mediumshield Syllabus

WRIT 101 Composition

Section 028: MW 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. Bancroft 270

Dr. Cynthia H. Macri Office hours: MW 3:15 – 4:15 p.m.,

Office: Bancroft 265; 323-4562 TR 10:45-11:45, and by appointment

macric@winthrop.edu Web site: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/macric

Course Description: Writing 101 introduces you to college-level writing. The primary goal of this course is to further develop your writing skills and to show you that writing is essential to a liberal arts education and to life-long learning. You will learn about the developmental nature of writing, the importance of academic standards, and the significance of “writing to learn.”

Reading assignments and class discussions lead, directly or indirectly, to writing assignments, and most of the writing assignments are direct or indirect responses to reading assignments. Assignments progress from objective summary writing to more critical, analytical writing that incorporates and synthesizes borrowed material. You will attend a special class at the library to help you learn to find and use secondary information. You must earn at least a C- in Writing 101 in order to register for HMXP 102.

I reserve the right to make revisions to the syllabus and any of the reading or writing assignments. Changes will be announced in class and posted on my Web site.

Texts and Materials:

Required

1. Behrens, Laurence and Leonard J. Rosen. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 13^th ed. New York: Pearson, 2017.

2. Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. Rules for Writers Winthrop University 8^th Edition. New York: Bedford, 2016.

3. A pocket folder for your writing portfolio

Recommended

A college-level dictionary

Course Goals:

1. To use writing, reading, and research as means of general cognitive development, as activities which foster intellectual growth in an academic environment.

2. To encourage students to see writing as a learning tool that is important in all contexts and is not confined to the writing classroom.

3. To teach students to plan, organize, and develop essays based on introspection, general observation, deliberation, research, and the critical reading of mature prose texts.

4. To make students aware of their individual voices and how those voices can be adapted to fit different audiences and rhetorical situations.

5. To encourage students to view writing as a process by using several prewriting, organizing, drafting, revising and, and editing strategies.

6. To stress the importance of clear communication by teaching students to revise effectively through the complete rethinking, restructuring, and rewriting of essays.

7. To encourage independent thinking.

8. To teach students to evaluate, document, and incorporate source material accurately and appropriately, according to “The Correct Use of Borrowed Information.”

General Ed. Program Goals:

Due the nature of the assignments, this WRIT 101 course addresses the following Touchstone Program Goals:

· To communicate clearly and effectively in standard English.

· To use critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a variety of research methods.

· To understand aesthetic values, the creative process, and the interconnectedness of the literary, visual, and performing arts throughout the history of civilization.

· To examine values, attitudes, beliefs, and habits which define the nature and quality of life.

Course Requirements: You are accountable for both out-of-class and in-class assignments. These include both essays and homework components.

Assignment	Percent of Total
Summary/paraphrase (homework)	5
Critique essay	10
Argumentative essay	20
Analysis essay	15
In-class midterm essay	10
Annotated bibliography (homework)	10
Final exam in-class essay	15
Writing portfolio	15
Total	100

Homework (15%): A student demonstrates accountability by completing all homework assignments. If a homework assignment (reading or writing) is to be used as the foundation for an in-class workshop or exercise, your absence from class or lack of preparation will prevent you from participating in the in-class portion and could negatively impact your classmates who came prepared. Hence, you will earn a zero for that day’s work along with a zero for that day’s class participation. No late homework assignments will be accepted.

Major Essays (65% of course grade)

Out-of-class essays (45%): Written assignments for this course culminate in the development of three out-of class essays. Final essay grades are based on the quality of the essay. Each major essay submission will include all documents related to its development (e.g., planning, drafting, revising, editing, and reflecting). You are responsible for maintaining and compiling all materials related to each essay. These documents include invention strategies, draft versions, peer group reviews, outside sources, self-evaluations, your writing journal, and the final essay. A breakdown of weights for each essay appears below:

Essay 1	10%
Essay 2	20%
Essay 3	15%

Revisions: For the first two out-of-class essays only, you have the option of revising the graded paper for a new final grade that consists of the average of the original and new grade. You must submit the original graded essay and all reviewed drafts with the revised final document on the due date specified in the assignments calendar.

In-class essay exams (25% of course grade): You will write two in-class essays, one at midterm and one during the scheduled final exam period. I will email a prompt for both documents one week in advance of the in-class date. You may use whatever resources helpful to you in planning and developing your essay. However, on the day of the written work, you may not bring any pre-written materials other than the prompt and an MLA formatted Works Cited page if the assignment requires one.

Midterm in-class essay	10%
Final Exam essay	15%

Writing Portfolio (15% of course grade): You will maintain a journal, separate from your class notes, in which you will record the issues that you need to work on to improve your writing, along with your progress in mastering them. These issues will spawn from the comments I make on your graded essays and from writing workshops in class. Details on how to develop a writing journal will be discussed in class and posted on my website. Your writing journal must be submitted in the appropriate folder with each out-of-class essay. Late submissions or improperly bound journals will not be accepted and result in a zero for that portion.

Assignment due dates

A complete schedule of assignments and due dates can be found on the course calendar. You should know your syllabus inside and out and consult the course calendar daily. Keeping on top of the schedule is your responsibility. I will hold you to this schedule and expect that you use it throughout the course. I will not necessarily remind you of due dates.

Failure to complete any of the five major essays will result in automatic Failure for the course.

Requirements for all Written Assignments:

Formatting: All out-of-class written assignments must be word processed and double-spaced, unless otherwise noted, and adhere to the requirements of MLA style (See Harris, Muriel. Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage: 2^nd Custom Edition for Winthrop University-Revised. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, pp. 409-16) unless otherwise noted. Detailed instructions for all written out-of-class written assignments will be posted on my faculty website.

Turnitin.com: To assist you in identifying unintentional plagiarism in your writing, you will be required to submit all of your essays electronically to Turnitin.com, a Fair Use evaluation tool. Student tutorials for using turnitin.com are available at http://libguides.library.winthrop.edu/turnitin.

Turnitin can be accessed through the Dacus Library Home page or at http://www.turnitin.com.

Class ID: 13256959; Password: writ101028

Be sure to submit your final drafts before coming to class and bring a hard copy (stapled, upper left hand corner only—no binders!!!) to class. I will grade papers that have been submitted to Turnitin.com only.

Grading Standards: Grades for all assignments are based on pre-determined standards rather than on effort engaged. Please be sure to review the “Rubric for Freshman Writing” (description of the criteria used for assigning letter grades for writing assignments) available on the Department of English website at http://www.winthrop.edu/cas/english/default.aspx?id=36282.

Course grade	Individual Assignment Grades
90-100 = A	A = 95 and above	B-/C+ = 80	D = 65
80-89 = B	A- = 92.5	C+ = 77.7	D- = 62.5
70-79 = C	A-/B+ = 90	C = 75	D-/F = 60
60-69 = D	B+ = 87.5	C- = 72.5	F = 55
<60 = F	B = 85	C-/D+ = 70
	B- = 82.5	D+ = 68.5

Late Paper/Assignment Policy: A paper is considered late if it is submitted after the start of class on the due date. Failure to turn in any assigned work (major essays excepted—see above) will result in a zero for that assignment. Late assignments will be marked down one letter grade per day late (includes weekends). No homework assignments will be accepted more than three days late. Major essays will be downgraded accordingly. Technical difficulties do not excuse late submissions.

Technology Policy: Because technical difficulties do not excuse late submissions, you must save your documents in several ways: 1. on your computer hard drive; 2. on a portable storage device; 3. on the Winthrop server, and 4. in an email to yourself (if you want to print on campus), so that if one vehicle fails you can access your assignments in another way. Also, please save all documents as Word documents as the campus computers cannot read Wordperfect or Microsoft Works formats. Failure to save a document in Word for printing on campus could lead to a late submission and subsequent grade reduction.

Plagiarism Policy: Plagiarism, 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”), constitutes a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not. It is also a violation of section V, “Academic Misconduct,” under the Winthrop Student Conduct Code (http://www.winthrop.edu/ studentaffairs/Judicial/judcode.htm). Plagiarism, either inadvertent or purposeful, will result in a grade of “F” on an assignment for the first occurrence. Further plagiarism will result in a grade of “F” for the course. Either violation will be reported to the Dean of Students for possible disciplinary action per Winthrop University policy.

The English Department has prepared The Correct Use of Borrowed Information to explain plagiarism (see http://www.winthrop.edu/cas/english/default.aspx?id=21084 or the “Plagiarism Policy” tab in Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage:2^nd Custom Edition for Winthrop University-Revised.) You will be required to read the plagiarism policy statement, sign the last page, and bring it to class per the class calendar. Ignorance or failure to consult this material is no excuse for violations.

Duplicate Submission of Papers: You may not submit a paper for a grade in this class that already has been (or will be) submitted for a grade in another course, unless you obtain explicit written permission in advance from me and the other instructor involved. This is to conform to the Student Code of Conduct, §V, which states: “Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to … presenting the same or substantially the same papers or projects in two or more courses without the explicit permission of the professors involved.” (Student Code of Conduct §V: http://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/studentconduct/StudentHandbook.pdf).

Attendance Policy: You will be allowed no more than four absences. Arriving later than 15 minutes after official course starting time or leaving early will result in one recorded absence. Exceeding this absence limit will result in automatic failure for the course. In addition, two late arrivals of any duration (< 15 minutes) will count as one absence. Should you arrive late, it is your responsibility to ensure you receive credit for attendance. Please check with me after class to be sure I have documented your attendance. My records will stand as official for grade reporting purposes.

Distinctions are not made between excused and unexcused absences. Please keep in mind that using the four allowed absences is not to be viewed as a right extended to students. The intent of the attendance policy is to provide you with flexibility should illness or emergencies arise. Please use your absences only when absolutely necessary. Should you abuse this policy, you may find you have no options when a real emergency occurs.

If you know you must miss a class, please inform me and turn in any work in advance. Those of you representing the college in an official capacity (athletes, musicians, etc.) should alert me prior to your official absence. You will be allowed (without penalty) to make up in-class work missed due to official obligations only. Regardless of your reason for missing a class, you will be held responsible for the material covered. However, I will not provide personal lectures for missed material; therefore, it is incumbent upon you to obtain contact information from a classmate on whom you can depend to share class notes.

Students with Disabilities: Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you have a disability and need classroom accommodations, please contact Gena Smith, Program Director, Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290, as soon as possible. Once you have your Professor Notification Form, please tell me so that I am aware of your accommodations well before the first assignment, test, or paper.

Contacting Me: I have voice mail in my office and a Winthrop email address. Make sure you write down my phone number and email address where you will not lose it. You also can leave written messages for me in the department office, 250 Bancroft, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

I will respond to email questions as long as I know who the email is from and have all information necessary to provide a complete answer. Please be sure to “sign” your emails as oftentimes email names are confusing at best (e.g., brownb1@winthrop.edu could be Bob Brown or Beth Brown and no one can possibly know who gagaoverchihuahuas@yahoo.com is).

Although I am available as a resource from which to draw and to obtain feedback, you cannot expect me to be available 24/7. While I do check my email regularly, including weekends (if I am in town), I do not necessarily check my email more than once a day or late in the evenings. Therefore, if you procrastinate on an assignment, you may not have the information you need to complete the assignment appropriately. Please plan your time accordingly to maximize the probability that you will receive a response in time for it to be useful.

Final Examination Schedule: The final examination schedule for this semester will be posted at http://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/recandreg/Calendars/Exams.pdf. Winthrop University policy states that travel or work schedules are not valid reasons for missing or rescheduling a final examination.

All cell phones and other electronic message devices must be turned off before class starts. Disruptions due to incoming calls or leaving class to make a call during official class meeting times will not be tolerated and may count as an absence.

My expectations of you are that you come to class prepared to learn. This means that you have completed homework assignments (reading and written) and are ready to participate in classroom activities and discussions. Although I may highlight certain aspects of your reading assignments, I will not repeat what your textbook or other course materials relate. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you to use the readings to develop and enhance your writing strategies. Lack of preparation on your part shows a lack of concern for your education. Evidence of preparation and readiness to engage with the course materials reflects your desire to learn and be successful in the course, your college career, and beyond.

You can expect me to come to class prepared to engage you in learning about writing, reading, and thinking. Though you may or may not be highly interested in the assigned essay topics, I have structured the writing assignments to stretch your writing and thinking abilities beyond the level of mere interest for two reasons. First, the assignments will push you to develop skills you will need to meet the course objectives and that will assist you throughout your college career. Second, because in the real world of work, job tasks are assigned based on one’s aptitudes and not on one’s preferences, I will stress competence in domains that serve to underpin your major interests.