English 131.75 Syllabus 1 English 131, Spring 2009 Course Code: Eng 131.75 Instructor: Ryan Flaherty Location: Lenawee, Room 105 Office Hours: By appointment Meeting Times: Tuesday and Thursdays, May 19th-June 25th; 6:00 - 9:52 pm Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Course Description: “This is an intensive writing course designed to help students improve, strengthen and refine their 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.” (This is the catalog description) Prerequisites: admissions test score, or passing of Eng 080 and 090 Instructor’s Description: This course consists mainly of the writing process and production of nonfiction essays, written for academic audiences. As students, you will earn your grade through the development and revision of your essays, your contribution to the overall class environment, and your participation in the “GPAW” powerpoints, which develop specific areas of writing. Textbooks: Writing: A guide for College and Beyond—Brief edition, by Lester Faigley The Brief Penguin Handbook, 3rd edition, by Faigley. Supplies: - Pen, notebook and planner (if you feel you need the planner) - Frequent access to a computer and the internet - A Flash Drive (for storing files) - Folder Course Design: The class is, as mentioned earlier, an introduction to writing for an academic audience. A great goal to achieve throughout the course of this semester, is for you to become familiar with how you, individually, can best produce a “college-level” essay. To clarify this “college-level” thing, let’s think of it this way: Children’s book authors write about easy-to-identify themes in ways that young readers can relate to; many popular writers write to entertain, in ways that they know adults with a high school education or better can enjoy; writers at the college level write to an audience that is not going to accept what they say without evaluating it and/ or critiquing it. So, in this class, you will learn about how to meet theEnglish 131.75 Syllabus 2 expectations of critical audiences, and will mostly have the option to pursue subjects that interest you. There is a heavy emphasis, in this class, on revision. You will receive feedback from your peers and me on the 1st draft of each essay, and more feedback from me on your revised, 2nd draft of each essay. The third and final draft of each essay will be included in your portfolio, which I discuss in a later section of this syllabus. I hope that we can work well together, and that you let me know what I can do to help you succeed. My goal with this class is to create a community of writers, in which I facilitate discussion and strategies, and respond efficiently to your writing. Performance Objectives: In addition to the goals I have listed above, related to the process of writing and the activities we will engage in, this course has two specific Associate Degree Outcomes which will be addressed. The ADOs were developed by the Jackson board of Trustees, and, once achieved, will equip you with skills necessary for your success as a university student and an employee. The ADOs were designed in communication with four-year universities, and determine your eligibility for graduation from JCC. The ADOs for English 131 are: ADO 1- Writing clearly, concisely, and intelligibly at the proficient level. ADO 9—Working in small groups at the proficient level. GPAWs: “GPAW” stands for “Guided Practice and Workshop.” These powerpoint slides address various areas of writing, particularly writing for a college audience. You must complete 16 hours of gpaw powerpoints; this usually equals seven gpaws, with most of them being 2 hours worth of credit (sometimes they take less time, and sometimes more), and some being three. Mainly, you are to follow the instructions as to what activities to do, and complete activities to turn in. In our jetnet course website (jetnet.jccmi.edu), I have a link to the different gpaws. You simply click on the one I’m asking you to complete for a given due date, and the powerpoint will open. You can do the activities on a piece of paper, or you can do the activities and e-mail them to me. Grading: Your grade in this course will be based on your performance in the following 4 areas: 1) Writing Process (10-15%)—included in this grade are 1st drafts of essays (did you do them and turn them in on time?), prewriting activities (in-class writing assignments or homework assignments), and peer reviews (did you do them and how well?).English 131.75 Syllabus 3 2) Revised Essays (50-60%)—You will do a 2nd draft of each essay, which will be based on suggested revisions from your peer reviewers and me. 2nd drafts will range between 30 and 40 pts. each. Your 3rd and final drafts will go in your portfolio, which in itself will be worth 30-40% of your total grade in the course. The names and modes of the essays we will be writing are listed below: a. Reflective-Narrative Essay: Reflective, Narrative, descriptive b. Informative Research Essay: Research, informative, expository c. Critical Evaluation Essay: Research, Evaluative, Persuasive 3) Attendance and participation (10-15%)—this domain will be based primarily on the overall attitude you bring to the class. Are you willing to follow reasonable instructions (see “rules” section below)? Do you attempt to be a positive contributor to the class environment, offering your opinion when requested, and being respectful when asking questions? Does it seem like you’ve done the assigned readings? With regard to attendance, I will allow for one unexcused absence. Your 2nd absence will result in a 5% deduction from your overall course grade. And, due to the fact that with each absence you are missing 8.5% of the semester, I will request that you withdraw from the class if you are absent a 3rd time. 4) GPAWs (10-15%)- did you do them? Did you do all of the activities? Did you re-do them if I requested so? Grading Scale: 93-100%--4.0; 88-92—3.5; 82-87—3.0; 74-81—2.5; 70-73—2.0; 62-69—1.5; 57-61—1.0; 56 and below—E Classroom Rules and Policies: Students who bring a positive work ethic and a positive attitude to this class are students who, without exception, fare well. The following list spells out some of my
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