syllabus

1. English 102, College Writing and Rhetoric
MWF 2:30-3:20, Spring 2018
Section​​102-20
Caitlin Palmer
cpalmer@uidaho.edu
Office: Brink 106
Office Hours: ​Mon​ 3:30-4:30, ​Wed​ 1:30-2:30, ​Thurs​ 2:30-3:30 & by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
“Different Voices, Different Rooms”
For this class description, ​voices​ refers to a range of authors we will be reading: their various
backgrounds, experiences, credibility or ​ethos​, and style. ​Rooms​ refers to where a piece is heard:
that is, its purpose and audience. We will be using a diverse group of writers and forms to
analyze perspective, communication, and impact - theirs, and your own. Forms we’ll read, and
write, will consist of: the personal essay/ memoir; the letter/ direct address/ ​apologia​; the
research paper (informative ​and​ persuasive here); and a “remediation” of the research, that is,
putting it into another form - the list.
To help refine your writing, and keep building onto it instead of, necessarily, starting ​over​,
each smaller assignment could and should build into the research paper. We’ll discuss and
discover topics each of you can feel interested enough in to add to throughout the whole
semester. In reference to the course theme, think of your ​own​ voice - unique knowledge,
experience, or questions ​you​ have. The personal essay will reflect on this, the letter consider a
call of action, and the research paper show a ​synthesis​ of information/ sources on your topic.
Of course, we’ll go over technicalities of writing as well, including much focus on
organization, and elements like voice, detail, analysis, and grammar. ​Participation​will be very
important: this means attendance, doing reading, participating in class discussion, and turning
in papers and collected notes.
COURSE GOALS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
English 102 is an introductory composition course, designed to improve your skills in
persuasive, expository writing, the sort you will be doing in other courses in college and in
many jobs. Sometimes this kind of writing is called transactional writing; it is used to transact
something—persuade and inform a reasonably well-educated audience, conduct business,
evaluate, review, or explain a complex process, procedure, or event.
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2.
By the end of the course, a successful student should be able to...
1. Accurately assess and effectively respond to a wide variety of audiences and rhetorical
situations.
2. Comprehend college-level and professional prose and analyze how authors present their
ideas in view of their probable purposes, audiences, and occasions.
3. Present ideas as related to, but clearly distinguished from, the ideas of others (including
the ability to paraphrase, summarize, and correctly cite and document borrowed
material).
4. Focus on, articulate, and sustain a purpose that meets the needs of specific writing
situations.
5. Explicitly articulate why they are writing, who they are writing for, and what they are
saying.
6. Write critical analyses and syntheses of college-level and professional prose.
7. Be able to make the connection between questions and problems in your life both
within and outside of college.
8. Gather and evaluate information and use it for a rhetorical purpose in writing a
research paper.
9. Attend to and productively incorporate a variety of perspectives.
10. Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading.
11. Understand writing as an open process that permits writers to use later invention and
re-thinking to revise their work.
12. Give and receive constructive feedback from peers.
13. Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation and
practice appropriate means of documenting their work.
14. Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources,
including scholarly library databases; other official databases (e.g., federal government
databases); and informal electronic networks and internet sources.
DEADLINES
Administrative Deadlines
The university has certain deadlines of which you need to be aware if you want to drop the
course at some point during the term.
Thurs, January 18th – ​Last day to add the course WITH a late fee.
Wed, January 24th – ​Last day to drop the course without a grade of W.
Friday, March 30th – ​Last day to drop the course with a grade of W.
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3. Class Deadlines*
Personal Narrative: ​Monday, Jan. 29th
Direct Address/ ​Apologia​: ​Friday, Feb. 23rd
Research Paper: ​Friday, Apr. 13th
Multimodal Remediation: ​Friday, Apr. 27th
*Deadlines may be subject to change.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
● Nicotra, Jodie. ​Becoming Rhetorical​. Cengage, 2018. ISBN 978-1-305-95677-3.
Available at the VandalStore.
OTHER READINGS AND COURSE WEBSITE
● BbLearn: bblearn.uidaho.edu
● Weekly selections of critical pieces and examples.
ATTENDANCE
15% of the total grade​will be made up of participation. This will include:
- class attendance (​3 missed days without penalty​; ​2 additional requiring a
write-up​of what is missed in class; ​any additional​will result in ​dropping half a
letter grade​). There will be a section for this in BbLearn where you can see your
absences.
- participation​. While we’ll learn forms of writing, we’ll be practicing them in the
context of issues, questions, and discussions. This could involve going around one at a
time and sharing a thought about the reading or response to a prompt; or an informal
back-and-forth. You will be expected to contribute at least once a week in this way. As
an instructor, I should easily remember your contribution.
- respect​. Conversation is not about waiting for your turn to talk, but listening to what
others have to say, and valuing their role in the discussion and the classroom.
If you are absent due to health, University-affiliated commitments, family emergency, etc.,
these are considered excused absences and do not count toward your total. Being in attendance
means being physically present, awake, coherent, and fully prepared for class, with the day’s
assignments completed. You are responsible for making up all of the work that you miss. It
might be in your best interest to exchange numbers with your classmates.
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4. Notes Collections
Notes will be collected once every two weeks, as listed on the Course Calendar. It is ​highly
suggested​ that you purchase a small Memo book at the bookstore for this use. At the beginning
of the first unit we will go over techniques for taking notes; your following along of class
discussion and notating important concepts will be a part of participation and your grade.
COURSE ETIQUETTE
Classroom citizenship​.​The classroom is a learning community. To foster an environment
conducive for intellectual rigor and openness, we must respect each individual. Behavior or
language that transgresses this respect is not tolerated. If you have a problem with anything in
the course, you may speak to me about it privately after class or during my office hours.
Technology​. Unless otherwise stated by me, cell phones are to be PUT AWAY and
SILENCED. You may use your laptops during class to take notes, if you wish, but if this
becomes a distraction, I will ask you to put it away.
Public nature of class writing and discussion. ​Please consider every piece of writing you
do for this class to be “public property.” Part of becoming a good writer is learning to
appreciate the ideas and criticisms of others, and in this course our purpose is to come together
as a writing community. Remember that you will often be expected to share your writing with
others, so avoid writing about things that you may not
be prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or things that you feel so strongly about that you are
unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. This does not mean that you are not
entitled to an opinion, but that you adopt positions responsibly, contemplating the possible
effect on others.
OFFICE HOURS
My office hours and office number are listed above and on the BbLearn home page. I enjoy
talking to students outside of class, and welcome you to stop by to discuss your work,
questions about the course, etc. I’m in my office a lot during the week outside of my posted
hours, as well, so please stop by!
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Major Writing Assignments
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5.
Personal Essay​(800 - 1000 words, or 3-4 pages)
After reading examples of personal essay and memoir pieces, as well as critical suggestions for
successful pieces, you will write your own. Considering the class theme of “Different Voices,”
as referencing writers’ backgrounds, experiences, ​ethos​, and knowledge, what do you have
experience in that provides a point of reflection? This essay will be formatted around a
situation or interaction, with a beginning, middle, and end. The situation will be tied to a
larger consideration of concepts and societal structures involved. Mostly, what have you been
through, and because of this, what do you know?
Letter/ Direct Address/ ​Apologia ​(800 - 1000 words, 3-4 pages)
This assignment will build on an issue or area of knowledge, provide your own credibility or
ethos​ for addressing the issue, and will be directed toward a specific audience. By defining and
summarizing an issue, you will raise questions of resolution, then move on to suggesting a
call-to-action: both acknowledging counterviews and persuading your reader toward your
solution.
Critical Analysis Essay ​(650-800 words, 2-3 pages)
In class, we will discuss the content of a source, as well as the author’s credibility, and style, and
the medium’s format or layout. You will use these three points of analysis to trace how two or
three sources discuss ​one​ concept related to your research paper. This will be an exercise in
synthesizing research, and will make up ⅓ of the body section of your research paper -
essentially, being practice for it and included in it.
Research Paper​(~2500 words or 8 pages)
The research paper will entail returning to the theme of the course and expounding on it with
the tools we’ve learned: picking a topic in an area of interest or expertise that you have;
identifying a stasis point or question of moving forward; analyzing and synthesizing other
sources’ perspectives on it; and presenting and persuading towards one particular outcome.
This will involve identifying strengths and weaknesses in content, style, and format; and
tracing three “sub-topics” or concepts/ conversations, around your issue. There will also be a
metacognition, or reflective conclusion, at the end.
Final Project and Presentation
In the last weeks of the semester, we will be doing a “remediation,” translating your research
from one form - a paper - into another: the list. Very popular on news, pop-culture, and
business websites, formatting relevant, interest-piquing information into a list for those that
want to know more about your topic, will provide an entry for wider audiences into your
research.
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6. Grade Breakdown
- Participation/Attendance: 15%
- Reading Quizzes: 10%
- Personal Narrative Essay: 10%
- Letter/Direct Address/​Apologia​: 15%
- Critical Analysis: 10%
- Research Paper: 25%
- Remediation/ Presentation: 10%
- Notes/ Other Miscellaneous Work: 5%
**Please note: despite percentages of the grade, passing the course requires attempting completion
of each major assignment. A research paper must be turned in - if not, you will not receive a
passing grade. Failure to complete another major paper will result in the highest grade received as
a ‘C.’**
For each major assignment, you’ll receive feedback from your peers, as well as myself. This will
include comments on rough drafts, which will be ungraded, but used to provide improvement
for final turn-in’s. I plan on holding one conference early on to check in with progress with the
course, and another mid-term to examine your ideas and use of resources for the research
paper. In class, we’ll be sharing what we think of each other’s progress, as well.
Daily Assignments/Homework
There will be an amount of reading due every week from both the textbook and additional
sources linked to on Blackboard. Homework will vary but will include preparation for class
discussion, whether responding to a prompt, selecting a quote or passage that stuck out to you
and why, or formulating questions to bring to the class’s attention.
There will be (roughly) one pop Reading Quiz a week​.
GRADING
If you withdraw from this course on or before ​Wednesday, January 24th​, nothing will
appear on your transcript. If you stay registered for the course after that date, you will receive
one of the following grades. ​Only an A, B, or C are passing grades.
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7.
A
Represents achievement that is​outstanding or superior relative​ to the level necessary to meet
requirements of the course.
B
Represents achievement that is ​significantly above​ the level necessary to meet the requirem
of the course.
Grades of A or B are honors grades. You must do something beyond the minimum required in
order to earn an A or B.
C
Represents achievement that ​meets the basic requirements in every respect​. It signifies that the
work is average, but nothing more.
W
Stands for ​Withdrawal​. This is the grade you will receive if you withdraw from the cours
January 19th​but on or before ​January 25​th​
. ​A W has no effect on your GPA, but you can
have only 20 W credits during your time as an undergraduate at UI (about six courses). A
January 25​th​
​you can no longer withdraw from the course.
N
Stands for ​No Credit​. A grade of N has no effect on your GPA, but it does mean that you n
to take the course again. You will earn a grade of N if your grade is an N ​and​ you have do
the work for the course. You also must have made a good faith effort to complete all the
assignments. Handing in just any piece of writing just to avoid getting an F will not work
F
Stands for ​Failure​. A grade of F has a negative effect on your GPA. If you fail to hand in a
major writing assignment or do not make a good-faith effort to succeed at a major assignm
you will automatically earn an F. If your average grade is an N ​but​ you did not complete o
the major components of the course (one of the major papers of all of the homework
assignments or drafts), you will automatically earn an F in the course. There is no reason
receiving an F in this course, unless you simply fail to submit the required work.
I
Stands for incomplete. Under very unusual circumstances you could be assigned an Incom
in the course if something happened to you within the last two weeks of the semester tha
it impossible to complete the course (a serious accident or illness that left you hospitalized
very significant personal tragedy, etc.)
POLICY ON PLAGIARISM IN ENGLISH 102
At the University of Idaho, we assume you will do your own work and that you will work with
your instructor on improving writing that is your own. Plagiarism—using someone else’s ideas
or words as your own without proper attribution--is a serious matter.
The consequences of plagiarism:
If I find that you have plagiarized willfully, you will receive an ​F ​for the assignment, which
could result in a failing grade for the course.
When you need to use words or ideas from another person—whether an idea, a picture, a
powerful statement, a set of facts, or an explanation—cite your source!
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8. CENTER FOR DISABILITY ACCESS AND RESOURCES REASONABLE
ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT:
● Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented
temporary or permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through
the Center for Disability Access and Resources located in the Bruce M. Pitman Center,
Suite 127 in order to notify your instructor(s) as soon as possible regarding
accommodation(s) needed for the course.
● Phone: 208-885‐6307
● Email: cdar@uidaho.edu
● Website: ​www.uidaho.edu/current-students/cdar
And lastly…
This class will be fun! It will be interactive! It will be relevant to your own life. And while I will
ask you to become more considerate, analytical, and empathetic people, the classroom
environment will be welcoming and fairly informal.
Welcome!
Caitlin Palmer
Syllabus Contract
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9. I, __________________________________, have read and understand what is expected of
me in English 102. I have spoken with Caitlin if I had any concerns with the syllabus. Finally,
I understand that I am an equal part of the class and have the right to be valued as such.
Signed,
_______________________________________________
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