Sheets, Jennifer A.

English

University of Montana

University of MontanaScholarWorks at University of MontanaSyllabi Course SyllabiFall 9-1-2018WRIT 201.02: College Writing IIJennifer A. SheetsUniversity of Montana, MissoulaLet us know how access to this document benefits you.Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabiThis Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted forinclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contactscholarworks@mso.umt.edu.Recommended CitationSheets, Jennifer A., "WRIT 201.02: College Writing II" (2018). Syllabi. 8087.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/80871 Writ 201: Rhetoric and Nostalgia   “Pen to paper. That’s how you start. Just get your pen to paper.” - Paula Sheets (my mom)  “Rhetoric is the art of communicating thought from one mind to another, the adaptation of language to circumstance.” - Sister Miriam Joseph Instructor Information Instructor: Jennifer Sheets Mailbox: LA 129 Office: Corbin Hall 349 Office Hours: T, 11am-2pm Email: jennifer.sheets@umontana.edu  Online Resources: Purdue Owl writing resource: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/   (Purdue MLA formatting: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ ) Literary Devices resource: https://literarydevices.net/  UMT Library - Writ 101 site: http://libguides.lib.umt.edu/writ101   Cost:  College Writing II: Rhetoric and American Cultures: $40 Printing (Moodle readings and assignments): approximately $30  **Syllabus information at bottom - scroll past daily schedule.**     2 WRIT 201 Daily Schedule   (Subject to change! I will keep you updated in class and via email)   Text Abbreviations in bold CW: College Writing II: Rhetoric and American Cultures (textbook) M: Moodle   Week 1 8/28 (T) Welcome and introductions  8/30 (TH)  Reading due: Chapter 1 CW Writing due: 5 “rhetoric” responses   Week 2 9/4 (T)  Reading due: Chapter 2 CW AND “I Have a Dream” (MLK Jr.) M Writing due: Food Journal   9/6 (TH) Reading due: “The Case for Bad Coffee” (Pandolfi) M AND “It Never Was Golden” (Levinovitz) M   Writing due: Food Journal Reflection  Week 3 9/11 (T)  Reading due: Chapter 3 CW AND “Moving Kitchen” (Donohue) M AND “Hot Sauce in Her Bag” (Kendall) M  Writing due: none  9/13 (TH) Reading due: “The American Diner at Age 143” (Ufberg) M AND “I Hid Who I Was for So Long” (Baraghani) M Writing due: Draft of Major Assignment 1 to be traded with a classmate TODAY  3 Week 4 9/18 (T)  Reading Due: “Past, Present, and Future of NASA” (deGrasse Tyson) M Writing Due: Major Assignment 1  9/20 (TH) Reading due: Chapter 4 CW AND “How Technology is Changing Nostalgia” (Rowen) M Writing due:  Week 5 9/25 (T) Reading due: “The Allegory of The Cave” (Plato) M Writing due:   9/27(TH) Reading due: Chapter 5 CW Writing due: MA2 topic proposal  Week 6 10/2 (T) Reading due: “Trump’s Shtick May Not...” (Petersen) M Writing due:   10/4 (TH) Reading due: Chapter 6 CW Writing due:  Week 7 10/9 (T) Reading due: Writing due: Outline of Major Assignment 2 to be traded with a classmate TODAY  10/11 (TH) Reading due: Writing due:  4 Week 8 10/16 (T) Reading due: Major Assignment 2 Writing due:  10/18 (TH) Reading due: Chapter 7 CW Writing due:   Week 9  10/23 (T) Reading due: “This is Water” (Wallace) M Writing due: Major Assignment 3 topic proposal   10/25 (TH) Reading due: Chapter 8 CW Writing due:   Week 10 10/30 (T) Reading due: Writing due:   11/1 (TH) Reading due: Writing due: Outline of Major Assignment 3 to be traded with a classmate TODAY  Week 11 11/6 (T) NO CLASS - ELECTION DAY - GO VOTE!!! IT IS YOUR RIGHT AND DUTY.  11/8 (TH) Reading due: Writing due: Major Assignment 3  5 Week 12 11/13 (T) Reading due: Chapter 9 CW Writing due:  11/15 (TH) Reading due: Writing due:  Week 13 11/20 (T) Reading due: Chapter 10 CW Writing due:   11/22 (TH) NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING BREAK  Week 14  11/27 (T) Reading due: Writing due:   11/29 (TH) Reading due: Writing due: Major Assignment 4  Week 15 12/4 (T) Reading due: Writing due:  12/6 (TH) LAST DAY OF CLASS - PORTFOLIOS DUE TODAY    6 Course Description “When Americans hear the word “rhetoric” they tend to think of politicians’ attempts to deceive them […] as though words had no connection to action[…]” - Sharon Crowley  During the course of this class you will learn that exactly the opposite of what Crowley points out is true: words are action and the more control you have over them, the more power they can give you. Our study this semester will focus on the way traditional rhetorical concepts are still powerful in contemporary American culture; you will have the opportunity to study arguments as a reader and enact those practices as a writer. By the end of the semester you should be able to accurately and subtly assess a given rhetorical situation and make effective rhetorical choices based your assessment in order to write a graceful, convincing, beautifully written argument. Assignments You will complete four major assignments throughout the semester including drafting, editing, and revising, all of which will be compiled in a final portfolio at the end of the semester. I will hand out detailed descriptions and requirements before each major assignment. The major assignments are:  1. Major Assignment 1: Food and Nostalgia 2. Major Assignment 2: Breaking Down Political Rhetoric 3. Major Assignment 3: To Debate or Not to Debate 4. Major Assignment 4: The Art of Brevity  We will also have smaller, informal writing assignments throughout the semester. These may include freewrites during class, creative pieces to be typed and handed in, observations, or research updates. I will provide clear instructions and deadlines for all of these as well.  WRIT 201 Required Elements I encourage you to talk with me at any time to better understand my feedback on your papers or to discuss your overall progress and success in the class.   Grading -- you must earn a C- in this class to be awarded credit. ● Participation (includes mid-term response)  35% ● Final Portfolio  65%  **You must turn in your portfolio and complete all major essays by their deadlines in order to receive credit for this course.** 7  General Class Expectations: ● All reading assignments will be completed by the assigned date. ● All writing assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class. ● All homework must be typed with 12 point Times New Roman font, double-space, and 1 inch margins on all sides. ● Attend class. ● Actively, vocally, and appropriately participate in class discussions.   WRIT 201 is an Intermediate Writing Course. The university learning outcomes include: ● Use writing to learn and synthesize new concepts ● Formulate and express opinions and ideas in writing ● Compose written documents that are appropriate for a given audience or purpose ● Revise written work based on constructive feedback ● Find, evaluate, and use information effectively ● Begin to use discipline-specific writing conventions ● Demonstrate appropriate English language usage  Respect It is imperative that you treat your peers with as much respect as you expect from them. This course will be a supportive and respectful environment where everyone should feel comfortable speaking without fear of being put down or embarrassed. If you fail to respect your classmates your grade will be affected.   In this course we will be discussing socially debated and, sometimes, conflict-laden issues. This does not mean we have to agree with other’s perspectives. Part of your educational experience is learning that you will disagree, sometimes radically, with people and that honest discussion is a way to learn to respect and value those disagreements.   Grading Policy:  Students enrolled in WRIT 201 are graded by the traditional letter grade A, B, C, D, F or are given NC for no credit. The NC grade does not affect grade point average. It is reserved for students who have worked unusually hard, attended class regularly and completed all assignments, but whose skills are not at a passing level at the end of the semester.   8 Attendance If you miss the first two classes, you will need to drop the course on Cyberbear and enroll in another semester. This is university policy and the reasoning behind it is that important groundwork for the semester is put in place in the first few class meetings. Students without that foundational framework are better served by taking the course when they can give it the attention it deserves.   More than two absences from a TR class will compromise your grade. 5 or more absences from a TR class will result in a failing grade. Here’s the breakdown:   ● 3rd absence: final grade drops one letter grade (for example, A drops to B) ● 4th absence: final grade drops two letter grades (for example, A drops to C) ● 5th absence: final grade is an F   Here’s the reasoning behind the attendance policy: without attending class, you cannot perform your role as a student involved in learning, planning, inventing, drafting; discussing reading and writing; learning and practicing rhetorical moves and concepts; or collaborating with your instructor and classmates.  Required University events will be excused if you provide appropriate documentation. Personal situations inevitably arise that make it impossible for you to make it to class. Remember, however, that’s why a few absences are allowed; please reserve those for emergencies.   If you must miss class, you are responsible for obtaining any handouts or assignments for the class. Make sure you talk with me in advance if you are worried about meeting a deadline or missing a class.  Participation.  Participation includes coming to class prepared and on time, taking part in class discussions, asking questions, contributing your knowledge and insights in whatever form is appropriate, and striving to make all your contributions excellent. It also includes doing the required reading and writing for each class. Note: Please come to class on time. Lateness will hurt your grade because it is an unnecessary interruption and because latecomers are likely to miss valuable information. Please see Participation Grade Descriptors for more information.     9 Late Work Your work needs to be typed, printed, and in class with you to be considered "on time". ● Late or handwritten homework (anything handed in later than the beginning of the class it is due) will only be accepted ONE class period later. For example, a paper due Tuesday will only be accepted until Thursday at the beginning of class. ● If you miss class, the homework is due the next class period; homework will be marked late unless your absence is excused. ● Emailed assignments are considered late. ● Late Major Assignments are unacceptable. They will receive no revision comments from me. ● You are always welcome to complete assignments early if you will be missing class.   Academic Conduct.  You must abide by the rules for academic conduct described in the Student Conduct Code. If you have any questions about when and how to avoid academic dishonesty, particularly plagiarism, please review the Conduct Code and talk with your instructor. The Council of Writing Program Administrators describes plagiarism as follows: “plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source.” Academic honesty is highly valued in the University community and acts of plagiarism will not be tolerated.   Plagiarism Policy.  If I suspect that something a student has written has been plagiarized, in full or in part, intentionally or unintentionally, I take the following actions:   - I alert the student of areas of the text that are suspicious. - The student receives no credit on the paper, pending failure, and it is up to him/her to prove that he/she turned in original work. - Each student is asked to provide me with hard copies of the research she/he used in writing the paper. - If the student cannot provide documentation of her/his research, the student will fail the paper.   *These measures are also put into action when a paper is poorly cited. When a student brings his/her research to me I use the time to talk with them about citation and make sure that they understand how and when to cite in the future.   10 In the case that the student is unable to provide evidence of his/her original work, or in the case that I have evidence that the student has intentionally plagiarized his/her work: - the student will automatically fail the given assignment   - the student may fail the course unless, at my discretion, I offer alternative assignments and/or conditions - I may pursue a plagiarism citation unless, at my discretion, I offer alternative assignments and/or conditions - the student may receive alternate assignments, etc. to avoid failure. In this instance, all conditions must be met. I need to see evidence of excellent work and effort, and work must be completed on time. - all other previously established conditions in the class (i.e. attendance, participation, homework grades, etc.) still stand and can still cause a student to fail the course - in the case of blatant or egregious offenses, I will not negotiate against course failure and will pursue a University Citation of Plagiarism  Students with Disabilities Qualified students with disabilities will receive appropriate accommodations in this course.  Please speak with me privately after class or in my office.  Please be prepared to provide a letter from your DSS Coordinator.   Participation in University Assessment This course requires an electronic submission of an assignment stripped of your personal information to be used for educational research and assessment of the writing program.  Your papers will be stored in a database. This assessment in no way affects either your grade or your progression at the university.   Portfolio Grade Descriptors for WRIT 201   A Superior portfolios will demonstrate initiative and rhetorical sophistication that go beyond the requirements. A portfolio at this level is composed of well-edited texts representing different writing situations and genres that consistently show a clear, connected sense of audience, purpose and development. The writer is able to analyze his or her own writing, reflect on it, and revise accordingly. The portfolio takes risks that work.   B Strong portfolios meet their rhetorical goals in terms of purpose, genre, and writing situation without need for further major revisions of purpose, evidence, audience, or style/ mechanics. The 11 writer is able to reflect on his or her own writing and make some choices about revision. The writer takes risks, although they may not all be successful.   C Consistent portfolios meet the basic requirements, yet the writing would benefit from further revisions of purpose, evidence, audience, or writing style/mechanics (or some combination) and a stronger understanding of rhetorical decision-making involved in different writing situations and genres. The writer composes across tasks at varying levels of success with some superficial revision. The writer has taken some risks in writing and exhibits some style.   D Weak portfolios do not fully meet the basic evaluative standards. Most texts are brief and underdeveloped. These texts show a composing process that is not yet elaborated or reflective of rhetorical understanding related to composing in different genres and for a range of writing situations. Texts generally require extensive revisions to purpose, development, audience, and/ or style and mechanics.   F Unacceptable portfolios exhibit pervasive problems with purpose, development, audience, or style/ mechanics that interfere with meaning and readers’ understanding. Unacceptable portfolios are often incomplete. A portfolio will also earn an F if it does not represent the writer’s original work.  Participation Grade Descriptors for WRIT 201   A Superior participation shows initiative and excellence in written and verbal work. The student helps to create more effective discussions and workshops through his/her verbal, electronic, and written contributions. Reading and writing assignments are always completed on time and with attention to detail. In workshop or conferences, suggestions to group members are tactful, thorough, specific, and often provide other student writers with a new perspective or insight.   B Strong participation demonstrates active engagement in written and verbal work. The student plays an active role in the classroom but does not always add new insight to the discussion at hand. Reading and writing assignments are always completed on time and with attention to detail. In workshop or conferences, suggestions to group members are tactful, specific, and helpful.   C Satisfactory participation demonstrates consistent, satisfactory written and verbal work.  Overall, the student is prepared for class, completes assigned readings and writings, and contributes to small group workshops and large class discussions. Reading and writing assignments are completed on time. In workshop or conferences, suggestions to group members 12 are tactful and prompt, but could benefit from more attentive reading and/or specific detail when giving comments.   D Weak participation demonstrates inconsistent written and verbal work. The student may be late to class, unprepared for class, and may contribute infrequently or unproductively to classroom discussions or small group workshops. Reading and writing assignments are not turned in or are insufficient. In workshops or conferences, suggestions to group members may be missing, disrespectful, or far too brief and general to be of help.   F Unacceptable participation shows ineffectual written and verbal work. The student may be excessively late to class, regularly unprepared, and not able to contribute to classroom discussions or small group workshops. This student may be disruptive in class. Reading and writing assignments are regularly not turned in or are insufficient. In workshops or conferences, the student has a pattern of missing, being completely unprepared, or being disruptive.   

WRIT 201.02: College Writing II

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WRIT 201.02: College Writing II

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