Rowan University
COMP 01111 4 – College Composition I
Monday/Wednesday 5:00 – 6:15
James Hall 2097
Instructor: William G. Lewis
Office Hours: Hawthorne Hall 105, M/W 2:30-4:30
E-mail: lewisw@rowan.edu
Phone: (856)630-0993
Website: http://williamglewis.pbworks.com/
Course Description:
In this course, you will learn about writing as a process and all elements that it involves. Areas of emphasis will include reading and responding to the works of others, development of ideas, planning, organization, drafting and revision. Through assignments both inside and outside of the classroom, you will work towards achieving the outcomes associated with the five core values of the First-Year Writing Program. Work will be done individually, with the instructor, and along with other members of the class. You will submit a final portfolio that demonstrates you have reached these goals and learned that writing is a recursive process, which involves more than just sitting down in front of a blank computer screen and starting to type.
The Five Core Values:
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Understand that writing is a practice which involved a multi-stage, recursive, and social process.
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Understand that close and critical reading/analysis allows writers to understand how and why texts create meaning.
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Understand that writing is shaped by audience, purpose, and context.
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Understand the role of information literacy in the practice of writing.
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Understand the ethical dimensions of writing.
Required Texts:
From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Practical Guide, 2nd Ed., Stuart Greene and April Lidinsky, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. (ISBN: 9780312601409)
They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, 3rd Ed. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, Norton, 2014. (ISBN: 9780393935844)
Guide to First-Year Writing, http://www.guidetofirstyearwriting.org/
Attendance:
Your attendance in class is incredibly important to your success in this course. A writing class is a community and most classes will include collaborative work that cannot be replicated.
The maximum number of permissible absences—both excused and unexcused—is six. You cannot earn credit for this course if you miss more classes than this. You may withdraw from the course before you have exceeded this number of absences or you will receive an F for the course.
You will be allowed to make up work for excused absences only, providing you have documentation.
Excused absences include:
If you must miss class for any of the above or other excusable reasons, you must contact me as soon as possible. If extenuating circumstances force you to miss more than six classes, you must speak to me about the possibilities for accommodating you beyond this. Absences should be used with discretion because you never know when you will suddenly have to miss class.
Late Work: If you encounter a problem completing an assignment by the due date, please come talk to me about it. The general policy on late work is that it will only be accepted for excused absences.
Communication:
Phone: If you do call me and reach my voicemail, please be sure to speak clearly and leave your name, course information, and phone number if you wish a return call.
E-Mail:
If you contact me via e-mail, always include your full name and class section (like this: William Lewis, ENG 101-01) in the subject line. Too often students forget to sign e-mail or have e-mail addresses without obvious identifiers. If you do not include your name and class in the subject line, I will not open the message.
Students who send me e-mail and do not receive a reply of any kind within 48 hours should assume it was never received. Please re-send any such e-mails. I do not mind receiving redundant messages if you are unsure whether your message was transmitted (though I may only reply to one). If your message doesn’t present itself as urgent, I may reply quickly and briefly and ask to get back to you before long.
If I send you an e-mail (especially in emergency situations), I will use your Rowan e-mail address. If you do not regularly check it, I recommend you have your Rowan e-mail forwarded to another e-mail address so you do receive it. I do not accept “I didn’t get that e-mail” or “I don’t use my Rowan e-mail” as an excuse.
I will not answer e-mails with poor grammar or texting speak. I expect your e-mails to use proper grammar.
Grading:
I grade on a point system, and the total number of possible points for the semester is 1,000. The total number of points you get will determine your grade:
A = 1,000 – 950
A- = 949 – 900
B+ = 899 – 866
B = 865 – 833
B- = 832 – 800
C+ = 799 – 766
C = 765 – 733
C- = 732 – 700
D+ = 699 – 666
D = 665 – 633
D- = 632 – 600
F = 599 or below
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70% Final Portfolio (700 points total)
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20% Daily Work: Paper drafts, rewrites, reflections, in-class writing, etc. (200 points total)
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10% (100 points) Class Contribution
Final Portfolio:
You will produce a portfolio of your writing for this course that must include two polished essays along with drafts and revisions, a Critical Engagement Assignment, an Annotated Bibliography and a Reflective Statement.
Your Final Portfolio will be graded as a whole. You will work on and revise the portfolio essays throughout the semester and must turn each draft in as assigned. But, while these drafts will be given individual reference grades, it is the Final Portfolio grade at the end of the semester that counts. Keep in mind that I pay close attention to the quality of revision in the Final Portfolio. The Guide to the First-Year Writing Program contains detailed instructions regarding the portfolio.
Important Reminder: Keep every version (hard copy and electronic) of your essays from the first rough draft to the final revision. To make sure your electronic files are safe, it is suggested that you copy them to your Rowan server space.
Daily Work:
In addition to the major essays and other portfolio documents, you will be expected to complete a variety of assignments, both in and out of class. Below are some of those items.
Essays:
Throughout the term, you will be expected to complete several essays throughout the semester; most of these will be done outside of class.
All work written and submitted should utilize standard rules of grammar, sentence organization, paragraph organization, and diction.
Essays must be completed in MLA format, typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and carefully proofread.
All essays will be submitted to my e-mail and graded there. Submit essays by the day they are due before class starts. Please send the paper as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .odt.
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism:
One of the goals for this course is to increase your awareness of the ethical ramifications of writing and your ability to write ethically and responsibly. How to avoid unintentional plagiarism is a major component of this course. However, it is ultimately your responsibility to submit ethical writing. If you have any question about the use of sources and citations in your work, you should contact me prior to turning in the assignment.
Plagiarism, whether the intentional act of passing off someone else's work as your own or the unintentional act where sources for material are not acknowledged due to a lack of familiarity with citation forms, is a serious violation of the principles of academic honesty. Acts of plagiarism include parts of as well as the whole of assignment. Students who submit plagiarized work will be subject to process and penalties of Rowan’s academic integrity policy.
This detailed policy, which outlines the varying levels of infractions and possible sanctions, can be found at http://www.rowan.edu/provost/policies/AcademicIntegrity.htm
Class Contribution:
What does your presence add to our classroom community? Are you ready and willing to challenge yourself? Do you answer questions to the best of your ability? Do show original and productive thought rather than mindlessly please me or make you look smart? How do you do in group work? Are you punctual and prepared to engage the course? These are some of the factors I will consider for this grade.
I will be using a deck of playing cards to choose students at random to answer questions and to organize random groups. Each student is assigned a card from the deck and can be chosen at random to answer a question at any time. Responses like “I don’t know” are not acceptable. I invite you to think aloud, muse, guess, and experiment with ideas. Take the opportunity to expand on the ideas of the class.
Critical Response Papers:
In the course of the term, you are required to write short, informal papers (1-2 pages each) on the essay readings for class. You must respond to all of the essays that we are reading. Responses are due the day we discuss a work in class. All critical response papers will both summarize and evaluate the essays you have read.
Critical response papers will be graded Pass/Fail. I ask you to type them (so that they are easier for me to read), but they need not be a perfect, polished product. Rather, critical response papers should be just what their name says -- a response to the essay. Don’t worry about typos or comma splices or organization. Treat critical response papers more like a journal entry than like a formal paper. I don’t want a five-paragraph theme. Rather, I want an evaluative exploration -- as detailed and specific as possible -- of the reading assignment for the day.
Normally, as long as you submit a critical response paper of suitable length, detail, and thoughtfulness (and as long as you turn it in on time in class on the assigned day), you will receive all the points that the critical response paper is worth.
Critical response papers are due the same days assigned readings are. You may not submit more than one response paper on a single day, nor may you submit a critical response paper for a day that you are absent from class -- absolutely no exceptions. (NOTE: Even if you do not submit a critical response paper on a particular day, you should still come to class prepared to discuss the assigned reading for that day since we will focus our in-class discussion on analyzing and evaluating it.)
Department Policy on Student Using Previous Assignments:
The Department of Writing Arts does not allow students to turn in the same writing assignment for more than one class. Students must receive express permission from both instructors when submitting writing or a substantial part of a written text previously submitted to another class. Not doing so is considered academic dishonesty and, following the policies laid out by Rowan, may result in an F for that assignment and possibly an F for the semester.
Classroom Behavior Policy:
The University Classroom Behavior Policy and Procedures can be found at
http://www.rowan.edu/provost/policies/documents/ClassroomBehaviorPolicy.04.12.pdf
Accommodation Policy:
Not all students learn the same way. The federal government, through the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, tries to ensure that all students have a fair chance at being successful. If you have a documented disability that may have an impact upon your work in this class, please contact me.
If you had a 504 plan or an IEP in high school, then you may qualify for services in college. Students must provide documentation of disability to the Academic Success Center in order to receive official University services and accommodations. The Academic Success Center can be reached at 856.256.4234. The center is located on the 3rd floor of Savitz Hall. The staff is available to answer questions regarding accommodations or assist you in your pursuit of accommodations. We look forward to working with you to meet your learning goals.
Rowan Success Network:
“The Rowan Success Network powered by Starfish® is designed to make it easier for you to connect with the resources you need to be successful at Rowan. Throughout the term, you may receive email from the Rowan Success Network team (Starfish®) regarding your course grades or academic performance. Please pay attention to these emails and consider taking the recommended actions. Utilize the scheduling tools to make appointments at your convenience and keep an eye on your reminders and flags to track your progress and get help when needed. Additional information about RSN may be found at http://www.rowan.edu/provost/academic_affairs/atp/success/" (Office of Academic Transition Program).
Your Rowan email account will likely classify emails sent from RSN as spam and will automatically place it in your “Junk” folder. You will need to adjust your email settings to accept emails from this address. If you need assistance, ask and I will help.
The Writing Center:
In addition to your class sessions in the Rowan Writing Center, you are encouraged to make individual appointments. The writing center is a space where all student writers can find support at every stage of the writing process. Whether it be invention strategies to get you started, organizing ideas or revising drafts, the center and its tutors provide a comfortable environment for students to improve and succeed.
There are a number of different options for how sessions can be conducted. Students can meet with tutors face-to-face at the center for one-on-one or small group consultations. There are also two online options offered. The first is a synchronous, live session with the tutor where students are able to upload a paper and use a chat function to discuss it with a tutor. Or, students can sign up for an asynchronous session in which they upload a paper for review that will be returned within a specific timeframe (typically by the next day) with tutor comments.
The Writing Center is located on the 1st floor of the library. To make an appointment, students must go to www.rowan.mywconline.com and register for a free account. Once this account has been created, students will have access to a complete list of tutors and their available hours. Then they will simply have to click on an open timeslot and fill out the form that requests the type of session they prefer. Limited walk-in appointments are also available.
For help with scheduling or any other questions, call 856-256-4376 or email writingcenter@rowan.edu.
Suggestions for getting the most out of your 30 minute session:
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Bring the writing assignment your instructor gave you.
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Have a clean, hard copy of your draft.
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If possible, make your appointment well before the due date to allow yourself time to revise.
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Come prepared with some awareness of what specific concerns you have about your work.
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Ask questions and, if the responses are not clear to you, ask more.
Course Outline
Note: The course outline is tentative and subject to change with notification.
You must have readings done by the date they appear on the outline. The page numbers in From Inquiry... (FI) or They Say / I Say (TS/IS) are next to the title. Ex. “Starting with Inquiry: Habits of Mind of Academic Writers” is on pages 1-28 in From Inquiry... and must be read by 1/26.
Week 1: 1/21
Wednesday: Handout Syllabus and Course Outline.
Introduction to the course
Procedures
How to read the course outline
Week 2: 1/26, 1/28
Monday: SNOW DAY
Wednesday: “Starting with Inquiry: Habits of Mind of Academic Writers” (FI 1-28)
“From Reading as a Writer to Writing as a Reader” (FI 29-41)
Peter Elbow, “Teaching Thinking by Teaching Writing”
Week 3: 2/2, 2/4
Monday: “What's Motivating this Writer; Reading for the Conversation” (TS/IS 173-183)
Julia Alvarez, “Writing Matters”
William Stafford, “A Way of Writing”
Wednesday: Discuss Essay 1
Critical Engagement 1
“From Summary to Synthesis” (FI 152-170)
“The Art of Summarizing” (TS/IS 30-41)
Synthesis discussion of all readings
Week 4: 2/9, 2/11
Monday: Prewriting Practices
Introduction: “Entering the Conversation” (TS/IS 1-15)
“I Take Your Point; Entering Class Discussions” (TS/IS 163-166)
“From Formulating to Developing a Thesis” (FI 99-119)
“From Introductions to Conclusions” (FI 247-272)
Wednesday: First Draft of Essay 1 Due
Peer Editing
“From Revising to Editing” (FI 273-294)
Week 5: 2/16, 2/18
Monday: Second Draft of Essay 1 Due
“Yes/No/Okay, But” (TS/IS 55-67)
“And Yet” (TS/IS 68-77)
Wednesday: “As a Result: Connecting the Parts” (TS/IS 105-120)
“He Says Contends: Using the Templates to Revise” (TS/IS 139-159)
Week 6: 2/23, 2/25
Monday: Third Draft of Essay 1 Due
Reflection on Essay 1
Wednesday: Conferences on Essay 1
Week 7: 3/2, 3/4
Monday: Conferences on Essay 1
Wednesday: Lisa Miller “The Retro Wife”
Beth Hamilton-Cardus “A week in the life of one novice feminist”
Paul Theroux, “The Male Myth”
Andrew Romano, “Why We Need to Reimagine Masculinity”
Week 8: 3/9, 3/11
Monday: Discuss Essay 2
Critical Engagement 2 Due
Synthesis discussion of all readings
Wednesday: First Draft of Essay 2 Due
Peer Editing
Week 9: 3/16, 3/18
Spring Break!
Week 10: 3/23, 3/25
Monday: Second Draft of Essay 2 Due
Reflection on Essay 2
Wednesday: George Packer, “The Broken Contract: Inequality and American Decline”
Barack Obama, “A More Perfect Union”
Paul Krugman “Confronting Inequality”
Week 11: 3/30, 4/1
Monday: “Identifying Claims to Analyzing Arguments” (FI 51-72)
Wednesday: Critical Engagement 3
Discuss Annotated Bibliography
Synthesis discussion of all readings
Week 12: 4/6, 4/8
Monday: First Draft of Essay 3 Due
Peer Editing
Wednesday: “Ain't So/Is Not” (TS/IS 121-128)
“But, Don't Get Me Wrong” (TS/IS 129-138)
Week 13: 4/13, 4/15
Monday: Second Draft of Essay 3 Due
Reflection on Essay 3
Wednesday: Essay 3 Conferences
Week 14: 4/20, 4/22
Monday: Essay 3 Conferences
Wednesday: Discuss Self-Reflective
Examine Past Assignments
Review of Core Values
Week 15: 4/27, 4/29
Monday: Self-Reflective Draft Due
Peer editing
Wednesday: Revision of Elements for Final Portfolio
Peer editing
Week 16: 5/4
Monday: Final Portfolio Due
NO CLASS
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