Academic
Writing Syllabus
Spring 2015
English 130I-15
Location: SISK 101
Meet Time: TR 1100am-1215pm
Instructor: Athena Murphy
Office: SISK 109
Office Hours: TR 1215pm – 100pm and by
appointment
___________________________________________________________________
Course
Description
English 130, “Academic Writing,” is a
core General Education course that introduces you to the challenges of
university level writing, reading, and critical thinking. Students enrolled in
English 130 must demonstrate the ability to criticize, analyze, and advocate
ideas with persuasive force in writing. A grade of C- or better is needed to
pass this course.
In this class, you will:
Write
and read in order to enter ongoing public conversations and investigate
pressing issues
● Pursue
authentic questions with intellectual openness and curiosity, making
connections between multiple areas of our lives
● Find,
evaluate, interpret, and synthesize primary and secondary sources and integrate
our own ideas with those of others
● Revise
texts into focused arguments for specific audiences and purposes
● Respond
in depth to other people’s writing and use peer and instructor feedback
effectively in our own
● Learn,
analyze, and apply genre conventions such as organizational styles, forms of
evidentiary support, modes of presentation, and citation practices
● Reduce
errors in grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling
___________________________________________________________________
Murphy’s
Portion of English 130I-15
Overview:
I will be subbing for Professor Sparks for
roughly two-thirds of the semester. During that time I will be following my own
assignment sequence. For our first unit, we will be focusing on analyzing and
interpreting visual media. For our second, you will choose your own area of
interest to research.
Class Website:
While I will post grades through
Blackboard, all other class business will be conducted on the following
website: AMurphy130S15.blogspot.com. You will be added as authors so you can
contribute to the class blog.
Resources:
Class Texts/Media
Carroll, Laura Bolin. “Backpacks
vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis”
Jaxon, Kim. "One Approach to Guiding Peer Response"
Rosenberg, Karen. "Reading Games:
Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources"
Stedman, Kyle D. "Annoying Ways
People Use Sources"
Visual Literacy Resources
Writing Resources
___________________________________________________________________
University Policy and Resources
Mission
Statement: Student Judicial Affairs supports the mission of the
university by promoting a fair and positive learning environment for all
students, faculty, and staff. The program advances student development by
adjudicating reports in a timely, consistent, and fair manner regarding student
behavior and complaints of alleged unfair treatment of students.
In general, it is a good idea to be
familiar with the guidelines set down by Student Judicial Affairs regarding
both your rights and responsibilities as a student—especially as regards
academic integrity: http://www.csuchico.edu/sjd/integrity.shtml. Academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism,
will result in disciplinary action.
As we will be working with incorporating the ideas of others into our
own writing, we will go over citation conventions so you understand what is
expected of you in terms of crediting your sources. If you are unsure how to
cite a source, please do not hesitate to ask.
As this is an English course, we will be adhering to MLA citation
guidelines. Helpful references include
the most current MLA handbook or Purdue University’s handy Online Writing Lab
(a FREE service found here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/). When in doubt, please ask!
Mission
Statement: The mission of the Student Learning Center (SLC) is to
provide services that will assist CSU, Chico students to become independent
learners. The SLC prepares and supports students in their college course work
by offering a variety of programs and resources to meet student needs. The SLC
facilitates the academic transition and retention of students from high schools
and community colleges by providing study strategy information, content subject
tutoring, and supplemental instruction.
The Student Learning Center offers free
tutoring by appointment. It is an
excellent resource for students seeking help with study strategies and writing
skills. It is located in SSC 340.
Mission
Statement: Chico State believes in providing
access to its diverse student, employee, and community populations. The
Accessibility Resource Center works with staff, faculty, students,
administrators, and community members to ensure that all aspects of campus
life— learning, working, and living— are universally accessible. We promote and
facilitate awareness and access through accommodations, training, and
partnerships.
If you have a condition that may
interfere with your ability to learn, campus policy requires you to register
with Disability Support Services AND to inform me. If you need adaptations or accommodations, I
am more than happy to work with you.
Please let me know as soon as possible so we can work out the
details. I want to ensure you get the
most out of this class.
___________________________________________________________________
Contract
Grading
For
my portion of this class* I will be utilizing contract grading. This
means that for each unit you will choose what grade you will be working towards
and commit yourself to the workload required to receive that grade. This is an
attempt to make the grading process more transparent and to give you more
control over your experience this semester.
At the end of each unit you will review your work and assess your own
progress. In this way, you will have an
opportunity to look back on your body of work to make a case for the grade you
feel you deserve. The contracts are as follows:
You are guaranteed a B if you:
● Meet
all deadlines
● Complete
unit’s major assignment
● Miss
no more than one blog post
● Dedicate
time and energy to improving your writing:
○ drafts
should undergo substantive revision—this means you do more than move around
superficial elements
○ drafts
should be thoroughly copyedited (typos, mechanics, etc.,)
○ offer
thoughtful, substantive comments and advice during peer review
○ take
advantage of my office hours to discuss ideas and receive additional feedback
● Remain
engaged in class and actively participate on a regular basis
You are guaranteed an A if you:
●
Meet all requirements for B
● Take
risks in your writing, pushing yourself to the edge of your comfort zone and
abilities:
○ show
progress in the complexity and clarity of your argument
○ show
progress in the eloquence and nuance of your writing
● Make
substantial contributions to class discussion (post supplementary materials,
lead a discussion, give a presentation, etc.,)
You are guaranteed a C if you:
● Meet
all deadlines
● Complete
unit’s major assignment
● Miss
no more than two blog posts
● Meet
class-negotiated assignment standards for purpose and quality
● Remain
engaged during class discussion and contribute occasionally to class discussion
MINOR BREACHES are things like missing too many blog posts or
a drop in class or workshop participation.
Two minor breaches will lower your contract grade by one half step.
Lowered grades can still be improved by exceptionally strong writing and lots
of revision.
MAJOR BREACHES are things like missing a draft workshop, sleeping
through or not participating actively in class, or turning in a major
assignment in late. For example, after
the first major breach your contract grade will be lowered to a B-, after the
second major breach a C+, and so on. These lowered grades can still be improved
by exceptionally strong writing and lots of revision.
*Since
I am sharing you with Professor Sparks (who doesn’t use contract grading), we have
come to the following arrangement (which will probably sound more complicated
that it is). The class is going to be worth a total of 1000 points, my portion being
worth 700 points. I am going to split those points between the two units (350 points
each). You will still contract for a grade, but each grade will have a numeric value
based loosely (I’m rounding up) on its percentage out of 350 points:
Grade
|
Points Allotted
|
A
|
350
|
B
|
300
|
C
|
265
|
Half steps in grades (the results of
breeches) will have numeric values of a similar nature, meaning the point break
down will look like this:
Grade
|
Percentage
|
Points Allotted
|
A
|
93-100
|
350
|
A-
|
90-92
|
325
|
B+
|
86-89
|
315
|
B
|
83-85
|
300
|
B-
|
80-82
|
290
|
C+
|
76-79
|
280
|
C
|
73-75
|
265
|
C-
|
70-72
|
255
|
D+
|
66-69
|
245
|
D
|
63-65
|
230
|
D-
|
60-62
|
220
|
On a related note, please don’t be the
reason I calculate below a D-.
___________________________________________________________________
Attendance
and Participation Policy
There is more to attending class than
just showing up—though that is an important first step. I also expect you to prepare yourself by
carefully reading the material before class and to remain engaged during class.
If you are not prepared or are not paying attention you are not fully present,
and I will not give you credit for being so. I promise I will not waste your
time with purposeless assignments. That
said, please don’t waste my time by showing up unprepared.
Absences:
You may accrue four absences for any reason before it
impacts your grade. Every absence after four will lower your final grade by one
step (B becomes B-). Use your absences wisely. Barring catastrophes and
outbreaks of the plague, I’m standing firm on the policy.
It is your responsibility to get missed notes from a
classmate. Missing class is not an excuse for missing a submission deadline. If
you miss an in-class assignment or quiz, I may be open to assigning make-up
work, but it will probably be more extensive than the work missed. Don’t miss
class.
What’s more, I reserve the right to mark you absent for the day
if you are not fully present, prepared, and participating. Some reasons I may
mark you absent include, but are not limited to:
●
being unprepared for discussion
● not
participating in group activities
● being
unprepared for peer review
● showing
up exceedingly late
● texting,
sleeping or other non-class-related activities
Participation:
The participation element of your grade
will be determined primarily by class engagement. I understand that not
everyone is comfortable speaking in class.
There are many ways to participate in this class, such as:
● starting/continuing
class discussions via extra blog posts
●
responding to your classmates’ online
posts/discussions
●
sharing relevant supplementary material
(in class or online)
●
actively participating in class
discussion
●
volunteering as class scribe and
posting discussion notes online
●
volunteering to give a short
presentation or lead a class discussion
●
Have another idea? Talk to me. We’ll add it.
“Information
Overload” Days:
(I’m stealing this policy from
Ryan Cordell at Northeastern because I think it’s humane.) I do understand that
the semester can get hectic. The workload for this class is significant and
often challenging, and you must balance it with the work in your other classes.
Most likely you will have days when you simply cannot—for whatever
reason—complete the assigned reading. To that end, you may take one
“information overload” (IO) day during the semester. On that day you will not
be expected to contribute to class discussion and you will receive a pass on
any in-class work. In order to take an IO day, you must follow these rules:
1. You
must attend class, listen attentively to any lectures or class discussions, and
take part in any activities or group work not dependent on the day’s reading.
Your IO day cannot be used as an additional excused absence.
2. You
must inform me before the beginning of class that you are taking your IO day.
You may not wait until I call on you or you see day’s the in-class assignment.
I will deny any IO requests made during class. To that end: take special care
to be on time if you plan to request an IO day, as you won’t be allowed to
request one if you arrive late.
3. You
may not extend an IO day into another class session. If, for instance, you take
an IO day during our first class on Carroll’s “Backpacks vs. Briefcases,” you
will not then be excused from discussing the book during our second class on it.
4. You
may not take an IO day if you have a major assignment due. You cannot avoid
giving a required presentation, for instance, by taking an IO day.
IO days are intended to help you
manage the inevitable stresses of your unique semester. Use them wisely.
___________________________________________________________________
Assignments
We will discuss each assignment in class. We will begin by dissecting the prompt to
ensure everyone is on the same page. We
will then discuss the driving purpose behind the assignment and negotiate what
the final product should achieve. This
is an opportunity for you to weigh-in not only on the focus of your work, but
on how your work will be assessed as well.
Since your contracts will detail the quality of writing you
should be producing, assignments will be graded credit/revise for credit/no
credit. To receive credit you must meet the bare minimum requirements for the
assignment by the corresponding deadline. For the opportunity to revise for
credit, you must meet the original deadline. You will then be given an extension
until the next class period to revise. You will receive no credit if you do not
turn the assignment in, or choose not to revise.
Note on Turning in Assignments:
Blog posts should be posted to the class
website. (You will be added as authors.) The Photo-Journal and Research Project
will be uploaded to the class Google Docs folder. (You will be added as
collaborators.) Please use the following naming convention when naming your
documents: LastNameFirstName_Assignment.
Blog
Posts (Unit 1 & 2)
At the beginning of each unit you will
complete a series of blog posts that will prepare you for the major writing
assignment at the end. For unit one, you will look for media that piques your
interest and apply the analytical concepts we are working on at the time. For
unit two, you will use the blogs as a space to work with your own independent
research by touching on the key points of the articles you are finding and
thinking out how they can advance your paper.
Photo-Journal (Unit 1)
Gather
three images that you feel are in conversation. For example, they may touch on
the same theme (ex: depiction of gender, race, class, etc), or speak to the
same subject (ex: advertisement for same kind of product, media coverage of
same event, perspectives on same political issue, etc). Discuss how the images
are in conversation. This will require an in-depth analysis of each image as
well as a close examination of how the images compare and contrast.
Format:
Incorporate
the images directly into the document as you are discussing them. You can decide the best way to organize this,
but basically your reader should be able to reference the image as s/he is
working through your paper.
We
will be workshopping this paper in class.
This means you will have an opportunity to get feedback from your peers
(and me) and revise your document before turning in a final draft. (We will go over the peer review process in
class.)
Research Project (Unit 2)
This project is an in-depth exploration
of an issue that piques your interest. You will conduct your own research,
formulate your own claims, and present your findings in a format fitting the
content. This project can be whatever
you make it. You can work alone or in
groups, turn in a traditional paper, give a presentation, performance, present
a graphic/artistic display or video—anything, so long as it successfully
communicates your findings. In general, I want to see you:
● Pick an area of interest that actually
interests you—as a general rule, liking what you’re studying makes school
much more bearable.
● Become
well-versed in your topic/issue by researching the information that is
available. This could mean anything from
your standard library database searches to chasing down expert interviews to
watching documentaries on the migratory patterns of chinchillas...if you’re into
that kind of thing—anything you need to do to feel confident entering the
public conversation.
● Enter
the conversation: now that you’ve learned so much about your topic/issue, what
do you have to say about it? Synthesize
your ideas and your research to formulate a focused argument.
This project can take many forms and we
will brainstorm ideas and formats in class.
If you choose to work in a group, one of the major things we will
negotiate in our conference is individual accountability and the distribution
of the workload. (Basically, we will negotiate group norms.)
·
If you want to write a traditional
paper, it should be somewhere in the 900-1500 word range (roughly 3-5 pages).
● If
you want to give a presentation, it should be 5-10 minutes long and you should
hand in an outline and a works cited page.
● If
you want to give a performance or present an artistic piece, you will need to
prepare a 600-800 word rationale (roughly 2-4 pages) and a works cited page.
● If
you want to do something that doesn’t quite fit the ideas above, we’ll figure
it out.
___________________________________________________________________
Course
Calendar
Unit 1: Visual Rhetoric
Week
One: 1/20 + 1/22 — Basic Concepts
- · Day One: Carroll: First Impressions + Looking Glass Self + “This is Water”
- · Day Two: Carroll: Rhetorical Situation (Exigence, Audience, Constraints)
Week
Two: 1/27 + 1/29 — Analysis
- · Day Three: Flobots + Carroll: Argument (Logos, Pathos, Ethos)
- · Day Four: Carroll: Pre-Analysis Questions
Week
Three: 2/3 + 2/5 — Synthesis
- · Day Five: Cracked.com + Brainstorm Photo-Journal
- · Day Six: Writing Workshop: Synthesizing Sources
Week
Four: 2/10 + 2/12 — Peer Review / Revision
- · Day Seven: Writing Workshop:
- · Day Eight: Photo-Journal Due + Jaxon + Peer Review: Writer’s Memo
Week
Five: 2/17 + 2/19 — Wrap-Up
- · Day Nine: Peer Review: Reviewer’s Memo + Conference
- · Day Ten: Last Minute Revisions + End of Unit Reflection
Revised Photo-Journal Due
by 5:00pm Thursday, February 19th
Unit 2: Open Inquiry
Week
Six: 2/24 + 2/26 — Basic Concepts
- · Day One: Choose Focus + Start Finding Outside Sources (Rosenberg)
- · Day Two: Outside Resources (B.E.A.M)
Week
Seven: 3/3 + 3/5 — Analysis
- ● Day Three: Writing Workshop
- ● Day Four: Writing Workshop
Week
Eight: 3/10 + 3/12 — Synthesis
- ● Day Five: Writing Workshop: Citations
- ● Day Six: Stedman + Workshop Transitions
Week
Nine: 3/9 + 3/19 — Peer Review / Revision
- ● Day Seven: Research Project Due + Peer Review: Writer’s Memo
- ● Day Eight: Peer Review: Reviewer’s Memo
Spring Break: 3/16 + 3/26
Week
Ten: 3/31 + 4/2 — Portfolio Due
- ● Day Nine: Last Minute Revisions
- ● Day Ten: End of Unit Reflection
Revised Research Projects
Due by 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 2nd
*Week
Eleven: 4/7 + 4/9 — Roundtable*
Professor
Sparks will most likely be back by this week. In the event she is not, we will
use this time to discuss our findings as a group.
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