English 132.83 Writing ExperienceT/TH 11:00 a.m. – 12:25 p.m.Winter 2006Instructor: Barbara J. StanfieldOffice Hours: By AppointmentE-Mail: [email protected]: Hillsdale Center 437-3343 Course Description: Continuation of the writing instruction and practice begun in English 131 with an emphasis on critical thinking, information gathering and those forms of writing useful to academic and professional life. Research paper required. Sixteen hours of out of classroom writing activities included.Course Design: Obviously, the focus of this class is your writing. To make this a successful endeavor, you must be willing to participate fully. Your willingness to discuss your work, to complete homework and class assignments that might come up is vital for the success of the course and for your success in it. Ordinarily, class work cannot be made up, so attendance is vital; we will spend a great deal of in-class time actually writing. Assignments handed in late will not be accepted unless previous arrangements are made.You will notice immediately the informal atmosphere of this class. While you can count on spending much of your class time writing, we will also talk about the readings, your writings, and whatever else seems appropriate. This gives me the opportunity to observe you as you work,to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and to offer suggestions and assistance. Perhaps you can’t identify your own writing process; we will work on that too. I will especially emphasize the importance of revision and remind you of effective revision strategies.You will be reading heavily from your textbook, keeping a writer’s notebook, drafting and refining at least three essays (minimum 3 pages each in length) and other assigned writings. You will also complete a research project (minimum 4-5 pages). Both analytical and research skills are higher-level skills which we will be building as the term progresses.Educational Objectives:1. To introduce students to, and enable participation in a broader spectrum of intellectual, cultural, and other types of writing situations, including but not restricted to literature, folklore, popular culture, media, and other overall thematic approaches.2. To provide further opportunities for, and encourage and enable student participation in, both independent self-directed projects and cooperative, self-directed group projects involved with the broader spectrum of intellectual, cultural, and other writing situations.Student Performance Objectives:11. To begin to recognize, appreciate, and evaluate methods and techniques of various forms of written (and other) communications, as well as the particularity, beauty and utility of various styles in your own and others’ writing; and to develop, evolve, and gain further confidence and competence in producing writing which represents, reflects, and is a personal style as a writer.2. To begin to explore writing situations beyond individual interests, experiences, and/or competencies, either in order to widen the range of your own competencies, interests, etc., or to consolidate and confirm your individual judgments regarding tastes, interests, life goals, etc., in writing situations.23. To become more comfortable and active in independent, self-directed writing situations as well as in cooperative and group directed ones. To acquire the ability to produce scholarly writing and to develop an understanding of others’ writings so as to demonstrate your ability to think critically and express your ideas clearly.4. To gain an understanding and appreciation of an active, intellectual life through writings, readings, discussions, and other activities involving a broader spectrum of intellectual, cultural, and other human experience.Ground Rules:- I ask that all members of the class be considerate and respectful of each other.- Please try and maintain a positive, encouraging attitude in class.- Please refrain from any behavior that disrupts or impedes your classmates’ learning.- Please do not speak while I am addressing the entire group.- Please do not speak while a class member is addressing the entire group.- Listen carefully to my directions; if something is not clear, please ask.- Turn off all cell phones or put on vibrate during the entire class session. - To avoid getting behind, please be aware of the pace of the course.- If you have a problem regarding the class, please let me know before or after class or during an office visit.- Keep all handouts and papers until the end of the semester.- If you must leave or enter the room during class, please do so discretely.Associate Degree Outcomes: The Jackson Community College Board of Trustees has developed a list of essential skills which all of its associate degree graduates will enhance during their college experience. The Board has said: JCC’s goal is to prepare students to live productive and meaningful lives. Implicit in this goal are efforts to prepare students to: (a) live and work in the twenty-first century, (b) be employed in situations which will require retraining several times during a productive life, and (c) function in a rapidly changing informational society.The highest priority skills include, among others:- The ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and intelligibly, in written and oral forms.- The ability to comprehend and use information in written and oral forms.- Critical thinking and problem solving.- Working productively with others.- Facility in the use of computers and other technologies appropriate to the program of study.3Along with other disciple-specific goals, we will attempt to work through some of these skills during the semester. Some of this work will be specific and directed and obvious. Sometimes the work will be transparent, meaning that we will be working on a particular skill (working withothers, for example) as we critique each other’s work or complete group assignments.Academic Honesty is expected of all students. It is the ethical behavior that includes producing your own work and not representing others’ work as your own, either by plagiarism, by cheating,or by helping others to do so. (See this policy in the Student Handbook.) For our purposes, this “honesty” translates into doing your own work, correctly citing your sources and, above all, not falsely representing someone else’s work as your own. This violation can result in failure of the assignment and/or the