Course Title: Basics of Composition Instructor: Laura
Apfelbeck Office
Hrs. MWF 10-11 or by appt.
Credits: 3 non degree Office: 2148 Founders Work
Telephone: 683-4736
Course Number: English 098 E-mail: lapfelbe@uwc.edu Home Telephone: 683-8926 (home)
Semester: Fall 2002 Cats’
names: Milo & Simone
Welcome to English 098. This semester, you have an opportunity to study skills
you will use often and come to depend on throughout your college career and
beyond: reading and writing. Because good communication is a crucial part
of so many jobs, a person who can write effectively and read thoroughly
possesses skills applicable to many careers.
With
a master’s degree in English and fifteen years of experience teaching writing,
I can draw from a wide range of experiences to help you. I have worked with writers from elementary
school to adult, native speakers and non-native speakers, accelerated learners
and remedial students. My goal is to
help you see improvement in your reading and writing skills this semester and
to empower you with strategies you can use to continue your progress after this
course ends.
Catalog Description: English 098 is a study of fundamental writing
skills, including grammatical conventions, usage, sentence structure, paragraph
development, and the organization of short essays.
To achieve competence in the
following
(1) writing structurally
sound sentences
(2) adhering to
grammatical and mechanical conventions
(3) skill in organizing
and developing paragraphs and short essays
(4) understanding
writing as both a process and a product
(5) understanding the
role of purpose and audience in writing
(6) skill in learning how to read texts
critically and to identify main ideas and methods of development
Writing Assignment #1 (Essay) 100 points
Writing Assignment #2 (Essay) 100 points
Writing Assignment #3 (Essay) 100 points
Writing Assignment #4 (Intro
& Concl) 100 points
Writing Assignment #5 (Portfolio) 100 points
Reader Response Journal 100 points
Double Entry Notebook (Summary/Response) 100
points
Tutoring Session Log 100 points
Error Log 100
points
Class Participation & Attendance 100 points
______________________________________________
TOTAL 1000 points
Grading Scale:
975-1000 = A+ 875-899 = B+ 775-799 = C+ 699 & below = F
926-974 = A 826-874
= B 726-774 = C
900-925 = A- 800-825
= B- 700-725 = C-
Students
must earn a C or better to move into English 101.
Writing Assignments: On the days drafts are due, bring enough
copies for each member of your writing group.
Sharing your work and reading the drafts of others is one of the best
ways to improve your critical reading skills and you will have an audience for
your writing.
Final
Papers are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Bring all the drafts
with you. Put the materials in a folder
labeled with your name and the name of the course.
Save
your revisions and returned work for the entire semester. Throw nothing away—it may be needed for your
final portfolio. Never hand me your only copy of anything; keep an extra
copy.
Format for Writing
Assignments: For all formal Writing Assignments, submit prewriting, draft(s), peer review(s), and final edited draft. Final copies
should be typed in 12 point Times New Roman, double spaced with standard
one-inch margins. Put your name, my
name, English 098, assignment, and date in the upper right. Center and capitalize your title. Keep your name and page number in the upper
right of each page. Staple pages of each
draft together. Please don’t
paperclip—the clips invariably come off.
The
more informal writing exercises such as Reader Response Journal (RRJ), Error
Log (EL), and Tutoring Log (TL) should also be typed and include your name on
the first page, a title and the date at the top of each entry. The Double-Entry Notebook may be hand written
or typed, whichever works best for you.
Journals, logs, and notebooks will be collected occasionally. Although these pieces are less formal, you
should continue to practice the skills listed under “Course Objectives”
above. Use complete sentences and
paragraphs in the RRJ, EL, and TL. The
DEN may be in note form.
Reading Assignments: Complete all reading assignments in advance
of the day they will be discussed. You
will need to have read the works in order to discuss them knowledgeably. Use the SQ3R method described on pages 2-4 in
Buscemi.
The
reading assignments are usually short, but the process of reading closely and developing
a college level of comprehension is time consuming. Plan accordingly. You may want to seek help
from your writing tutor and your writing group members as you prepare.
Reader Response Journal and
Double Entry Notebook: After reading the pages assigned
(see the Course Schedule), you are expected to make notes in the margins, take
notes in your Double-Entry Notebook, and create an entry for your Reader
Response Journal, as specified on the Course Schedule. Journal entries and DEN notes are the first
step to good essays. Often, the journal
entries and notes inspire students and provide information used in the essays.
See
page 4 of Buscemi for directions on marginal notes and pages 5-6 for
instructions on the Double-Entry Notebook.
The Reader Response Journal will include your answers to the Questions
for Discussion, Thinking Critically, and Suggestions for Journal Entries which
follow each reading. Choose ONE of the
Suggestions for Journal Entries if several options exist. You may opt to work on these activities with
your writing group.
Tutoring Session Log: In fifteen weeks, we are attempting to remedy
writing problems that you may have developed over a period of years. That is a difficult task. You will need help. One source of help (one that you have paid
for with your tuition for this class) is working with a tutor in the writing
lab. You will be required to meet with a
tutor in the writing lab for two hours each week. Of course, you may meet more often. It is best to work with the same tutor,
though the meetings could be on one day for two hours or on two days for an
hour each, or four days for half an hour each, whatever will help you most.
(The semester is 15 weeks, so you will have 15 Tutoring Log entries.)
You
may use your tutoring time to work on reading assignments or writing
assignments. However, come to the lab with a specific focus. Avoid using lab time like a study hall in
which you sit and read by yourself—you can do that at home. Instead, come to your tutor with specific
questions. Send those questions to your
tutor ahead of time via e-mail so he or she can prepare. Also, write your questions into your tutoring
session log ahead of time. You may want
to discuss a reading, ask for a second opinion on your answers to the
discussion questions, work on your paper’s introduction, etc. Write down specific questions you have and
send an e-mail to your tutor in advance, so he or she can prepare for you. Then, after the session, summarize what you
discussed and any next steps the tutor suggested. Ask the tutor you worked with to sign your
completed entry. Keep the Tutoring
Session Log up to date. I will collect
these regularly to see your progress.
Error Logs: When I evaluate your writing, I respond in
detail, identifying your typical grammar, usage, and punctuation errors as well
as problems you may have with organization and development. In college writing, you are expected to
follow the dictates of correct grammar, punctuation, and usage as well as
organization and clarity. Pinpointing
problem areas and creating strategies to prevent and correct these errors is a
critical part of your writing process.
To
improve, you need to recognize the types of errors you most commonly make. For this reason, you will keep an Error Log
listing the types of errors in your papers.
Keep your Error Log on your computer disk and update it after each
writing assignment is returned to you.
After listing the errors, discuss them with me AND with your writing
tutor to create a variety of strategies for improving your writing and avoiding
these problems. Use the strategies to
help revise the paper and improve subsequent writings. (You will need to create
Error Log entries for Writing Assignments 1-4; thus, you will have four entries
in your Error Log by the end of the semester.)
Class Participation: In class, we will discuss
readings, write, discuss one another’s writing, write some more, answer
questions, practice techniques, and write more.
Your active participation in these activities will help you improve your
writing. Beyond that, you will earn
participation points in this class for your efforts.
Attendance: Not all of the work in English 098 is
presented in the textbook or possible to summarize in an e-mail. Obviously, your work will suffer if you are
not in class to learn the material presented or participate in the
discussions. Others are also impacted if
you are not there to participate in group activities. You are expected to attend every class period
and to arrive and leave at the scheduled times.
Three or more tardies (or early departures) will equal one absence. Students are allowed two absences for
emergencies. If you are absent or late
more frequently, your grade will drop.
If your absence is due to illness or other emergency, please bring a
note from your doctor. Other situations should be discussed with me in advance.
Quizzes: Occasionally, you will have an in-class quiz
following a reading assignment or class discussion of a topic. You can prepare for quizzes by keeping up to
date with your Reader Response Journal and Double-Entry Notebook since you may
use both to help you answer quiz questions.
Quizzes missed due to unexcused absences will be counted as zero points.
Late Papers: Late papers will not be accepted unless the
reason is discussed with me in advance of the due date and the absence or
lateness is excused. Simply telling me
you will be absent does not mean the absence is excused. Unexcused late work and late papers will earn
zero points. In an emergency situation
or sudden illness, ask your doctor for a written excuse and call me at home or
at work to discuss when your paper will be submitted.
Revisions: Papers that have earned lower than a “C” for
reasons other than lateness may be revised and resubmitted. A thorough revision involves re-seeing the
paper and conducting a deep, surgical revision of its central idea &
development, not a superficial band-aid revision of punctuation or spelling
errors. Only surgical revision will
result in a significant grade change.
Plan to meet with your writing lab tutor, with me, and with classmates
to assist in the surgery. You must hand
in the old version with the revision.
Grades may go up or down. The new grade will replace the old grade.
Conferences: You will have opportunities to confer with me
in class during writing time or by appointment.
Feel free to contact me at my office, at home, or by e-mail. I am not on
campus every day, so it is best to call me at home if you need a prompt
response.
Writing Groups: All students will be grouped for purposes of
discussing reading assignments, working on study questions together, reviewing
papers, and evaluation. An enormously
important part of the writing process is learning to revise, edit, and improve
your own writing. Other
writers—especially those who have read the same materials you have—are valuable
to you. You will need to find a way to
meet with your group at least one hour per week. You may want to coordinate this time with
your writing lab time or keep the two separate.
You may confer with your writing group in person or via e-mail or
telephone. My personal
recommendation? Meet in person and bring
food. Coated with enough chocolate, any
task becomes more palatable.
Writing Help:
(1) You can bring questions to me.
(2) You can talk to your writing group.
(3) The English Department has a Writing Laboratory available for one-to-one help from a student tutor. The lab is located in 2121Founders.
(4) The UW-Center system offers an Online Writing Lab (OWL) through UW-Waukesha
at http://waukesha.uwc.edu/academics/owl After you e-mail your writing, a tutor will respond within 24 hours.
Participation: All students are expected to offer EXUBERANT
participation both in class discussions and in the writing groups. (Participation is included in the grading.)
Extra Credit: Show that you are applying what you are
learning in English 098 to other courses and/or to your job. Use the writing process, prewriting through
editing, in your job or in another class.
Keep a DEN for another course.
Discuss your extra credit idea with me in advance and set up a
conference to show me your notes or other writing.
Final Exam: There is no final exam. You will create a final portfolio project,
however, which will be due on the last day of regular classes. In this project, you will revise two of your
three essays and attach a letter to me explaining your progress throughout the
semester and demonstrating how you have met the course objectives.
Tentative Course Schedule for English 098
All reading and writing assignments should be
completed before class on the day noted.
For example, on September 9th, come to class having already
read pages 1-30 and completed the notes in your Double Entry Notebook. Buscemi refers to Santi V. Buscemi’s
textbook, A Reader for Developing
Writers. Abbreviations
include DEN (Double Entry Notebook), TL (Tutoring Log), RRJ (Reader Response
Journal), EL (Error Log). Bring these
notebook entries, logs, and journals to class every day to help you better
participate in class discussions.
Week
|
Monday
|
Wednesday
|
|
Sept. 2 & 4 |
No classes—Labor Day |
Course Intro, Writing Sample |
|
Sept. 9 & 11 |
Read Buscemi “Getting Started,” p. 1-30; Write DEN entry. Set up Tutoring Sessions this week. |
Read Buscemi Section 1, “Organization and Development”
part 1, “The Central Idea,” p. 31-41.
Write entry for the DEN. Read “Four Paragraphs for Analysis” p. 42-46
and write an entry in the RRJ. Read
“Suffering” p. 51-53 and write an RRJ entry.
Update your TL. |
|
Sept. 16 & 18 |
Read “Three Passions I Have Lived For” p. 54-56 and
“Echoes” p. 57-60. Write an entry in
your RRJ for each. Bring a favorite
photograph to class. Bring DEN, RRJ, and TL pages completed so
far for feedback. |
In-class revising:
Bring Prewriting & Drafts of Writing Assignment #1, chosen from
“Suggestions for Sustained Writing,” p. 60-64. Bring copies of your best draft for each
writing group member. Update your TL. |
|
Sept. 23 & 25 |
In-class editing:
Bring your edited draft for another round of editing in class. |
Writing Assignment
#1 is due. Read Buscemi Chapter 2 “Unity and Coherence” p.
65-76. Write an entry for DEN. |
|
Sept. 30 & Oct. 2 |
Read “Frank
Sinatra” p. 77-78 and “Writing and Its Rewards” p. 79-81. Write an entry for the RRJ. Based on the comments written on your last
paper, create your first page of the EL. |
Read “Is Justice Served? p. 86-89. Write an entry for the RRJ. Update your TL. Create an EL based on
feedback on your first writing assignment.
Search the internet and online or print newspapers and bring a news
article about a sensationalized crime, trial, or scandal for class
discussion. |
|
Oct. 7 & 9 |
In-class revising:
Bring Prewriting & Drafts of Writing Assignment # 2, chosen from
“Suggestions for Sustained Writing,” p. 90-93. Bring a copy of your most recent draft for
each writing group member. |
In-class editing:
Bring your edited draft for another round of editing in class. |
|
Oct. 14 & 16 |
Writing Assignment
#2 is due. Read Buscemi Chapter 3, “Methods of Development” p.
95-108. Write DEN entry. |
Read “Exile and Return” p. 112-114 and “Burger Queen” p.
115-118. Write RRJ for each. |
|
Oct. 21 & 23 |
Read “A Brother’s Dreams” p. 119-123. Write RRJ entry. Update EL. Bring
two examples of different kinds of paragraph development that you find in
other textbooks, in magazine or newspaper articles, etc.
|
In-class revising:
Bring Prewriting & Drafts of Writing Assignment # 3, chosen from
“Suggestions for Sustained Writing,” p. 123-127. Copy your most recent draft for each
writing group member. Update your TL. |
|
Oct. 28 & 30* |
In-class editing:
Bring your edited draft for more editing in class. Hand
in old & new DEN, RRJ, EL, and TL pages so I can evaluate your progress. |
Continued on back side Writing Assignment
#3 is due. Read Buscemi Chapter 4 “Introductions and Conclusions” p.
129-147. Write DEN entry. |
|
Nov. 4 & 6 |
Read “I Was Just Wondering” p. 148-150 and “Code of
Denial” p. 155-160. Write RRJ entries
for each. |
Read “The Transformation of Maria Fernandez” p. 161-166. Write RRJ entry. Update EL.
Bring to class an example of an excellent intro and an excellent
conclusion. |
|
Nov. 11 & 13** |
Follow directions for “Suggestions for Sustained Writing”
item #1 on p. 166 OR draft a new essay following “Suggestions” 4, 5, or 6 on
p 167-169 but focus on perfecting the
intro & concl. Bring your work to class for analysis. Update your TL. |
Writing Assignment
#4 is due. Read Buscemi Section 2, “Word Choice and Sentence
Patterns” and “Word Choice: Using Concrete,
Specific, & Vivid Language” p. 173-183.
Write a DEN entry. |
|
Nov. 18 & 20 |
Read “Jeffrey Dahmer, Cannibal” p. 186-188 and “Of Famine
and Green Beer” p. 190-192. Write your
RRJ entries. Update your TL. Bring an example of a paragraph with
exceptionally vivid word choices. |
Revise Writing Assignment #1, 2, 3, or 4, overhauling the
word choices. Bring a copy of old
& new drafts for each writing group member. Update EL. |
|
Nov. 25 & 27 |
Revise the word choice in another paper you have
written. Bring old & new versions
to class. Hand in old & new DEN, RRJ, EL, and TL pages so I can evaluate
your progress. |
Read Buscemi Chapter 7 “Sentence
Structure: Creating Emphasis and
Variety” p. 227-242. Write your DEN
entry. Update your TL. Bring 3 examples of excellent sentence
structures from your outside reading.
|
|
Dec. 2 & 4 |
Read “Gettysburg Address” p. 245-247, “A Longing” p.
248-250, and “The Buried Sounds of Children Crying” p. 251-253. Write RRJ entries for each. Revise a paragraph of your work. Bring 3 examples of excellent sentence
structures from your own writing. |
In-class revising: Bring your portfolio with the original work
and the newest drafts of whatever you are working on for the final
project. Bring a copy of your most
recent drafts for each writing group member.
Update EL. Hand in old & new
DEN, RRJ, EL, and TL pages so I can evaluate your progress.
|
|
Dec. 9 & 11 |
In-class editing:
Bring your edited drafts for another round of editing in class. Update your TL & EL. |
Last Day of Classes Writing Assignment
#5 (Portfolio w/Letter) is due! |
*Midterm grades will be available.
**The last day to drop, change, or withdraw from classes is
Nov. 11th. If your grade is
below a C, you may want to consider this option.