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English 101
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Texts:
The Writer’s Presence, 3rd edition, McQuade and Atwan, 2000
The Craft of Revision, Donald Murray, 2000
The Guide to Composition and Rhetoric, 2000-20002 edition
Sharing and Responding, Elbow and Belanoff, 3rd edition
Strongly recommended:
The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers, 5th edition, 1999

Course Description: English 101 is an intensive one-semester course in critical thinking, reading and writing that requires your participation as both a writer and as an evaluator of writing. The course thus concentrates equally on your reading and writing skills–skills which are so closely related to each other that you can (and will) often use one to help you improve at the other. Our classroom will be a discussion-centered workshop where you will respond critically to professional writing models as a way to develop a rhetorical knowledge base and a vocabulary for critique; you will also write multiple drafts of your own work and respond to the work of your peers. The course encourages you to experiment with a variety of writing processes with an emphasis on substantial revision.

Eng 101 requires your active participation through your written work, your oral contributions, and your presence in class. Come prepared to discuss assignments every day. The level of your participation will define the quality of the course experience for you.

Attendance Policy: Missing three classes may result in your final score dropping one full letter grade; missing six, two full letter grades. Missing more than nine classes will result in automatic failure. There are no excused absences. This does not mean you are "allowed" nine absences. Attendance is an essential element if you hope to successfully complete this course. If you must miss a class due to emergency or illness, contact me (prior to class–either by phone or through email) to explain the circumstances. Come to class on time: I take roll the first few minutes of the period. If you are not present, I will mark you absent. English office: 828-1331 (Please leave a message)

Open Mind Policy: This is something I want all of you to keep in mind while you’re working with your peers, their essays, and the general readings. Even though you might not agree with everything presented in the course, that doesn’t make the other person’s ideas invalid. (conversely, nor does it mean, if you disagree with an idea, that you aren’t allowed to voice your own thoughts) We all come from diverse, varied backgrounds, and we all deserve the chance to speak, to be heard. Just try to keep an open mind and to respect other peoples’ opinions.

Writing Assignments: The course consists of two essays, both 10-12 pages in length that arise out of a personal event or interest. You will begin each essay with a ‘discovery draft’ of five pages and revise it through three or four revision drafts before turning in the final essay at the end of the semester. Please keep all drafts of your work–as the essay continues to evolve, you’ll find that these early "artifacts" are invaluable.

Essay Assignment #1: The first essay will be a personal essay based on your own experiences. In searching for a topic, you will need to consider audience (along with the question, how personal is personal?), particularly in terms of universal appeal and relevance. You must include two outside sources in this essay. These sources will help you reflect on and extend your meaning.

Essay Assignment #2: The second essay will evolve out of personal experience and interest and, because it requires more sources than the first (4), it may be more informative in nature. The outside sources used in this paper will help you to reflect and extend your meaning as well as to help develop your essay.

Grading: Your essays will receive commentary throughout the semester from both your peers and me. The essay will not, however receive a final grade until the portfolio at the end of the semester.

Final Writing Portfolio (Two polished essays):   60%
Writing grades are cumulative and progressive. I will honor your learning, progress, and improvements. So, while I will evaluate and grade your work in stages, these grades are flexible up to the final draft (with the exception of late draft penalties).

Class Work:                                                                 40%
These grades are not negotiable. I will not accept late class work.

Daily Writing  10%
Reading Responses  20%
Participation & prep  10%

Writing Center: There is information in the Guide Ch. 6 (141-143) about the Writing Center and the services offered there. I require all students to visit the Writing Center twice during the semester: once for Essay 1 and once for Essay 2. These visits will count as part of your Participation grade. I’m not going to get on your case about waiting to the last minute (a lot of students do), but I will say that you might find it very useful to visit the Center early in your drafting stages, so the tutors can help you learn how to shape your essay, develop focus, etc.

Along that note, but in a slightly different vein, I want to talk with each student in individual, scheduled conferences at least once about each essay. I’ve canceled class one day near Midterm so that we have time to talk about the first essay; the second set of conferences will take place sometime near the beginning of your work with Essay 2. Those conferences (the second set) will occur in conjunction with regular class time. I would also like to meet with all of you at the end of the semester, during finals week, so you can pick up your portfolio and we can discuss your entire work. Again, this counts as part of your participation grade. And, although I’m scheduling these two conferences, that doesn’t mean you can’t seek me out at other times during the semester if you have questions or want to discuss some element(s) of your essay.

Keeping a Writer’s Notebook: See Guide p. 29-31

This class requires that you keep a notebook. Consider your writer’s notebook a work in progress. You will need to start it early and add to it as the semester progresses. If you keep up with your readings and necessary writing, the end of the semester won’t become a tremendous organizational chore. Keeping your notebook up-to-date will help you stay focused and organized too. I ask that your notebook have three main sections:

1. Class notes and in-class writing activities
2. Daily Writing
3. Reading Responses

You may want to keep your drafts in the same notebook; if so, that’s fine. But I won’t require you to turn in the portfolio section and final essays until the end of the semester. However, I will reiterate: I expect you to Keep all drafts. You will need to turn these in at the end of the semester as part of your writing portfolio. This presentation of your writing progress through the semester will be an important factor in determining your final grade.

Section one: Class notes and in-class writing activities. Keep a good, clear record of the work we accomplish in class.

Section two: Daily writing. As the Guide discusses, an important goal of the course is to help you develop a healthy writing habit. I want you to practice writing in this section of your notebook. Occasionally, I will ask you to respond to a specific question in your daily writing; but, more often, I simply want you to feel free to experiment with words and language. You may write about whatever you choose, from personal issues to work on your essay–the more you write, the better your writing habit becomes. Set aside time each day, five days a week, to write 250 words in this section of your notebook. I will collect your daily writing once every two weeks. (You can find a more complete discussion of this issue in the Guide on p. 31)

Section three: Reading Responses. I expect you to respond to everything you read in a reading response entry. Each entry will consist of two parts: A) a brief summary of what you read (see Guide, chapter 4, for more on summary) and B) a second section where you respond to the reading. I’m leaving this section a little more open, but I will provide a list of different ways you can respond to the reading. You might 1) discuss three stylistic elements you noticed in the reading, 2) discuss the role of outside sources in the reading, 3) check out three pieces of new knowledge that you gleaned from the reading, 4) discuss the differences between a first and later reading of the piece, 5) compare or contrast the reading to something else you have read for this class, or 6) discuss your response to the reading. From time to time, I might prompt your treatment of this section by giving you specific questions to think about while you’re reading. (You will find a more detailed explanation of this section in the Guide from page 29 to 31.)

I will collect reading responses at the beginning of the class period after you have read the work (typically, this will also be the day we discuss the given reading). It would behoove you, then, to keep on top of this section of your journal–not only will it help you prepare for class, but it will count as part of your grade.

About workshops: Workshops are the backbone of this class. Though a workshop session may at times center on another student’s work, every workshop is worthwhile to every student. During the discussion of someone else’s essay, you will discover applications for your own essay, and you will use the time we spend on workshopping to (re)envision and revise your essays.

During workshops, the class will divide into five smaller units. You will then work together to critique your peers’ essays. I have set aside various days throughout the semester for workshops; pay attention to when those days arise. The class before a scheduled workshop, you must bring enough copies of your essay to class so that you can give them to the other members in your workshop group and to me. If you should happen to forget, it’s your responsibility to get the papers to your group members in time for them to read and respond to your essay.

About Writer’s Memos: Whenever you turn in a draft to the instructor or to the class for workshop, you should compose a writer’s memo that explains your goals for the particular piece of writing. Your main goal in the writer’s memo is to ask the reader to attend to the specific aspects of your writing that you have thought about or have worked on and feel still need attention.

A writer’s memo should be at least a page (double-spaced) and should be as specific as possible regarding the essay. The act of writing the memo requires that you monitor what you are doing as a writer of your drafts. As you move through the semester, your writer’s memos should reflect your increased ability to articulate, in specific detail, changes in your drafts. Writer’s memos demonstrate that you are in command of the knowledge and vocabulary used to critique writing. Please see the excellent discussion in the Guide, p. 85-90.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American Disabilities Act of 1990

"Section 504 of the Rehabilitation of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 require Virginia Commonwealth University to provide academic adjustments or accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students seeking academic adjustments or accommodations must self-identify with the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities on the appropriate campus. After meeting with the Coordinator, students are encouraged to meet with their instructor to discuss their needs, and if applicable, any lab safety concerns related to their disabilities."

Please let me know if you qualify for ‘adjustments and/or accommodations.’
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