Writing Reflective Essay: Arizona State University
English 217 Writing Reflective Essays
Arizona State University—Fall 2008
(Internet Sections: 82784, 82785)
Instructor: Dr. Kathleen Hicks
Office: LL 68
Office Phone: 965-3168, option 6 (for messages only)
Office Hours: In person: W 11:00-1:00 pm & by appointment Online: M 1:00-3:00 pm
Email: Kathleen.Hicks@asu.edu
Required Textbooks and Websites:
Miller, Brenda and Suzanne Paola. Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative
Nonfiction. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-07-251278-6
Buscemi, Santi V. and Charlotte Smith. 75 Readings plus 8th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill,
2007. ISBN: 978-0-07-312508-4
Writing Programs Guide: www.asu.edu/writingprograms/teacherresources/wpguide/toc.htm
Other Requirements: …show more content…
ASURITE User ID and password
An active ASU email account—my primary means of contacting you
Reliable and readily available Internet access
Access to Microsoft Word—all course documents will be Word attachments
Course Description and Objectives:
English 217 is an advanced interdisciplinary writing course emphasizing theories, methodologies, and issues of composing non-fiction prose. Practice and study of selected: biography, autobiography, memoir, the personal essay, and the recording and transcribing of oral narrative. Following an introduction to appropriate theories and methodologies, the course focuses on writing and response to the chosen form in a workshop atmosphere.
Specifically, the sequenced assignments in this course will ask students to compose self-reflective prose for the purpose of enhancing both self and cultural awareness. Beginning with the familiar subject matter of self, students will experiment with critical thinking, narrative reflection, rhetorical awareness, structure, and personal voice. Over the course of the semester, students’ narrative explorations will expand to include more public and socially situated examinations of personal and cultural attitudes and beliefs.
Throughout this course, students will: significantly improve their reflective non-fiction prose writing; critically read and rhetorically analyze non-fiction prose and use those lenses to frame their own discourses; discover and evaluate the methods of persuasion used in the construction of a public persona; understand and effectively employ various forms of persuasion; understand and deploy effective rhetorical strategies in reflective discourse; write in the different forms and styles of a non-fiction prose discourse; and develop techniques for conducting research on the Internet and with other electronic databases.
Writing Programs Course Policies and Procedures: You are required to adhere to the following policies and procedures for the duration of the semester:
1. Policy on Class Attendance
Because writing classes are performance courses that depend upon student attendance for both the class and the student’s success, this policy is non-negotiable. All absences count equally, irrespective of the cause and students who exceed the allowed number of absences cannot pass the course and will fail with a grade of “E.”
Online classes: More than four absences will result in failure.
Definition of attendance in online classes: A student who fails to post an acceptable assignment to the class website during the assigned "window" of time will be counted absent for that class day. (Further explanation is provided under the “Late Work” policy.)
Technical problems online: While these do occur either at home or from an on-campus connection, they are usually not valid reasons for failing to fulfill the requirements for attendance on that day. Students are responsible for allocating enough time to complete online assignments, and they should include the possibility of technical "glitches." Thus students need to allow enough time to try again later or to travel to a campus computer lab or alternative place to complete the assignment and therefore avoid an absence for the day. Exceptions may be made by the instructor in the event of widespread computer viruses or some other large-scale event affecting ASU's computer network, but exceptions will not be made for routine computer problems.
Note: Students who participate in university-sanctioned activities and/or who will be unable to meet the attendance requirements for a particular section should move to another section where their activity schedules will not interfere with their classroom obligations (students can freely switch sections during the first week of the semester). To accommodate students who participate in university-sanctioned activities, the Writing Programs Office offers sections of this course at various times of the day and week. We have asked advisors across campus to help students enroll in appropriate sections. If you think that this course may conflict with a university-sanctioned activity in which you are involved—athletics or the debate team or another—please see me immediately.
2. Attendance: First Week of Classes
According to university policy, students who are registered but do not attend any of the first week of classes may be dropped.
Students enrolled in hybrid/online courses must make every reasonable attempt to attend class or contact the instructor during the first week. After the first week those who do not show up either in person or by calling or e-mailing the instructor may be dropped.
3. Instructor Absence (Not Applicable in our online course)
4. Grading
Grading for Writing Projects will follow English Department standards, which are based on content, organization, expression, and mechanics. To compute final course grades, the following values are assigned to the standard letter grades of A through E:
A+................ 4.3 (only used internally at ASU)
A................. 4.0
A-............... 3.7
B+.............. 3.3
B.................3.0
B-............... 2.7
C+.............. 2.3
C................ 2.0
D............... 1.0
E................ .3
No paper = 0
5. The Public Nature of Class Writing and Discussions
Please consider every piece of writing you do for this class to be "public property." Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and criticisms of others, and in this course our purpose is to come together as a writing community. Remember that you will often be expected to share your writing with others, so avoid writing about things that you may not be prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or things you feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. This does not mean that you are not entitled to an opinion but that you adopt positions responsibly, contemplating the possible effect on others.
6. Late Work:
NO LATE ONLINE DISCUSSION, JOURNAL, OR PEER REVIEW ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Your assignments are due every Tuesday by midnight and every Friday by 6:00 pm, unless otherwise specified—there may be a few exceptions. If you do not post your assignments to the correct discussion board forum by the specified time, you are considered absent for the day and receive a 0 for the grade—even if it is only one minute late. This policy is based on the fact that you have several days to complete each assignment, plenty of time to contact me for clarification of instructions, and readily available alternate submission methods (email, early submission). If you are having trouble completing an assignment, contact me for an authorized extension immediately.
Note: Some assignments take longer than others to complete. Make yourself aware of the demands of forthcoming assignments so that you set aside ample time for completion.
Rough Drafts: Rough drafts are due when specified on the calendar and must be a minimum of three pages long (12pt font, double spaced) to receive credit. Submitting a late rough draft or a draft shorter than three pages will result in a zero and an absence for the class period.
FINAL ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS posted late will lose one full letter grade per each 24 hour period they are late. You will also earn an absence for the day on which they are due.
7. All Writing for this Class must be Written for this Class
To pass this class all major writing assignments must be completed, and note that all writing for this class must be written for this class.
Reusing a paper you wrote for another class, or back in high school, constitutes academic dishonesty.
8. Academic Dishonesty
In the “Student Academic Integrity Policy” manual, ASU defines plagiarism as “using another's words, ideas, materials or work without properly acknowledging and documenting the source. Students are responsible for knowing the rules governing the use of another's work or materials and for acknowledging and documenting the source appropriately.” You can find this definition at: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm#definitions Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing and any other form of dishonesty.
9. Academic Integrity
As part of a learning community at ASU where everyone deserves the right to learn and participate to the best of his or her ability, you are expected to adhere to the behavior standards listed in Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual Chapter V – Campus and Student Affairs: Code of Conduct …show more content…
(http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi104-01.html),
ACD 125: Computer, Internet, and Electronic Communications (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html), and the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy (http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm). Students are entitled to receive instruction free from interference by other members of the class. If a student is disruptive, an instructor may ask the student to stop the disruptive behavior and warn the student that such disruptive behavior can result in withdrawal from the course. An instructor may withdraw a student from a course when the student's behavior disrupts the educational process under USI 201-10 http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi201-10.html.
Disruptive and/or inappropriate online behavior will not be tolerated. Remember that when you are online, you are in the classroom and should act accordingly. Others’ opinions, rights, and integrity must be respected at all times. Avoid using offensive language in your postings. Disruptive and inappropriate behavior in the classroom or online may result in a student’s removal from class, suspension, or expulsion from the university.
10. Objectionable Content: Be aware that this course may include content that could be considered objectionable. Opinions expressed in the course material do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Instructor, the Department of English, or Arizona State University.
11. Announcements: Check for announcements online frequently. Any important instructions and notifications such as changes in due dates or assignments will be posted there.
12. Assignment Submission Procedures:
You will find instructions for your daily assignments on the Weekly Calendar (located on the course’s main menu).
Read the Weekly Calendar carefully each week for instructions on locating assignments and on where to post them. All assignments are to be posted to the correct discussion board forum. You will not email your assignments to me unless you and I have made arrangements for you to do so (for example, early submission or in the event of computer problems). If you are experiencing problems with Blackboard, however, it is always acceptable for you to email your assignment to me on time as a backup. Note: I highly recommend that you complete your assignments in your word processing program and then copy and paste them into the textbox of your posting or attach them. You risk losing work that is typed directly into the textbox in the case of system or computer
problems.
13. Contacting the Instructor:
The best way to contact me is via email. I check my email regularly every weekday and my “official” online office hours are M 1:00-3:00. I will be online during that time, so if you email, you will get a guaranteed quick response. Also, we can arrange an online chat through the course site or AOL Instant Messenger. I will also contact you by phone and arrange in person appointments on campus at your request. I am online and available nearly everyday, so do not hesitate to contact me for any reason.
14. Email Addresses:
All email will be sent to your ASU email address, as that is the address provided to me by myASU. Therefore you should immediately activate your ASU email and begin checking it regularly. If you prefer to use another email address, you need to make sure that your ASU email is automatically forwarded to your preferred email address. It is your responsibility to make sure that I can contact you easily and to check whatever email address you are using regularly.
Course Work and Grade Percentages:
Course work will include readings, online discussions, a writer’s journal, rough drafts, peer reviews, your major essay assignments, and a course reflection essay.
Online Discussions 10% Writing Project 1 10% Writer’s Journal 10% Writing Project 2 15% Peer Review 10% Writing Project 3 20%
Final Course Reflection 5% Writing Project 4 20%
Online Discussions (7 total) will most often ask you to discuss assigned readings—giving your responses, analyzing structure, form, and content, evaluating an essay's audience impact, etc.—or to brainstorm for topics. To get full credit for each discussion, you are required to post your own initial response to the discussion questions or prompts, as well as read the entire class thread and respond to a minimum of 2 peer posts. For example, if a student points out something about an essay you didn't think about, or explains something in a way that is particularly helpful to you, you should respond to his or her post by explaining how the new information has changed your understanding of the essay. Or, if a student makes a comment about a reading that you find questionable or do not agree with, or you simply do not understand, you should ask that student questions about his or her comments, engaging him or her in a discussion. Short responses that offer no insightful commentary, such as “good job,” “well said,” or “I agree,” do not count as a discussion.
Discussions will usually work as follows: You must post your initial response by midnight on the day assigned. You have until the specified time on the following class period to respond to your classmates’ posts. So, if your initial response is due by midnight on Tuesday, you have until 6:00pm on Friday to complete your peer responses. Note: You will have an additional assignment due along with peer responses on the following class period. Check the Weekly Calendar for specific details.
Discussions will be evaluated on a 5 point system:
5 Points: Initial response and responses to peers are specific and indicate critical engagement with subject matter and the prompt. Responses to peers demonstrate an attempt to engage peers in conversation. Responses are well written and you respond when peers or the Instructor asks questions of you. You must post more than the minimum two peer responses to earn 5 points. 4 Points: Responses meet the above requirements and include the minimum of 2 fully developed, specific peer responses.
3 Points: Excellent initial response, but peer responses are underdeveloped and display little attempt to engage in a conversation. 2 Points: Initial response and peer responses are minimally acceptable—short answers that do not display your critical engagement with the material and do not fully address the prompt. 1 Point: Assignment is incomplete—missing either the initial response or responses to peers.
At the end of the semester, points will be averaged using the course’s 4.0 scale. To average your grade, simply add up your points and divide by the total number of discussion assignments. Thus if your average is a 3.5, your grade for the online discussion portion of the course is an A-. (See the grading scale below.)
Writer’s Journal Assignments (10 total) will vary. They may include a more structured analysis of an essay, freewriting, topic explorations, practice of a specific rhetorical technique, and prewriting and drafting activities specific to your individual essay topic. You will find specific instructions for each journal entry assignment on the Weekly Calendar. Journal assignments will receive letter grades and are weighted equally.
Peer Reviews: Peer review, part of the revision stage of the writing process, is designed to help students to better respond to audiences by revising work based upon feedback from others. In order to better understand the responsibilities of an author and the needs of an audience, students work collaboratively on each other’s essays, checking the clarity, development, and effectiveness of the writing. Peer reviewers will answer questions such as: Is the essay’s purpose clear? Does the essay do what it is supposed to do? Does the essay give the audience what it needs? Peer reviews aim to accomplish several things:
check the essay against the assignment allow the author to see how an audience receives his or her writing use collaboration to further development and share construction/organization ideas teach students to become “readers” (of their own work as well as the work of others) in addition to “writers.”
Students are not expected to offer professional level criticism or rewrite other student’s papers. Rather, they are expected to offer thoughtful responses about the essay’s content, consciously consider how the essay affects them, and offer honest feedback based on their reactions to and understanding of the essay. They are also expected to share general information about the essay’s topic, help the author brainstorm ways to further develop the content, and help the author judge how well the essay responds to the assignment. In other words, peer review responses are based on the students’ shared knowledge of the assignment, course materials, critical reading skills, and common sense. As such, all students are required to participate in peer review—by submitting their own essays for review and reviewing the work of other students.
Writing Projects: You will write four, sequenced writing projects for this course. Each essay will be assigned well in advance of the due date. All requirements will be specifically explained on a separate assignment sheet. Below you will find a brief description of each writing project:
Writing Project #1: “Constructing Identity: An Important Person or Event”
This assignment asks you to reflect on a person or an event that played a significant role in shaping your current position on an important guiding belief in your life. This is the start of making a connection between the development of your personality/attitudes and the larger culture in which you are situated.
Writing Project #2: “Constructing Identity: The Self and Landscape”
This assignment asks you to carefully consider either a constructed or natural landscape’s current impact on your cultural beliefs and/or attitudes. The goal is to consider how the physical space in which you reside influences your understanding of self and culture.
Writing Project #3: “Constructing Identity: Social Conflict”
This assignment asks you to consider how a contemporary social conflict influences the behaviors and choices you are making in your life. The goal is to consider how you own behavior is immediately impacted by the larger social forces that impact personal identity formation.
Writing Project #4: “Constructing Identity: Projecting Self”
This project builds on the previous three as you have consciously considered the way your current position in culture, and hopefully your personal strengths, are intricately shaped by the people, places, and social issues that surround you. This assignment asks you to closely consider your personal strengths and reflect on your fitness to fill a specific social/cultural position of your choosing.
Course Reflections: Keep copies of all of your writings for this class; this includes in-class and out-of-class working notes, drafts, revisions, final drafts, etc. At semester’s end, you will review the work you have generated to date, analyze your progress, and discuss your insights in written form. Assignment instructions will be provided detailing the expectations of this project.
My Responses: Students should always check into any discussion board forum repeatedly, even after the due date, to make sure you see any new posts that are added, as well as to read instructor comments which are usually added after all students have participated in the discussion. In any forum, but in Online Discussion and Rough Draft forums especially, I will add comments to further explain the material, indicate connections you should be making between the readings and your own essays, and offer suggestions for revising your own writing. Never post your work in a forum and then totally abandon it; remember, students will be adding posts at different times. Final draft comments will be sent to you via email.
Grading Scale: I will employ the plus/minus grading system in this course. Grades will be made available to you in the online gradebook located under “Tools” on the course menu. To compute final course grades, the following values are assigned to the standard letter grades of A+ through E:
A+ = 4.30 A = 4.0 A- = 3.70 B+ = 3.30 B = 3.0 B- = 2.70
C+ = 2.30 C = 2.0 C- 1.7 D+ 1.3 D = 1.0 D- .7 E=.3
Final course grades will be computed as follows:
A+ 4.01 and above A 3.71-4.00 A- 3.51-3.70
B+ 3.30-3.50 B 3.00-3.29 B- 2.70-2.99
C+ 2.30-2.69 C 2.00-2.29 D 1.00-1.99 E 0-.99
A grade of I (Incomplete) will not be offered in this course except under extreme conditions and with advisement from the Writing Programs Administration.
Tentative Calendar:*subject to revision
Below you will find a general, tentative schedule with readings and the due dates of rough drafts, major essays, and important University dates. This serves solely as a semester overview. Specific instructions for each week’s assignments will be found on the Weekly Calendar on our course’s menu.
The following abbreviations will be used:
Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction (TS)
75 Readings plus (75)
Online Discussion Assignment (OD)
Writer’s Journal Entry (WJ)
Week 1: Introduction to Creative Nonfiction/Syllabus Review
T 8/26: Review syllabus and complete the Meet and Greet Online Discussion Assignment #1.
F 8/29: Read Chapters 1 and 2 (TS) and “The Knife” (TS 395). Complete OD #2 on assigned readings.
Week 2: Rhetorical Practice--The Foundations: Scene/Character/Dialogue
T 9/2: Complete Writer’s Journal Entry #1--Constructing Scene.
F 9/5: Complete WJ #2--Developing Character/Dialogue.
Week 3: Introduction to the Personal Essay/Writing Project #1 Assigned
T 9/9: Read Chapter 9 (TS) and Kingston’s “No Name Woman” (TS 348). Complete OD #3 on assigned readings.
F 9/12: Complete WJ #3.
Week 4: Drafting Writing Project #1 T 9/16: Complete WJ #4--Writing Project #1 Prewriting Assignment.
F 9/19: Rough Draft of Writing Project #1 due.
Week 5: Workshopping/Revising Writing Project #1 T 9/23: Peer Review of Writing Project #1 due.
F 9/26: Final Draft of Writing Project #1 due.
Week 6: Writing Place: Introduction to Writing Project #2
T 9/30: Read Chapter 5 (TS) and complete WJ #5.
F 10/3: Read the following essays in (75) and complete OD #4 on self and landscape: Baldwin (39), Momaday (62), Abbey (103).
Week 7: Drafting Writing Project #2
T 10/7: Complete WJ #6--Writing Project #2 Prewriting Assignment
F 10/10: Rough Draft of Writing Project #2 due.
Week 8: Workshopping/Revising Writing Project #2 T 10/14: Peer Review of Writing Project #2 due.
F 10/17: Final Draft of Writing Project #2 due.
Week 9:
T 10/21: Read Chapter 10 (TS) and complete WJ #7.
F 10/24: Read the following essays in (75) and complete OD #5 on self and poverty: Eighner (478) and Parker (121).
Week 10: The Self and Society: Introduction to Writing Project #3
T 10/28: Read the following essays in (75) and complete OD #6 on self and race: Mukherjee (231) and Staples (252).
F 10/31: Read Chapter 11(TS) and complete WJ #8.
Week 11: Examining the Social continued/Drafting Writing project #3 T 11/4: Complete WJ #9--Writing Project #3 Prewriting Assignment
F 11/7: Rough Draft of Writing Project #3 due.
Course Withdrawal Deadlines:
In person 10/30, ASU Interactive/ Sundial 11/2
Week 12: Workshopping Writing Project #3 T 11/11: Veteran’s Day--no posting due
F 11/14: Peer Review of Writing Project #3 due.
Week 13: Projecting Self: Introduction to Writing Project #4
T 11/18: Final draft of Writing Project #3 due.
F 11/21: Complete WJ #10--brainstorming for topics
Week 14: Planning Writing Project #4
T 11/25: Complete OD #7--workshopping topics
F 11/28: Thanksgiving Holiday--no posting due.
Week 15: Workshopping/Revising Writing Project #4 T 12/2: Rough Draft of Writing Project #4 due. F 12/5: Peer Review of Writing Project #4 due.
Week 16: Final Draft of Writing Project #4 and Course Reflection Due
T 12/9: (Complete Withdrawal Deadline) Final Draft of Writing Project #4 due.
F 12/12: Final Course Reflection due. Your Final Course Reflection serves as your Final Exam for Eng 217.
Arizona State University—Fall 2008
(Internet Sections: 82784, 82785)
Instructor: Dr. Kathleen Hicks
Office: LL 68
Office Phone: 965-3168, option 6 (for messages only)
Office Hours: In person: W 11:00-1:00 pm & by appointment Online: M 1:00-3:00 pm
Email: Kathleen.Hicks@asu.edu
Required Textbooks and Websites:
Miller, Brenda and Suzanne Paola. Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative
Nonfiction. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-07-251278-6
Buscemi, Santi V. and Charlotte Smith. 75 Readings plus 8th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill,
2007. ISBN: 978-0-07-312508-4
Writing Programs Guide: www.asu.edu/writingprograms/teacherresources/wpguide/toc.htm
Other Requirements: …show more content…
ASURITE User ID and password
An active ASU email account—my primary means of contacting you
Reliable and readily available Internet access
Access to Microsoft Word—all course documents will be Word attachments
Course Description and Objectives:
English 217 is an advanced interdisciplinary writing course emphasizing theories, methodologies, and issues of composing non-fiction prose. Practice and study of selected: biography, autobiography, memoir, the personal essay, and the recording and transcribing of oral narrative. Following an introduction to appropriate theories and methodologies, the course focuses on writing and response to the chosen form in a workshop atmosphere.
Specifically, the sequenced assignments in this course will ask students to compose self-reflective prose for the purpose of enhancing both self and cultural awareness. Beginning with the familiar subject matter of self, students will experiment with critical thinking, narrative reflection, rhetorical awareness, structure, and personal voice. Over the course of the semester, students’ narrative explorations will expand to include more public and socially situated examinations of personal and cultural attitudes and beliefs.
Throughout this course, students will: significantly improve their reflective non-fiction prose writing; critically read and rhetorically analyze non-fiction prose and use those lenses to frame their own discourses; discover and evaluate the methods of persuasion used in the construction of a public persona; understand and effectively employ various forms of persuasion; understand and deploy effective rhetorical strategies in reflective discourse; write in the different forms and styles of a non-fiction prose discourse; and develop techniques for conducting research on the Internet and with other electronic databases.
Writing Programs Course Policies and Procedures: You are required to adhere to the following policies and procedures for the duration of the semester:
1. Policy on Class Attendance
Because writing classes are performance courses that depend upon student attendance for both the class and the student’s success, this policy is non-negotiable. All absences count equally, irrespective of the cause and students who exceed the allowed number of absences cannot pass the course and will fail with a grade of “E.”
Online classes: More than four absences will result in failure.
Definition of attendance in online classes: A student who fails to post an acceptable assignment to the class website during the assigned "window" of time will be counted absent for that class day. (Further explanation is provided under the “Late Work” policy.)
Technical problems online: While these do occur either at home or from an on-campus connection, they are usually not valid reasons for failing to fulfill the requirements for attendance on that day. Students are responsible for allocating enough time to complete online assignments, and they should include the possibility of technical "glitches." Thus students need to allow enough time to try again later or to travel to a campus computer lab or alternative place to complete the assignment and therefore avoid an absence for the day. Exceptions may be made by the instructor in the event of widespread computer viruses or some other large-scale event affecting ASU's computer network, but exceptions will not be made for routine computer problems.
Note: Students who participate in university-sanctioned activities and/or who will be unable to meet the attendance requirements for a particular section should move to another section where their activity schedules will not interfere with their classroom obligations (students can freely switch sections during the first week of the semester). To accommodate students who participate in university-sanctioned activities, the Writing Programs Office offers sections of this course at various times of the day and week. We have asked advisors across campus to help students enroll in appropriate sections. If you think that this course may conflict with a university-sanctioned activity in which you are involved—athletics or the debate team or another—please see me immediately.
2. Attendance: First Week of Classes
According to university policy, students who are registered but do not attend any of the first week of classes may be dropped.
Students enrolled in hybrid/online courses must make every reasonable attempt to attend class or contact the instructor during the first week. After the first week those who do not show up either in person or by calling or e-mailing the instructor may be dropped.
3. Instructor Absence (Not Applicable in our online course)
4. Grading
Grading for Writing Projects will follow English Department standards, which are based on content, organization, expression, and mechanics. To compute final course grades, the following values are assigned to the standard letter grades of A through E:
A+................ 4.3 (only used internally at ASU)
A................. 4.0
A-............... 3.7
B+.............. 3.3
B.................3.0
B-............... 2.7
C+.............. 2.3
C................ 2.0
D............... 1.0
E................ .3
No paper = 0
5. The Public Nature of Class Writing and Discussions
Please consider every piece of writing you do for this class to be "public property." Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and criticisms of others, and in this course our purpose is to come together as a writing community. Remember that you will often be expected to share your writing with others, so avoid writing about things that you may not be prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or things you feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. This does not mean that you are not entitled to an opinion but that you adopt positions responsibly, contemplating the possible effect on others.
6. Late Work:
NO LATE ONLINE DISCUSSION, JOURNAL, OR PEER REVIEW ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Your assignments are due every Tuesday by midnight and every Friday by 6:00 pm, unless otherwise specified—there may be a few exceptions. If you do not post your assignments to the correct discussion board forum by the specified time, you are considered absent for the day and receive a 0 for the grade—even if it is only one minute late. This policy is based on the fact that you have several days to complete each assignment, plenty of time to contact me for clarification of instructions, and readily available alternate submission methods (email, early submission). If you are having trouble completing an assignment, contact me for an authorized extension immediately.
Note: Some assignments take longer than others to complete. Make yourself aware of the demands of forthcoming assignments so that you set aside ample time for completion.
Rough Drafts: Rough drafts are due when specified on the calendar and must be a minimum of three pages long (12pt font, double spaced) to receive credit. Submitting a late rough draft or a draft shorter than three pages will result in a zero and an absence for the class period.
FINAL ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS posted late will lose one full letter grade per each 24 hour period they are late. You will also earn an absence for the day on which they are due.
7. All Writing for this Class must be Written for this Class
To pass this class all major writing assignments must be completed, and note that all writing for this class must be written for this class.
Reusing a paper you wrote for another class, or back in high school, constitutes academic dishonesty.
8. Academic Dishonesty
In the “Student Academic Integrity Policy” manual, ASU defines plagiarism as “using another's words, ideas, materials or work without properly acknowledging and documenting the source. Students are responsible for knowing the rules governing the use of another's work or materials and for acknowledging and documenting the source appropriately.” You can find this definition at: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm#definitions Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing and any other form of dishonesty.
9. Academic Integrity
As part of a learning community at ASU where everyone deserves the right to learn and participate to the best of his or her ability, you are expected to adhere to the behavior standards listed in Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual Chapter V – Campus and Student Affairs: Code of Conduct …show more content…
(http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi104-01.html),
ACD 125: Computer, Internet, and Electronic Communications (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html), and the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy (http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm). Students are entitled to receive instruction free from interference by other members of the class. If a student is disruptive, an instructor may ask the student to stop the disruptive behavior and warn the student that such disruptive behavior can result in withdrawal from the course. An instructor may withdraw a student from a course when the student's behavior disrupts the educational process under USI 201-10 http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi201-10.html.
Disruptive and/or inappropriate online behavior will not be tolerated. Remember that when you are online, you are in the classroom and should act accordingly. Others’ opinions, rights, and integrity must be respected at all times. Avoid using offensive language in your postings. Disruptive and inappropriate behavior in the classroom or online may result in a student’s removal from class, suspension, or expulsion from the university.
10. Objectionable Content: Be aware that this course may include content that could be considered objectionable. Opinions expressed in the course material do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Instructor, the Department of English, or Arizona State University.
11. Announcements: Check for announcements online frequently. Any important instructions and notifications such as changes in due dates or assignments will be posted there.
12. Assignment Submission Procedures:
You will find instructions for your daily assignments on the Weekly Calendar (located on the course’s main menu).
Read the Weekly Calendar carefully each week for instructions on locating assignments and on where to post them. All assignments are to be posted to the correct discussion board forum. You will not email your assignments to me unless you and I have made arrangements for you to do so (for example, early submission or in the event of computer problems). If you are experiencing problems with Blackboard, however, it is always acceptable for you to email your assignment to me on time as a backup. Note: I highly recommend that you complete your assignments in your word processing program and then copy and paste them into the textbox of your posting or attach them. You risk losing work that is typed directly into the textbox in the case of system or computer
problems.
13. Contacting the Instructor:
The best way to contact me is via email. I check my email regularly every weekday and my “official” online office hours are M 1:00-3:00. I will be online during that time, so if you email, you will get a guaranteed quick response. Also, we can arrange an online chat through the course site or AOL Instant Messenger. I will also contact you by phone and arrange in person appointments on campus at your request. I am online and available nearly everyday, so do not hesitate to contact me for any reason.
14. Email Addresses:
All email will be sent to your ASU email address, as that is the address provided to me by myASU. Therefore you should immediately activate your ASU email and begin checking it regularly. If you prefer to use another email address, you need to make sure that your ASU email is automatically forwarded to your preferred email address. It is your responsibility to make sure that I can contact you easily and to check whatever email address you are using regularly.
Course Work and Grade Percentages:
Course work will include readings, online discussions, a writer’s journal, rough drafts, peer reviews, your major essay assignments, and a course reflection essay.
Online Discussions 10% Writing Project 1 10% Writer’s Journal 10% Writing Project 2 15% Peer Review 10% Writing Project 3 20%
Final Course Reflection 5% Writing Project 4 20%
Online Discussions (7 total) will most often ask you to discuss assigned readings—giving your responses, analyzing structure, form, and content, evaluating an essay's audience impact, etc.—or to brainstorm for topics. To get full credit for each discussion, you are required to post your own initial response to the discussion questions or prompts, as well as read the entire class thread and respond to a minimum of 2 peer posts. For example, if a student points out something about an essay you didn't think about, or explains something in a way that is particularly helpful to you, you should respond to his or her post by explaining how the new information has changed your understanding of the essay. Or, if a student makes a comment about a reading that you find questionable or do not agree with, or you simply do not understand, you should ask that student questions about his or her comments, engaging him or her in a discussion. Short responses that offer no insightful commentary, such as “good job,” “well said,” or “I agree,” do not count as a discussion.
Discussions will usually work as follows: You must post your initial response by midnight on the day assigned. You have until the specified time on the following class period to respond to your classmates’ posts. So, if your initial response is due by midnight on Tuesday, you have until 6:00pm on Friday to complete your peer responses. Note: You will have an additional assignment due along with peer responses on the following class period. Check the Weekly Calendar for specific details.
Discussions will be evaluated on a 5 point system:
5 Points: Initial response and responses to peers are specific and indicate critical engagement with subject matter and the prompt. Responses to peers demonstrate an attempt to engage peers in conversation. Responses are well written and you respond when peers or the Instructor asks questions of you. You must post more than the minimum two peer responses to earn 5 points. 4 Points: Responses meet the above requirements and include the minimum of 2 fully developed, specific peer responses.
3 Points: Excellent initial response, but peer responses are underdeveloped and display little attempt to engage in a conversation. 2 Points: Initial response and peer responses are minimally acceptable—short answers that do not display your critical engagement with the material and do not fully address the prompt. 1 Point: Assignment is incomplete—missing either the initial response or responses to peers.
At the end of the semester, points will be averaged using the course’s 4.0 scale. To average your grade, simply add up your points and divide by the total number of discussion assignments. Thus if your average is a 3.5, your grade for the online discussion portion of the course is an A-. (See the grading scale below.)
Writer’s Journal Assignments (10 total) will vary. They may include a more structured analysis of an essay, freewriting, topic explorations, practice of a specific rhetorical technique, and prewriting and drafting activities specific to your individual essay topic. You will find specific instructions for each journal entry assignment on the Weekly Calendar. Journal assignments will receive letter grades and are weighted equally.
Peer Reviews: Peer review, part of the revision stage of the writing process, is designed to help students to better respond to audiences by revising work based upon feedback from others. In order to better understand the responsibilities of an author and the needs of an audience, students work collaboratively on each other’s essays, checking the clarity, development, and effectiveness of the writing. Peer reviewers will answer questions such as: Is the essay’s purpose clear? Does the essay do what it is supposed to do? Does the essay give the audience what it needs? Peer reviews aim to accomplish several things:
check the essay against the assignment allow the author to see how an audience receives his or her writing use collaboration to further development and share construction/organization ideas teach students to become “readers” (of their own work as well as the work of others) in addition to “writers.”
Students are not expected to offer professional level criticism or rewrite other student’s papers. Rather, they are expected to offer thoughtful responses about the essay’s content, consciously consider how the essay affects them, and offer honest feedback based on their reactions to and understanding of the essay. They are also expected to share general information about the essay’s topic, help the author brainstorm ways to further develop the content, and help the author judge how well the essay responds to the assignment. In other words, peer review responses are based on the students’ shared knowledge of the assignment, course materials, critical reading skills, and common sense. As such, all students are required to participate in peer review—by submitting their own essays for review and reviewing the work of other students.
Writing Projects: You will write four, sequenced writing projects for this course. Each essay will be assigned well in advance of the due date. All requirements will be specifically explained on a separate assignment sheet. Below you will find a brief description of each writing project:
Writing Project #1: “Constructing Identity: An Important Person or Event”
This assignment asks you to reflect on a person or an event that played a significant role in shaping your current position on an important guiding belief in your life. This is the start of making a connection between the development of your personality/attitudes and the larger culture in which you are situated.
Writing Project #2: “Constructing Identity: The Self and Landscape”
This assignment asks you to carefully consider either a constructed or natural landscape’s current impact on your cultural beliefs and/or attitudes. The goal is to consider how the physical space in which you reside influences your understanding of self and culture.
Writing Project #3: “Constructing Identity: Social Conflict”
This assignment asks you to consider how a contemporary social conflict influences the behaviors and choices you are making in your life. The goal is to consider how you own behavior is immediately impacted by the larger social forces that impact personal identity formation.
Writing Project #4: “Constructing Identity: Projecting Self”
This project builds on the previous three as you have consciously considered the way your current position in culture, and hopefully your personal strengths, are intricately shaped by the people, places, and social issues that surround you. This assignment asks you to closely consider your personal strengths and reflect on your fitness to fill a specific social/cultural position of your choosing.
Course Reflections: Keep copies of all of your writings for this class; this includes in-class and out-of-class working notes, drafts, revisions, final drafts, etc. At semester’s end, you will review the work you have generated to date, analyze your progress, and discuss your insights in written form. Assignment instructions will be provided detailing the expectations of this project.
My Responses: Students should always check into any discussion board forum repeatedly, even after the due date, to make sure you see any new posts that are added, as well as to read instructor comments which are usually added after all students have participated in the discussion. In any forum, but in Online Discussion and Rough Draft forums especially, I will add comments to further explain the material, indicate connections you should be making between the readings and your own essays, and offer suggestions for revising your own writing. Never post your work in a forum and then totally abandon it; remember, students will be adding posts at different times. Final draft comments will be sent to you via email.
Grading Scale: I will employ the plus/minus grading system in this course. Grades will be made available to you in the online gradebook located under “Tools” on the course menu. To compute final course grades, the following values are assigned to the standard letter grades of A+ through E:
A+ = 4.30 A = 4.0 A- = 3.70 B+ = 3.30 B = 3.0 B- = 2.70
C+ = 2.30 C = 2.0 C- 1.7 D+ 1.3 D = 1.0 D- .7 E=.3
Final course grades will be computed as follows:
A+ 4.01 and above A 3.71-4.00 A- 3.51-3.70
B+ 3.30-3.50 B 3.00-3.29 B- 2.70-2.99
C+ 2.30-2.69 C 2.00-2.29 D 1.00-1.99 E 0-.99
A grade of I (Incomplete) will not be offered in this course except under extreme conditions and with advisement from the Writing Programs Administration.
Tentative Calendar:*subject to revision
Below you will find a general, tentative schedule with readings and the due dates of rough drafts, major essays, and important University dates. This serves solely as a semester overview. Specific instructions for each week’s assignments will be found on the Weekly Calendar on our course’s menu.
The following abbreviations will be used:
Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction (TS)
75 Readings plus (75)
Online Discussion Assignment (OD)
Writer’s Journal Entry (WJ)
Week 1: Introduction to Creative Nonfiction/Syllabus Review
T 8/26: Review syllabus and complete the Meet and Greet Online Discussion Assignment #1.
F 8/29: Read Chapters 1 and 2 (TS) and “The Knife” (TS 395). Complete OD #2 on assigned readings.
Week 2: Rhetorical Practice--The Foundations: Scene/Character/Dialogue
T 9/2: Complete Writer’s Journal Entry #1--Constructing Scene.
F 9/5: Complete WJ #2--Developing Character/Dialogue.
Week 3: Introduction to the Personal Essay/Writing Project #1 Assigned
T 9/9: Read Chapter 9 (TS) and Kingston’s “No Name Woman” (TS 348). Complete OD #3 on assigned readings.
F 9/12: Complete WJ #3.
Week 4: Drafting Writing Project #1 T 9/16: Complete WJ #4--Writing Project #1 Prewriting Assignment.
F 9/19: Rough Draft of Writing Project #1 due.
Week 5: Workshopping/Revising Writing Project #1 T 9/23: Peer Review of Writing Project #1 due.
F 9/26: Final Draft of Writing Project #1 due.
Week 6: Writing Place: Introduction to Writing Project #2
T 9/30: Read Chapter 5 (TS) and complete WJ #5.
F 10/3: Read the following essays in (75) and complete OD #4 on self and landscape: Baldwin (39), Momaday (62), Abbey (103).
Week 7: Drafting Writing Project #2
T 10/7: Complete WJ #6--Writing Project #2 Prewriting Assignment
F 10/10: Rough Draft of Writing Project #2 due.
Week 8: Workshopping/Revising Writing Project #2 T 10/14: Peer Review of Writing Project #2 due.
F 10/17: Final Draft of Writing Project #2 due.
Week 9:
T 10/21: Read Chapter 10 (TS) and complete WJ #7.
F 10/24: Read the following essays in (75) and complete OD #5 on self and poverty: Eighner (478) and Parker (121).
Week 10: The Self and Society: Introduction to Writing Project #3
T 10/28: Read the following essays in (75) and complete OD #6 on self and race: Mukherjee (231) and Staples (252).
F 10/31: Read Chapter 11(TS) and complete WJ #8.
Week 11: Examining the Social continued/Drafting Writing project #3 T 11/4: Complete WJ #9--Writing Project #3 Prewriting Assignment
F 11/7: Rough Draft of Writing Project #3 due.
Course Withdrawal Deadlines:
In person 10/30, ASU Interactive/ Sundial 11/2
Week 12: Workshopping Writing Project #3 T 11/11: Veteran’s Day--no posting due
F 11/14: Peer Review of Writing Project #3 due.
Week 13: Projecting Self: Introduction to Writing Project #4
T 11/18: Final draft of Writing Project #3 due.
F 11/21: Complete WJ #10--brainstorming for topics
Week 14: Planning Writing Project #4
T 11/25: Complete OD #7--workshopping topics
F 11/28: Thanksgiving Holiday--no posting due.
Week 15: Workshopping/Revising Writing Project #4 T 12/2: Rough Draft of Writing Project #4 due. F 12/5: Peer Review of Writing Project #4 due.
Week 16: Final Draft of Writing Project #4 and Course Reflection Due
T 12/9: (Complete Withdrawal Deadline) Final Draft of Writing Project #4 due.
F 12/12: Final Course Reflection due. Your Final Course Reflection serves as your Final Exam for Eng 217.