Syllabus

ENGL 106
Introductory Composition
MTWThF 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
M – WTHR 212, TuTh – HEAV 106, WF – HEAV 225

Liz Homan
Office: HEAV 214
Office hrs: Wednesday 8:20-9:20 a.m. and by appointment
Phone: (765) 414-4998 or (765) 464-8278
Email: ehoman@purdue.edu
Website: http://www.digitalparlor.org/sp08/homan1/

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) or the equivalent. Some of this text production will be done using multimedia, and some of it may be given 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 reading and discussion will be accomplished through in-class review sessions or in bi-weekly conferences.

REQUIRED TEXTS (available at Von’s Books)

• Compose Design Advocate
• The Brief New Century Handbook

REQUIRED MATERIALS

• 1 CD-RW (must be an RW so that you can save and re-save to it)
• 1 portfolio-style folder, binder, or something in which you can store handouts and papers.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is expected and mandatory. To best utilize our time, come to class on time. You are considered absent if you are more than 10 minutes late and/or 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. Doctor notes and notes from the dean do not constitute excused absences. There are no excused absences unless you speak to me in advance and the circumstances are extenuating (death in immediate family, severe illness, etc).

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

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, in addition to other possible punishment given by Purdue University (See the Purdue University Student Code of Conduct (Available at http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/conductcode.htm). 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 on or supported by fact. Personal opinion and theological beliefs are welcome in discussions, but only so long as they maintain respect for and acknowledge differing viewpoints. Please be advised that we will be reading about, 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.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS/PARTICIPATION/GRADING

In order to accomplish the course goals, you must come to each class prepared. This means coming to class on time, as well as completing your readings and outside assignments. Active and informed participation in class discussions and collaborative work is also crucial. In terms of assignments, you will be required to complete:

• In-class participation (quizzes, group activities, etc)(50 points),
• Student-led discussion and planning (100 points),
• Two 3-5 page essays (200 points),
• Six Response Papers/Projects of 2-3 pages (300 points),
• One in-depth research project (350 points total);
o abstract (50 points),
o annotated bibliography (50 points)
o group video (50 points),
o paper (150 points),
o visuals and presentation (50 points)

Total: 1000 points

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.

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. This means reading carefully and critically, bringing materials to class, and coming prepared to engage with the ideas and your class.

WRITING DEADLINES & SUBMISSIONS

You are expected to submit assignments by the deadlines listed. All written work is due at the beginning of class in hard copy unless otherwise noted. In order to be considered for a grade, all assignments are to be complete, of the minimum page count, and must conform to MLA documentation and format (word-processed, 12 point legible font, double-spacing, with one inch margins) unless otherwise specified. No papers will be accepted if they are handwritten and all multimedia assignments must be accompanied by your CD-RW. Late papers will be penalized by 10% for each day late.

**If you need an extension, you must speak to me at least 48 hours before the due date and we can talk about your situation.**

CONFERENCES & CONTACT

In addition to regular bi-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 also take advantage of my office hours and email.

Note about reaching me:
I am usually only in my office during my office hours, so the best way to reach me is by email or phone. I have absolutely no qualms with you calling me at home or on my cell, but try not to call after 10 (I go to bed early!). I check my email multiple times a day, so that is probably the quickest way to find me. I can always schedule an alternative time to meet with you if you like – never be afraid to ask.

PEER EDITING WORKSHOPS

You will be responsible for participating in in-class writing workshops where you can 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. Your comments on classmates’ papers will factor into your grade for the paper.

REVISIONS

You may revise three of your assignments, but if you wish to do so you must talk to me and pay a visit to the writing lab (in that order). 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.

To assist you in revising, please remember that revision is an active rethinking/reworking process. Papers which only correct surface errors are unacceptable, as are papers which don’t consider feedback. Revision is not a guarantee of a higher grade.

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.

If I catch plagiarism in one of your papers, you will be required to have a conference with me about the situation. You will fail any assignment that is plagiarized on any level and I will report the incident to the Dean of Students. Your best bet: when in doubt, cite the source.

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.

THE WRITING LAB

The Writing Lab (Heavilon 226) is a superb resource. The staff is willing to help no matter what stage you're at 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.