Syllabus

ENGL 106
Introductory Composition
MTWThF 11:30 a.m.-12:20 a.m.

Mrs. Granic-White
HEAV 207
Tel: 494-7282
Office hrs: Wednesday and Thursday 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Email: mgranicw@purdue.edu
Web: http://icdweb.cc.purdue.edu/~mgranicw

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:

English 106 is the standard 4-credit hour composition course for entering students at Purdue. To meet all your goals in this one-semester course, you should expect to produce between 7,500-11,500 words of polished writing (or 15,000-22,000 total words, including drafts). Some of this text production will be done using multimedia, and some of it may be achieved through short assignments. Your writing topics will be closely tied to the course’s theme or approach, and may include personal experiences as well as research-based arguments.

It is common practice in English 106 to conduct different types of research and create a final project that demonstrates the expertise you have gained over the semester. So, we will be using planning assignments in order to help you discover and explore a topic, perspective, or audience. We will also spend some time in exploration of topics and rhetorical contexts, and in the production, interpretation, and analysis of multimedia environments.

This course requires reading and discussing writing by you, your peers, and professionals. This discussion will be accomplished through in-class review sessions or in bi-weekly conferences.

REQUIRED TEXTS (available at Von’s Books under instructor Blackmon)

• Compose Design Advocate
• The Brief New Century Handbook
• CD/R-W
COURSE EXPECTATIONS/PARTICIPATION

In order to accomplish the course goals, you must prepare for, attend, and participate in class activities. Active, constructive, and informed participation in class discussions and collaborative work is crucial. In terms of writing assignments, you will be required to complete two 3-5 page essays (two at 10 points each), four response papers of 2-3 pages (four at 5 points each), one visual rhetoric assignment (10 points), one annotated bibliography (5 points), and one in-depth research project (abstract 5points), paper (20 points), and visuals and presentation (10 points) (35 points total). Regular quizzes will be given to test the preparedness of the class as a whole, these quizzes will be used to take class attendance (these points may not be made up) and will be calculated under the heading of class participation (10 points).

GRADING SCALE

Your points will be translated into percentages; your final grade will be calculated according to the following percentage scale:
100-90 A
89-80 B
79-70 C
69-60 D
59-below F
Although such instances are rare, I reserve the right to reward students who have shown dramatic progress with higher grades than the scale suggests.

Note about Incompletes: The mark of ‘I’ is inappropriate if, in the instructor’s judgment, it will be necessary for the student regularly to attend subsequent sessions of the class. I will give an Incomplete only in cases of extreme emergency.

JOURNALS

It is expected that you will read carefully and critically, take notes, jot down questions, and bring all required materials to class each day. Your journal entries will be a place for your observations and growth as an analytical reader and writer. Summaries of the essays do not constitute acceptable posts. Your entries should be approximately 250 words. Feel free to use your entries to discuss the subject at hand, draw connections to other things you have seen and read (both online and off), rage against an idea, or respond to someone else’s entry.

CLASS PARTICIPATION & ASSIGNMENTS

This is one of the most important components to the success of the course. All reading and outside assignments are to be completed prior to class. Read carefully and critically, bring materials and textbooks to class, and be prepared to engage with the ideas and your peers. Class investigations are participatory assignments that may include critical and active discussions as well as in-class collaborative work.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is welcomed, expected, and mandatory. Arrive on time and do not leave classroom before the class period without prior understanding with your instructor. You are considered absent if 1) you are more than 10 minutes late and/or 2) you are unprepared for class. There will be regular in-class work to record your attendance and preparation for class. You may miss three sessions without penalty. For every class after the first three, I will lower your final grade by five percent. After three absences you must attend a conference with me to discuss whether you should continue in this course. Five absences constitute automatic failure of the course.

WRITING DEADLINES & SUBMISSIONS

You are expected to submit assignments by the deadlines listed. All written work is due at the beginning of class unless otherwise noted. In order to be considered for a grade, all assignments are to be complete, to contain the minimum word count, and to conform to MLA documentation and format (word-processed, 12 point legible font, double-spacing, with one inch margins). No out of class papers will be accepted if they are handwritten. Also, all assignments must be accompanied by your computer diskette. Late assignments will only be accepted with the specific, prior agreement of the instructor. No exceptions!!!

CONFERENCES & CONTACT

In addition to regular weekly conferences, I am open to discussing matters pertaining to the course, readings, and your writing; please feel free to contact me via email or phone as well as in person. I hope you will take advantage of my office hours.

PEER EDITING WORKSHOPS

You will be responsible for participating in in-class writing workshops where they you benefit from the constructive criticism of your fellow students. Attendance and participation in peer workshops is mandatory and workshopped drafts of all longer papers with peer comments must be submitted with the final draft. Incomplete critique sheets will result in an absent for the class for the day of the workshop.

REVISIONS

You may revise the two longer essays, once each. I will return each assignment to you with comments, suggestions, and a grade. Works that are incomplete when originally turned in or papers not received by the deadline are not eligible for revision. Also, I will not accept revisions without your original graded project and all previous drafts. Revisions of the essays are due one week from the date they are returned in class.

Please remember that revision is an active rethinking/reworking process. Papers which only correct surface errors are unacceptable, as are papers which do not consider feedback. Also, revision is not a guarantee of a higher grade.

PORTFOLIO

Please keep a folder with all written work for the course. Bring this folder with you when you attend conferences. You will submit this at the end of the semester with all major work, rough drafts, revisions, an evaluation letter, and a computer disk. Be sure you keep your copies of all written work with my original comments on them.

PLAGIARISM

Cheating: All written work submitted for a grade in this course must be the product of your own composition. Ideas generated due to reading and group discussion may provide the inspiration for your work, but should not be the sole ideas represented. With collaborative projects, of course, ideas should be representative of the group’s work.

Plagiarism is the act of presenting as your own work another individual’s ideas, words, data, or research material. The concept applies equally to written, spoken, or electronic texts, published or unpublished. All ideas and quotations that you borrow from any source must be acknowledged: at a minimum, you should give the name of your author, the title of the text cited, and the page number(s) of the citation. The only exceptions to this requirement would involve what is familiar and commonly held (e.g. the fact that the earth is round). You should know that penalties for plagiarism are severe and can entail suspension from the University. Students are responsible for reading and understanding the University policy on Cheating and Plagiarism set forth in Purdue University’s Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students available at http://www.purdue.edu/odos/osrr/integrity.htm.

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

Cell phones should be turned off before entering the classroom. Do not utilize cell phones to text message, play games, or keep class notes while class is in session.

Speak freely and with civility when participating in class activities and discussions; however, remain quiet when someone else is speaking. Insults, slurs, or attacks of any kind will not be allowed in my class. Any student who engages in this type of behavior in the classroom will be permanently removed from the class. In other words, you will be forced to drop the course and you will be punished according to the Purdue University policy. (See the Purdue University Student Code of Conduct Available at http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/conductcode.htm). Students should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the university community. In order to have an effective teaching and learning environment we must practice both respect and tolerance, without question.

As we will be discussing subjects that will be controversial, to some students, all remarks made in class must be based solely on fact. Personal opinion and theological beliefs should not be brought into class discussions unless they are specifically requested. Please be advised that we will be reading, discussing, and writing about issues of class, gender, sexual orientation, etc. If you have personal or theological beliefs that may hinder your discussion and/or participation, please let me know ASAP so that we can discuss your options.

Respect the next class and instructor by leaving your desk area and the classroom in a neat and orderly fashion.

THE WRITING LAB

The Writing Lab (Heavilon 226) is a superb resource. The staff is willing to help no matter at what stage you are in your paper, from brainstorming to putting on the final touches. Since writing a good paper entails having other people looking at it and giving you feedback, visits to the Writing Lab are highly recommended.

Week 1

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Week 2

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Week 3

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Week 4

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Week 5

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Week 6

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Week 7

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Week 8

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Week 9

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Week 10

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Week 11

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Week 12

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Week 13

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Week 14

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Week 15

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Week 16

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