January 2005
English 101 Students:
When I was growing up, I read
a lot. After I finished reading
something, I would often sit back and wonder how the authors did it—how they
wrote so well. I sometimes thought I would
never learn to write any better, that I was always going to sound like I was a
teenager, fumbling to express what I felt or thought.
Throughout college and
graduate school, I wrote a lot of essays.
The essays got longer as I went further along, and then eventually I had
to write my doctoral dissertation, which turned out to be an “essay” that was
over 400 pages long. At age eighteen, I
never would have believed I was capable of writing something like that. Since then, I’ve had a number of articles
published in professional academic journals; I’m very proud of my writing
accomplishments. How did it happen? How did I go from wondering how other people
write so well to being able to write for publication
myself? Many people think of writing as
an almost magical process, one that cannot be taught. Many people think we are either born with the
ability to write well or we are not.
Fortunately for all of us,
these people are mistaken. Writing isn’t
magic and it isn’t something you are born with the ability to do well. Writing is a set of skills. Writing well takes time, practice, patience,
frustration, more time, effort, more patience, and often more frustration. I learned to write better by reading extensively
throughout college and graduate school, by writing
papers and carefully considering the feedback I got from my professors, and by
always challenging myself to work harder, to start a draft earlier, to work on
another draft, or to read an essay one more time. I work on my writing today by seeking input
from people I trust and by writing on a regular basis.
Effective writers work hard. Effective writers see drafts as opportunities
for improvement, not as signs of their inability to write. Effective writers learn from constructive
criticism, study the mechanics of English, look around the world with
curiosity, and dive into learning new words with fascination. I know for some of you writing is not fun. You might
even believe it’s “not your thing” and it won’t ever get better. You might feel like you should know how to do this already.
English 101 is an opportunity for you to learn that writing can be fun,
it is everyone’s “thing,” and there is no magic age when we were supposed to
learn certain things. There is no one
set timeline for improving your writing.
We begin where we are and move forward.
The syllabus and schedule
that follow are very important documents.
The syllabus is a description of how the course will be run, what will
be expected of you, what assistance I will provide, and how your work will be
assessed. It shows you how to succeed in
the course. The schedule lays out what
we will be doing in class each day and allows you to look ahead to see when
projects (big and small) are due. My
classes tend to follow the schedule very closely; I will let you know of any
changes that might be necessary as soon as possible. Please read both documents carefully and let
me know of any questions that you have.
Welcome to English 101!
English 101 - Section 2 (3 cr.) T
R
Dr. Stolpa L-117 735-4332 jstolpa@uwc.edu
Required Texts:
The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into
the Writing Life, Julia Cameron
Rocket Boys,
Homer H. Hickam, Jr.
Writer’s Harbrace Handbook, 2nd edition, Cheryl Glenn, et al.
Students must have access to
a good college-level dictionary and thesaurus.
Course description and
purposes:
English 101 focuses on the
process of writing, from brainstorming through revision, editing, and
proofreading. Working on this process
will help you to write well-organized, mechanically correct, and effective
essays. The course will also review
grammatical concepts, and focus on improving reading, listening, and discussion
skills. (Paraphrase of UWC English
Department standards)
Assessment/Grading:
Individual assignments will
be assessed based on rubrics located in the syllabus or distributed later.
Preparation and Participation 40% A 94-100%
Essay #1 10% A- 92-93%
Essay #2 10% B+ 90-91%
Essay #3 15% B 86-89%
Essay #4 15% B- 84-85%
Final Exam 10% C+ 82-83%
C 78-81%
C- 76-77%
D+ 74-75%
D 70-73%
D- 68-69%
F 67% and below
Note: A course grade of C or
better is required for your continuation in English 102.
Preparation and
Participation:
This category includes
numerous daily activities in and out of class, including writing responses to the
prompts in The Right to Write, completing
essay drafts, participating in class activities such as quizzes, discussions,
and peer reviews, completing required OWL/English tutor visits, writing out
assigned exercises from the grammar handbook, presenting various lessons on
mechanics learned from the handbook, and other activities. It is a large portion of your final grade
because without successful and thoughtful completion of daily activities,
increased writing fluency is not possible.
Please see the rubric that follows to better understand how your work in
this category will be assessed.
|
Exceeds Expectations (A to B+) |
Meets Expectations (B to C) |
Fails to Meet Expectations (C- to F) |
|
· Assigned work is not only completed on time and
fully developed but also indicates genuine involvement with the assigned task
through appropriate number of trials, insightful comments, evidence of
growth, etc. · Responses to classmates’ work and ideas are not only
complete and show true interaction but also demonstrate ability to
insightfully exchange ideas with another |
· Assigned work is
completed on time and shows full development of ideas · Responses to classmates’ work and ideas are complete
and demonstrate true interaction |
· Assigned work is incomplete, late, or shows lack of
full development of ideas · Responses to classmates’ work and ideas are vague,
rushed, incomplete, or nonexistent |
Often assignments will be
given out in class; if you are absent for any reason it is your responsibility
to find out what the next assignment is.
It is a great idea to network with a few fellow classmates to ensure
that you never miss vital information; it is of course an even better idea not
to miss class unless it is an emergency (defined as circumstances beyond your
control). More than three absences
during the course of the semester will affect your final grade in this
category.
Essays #1-#4
Options will be given out for
each of the required essays. A separate
assessment rubric for essays will be distributed and discussed during class in
the first few weeks. All formal essays
must be typed, double-spaced, and stapled.
Avoid large fonts and extended
margins. Times New Roman or New
Roman 12 is a good font/size choice.
Follow Harbrace, pages
310-313, for format. MLA guidelines must
be followed when documenting any source.
Learn about how to use your computer program to do these formats; ask
questions if necessary. Ignorance about
your computer program is not a valid excuse for not having the proper format.
Writing Process:
Writing is a process and this
course is designed with that in mind.
Assignments and deadlines incorporate different stages of the writing
process, including revision, editing, and proofreading, into the course
calendar. A writing assignment will not
be graded until the final draft. Use
available resources (OWL, the writing tutor on campus, your writers’ groups in
class, and me) to help you make an essay as strong as it can be before you turn
it in for grading.
In order to help you adjust
to the expectations of this course, I will collect and comment on drafts of the
first formal essay. Additionally, you
will be required to either visit the writing tutor
with your essay, submit your essay to OWL, or meet with one or two of your
classmates with me to discuss your draft.
On future essays, drafts will be reviewed in class. Please feel free to make an appointment with
me or drop by at any time to gain feedback on your writing.
Note that I cannot proofread
your essay for you before you submit it for assessment. If I did so for some students, others would
be unfairly disadvantaged. However, I
will meet with you to read an essay draft and make some suggestions or discuss
with you particular issues with which you are grappling. Keep in mind that the writing tutor and OWL
are also not proofreading services; both will offer you their ideas as to how
your writing could be improved. It is
always up to you to take full responsibility for creating the best essay you
can. Allow yourself sufficient time to
achieve your best and utilize the drafts throughout the course calendar to help
you do so.
Late Papers:
Late papers will be reduced
according to the following scale:
after
class, but the same day it is due 1/3
of a letter grade
next
calendar day 2/3
of a letter grade
next
class day 1
letter grade
This scale will continue in a
similar way if the paper is turned in after the next class day. If you are turning in a paper outside of
class time and I am not in my office, you may take it to the main building. Be sure to have one of the individuals
working in the front office sign and date it.
That individual will place it in my mailbox. The signature and date are required or the
paper will be considered late according to the date I pick it up from my
mailbox, not the date it was delivered.
Plagiarism and Academic
Dishonesty:
Any student who is guilty of
plagiarism or academic dishonesty will be subject to UWC policies and
punishments. See Harbrace, pages 278-81, for a discussion of related issues.
Americans with
Disabilities Act (
If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the Student Services office and speak with me. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements.
Institutional/Departmental
Assessment
The UW Colleges-wide
assessment program was established to enhance the quality and effectiveness of
the curriculum, programs, and services of the institution. The
institution-wide assessment activities focus on analytical,
quantitative, and communication skills because they are of primary
importance in the general education of our students. This semester,
students in composition will be assessed on communication skills, specifically
the ability to communicate clearly, precisely, and in a well-organized manner.
Each department also conducts assessment activities that address discipline-specific learning goals. This year, the English Department is focusing on what students learn in literature courses, specifically the skills of close reading and interpretation. (Last year, the department assessed composition courses, and those who are not teaching literature will be re-assessing their composition courses this year.)
Course Calendar
While this calendar lists
major assignments (those from The Right
to Write, essay drafts, final essays, and reading schedules), daily
assignments will be given in class.
January 25 Course introduction
Definitions of writers
January 27 Response letter due
February 1 Writing Prompt #1: “Begin” (Cameron 1-5)
Read Cameron p. 33-38 (do not complete this
second Initiation Tool)
February 3 Successful writing prompts
February 8 Writing
Prompt #2: Read “Practice” (Cameron 172-175) and “Containment” (Cameron 176-182)
Choose
either Initiation Tool to complete
February 10 Writing Prompt #3: Choose from list
February 15 Essay #1 draft due
February 17 Rocket
Boys read to page 60
February 22 Writing Prompt #4: Choose from list
February 24 Essay #1 due
March 1 Rocket
Boys read to page 119
March 3 Writing Prompt #5: Choose from list
March 8 Essay #2 draft
due
March 10 Mechanics assessment
March 15 Essay #2 due
March 17 Rocket
Boys read to page 192
March 22 and March 24 No Classes—Spring Break
March 29 Writing Prompt #6: “Place” (Cameron
118-123)
March 31 Writing Prompt #7: Choose from list
April 5 Rocket Boys read to page 242
April 7 Essay #3 draft
due
Note: April 8 is the last day
to withdraw from courses or change from credit to audit.
April 12 Rocket
Boys read to page 307
April 14 Essay #3 due
April 19 Rocket
Boys finished
April 21 Writing Prompt #8: Choose from list
April 26 Essay #4 draft
due
April 28 No
Class—Required attendance at Undergraduate Research
and Performance Conference
May 3 Written response to URPC
May 5 Essay
#4 due
May 10 Last
day of classes
Final Exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17 from