ENGL& 101 – English Composition I Winter 2014
CASSIE CROSS cross.cassie@gmail.com Office (R230) Hours: by appointment
Welcome…
to English Composition 101! This syllabus is your guide to the course. Please
save this document for further reference throughout the course.
Over the 11 weeks of
this quarter you will be reading and discussing the works of others as well as
writing and sharing your own work.
The writing
classroom can be a warm, comfortable and exciting place to share words and I
aim to create that here. Working with fellow writers who put time and thought
into their work, and who you trust to be respectful of your work, is an
invaluable experience.
“Close the door. Write with no one
looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to
hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you
have to offer.”
-Barbara
Kingsolver
We are here to
become better writers by communicating our thoughts clearly and concisely to an
audience. No one said this would be easy. In fact, I can tell you without a
doubt, after spending all of my life working on it, writing is hard. Even published authors struggle with it.
“The work
never matches the dream of perfection the artist has to start with.”
-William
Faulkner
Writing is a process
and in this course you will learn how to do clear and thoughtful revision of
your work. This course will rely on a workshop format, where your classmates
will respond to your writing and you will give thoughtful and respectful
comments on your peers’ papers as well. Responding to writing—published writers
as well as your classmates’ work—will help you to think more critically and
objectively about your own writing. Ideas, given time and reflection, can
develop and grow; in this course you will have the opportunity to make use of
the process format and succeed in writing well-informed, highly developed
essays.
Upon
completion of this course, you will be able to
§ Demonstrate
various invention practices: brainstorming, free-writing, outlining, and
journaling
§ Demonstrate
ability to write in various modes: personal narrative, expository, analytical,
descriptive, argument
§ Demonstrate the phases of writing: draft, revision, final
copy
§ Explore sources of writing: reading, thinking, analyzing,
discussion
§ Create a thesis statement that suggests the focus of the
paper; does not point out the obvious, and is written as a sentence
§ Develop and include enough details and examples to support
the identified thesis and reinforce focus
§ Demonstrate various patterns of organization and use the
organization pattern that suits your identified purpose & audience
§ Illustrate the concept of Audience in your writing
§ Artfully combine Audience, Purpose, and Tone in
compositions written in and outside of class
§ Write in a vocabulary appropriate to your subject and
identified audience
§ Begin and conclude a paper effectively
§ Show effective control of mechanics: paragraphing,
punctuation, spelling
§ Differentiate between key ideas and supporting details in
reading
§ Locate the thesis statement in reading assignments
§ Practice good group skills: how to give useful feedback,
and how to make use of feedback you receive
§ Develop self-assessment skills.
Required Materials:
The
readings for this course will be from the required texts:
Extremely
Loud and Incredibly Close by
Jonathan Safran Foer (ISBN: 978-0-547-73502-3)
The Little Seagull Handbook by Richard Bullock and Francine Weinberg
(ISBN: 978-0-39391151-0)
All
are available through the Bellevue College Bookstore, as well as Amazon.com* or
other online sources. Any additional readings will be provided for you on our MyBC course site.
*Note:
Amazon.com offers a service for students, Amazon Prime, which gives you free
2-day shipping on textbooks. You can sign up for this service at http://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup/info
Requirements for the course:
The
requirements of this course will be three original essays, edited and
polished drafts/revisions of each of those essays timely
completion of a writing portfolio thoughtful participation in
discussion and workshop demonstration of study and engagement with the
course
Grades:
Grades will be weighted as follows:
Paper
1 15%
Paper
2 25%
Paper
3 25%
Peer
Review 10%
Responses 15%
Participation
10%
Attendance:
Please note that while
there is not a dedicated grade for attendance, participation in class is
required. If you are not here, you cannot participate. Missing more than two
weeks of class is grounds for failure, regardless of your performance when you
do attend class. Missing more than three classes will impact your grade.
Essay
Format:
All essays must be
typed, double spaced, in size 12 font, with 1 inch margins. Late papers lose 5
points every day they are late. I do not comment on late drafts. (You do,
however, have the option of making an appointment with me outside of class.) All papers will include your drafts and
workshop comments.
Workshop:
In this class we will be utilizing the
process of peer review, which I like to call workshop. You will be assigned to
a workshop group where you read and respond to two of your classmates’ papers.
Responding to writing will help you to think more critically and objectively
about your own writing, therefore the comments you give to your classmates
during workshop are an important part of your grade. Students who take the time
to read and evaluate their classmates’ work will do well in this class. (More guidelines will be provided in the
future on how to respond to your classmates’ papers.) If you do not complete a
workshop, it affects your grade. The amount of time and effort you spend
responding to your classmates’ papers also affects your grade.
Expectations:
I expect professionalism from my students. If
you have any problems or concerns with your performance in the course, please
contact me. Failure to meet deadlines on a consistent basis without
communicating with me the reason will result in a significant impact to your
grade.
I expect your emails to be addressed and
composed in a professional manner. I expect timely completion of assignments in
accordance with our class calendar. Please plan time for troubleshooting
computer issues should they arise. With the amount of resources Bellevue
College offers its students, there should be very few reasons for late work due
to computer malfunction.
Communication is
key. Come to class, participate in discussion, turn in assignments on time, and
contact me by email if you have any concerns. Worried about an assignment? Let
me know. I’d rather help you with your draft than give a poor grade to a
problematic final paper.
This quarter will go by fast. Stay vigilant.
I suggest taking a look at the course schedule and copying the calendar into
your personal calendar. I also recommend setting designated times to work on
this class, at least 3-4 times a week, more often when a paper is due.
Writing
Lab:
The Writing Lab offers one-on-one help with
writing, including class assignments, college applications, resumes, and more.
Make an appointment by calling ahead (564-2200) or stopping by (D204).
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is
grounds for probation or suspension from Bellevue College as well as for
failure in this course. I will not
tolerate it, and will report any instance of plagiarism I find to the Vice
President of Student Services. Plagiarism is a counterproductive, non-writing
behavior that is unacceptable in a course intended to aid your growth as an
academic writer. Any instances of plagiarism I find in your essays will result
in an immediate failing grade on that assignment. If I find plagiarism
occurring a second time, after you have already received one failing grade and
a warning, you will fail the course.
Disability
Resource Center:
If you are a
student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have
documentation or have seen someone for treatment, please register with The
Disability Resource Center. If you are eligible, you will be provided with an
accommodation letter, which you must review with me the first week of class. More information can be found at: www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc