introduction-to-critical-reading-and-writing_syllabus

English 102 – Critical Reading and Writing Contact Information Instructor: Meeting Times: Class Location: e-mail: Office: Office Hours: Rebekah Taussig rtaussig@ku.edu "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat "I don’t much care where " said Alice "Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat " so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation "Oh, you’re sure to that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough." (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6) Course Description In English 102, Critical Reading and Writing, we will practice being engaged learners Instead of passively absorbing information as we read/research or regurgitating facts as we respond/write, we will exercise our ability to exert power over our own learning experiences, articulating thoughtful reactions that further the discussion As we read, write, and research, we will be driven by our questions and curiosities, and we will follow our intrigues and intuitions As opposed to setting out with a conclusion in mind or a point to make, our reading and writing quests will meander through all the possibilities, ready for surprises and searching for discovery Some of us will feel uncomfortable and insecure with this open and flexible learning style, but these skills will reach far beyond the University and will empower us to forge confidently into the rest of our careers as students and citizens Course Goals: Taussig, English 102, page Based on national standards, the writing program at KU has established a set of objectives for students in English 102 (elaborated in the Composition and Literature pamphlet) By the end of English 102, you should be able to:  Maintain and continue to improve the abilities gained in English 101  Use writing and reading for inquiry, thinking, learning, and communicating  Write in ways appropriate to academic rhetorical contexts  Engage in a variety of research methods to study and explore topics This course satisfies KU Core Goal 1, learning outcome and Core Goal 2, learning outcome As such, this course will focus substantially on critical thinking and include instruction that require students to form judgments about assumptions or claims presented, analyze and synthesize information, and make evidence-based arguments to support conclusions In addition, this course will include instruction that requires students to analyze how language and rhetorical choices vary across texts and different institutional, historical, and /or public contexts, demonstrate rhetorical flexibility within and beyond academic writing, and revise to improve their own writing Required Materials: You will need to have all of these materials by the second day of class  Ballenger, Bruce and Michelle Payne The Curious Reader 2nd ed New York: Pearson, 2006  Faigley, Lester The Brief Penguin Handbook 4th ed New York: Pearson, 2012  Department of English Composition & Literature Lawrence: University of Kansas, 2012 Written Work Major Writing Projects: You will compose four formal projects in this course in addition to smaller, informal assignments and in-class writing Each project will expand on skills and understandings you have gained in previous assignments · Writing Project #1 Researched Essay – an exploratory research essay,  motivated by a particular question that combines personal experience with outside  perspectives  Due:  · Writing Project #2 Ethnography – an investigatory paper that seeks to  understand another’s sub­culture through field­notes, interviews, and reflection Due:  · Writing Project #3 Controversial Dialogue – applies more traditional research  to a non­traditional blackboard exchange, identifying a particular controversial issue and  gathering research to provide greater understanding to a particular side of this topic Due:  · Writing Project #4 Collaborative Presentation – a collaborative merger of  ideas from Writing Project #3, seeking to provide a more comprehensive and nuanced  representation of the topics researched in the previous unit Due:  Taussig, English 102, page Details on all these projects will be provided as the semester progresses Minipapers: As we work toward each of the major projects, I will ask you to read, write, and talk your way through a series of smaller assignments called “minipapers.” The more you engage in these assignments, the easier it will be to write your major papers The minipapers are 350-500 typed words in standard MLA formatting These are not intended to be formal essays, but rather modes of exploration – an opportunity to chew and digest new ideas Each paper is worth 10 points, and I will assign 7-8 throughout the semester If you fail to turn in a minipaper (and I not accept late minipapers), you will not receive any credit You will receive points or below if you turn in an incomplete or disjointed/distracted minipaper that does not successfully meet the basic requirements of the assignment You will receive 7-8 points for a minipaper that meets all of the basic requirements You will receive 9-10 points if you turn in a minipaper that surpasses the basic requirements, offering original thought and showing signs of an advanced engagement with the material Note: It is always better to turn in something rather than nothing Turning In Written Work: You will turn in all of your minipapers and major writing projects digitally via Blackboard All papers must be uploaded as a doc or docx file in order for me to open them Failure to upload the file in the correct format will result in a late grade All major papers are due by 11:59 pm on their due date All minipapers are to be submitted before the class period on the day they are due For example, if your class begins at 11 am, your minipaper must be submitted by 10:59 am on the day it is due If you anticipate a problem meeting the due date, please talk to me BEFORE the assignment is due Quizzes Any day you are assigned a reading for class may be a quiz day There are no make-up quizzes (excepting religious holidays and university-sanctioned events, of course) These quizzes will not be announced ahead of time, and are each worth 10 points Formatting: All written work should be submitted:  typed  double-spaced  written in 12-point Times New Roman  with 1-inch margins Conferences: Twice this semester we will replace our regular class times with scheduled group conferences These conferences provide invaluable feedback from your peers and me before you turn in a major assignment The work you produce for this part of conferences (written and verbal) goes toward 5% of your final grade Failure to show up for a conference will not only deprive you of useful feedback, but will also reduce the Collaborative Peer-Reviewing portion of Taussig, English 102, page your final grade will be counted as two absences (as these conferences replace a week of classes) In other words, come to conferences! Grading Your final grade for the course will be based on the following weightings for your graded work  Project #1 15%  Project #2 25%  Project #3 25%  Project #4 15%  Minipapers/Homework/Quizzes 15%  Collaboration (Conferences and Peer-Reviewing) 5% I will grade using a +/- letter grading system, both on individual projects and your final grade Your letter grades will translate into numbers according to the following scale: A+ A A- 98.5 95 91.5 B+ B B- 88.5 85 81.5 C+ C C- 78.5 75 71.5 D+ D D- 68.5 65 61.5 F 55 Feel free to access your grades at any time using the “My Grades” feature on Blackboard If you have any questions or are concerned about your grade at any point, please talk to me Policies and Expectations Classroom Environment: We will be doing a lot of partner exchanges, group work and class discussions Respect your own thoughts and the thoughts of your classmates All of our voices are valid and valuable and will be treated as such (Read three more times with self-induced italics before proceeding.) Email and Office Hours: Email is the easiest/quickest way to contact me, however, questions by email should be short and require short answers Before sending me an email, make sure to double-check the syllabus, assignment prompt, and blackboard Longer conversations are reserved for face-toface dialogue, so please come see me during office hours or by appointment (Again: Come see me during my office hours or schedule an appointment I am happy to meet with you!) Cell Phone Policy: I too suffer from a phone addiction However, they are a huge distraction in class Therefore, we will keep our phones in our backpacks/purses/pockets during our class times Anything aside from family emergencies can wait until after class Late Work: Unless we have made arrangements in advance, I will grade down a major assignment by onehalf of a grade (or 5%) for each day it is late According to Department of English policy, you must turn in all four major projects to pass the course, even if a project is so late that it will have earned an F I will not accept late minipapers or give make-up opportunities for quizzes or class Taussig, English 102, page activities (excepting religious holidays and university-sanctioned events, of course) Check your schedule for potential conflicts well ahead of due dates, and speak with me ahead of time if you will have trouble meeting a deadline If you have any questions about my policy, please not hesitate to contact me Attendance: What we in class is important for meeting the goals listed above, and the productivity of our class sessions will depend on your participation Therefore, good attendance is expected To attend a class well means not only being physically present but also being prepared having read the assignment well enough to be able to talk about it and having completed any preparatory writing assignments and participating in whatever activity class entails Everyone is given four free absences – these are to be used for sick days, family emergencies, doctor’s appointments, flat tires, or slept-in-too-late days After four absences, your grade will drop ½ of a letter grade for every successive absence For example, if your final grade would have been a B, but you missed six classes, your final grade is now a C If you carry out the math, missing too many classes will automatically result in an F for the course In addition, being tardy three times will act as the equivalent of one absence You are counted tardy if you walk in the door after I take role (which I at the beginning of class) The only “excused” absences will be for University-sponsored events and religious holidays Please let me know in advance if you are going to miss class for those reasons If you find yourself missing class due to a serious, documented illness (e.g prolonged hospitalization) contact me, and we will try to develop a plan If you anticipate missing several classes or if you have a concern about attendance, come talk to me You are responsible for keeping track of your own attendance (in other words, your attendance is not posted to blackboard, and I won’t send you notifications when you start to miss too many classes) Any grade reductions from excessive absences will not show up until the end of the semester when I submit your final grade If you have any questions or concerns about your attendance during the semester, you should check in with me Department Policies: (Be sure to read Composition & Literature thoroughly for all other Departmental policies.) Drop policy: If you are having trouble succeeding in the course, it is especially important that you consult with me so that we can develop a plan of action that may enable you to complete the course If you decide to drop this class, please refer to the Website below: http://www.registrar.ku.edu/current/schedule.shtml If you drop this class between and , you will be assigned a grade of W You may not drop or withdraw after Disabilities: The Academic Achievement & Access Center (AAAC) coordinates accommodations and services for all KU students who are eligible If you have a disability for which you wish to request accommodations and have not contacted the AAAC, please so as soon as possible Their office is located in 22 Strong Hall; their phone number is 785864-2620 Information about their services can be found at http://disability.ku.edu Taussig, English 102, page Please contact me privately in regard to your needs in this course Academic Honesty: Stealing and passing off as your own someone else’s ideas or words, or using information from another’s work without crediting the source, is called “plagiarism.” Some specific examples of actions that constitute plagiarism include pasting together uncredited information or ideas from the Internet or published sources, submitting an entire paper written by someone else, submitting a paper written for another class (and thus not original work), and copying another student’s work (even with the student’s permission) In order to avoid unintentional plagiarism and to represent your work honestly, you will need to be meticulous about giving credit to any and all sources, whether directly quoted (even a few words) or paraphrased Because one of the goals of this course is to help you improve your writing, plagiarism hurts you as much as it does anyone If you plagiarize another’s work, you will not be receiving the needed feedback to improve your own writing There will be a zero tolerance policy for any type of plagiarism in this class All incidents of plagiarism will be penalized, reported, and kept on file in the English Department, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the University Provost’s Office Policy on Student Academic Creations: Since one of the aims of this course is to teach students to write for specific audiences, ungraded student-authored work will be shared with other class members during the semester in which you are enrolled in the class Please not submit materials on sensitive subjects that you would not want your classmates to see or read, unless you inform the instructor in advance that you not want your work shared with others Other uses of student-authored work are subject to the University’s Policy on Intellectual Property and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act If I desire to use your work outside of this class (e.g as a sample for another class or future classes), you will be asked to fill out and sign a written form authorizing such use Writing Center: For help with your writing, I strongly encourage you to contact the KU Writing Center At the Writing Center you can talk about your writing with trained tutors or consult reference materials in a comfortable working environment You may ask for feedback on your papers, advice and tips on writing (for all your courses), or for guidance on special writing tasks Please check the website at for current locations and hours The Writing Center welcomes both drop-ins and appointments, and there is no charge for their services For more information, please call (785) 864-2399 or send an e-mail to The website is loaded with helpful information about writing of all sorts Schedule of Goals and Major Assignments This schedule is partial and tentative Since I want to adjust the course as I discover your abilities and goals, I reserve the right to change this schedule with oral notice in class If you anticipate a problem with due dates, please speak with me Page numbers refer to The Curious Taussig, English 102, page Reader unless otherwise specified Homework and in-class activities will be added and will be announced in class Date Day Day Schedule of Assignments Tu/Th Class Goals Welcome to English 102! Introductions Syllabus Quiz Introduction to Unit Priming Our Minds for Inquiry Examining the Structure of a Researched Essay Day Developing Productive Inquiry Questions Submit Project Proposals Sign Up for Conferences Day Incorporating and Engaging Your Research Day Conferences – No Class Day Conferences – No Class Day Examining and Experimenting with Style Day Day Examining and Experimenting with Organization Peer-Review Day 10 Introduction to Unit To Be Completed Before Class Read: Chapter “Acquiring the Inquiry Habit” (pp 1-10), Chapter Introduction “The Researched Essay” (pp 4951), and Ann Hodgman’s “No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch” (pp 52-57) Read: review Project assignment prompt and jot down any questions you have Due: Minipaper “I’ve always wondered about…” (reminder: must be submitted to Bb before the beginning of class) Read: Scott Russell Sanders’s “Looking at Women” (pp 93105) Performing Personal Experiment Performing Personal Experiment Read: Jillian Sim’s “My Secret History” (pp 120-132) Bring: copies of your field notes Due: Minipaper – “Examining and Experimenting with Style” Bring to Class: Outline of Researched Essay Due: Rough Draft of Researched Essay Bring to Class: hard copies of your paper Due: Writing Project #1 – The Researched Essay Taussig, English 102, page posted to Bb by 11:59 pm Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 SPRINGBREAK Day 17 Day 18 Peer Review Introduction to Unit Day 19 Day 20 Day 21 Day 22 Day 23 Day 24 Day 25 Day 26 Peer Review Introduction to Unit Day 27 Day 28 Day 29 Group Presentations Day 30 (last day of class) Group Presentations Due: Writing Project #2 Ethnography Due: Writing Project #3 A Controversial Exchange posted to Bb by 11:59pm Due: Evaluation of Participation for Groups Presenting Today Due: Evaluation of Participation for Groups Presenting Today Due: Unit Final Paper posted to Bb by 11:59pm