English 101: Course
Syllabus
Section 019 (MS 227)
11:00-11:50 MWF
Section 021 (FH 227)
12:00-12:50 MWF
Instructor: Denise Burgess
Office: Frandsen 8, Desk 3
Hours: MW 1:00-2:30 p
Phone: 784-6709 x256
Email: dburgess@unr.nevada.edu
Welcome to English 101! This workshop course will focus on your writing and the writing of your classmates. You can expect to write, write, and WRITE--in-class exercises, reading logs, essays, revisions, responses, self-evaluations, and so on. Because writing is intimately connected with reading, you will be reading a variety of texts, including the work of your classmates, short essays, and writers' guides. Above all, you are joining a community of writers, readers, and thinkers. As a community, you will work together to strengthen, clarify, and expand your talents. You will depend on each other for response and feedback, which makes each person's participation essential.
As a result of your work in this course, I hope you will develop your writing ability, awareness, and confidence.
q Ability to discover and develop worthwhile ideas in writing
q Ability to read and respond thoughtfully and critically to your own writing and the writing of others
q Ability to revise and edit your own work
q Ability to use language to make meaning and affect others
q Awareness of language resources for finding information
q Awareness of audience and purpose for your writing
q Awareness of your own writing processes
q Awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of your writing as it develops
q Confidence in your ability to read critically
q Confidence in your ability to communicate effectively through writing
q Reading Rhetorically: A Reader for Writers, Bean, et al
q The Everyday Writer, Lunsford and Connors
q Been There, Done That, Edited
q A collegiate dictionary
q 8 1/2 x 11, spiral bound notebook for your Writer's Notebook
q Folder or binder for your portfolio
q Binder or notebook for class notes and handouts
q Access to a computer or typewriter (there are computer labs located in the Jot Travis Student Union, the Getchell Library, and at the Writing Center)
q Two floppy disks—BACK UP YOUR WORK!!!!!
q Writer's Notebook
The writer's notebook is arguably the most important work you will complete this semester. This is where you will explore your writing abilities and generate the raw material to build your essays. Bring it to class with you every day. You are required to complete at least three entries each week (feel free to write more). Some entries will be generated from in-class prompts; others will stem from whatever you are interested in writing about. All entries must be dated. I will collect notebooks five times this semester.
q Reading Assignments
Good writers are readers. Over the course of the semester, you will be reading selections from Reading Rhetorically. The readings are linked thematically to your writing assignments.
q Essays
You will complete four formal essays this semester. Each essay will go through a number of revisions because the art of writing is a continual process. Make sure you hold on to every draft because they will be included in your portfolio (see below).
q Midterm Portfolio
The portfolio is a collection of your work throughout the semester. At mid-term your portfolio should contain 7-8 pages of polished writing (revisions of the essays you turned in to me), your notes and drafts, peer responses, and a self-evaluation.
q Final Portfolio
Your final portfolio will contain 20 pages of polished writing (including the material from your midterm portfolio), your notes and drafts, peer responses, and a self-evaluation.
q Peer Response Groups
Peer response groups are the heart of a workshop class. You will be required to provide written and verbal responses to your classmates' work.
q Grammar Presentations
Instead of sitting through grammar lectures, you and your group will be assigned an area of mechanics to teach the class. You may use games, demonstrations, or other techniques.
q Class Participation
This includes all the daily work you will complete in class, including reading discussions, quizzes, and other assignments.
Your grade will be divided into two categories: process and product.
q Process 50%
The process grade includes the writer's notebook, peer response groups, and other daily assignments, readings, presentations, and participation.
q Product 50%
The product grade is based upon your writing portfolio. Your midterm portfolio is 20% and your final portfolio is 30%. I will evaluate portfolios based on improvements and the quality of the final product.
Because this is a workshop class, attendance is vitally important. Promptness and regular attendance are crucial: absences affect your own work and the work of others. As allowed by English Department policy, I will lower your grade if you have three or more absences. On the third and each additional absence, I will deduct 2% from your course grade. Most likely the quality of your papers and portfolio will be negatively affected by your absences as well. You are responsible for signing the attendance sheet each day. You are also responsible for finding out what you missed during an absence. If you have a serious illness or emergency, be sure to get in touch with me as soon as possible.
Showing up late or leaving class early will also affect your grade. Every three late entries or early exits will equal one absence. Please be punctual.
I expect you to treat each other with courtesy and respect. Although we will endeavor to remain objective, we are sharing our personal thoughts and feelings with each other. Courtesy and respect for your classmates, their written work, and your own written work are essential to create and maintain an atmosphere of trust. Remember, no one's opinion in this class is wrong, only different. If you do not wish to respect your peers, your teacher, and the learning environment, please do not come to class.
Late work will not be accepted. Any in-class activities or quizzes you miss cannot be made up. If you have an emergency, make sure you talk to me as soon as possible. Drafts and reading assignments are due at the beginning of class. Essays and portfolios must be turned in to me (or my mailbox) by 4 p.m. on the due date.
I understand that in the rarest of incidences there are extreme circumstances (like a death in the family) which might interfere with you turning in an assignment on time. If you run into such a situation, you MUST do two things to keep alive any hope of earning credit: 1) contact me BEFORE the essay is due to schedule a conference with me, and 2) provide formal documentation of why you cannot meet the deadline (this DOES NOT mean a note from mom—it means hospital admittance papers, death certificates, etc.).
The easiest and fastest way to reach me is through email. From time to time, I may send announcements via email. Please make sure I have your current address.
As a general rule, I do not accept assignments via email. I will only accept an emailed assignment if you have previously arranged it with me. Even then, you email your work at your own risk. With any form of technology, technical difficulties are bound to arise. Your assignment must be in my in-box by the time it is due. If you send the assignment and it somehow does not reach me, it is considered late and will not be accepted. While I will certainly feel bad for you if you come in the next day and swear you sent the paper, I won’t accept your work.
We have an excellent Writing Center on campus, staffed by tutors with experience in both writing and teaching. I will require you to have at least one tutoring session at the Center prior to midterms. Although you are required to visit the Center, I suggest you take advantage of this resource and go as often as possible. The Writing Center is located in EJCH 206. Call 784-6030 to schedule an appointment.
You will have two required writing conferences with me. During these meetings we will discuss your papers, your progress, and any other concerns you may have. Please drop by my office at any point during the semester if you have something you want to talk about!
Copying another student’s work, copying published works, and borrowing ideas without correctly giving credit to the original source are all forms of plagiarism. Consequences of plagiarism range from a zero on the assignment, to a zero in the class, to expulsion from the university. Please refer to the university catalog for more information.
The English Department is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including those with physical disabilities or learning disabilities. If you are a student with a documented disability, it is you responsibility to contact me during the first week of the semester so that we can discuss appropriate accommodations.
Schedule
Reading assignments and drafts must be completed before class on the date listed. Essays and portfolios may be delivered to my mailbox before 4 p.m. on the date listed.
Bring your writer's notebook to class everyday. If there is a reading assignment due, please bring the appropriate text with you to class. In addition, please bring Everyday Writer to each group workshop session.
Dates listed are subject to change.
RR Reading Rhetorically EW Everyday Writer
Week 1 |
8/26 Introductions In-class writing |
8/28 Didion “On Keeping a Notebook” RR 3-12 |
8/30 Been There 1-5 RR 27-41 Writing Sample: Scenes of Reading (RR 7-8) |
Week 2 |
9/2 NO CLASS--Labor Day |
9/4 RR 147-150 (Expressing) RR 151-158 (Kingsolver) |
9/6 RR 357-362 (Bambara) |
Week 3 |
9/9 RR 159-168 (Mori) Bring EW to classNotebook due |
9/11 Been There 6-8 Draft of essay 1(Bring a copy for each group member) |
9/13 NO CLASS--Conferences |
Week 4 |
9/16 Workshop Response letters due (bring 2 copies) |
9/18 Visit Getchell Library Essay 1 Revision |
9/20 Visit Getchell Library |
|
10/14 |
10/16 Grammar group 4 RR 477-481 (Lord) |
10/18 Notebook due |
|
Week 9 |
10/21 RR 123-144 (Incorporating reading) |
10/23 Grammar group 5 RR 566-568 (Muwakkil) RR 385-387 (Wendtland) |
10/25 NO CLASS—NEVADA DAY |
Week 10 |
10/28 Grammar group 6 RR 486-488 (Downey) |
10/30 RR 195-199 (Updike) Draft of essay 3 (Bring a copy for each group member) |
11/1 Workshop Response letters due (bring 2 copies) |
Week 11 |
11/4 Essay 3 revision |
11/6 RR 245-247 (Naylor) |
11/8 RR 201-204 (Steenburg) |
Week 12 |
11/11 NO CLASS—VETERANS’ DAY |
11/13 Notebook dueRR 522-524 (Bruffee) |
11/15 NO CLASS--Conferences |
Week 13 |
11/18 RR 526-527 (Sipiorski) |
11/20 RR 542-548 (Michlowski) |
11/22 RR 555-559 (Delli Carpini) |
Week 14 |
11/25 Draft of essay 4RR 275-298 ( Wolfson) |
11/27 Workshop Response letters due (bring 2 copies) |
11/29 NO CLASS—THANKSGIVING BREAK |
Week 15 |
12/2 RR 299-301 (Irgang) |
12/4 Workshop |
12/6 Group reading Final portfolio |
Week 16 |
12/9 Last class! "Final" of sorts Notebook due |
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