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Instructor: Erica Reeves English 1A MWF 10:00-10:50 Room: Douglass 106 Office Room: Calaveras 142 Office Phone: 278-6349 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: M 9-9:45 “The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.” --Robert Cormier Welcome to English 1A English 1A is an intensive writing course designed to introduce you to college-level skills such as critical thinking, sophisticated essay-writing, and academic discourse. You will have numerous opportunities this semester to gain confidence and exhibit improvement in your writing skills; after all, writing is a process with multiple stages of thought, development, and revision. By the end of the semester, if you work diligently in this course (and I have confidence that you will!) you will be equipped with the necessary tools to ensure future success throughout your entire academic experience and beyond. For some of you, English 1A may be your introduction to a new community—the academic community. Learning to share ideas and articulate yourself effectively is empowering in any community or social situation. For instance, you and your fellow classmates comprise a classroom community of developing writers in which knowledge is generated and shared collectively through class discussion and peer response. Therefore, in this class individual effort is supported and enriched by the collaborative work you do with your peers. So take a deep breath and relax as you voyage into the depths of your potential as a writer, a thinker, and a Sac State student. Course Objectives To demonstrate how thoughtful revision throughout the writing process leads to a clear, coherent final product To become acquainted with academic discourse—the language of the university—and the conventions of academic writing To develop and refine critical reading and thinking strategies To participate in a comfortable and forgiving learning environment, where collaboration with peers and the sharing of ideas is essential to learning To compose meaningful expository essays which utilize appropriate structure, development, and usage (GE Area A-2 learning goals) Required Texts A Writer’s Reference (5th Edition) by Diana Hacker Various course readings to be downloaded from the following website: www.csus.edu/englishta/English_TA_Texts.htm 1 Grade Distribution Participation Informal Reading Responses Miscellaneous Short Assignments Essay #1- Literacy Narrative Essay #2- Extended Definition Essay #3- Persuasive Research Project 100 pts. 100 pts. 200 pts. 200 pts. 200 pts. 200 pts. 1000 pts. Please note: If a student shows consistent improvement over the course of the semester, this will have a positive impact on the final grade. Participation As aforementioned, the focus of this class is the idea of community where you and your fellow classmates are responsible for generating and sharing knowledge. Therefore, you are required to be present for all peer response workshops and demonstrate engagement in all class discussions. The larger academic community you now belong to is a conversation, both written and oral, that evolves when you voice your ideas. For all of your courses, and especially this course, you must participate and take risks or your grade—and more importantly—your learning will suffer. Informal Reading Responses There will be no quizzes, and certainly no pop quizzes, in this course. Instead, informal reading responses will be required on a weekly basis. Reading responses will help you practice your ability to critically read, analyze, and evaluate written texts. Take these responses seriously; consider them as prewriting for your upcoming essays. Your reading responses will be graded on a scale of + (excellent), (satisfactory), or (poor). If you do not complete a response you will receive a zero. Miscellaneous Short Assignments In addition to informal reading responses and formal essay assignments, you will complete several short writing assignments this semester, each geared toward some essential aspect of writing. For example, rewriting the story of Cinderella will help you understand the importance of audience awareness while composing a letter to the Sacramento Bee’s editor helps you practice the art of concision. Writing Assignments Each essay you write this semester will be completed in a series of three or four drafts. Please recognize, however, that writing is a dynamic process, often requiring more than four revisions for a satisfactory product. In fact, I myself substantially revised this syllabus a number of times! Therefore, I encourage you to produce as many drafts as necessary for your personal writing process. First drafts are exploratory—you are often still struggling to get all your ideas down on the page. As you compose your intermediate drafts, your ideas will gradually shift from malleable to more concrete ideas. I expect your final drafts to be polished and compelling with virtually no grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. The final draft is the only draft that is officially graded, 2 and must be handed in to me at the beginning of class on the day it is due along with each of your preceding rough drafts. I am, however, giving you the opportunity to rewrite one of the three essays for a better grade. Sequence of Writing Assignments The following is a preview of the major essay assignments you will be working on this semester: Essay #1- Literacy Narrative For your first assignment, you will reflect upon your personal literacy development, including reading, writing, and the language(s) you speak. How did your family foster your learning at a young age? How do you expect your learning to shift in the academic community? Through substantial introspection and analysis, you will ease yourself into the writing process by learning to articulate your personal experiences. Essay #2- Extended Definition Now that you have written about your personal experiences—an inherently authoritative position—you will learn to collaborate with your fellow classmates to create knowledge and meaning. Your second assignment asks you and your peers to define your world, as you work in groups to create definitions for terms like society, individuality, and culture. This essay will help you analyze the transient nature of knowledge as it transforms through different social settings at different times. Essay #3- Persuasive Research Project For your final essay, you will use extensive research to create a provocative and sophisticated argument for your choice of audience. What changes or improvements do you want to see in the future and from whom? Remember, if the world is a conversation, you must actively assert your voice to effect change. The possibilities are endless and you have the freedom to make this assignment your own undertaking. Peer Response Workshops Each of the three essays you compose this semester will be examined at least once in a peer response workshop. All writers can benefit from eliciting feedback and support from their peers at some stage in the revision process. Each in-class workshop is an opportunity for you and your fellow classmates to give and receive constructive criticism and valuable feedback. You will be required to bring three copies of your essay on peer response workshop days. The inability to attend a peer response workshop not only disrupts the collaborative nature of this class, but will detrimentally affect your paper’s grade. 3 One-On-One Conferencing For the first essay you write this semester, as well as the last, you and I will meet together for a one-on-one conference. These conferences are the best way for me to acquaint myself with your individual needs and likewise an excellent opportunity for you to voice any questions or comments that may arise regarding your learning experience thus far. Please come prepared for each conference as I can only give as much feedback as your draft warrants. Attendance at the first conference is mandatory, while the second conference is optional. In lieu of these conferences, I will be canceling class two days this semester. Classroom Etiquette Since you are all adults, I plan to treat you as such until you give me a reason to treat you otherwise. Adult-like behavior includes showing up to class on time and on a regular basis, setting your cell phone to vibrate, treating your instructor and your fellow classmates with respect, and being prepared to contribute to class discussion. If I notice that tardiness or classroom behavior has become disruptive, I reserve the right to dismiss perpetual offenders from class and mark them absent from class for that day. Attendance Attendance is mandatory; no more than three absences are permitted. I will not distinguish between excused or unexcused absences, so I recommend that you use your absences wisely. Absences in excess of three will result in your final class grade being lowered by one third (i.e. from an A- to a B+). If you miss six classes, you are subject to fail this course. In the past, I have had to fail students based solely on poor attendance and not as a reflection of their completed coursework, so don’t let this happen to you! In addition, I will not accept late papers and/or assignments unless a) it is a lifethreatening emergency and b) you inform me of said emergency ASAP. Please note: an extended vacation in Maui, the inability to find a parking space, and “my dog ate my homework” are not life-threatening. Furthermore, I will not accept reading responses, rough drafts, or any other assignment through email. I do understand that life is full of the unexpected, so please talk to me about any unforeseen circumstances. Also, since you are now a member of a community of writers, your peers are your most reliable resource. I strongly suggest exchanging contact information with at least two classmates at the beginning of the semester. Plagiarism The word plagiarism is derived from the Latin word plagiarius, which translates as “kidnapper” (MLA Handbook 30). There are two types of plagiarism: unintentionally using someone else’s ideas without citing the source, and deliberately passing off someone else’s ideas as your own. Both types of plagiarism are unacceptable. If you have questions about citing sources, please come visit me during office hours. Do not kidnap someone else’s ideas! Plagiarism may result in a failing grade for this course, but could also get you suspended or expelled from the university. 4 The CSUS Writing Center Become a member of the CSUS Writing Center community! The Writing Center is a wonderful resource available to all students absolutely free. The tutors are not available to proofread or edit your papers, but they will help you with prewriting, clarity, organization, and writing strategies. The Writing Center is located at 128 Calaveras Hall. Call 278-6356 to set-up an appointment either Monday-Thursday from 10am to 6pm or Friday from 10am to 1pm. Services to Students with Disabilities Students with visual, hearing, mobility, or learning disabilities are provided support and special accommodations through the Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD) office. You may visit the SSWD office (1008 Lassen Hall) for more information or visit the website at www.csus.edu/sswd. 5