WRIT 102 Syllabus for Spring 2004

WRIT 102: Deliberative Writing	Dr. Jo Koster
Spring 2004	228 Bancroft
MW 2-3:15 in KIN 301	E-mail: kosterj@winthrop.edu
Phone: 323-4557 (office)	Class web page: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj/writ102.htm
Office Hours: M W 10-11; Tues. 10-12; by chance; and gladly by appointment.	Web: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj
www.turnitin.com info: ID # 1118249; password argument	To send e-mail to the entire class, use this address: writ102024@class.winthrop.edu

Texts	Lunsford & Ruskiewicz, Everything’s An Argument, 3rd edition (brief), ISBN# 0-312-40716-5; www.bedfordstmartins.com/everythingsanargument Harris, The Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage, 4^th edition, ISBN# 0-13-021022-6; www.prenhall.com/harris A college-level dictionary These books have been ordered at the Bookworm. Should you choose to acquire them somewhere else, make sure you match the ISBN numbers exactly so that you have the right books. Other editions are not acceptable.
Supplies	Two blue books, a closable folder for your portfolio, writing materials, a 9" x 12" envelope for submitting papers (will be recycled), at least 2 computer disks.
Learning Objectives	To demonstrate the ability to analyze arguments made by others in terms of their theses, support, assumptions, audience appeal, logic, quality of evidence, and quality of presentation To demonstrate the ability to select an appropriate argument strategy for supportive, neutral, hostile, and mixed audiences To know how to find appropriate evidence and support for your claims To demonstrate the ability to combine appropriate strategies and evidence into written arguments To demonstrate the ability to identify common logical flaws in arguments and how to avoid them To know how to cite source material appropriately and ethically To edit and present your written work according to the standards of Edited American English To demonstrate your learning over the course of the semester by revising and improving early drafts of your written arguments into a polished portfolio at the end of the term
Goals	Goals for courses in the Department of English are described at http://www.winthrop.edu/english/goals.htm
Schedule of readings and assignments	Note that the calendar is subject to change. Check the "Date Updated" at the top to make sure you have the most recent version.
E-mail	I conduct most of my business with students using e-mail. If you do not have an e-mail account, go to 15 Tillman immediately to set it up. All class e-mail will be sent to your campus e-mail address, so make sure you set it to forward to any off-campus account you use (e.g. Comporium, AOL, Yahoo!, etc.) You must have a working Winthrop 0e-mail address by January 21, 2004.
Accommodations	If you have a disability and need classroom accommodations, please contact Ms. Gena Smith, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290, as soon as possible. Once you have your professor notification letter, please notify me so that I am aware of your accommodations well before the first assignment is due.
Assignments/ Grading Policies	Hard copies of all assignments are expected at the beginning of class on the due date in your manila envelope, with all drafts and working papers included. You may submit one late out-of-class assignment during the term [late meaning due one class period after it is due], provided that you notify me you are taking this extension at least one day before the assignment is due; no explanation is needed. Any other late papers will be thoroughly marked and commented on but will receive a grade of U. Under no circumstances will an assignment be accepted more than two class periods after the due date; it will receive a grade of zero. Failure to submit any graded assignment means failure for the course. No exceptions! Failure to bring a rough draft for a class workshop will lower your grade for that paper by 8 points and earn you two absences. Prepare all out-of-class assignments according to the MLA style demonstrated in Harris. You must use a typewriter, word processor, or computer with clear, legible print and ink. Papers must be double-spaced with one inch margins on all four sides. Refer to page 280 of Harris for a template for the first page of each paper; no extra cover sheet is needed. Staple the pages once in the upper left-hand corner and submit them with all working papers in your manila envelope. If you must make last-minute corrections, do so neatly in black ink. I look with great favor on students who use the Writing Center regularly, and statistics show that those students tend to have higher grades in the course. Hint, hint.
Plagiarism	Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation (a parenthetical citation at the end and a listing in "Works Cited")–whether you use that material in a quote, paraphrase, or summary. It is a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not. Any papers containing plagiarisms—intentional or not—will receive a grade of F and in extensive cases may warrant failure in the class and/or your being turned over to the student judicial system for more significant punishment. Turning in a paper written by someone else is always plagiarism and is never acceptable. Therefore, if you ever have a question about how to handle a source–in this or any other class–ask me before you turn in the paper. I will be happy to help you understand how to document it correctly. We will use www.turnitin.com this semester to help you demonstrate your documentation skills to me. Harris chapter 44e, the Writing Center web page, the class web page, and the English Department web page all have lots of information to help you avoid plagiarism (see www.winthrop.edu/english/plagiarism.htm. ) You will be required to print out this statement, sign the last page, and bring it to class on Wednesday, January 21. Ignorance or failure to consult this material is no excuse.
Grading Breakdown	Initial Versions of 4 Papers: 15% Portfolio of Deliberative Writing: 50% Writer’s Work (attendance, preparation, group work, quizzes, participation) 15% Midterm In-Class Writing Task 10% Final Exam 10% You will be given a clear rubric for each assignment so that you know exactly what is expected of you. Please know that I don’t grade on a curve but rather according to the Rubric for Freshman Composition established by the English Department (http://www.winthrop.edu/english/rubric.htm). You are required to print that rubric out and keep it with your course materials. I will give you a topic for the first assignment, but after that, while I will advise you on topics (and topics to avoid), you will be picking your own topics.
Portfolio	To enable you to revise your work and to demonstrate your learning over the course of the semester, the portion of your grade from this course that comes from your revised written arguments will be assigned based on a portfolio of your writing that you submit at the end of the term. What this means is that there will be "due dates" for initial versions of papers throughout the semester; these five papers will be assessed on an S/U basis and they will count as 15% of your overall grade. You will then choose three papers (including the midterm) to revise, change, and expand and turn in a portfolio of them with a detailed cover letter explaining certain things (more about this later) about a week before the semester ends. The final portfolio must include at least one paper of 1500 or more words documented correctly in MLA style. The portfolio will count as 50% of your overall grade. To compile a good portfolio you will need all the stages of each assignment, so keep everything you write this semester in a closable folder. Always make a photocopy of papers before you hand them in to me to avoid disasters. You will have to leave all your graded papers from the semester—not just the ones in the portfolio—on file in the Department for three years once the course ends. Not receiving letter grades during the semester has its pluses and minuses. It frees you from the tyranny of letter grades to work really hard on becoming the best writer you can be, and most students like the freedom to choose which assignments will earn their final grade and demonstrate best what they have learned. But it pushes a lot of stress to the end of the semester (not to mention a TON of reading for me), and that can be hard. If you have any questions about how you’re doing at any time during the semester, bring your portfolio by my office and we’ll sit down and talk about it. Any time after the second paper is returned, I will also be willing to (roughly) estimate what your letter grade might be at that time.
Grade Values	For initial drafts, S = 71; U = 61; not turned in or more than 2 class periods late, 0. For the portfolio, final exam, and final grade, A=91+; B = 81+; C = 71+; D = 61+; F = below 61. (Winthrop does not give +/- grades for final grades, so neither can I.) Please remember that you must make a "C" or better in WRIT 102 to receive credit for the course.
Writer’s Work	This is a collaborative class. We will be working on drafts together, discussing essays together, doing group exercises and oral presentations, and holding frequent draft review sessions. Your participation is absolutely expected. That means being ready for class, keeping up with the workload, bringing drafts on assigned days, and asking questions when things are not clear. Average participation and preparation will earn you a C; if you want higher grades, be more of a positive contributor to the class and show me more evidence of working to improve your writing (such as bringing revisions in for conferences, going to the Writing Center, etc.). I will review the rubric for class participation grades with you early in the semester.
Your Responsibilities	This is college, not high school. You are responsible for much more of your own behavior than you were before you came to Winthrop. You are expected to come to class on time, to be prepared for class, to come to conferences as scheduled, to be familiar with the course requirements explained on this syllabus, to have materials when required, and in general to conduct yourself as a responsible adult. I will not be looking over your shoulder every minute or asking you for permission slips; I will give you adequate time to do assignments and plenty of reminders so that you can manage your time effectively. Sometimes we may not discuss all the assigned reading material in class; that’s the way of the world. It doesn’t mean you should not do the reading, since I will expect you to know the concepts covered, be familiar with the vocabulary, and to ask questions if you are confused. If I see evidence that students are not preparing for classes, I will start giving pop quizzes and you will not enjoy them. Be warned!
Library Tour	If you are new to Winthrop this semester, you should complete the online tour of Dacus Library and take the required information test by January 21; print out your test and turn it in to me for credit. The online tour can be found at http://www.winthrop.edu/dacus/About/Tapetour/VirtualTour.htm. I am required to take you to the Library for a class period; that will happen in late February or early March.
Conferences	We will have at least two rounds of required conferences; failure to make an appointment for a conference or to attend it will cost you two absences. Sign-up sheets will be posted next to my office door at least a week before conferences begin; you are responsible for signing up for a conference. If you wait too late and no times are available, I may not be able to reschedule a conference for you.
Office Hours	Writers learn a lot by talking about their writing. I have a comfy couch in my office for you to come flop on and talk to me about what you’re doing. As soon as I know what my out-of-class commitments are for the semester I’ll let you know my office hours; please take advantage of them (and not only to raid the cookie and candy jars). If you want to talk to me privately, e-mail me and I’ll be very happy to set up a special appointment for you.
Drafts	I’m always happy to have you come by the office to discuss a draft in progress. You can also e-mail them to me and I will look them over as quickly as I can (depending on my other commitments at that time) and send you a summary e-mail in response.
Bad Weather Policy	If bad weather is expected, call my voice mail (323-4557) about an hour before class is scheduled to begin. I am a Yankee and I am not fazed by a little snow, so we probably will have class. If I am not going to hold class, I will leave a message on my voice mail for you and send an e-mail to the class listserv. Official university closing information may be found at 323-2222 and on the University web site; don’t trust rumors. Please use your good judgment about traveling to class in inclement weather; if it is unsafe for you to drive or circumstances prevent you from coming in, leave me a voice mail or e-mail message. Exercise caution while walking on campus: our sidewalks tend to be icy and we have a lot of old trees that shed branches in bad weather.