Download Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Rhetoric and Composition
ENGL 4371.783.2165
Summer 2016
Instructor: Rebecca Day Babcock
Phone: (o)
432-552-2304
E-mail: [email protected]
Office: MB 4138
Office Hours: by appointment
My teaching philosophy is based on student–centeredness, social constructivism and
collaboration. The student–centeredness is evident in the special interest groups where you
choose what you want to focus on. Through the inksheds and responses we will construct
knowledge together. The focus is not on memorizing information, but rather on reading what
others have to say and developing our own understandings and interpretations together. The
group project and discussions are collaborative.
Course Description and Outline
Course Description:
The history and practice of rhetoric; current theories of writing from the perspectives of
cognitive psychology, linguistics, sociology, and others. This course is especially relevant for
students seeking secondary certification in English or for students who plan to pursue an
advanced degree in English.
Course Outline:
This class will consist of reading chapters, writing inksheds, and responding and discussing
others' contributions. The class will be devoted to reading Preparing to Teach Writing and we
will write a philosophy statement and an individual paper over any topic of interest introduced in
the first half of the class. The second half of the class will consist of special interest groups.
Students will choose a topic of interest and read a common text in the groups. Groups will
inkshed and discuss the core text, then decide on a group project on some interesting aspect of
the topic. The final class project is the group project.
Prerequisite: ENGL 1302 (or equivalent) and at least one 3000 level English course, or
permission of the instructor.
Online Readiness:
If you are not sure you are ready for online learning, please take the READINESS assessment by
going to the following link and using username: rhetoric and password: composition.
The UTPB - Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator (READI) (Links to an external
site.)
This course requires an intermediate level of computer skills. In order to take this class, you are
expected to be able to save files without losing them, save files in a variety of formats (save as),
upload and download files on the internet, use discussion text formatting features, cut and paste,
do attachments, and use interactive features such as chat.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Discuss various theories and practices of teaching writing and apply them to course
papers and real-life situations.
2. Adapt a variety of writing pedagogies to the specific context, including the students'
educational level and personal characteristics.
3. Gain confidence and familiarity with theories of writing, teaching, and rhetoric and
develop confidence with their application in the classroom.
4. Demonstrate the use of the writing process by producing at least 20 pages of writing
using prewriting, drafting, revising, and proofreading.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of style and voice in writing, including the use of choices
in sentence structure, word choice, and punctuation, not only for correctness, but also for
rhetorical effect.
NCTE/NCATE STANDARDS

Standard 3.2 Candidates demonstrate knowledge of the practices of oral, visual, and
written literacy.
*3.2.1 Acceptable: Use their understanding of the influence of language and visual images on
thinking and composing in their own work and in their teaching
Target: Create opportunities and develop strategies that permit students to demonstrate, through
their own work, the influence of language and visual images on thinking and composing.
*3.2.3 Acceptable: Use composing processes in creating various forms of oral, visual, and
written literacy of their own and engage students in these processes
Target: Demonstrate a variety of ways to teach students composing processes that result in their
creating various forms of oral, visual, and written literacy

Standard 3.4 Candidates demonstrate knowledge of different composing processes.
*3.4.1 Acceptable: Use a variety of writing strategies to generate meaning and clarify
understanding and draw upon that knowledge and skill in their teaching
Target: Develop in their students an ability to use a wide variety of effective composing
strategies to generate meaning and to clarify understanding
*3.4.2 Acceptable: Produce different forms of written discourse and understand how written
discourse can influence thought and action
Target: Teach students to make appropriate selections from different forms of written discourse
for a variety of audiences and purposes and to assess the effectiveness of their products in
influencing thought and action
Course Policies
Class Participation Policy: All due dates are firm. Being sick or having computer problems
doesn’t excuse you from classwork or assignments. Late postings will not receive points. It’s
important to contact the instructor in advance if you are having any problems. The office of
Student Services (Links to an external site.) and the University Counseling Center (Links to an
external site.) can also help if you are having personal issues that interfere with your school
work.
Teacher's Responsibilities: I will respond to all inksheds, drafts, and e–mails within 72 hours of
posting. I will evaluate and respond to formal work (papers, projects) within one week of the due
date.
Communication: General questions about the course should be posted to the General Discussion
and Questions forum of the Discussion Board. We will have weekly full-class or small-group
sessions scheduled at convenient times and I am also willing to meet individuals or groups for
consultations. E–mail should be reserved for personal and private communication. Please use the
phone for quick and immediate questions as it is a very good invention and the quickest and most
direct way to reach me.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism consists of using source material without proper documentation.
Plagiarized papers will receive a grade of "0" with no opportunity for revision. In addition, all
instances of plagiarism will be reported in writing to the Dean of Students. (Links to an external
site.)
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: Americans with Disabilities Act: Students
with disabilities that are admitted to The University of Texas of the Permian Basin may request
reasonable accommodations and classroom modifications as addressed under Section 504/ADA
regulations. The definition of a disability for purposes of ADA is that she or he (1) has a physical
or mental impairment that substantively limits a major life activity, (2) has a record of such an
impairment or, (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.
Students who have provided all documentation and are eligible for services will be advised of
their rights regarding academic accommodations and responsibilities. The University is not
obligated to pay for diagnosis or evaluations nor is it obligated to pay for personal services or
auxiliary aids. Students needing assistance because of a disability must contact Testing Services
& Academic Accommodations Department,
432-552-2630, Leticia Madrid,
[email protected], no later than 30 days prior to the start of the semester.
Course Incomplete/Withdrawal/Grade Appeal:
All students are required to complete the course within the semester they are signed up.
Incomplete grades for the course are rarely given, will only be granted if the student provides a
valid, documented excuse (i.e. an emergency) for not being able to complete the course on time,
and has contacted the instructor prior to the scheduled last class to request an extension. The
student signs a contract that includes the incomplete course activities and the new due dates.
Find information and dates regarding drops and withdrawals at
http://www.utpb.edu/services/academic-affairs/office-of-the-registrar/adds-drops (Links to an
external site.)
For grade appeal process go to http://www.utpb.edu/campus-life/dean-ofstudents/grievances (Links to an external site.).
NOTE: The due dates and times for the activities will adhere to the Central Time Zone.
Technical Requirements
You must have a computer with Microsoft Word and internet access. A webcam is needed for
authentication and conferencing. Please note that people are working in different versions of
Word. Please save your documents as .doc or .docx so everyone will have access to your
documents. All work must be saved in at least three separate places such as the hard drive on
your computer, and to floppy discs or USB drives. You should also e–mail it to yourself. Double
check to make sure attachments are attached. There will be NO EXCUSES for lost work due to
computer or human error, failure, or malfunction. Always make a hard copy (print out) of your
work just in case.
Students, Faculty and Staff at UT component institutions have access to selected Microsoft
programs through Office 365 (Links to an external site.). Just log in to your university email
account.
To obtain software licensing and media for selected Microsoft titles at very low cost through a
software agreement (Links to an external site.).
This course is designed as a web–based class which necessitates specific computer expertise,
specific computer equipment and programs, and commitment on the part of the student beyond
that of most other courses. Ensuring you have the proper hardware and software is vital to your
success in an online learning environment. The Technical Information page (Links to an external
site.) on the UTPB website can help you do this.
Computer Requirements

Computer Set-Up – Hardware requirements and supported operating systems and
browsers. (Links to an external site.)
Since your entire course will be accessed through your computer and internet connection,
it is important that you have the proper computer requirements.
Technical Support

24/7 Help Desk – Contact information for our 24/7 Help Desk. (Links to an external
site.)
UTPB provides free 24/7 help desk support to academic students, faculty members
teaching online through Blackboard, and the UTPB campus staff who support them. The
Help Desk can provide answers to questions about using Blackboard as well as technical
support. The 24/7 Help Desk phone number is
1-877-633-9152 FREE (toll-free).
You may access this information while in the course by selecting the Technical Support
button on the left while in the course.
Preparation for Computer Emergencies
Computer Crash: Not having a working computer or a crashed computer during the semester
will NOT be considered as an acceptable reason for not completing course activities at a
scheduled time. NOTE: Identify a second computer before the semester begins, that you can use
when/if your personal computer crashes.
Server Problems: When the Canvas server needs downtime for maintenance, the Canvas
Administrator will post an announcement in your course informing the time and the date. If the
server experiences unforeseen problems your course instructor will send an email.
Complete Loss of Contact: If you lose contact with me completely (i.e. you cannot contact me
via Canvas or email), you need to call me at my office, and explain the reason you cannot contact
me and leave me a way to contact you.
Lost/Corrupt/Disappeared Files: You must keep/save a copy of every project/assignment on
an external disk or personal computer. In the event of any kind of failure (e.g., server crash or
virus infection, student’s own computer crashes, loss of files in cyberspace, etc) or any
contradictions/problems, I may/will request you to resubmit the files. In other words, if you
submit a document to me, and I either do not receive it (lost in cyberspace) or it is corrupted
when I open it, it is incumbent upon you to resend it to me, corrected, with little or no
"downtime" in regard to the timeline for submission.
Online Student Authentication
UTPB requires that each student who registers for an online course is the same student who
participates in, completes, and receives credit for the course. UTPB’s Distance Education Policy
requires faculty members to employ at least two methods of verification to ensure student
identities. To access online courses students must login to the UTPB learning management
system using their unique personal identifying username and secure password. UTPB’s Distance
Education Policy requires at least one additional student identification method within the course
that has been determined and approved by the faculty or academic program. This course satisfies
the second method of student authentication by synchronous or asynchronous video activities
using an approved photo ID*.
*Approved photo identifications are: passports, government issued identification, driver’s
licenses, military ID from DoD; dual credit and early college high school students use school
district identifications.
Student Support Services
SERVICE
CONTACT
Testing Services & Academic Accommodations Department
ADA
Accommodation/Support
(432) 552-2630
http://www.utpb.edu/academics/undergraduatesuccess/TSAAD (Links to an external site.)
UTPB E-Advisor at http://cas.utpb.edu/academic-advisingcenter/e-advisor/ (Links to an external site.)
Advising
Bookstore
(432) 552-0220
http://www.bkstr.com/texas-permianbasinstore/home (Links to an
external site.)
Information Resources Service
Email, Outlook 365,
my.utpb.edu
http://www.utpb.edu/services/ird/how-to-submit-a-servicerequest (Links to an external site.)
Financial Aid and
Scholarship
(432) 552-2620
http://www.utpb.edu/campus-life/financial-aid (Links to an
external site.)
Library
(432) 552-2370
The J. Conrad Dunagan Library Online at
http://library.utpb.edu/ (Links to an external site.)
Registrar
Student Services
Technical Support
Tutoring & Learning
Resources
(432) 552-2635
http://www.utpb.edu/services/academic-affairs/office-of-theregistrar (Links to an external site.)
http://www.utpb.edu/campus-life/studentactivities/studentsenate/committees/student-affairs (Links to an external site.)
Canvas
1-866-437-0867 FREE
https://guides.instructure.com/
If you are taking courses through UTPB the following links
provide services: Smarthinking Online Tutoring (Links to an
external site.) (provides tutoring services), SmarterMeasure (Links
to an external site.) (measures learner readiness for online course).
Student Success Center:
http://www.utpb.edu/academics/undergraduate-success/successcenter (Links to an external site.)
Required Reading
Required Texts:
Williams, J. D. (2014). Preparing to teach writing. (4th ed.) New York: Routledge. ISBN-13:
978-0415640572
Wolfe, J. (2010). Team writing. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's. ISBN-13: 978-0312565824
Special Interest Group Texts: (choose one)
Adger, C. T., Wolfram, W., & Christian, D. (2007). Dialects in schools and communities (2nd
ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates. ISBN-13: 978-0805843163
Babcock, R. D., Manning, K., Rogers, T., with Goff, C., & McCain, A. (2012). A synthesis of
qualitative studies of writing center tutoring, 1983-2006. New York: Peter Lang. ISBN-13: 9781433117879
Fels, D., & Wells, J. (2011). The successful high school writing center: Building the best
program for your students. New York: Teachers College Press. ISBN-13: 978-0807752524
Matsuda, P. K., Cox, M., Jordan, J., & Ortmeier-Hooper, C. (2009). Second-Language Writing in
the Composition Classroom: A Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin’s. ISBN-13:
978-0312676421
Royster, J. & Kirsch, G. (2012). Feminist Rhetorical Practice. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois
University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0809330690
Schroeder, C., Fox, H., & Bizzell, P. (2002). ALT DiS: Alternative discourses in the academy.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN-13: 978-0867095166
Optional Texts:
A dictionary, a thesaurus, and APA Handbook (6th Edition)
Optional Video:
Take 20 (available in the Resources section of the course)
Class Work Requirements
Attendance and Participation: This is a senior level online 8-week class, and as such you are
expected to be online and participating daily. We all travel, but with the availability of laptops,
cybercafés, and public libraries, being out of town should not hamper your participation. It’s
important that we stick to deadlines, and late papers, projects, and responses will not be
accepted. Procrastination will be impossible in a class such as this. If you are having trouble with
deadlines and time management, please contact the instructor at least a full day before you miss
an assignment. Computers are not foolproof, so be sure to have a back-up plan and don’t leave
your work until the last minute. If you do have a technical problem please call the 24/7 Help
Desk. (Use the Technical Support button on the left for contact information while in the course this opens a new window.) Always make extra file copies of your work and double check to see
that attachments have attached.
Documentation Style: The proper documentation style for Composition is APA. However, some
scholars and journals in composition and its subfields use MLA. In general, your work for this
course should be in APA style. However, you do not have to use the intro, methods, results,
conclusion format unless it applies. If you choose to use MLA or another citation style instead,
please consult with the instructor.
Inksheds: Inksheds are like journal entries, risky papers, or short responses. You are required to
respond to at least 5 of your classmates' inksheds for each reading assignment. This activity
meets learning objectives 1, 3, and 5. You are required to post an inkshed for each reading. To
post your inkshed, begin a new thread under the relevant Discussion Board forum. You have the
choice to create a message or attach your inkshed. If you choose to attach, then your document
must be in a Word or .rtf file. Respond to the inksheds by replying to the message. DO NOT
begin a new thread for your response. These papers will be extremely short: 1–2 pages. Your
paper should take a risk and engage the reading. Inksheds differ from journals in that journals are
personal and private while inksheds are meant for public discussion and response. Typically you
write for 15–20 minutes on an inkshed. These papers will form the basis for our discussions each
week.
Discussions and Responses: For each reading you will post an inkshed on that topic. Then you
will respond to a minimum of 5 classmates' inksheds by the due date. In order for discussion to
be lively and involved, you should do your posting early. In addition, your inksheds and
responses must be fully developed to count. Extremely short or cursory inksheds or responses
will not count toward class points. When you are in your special interest groups, you will post an
inkshed on the book you are reading and respond to ALL your groupmates' postings. These
responses are worth 180 points and they must be done by the deadlines. That means if you post
your response at 12:01 am you will not receive any points. For example, you are free to continue
earlier discussions, but you cannot go back to earlier discussions just to make up points. You
must follow these guidelines in order to receive full points for participation and inksheds. Points
will be deducted in relation to how many activities are missed or not done on time. This activity
meets learning objectives 1, 3, and 5. You are required to respond to 5 other peoples' inksheds
for each reading. Your responses should be substantive, fully thought out, and advance the
discussion topic.
Workshops: Sharing your papers in workshop is an important part of the class. You are required
to share your work and comment on other people’s work. In order to receive Workshop points,
you must not only respond to classmates' papers, but do it thoughtfully and completely. Your
Workshop grade will reflect the quality and quantity of your response. Workshop guidelines are
found on Workshop/Assignment pages in Class Work. You will also write a reflection over the
workshops.
Tip: read other's workshop comments before posting your own paper, that way you can fix any
common errors and avoid duplicate comments.
Papers and Drafts: You will compose essays as assigned, share rough drafts, and turn in final
drafts by the due dates. You will take into account responses from your classmates and teacher
when revising your drafts. There will be three formal papers in this class: one pedagogical
statement, one individual paper and one group project. Papers can be revised for a better grade.
Please accompany any revisions with the original containing my comments and your own
comments and responses on the original draft. If you use track changes your comments and
corrections will appear in a different color.
Conferencing: One of the best ways to learn to write is talking about your writing one-to-one.
Therefore, you are required to complete a minimum of two conferences: one for the individual
paper and one for the group project. At least 75 percent of the group must be present for the
group conference to count for points. These conferences can be with either the teacher or a tutor.
You can make an appointment with me by e-mailing or calling me, or you can make an
appointment with a writing tutor by calling
432–552–3350 or visiting the University
Success Center. (Links to an external site.) You may also do your conference through
Smarthinking (Links to an external site.).
Meetings: We will meet once a week via webconference, at a time convenient for all
participants. Make sure you log into the webconference to configure your computer before the
first meeting. We may also have optional in-person meetings if people are interested.
Professional Development: If you are not already a member of one, you are strongly encouraged
to join a professional society of your choice. Quite a few societies offer student membership
rates of $20. Also, you are strongly encouraged to submit a proposal to a conference, an article to
a journal, or a book proposal to a publisher. I will be posting opportunities to the announcements.
Several students who took advantage of this opportunity have had their proposals accepted to
conferences. It’s important for your future as a scholar to start your participation in the
professional conversation as soon as you can.
Assignments
There will be one minor and two major assignments: A philosophy statement, an individual
paper and a group paper or project. Assignments must in APA format and must result in the
required twenty pages of formal writing. All research must be properly documented. You may
use a different documentation style if you have a good reason and you check with the instructor
first. I will not accept papers or projects that haven't been shared either in workshop or
conference. All papers must include a cover statement in the comments box in which you explain
in detail your process in writing the paper, your purpose and intent, and any other information I
will need to fully understand what you are attempting to do with your paper. Papers with an
underdeveloped or missing cover statement will not be graded.
When choosing a topic for the individual paper and group project you should be concerned with
meeting the learning objectives for the course, and for teacher candidates, the NCTE/NCATE
Standards (Links to an external site.). Your topic for the individual paper can be inspired by the
topics suggested in the textbook or you can come up with one on your own. Your topic for the
group paper will reflect the special interest topic that you have chosen. The individual paper will
be a traditional research paper, while the group project can take the form of a traditional paper or
a more creative product such as a webpage, hypertext, multimedia or multigenre text. Those who
do not aspire to be teachers can write from the general position of how they think writing should
be taught.
APA Quiz:
You are required to complete an APA Quiz. You will find this by going to the APA Quiz button
in the course menu on the left. Along with the quiz link, you will see links to the APA Style
Tutorial (Links to an external site.) and The Bedford Handbook Online Resources site (Links to
an external site.) which will help prepare you for this quiz. Please check the calendar for the date
this quiz must be submitted.
Position Statement:
Many times a pedagogical statement or statement of teaching philosophy is required of
applicants for teaching positions. After reading Fulkerson's article, chapter four of Conversations
about Writing, and the collaborative document from the graduate students, you will compose a
philosophy statement of at least one page. This should correspond with the theory you will
explore in the individual paper. Those who do not wish to be teachers can still develop a
philosophy.
Individual paper:
For this paper you will choose a theory of teaching writing and a population you are interested in
teaching or if you are not interested in teaching yourself, you may write the paper as an
argument, persuasion, suggestion or direction to teachers on how they should teach. Research the
theory and practices connected with that theory. Then explain in detail how you will implement
this in the classroom with your population of students or how teachers should do this. Papers will
be graded according to this rubric:




The writer shows confidence and familiarity with theories, practices and processes of
writing and rhetoric and their application in the classroom. If appropriate, the writer
discusses adapting a variety of writing pedagogies to the specific context, including the
students' educational level and personal characteristics.
The writer demonstrates an understanding of style and voice in writing, including the use
of choices in sentence structure, word choice, and punctuation, not only for correctness,
but for rhetorical effect.
The writer demonstrates the ability to use appropriate documentation and to properly use
and synthesize sources.
The writer produces a conventional research paper with attention to format, coherence
and organization.
Group paper:
You will choose a special interest topic and discuss the assigned book in your group. Then your
group will devise a project or paper based on your topic. The project must be original and
creative. You must not simply re-hash the content of the book you read. Your group must
provide me with a rubric to grade your paper. Groups will be closed once they reach six
members, so please choose early.
Overriding Concerns:
1. Assignment: Papers not following the assignment will not be graded.
2. Papers not shared in workshop or conference will not be accepted.
3. Plagiarized papers will receive a grade of “0” and the writer will be referred to the Dean
of Students for disciplinary action.
4. Papers containing more than 20 errors in APA style will be sent back for revision.
Grading
Grades for the course will be evaluated by the following:
Activity
APA Quiz
Inksheds (9 at 20 points each)
Responses (9 at 20 points each)
Position Statement
Workshop
Individual Paper
Group Presentation
Conferences (2 at 25 points each)
Total
Points
35
180
180
75
80
200
200
50
1000
Point spread:
901–1000 points – A
801–900 points – B
701–800 points – C
601–700 points – D
600 points or less – F
You can see your grades by clicking on the My Grades button on the left.
End-of-Course Evaluation & Instructor Evaluation
Every student is encouraged to complete an end-of-course evaluation/survey provided by UTPB.
During the last few weeks of class, you will receive an announcement through email notifying
you that the Course/Instructor Survey is available. You may follow the link in the email to
complete the survey using the same credentials to access your courses here. When entering the
emailed Survey link you will see a list of surveys for you to complete.
The survey is anonymous and you responses are confidential. Your feedback is critical to us and
to your instructor as we strive to improve our offerings, and our support of you, the students.
Instructor's Note
Please remember that this is a senior level course and it will require quite a bit of work. Consider
your outside commitments and try to make a good decision whether or not to attempt this class.
If you signed up for a web class because you have "no time", then this is not the class for you.
This class will require quite a bit of time and commitment, and due dates are scattered about
through the week. This course is not designed to be completed just on weekends, so you should
plan to be active in the course every day or at least every other day. There are at least two full
books and one article and summary to read, entire chapters and inksheds will be assigned every
week, and one short paper, one full-length paper and one substantial group project will be
assigned. You will also be required to respond to classmates' inksheds and papers weekly. Please
do not attempt this class if you don’t have the time to devote to it. There will be independent
group work required, so if you don't like group work or you don't like student-initiated work
please do not take this class.
If you are ready for the challenge, please go the Home page (button on the left) to begin. Be sure
to check the calendar for due dates.
Course Calendar:
May 2016
Sunday Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
20
21
Create Personal
Settings
Post Choice for SIG in
"Topics and Choices"
Discussion
Post Schedule in
"Topics and
Choices"
Discussion
15
16
17
18
19
Chapter 1 & 2
Inksheds Posted
22
29
23
30
Chapters 1 & 2
Responses Complete
24
25
26
Post Topic for
Individual Paper
Chapter 3 and
Theories of Writing
Inksheds Posted
Group Charter and Task
Schedule Posted
27
28
Chapter 3 and Theories
of Writing Responses
Complete
Position
Statement
Responses
Complete
June 2016
Sunday
6
13
Monday
7
14
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
5
Post Group SIG
Inkshed
Chapters 5 & 6
Inksheds Posted
APA Quiz
Completed
Post Position
Statement Draft
Chapters 5 & 6
Responses Complete
8
9
10
11
12
Position
Statement
Workshop
Responses Due
Chapters 7 & 8
Inksheds Posted
Position
Statement Due
Chapters 7 & 8
Responses Complete
15
16
18
19
25
26
Group SIG
Responses
Complete
20
21
22
Individual Paper
Workshop
Responses
Complete
27
28
29
17
Post Individual
Paper Draft
23
24
Individual Paper Due
Group Project
Rubric Posted
30
31
Post Reflections
Group Project
Due
July 1