ENG 131 Spring 2009 Dr. Geri Jacobs [email protected] 3 Credit Hours 8 Class Hours/Week Building and Office #BW 242 Office Phone # 517-796-8587 Office Hours 12-1 Mondays and Wednesdays and by appointment Course Description “This is an intensive writing course designed to help students improve, strengthen and refine writing skills. Research methods are introduced. An end of the semester portfolio of narrative and informative writings and an additional 16 hours of writing activities and workshops are required.” Prerequisite ENG 085 and 090 Course Design This is a writing-intensive course that focuses on revision. You will spend most of your time composing formal and informal writing assignments, participating in small and large group work, and providing and receiving feedback during workshop sessions. You will be expected to read and write about material that is moderate to difficult in complexity. In addition, you will think about your process as a writer and consider ways in which your process can be revised or enhanced. Our aim is to produce polished drafts within a short period of time—six weeks. You are expected to come to class prepared to write; that is, you must have your drafts on flash drives that can be used here at JCC in our classroom. You may also e-mail your drafts to your JCC account. In these ways, you will be able to work on your drafts while in class. In addition to composing and participating in class workshops, you will have the opportunity to talk with me about your writing during class time. Performance Objectives The goal of this course is to give you the opportunity to write and to improve your writing skills. I will also encourage you to examine your writing process and refine it, if necessary. Let us briefly review the Writing Process: Writing as Process: Where do we begin as writers? When we choose a topic, generate ideas, find the point we need to make, and decide on a plan of organization, we are in the early stage, often called the prewriting stage. Many writers do a lot of this early work in their heads; others go through a series of writing exercises as a way of preparing themselves.Somewhere along the way, we will begin to engage ourselves in a more formal stage of the process, often called the writing stage. Here, among other things, we will work to create examples of effective writing that has a clear, personable, engaging, and believable voice; uses diction and syntax that are appropriate to the writing situation; is well developed with carefully chosen reasons, supporting details, examples, and source material; has a focal point (thesis) that is maintained throughout; moves smoothly; targets a specific audience; reflects a stated purpose; pays appropriate attention to the conventions (grammar, spelling, punctuation) given the audience and purpose; and documents secondary sources, using accepted guidelines. The final revision stage allows us to look back at what we have written and to make changes that will allow us to communicate more effectively with our audience. Although this process appears to be linear, it is, in fact, recursive, since as we move forward through the process we are constantly looking back (and often revising) what we have written. Additionally, “The course goal incorporates specific Associate Degree Outcomes (ADOs) established by the JCC Board of Trustees, administration, and faculty. These goals are in concert with four-year colleges and universities and reflect input from the professional communities we serve. ADOs guarantee students achieve goals necessary for graduation credit, transferability, and professional skills needed in many certification programs. The ADOs addressed in this course are: ADO 1—Writing Clearly, Concisely, and Intelligibly at the Developing Level ADO 9—Working in Small Groups at the Developing Level.” Primarily, you will compose narratives and informative texts. You will also be expected to incorporate research source material into your own texts. To satisfy the expectations stated in ADO 1, you must carefully pre-write, draft, revise, and edit your compositions so that they reflect your stated purpose and target audience. You will be asked to work in groups and be expected to complete checklists that assess the role of group members and the effectiveness of the group as a whole. This class activity will help you meet the expectations stated in ADO 9.Please note the following reminder regarding the Guided Practice at Writing (GPAW) requirement for this course: “All students enrolled in a writing course at JCC must complete a total of sixteen hours of additional writing (GPAW workshop activity) outside of classroom time. Since GPAW work closely corresponds to classroom writing assignments, students are expected to complete assigned workshops at the times specified.” Textbooks and Supplies The Brief Penguin Handbook, 3rd edition by Lester Faigley Thumb Drive Soft cover folders, loose leaf paper, pen, pencil Grading Procedure Your grade for the course will be assessed in the following ways: Major Writing Assignments—300 points Reflective writing—100 points Home work Reading, Quiz, Notebook Prewriting Early Draft Polished Draft Conference Writing an Observation—100 points Home work Reading, Quiz, Notebook Prewriting Early Draft Polished Draft Conference Informative Writing—100 points Homework Reading, Quiz, Notebook Prewriting Early Draft Polished Draft Conference Portfolio Presentation—100 points In-class Participation, Workshop, and Guided Practice at Writing—100 points Course Reflection, Part One and Part Two—20 points Group Participation Checklists—20 points Assessment and Evaluation Forms—10 points Total possible points = 550 pointsGrading Scale 95-100%=4.0 89-94%=3.5 84-88%=3.0 78-83%=2.5 72-77%=2.0 66-71%=1.5 60-65%=1.0 55-59%=0.5 0-54%=0.0 Here is an example of how to calculate your grade: For a writing assignment, you got 20 points out of a possible 25. Divide 20 by 25: 20/25=.8 Multiply .8 by 100: .8(100) =80% 80%=2.5 Course Requirements Major Writing Assignments ENG 131focuses on narrative and informative essays. Here are your major writing assignments: Reflective Writing—Chapters 1-4 and chapter 7 Writing the Observation—pages
View Full Document
Unlocking...