Class Conduct:Plagiarism:A Final NoteSyllabusWriting Experience: The Visual ImageEnglish 131 Section: 3Fridays9:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. Rm. BW108Candy Cigarette, 1989 © Sally MannInstructor Information: Heather AbnerE-mail: [email protected] or: [email protected] (quickest)Office: BW232, Mailbox: BW233Office Hours: Mon/Wed: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.Fri: 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., or by appointment.***This course syllabus is subject to revision at any time***Course Philosophy:The goal of this course is to help you develop the writing skills you will need to meet the challenges of future academic writing assignments as well as those you may come across in your chosen career. Through various reading and writing assignments, in-class exercises, and media presentations, you will beencouraged to think and write critically and creatively about the world around us. During the semester you will have the opportunity to write and revise several essays that I hope will not only improve upon the writing skills you already have, but will also encourage you to view writing as an important and usefultool of communication. This class is primarily a collaborative effort and thoughtful discussion by all is required for it to be a success. The main focus, however, is your own writing. Through peer editing and revision you will develop your ideas into elegantly written prose. Course Theme:Each semester I like to implement a course theme. It helps to focus us as writers, readers, and as a class. Our theme for this class will be: The Visual Image. We will explore how visual images surround us (t.v., movies, internet, etc.), how we interact with images, how we interpret and infer meaning from images, and how images can help us become stronger, more effective writers. Required Materials:- The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing***, Axelrod and Cooper, Seventh Edition. Available at the JCCBookstore.- The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks. This is a novel available at most bookstores. You will need this by Friday, March 3rd. - A blank journal book. This will be your image-word journal. I suggest you choose a journal that intrigues you visually. For example, my soon-to-be mother-in-law gave me a beautiful red journalfor Christmas. The paper was made from a special plant native to Nepal. Every time I look at this journal it inspires me to write or think about the beauty in the world. - A binder to keep all your writing: drafts, revisions, etc. together. Also, it’s a good place to keep a copy of the syllabus, handouts, and assignments.- Toward the end of the semester you will need a two-pocket folder to use for your final portfolio.*** A note about our texts. I do not subscribe to the notion that everything that can, or should, be learned about a subject can be found in a single text. The LL&A Department requires that all instructors use The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing as the primary text for the course. I use The St. Martin’s Guide as a starting point, or a jumping off point, if you will. You’ll notice that I do not use it religiously in this class. This does not mean that you should not purchase the text, because I DO use it throughout the course, although not to the extent that other instructors use it. Instead, I supplement the course with outside materials—most of which I provide in the form of handouts. You should be aware that if you eventually take the English 132 course you will also be required to use the St. Martin’s text—a good excuse as any for not selling the book back as soon as we are finished with it. Course Requirements:- Essays: Each student will complete 10-12 pages of polished prose during the course of the semester. There will be four essay assignments varying in range from three-four pages in length. These essays will be peer edited and revised. Whether in draft or final form, your essays should be typed, double-spaced, and carefully proofread. I require a readable font, such as Times New Roman, 12 point, and the page margins should be set at 1 inch all around.- Writing Portfolio: Your writing portfolio will be a selection of your best revised work. Beforeit can be considered “finished” it should be read by at least one of your peers, as well as me. Yourportfolio should contain a cross-section of your writing. It should include several different types of writings. These will include the following: narratives, reflections, interviews, descriptions, reviews, and arguments. It should be 10-12 full pages in length, typed, 12 point font, and double-spaced. Your Portfolio is due Friday, April 28, 2006. For further information about portfolios see the Portfolio Guidelines handout attached.- Participation: Participation from you is an integral part of this class. Successful participationincludes being an active member of class discussions, completing essays, reading and writing assignments, quizzes, individual conferences, image-word journal entries, the Guided Practice and Workshops requirement, and attendance.- Journal Entries: Every week I will ask questions that will help you think more critically and creatively about the texts we are reading and the essays you are writing. You will answer these questions in the form of a VISUAL RESPONSE AND A LANGUAGE-BASED RESPONSE. I will ask you to turn in these image-word journals at least 3 times during the course of the semester. These will be worth 50 points each time they are turned in for a total of 150 points.- Quizzes: Each class period you will be quizzed on reading material to ensure that you are 1. reading the assignments, and 2. comprehending the material. These quizzes cannot be made up. Ifyou miss a quiz, you miss the points. Each quiz is worth 10 points. The quizzes will generally be completed at the beginning of the class period. - Face-to-Face or Online Workshops: You will be required to complete four online workshops during the semester. These workshops are worth 30 points for the three-hour workshops and 15 points for the hour and a half workshop. The four workshops we’ll be completing are: Invention and Prewriting (3 hours), Finding Meaning (3 hours), Revision Strategies (1.5 hours), and Editing Bugaboos (3 hours). You can access the online workshops by going to the following link: http://tinyurl.com/7pe84You can access the face-to-face workshop schedule here: http://tinyurl.com/bvclzThese workshops will count toward your Guided Practice and Workshops 16-Hour
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