In-class Writing 1/31/2011

Writing about a family member:

Think about someone in your family with whom you've had conflict, or who you've seen deal with some sort of obstacle (diease, confrontation, emotional distress). Identify that family member and their relationship to you.

Describe this person in full detail (physically and personality traits). Use concrete, sensory details.

Think of a specific time that you experienced conflict with this person or witnessed them handle/overcome/attept to deal with an obstacle. Describe the event in detail; set up the scene.

How did this event impact you? What was your response to it (physically and/or emotionally)?

In-class Writing 1/24/2011

Based on your reading of Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife," write a short summary of the text (about five to seven sentences). Items to include: main and supporting ideas, purpose, specific audience, and craft choices she uses.

Now write a response to the reading. Questions for consideration: Do you believe she communicated her message effectively? Why or why not? Were her tone and use of repetition appropriate? Why or why not? Is her argument sound? Does it still apply today?

Based on your reading of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," write a short summary of the text (about five to seven sentences). Items to include: main and supporting ideas, purpose, specific audience, context, and concluding ideas.

Now, write a response to the reading. Questions for consideration: Do you agree/disagree with his arguments? What rhetorical appeals does he employ? Was he effective in communicating his message? Why or why not?

Reading Reminder

Please have “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King Jr., and “I Want a Wife,” by Judy Brady read in time for our next class (1/24/2011). We will be discussing both essays, so make sure to engage in active reading and take notes.

Here are some questions to direct your reading, which we’ll use as the basis for our in-class discussion on both texts:

• What issue(s) or problem(s) does the writer address?
• What’s the writer’s purpose?
• What is the writer trying to say? What is his/her main idea and what are his/her supporting ideas?
• How does the writer say it? What’s his/her tone, ethos (persona)? In what form is the piece written?
• Who is the author’s primary audience? Be specific; don’t just say “anyone who reads it.”
• Does the writer effectively communicate his/her message? Does he/she successfully communicate the intended message? How so?
• Was the piece worth saying? Why or why not.

You might consider posting your responses to your blog to ensure that you’re prepared for the in-class discussion.

In-class Assignments from 1/10/2011

1. Setup a blog on either blogger.com or wordpress.com, and remember the url address you have designated for your blog. After you have done this, please visit this website, and read about the proper way to email a professor. Using the guidelines on the website, please send me a proper email that informs me of the full url address of your blog. I will be posting a link to your blog on our class syllabus blog. If you wish to make the blog private, please remember to grant me access to it. You will be posting all in-class writing assignments to this blog, and I will need to be able to view those posts in order to give you credit for them.
2. For your first blog post, I want you to write a short summary/response to the image found here.
   

Your summary response will be based on the following considerations:

• What is your initial reaction to this image? What words come to mind when you see this image?
• Describe the photograph using concrete details.
• What messages are being communicated in this photo?
• Now go to this link, and read the caption. Has your initial reaction to the image changed? If yes, how so? If not, why?

Make sure to post your response once you've finished.

English Composition Syllabus--ENG 101-23

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Spring 2011

Course Meeting: 6:00pm-9:45 M

Course Location: Armstrong Hall 331

Instructor: Dan DeWolf

Office: AH 201K

Office Hours: 4:00pm-6:pm M; 5:00pm-7:00pm T (e-office hours)

Office Phone: 507-389-5540

Email: daniel.dewolf@mnsu.edu

Course Description: Students will practice strategies for generating and developing ideas, locating and analyzing information, analyzing audience, drafting, writing sentences and paragraphs, evaluating drafts, revising, and editing in essays of varying lengths. Students will also become experienced in computer-assisted writing and research.

Course Goals: To develop writers who use the English language effectively and who read and write critically. The course objective is to prepare students for the writing that they’ll be required to do throughout their college careers. By the end of the class, students will be able to do the following:

• demonstrate and practice strategies for idea generation, audience analysis, organization of texts, drafting, evaluation of drafts, revision, and editing;

• write papers of varying lengths that demonstrate effective explanation, analysis, and argumentation;

• become experienced in computer-assisted writing and research;

• locate and evaluate material, using PALS, the Internet, and other sources;

• analyze and synthesize source material, making appropriate use of paraphrase, summary, quotation, and citation conventions;

• employ syntax and usage appropriate to academic writing and the professional world.

Required Text: Rules for Writers Sixth Edition (2009 MLA Update)

Diana Hacker

ISBN-13: 978-0-312-59339-1

ISBN-10: 0-312-59339-2

Required Coursework/Grading:

• Personal Narrative 20%
• Summary/Response 20%
• Informative Research Paper 25%
• Argumentative Research Paper 20%

Each essay will be generated from an in-class prompt. Students will engage in the three steps of writing: pre-writing, drafting, and revising. Rough drafts are to be posted to D2L for in-class, peer editing. The final draft of each essay will be submitted to D2L on the assigned due date and a hard copy will be required, as well. Essays will be graded on how well the students follow and apply the criteria for each essay outlined on the assignment sheets, which will be available to students on the day each essay is assigned.

Participation 15%

Students will be required to engage in free-writing (to be posted as a blog) during specified times, conduct peer reviews of essay drafts via D2L, and participate in class discussions based on the assigned reading. Failure to participate in any of these activities will result in the loss of some or all of a day’s participation points. During lectures, discussions, and presentations, you will be required to TURN OFF your computer monitors and pay attention. If you are caught using your computer or surfing the internet when you have been directed to turn off your monitor, you will not receive participation points for that day. Working on your computer during lectures, discussions, and presentation is distracting to me and the people around you.

Attendance

While attendance doesn’t make up a portion of your final grade, failure to show up to class can have a negative impact on it. You cannot receive participation points if you aren’t in class. You are allowed one (1) absence without penalty. After the allotted one absence, you will receive a 10% deduction from your final grade for each absence thereafter. An absence is an absence: there are no distinctions between excused and unexcused absences. If you aren’t able to attend class, please refer to D2L or the syllabus blog for homework and missed assignments.

Grading Scale:

A- = 90-92 A = 93-97 A+ = 98-100

B- = 80-82 B = 83-86 B+ = 87-89

C- = 70-72 C = 73-76 C+ = 77-79

D = 60-69

F = 0-59

NOTE: the lowest PASSING grade a student can earn in English 101 is a C. If a student earns a C- or lower, he/she will have to repeat the course. This is a policy that has been set by the university.

Class Policies: Failure to turn in work at the beginning of class on its due date will result in a full letter grade deduction for that assignment. Writing done for this class is considered public text. Assignments are tentative and subject to change. 
 Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated; it may result in failure of the class. Students who need to meet with the instructor and are unable to do so during scheduled office hours can make an appointment via email. Students are required to meet with the instructor for conferences twice during the course of the fall semester to review course work and class progress.

Academic Dishonesty: MSU has a zero tolerance policy regarding Academic Dishonesty. Students caught plagiarizing, cheating, or colluding will receive an automatic failing grade, and they will be required to retake the course. Academic Dishonesty—per MSU Policies and Procedures—is defined as follows:

Plagiarism – Submission of an academic assignment as one’s own work, which includes critical ideas or written narrative that are taken from another author without the proper citation. This does not apply only to direct quotes, but also to critical ideas that are paraphrased by the student. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to

• submitting the work of others as your own
• submitting others’ work as your own with only minor changes
• submitting others’ work as your own without adequate footnotes, quotations, and other reference forms
• multiple submission of the same work, written or oral, for more than one course without both instructor’s permission, or making minor revisions on work which has received credit and submitting it again as new work.

Cheating – Use of unauthorized material or assistance to help fulfill academic assignments. This material could include unauthorized copies of test materials, calculators, crib sheets, help from another student, etc.

Collusion – Assistance to another student or among students in committing the act of cheating or plagiarism.

Center for Academic Success: In addition to working with the instructor, students are encouraged to take advantage of the services offered by MSU’s Center for Academic Success located in the basement of Memorial Library (ML 116). These services include free tutoring sessions in nearly all subject areas, including composition. By appointment or walk-in, the Center is open to students Monday through Friday. MavCard required. Go to http://www.mnsu.edu/supersite/academics/success or call 507-389-1791.

Note for Students with Disabilities: From the Office of Disability Services: “MSU provides students with disabilities reasonable accommodation to participate in educational; programs, activities, or services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodation to participate in class activities or meet course requirements should first register with the Office of Disability Services, located in 0123 Memorial Library, telephone 389-2825, TDD 711 and then contact me as soon as possible.”

Additional Information: Cell phone use in class is not permitted. Please silence or power off phones while in class. If an emergency arises, please exit the classroom quietly to take the call outside. Drinks and food are not allowed in the computer lab. You will be asked to discard or put away any food or drink you bring to class.