Line # 33804 MWF 10:40-11:30 ARCH 321
Line # 44044 MWF 11:40-12:30 SS 325

Instructor;  Clarissa Simek Robinson
Office Hours:  1:00-2:00 p.m. MTWTh, and by appointment.
Office:   LL 343
Message Phone:  (480) 965-3853
E-mail address:  Clarissa.Robinson@asu.edu
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Required Textbooks:
o Guide to Composition Located online at: http://www.asu.edu/clas/english/composition/theguidetocomposition.html>
o Axelrod, Rise B., and Charles Cooper.  The St. Martin's Guide to Writing , 5th ed.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1997. (Unless otherwise noted, all reading assignments refer to this textbook.)
o Sladky, Paul , ed.  Free Falling and Other Student Essays,  New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.(Readings in this book are marked FF)

Suggested Texts:
o a college-level dictionary
o  MLA Handbook

Other Required Materials:
o 2 pocket folder (all final essays and materials must be submitted in this folder.)
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Course Description: Writing can be difficult and sometimes intimidating, but it is also something that you already do. This course focuses heavily on writing as a process, rather than as a final product.  As writers write, they need a set of strategies to help them move from thinking about a paper to polishing a final draft--strategies that can only be learned by writing consistently and often.  The primary goal of this course is to create a community of writers who will help each other to define individual voice, while working together to draft, revise, and edit each other’s literary work.
Since each student's needs are unique, this course will provide a great deal of individual attention and feedback from me, as well as peer group analysis and whole-class discussion.  I also encourage you to seek reactions to your ideas and drafts from people outside of this course.  In addition to family and friends, consider soliciting advice from tutors in the Writing Center located on the 3rd floor, of the Language and Literature building.
 By the end of their first-year writing courses, students should be able to focus on a specific purpose, to anticipate the needs of different kinds of readers, to recognize the differences among kinds of writing situations, to use the conventions of format, organization, and language appropriate to specific writing situations, and to understand what makes writing types—such as a book review, project proposal or research paper—different.  Students should also possess a strong understanding of writing and thinking skills, which will enable them to evaluate, analyze and synthesize appropriate primary and secondary sources.  Also, each student should leave their first-year courses with a heightened knowledge of the writing process and a strengthened grasp of writing conventions such as spelling, grammar and punctuation.
 The nature of this course allows for a variety of opinions and ideas, but with freedom of speech comes responsibility.  All students must realize that hate speech (oral and written) as well as harassment of any kind, will NOT be tolerated.  Remember, if you want your fellow students to respect your ideas and beliefs, you must give them the same courtesy.  I intend to provide an atmosphere in the classroom where every student feels welcome to participate in the discussion and development of the writing process.
 Also, it is important to keep in mind that writing is a collaborative process, and each piece of writing will be workshopped by your peers.  Therefore, anything that you write about MUST be able to be shared and discussed by the class as a whole.  Please keep this in mind when writing, and DON’T pick topics that are confidential, or otherwise too personal to be made public.  Also, please do not write about any criminal activity of which you have knowledge--as a witness, a victim, or a perpetrator.  If you do write about such activity, I may be legally required to report it to the authorities.
Drop/Add and Withdrawal Deadlines: The following are the published deadlines for dropping and withdrawing from courses:

January 21: Last day of final drop/add
February 11 Unrestricted withdrawal deadline
March 31 Restricted withdrawal deadline

o Note: After February 11, the instructor of the course you wish to drop MUST indicate that you currently have a passing grade in order for you to withdraw.

While I am optimistic that you will not elect to drop English 102, it is imperative that you pay attention to these deadlines.  The better informed you are about the options available to you as a student at ASU, the more likely you will be to succeed academically.  If you feel that you would benefit from additional support, please make an appointment with me during office hours so that I can provide you with information about services available to you at ASU.

Attendance and Participation: You are a student, and therefore going to class is your job.  You would not be able to skip work just because you don’t feel like going, and the same goes for your classes.  Because writing classes are performance courses that depend upon student attendance for your success, you must attend on a regular basis to receive credit for this course.  If you miss more than six (6) class meetings—the equivalent of two weeks—you CANNOT pass this course. This means that there is no such thing as an excused absence: there are only absences. This policy on attendance is a Writing Program policy and is non-negotiable.

At the end of each class period, I will award you credit for participation: a zero (0) if you were absent, a one (1) if you were late or showed up but didn't contribute, a two (2) if you were there the whole class period and contributed minimally, and a three(3) if you were there the whole class period and contributed positively throughout class.

o   Note:  "Attendance" means being present, on time, and prepared for the entire class period.

To accommodate students who participate in university-sanctioned activities, the Composition Program offers sections of this course at various times of the day and week.  We have asked advisors across campus to help students enroll in appropriate sections.  If you think that this course may conflict with a university-sanctioned activity  in which you are involved--athletics or the debate team or whatever--please see me after class today.  While transferring to another section may be the only viable option, let's discuss the possibilities.

Disabled Students:  If you are a student who requires special accommodation, please contact Disability Resources for Students at (480) 965-1234. Please feel free to discuss the special accommodations with me.

Course Work:  Deadlines are an important part of writing, and as such of this class.  You must come to each class prepared to write, to share your drafts with others, and to revise what you have already written.  This means you must work steadily both in class and on your own.  Time management is an important element in writing, so plan ahead and don’t leave things until the last minute.  Please come and talk to me regarding any problems you are having with an assignment prior to its due date so that we can avoid late papers.

o  Note:  ALL essays MUST be handed-in to pass the class.

Homework/Essay Format: All outside-of-class writing assignments—whether essays or homework—must be computer printed, double spaced, stapled and in 12pt font. Handwritten assignments will NOT be accepted. PLEASE PROOFREAD AND SPELL-CHECK ALL WORK.  Remember, each essay will undergo a great deal of revision between the first and final drafts, and having the text on a computer from the beginning will make this process much easier for you.

o Note:  Please place your name, my name, course title, and date in the top, left-hand corner of the first page, and center the title two lines underneath.  Put your last name and page number in the upper, right-hand corner of each successive page.  Refer to the MLA Handbook for any other formatting questions you may have.
Late Papers: Essays not turned-in for evaluation on their due dates will be marked "late" and downgraded one letter grade per class period missed.  Essays that are more than one week late will NOT receive a passing grade, but MUST still be handed-in in order to pass the course.

The Composition Office will NEVER accept your papers. All written work MUST be turned-in during class, NOT during office hours (or by sliding under my office door or placing on my desk).  ONLY work handed to me in-class will be accepted.

o   Note:  Late homework will NOT be accepted.  If you know that you will not be able to attend class, please either drop off the homework in my office or e-mail it to me before the beginning of the class period in which it is due. Missed in-class work cannot be made up.

Incomplete Policy: No Incompletes will be given

Writing Journals:  I will provide you with writing prompts at the beginning of class.  These may be collected, but will NOT be assigned a grade.  They are simply a tool by which I may better learn about your writing process.  You should feel free to use these to express ideas and concerns about both your growth as a person and a writer. Your writing journal will help you at the end of the course to go back and discover the journey that you have made as a writer.  It will also provide valuable information to you when constructing your portfolio.

Portfolio:  Keep all of your writing for this course, including in-class and out-of-class working notes, drafts, revisions, final drafts, reader-response answers, and writing journal entries.  At the end of the semester, you will review your portfolio, and will analyze and evaluate your progress as a writer.

Disposition of Papers: Students should keep their own papers.  Among other things, any student who appeals a course grade will need to submit copies of all graded course papers with the appeal.

Plagiarism: To plagiarize is to present as your own any work that is not exclusively your own.  Plagiarism of all or a portion of any assignment will NOT be tolerated.  Besides being a fraudulent act, it does a disservice to both you and your classmates.  You are here to learn, so don’t cheat yourself by being lazy and dishonest.

Plagiarism occurs when the proper sources are not documented, and due credit for the work of others’ is not given.   Proper forms of documentation can be found in the MLA Handbook, and you can always come to see me regarding any questions that you have in this area.

o      Note:  See the "Guide to Composition" for more information on plagiarism.

Revising Papers:  Revision is a major part of the writing process, and as such of this course  Along with the extensive in-class group work, I am available during office hours if you need additional help revising your drafts; please come prepared with draft materials and specific questions.  However, the final draft of each essay will be assigned an individual final grade, and no revisions are allowed after the final essay due date.

Conferences:  Each student is REQUIRED to meet with me once during the semester to discuss progress, problems, and any questions they may have regarding written work.  Classes will be canceled during this week in order to accommodate all students.  A sign-up sheet will be available prior to the week of conferences, and all students must attend their meeting time.  Of course, you’re always welcome to meet with me at any time during the semester as well.

o  Note:  Missing your conference is the equivalent of being absent for an entire week of classes.

Midterm Evaluations: The Department of English requires that I submit student mid-term evaluations approximately eight weeks into the semester.  If you are earning a "D" or "E" in the course, you should expect to receive one.

Grading:

4 Essays      40%
Portfolio Letter & Portfolio Presentation  20%
Homework     10%
Attendance & Participation   15%
Peer Review & In-class Work   15%

Grading Scale:  Grades on individual assignments are computed according to the following scale.

Essay #1     = 100 pts.
Essay #2     = 100 pts.
Essay #3     = 100 pts.
Essay #4     = 100 pts.
Portfolio Letter & Portfolio Presentation = 200 pts.
Homework     = 100 pts.
Attendance & Participation  = 150 pts.
Peer Review & In-Class Work  = 150 pts.
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Total     = 1,000 pts.

 o Note:  There is a marked difference between failing a paper and not turning one in.

Extra Credit: Towards the end of the semester, there will be an opportunity to earn extra credit by visiting the Writing Center (3rd floor of LL).  More information will be provided then.

Final Grades: Although I will be assigning plus (+) and minus (-) grades to your in-class work, there are no plus or minus final grades given at ASU.  Therefore, the following scale will be used to determine your final grade:

A = 1000-900 (4.0-3.5)
B =  899-800  (3.49-2.5)
C =  799-700  (2.49-1.5)
D =  699-600  (1.49-0.5)
E =  599-0  (.49-0)

Time Commitment: You should plan to spend two to three hours outside of class for every hour in class.  Composition classes require more time from students than many other classes do.

The Writing Center: The Writing Center is located on the 3rd floor of LL.  It is an exceptionally useful tool, and I cannot stress enough the value of this resource for you as writers.  Remember, you can ALWAYS see me to discuss questions regarding your work, but I also encourage you to schedule sessions with the Writing Center tutors. I may at times require that you pay them a visit if I feel there are specific issues with your writing that could benefit from their expertise. I am also open to discussing the possibility of extra credit if you choose to visit the Writing Center in a consistent manner.

Printer’s Devil Writing Contest:  This contest has been reestablished for Fall semester, 1999 and Spring semester, 2000.  The contest is open to all students currently enrolled in a first year composition class (WAC 101,English 101, 102, 102H, 105, 107, and 108).  I encourage you to enter your essays, and would be happy to provide further information upon request.

o Note: The policies and procedures included in this syllabus are a supplement to the "Guide to Composition."
 

Schedule of Homework Assignments: There may be schedule changes.  All changes will be announced in class.
n
Week 1:  Course Introduction

W 1/19:  Introduction to course and syllabus

F 1/21:  Introduction continued, assignments, writing prompt
HW: Read SMG Chapter 12, "A Catalog of Reading Strategies."
 Read introduction to evaluation paper, pp. 291-292.
Read "Purpose and Audience," "Summary of Basic
Features," and "The Writing Assignment,"
pp. 314-317

Week 2:  Justifying an Evaluation--Chapter 8

M 1/24:  Introduction to evaluation essay
HW: Read "Black Eye," pp. 294-296.
    Do exercises 1and 2 on pp. 296-297.

W 1/26: Class discussion
HW: Read Chapter 21, "Library and Internet Research," pp. 556-594 (refer to this chapter for assistance when working in the library.)

F 1/28:  Class discussion, in-class invention work.
HW: Read/review Chapter 11, "A Catalog of Invention
Strategies."
Read "Talking Trash," pp. 304-307.
Read "'Children Need to Play, Not Compete' by Jessica
Statsky:  An Evaluation," pp. 309-312.
Begin to research/write 1st evaluation essay

Week 3:  Evaluation unit continued

M 1/31:  Class discussion
HW: Read "A Writer at Work," pp. 331-332.
Write 2 page draft of 1st evaluation essay (bring 3 copies).

W 2/2:  Draft of 1st evaluation essay due (bring 3 copies). Draft workshops
HW: Revise 1st evaluation essay

F 2/4:  Polished draft of 1st evaluation essay due. Presentations.
HW: Read "The Simpsons: A Mirror of Society,"
pp. 130-132 in FF.
Read pp. 526-532 in Chapter 19, "Arguing."
Do exercises 19.1, 19.2, and 19.3, pp. 529-532.
Begin to research/write 2nd evaluation essay

Week 4:  Evaluation unit continued

M 2/7:  Class discussion.
HW: Read "Working at McDonalds," pp. 299-303.
    Write 2 page draft of 2nd Evaluation paper.(bring 3 copies)

W 2/9  Draft of 2nd Evaluation essay due (bring 3 copies).  Draft workshops
   HW: Revise 2nd evaluation essay

F 2/11  Polished draft of 2nd Evaluation essay due. Presentations.
HW: Read introduction to genre of Speculating About Causes, pp. 337-339.
Week 5:  Speculating About Causes--Chapter 9

M 2/14:  Introduction to Causes genre
HW: Read "Purpose and Audience," "Basic Features," and "The
Writing Assignment," pp. 358-361.
Read "Why We Crave Horror Movies," pp. 339-341.
Do exercises 1 & 2 on pp. 341-342.

W 2/16:  Class discussion
HW: Read "The Rise in Reported Incidents of Sexual Harassment," pp. 156-159 in FF.

F 2/18:  Class discussion. In-class invention work.
HW: Read "What Produces Outstanding Science Students," pp.
344-347.
Do exercise 1 on p. 347.

Week 6:  Causes unit continued

M 2/21:  Class discussion.  Library assignment.
HW: Read "The Strange Disappearance of Civic America,"
pp. 349-352.
Do Library assignment
    Begin to research/write draft of Causes essay

W 2/23:  Class discussion
HW: Read "Considering Your Readers," pp. 366.
Read "Where Will They Sleep Tonight?"  pp. 355-357.
 Read "Basketball and the Urban Poor,"  pp. 143-145 in FF.
Read "A Trend in Childbearing," & "What Makes a Serial Killer," FF pp.146-155

F 2/25:  Class discussion
   HW: Finish draft of Causes essay (bring 3 copies)

Week 7:  Causes unit continued

M 2/28:  Draft of Causes essay due. (Bring 3 copies). In-class workshop.
HW: Write 1-2 page peer review (bring 2 copies to class)
Revise essay (bring 2 copies)

W 3/1:  Revised draft of essay due (bring 2 copies). In-class workshop.
HW: Polish final draft of essay

F 3/3:  Polished draft of Causes essay due. Presentations.
HW: Read introduction to arguing a position on pp. 201-202.
Read "Purpose and Audience," "Summary of Basic
Features," and "The Writing Assignment,"
pp. 222-225.
Read "Sticks and Stones and Sports Team Names,"
pp. 204-206.
Do exercise 2, p.206. (Bring to conference)

Week 8:  Conferences

M 3/6:  Midterm Conferences

W 3/8:  Midterm Conferences

F 3/10:  Midterm Conferences
Week 9:  Classes Excused

M 3/13:  Spring Break

W 3/15:  Spring Break

F 3/17:  Spring Break

Week 10: Arguing a Position--Chapter 6

M 3/20:  Introduction to arguing a position
HW: Read pp. 93-94 in FF.
Read "Creating a Criminal," pp. 95-97 in FF.
Read "In Defense of Talk Shows," pp. 204-208.

W 3/22:  Class discussion
HW: Read "Children Need to Play, Not Compete," pp. 218-221
Read "A Writer at Work," pp. 240-242.

F 3/24:   Class discussion. In-class work.
HW: Read "The Liberal Arts:  A Practical View," pp. 98-101 FF.
Begin to research/write position essay

Week 11: Position unit continued

M 3/27:  Class discussion
HW: Write draft of Position essay (bring 3 copies)

W 3/29:  Draft of essay due (bring 3 copies).  In-class peer review workshop.
HW: Write 1-2 page peer review (bring 2 copies to class).
    Revise essay (bring 2 copies)

F 3/31:  Revised draft of essay due (bring 2 copies). In-class workshop.
HW: Read "The Declining Art of Political Debate," pp. 214-216.
Do exercises 1 and 2, p. 216.
Read "Revising" and "Editing and Proofreading," pp. 236-240.

Week 12: Proposing a Solution—Chapter 7
 
M 4/3:  Polished draft of essay due.  Presentations.
   HW: Read introduction to Proposing Solutions, pp. 247-248.
 Read "Purpose and Audience" and "Summary of Basic
Features," pp. 267-269.

W 4/5:  Introduction to Proposing a Solution genre.
HW: Read "Universal E-Mail:  Worthy of a 'New Frontier'
Commitment," pp. 249-251.
Read SMG, pp. 250-253
Do exercise 2, p. 251.
 

F 4/7:  Class discussion
HW: Read "Wheelchair Hell: A Look at Campus Accessibility," pp. 112-115 in FF.
    Begin to research/write Solution essay
 
 

Week 13: Solution unit continued

M 4/10:  Class discussion. In-class work.
HW: Read "The Writing Assignment" and "Invention and
Research,"  pp. 270-274.
Read "Birth Control in the Schools," pp. 258-260.
Do exercises 1 and 2 on p. 260.

W 4/12:  Class discussion
HW: Read "WSU Dining Facilities," pp. 122-127 in FF.
Read "Street Hassle," pp. 254-256.
Do exercises 1-2, p. 256.
Read "More Testing, More Learning," pp. 262-265.

F 4/14:  Class discussion
   HW: Finish draft of Solution essay (bring 3 copies)

Week 14: Solution unit continued

M 4/17:  Draft of Solution essay due (bring 3 copies).  In-class peer editing workshop.
HW: Write 1-2 page peer review (bring 2 copies)
    Revise essay (bring 2 copies)

W 4/19:  Revised essay due (bring 2 copies). In-class peer editing workshop.
HW: Read "Revising" and "Editing and Proofreading," pp. 281-284.
Read "Strengthening the Argument," pp. 284-286
Polish final draft of Solution essay

F 4/21:  Polished Draft of essay due. Presentations.
HW: Read Chapter 24 "Assembling a Writing Portfolio."
Bring portfolio draft materials to class.

Week 15: Portfolios

M 4/24:  In-class portfolio workshop.
HW: Write 1-2 page cover letter
 Prepare final presentation

W 4/26:  Portfolio cover letters due. Portfolio presentations begin.

F 4/28:  Portfolio presentations continued.

Week 16: Portfolios continued

M 5/1:  Portfolio presentations continued.

o Note:  There is no exam in this class.  You MUST pick up your portfolios
during my exam week office hours, or your grade will suffer.