, development, and sentence level style, according to feedback you receive from the workshop and from your instructor.
You will also attend one Studio per week. The writing assignments in Studio will reinforce and emphasize your writing process; they will ask you to work through a serious re-vision; re-thinking and re-consideration of your ideas to better present intellectually and emotionally engaging writing. You will be asked to bring written work to class. You will receive course credit for rough drafts, so pay attention, attend all classes, and come prepared with written work as assigned.
Informal Assignments These include journal entries, in-class writings, reader responses, and workshop evaluations. The nature of the assignments is keyed to the formal essay you are currently working on, and I may ask that some or all informal writings assigned during that unit be turned in with the final version of the essay as part of its portfolio. If your printer jams and you can’t get the assignment to class on the day it is due, come to class on time anyway and turn the assignment into the English office by 445pm that day and you will get full credit.
COMPOSITION COURSE POLICIES STATEMENT
approved by WriPAC on
A Student’s Guide to
First-Year Writing: All first-year composition
students are required to purchase the Student’s Guide. The Guide
addresses the matters outlined below. Also see the Writing Program web page: http://english.arizona.edu/index_site.php?id=36. Introduction to Research: All
First-Year Composition Students are required to do documented research. For
more on research, see also the Main Library web page. Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Composition courses
are workshop classes that include in-class writing, peer group work, and
conferences. Therefore, students should not be late and should not miss
classes. Any class work missed as a result of tardiness or absence is the
student’s responsibility to make up, if the instructor allows make-up work.
Students who miss more than three classes of a MWF course or more than two of a
TR course may be dropped within the first 8 weeks with a W. Each absence above
the allowed number will result in a one percent deduction from a student’s
final grade if that student remains in the course. Students may fail during the
second half of the semester for excessive absences. All holidays or
special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those
students who show affiliation with that particular religion. Note that a dean’s
note justifies absences for UA functions but must be presented to your
instructor. Doctor’s appointments, etc. do not count as excused absences, so
use your absences wisely. If you have a legitimate conflict or an extreme
emergency, discuss is with your instructor. Requirements for Writing
Assignments: 1) In-class and
out-of-class writing will be assigned throughout the course. Students not in
class when writing is assigned are still responsible for completion of the
assignment when due. 2) Late work will not be accepted without penalty unless
students make arrangements for an extension before the due date. 3) Students
are required to keep copies of all drafts and major assignments until after the
end of the semester. 4) Drafts must be turned in with all essays. Drafts should
show significant changes in purpose, audience, organization, or evidence. 5)
Final copies should be typed and double-spaced with numbered pages and a title.
Course Content: If any of the course
materials, subject matter, or requirements in this course contain materials
that are offensive to you, speak to your instructor. Usually, the resolution will be to drop the
course
promptly.
Conferences: Individual or small group conferences with the instructor
may be scheduled. Students should come to conferences prepared to discuss their
work. A missed conference counts as an absence. Grades: The Student’s
Guide explains grading policies, methods of responding to drafts and final
copies, and the standards of assessment of the Writing Program. Instructor’s
comments will consider the following aspects of writing, in the context of a
particular assignment: purpose, audience, content, expression, organization,
development, mechanics, and maturity of thought. Students cannot receive a
passing grade in first-year composition unless they have submitted drafts and
final versions for all major assignments and the final exam. Incompletes are
awarded in case of extreme emergency if and only if 70% of the course work has
been completed at the semester’s
end. Academic
Dishonesty and Plagiarism: All UA students are responsible for upholding
the Code of Academic Integrity, available through the office of the Dean of
Students and online at http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity.
Read the summary in the Student’s Guide. Submitting an item of academic
work that has previously been submitted without fair citation of the original
work or authorization by the faculty member supervising the work is prohibited
by the Student Code of Conduct. Class Conduct: All UA
students are responsible for upholding the Student Code of Conduct, which can
be read online at http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/studentcodeofconduct.
Students with Disabilities: If
you anticipate accessibility issues related to the format or requirements of
the course, please meet with your instructor to discuss ways to ensure your
full participation. If you determine that formal, disability-related
accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with
Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu) and that you notify your
instructor of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations so that you and
instructor can coordinate them.
Syllabus: Each instructor will distribute a course syllabus during the
first week of class. Instructors will review the course syllabus and policies
with students. Students should talk with the instructor if they anticipate a
need for alternative assignments or readings.
Essay Grades and Credit: 1) An E is assigned to an essay that has been
completed but that falls short of acceptable college-level work. This grade
earns points (determined by assignment percentage) toward your course total. A
zero is recorded for work not handed in at all. Always submit your work even if
it is so late that it will earn an E. Failure to hand in a major assignment
automatically results in a failing grade for the course. 2) You are required to
keep hard copies of all of your work to file a grade appeal at semester’s end
(see Guide Appendix A) or in case an
assignment is misplaced and you are asked to resubmit it. 3) The instructor
will not evaluate an essay or assign credit for it without first seeing the
required drafts. Electronic submissions are not acceptable
unless special arrangements have been made. You may not assume that you have
met a deadline by sending work in electronic form without permission. Class Etiquette: Cell phone
and other electronic devices may not be used in class. (Exception: approved
note-taking equipment.) Eating is not allowed in class. Please plan on staying
in class for the whole class period unless it is urgent for you to leave or you
have made arrangements with your instructor ahead of time.
MY ADDITIONS TO THE ABOVE COURSE POLICIES
This syllabus constitutes a contractual arrangement. In other words, by teaching the class, I agree to abide by these rules; by taking the class, you agree to abide by them as well.
Required Writing: Daily writing assignments, responses to readings, drafts, peer responses, and any other writing assigned on syllabus or in class are required: you must complete all assigned writing in order to receive full credit. Doing all work to the best of your ability will improve your writing and earn you a higher grade – but the following are some specifics.
Essay preparation (for all rough, revision and final drafts): Typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman with 1” margins and numbered pages. Create a title, use headers. Proofread. Computers are available without charge at several OSCR labs on campus; for info see Student’s Guide Appendix C, call CCIT 621-HELP or stop by CCIT Room 224.
Plagiarism, even when unintentional, is a serious offense. Learning how to correctly document your sources is an important part of this course as you will be expected to know how to do this in your other courses. If you ever have any questions about how to document a source, ask me. What’s more, plagiarism probably won't work in this class. Work will require that you use your voice and do your own thinking, which is all part of good writing. Plagiarized papers don't sound like you. They sound canned, disembodied, processed, and often have little sense of context, purpose, or audience. They are also very searchable. Using plagiarized work is not worth the risk.
Phones/Blackberries/IPods/Laptops/Notebooks/Any&All Technology Devices: Though helpful before and after class, they will be turned off and in a bag or pocket by the beginning of Class and/or Studio, and will remain so until we dismiss. If need be, you can talk with me personally regarding assistive devices.
Attendance – Be prompt. Please use courtesy as well as common sense. Chronic lateness will affect your grade; arriving extremely late and/or leaving extremely early counts as an absence.
Guidelines for Classroom Interaction: We will sometimes read/view and discuss controversial or disturbing texts, and will need to respect one another’s opinions about them.
To receive credit for Studio, you can miss only one. If you miss more than one, you will not receive full credit for the studio percentage of the course, nor will you receive a high grade for studio participation. To receive full credit for the Studio, you will be expected not only to attend, but to participate and to bring written work as assigned.
Grading: To complete this course successfully, you must attend class, participate in the workshops, complete all assignments on time, prepare for class, and participate in class activities and discussions. You cannot receive a passing grade in this class unless you have submitted all major assignments and the drafts that show your revisions of your essay. To receive full credit, all written assignments must be submitted on time, in the proper format and with the required supporting materials (i.e., all drafts, peer reviews, etc.) associated with that particular assignment. Late essays will receive a grade reduction of one letter grade per day that the paper is late, unless you have arranged an extension with me before the due date.
(Be sure to keep a copy of each assignment in the (rare) event that I lose it: If you do not keep a copy, you will have to rewrite it.)
Specific requirements of individual assignments may vary, but in all cases my evaluation of your essays will consider content, organization, development of ideas, expression, mechanics, and maturity of thought. "C" work is competent, adequate work for college level writing. "B" work shows some original, complex thought about your topic and has the expressive mastery to convey those thoughts to an interested, educated reader. "B" work goes beyond self-evident, general ideas that only summarize, and it focuses the discussion on a topic narrow enough to discuss in a short paper. "B" work makes an original, debatable, important claim that teaches something, creates new meaning. "A" work is this and more: It is eminently readable, engaging, and interesting as a piece of writing. It fulfills the assignment by becoming more than the sum of its parts. It is complex, important, developed, organized, rhetorically appropriate, and mechanically flawless. To get an "A" in this course, all work will have to be superbly thought through and presented; you will have to hit the ground running and keep running throughout the semester. If you have a question about my comments or a grade you have received, be sure to talk to me about it.
Turn in all assignments, even if you believe they are poorly done. The difference between an E grade and O is that E is assigned for something turned in; O means the assignment was never submitted. Even an E will carry some credit toward your final grade, so always turn in the assignment.
The Writing Center is a free resource for UA undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff. At the Writing Center, a trained peer consultant will work with you individually on anything you’re writing (in or out of class), at any point in the writing process from brainstorming to editing. Appointments are recommended but not required. For more information or to make an appointment, call 626-0530, drop by the office in the east lobby of the Nugent Building, or visit their website.
Another free resource, the Writing Skills Improvement
Program, offers free professional writing assistance to students in any course
or discipline, at all levels from first-year composition through graduate
school, at any stage of the writing process. At WSIP, students can register to
work one-on-one in hourly sessions with a member of their professional staff,
each of whom has an advanced degree (M.A. or Ph.D.) as well as years of
experience in teaching at the university level.
Students may register with WSIP if they meet just one of the following
eligibility requirements: 1) are a member of an ethnic minority, 2) are
receiving need-based financial aid, or 3) have a referral from an instructor (a
quick phone call or e-mail is sufficient). WSIP also offers three series of
free Weekly Writing
Workshops for which no prior registration is necessary. For more
information, call 621-5849, visit their office at
SWINE FLU & RELATED SYMPTOMS APPENDIX
Date: September 13, 2009
To: University of Arizona Deans,
Department Heads and Faculty
From: Meredith Hay,Executive
Vice President and Provost
Subject: Class Attendance During A Flu Outbreak
Given the resurgence of the H1N1 pandemic influenza virus that seems to be occurring
early this fall semester, I am asking for your assistance with several
interventions that may help to mitigate the impact of this pandemic flu on the
UA campus community.
The first is to communicate to your students the importance of staying home if they
become ill with flu symptoms. They should remain at home until they are free
of a fever for 24 hours. The following is a sample of a message that could
be placed in the syllabus or communicated to the students in other ways:
"If you become ill with the flu, do not come to class until you have had
no fever for 24 hours. You are responsible for contacting me via email or
phone as soon as you can to let me know you are ill. You are also
responsible for any work missed while you are ill including assignments and
exams."
The following has been communicated to UA students in a letter regarding H1N1 from
the Executive Director of the Campus Health Service that has been distributed
electronically:
"Academic departments will also be asked to accommodate students who need
to be out of classes due to influenza and to help them stay connected and up-to-date
on their course work through phone, internet and email communications. If
students become ill with the flu, it will be their responsibility to initiate
and maintain communications with their instructors."
The second intervention we need your assistance with is to request that during this
flu season, instructors not require a note from Campus Health or the student's
doctor if their students miss class due to illness. The rationale
for this request during this pandemic flu outbreak includes:
1. Campus Health is already seeing a significant increase
in demand for care and anticipates this will continue through the coming weeks
and months. They also anticipate some increase in staff absenteeism due
to illness that will strain Campus Health's capacity to see patients.
2. Most students who are ill with the flu can be managed
through rest and self care. In order to decrease exposure to others,
students with flu symptoms are being encouraged to stay home and not go to the
clinic unless they are having severe symptoms.
3. Experience at Campus Health has shown that students
needing notes generally come in when they are feeling well or much less ill and
therefore at a point when they don't need to see a doctor. In that
circumstance, they are using staff resources that could be applied to more
severely ill students.
Campus Health has agreed to work with students and instructors to provide a doctor's
note in the event of a missed exam due to illness if Campus Health can verify
that the illness occurred.
Finally, the same recommendation on class attendance made above applies to faculty
and teaching assistants who become ill with the flu. Please follow this
advice for the sake of your health as well as the health of your colleagues,
coworkers and students.
Your assistance with encouraging instructors to honor these requests would be greatly
appreciated and will help us to decrease the impact of the pandemic flu on the
overall functioning of the UA campus community this fall and winter. Thank you.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
BELOW IS A FORM that faculty may use for students who say they have the flu. This
student sign-off form will be placed on the Provost's website by tomorrow to
allow faculty to be able to download it.
Student With Flu-Like Symptoms
(Please print legibly)
YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
___________________________________
FROM (YOUR Name):
___________________________________
YOUR STUDENT ID:
___________________________________
DATE OF ABSENCE(S):
___________________________________
DATE FORM SUBMITTED:
___________________________________
Check appropriate boxes below:
I have confirmed that I have symptoms of the flu because:
I was told this by a health care professional
OR
I have looked at the UA Campus Health Flu website and determined that my
symptoms are the same as those stated on the website.
http://www.health.arizona.edu/webfiles/health_topics_influenza.htm
I am aware that I am responsible for completing any work that I miss including
assignments, quizzes, and tests.
I also understand that it is my responsibility to communicate with my
instructor through the means of communication established by my professor (D2L,
phone, email, etc).
NOTE: THIS IS AN EXCUSE FOR ONE CASE OF FLU PER SEMESTER. IT WILL
NOT COUNT AGAINST THE ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR YOUR COURSE.
