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| English 215, Strategies of Academic Writing, Fall 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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English 215
Strategies of Academic Writing Arizona State University Fall 2007
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The mission of ASU’s Writing Programs is to introduce students to the importance of writing in the work of the university and to develop their critical reading, thinking and writing skills so that they can successfully participate in that work. Writing is intellectual work, and the demands of writing within the university community include the need:
English 215 is an advanced interdisciplinary writing course emphasizing critical reading and thinking, argumentative writing, library research, and documentation of sources in an academic setting. Practice and study of selected rhetorics of inquiry (for example, historical, cultural, empirical, and ethnographic) employed in academic disciplines, preparing students for different systems of writing in their academic lives. Throughout this course, students will:
REQUIRED TEXTS/SUPPLIES:
Because writing classes are performance courses that depend upon student attendance for both the class and the student’s success, this policy is non-negotiable. All absences count equally, irrespective of the cause and students who exceed the allowed number of absences cannot pass the course and will fail with a grade of “E.” For Fall and Spring semesters, classes that meet two days a week, the maximum number of allowed absences is four (4). Beyond this policy, I expect students to make every effort to attend all meetings and to miss class only in rare and unavoidable circumstances. Should you arrive after I have called the roll, it is your responsibility to ensure that I correct the roll at class end. Beyond this policy, I expect students to make every effort to attend all meetings and to miss class only in rare and unavoidable circumstances. Should you arrive after I have called the roll, it is your responsibility to ensure that I correct the roll at class end.
According to university policy, students who are registered but do not attend any of the first week of classes may be dropped. IF I AM ABSENT If I need to cancel class because my car broke down, or if I am ill, etc., I will try to get someone to post a sign. I also will try to email you all, before class. However, if you come to class and I am not here by the time 15 minutes has elapsed (from when class is to start) , please assume that class is cancelled. GRADING Grading for Writing Projects will follow English Department standards, which are based on content, organization, expression, and mechanics. To compute final course grades, the following values are assigned to the standard letter grades of A through E:
At the end of each class period, I will award you credit for participation: a 3 or 4 if you were there the whole class period and contributed positively, a 1 or 2 if you showed up but didn't contribute positively, and a 0 if you were absent. A student who is chronically late to class, leaves early, or is not prepared to participate in the day's class work will not receive attendance and participation credit. At the end of each designated "virtual time" period, I will award you credit for participation: a 3 or 4 if you post an assignment and contributed positively, a 1 or 2 if you logon on but didn't contribute positively, and a 0 if you were absent. In addition to a 0, you will also be marked absent for that virtual class. MAJOR PROJECTS
THE PUBLIC NATURE OF THE CLASS WRITING AND DISCUSSION: Please consider every piece of writing you do for this class to be "public property." Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and criticisms of others, and in this course our purpose is to come together as a writing community. Remember that you will often be expected to share your writing with others, so avoid writing about things that you may not be prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or things you feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. This does not mean that you are not entitled to an opinion but that you adopt positions responsibly, contemplating the possible effect on others. All writing for this class must be written for this class To pass this class all major writing assignments must be completed, and note that all writing for this class must be written for this class. Reusing a paper you wrote for another class, or back in high school, constitutes academic dishonesty. PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is stealing. Whenever you borrow a phrase, sentence, paragraph—or even an idea stated in your own words—from any outside source (news writing, magazine, TV show, book) without giving credit to that source, you have plagiarized. Plagiarism is cheating yourself and someone else. The consequences are severe, including failure for the assignment, probable failure for the course, disciplinary referral to the Dean, and possible expulsion from the University. Academic integrity is expected of every individual in the University (See http://www.asu.edu/vpsa/studentlife/). For more information, see the Writing Programs Guide at http://www.asu.edu/english/writingprograms/teacherresources/wpguide/wpguide.htm. If you have any questions about how to acknowledge someone else's words or ideas, see me. The policies and procedures listed here are a supplement to those listed in the ASU Writing Programs Guide TEACHER CONFERENCES: I reserve the right to cancel class to hold individual conferences as needed. You should also try to visit with me in my office at least twice during the term to discuss your papers and your class performance. Please take this opportunity to let me get to know you a little better. I also encourage you to visit your other professors during their office hours CLASSROOM PROTOCOL: Most of our class time will be devoted to discussions and workshops, with an occasional lecture, announcements, and other in-class activities. Regardless of the class format, you are expected to be prepared, to listen, to contribute, and to participate in an appropriate fashion. Among other things, this means: COURSE WORK: 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. You should plan to spend two to three hours outside of class for every hour in class. Writing classes frequently require more time from students than many other classes do. In addition, for many of you, this work will require the use of technologies that may be unfamiliar to you, so be sure to make time for that learning curve. All final projects must be published in the appropriate venue and done so on time. Also, given the possibility of technological glitches and disasters, I strongly urge you to backup all your work. It could be disastrous for you gradewise if you cannot produce evidence of your work. All major projects must be completed in order to pass the course. NOTE: As a rule, I try not to penalize students for late work when something unexpected prevents completion of a particular assignment on time. Do note, however, that you must receive permission to turn in a late assignment without being penalized; if you fail to do so, your paper will be awarded an E. Also note that I will never give permission to turn in a paper late on the day an assignment is due. So if you come across a problem, talk to me ahead of time. Also, you may not email me a copy of your paper unless prior permission from me has been received. Late in-class and take-home assignments will not be accepted for credit. Because you must turn in all major writing projects to pass this course, you must turn in a paper even though it is late and will receive an E. COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY:This class will also introduce you to several aspects of computer research and pedagogy. We will frequently be doing class exercises and collaborative work on computer. You do not have to have expertise on the computer to succeed in this class, but you will have to work frequently on computer-aided assignments. There are bound to be technical glitches and frustrations during the semester. Remember that there are usually multiple ways to solve and avoid technical problems by being creative, troubleshooting, and not giving in to frustration. The most effective way to learn about the technology is by talking to other users and taking an active role in problem solving. The helpline for computer problems for ASU students and staff is: 480-965-6500. If you do not have a computer at home, you'll want to use one of the many ASU Computing Sites on campus. There are several locations. Although the Computing Commons is the largest site, it is also the busiest, so it's a good idea to explore other smaller sites as well. Withdrawals: University deadlines
DISABILITY RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS: ASU complies with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for equal access to education at ASU, please contact Disability Resources for Students at 480-965-1234. Please feel free to discuss the special accommodations with all of your teachers. PROBLEM SOLVING: |
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