*****Under Construction*****

ENGL 101: College Writing

IUP – Fall Semester 2006

Tu/Th 11:30-1:00

Instructor: Jeff Schragel Office: Leonard

Classroom: Leonard Hall Office Phone:

E-mail: jeffschragel@yahoo.com Office hours: Tu/Th 10:00-11:15

Course Description and Rationale

There are many different methods of reading and writing --in this course, we will focus on how your professors will expect you to read and write in the university. This is known as “academic literacy” and may be different from the ways you have interacted with texts in the past. Through the creation and exploration of various texts (your own and those of professional writers), this course will provide you with an introduction to academic literacy which will enable you to succeed here at IUP and beyond. The course is reading and writing intensive – expect to spend many hours reading, writing, and revising. Throughout the course, you will notice that I have a great deal enthusiasm for the study of writing, and it is my hope that you will develop, if you have not already done so, a similar enthusiasm. In addition to learning “academic literacy,” this course is designed to help you become an efficient and confident writer who possesses an independent and distinct voice. It is also my goal for you to continue your progression toward being a more thoughtful, articulate, and insightful writer. Goals for the class include:

To improve your ability to write, read and think critically
Generate coherent paragraphs that transition well
Synthesize, evaluate and interpret material presented in an innovative way
To understand and develop your writing process
To use composition as a basis for social interaction and to apply to it our everyday lives
To create an open community for discussion where all opinions are welcomed
To apply your thoughts in all areas from freewritings to class discussion to outside the classroom
To become familiar with and learn how to access resources (peers, the Writing Center, reference texts, library materials, etc.) that will improve literacy skills
To work within the conventions of academic writing, but also to allow your own voice and creativity to shine through your texts
To work effectively in small groups to discuss and evaluate each other’s writing and to collaborate in accomplishing various writing and reading tasks
To understand and achieve effective revision of your own texts, so that they are clear, cohesive, well-developed and well-organized

Required texts

Strunk and White. Elements of Style. New York: Penguin Publishing, 2005
Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Expanded Pocket Edition. Boston: Shambala, 2006
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Pocket Books, 2002.
Allow extra money for printing of items on e-reserve
Please allow for up to $15 for the bound copy of our final project

Plagiarism Statement

Unacknowledged borrowing of ideas, facts, phrases, wordings, or whole words in a paper, as well as the copying of another student’s work all constitute plagiarism and are unacceptable in the university community. Students turning in plagiarized work may receive a failing grade for the essay or for the entire course. For more information, see the university policy on plagiarism in your student handbook, or ask me. We will also be discussing this topic more in class.

Course Requirements

1. Conferences (2 x 5% = 10%): You will meet with me twice during the semester to discuss your writing (although you can, of course, meet with me more often if you want to!) I will expect you to prepare for these meetings and you will be graded on your attendance, as well as your preparation. Further details will be forthcoming.

2. Essays (4 x 10% = 40%): The major written assignments will be as follows: a narrative, a description based on observations, an analysis paper, a synthesis of readings, and a Final paper that develops one of the other four into a larger piece. You will revise each of these at least twice and an important part of the grade for each essay will be the quality of the revisions. In addition, your grade will depend on organization, clarity, ideas, and appropriate usage of the English language and academic writing conventions. Essays must be turned in with all previous drafts, peer responses, and preparatory work – any essay turned in without these accompanying materials will be returned to the writer ungraded. Essays must be turned in class. Essays turned in later than this (i.e.; after class!) will lose one full letter grade for each day late.

Rewrite policy: All essays may be rewritten once for a higher grade (if your rewrite does not constitute an improvement, you will retain your earlier grade – in other words, I will never lower your grade based on a rewrite.) If you choose to rewrite an essay you must follow the following guidelines: 1.) The rewrite will be due no later than one week after the essay has been handed back. Late rewrites will not be accepted. 2.) You must spend at least 30 minutes in the writing center (be sure that the reviewer documents this) in consultation with a peer reviewer. 3.) You must write a cover letter addressing how and why you changed your paper. Try to be as specific as possible, without listing each change – so, for example, rather than saying “I worked on the organization,” describe what you moved, to where, and why. Rather than saying, “I worked on the grammar,” say, “I changed the verb tenses so that they were consistent throughout the essay.” If you choose not to alter things according to your reviewers’ suggestions (it’s your paper, after all), you must also explain this. This cover letter will probably be at least 3 paragraphs long and demonstrate that you read and reflected on your reviewers’ comments.

3. Final Paper (30%): Our final project will involve the creation of a volume containing one essay from each member of the class. In the beginning of the semester, we will negotiate a theme or topic that everyone will write on to create the volume. You will need to write 3 things to complete this project.

a. You will choose one of the essays you wrote this semester to contribute to the anthology. This

essay will undergo substantial revision. (10)

b. You will also write a letter to me explaining why you chose it for revision, describing the changes – how you revised it and why you revised it the way you did, what you learned from make the revisions, and why/how you feel it showcases your talents as a writer. This letter will be turned in to me separately. (10)

c. You will carefully read one of the essays that has been contributed and write a 2-3 paragraph

introduction for it. This piece will be included in our publication. (10)

4. Individual presentations (10%): During our final class meeting each student will share the ideas from her or his response paper and be greeted with wild applause upon finishing.

5. Classroom Participation (10 %) This includes showing up on time, prepared, having read, and being an active voice in classroom discussion. Classroom participation is perhaps the most integral part of this course.

** All papers must be typed in black, 12 point, Times New Roman font with 1 inch margins. Papers must be stapled together – no paperclips! When turning in multiple drafts of an essay please staple together each draft and put all work in one folder to turn in. All work must be turned in as a hard copy – essays will not be accepted via e-mail.

Grading:

Each assignment is worth the same number of points as its percentage. To track your progress simply add the points you receive on each assignment. Competent, thoughtful, well-written work will receive a ‘B.’ In order to receive an ‘A’ your writing must be outstanding and your ideas complex and exceptionally well-supported. Grades are earned, rather than given, and I am happy to help you with your work both in and out of class so that you may earn the grade you desire.

Grading Scale:

90-100% = A 80-89% = B 70-79% = C 60-69% = D 59% and below = F

Attendance Policy

You are permitted 3 unexcused absences. A half an absence will accrue when you come to class unprepared, show up late, or need to leave early. Each unexcused absence beyond that will result in your final grade being lowered by one full letter grade. Excused absences for illness (personal/family) or school-related events must be documented with, for example a note from a doctor or coach.

Other Classroom Policies

Essays must be turned in with all previous drafts, peer responses, and preparatory work – any essay turned in without these accompanying materials will be returned to the writer ungraded.
Essays must be turned in at class. Essays turned in later than this (i.e.; after class!) will lose one full letter grade for each day late.
I expect you to be actively engaged in work for this course during class time. Idle chatting, e-mailing friends, doing work for other courses, etc. will result in your being marked absent for the day.
Treat everyone in the class with respect – this is possible even during a heated discussion. If your behavior is disruptive in any way I will ask you to leave the class and will mark you absent for the day.
Cell phones, pagers, etc. should only be visible in class if you have an emergency (e.g.; your wife is expecting a baby at any time) and have cleared it with me ahead of time.
Your work must be typed in Times 12 point (or comparable) font with 1 inch margins. It should be carefully proofread and edited. Papers with multiple typos and careless errors demonstrate your lack of engagement with this class and receive lower grades from me. Reading your work out loud can help you avoid many of these mistakes. You may also want to ask a friend to proofread it.

Homework and Reading Schedule**

**Please note: This is a basic outline of what we will cover, showing major readings and essay assignments. It is subject to change. Shorter homework and writing assignments are not included here, as I prefer to tailor them to the needs and interests of the class.

Tues., Aug. 30 – Course intro- Margaret Walker I Want to Write

Thurs., Sept. 1 – Elbow, Freewriting, selected Chapters from King’s On Writing

Tues., Sept. 6 – Proposal of first paper due, freewriting

Thurs., Sept. 8 – discussion, workshop

----------------

Tues., Sept. 13 – NARRATIVE DUE

Thurs., Sept. 15 – Read Tan, Mother Tongue, selected chapters from King

-------------------

Tues., Sept. 20 – Proposal of second paper due, freewriting

Thurs., Sept. 22 – discussion, workshop

---------------------

Tues., Sept. 27 – descriptive paper due

Thurs., Sept. 29 – Read Flower, Writing for an Audience, Selected chapters from Goldberg

-------------------------

Tues., Oct. 4– Proposal of third paper due, freewriting

Thurs., Oct. 6– discussion, workshop

--------------------------

Tues., Oct. 11– ANALYSIS PAPER DUE

Thurs., Oct. 13– Movie Finding Forrestor

-----------------------

Tues., Oct. 18 – Movie Finding Forrestor

Thurs., Oct. 20 – Navigating the library website – meet in McElhaney Lab!

-----------------------------

Tues., Oct. 25– NO CLASS

Thurs., Oct. 27 – Navigating the library – meet in the library!

------------------------------

Tues., Nov. 1 – Proposal due, freewriting

Thurs., Nov. 3 – Discussion, workshop

-------------------------

Tues., Nov. 8 – SYNTHESIS PAPER DUE

Thurs., Nov. 10 –Read selected chapters from Goldberg

---------------------------

Tues., Nov. 15 – Workshop and revising Final Paper

Thurs., Nov. 17 – Workshop and revising Final Paper

---------------------------

Tues., Nov. 22 – Final Paper Due

Thurs., Nov. 23 – Thanksgiving Break

----------------------------

Tues., Nov. 29 – Discuss / revise Final Paper

Thurs., Dec. 1 – Workshop and revising Final Paper

----------------------------

Tues., Dec. 6 – Final edition of Final Paper due

Thurs., Dec. 8– Presentations on Final Paper

----------------------------

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 12:30-2:30 – Finish Presentations and Presentation of bound copy

College Mission Statement

IUP serves students from across the nation and around the world by introducing them to and sustaining them in a culture of high aspiration and achievement so they may lead productive and meaningful lives. Singly and through collaboration within the State System of Higher Education, with other educational institutions, and with business,

government, human services and professional organizations, IUP contributes to the economic and cultural strength of the region, the commonwealth and the nation through education, scholarship, and service.

As the university continually evolves to higher levels of excellence, IUP will be:

* An institution of higher and continuing learning committed to the teacher-scholar model and the learning-centered environment, and a university where master’s and doctoral education is targeted to the education of competent practitioners, the production of practical knowledge, and the enrichment of undergraduate life.

* A learning-centered environment in which students enjoy traditional and nontraditional classroom experiences, engage in research and service activities with their faculty mentors, become lifelong learners equipped to adapt to the changing needs of their professional lives, and develop leadership skills for effective citizenship.

* An institution guided by its heritage, maintaining an environment of inquiry that combines a thorough examination of cultural traditions and intellectual roots with scientific and technological currency and the best of the liberal arts with superior career preparation.

* A learning community in touch with the main currents of politics, economics, and cultural life throughout the world; a community enriched by the presence of a significant number of international students and by opportunities for study abroad; and a community supported by technology that facilitates active participation in the creation and use of information and knowledge on a global scale.

* A center of lively intellectual discourse and affection for the arts.

* A community that is diverse in its composition, with a clear commitment to tolerance, compassion, and service. (as per IUP website)