English 0950 Syllabus - Spring 2008

Anoka Ramsey Community College -- Coon Rapids Campus
English 0950: Elements of College Writing
Spring 2008 / Section 01

Professor: Scott Stankey
Office: Humanities 131
Phone: (763) 433-1396 (voice mail)
Fax: (763) 433-1521
Email: scott.stankey@anokaramsey.edu
Website: http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/stankey/Eng0950

Office Hours:

M, W, Th, F @ 10:00-10:50 a.m.
Th @ 11:00-11:50 a.m.
Other times by appointment

Class Meetings:

Section 01 / 8:00-8:50 a.m. / M, W, F in T 208 / Th in T 227

Textbooks:

Higher Learning: Reading and Writing about College, by Patti See and Bruce Taylor, 2nd ed. (2006)
LB Brief, by Jane E. Aaron, 3rd ed. (2008)

Materials:

Student I.D. / Library Card
Student MetNet Email Account and ARCC Network Access
A class notebook or loose-leaf paper
Two 2-pocket folders
A Flash/Jump/Thumb/USB Drive
A college-level dictionary
A stapler

Course Description:

Please see the "official" course description and learner outcomes on the course home page.
More specifically, our goal here is to prepare ourselves for ENGL 1121, especially in terms of incorporating what we read into our writing (using summary, paraphrase, and quotation) and citing and documenting our sources correctly (using MLA style). This particular section will use the topic of "education" as a vehicle for introducing you to the practice of academic writing (as opposed to personal writing or creative writing). Over the course of the semester, we will be approaching "education" in the way that the most exciting academic writing approaches any topic -- by making the familiar strange and creating new knowledge about everyday life. And, we will develop our writing in the only way that it is possible to develop as writers, by writing a lot. My experience is the more you write, the more hopeful and inspired you'll be about writing. The topics we'll write about all relate in some way to "education," but I take this term much more broadly than a simple focus on schools, so I don't think it will get boring.

Course Requirements:

1.) Preparation for all class meetings: Complete all assigned readings and take-home daily writing assignments before each class session. All reading assignments will serve as subjects (or models) for your own essays and will be discussed in class. If you haven't read the assignment, you won't fully understand the lecture, discussion, and activities, and you won't be able to participate. The required reading load for this class is at least 10-15 pages per week. Finally, bring your texts and notebook with you to every class.

2.) Attendance at all class sessions: While I know that legitimate reasons do occur for absences, please make every effort to attend our sessions. Each class session is designed to introduce and/or practice writing concepts and processes related to the current writing project. If you do not attend, you cannot participate in and learn from the lectures, discussions, and activities. If you must miss a class, due to a medical emergency or a family crisis, when a quiz, an exam, an in-class essay, or a peer review is scheduled, or when a paper is due, please notify me before class if possible, otherwise as soon after class as possible -- documentation will be required in such circumstances to allow for any make-ups and to avoid any reduction in your grade. If you miss class, contact another student for notes and explanation of assignments, and check the website for copies of any handouts. If you have any questions about assignments or responsibilities, call, email, or come see me before the next class. If you arrive late to class, you may not be allowed to take the quiz or participate in the first activity. Ultimately, attendance factors into determining grades, since your participation in discussions and activities is a component of calculating your final grade.

3.) Participation in all class discussions and activities: In addition to short lectures, we will use individual writing time, pairs, small groups, and full-class discussions during each class session to write and talk about writing. And, this class will be more meaningful and enjoyable if we all actively participate. Participation does include active listening and note taking, but it also means contributing to group work and class discussions. Be prepared and willing to discuss your own writing and the writing of others, and to share your ideas, opinions, and questions with the rest of us. If you are naturally shy, then participate more actively in small groups and contribute to class discussions when more open-ended questions are asked. If you are naturally talkative, you will be more comfortable, but monitor yourself so that you allow time and room for others to contribute. Above all, everyone should be respectful of one another's contributions, even if you disagree; and if you agree, be sure to encourage or affirm one another. Both the quality and quantity of your participation will be considered.

4.) Completion of daily writing assignments: These may include reading quizzes, summaries, paraphrases, responses, various writing and grammar exercises, and small-group work. Quizzes and in-class exercises cannot be made up if you are absent or arrive late; in addition, you may not come to class just to take a quiz and then leave early.

5.) Four major papers: Specific details about each paper will be provided on the assignment handouts. All rough drafts should be word-processed and double-spaced; all final drafts should be word-processed, double-spaced, and must conform to the formatting directions given in class, including instructions for in-text and end-of-text MLA citation and documentation conventions. Late rough drafts will receive reduced credit and no written comments. Late final drafts (and portfolios) will receive very few written comments and the grade will be lowered one full letter (e.g. B to C); after one week, the grade will be a zero.

6.) Submission of a writing portfolio with each essay: You are expected to demonstrate significant invention and revision for each essay; thus, each portfolio should contain all the work you did in the process of writing each essay -- all your invention/prewriting, outlines, drafts, peer review comments, and a reflection memo/letter. If a complete and acceptable portfolio does not accompany each essay, the essay grade will be lowered one full letter.

7.) Participation in peer review and editing groups: For all peer review and editing sessions, if you do not attend, if you bring an incomplete draft or no draft at all, if you do not bring the required number of copies, or if you do not participate actively, you will not receive the points for the daily activity (between 30 and 50 points) and for peer review days you will not be allowed to participate in the activity. The peer reviews and editing sessions cannot be rescheduled or made up under any circumstances -- no excuses will be accepted, including illnesses and computer/printer problems.

8.) Attendance at all one-to-one conferences with me: If you miss a conference, it will not be rescheduled and you will not receive the points for the activity (between 30 and 50 points); make ups will be reserved for extraordinary circumstances only and must be arranged before the conference.

9.) Completion of all in-class essays: In-class essays can be rescheduled only under extraordinary circumstances and must be arranged before the exam; an in-class essay not rescheduled prior to the class session will be lowered one full letter grade, and after one week, the grade will be a zero.

Course Evaluation:

Preparation; Daily Writing Assignments; Short Papers; Participation in Discussions and Activities = 20%
Essay 1 - Analyzing Our Journey to College = 10%
Essay 2 - Summarizing and Responding to an Essay about Education = 20%
Essay 3 - Synthesizing Several Essays about Education = 25%
Essay 4 - Doing Research to Determine How We are Educated by Different Groups = 25%

A.R.C.C. Grading System:

A = Superior achievement
B = Above average achievement
C = Average achievement
D = Below average achievement
F = Inadequate achievement

Grading Scale Using Percentages:

A (11) = 100% - 93%
A- (10) = 92% - 90%
B+ (9) = 89% - 88%
B (8) = 87% - 83%
B- (7) = 82% - 80%
C+ (6) = 79% - 78%
C (5) = 77% - 73%
C- (4) = 72% - 70%
D+ (3) = 69% - 68%
D (2) = 67% - 63%
D- (1) = 62% - 60%
F (0) = 59% and below

Informal Grading System:

Plus ( + )	Very Good	Quizzes = 10, 9, 8
Check ( √ )	Acceptable	Quizzes = 7, 6, 5
Minus ( - )	Unacceptable	Quizzes = 4, 3, 2, 1, 0

Participation Grading Criteria:

A	I am fully and clearly prepared for each class discussion. I have carefully and thoughtfully read all the assigned material prior to each class. I voluntarily offer thoughtful and insightful comments and questions during small-group work and full-class discussions. I encourage class discussions and small-group work, but I do not dominate them.
B	I am fully prepared for each class discussion. I have carefully read all the assigned material prior to each class. I sometimes voluntarily offer appropriate comments and questions during small-group work and full-class discussions. I try to encourage class discussions and small-group work, and I do not disrupt them.
C	I am mostly prepared for each class discussion. I have read all of the assigned material prior to each class. I rarely volunteer a comment or question relating to discussion, but I do respond when called upon and I often contribute to small-group work. I neither encourage nor disrupt class discussions and small-group work.
D	I am often unprepared for each class discussion. I do not always read all the assigned material prior to each class. I don't enter discussions and small-group work at all, either voluntarily or when called upon. I sometimes do things which discourage or disrupt class discussions and small-group work.
F	I am rarely prepared for each class discussion. I do not read all the assigned material prior to each class. I offer nothing to class discussions or small-group work. I often do things which discourage and disrupt class discussions and small-group work.

Essay and Essay-Exam Evaluation:

An evaluation sheet will be handed out before each essay is collected, so you will know exactly how each essay will be graded. We will also discuss different evaluation criteria and grading rubrics in class. An evaluation sheet for the essay exams will be distributed before the first exam. Sample grading criteria sheets are linked here.

Other Policies and Information

Behavior and Disruptions: This is a college class, and I expect that we will all behave maturely, responsibly, and respectfully. Any disruptive behavior -- including arriving late, packing up early, leaving early, having private conversations during lectures or discussions, eating, sleeping, receiving cell phone calls or text messages, bringing friends/siblings/children/pets to class, etc. -- will be handled first on an individual basis; if the disruptive behavior continues, or if it is very serious, I will contact the Dean of Educational Services -- see the Code of Student Conduct in the Student Handbook.

Plagiarism: In addition to buying or accepting a paper someone else has written, plagiarism includes but is not limited to (1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas from any outside sources, even if the borrowed ideas are in your own words, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases into your own words. (This definition of plagiarism was derived from Diana Hacker's Rules for Writers, 5th edition, Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's, 2004.) Presenting another person’s ideas or writing as your own without clear, accurate, and complete citation and documentation will result in an "F" for that assignment and notification of the Dean of Educational Services -- see the Code of Student Conduct in the Student Handbook.

Record Keeping: Please make back-up copies of all your work, and keep all quizzes, exercises, exams, and papers returned to you. If questions about grades arise, you will need to produce the original documents. In addition, keep track of all your notes and other materials for each exam and paper; if questions about plagiarism arise, you will need to prove you did your own writing.

Conferences: Please see me during my office hours or schedule an appointment with me if you have questions or problems at any time during the semester.

Incompletes: Incompletes will only be granted to students who have a documented medical or family emergency in the last two (2) weeks of the semester. These students must have completed all the other work for the course with an average grade of "C" or better, must not have more than eight (8) absences, and must demonstrate the ability and willingness to complete the work before the third week of the following semester or summer session.

Absences for Religious Observance: Anoka Ramsey Community College permits absences from class for participation in religious observances. Students who plan to miss class for sincerely held religious beliefs are required to (1) inform me at the beginning of the semester (within the first two weeks) of anticipated absences, (2) meet with me to reschedule any missed quizzes, exams, in-class essays, peer reviews, or paper due dates, and (3) obtain class notes from other students. I am required to assist you in obtaining course materials and assignments distributed during class sessions you miss and to make arrangements for taking missed in-class essay or examinations or making up peer review sessions.

Accessibility: My goal is for our classroom and course work to be equally accessible to everyone. I have designed the class flexibly to accommodate different learning styles and approaches. I am also eager to make reasonable accommodations to guarantee persons with disabilities access to class sessions, the course materials, and the activities of the class. Let me know as soon as possible if you have a disability for which accommodations will be requested. If you need further information about disabilities and possible accommodations, contact Scott Bay, Director of Access Services, at 763-433-1334, at scott.bay@anokaramsey.edu, or stop by C255.

Academic Support Center: The Academic Support Center (ASC), located on the second floor of the College Services (CS) building, offers free, trained writing tutors who work with writers at any stage in the writing process to improve their writing. Please meet with a tutor for an objective opinion, if you want more extensive help than I can reasonably provide during 10-15 minutes of office hours, of if I am not available when you need help. (Of course, check my office hours and/or try to contact me by phone or email.)

Credit and Workload Expectations: For undergraduate courses, one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course. For example, a student taking a four-credit course that meets for four hours a week should expect to spend an additional eight hours a week on coursework outside the classroom.

Computer Lab: We will meet in the computer lab once each week to work on the current writing project; we may also use this time for individual conferences and/or writing groups. Please do not abuse this time by working on assignments for other classes, writing e-mail to friends, playing games, or downloading non-research-related information from the internet.

NOTE: The course syllabus and schedule are subject to change, and changes will be announced in class; updates will also be posted on the website. You are responsible for any changes in deadlines or assignments announced during any class you miss.

Copyright � 2008 Scott R. Stankey / All Rights Reserved
Last revised on 14 January 2008 by SRS
Please address comments to scott.stankey@anokaramsey.edu