Writing 121 English
Composition
Friday 9-12:50
SC302 Office –
Telephone: 503-978-5213 Office
Hours Friday 1-2 and
Email: mdembrow@pcc.edu by appointment
Website: http://spot.pcc.edu/~mdembrow/wr121.htm
GOALS:
·
to
help you find the gifted writer who rests, or hides, within you
·
to
make you see that writing is all about making connections, a way of coming to a
better understanding of yourself, of your thoughts and convictions, and of the
world around you
·
to
give you guided practice in the process of writing a short (4‑5
typed double-spaced pages) expository essay: focusing, setting up, organizing,
drafting, revising, editing (though it's never this mechanical!)
·
to
make you aware of the features of good writing in essays by professional
writers and by other students
·
to
allow you to quickly identify the thesis, audience, purpose, and organizational
strategy of professional essays, as well as of student writers like you
·
to
develop your skills in reading critically (i.e., summary, synthesis, analysis,
and evaluation)
·
to
build your vocabulary as another tool for powerful writing
·
to
make sure that you’re on top of the conventions of standard grammar and
punctuation (colon, comma, semicolon, apostrophe, quotation marks)
·
to
show you how to do the library/electronic research necessary to flourish in this age of
information
·
to
show you how to blend the thoughts and experiences of others--through written
sources and interviews--with your own experiences and beliefs in order to make
your writing richer and more powerful.
·
To
show you how to document your sources
·
to
help you to help others produce good writing
TEXTS:
The
LB Brief Handbook
In
an effort to cut back on the ever-increasing burden of textbook expense, I’m
going to be teaching this course without a primary text. Instead, I’ll be relying on the internet (via
the class website) and handouts for most of the class readings. The website will include (or have links to)
numerous essays and articles. You’ll find essays by other students, as well as
essays by me and by other professionals. In addition, there will be various kinds of information on rhetoric, the
art of effective argumentation.
You’ll
generally be reading one or two essays for each class period and responding to
them in your journal (see below).
You
should have a handbook to consult on a regular basis. Handbooks include information about various
aspects of the writing/research process, as well as provide a good review of
the basics of grammar, punctuation, and the mechanics of writing. The LB
Handbook is the assigned handbook for many other Writing classes at
IN‑CLASS: Part of time in class will be spent discussing
the readings and analyzing them (i.e., taking them apart, seeing how they work,
and to some extent discussing the issues they explore). We'll also be doing small‑group work on
your papers and group examination of different grammatical points and of various
aspects of the writing process. Finally,
I'll also be giving you various in‑class writing exercises that are
cunningly designed to open up the floodgates of your inherent creativity and
overcome the “White Page Syndrome.”
Every
2 weeks I'll be giving you a day-by-day schedule of topics and assignments for
the next segment of the course. USE
IT! I’ll also try to keep a current
schedule on the course website:
http://spot.pcc.edu/~mdembrow/wr121.htm
WRITING: You knew this was coming, didn't you? This is a writing class, so, as you probably
expect, you'll be doing a lot of writing. And I'll be doing a lot of reading (and analyzing, and suggesting, and
correcting). You'll essentially be doing
three kinds of writing:
(1) Reading/Writing Journal ‑‑You will keep a writer's journal
as part of the course. This is the place
for you to react to the readings. Each
response should include:
--a brief summary of the reading (c.
50 words)
--a
written response (c. 50 words) to a question that you’ll find on the class
schedule
--any personal memories, experiences,
or thoughts that the reading provokes in
you.
These
journal entries do not need to be revised. You should write them as quickly as you can, working to get your ideas
down as they come to you. No entry
should take more than a half hour. If
you feel comfortable doing these on a typewriter or computer, great; but
writing them out longhand is OK too‑‑as long as they are
legible. Some of them will eventually be
worked into parts of essays; at that time you'll need to be more concerned with
organization and appearance.
I’ll be checking the journal two or three
times and will grade you on the seriousness with which you persevere at
it. Please bring your journal with you
to class on a regular basis. We’ll also
be using it for in-class writing.
(2) Essays‑‑These are fuller, more developed assignments,
generally 1,000 words long (approximately 4‑5 typed, double-spaced
pages). You'll be doing three of them
over the course of the term.
After
the first paper (which will be based entirely on personal experience), the
paper topics will be related to the ideas being explored in the readings; you
will be looking to the essays for quotes and points of agreement/disagreement
when relevant, along with online and even interview resources. Don't panic--I'll be giving you detailed
instructions for each paper.
As
you write your paper, you may find yourself looking to your journal for
inspiration and support. You’ll probably
also look to others in the class and to me for help in developing your
ideas. I’ll be giving you detailed
comments on your first typed draft, which you’ll then incorporate into the
final draft.
Such
papers take lots of thought, lots of care, lots of work. They MUST be typed. You should hand in all drafts of each essay
with the final version‑‑I like to see the process by which you
attain perfection.
When
I give you back your final draft, I’ll note any technical errors (i.e., grammar,
punctuation, spelling). I’ll expect you
to correct these right on the original paper (you won’t need to rewrite the
paper unless I specifically ask you to) and bring it to me when we meet in
conference (see below).
If
you don't have a computer at home, we have a number of resources here that you
can use--in the library, in the
(3) In‑Class Essays‑‑Writing essays under time pressure is
an essential skill in college, and I'll be using the midterm and final as a way
of pushing you to master this skill. Don't worry‑‑we'll be practicing first. These in‑class essays will essentially
be written responses to essays and issues from the textbook. You'll be doing one every 2 weeks.
ATTENDANCE: I plan to run this class as a
workshop with lots of in-class writing and exercises, taking full advantage of
having this class in a computer writing classroom. So, your presence in class is essential‑‑it's
in your own best interest to attend regularly. This is especially true since this class meets only for eight weeks.
Think
of me as your big brother in this matter; and remember, BIG BROTHER IS
WATCHING YOU!! I do count attendance as a factor in
calculating your final grade. More
than one absences over the course of the term will hurt your grade. More than two absences will keep you from
passing the course. Being repeatedly
late to class may also affect your grade negatively.
DO
NOT MISS CLASS SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT READY!!! It's better
to hand in an assignment to me in my office later in the day or even a day or
two late (Just don't make a habit of it!!@!#).
And
if you ever find yourself falling behind, come to see me as soon as possible,
or get in touch by phone or email. You’ll find that I'm kind, gentle, sympathetic, honest, thrifty,
trustworthy, brave, and attentive (to mention only my good qualities); and I
just might be able to come up with a way to help. So keep the channels of communication open.
CONFERENCES: I'd like the opportunity to speak
individually with everyone in the class several times over the course of the
term, so I'll be setting up formal conference appointments to discuss your
writing, the course, life in general, or me in particular. The conferences will last 15-20 minutes. Attendance is mandatory; missing a conference
will count against you the same as would missing a class.
Please
do get in touch with me if you have any questions, comments, problems, excuses,
gossip, hot tips, etc. I’ll be happy to see
you during my office hour after class, or you can always email me or phone me
if you have any questions or if you need to set up an appointment. I check email many times each day.
Sometimes you'll find yourself totally stumped by a paper
assignment, or find yourself going around and around in circles without knowing
where you're heading. That's the time to
get in touch with me. You'll probably
find that "the wall" is really not so solid after all--talking it
over with me just might allow you to slip through to success.
The
EXAMS: We'll have a brief midterm test on Friday,
October 30. It will test you mainly on
issues related to the writing process, as well as some of the grammar points
that we will have covered. You’ll then
have an in-class essay as part of the midterm.
The
final will be on Friday, Dec. 11,
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Needless to say, the work that you turn in for
the course should be your own writing. You can certainly work with others to generate and test ideas, and
you’ll probably want to have others read over your drafts to give you
feedback. On the other hand, you don’t
want to cross the line and engage in plagiarism (where you’re actually using
someone else’s writing without clarifying that the words were not originally
yours) or some other form of cheating. Please read the College’s Academic Integrity Policy for a clearer
understanding of this issue. It can be
found on pp. 9-11 of the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook: http://www.pcc.edu/about/policy/student-rights/student-rights.pdf.
FINAL GRADE:
40% essays
20% journal entries
10% in-class essays
5% participation in draft workshops
10% midterm exam
10% final exam
5% class participation
Optional 5% extra
credit for service project (more on this later)
The
above reflects my plans for the course at this point. Depending on how things go, we may decide to
change some of these percentages. If I
do decide to make any changes, I'll be sure to get your thoughts ahead of time.
By
the way, since I am primarily concerned with your development as a writer,
I tend to place more emphasis on the grades that come later in the term. I am looking for improvement.
If
you are interested in taking this course on a Pass/No Pass basis, please let me
know by the fourth week of class. I
should warn you, though, that many colleges and universities will not allow
transferred Pass/No Pass Grades to meet distribution requirements.
If
you have any special needs that I should know about, please let me know. If you have a disability and need an
accommodation, please make an appointment to meet with me outside of class, so
that we can make arrangements for your success.
Finally,
let me say that we will spend time in the class discussing issues that may be
sensitive, complicated, and difficult for you. That's a very good thing. It's
what helps us to grow as thinking, feeling human beings. But that can only happen in an environment of
active listening and respect for the viewpoints of others. Although I'll be guiding most of these
discussions, it's everyone's responsibility to make sure that we work to
maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect and a commitment to solving problems
when they arise. If at any point you
feel that we’re not achieving that kind of atmosphere, please be sure to see me
outside of class so that we can discuss your concerns in confidence.
OK,
let’s have a great term together!