Course RequirementsEvaluations and Portfolios are due on December 4 and 5. There will be no exceptions.English 132 Writing Experience Fall 2006Instructor: Dr. Geri JacobsOffice: BW 242: Office Hours: 11-Noon M, W; 5-6 M; 1-2:30 T, R and by appointmentE-mail Address: [email protected] Telephone: 796-8587Required Text: The St. Martins Guide to Writing, 7th editionCourse Design:This is a workshop-intensive course. Most of our time will be spent in a workshop setting where we give feedback on each other's writing. You will get the most out of this class when you bring in carefully prepared drafts of your writing, when you request and accept feedback both from me and the other classmates, and when you critically reread and revise your original drafts. Clearly, the workshop setting is the focus and highlight ofthis course.Another valuable component of the class is the one-on-one conferences that I will have with you as I discuss your major papers. In addition, this course offers Guided Practice Writing opportunities.To be successful in this course, you must take full advantage of all of these opportunities.Course Objectives:The primary objective of this course is to give you the opportunity to write and to improve your writing skills. As any other activity, writing is a process. I will encourage you to examine your own and refine it. I will especially emphasize the importance of revision and remind you of effective revision strategies.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; othersgo 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 thathas 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 and supporting details, examples, facts;has a focal point (thesis) that is maintained throughout;moves smoothly;targets a specific audience;pays appropriate attention to the conventions (grammar, spelling, punctuation) given the audience and purpose;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.“The Board of Trustees has determined that all JCC graduates should develop or enhance certain essential skills while enrolled in college.” ENG 132 assesses the following Associate Degree Outcomes:- The ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and intelligibly, using writing skills—ADO 1AStudents will produce focused, coherent, and developed written responses that have gone through the revision process.- The ability to comprehend and use information including oral and written forms—ADO 2Students will respond to selected homework assignments and lecture material and participate in an oral presentation.- Critical thinking and problem solving—ADO 4Students will participate in small and large group discussion and will respond to workshop feedback and assigned writing prompts.- Working productively with others—ADO 5Students will participate in selected collaborative projects and will assess the effectiveness of their group work by responding to assigned checklists.- Facility in the use of the Internet for research purposes—ADO 7Students will produce a research paper that uses the Internet as a research tool.A Message from the Center for Student Success: “Tutors and additional free services for academic success can be accessed by calling (517) 796-8415 or by stopping by the Center for Student Success, Bert Walker Hall Room 123. Faculty and tutors in the CSS will help you with writing, study skills, test anxiety, math, and reading. Students requiring special assistance (including those affected by the Americans with Disabilities Act) should contact the Center for Student Success. This is the first step in acquiring the appropriate accommodations to facilitate your learning.”Ground Rules:Please refer to me as Dr. or Mrs. Jacobs.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.Please listen carefully to my directions; if something is not clear, please ask.Please turn off all cell phones during the entire class session. Do not conduct telephone conversations during class.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 during the break, after class, or during an office visit.Please refrain from using profanity in your essays and in your conversations during class.Please 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.Course RequirementsClass Participation and Homework “Class Participation” refers to any group or individual activity in which you are asked to participate while in class. Please note that class participation points cannot be made-up. "Homework" refers to short responses to readings in our textbook and to assignments thatmay be placed online. I will collect homework assignments at the beginning of assigned classes. Class participation and homework assignments are worth 90 banked points. Failure to meet any of the requirements will result in the deduction of 5 points per item. Please have available a soft cover folder and loose leaf paper for these assignments: 1. Homework responses 2. In-class writing assignments;3. A peer-critiqued draft of each major paper.Writing PortfolioYour portfolio will contain revised, polished drafts of your major papers. The