Dr. Siobhan Craft Brownson

WRIT 101

Required Texts and Other Materials

Behrens and Rosen, Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum, 11th ed.

Harris, Prentice Hall Reference Guide, 3rd Cust. Ed. for Winthrop Univ.

1 bluebook (available at the Bookworm)

An active Winthrop email account.

Course Goals

Competency 1: Winthrop graduates think critically and solve problems.　

Winthrop University graduates reason logically, evaluate and use evidence, and solve problems.　 They seek out and assess relevant information from multiple viewpoints to form well-reasoned conclusions.　 Winthrop graduates consider the full context and consequences of their decisions and continually reexamine their own critical thinking process, including the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments.　

Competency 2: Winthrop graduates are personally and socially responsible.　

Winthrop University graduates value integrity, perceive moral dimensions, and achieve excellence.　 They take seriously the perspectives of others, practice ethical reasoning, and reflect on experiences.　 Winthrop graduates have a sense of responsibility to the broader community and contribute to the greater good.　

Competency 3: Winthrop graduates understand the interconnected nature of the world and the time in which they live.　

Winthrop University graduates comprehend the historical, social, and global contexts of their disciplines and their lives. They also recognize how their chosen area of study is inextricably linked to other fields.　 Winthrop graduates collaborate with members of diverse academic, professional, and cultural communities as informed and engaged citizens.　

Competency 4: Winthrop graduates communicate effectively.　

Winthrop University graduates communicate in a manner appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. They create texts – including but not limited to written, oral, and visual presentations – that convey content effectively. Mindful of their voice and the impact of their communication, Winthrop graduates successfully express and exchange ideas.　

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will analyze and evaluate nonfiction prose texts both for their ideas and their rhetorical choices through the use of critical reading strategies.

2. Students will plan, organize, and develop persuasive, logical, and well-supported essays by using strategies such as introspection, general observation, and integration of source material.

3. Students will recognize and use prewriting, organizing, drafting, and revising strategies.　

4. Students will apply feedback from the instructor, peers, and self-analysis to improve their writing.　

5. Students will evaluate, document, and incorporate source material accurately and appropriately, according to "The Correct Use of Borrowed Information" and MLA documentation style.　

Global Learning Initiative

The global learning component(s) of this course is/are the following: students will discuss the differences among various world cultures and disciplines in the handling of borrowed information and the citing of sources.

Course Requirements

Summary – 10% Analysis – 15%

Critique – 10% Final – 10%

Explanatory Synthesis – 15% Reading Responses – 10%

Argumentative Synthesis – 20% Participation – 10%

ALL REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PASSING THE COURSE.

Grading Scale

NOTE – assignments must meet minimum requirements including length and number of sources to be eligible to earn a passing grade. Assignments that do not meet the requirements of the assignment will earn failing grades.

Minimum Grade Requirement

Students must earn at least a C- in Writing 101. Students must repeat Writing 101 if they earn less than a C-. A grade of at least a C- is a prerequisite for enrolling in HMXP102.

Grading Standards

A description of letter grades for writing assignments can be found at http://www2.winthrop.edu/english/WritingProgram/rubric.htm and in the Prentice Hall Guide. We will be reviewing this document in class.

Academic Integrity

The entire Winthrop community takes academic integrity very seriously. Thus, plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course and will result in a penalty ranging from a failing grade on the paper or exam to failing the course. We will be reviewing "The Correct Use of Borrowed Information" in class. You are responsible for reviewing the Code of Student Conduct in your Student Handbook and the description of plagiarism in The Prentice Hall Reference Guide as well as for handling source materials correctly. The University’s Judicial Policy on Plagiarism is explained at http://www.winthrop.edu/studentaffairs/Judicial/judcode.htm under section V, "Academic Misconduct." ALL ASSIGNMENTS PREPARED FOR THIS COURSE ARE TO BE ORIGINAL AND PREPARED ONLY FOR THIS COURSE.

Turnitin.com

We will be using turnitin.com this semester. Please make sure you go to the Dacus Library home page to access turnitin.com so that you can register for the class. ID number and password are as follows: ID – 5368961. Password [Case sensitive] – Behrens

You are required to submit your out of class essays to turnitin.com the same day the essay is due in class. Essays not submitted to turnitin.com will not be graded.

Class Participation

Your awake, alert, and attentive participation is wanted and needed in this course. A class spent asleep, texting, or on activities not related to the course is a class not attended.

Reading Responses

We will begin most class periods with a short written reading response, or quiz, on the assigned readings. These responses cannot be made up.

The Writing Process

The writing process is one that is ongoing; that is, you will not compose a paper, hand it in, get a grade, and then move on to the next paper. For each paper, you will write a draft out of class, review and edit that draft in class with your peer editing group, revise as needed, and finally write and hand in the final draft to me for comments and evaluation. All drafts and editing sheets will be submitted for my final evaluation, and all steps in the process will count toward your grade on that paper. You will not receive full credit for the essay unless all preliminary work is handed in with the final draft. This sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But remember that you will be receiving help from your editing group, and from me, along the way. In addition, you are likely to learn far more about the writing process by going through these steps than from handing in paper after paper without being able to benefit from comments given to you while you are working. This whole procedure may seem very alien to you at first, but give it some time and soon it will make sense.

Peer Editing

Scheduled peer reviews give you an opportunity to improve your writing and will encourage the revision process. You will bring a rough draft to these sessions, critique the drafts of others in your group, and then hand in the critiqued rough drafts with your final draft. The drafts and peer editing sessions are NOT optional. If you are not prepared for these peer evaluations, are absent, or do not turn in the critiqued drafts with your final paper you will have 5 points deducted from the final paper grade.

Revisions

Revision opportunities will be made available for some of the earlier assignments. Revision is optional. I will average the revised grade with the original grade to arrive at the final grade for the assignment. Due dates will be established later in the semester. Late revisions will not be accepted.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend class. Students who miss more than six classes will receive a failing grade for the course. Two tardies in excess of five minutes will count as an absence. Students are responsible for anything they miss when they are absent and for letting me know if they are tardy rather than not present. I will discuss student emergencies or special situations with individuals on a case-by-case basis. Refer to the 2011-2012 Winthrop University Undergraduate Catalog for university attendance policies. Students who do not attend their required conference will be assigned two absences.

Due Dates

Assignments are due at the beginning of class. I will accept late assignments up to 24 hours past the due date with a letter grade penalty. Late work will not be accepted after 24 hours. I will discuss student emergencies or special situations with individuals on a case-by-case basis. Refer to the 2011-2012 Winthrop University Undergraduate Catalog for university policies on late and make-up work.

Work Standards

Assignments should be computer generated using ONLY Times New Roman Font, 12 point font size, 1 inch margins, and following MLA guidelines for formatting. Please give your assignments titles, but do not use a title page nor use report covers. Please do not hand in a diskette or e-mail me a copy of your paper. COPY YOUR ASSIGNMENTS TO YOUR SYSTEM’S HARD DRIVE.

**ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN BOTH HARD COPY AND ELECTRONIC FORMATS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR EVALUATION.

Communication

I check my e-mail, M-F, twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon. Restrict e-mail communications to brief questions that I can easily address through a reply OR for emergencies to which you must alert me immediately. Other queries are best handled over the phone. Please leave a detailed message on my voice mail if I am out of the office or on another call.

Safe Zones Statement

The professor considers this classroom to be a place where you will be treated with respect as a human being – regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, or ability. Additionally, diversity of thought is appreciated and encouraged, provided you can agree to disagree. It is the professor’s expectation that ALL students consider the classroom a safe environment.

Students with Disabilities

Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education.　 If you have a disability and require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290.　 Once you have your official notice of accommodations from Services for Students with Disabilities, please inform me as early as possible in the semester.

Student Listserv

Please make sure you have an active Winthrop email account. Later in the semester I will use it to communicate with the class as a whole. Students who registered after August 21 should go to http://www.winthrop.edu/acc/classlist.htm and follow the directions there to manually subscribe to the list.

Classroom Etiquette

Please make sure ALL electronic devices are turned off and PUT AWAY before class begins. The CAS Policy for the Appropriate Use of Hand-Held and Wireless Technologies is in effect for this class. Please consult the policy which can be found at:

http://www2.winthrop.edu/artscience/AppropriateUseApprovedPolicyMar2010.pdf . Students who use hand-held and/or wireless technologies during any class at any time will be counted absent, may be asked to leave, and, depending on the nature of the unauthorized use, may receive penalties including but not limited to lowered participation grade, zero on quiz or exam, a failing grade in the course.