About the Class

Class Location: Langdale Hall and Online                                                     Meeting Time: W/F 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

Office Hours: W/F 1:00-2:30, and by appointment

Course Catalog Description

This course builds on writing proficiencies, reading skills, and critical thinking skills developed in ENGL 1101.  It also introduces and incorporates several research methods in addition to persuasive and argumentative techniques.  These techniques will be practiced through an investigation of cultural conversations which closely link to readings and conversations that occur beyond the classroom. This process allows us to understand the process of conveying organized and measured thought both inside and outside of the classroom. A passing grade is C. 

Prerequisite:  C or above in ENGL 1101.

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Engage in writing as a process, including various invention heuristics (brainstorming, for example), gathering evidence, considering audience, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading.
• Engage in the collaborative, social aspects of written composition, and use these as tools for learning.
• Use language to explore and analyze contemporary multicultural, global, and international questions.
• Demonstrate how to use composition aids, such as handbooks, dictionaries, online aids, and tutors.
• Gather, summarize, synthesize and explain information from various sources.
• Use grammatical, stylistic, and mechanical formats and conventions appropriate for a variety of audiences, but particularly the formal academic audience that makes up the discourse community with which you will also become more familiar in this course.
• Critique your and others’ work in written, visual and oral formats.
• Produce coherent, organized, readable compositions for a variety of rhetorical situations.

About Writing

We are going to do a lot of writing in this course. My philosophy is that the more you write the more comfortable you will become with seeing yourself as a writer.  Every reading, activity, and assignment you are asked to do is specifically chosen to help you become a better writer; there is no busy work in this class.  The good news is that the writing and reading skills you acquire will be applicable to all your future endeavors, both professional and personal. What you learn in this course can help you with writing in your other academic classes, with writing in your chosen career or workplace, and with civic or personal writing tasks. Communicating effectively through writing is an invaluable skill.  You will be able to draw on your own experiences and interests throughout the course and I will introduce you to other ideas and approaches to those ideas.

Our Discourse Community

We are part of a discourse community – a group of people involved in and communicating about a topic. As a community, it is important to always model positive, respectful behavior. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important relating to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, and nationalities. Disruptive behavior such as disrespecting a member of the class, eating, sleeping, text messaging, web browsing, holding personal conversations, or doing work for other classes does not support this community.  If you are disturbing the class, I may ask you to leave for the day, forfeiting any in-class assignments we may complete after your departure. If disruptive behavior continues or a pattern of disruption occurs, additional steps may be taken, including permanent removal from the course. Keep in mind that our community does not end at the classroom door, but extends to our iCollege space, course emails, and all other out-of-class environments used for our course interactions. Learning requires trust, not just in your instructor, but also in each other.

Attendance and Deadlines

Although we have a digital component to the class, you will not succeed without coming to our class meetings. Each meeting, please come on time and prepared for the day. 15% of your final course grade comes from our daily work and participation. But I also know that life happens – sick days, mental health days, and I’m-on-the-side-of-the road-days all happen. So, I offer three days, no excuse needed, to take care of you. You will be responsible for finding out what you missed, and in-class work is never eligible for makeup. If your absence or lateness is chronic, I will ask you to meet with me before coming back to class.

I generally don’t take late work. This is an important policy, and I take it seriously. However, I am generous with extensions. Should you need an extension, please contact me 24 hours prior to deadline and ask for one. I will likely give it to you. Then, the work isn’t late! If you request an extension, keep working, just in case. And, if you have a genuine emergency that prevents you from submitting on time, I will work with you, so feel free to reach out, regardless. 

The Big P: Plagiarism in the Classroom

I follow the academic dishonesty/plagiarism policy outlined by the university. It can be accessed using the link below. This policy refers to every piece of writing you do for class, drafts, reading responses, and finished essays alike.  If you are ever unsure what may or may not be plagiarism, please do not hesitate to ask me.  In fact, I welcome your questions.  Any work that is turned in to this class that is plagiarized or violates the university academic honesty policy will receive an automatic 0 for the assignment grade.   Furthermore, I may refer you to the College of Arts and Sciences for further disciplinary action or course penalties.

In addition, students are required to be honest in their academic work by writing their own papers. Handing in papers you receive from someone else or allowing someone else to heavily edit or write work for you constitutes an academic honesty violation.

GSU’s Policy on Plagiarism: https://codeofconduct.gsu.edu/files/2019/07/2019_7_3_Academic_Honesty.pdf.

The Work

The Response Notebooks

Responses are a common way in which professors ask students to think through academic texts. This class will introduce the response genre and help you to develop response skills that move beyond summary. You will be asked to produce and submit two Response Notebooks (RN). Each notebook will be comprised of three responses to three separate readings and a lexicon page, which will highlight new, unfamiliar words you encounter. Each notebook will be worth 15% of your final grade, for a total of 30%.

Primary Research Portfolio

Research goes beyond merely reading the research of others; as you progress in your college career, you will likely be asked to gather and interpret your own information and data. The Primary Research Portfolio (PRP) will introduce you to alternate forms of research and provide an opportunity to practice gathering and interpreting data for yourself. The PRP is worth 15% of the final grade.

Analysis Essay

Another arrow in your academic quiver is analysis, which is an extension of critical thinking. The Analysis Essay will build on the work you do you build in your PRP. We will develop these essays together in class, practicing composing and reasoning skills. The Analysis Essay and accompanying components total 20% of the final grade.

Presentations

We will engage with several new terms and concepts over the semester, some of which may overlap. To help you connect these terms and concepts to one another, students will be asked to make brief, ten-minute presentations as we come across these terms and concepts. Presentation topics will be assigned in the first week of class; you will be asked to use the class text and at least two other texts and prepare a 1-page handout that details, explains, and provides examples for your concept and includes your Works Cited. Presentations are worth 10% of the final grade.

Revision Portfolio

The Revision Portfolio (RP) is an extension of the Analysis Essay that will ask you to revise and reimagine your work as a poster. This final assignment offers you a second chance to practice developing skills. The RP, which will be the last assignment due, is worth 10% of the final grade.

The Revision Portfolio was dropped this semester because of the delays caused by COVID-19 and the transition to online. Points were reassigned across the remaining assignments – the Analysis Essay and the final Response Notebook. 

Participation

Participation refers to all other in-class work, including peer review, discussions, and hybrid day activities. Most assignments will carry the same percentage weight, although a few may be counted more heavily. Much of your in-class participation will be done in our Participation Notebook, which I will occasionally ask you to submit for review. Please note that class participation accounts for 15% of your total grade and includes attendance; failure to attend class will impact this part of your grade heavily.

For a full syllabus, see the Spring 2020: ENGL 1101: First Year Composition page.