Welcome to Composition I, a writing course that focuses on the basic techniques of composition, on the composing process with attention to drafts and revisions, and on coherence and organization. In this course you will develop the composition skills needed to communicate, think, and learn effectively as we explore the process of writing as well as the strategies for inventing, composing, and revising. Writing is a way of understanding and creating the world in which we live. You will be writing on a variety of issues, from personal experiences to current news issues. As a class, you will choose the readings for the semester and lead the discussions about those readings. In addition, your writing will also be of a collaborative nature. In other words, you will write, you will read each other’s writing (as well as other “professional” writing), and you will talk about each other’s writing.

Prerequisites

Grade of C or better in Basics of Composition or exemption through a sufficiently high placement test score.

Required Texts and Materials

· Hacker, Diana. Rules For Writers, Fifth Ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2004.

· Kaufman, Moises. The Laramie Project. Dramatists Place Service, Inc.

· A good college dictionary

· Two computer disks (one for backup) to store your work

· A three ring binder and folder to hold assignments/drafts, etc.

· Lots of LOOSELEAF paper

· Manila folders

· Please note: In place of a reader, we will be photocopying selections for the class. You are thus responsible for 22 copies of two articles or essays during the semester.

Attendance

Composition classes rely on student participation and your presence is therefore essential, both to you and the class. I will take attendance every day. UW-Waukesha English Department guidelines state that students cannot miss more than three weeks and still expect to pass the course. This policy includes all “excused” absences as well, which means you should save your absences for true emergencies—illness, a funeral, a religious holiday, sick children, unavailable childcare, etc. It doesn’t pay to waste them on oversleeping or a day at the beach. This policy can be altered only under very special circumstances. Since we have less than three hours a week, it is important that you are on time and stay until the end of each class session. Arriving late or leaving early is disruptive to class activities in session. If you arrive late, you must inform me at the end of the class or you will be marked absent. Frequent tardiness or early departures will affect your grade.

Grade Distribution

This course is divided into five units, each of which produces an acceptable version of an essay. These required essays will remain individually ungraded, but will have both peer and instructor comments for further revision. The final week of class will be devoted to the preparation of your course portfolio. Your final course grade will thus consist of two parts: a portfolio grade and a process grade. ***Failure of either part results in failure of the entire course—this means you cannot fail process and still expect to pass the course, and vice versa!***

· Portfolio (50%)

Many university programs across the country have adopted the portfolio method of assessment. This course will also employ a portfolio system of evaluation. This means that no work win the course will be assigned a grade until the end of the semester; rather, the course work will be responded to (by your teacher and your peers) with suggestions for revision. This system of evaluation allows students to continue working on assignments throughout the semester, applying what they are learning to early assignments. At the end of the semester, you will submit a portfolio of work which will be read holistically (that is, with an eye toward judging your whole body of work for the semester; assessing the forest rather than the trees). The portfolio will include four formal writings—your three best essays and a reflective analysis. That means that you may choose to omit two of the essays that you will write during the semester. Each paper in the portfolio will have been submitted for class and teacher review according to set deadlines. Any paper not submitted on deadline for these reviews will not be accepted for the portfolio. Regardless of what you include in your portfolio, you must complete all five essays by their set deadlines in order to pass the course.

· Process (50%)

In this class, your full participation and willingness to work in this intellectual endeavor is expected. Process work will be measured through discussions, peer review, homework, presentations, and diverse group assignments. This is not a lecture class; people learn by developing their own positions on issues and ideas. The best way for people to develop these positions is by working through the issues and ideas themselves, within a community of others participating in the same learning process. The success of our class in many ways relies upon the engagement of course participants. The instructor and/or a small number of students alone cannot carry the discussions or determine their directions or content. Likewise, the success of class workshops depends on the engagement of all participants. If you show up unprepared, they cannot work on your paper; likewise, if you are unwilling to engage in substantive dialogue about the writing of your group members, they will not receive assistance in re-seeing their paper and advice on how to make it stronger. In order to participate effectively, you must be prepared. Respect for the contributions of all students is essential for collaborative work. Remember, process credit is easy to get if you work consistently, easy to lose if you don’t. Thus, your process grade consists of daily work, quizzes, presentations, homework, and peer review.

Late Work

Because so much of the work required for English 101 involves revising successive drafts of essays, late work throws off the careful sequencing of writing assignments. As a general rule, then, late work will not be accepted and it is definitely in your best interest to submit all assignments on time. Not only will you receive credit by doing so, but you will also receive feedback to help guide your revisions. Although credit cannot be earned for classwork or assignments submitted after the due date, you are welcome to make an appointment to discuss the assignment with me if you would like. The late work policy is a strict one: I do understand that life sometimes poses unavoidable difficulties. You will therefore be allowed one late essay (excluding the final portfolio) with no deduction. Be aware, though, that the late assignment must be submitted at the beginning of the next class period. If you accept your responsibility to keep up with all work assigned for the course, you should avoid any last-minute problems.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism, or the deliberate representation of another’s work as your own, is unacceptable in the academic community and a serious violation. As a class, we’ll discuss means of properly incorporating others’ ideas and crediting sources. If you are unsure about whether you may be plagiarizing, just ask.

Office Hours

I strongly encourage you to take full advantage of my office hours from the first week of class. I am always glad to talk with you about your progress, specific assignments, and any questions or concerns you may have about the reading or the course in general. If my office hours conflict with your schedule, we can make an appointment, or we can talk over Email at any time.

Writing Center

The Writing Center offers free one-on-one assistance with writing assignments for any course and is staffed by trained tutors who can help you to understand assignments, get started, and recognize errors. They also offer strategies for focusing, clarifying, revising and analyzing your writing. If you have concerns about your writing, I encourage you to visit the Center. Please be aware, though, that the Center is not an editing or proofreading service. UW also has an online writing lab (OWL) at waukesha.uwc.edu/stud/owl/ that can provide you with feedback on your essays. If you have any questions about OWL, the director is Sara Moellendorf and you may email her at smoellen@uwc.edu.

Course Schedule

This schedule is meant to provide an outline for the first two weeks of the course. It is subject to change with due written notice to the class. Please note that as we proceed, more detailed descriptions of reading and writing requirements will accompany each project assignment in the form of a “Unit Schedule.”

W 9/3 Introductions, discuss syllabus

Hmwk: Read Hacker chapter 1

M 9/8 Diagnostic essay, discuss chapter 1

Introduce essay #1, freewriting exercise

W 9/10 Writing exercise, discuss group work and reflective memos

M 9/15 Draft of Essay #1 due, peer review

W 9/17 Essay #1 Due, introduction of presentation #1 and essay #2

Hmwk: Presentation schedule and topics

M 9/22 Presentation sign-ups, Begin Laramie Project

Academic Honesty

The Board of Regents, administrators, faculty, academic staff, and students of the University of Wisconsin System believe that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher education and of the University of Wisconsin System. The University has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others’ academic endeavors. Students who violate these standards must be confronted and must accept the consequences of their actions.