The Curious Writer: An Introduction to Writing & Research 106: FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION SPRING 2006 ENGLISH Instructor: Section: Jessica Mehr 106-1701 Office: HEAV 412 Office Hours: Phone: 908-337-1306 Email: jmehr@purdue.edu Classrooms: WTHR 214 (Monday) HEAV 104 (Tuesday, Thursday) HEAV 223 (Conferencing) Web http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~jmehr/106/ Site: spring2006_home.htm Course Description: Above all, this semester is about become a better writer At the University of Virginia, it took me years to realize that the difference between my A and B papers was not the sophistication of my ideas or the eloquence of my prose, but a lack of proper planning and drafting In contrast, I’d like you to discover this lesson by the end of the Spring semester We will focus a great deal on the stages of completing an assignment: invention, research, planning, drafting, and revising The goal of this is not for you to adopt my writing process, but to adapt these stages into the process that works best for you Understand that improving and gaining confidence in your writing ability will require time and sustained effort You should expect to some reading and writing in preparation for every time we meet, and it is crucial that you participate and keep up with all assignments You can think of this course as an opportunity to develop or refine your written communication skills, where you think about how to write differently for particular audiences But you can also think of this course as knowledge making, not just knowledge reporting Rather than simply being passive recipients of knowledge, inquiry-based learning requires you to ask questions rather than settle for easy answers Course Goals: • • • • • • • To develop effective and efficient processes for your own writing To read critically and write reflectively To plan, draft, revise, and shape your writing for multiple needs and audiences To develop your ideas fully, support them strongly, and organize them effectively To access, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources To create, interpret, and evaluate a variety of types of texts integrating verbal and visual components To demonstrate coherent structure, effective style, and grammatical correctness Required Texts: • • The Curious Writer by Bruce Ballenger, 2005 (University Bookstore across from PMU) The Brief Penguin Handbook, Second Edition, 2006 (University Bookstore across from PMU) • Course Packet (Copy Mat, Chauncey Village) Course Calendar: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~jmehr/106/spring2006_calendar.htm I have attached a tentative overview of the semester Reading and homework are subject to change, so it is imperative that you check the online course calendar weekly in order to be prepared for class Purdue Writing Lab: (located in HEAV 226) or at http://owl.english.purdue.edu Whether you are planning the project or editing the final draft, The Writing Lab’s tutors can offer you one-on-one feedback (by appointment) I count each visit to the Writing Lab as extra credit Course Policies: Promptness and Attendance I offer you four (4) absences without penalty, but it is your responsibility to find out what was missed and turn in all assignments on the day that they are due Only one of those absences may be a conference; peer reviews or presentations may not be missed Each additional absence will lower your final grade by 10% I not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences, so I suggest you use these absences wisely and save them for real illnesses or emergencies Please be on time to class Three “lates” count as an absence Participation and Conduct Participation means arriving to class on time and fully prepared, and being attentive and engaged while in class I give daily grades on participation To be fully prepared, bring all texts to class every day and have all homework and readings completed Checking e-mail, text messaging, chatting, Web surfing, falling asleep, doing homework for another class, reading The Exponent, or being otherwise disengaged or disruptive not only represents the height of rudeness but also will lower your grade If your cell phone rings or you are caught text messaging, you will be asked to leave and receive an absence for the day Late Assignments Assignments must be submitted at the beginning of class on the day that they are due I not accept late work If you anticipate a problem completing assignment, you must contact me at least 24 hours ahead of time to discuss a possible extension You are permitted extension for the semester Computer mishaps are not an excuse for being unprepared I suggest you keep copies of all your assignments stored in your Purdue career account and backed up on other media (such as a flash drives or CD-ROM) Academic Honesty Plagiarism means representing someone else’s work as your own Doing so “accidentally” is no different than doing so deliberately As you get into more advanced writing, it becomes important that you read, take notes on, and incorporate sources productively and fairly We will spend some class time discussing ways to avoid plagiarism, but please note that violations of academic honesty can and will result in automatic failure of the course Always ask me if you are unsure about how to use a source fairly Conferencing The format of this course requires that you meet with me every other week to discuss work individually or in small groups I’ve broken you up into Groups A1, B1, A2, B2, and have indicated on the Course Calendar which days you should be there If you miss more than conference, your final grade will be lower 10% for each additional absence Please come to meeting prepared, with a copy of the current assignment and any comments or questions you might have about the course Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation Jessica Mehr Spring 2006 p2 Sweat the small stuff! Despite what you may have been taught, “little” mistakes impact your paper in a big way Failing to proofread or glaring spelling errors diminish your credibility as a writer and can affect your final grade If you are unsure about a grammar concept, look it up in your Penguin Handbook It was $50 after all Use it! I will not edit, proofread, or “correct” all errors in your papers but I will note certain patterns of grammatical error and give you guidance in seeking them out My Comments / Revisions You should always feel free to meet with me if an assignment is unclear, if you get stuck, or if my first response on an assignment is unhelpful Most of my comments will be on your rough drafts and geared towards revision You will be required to turn in two formal revisions during the semester; however, you may revise any assignment for a higher grade I believe in rewarding effort, and often give extra credit to students who visibly work hard on their drafts If you’ve done extra prewriting, outlining, or revising, include those notes with your final draft so I can see what you’ve done Instructor’s Absence In the unlikely event that I am unable to attend a class, I will everything I can to contact you beforehand If I am more than 10 minutes late you are permitted to leave Being Your Own Advocate Students with disabilities must be registered with Adaptive Programs (494-1247) If you are eligible for academic accommodations because you have a documented disability that will impact your work in class, please schedule an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss your needs Assignments By the end of the semester, you will have completed 35-40 pages of polished writing and created an online Portfolio to showcase your work These assignments should be typed with your name, date, and word count in the upper left hand corner Grade Breakdown: • Participation & Homework • Memoir • Critical Analysis Paper* • Annotated Bibliography • Short Assignments (SRA’s) • Final Research Essay: • Digital Portfolio 15% 10% 15% 10% 15% 25% 10% Grading: All of your assignments will have specific grading criteria; however, these are the basic differences between letter grades: 70-79 (C): Average You did what the assignment asked of you Work in this range usually needs revision, but it is complete in content and organization and is logical The style, verbal and visual, is straightforward but unremarkable 80-89 (B): Very Good You did what the assignment asked of you with high quality Work needs a little revision, is complete in content, organized well, and shows special attention to style and visual design 90-100 (A): Superior You did what the assignment asked for at a high quality level, and your work shows originality and creativity Show all the qualities listed above for a B; but it also Jessica Mehr Spring 2006 p3 demonstrates that the author took extra steps in developing content, style, and clarity Needs little to no revision 60-69 (D): Poor Barely fulfills the assignment and needs major revision The content is incomplete and the organization is hard to discern Verbal and visual style is non-existent or chaotic Below 60 (F): Don’t go there! This is usually reserved for people who don’t show up or turn in the assignment, or turn in papers that glaringly lacking in length or criteria fulfillment The Curious Reader: Analyzing Texts Week 01-09-06 WTHR 214 01-10-06 HEAV 104 01-11-06 HEAV 223 01-12-06 HEAV 104 01-13-06 HEAV 223 Lecture Topics Introduction to Course: Writing as Process Reading as Process 01-17-06 HEAV 104 01-18-06 HEAV 223 01-19-06 HEAV 104 01-20-06 First Day Writing Due Curious Writer (CW) pp 3-15, 20-27, 49-53 Group A1 Everything is an Argument Penguin pp 5-13, CW 283-295 Homework: “Inquiring Into The Essay” p 295, Questions 2-3 Group B1 Week 01-16-06 WTHR 214 Readings/Assignments Due Lecture Topics Readings/Assignments Due No classes Everything is a Text: Rhetorical Situation of Songs Penguin pp 71-85 Homework: Online Grammar Exercises Group A2 Audience, Purpose, and Language in Writing Assignments Penguin pp 398-404 “Find the Right Words” SRA #1 Due (Rhetorical Analysis) Group B2 Jessica Mehr Spring 2006 p4 HEAV 223 The Curious Self: Writing a Memoir Week 01-23-06 WTHR 214 01-24-06 HEAV 104 01-25-06 HEAV 223 01-26-06 HEAV 104 01-27-06 HEAV 223 Week 01-30-06 WTHR 214 01-31-06 HEAV 104 02-01-06 HEAV 223 02-02-06 HEAV 104 02-03-06 HEAV 223 Lecture Topics Readings/Assignments Due Images and Visual Rhetoric CW pp 58-63 Homework: Exercise 2.5 on p 60 Memoirs: Form & Purpose CW 95-112, CW 122-129 Group A1 Memoirs: Generating Ideas SRA #2 Due (Photoshop Exploration) Group B1 Lecture Topics Readings/Assignments Due Memoirs: Embedded Language & Thick Description (Freewriting) Penguin 379-386, “Write With Power” Memoir Topic Due Memoirs: Prewriting and Drafting CW 136-137, Read “You Start to Live” by Tom Perrotta (Course Packet) Group A2 Peer Review of Memoir “Sketches” Sketch of Memoir Due (2 Copies) Group B2 The Curious Critic: Analyzing Literature and Movies Week 02-06-06 WTHR 214 02-07-06 HEAV 104 02-08-06 HEAV 223 02-09-06 HEAV 104 Invention Writing About Literature Writing About Literature Readings/Assignments Due Memoir Due (5 pages) with Self Portrait Read “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin (Course Packet) CW 329-333, 343-353 Homework: Inquiring into Story p 351, #’s 2-4 Group A1 Writing About Literature Read “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway and “Elements of Fiction” pp 1-10 (Course Packet) Homework: Questions on Hemingway Jessica Mehr Spring 2006 p5 02-10-06 HEAV 223 Group B1 Week 02-13-06 WTHR 214 02-14-06 HEAV 104 02-15-06 HEAV 223 02-16-06 HEAV 104 02-17-06 HEAV 223 Week 02-20-06 WTHR 214 02-21-06 HEAV 104 02-22-06 HEAV 223 02-23-06 HEAV 104 02-24-06 HEAV 223 Planning Penguin Workshop: Avoiding Plagiarism Incorporating Quotes Meaningfully Penguin 227-235 Critical Essays SRA #3 Due (Responding to Your Short Story) CW 366-374 Group A2 Planning Your Critical Essay 02-28-06 HEAV 104 03-01-06 HEAV 223 03-02-06 HEAV 104 03-03-06 HEAV 223 CW 333-341, 376-386 Group B2 Drafting & Revising Readings/Assignments Due Penguin Workshop: Paragraphing Introductions & Conclusions Penguin 43-45, 53-60 Homework: Online Grammar Exercises Critical Essay Peer Review First Draft of Critical Essay Due (2 copies) Group A1 Revising Workshop CW 617-621, 631-634, 650-656 Group B1 Week 02-27-06 WTHR 214 Readings/Assignments Due Lecture Topics Readings/Assignments Due Evaluating Sources & Finding Full Text Articles Penguin 186-198 (Finding Print Sources) SRA #4 Due (Evaluating Sources) Movie: Writing a Review CW pp 196-202 Group A2 Movie Final Draft of Critical Essay Due (5 pages) Group B2 Jessica Mehr Spring 2006 p6 Week 03-06-06 WTHR 214 03-07-06 HEAV 104 03-08-06 HEAV 223 Lecture Topics Movie Movie Discussion and Intro to Final Research Paper SRA #5 Due (Movie Commentary) No Conferencing Final Paper Topic Due 03-09-06 HEAV 104 03-10-06 HEAV 223 Readings/Assignments Due No Conferencing March 13-17th: SPRING BREAK The Curious Researcher: Writing An Annotated Bibliography Week 11 03-20-06 WTHR 214 03-21-06 HEAV 104 03-22-06 HEAV 223 03-23-06 HEAV 104 03-24-06 HEAV 223 Invention Finding Sources for the “Big” Paper Writing an Annotated Bibliography 03-28-06 HEAV 104 03-29-06 HEAV 223 03-30-06 HEAV 104 Selected reading from CW Chapter 12 Homework: Double entry journal response your movie with reflective summary CW Appendix C, CW 549-560 Group A2 Writing an Annotated Bibliography: Voice & Authority SRA # Due (Writing an Analytical Summary) Group B2 Week 12 03-27-06 WTHR 214 Readings/Assignments Due Research Writing a Research Essay Writing a Research Essay Readings/Assignments Due Selected reading from CW Chapter 11 Research Proposal (1 page) and Sources Due Selected reading from CW Chapter 11 Group A1 Writing A Research Essay Annotated Bibliography Due (5-7 pages) Jessica Mehr Spring 2006 p7 03-31-06 HEAV 223 Group B1 The Curious Writer: The "Big" Paper Week 13 04-03-06 WTHR 214 04-04-06 HEAV 104 04-05-06 HEAV 223 04-06-06 HEAV 104 04-07-06 HEAV 223 Week 14 04-10-06 WTHR 214 04-11-06 HEAV 104 04-12-06 HEAV 223 04-13-06 HEAV 104 04-14-06 HEAV 223 Week 15 04-17-06 WTHR 214 04-18-06 TBA 04-19-06 HEAV 223 04-20-06 TBA 04-21-06 HEAV 223 Planning Readings/Assignments Due Thesis Statements Homework: Prewrite for Research Essay Outlining Your Research Essay Thesis Statement Due Group A2 Drafting Your Research Essay Revised Thesis Statement & Outline Due Group B2 Drafting Readings/Assignments Due “Big” Paper Drafting Time Peer Review Rough Draft “Big” Paper Due (At least pages) Conferencing by appointment Coming Up With A Revision Plan Peer Review Due Conferencing by appointment Revising Digital Portfolios Readings/Assignments Due Revision Plan Due Digital Portfolios Conferencing by appointment "Big" Paper Revision Time or Catch-up Day Conferencing by appointment Jessica Mehr Spring 2006 p8 Week 16 04-24-06 WTHR 214 04-25-06 TBA 04-26-06 HEAV 223 04-27-06 TBA 04-28-06 HEAV 223 Lecture Topics Digital Portfolios Readings/Assignments Due "Big" Paper Final Draft Due (9-10 pages) Digital Portfolios No Conferencing Digital Portfolios No Conferencing Digital Portfolio Due Monday, May 1, 2006 on CDROM or link via email Jessica Mehr Spring 2006 p9 ... http://owl.english.purdue.edu Whether you are planning the project or editing the final draft, The Writing Lab’s tutors can offer you one-on-one feedback (by appointment) I count each visit to the Writing Lab as... A2 Writing an Annotated Bibliography: Voice & Authority SRA # Due (Writing an Analytical Summary) Group B2 Week 12 03-27-06 WTHR 214 Readings/Assignments Due Research Writing a Research Essay Writing. .. fulfills the assignment and needs major revision The content is incomplete and the organization is hard to discern Verbal and visual style is non-existent or chaotic Below 60 (F): Don’t go there!