English 101: Composition

Section 096 MWF 2:30-3:20

Humanities Classroom Bldg., Room 301

http://www.carcosa.net/donathl/engl101

Fall 2002

Instructor: Lori Donath

Office Hours: Welsh Humanities Office Bldg. 320

MWF 9:30-11:00, TTh 11:00-12:00 (and by appointment).

Email: donathl@carcosa.net

Office Phone: 777-2145 (Please note that I do not check messages

or occupy the office outside of office hours)

Course Description

Suppose you have to write a research paper in your world history course, or you want to compose a letter to the editor, or you would like to propose changes in an organization to which you belong. Imagine that you are preparing to ask your boss for a raise— You would want to be taken seriously, wouldn't you? English 101 is designed to help you get there. Over the course of the semester, we will work together to help make you a better, more effective writer and a more critical thinker and reader.

More specifically, in this class you will learn to

• Navigate a range of writing processes, including generating and developing ideas, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading

• Construct reasoned, well-supported written arguments on a variety of academic and public topics

• Read critically

• Do research and document source materials correctly

• Work collaboratively

• Develop a clean, effective writing style, free of major errors.

Assignments

You'll learn these skills not by listening to me lecture about them, but through frequent and intensive practice. You'll write something almost every day in this class. Some of this writing you'll turn in, some you'll share with classmates, and some will be just for you, but nearly all of it will fold into these major assignments:

Paper 1: Rhetorical Analysis (10%)

Paper 2: Arguing a Position (15%)

Paper 3: Definition Argument (15%)

Paper 4: Evaluation Argument (15%)

Paper 5: Proposal (15%)

Final Exam (10%)

Peer Critiques and Presentation (10%)

Participation: Quizzes, Course Website Postings,

Homework and In-Class Work (10%)

All work completed outside of class should be word-processed, double spaced, Times 12, and formatted according to MLA guidelines. It should also be neatly stapled and labelled at the top with your name, the class and section, the date you are turning in the assignment, and the name of the assignment (with draft number for major papers, for example, Paper 3.2--Definitional Argument). I cannot accept papers that do not conform to these guidelines. *You'll find information about MLA style in your textbooks, and we'll talk about it more in class.

Materials

Please purchase the following at one of the campus bookstores:

• Lunsford, Andrea, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything's an Argument. Boston: St. Martin's/Bedford, 2001. 2^nd edition **WITH READINGS**

• Hairston, Maxine et al. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers. New York: Longman, 2002. **6^th edition.**

• Writing at Carolina. 2002-2003 ed. University of South Carolina, 2002.

• A floppy disk, on which you'll save copies of all the major papers you write this semester.

• A manila folder, in which you'll save and turn in your disk plus a printed copy of the major papers you write this semester.

Attendance

English 101 isn't a lecture course. We'll be working together to improve our writing and research skills and to critique our work in progress. When you miss class, in whole or part, you miss important information and activities, and classmates miss your input. If you are absent, you are responsible for learning material we cover in class and for arranging beforehand to submit on time any assignments due on that day. There is no penalty for arriving late to class, but chronic tardiness may result in a low participation grade since quizzes will be given at the start of class.

In accordance with university policy, I will drop your course grade by one letter if you miss more than 10% of our scheduled class periods (for every 5 class periods); you will fail the course if you miss more than 25% (11 class periods). If an emergency forces you to miss several class periods, contact me as soon as possible so that we can discuss your options. I will not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences; you should use your 5 free days at your own discretion, as you would use sick days in the workplace.

Writing Centers

I encourage you to take advantage of the Writing Center, which offers you free, professional feedback on your writing outside of class—at any stage of the writing process, on any assignment. The main center is located on the ground floor of the Humanities Classroom Building, but there are also numerous satellite locations (in dorms, for example). Call 7-2078 to make a 30-minute or 1-hour appointment for any of the sites. Another resource: The Center for Business Communication is located in the Darla Moore School of Business, on the 7^th floor. Call 7-5904 to make a 1-hour appointment with one of their assistants; you may find the CBC particularly useful as you prepare your oral presentations. (Keep in mind that you may need to plan ahead in order to get an appointment, since the centers may become booked up at certain times during the semester).

Note that you will not receive extra credit for attending appointments at any of the centers, nor will you be required to attend. But working earnestly with a writing center assistant can improve your papers (and your grade in the class). Moreover, doing so will greatly facilitate your development as a writer. Remember that attending a writing center appointment entails your active participation; it is by no means a passive process.

Drafts

Revision­--the ability to critically assess and rethink your work--is one of the most important skills you'll develop this semester. For each major paper in this class, you'll first turn in a draft, on which you'll receive feedback from me and from one or more classmates. Staple recent drafts on top of the old ones. Highlight or underline your changes and additions on the most recent (top) copy. All previous drafts (with my comments) must accompany new versions.

I will give you an estimated grade on your second draft; you'll use the feedback you receive to revise the paper two or more times to bring up that grade. Note: Though I will not write a letter-grade on your first draft, if you do not turn in a completed first draft within a week after it is due, you will receive an "F" for that assignment—without the opportunity to raise that grade. Your final product (including all drafts that led up to each paper) will be graded as part of your portfolio at the end of the semester. Remember that "draft" means a complete, well-thought-out version of a paper, not a scribbled outline, initial paragraphs or freewrite. See the "What's a Draft?" handout for more information.

Grades

Major papers, peer critiques and presentations will be letter-graded. No work will be accepted more than one week late. The grade for late assignments will be reduced by one-half of a letter grade for each day that they are late. Daily (in-class and homework) assignments will receive a check, (complete and satisfactory, full credit), a minus (partly satisfactory, half credit), or a zero (incomplete or unsatisfactory) on the day they are due. These will not be accepted late.

Important: If you do not bring a draft to class (when due) on peer revision workshop days, you will be asked to go home, and will be marked absent. If you have nothing to work on in class, there will be no benefit for you or your classmates, and therefore no reason for you to stay. However, if you are absent during a workshop but wish to receive a grade for a peer critique, it is your responsibility to contact other students who were absent and to exchange your paper for two other students' papers. In order for you to receive any credit, I must receive your memo within the week following the due date.

You'll find a general description of English 101 grading criteria in your Writing at Carolina textbook; I'll specify more detailed requirements in each paper assignment and at the end of each unit chapter in Everything's an Argument. If you have a question about a grade you receive on an assignment, please make an appointment to discuss it with me. I won't be able to address questions about individual grades during class.

Grading Scale:

Academic Honesty

You are bound by the university's policies on academic honesty, which bar you from presenting another person's work or ideas as your own (even in a first draft), allowing someone to write an assignment or part of an assignment for you, or failing to properly acknowledge source materials. The university takes violations of these policies seriously; penalties can include failing the course or expulsion from the university.

Knowing the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable practices is sometimes tricky, and we'll discuss any questions you have in class. You are also responsible for reading the sections of Writing at Carolina that pertain to this topic, and I'll ask you to sign a statement acknowledging that you've read that material. You should also save all the notes, materials, and drafts that lead up to a finished paper and come to me before an assignment is due if you have any doubts about the originality of your work.

Office Hours, Email, and Course Website

In order to complete the assignments for this course you will need to have a working email address—and to know how to use it, as well as how to access the course website at www.carcosa.net/donathl/engl101. (We will use this website rather than the university's Blackboard website for the course; however, you can still ask for assistance at one of the campus labs if you have trouble). Also, I may send you announcements or answer questions that come up between class periods via email and the course website. (If your phone number or email address changes during the semester please notify me immediately).

Please feel free to drop by during my scheduled office hours or to make an appointment for other times. If you can't drop by, I check my email regularly, so don't hesitate to send me a message if you have questions or concerns about the class. You may also call me in the office during office hours. (I am rarely in the office at other times).

Our Schedule

The following schedule lists most reading assignments and paper due dates, but does not list all quizzes and in-class work. I will expect you to read the pages assigned for homework for each class session. (The chapters to be read for daily homework in Everything's an Argument and The Scott Foresman Handbook are listed in separate columns; other homework is listed in a third column, and major projects (but not short assignments) due on a given date are listed in the last column). Note that I may amend this schedule to meet our needs as a class. (Please do let me know if there is an issue/reading in Everything's an Argument you would like to cover in class discussion that is not listed on the syllabus. After the semester starts, students will sign up in pairs to lead class discussion for one day during the semester).

Final Portfolios due (with typed cover letter and general résumé) Friday, Dec. 6 (by 5:00 pm in my office or mailbox)

FINAL EXAM: Saturday, Dec. 14, 2:00 pm.

Peer-led Discussions: Possible Topics:

NOTE: For clarification on particular fundamentals of written grammar, refer to SFHB Ch 22-30, for punctuation/mechanics questions, see SFHB Ch 34-42. ESL students should note SFHB Ch 31 (common problems), Ch 32 (English verbs), and Ch 33 (questions about gerunds, infinitives, articles, and agreement).