Here is a link to a downloadable version of Syllabus Spring 2008

SYLLABUS

COLLEGE WRITING I  ENGL 121-31 – SPRING 2008 Instructor – Ariana Paliobagis                        

Email – arianajp@aol.com

Class Times – MWF 10-10:50                           

Website – writing121.wordpress.com

Location – Linfield Hall 234                            

Office Hours – W&F 9-10; F 11-12 & by appointment

English Office / Mailbox – WILH 2-176            

GTA Office – WILH 2-169; 994-7322

Writing Center – Wilson 1-108; 994-5315 – This is a free service for MSU students. 

Welcome to College Writing I            As the title indicates, you will be doing a lot of writing this semester, and I am looking forward to helping each of you develop as writers.  Writing and discussion in this class will be based upon considerable reading from our class text which includes foundational texts and images (visual texts) from many cultures and beliefs.  Through these readings and discussions we will develop strong, interesting, complex, and arguable ideas for writing; after all, writing without ideas is worthless and boring.            This class will focus on the development and communication of complex ideas presented in discussion and writing.  Although this is not a creative writing class, your creativity (particularly in ideas) is a valuable asset.  I do expect major essays to be presented in standard written English with the appropriate grammatical, spelling, style, tone, and format conventions respected.  We will discuss some of these aspects of writing throughout the course, but as each of you come to class with different strengths and weaknesses in these fields, we will not focus on mechanics extensively.  You will be responsible for pursuing your own specific development in these areas (resources for this will be provided), and I will be more than happy to answer any questions, give guidance, or work one-on-one with you if requested.              In this class, your writing will be an important part of our public discourse, and as such, your work will be read, discussed, and commented on by other students in the class.  Your name will be attached, so if you have a paper that you are not comfortable sharing, please come talk to me (I do not expect this to happen, but know that waivers will be an exception and not the rule).            Finally, I expect a level of professionalism from you in your classroom participation, your online participation, and in the quality, timeliness, and appearance of your work.  Please follow all instructions carefully.  You are encouraged to ask questions if anything is unclear.  Please note that while my expectations are high, they are not impossible.  This is an important class which should provide a strong foundation for your success at the university and beyond, and I want all of you to do well in it. 

Goals & Expectationsv      To become better writers and critical thinkers in an academic context.  To learn what kinds of writing and thinking are expected at the university level; this means that you will need to learn to make complex arguments with clear, well-developed ideas which are logically presented in standard written English with appropriate textual support and analysis.v      To read and analyze challenging texts.  To read across a variety of disciplines, cultures, and belief systems and to learn to work with a variety of texts and ideas in a respectful manner.v      To make connections both between texts and between the texts and your own life and ideas (this synthesis should be apparent in your writing and in class discussions).  To get beyond the surface of the readings and your own ideas; arguments should be subtle and demonstrate critical and engaged thinking.v      To work with the instructor and your classmates in a manner that is thoughtful, open, kind, helpful, and respectful. 

Required Texts & Suppliesv      Austin, Michael, ed.  Reading the World: Ideas that Matter. New York: Norton, 2007.v      Keys for Writers (handbook).v      A folder or binder to collect your work and any handouts for this class.  Please do not throw any essays or class materials away until the end of the semester.  You may be asked to refer to material from previous classes at any point in the semester.v      A folder which can be used to turn in multiple items at the same time.  Please make sure your name is prominent on the outside of this folder.     

Grading and AssignmentsYour grade for the course will be based on three Essay Assignment Sequences, each encompassing one-third of the semester.  All work within a sequence contribute to the grade for that segment of the class.  You must complete all drafts of the major essay to receive a grade for that sequence.  You must complete all three essays to earn a grade in the class.  Percentages will be assigned as follows:

·         Essay One                                            20%

·         Essay Two                                            25%     

·         Essay Three                                         30%                             

·         Participation & Attendance                  25% 

To receive credit, all work must be turned in on time; this includes both in-class and web-based assignments.  Any extensions must be approved in advance.  Also, please note that I will not accept emailed papers for grading, and I do not accept excuses related to technology. 

Online component:  You are expected to check the class website regularly and to contribute posts as assigned.  Some class materials and assignments may only be available online. 

Attendance & ParticipationAttendance is mandatory.  Participation is also required.  I expect you to come to each class prepared, having carefully read and thought about each reading, having completed all assignments, and having brought the required text and other class materials to class.  You will earn participation credit by turning in small in-class and homework assignments and by meaningfully contributing to small group and class discussions.  If you miss a class, you will also miss the participation points available for that day.  I will allow 3 unexcused absences.  After that, each absence may reduce your final grade by one half of a letter.  As several classes will be cancelled for individual conferences, I do not expect attendance for the remaining classes to be a problem.  If you miss 7 or more classes, you will not pass this class.  If you know in advance that you will be missing a class, please let me know, but also understand that it still counts as one of your three allowed absences.  Missing a conference does count as an absence.  Tardiness will not be tolerated.  Arriving late to class is highly disruptive and puts me in a very bad mood.  If this becomes a problem, I will count each day you are late in excess of ten minutes as a half absence. 

Office Hours and Email CorrespondencePlease use my office hours to discuss anything related to the class or your development as a writer.  Conferences will be held in the English GTA office area, so it is important that you find my office early. For email, please begin your subject line with “English 121” followed by a brief notation of the specific subject of your email or I may not read it in a timely fashion.  Also, please note that I will not attend to email over the weekend, and I will not fill you in on classes you have missed (you will find important information on the website).  I recommend that you exchange contact information with several classmates for the purpose of more detailed notes and instructions.  

Electronics PolicyElectronic devices, including but not limited to cell phones and iPods, are not to be used in the classroom.  Please turn off all electronic devices before entering the classroom and remove headphones from your person so that I will not have cause to question your compliance.  If you choose to violate this policy, you may be counted absent for that day. 

Disability InformationIf you have a disability that interferes with your learning in this course, please let me know at the earliest possibly occasion. You can find MSU’s disability policy at: www.montana.edu/wwwres/disability/ index.shtml. 

Plagiarism is a serious offense and will be dealt with accordingly.  For descriptions of what constitutes plagiarism see Reading the World, pages 723-724, and the MSU Student Conduct Code which can be found online:  http://www2.montana.edu/policy/student_conduct/student_conductc-code_2006-2007.htm#academichonesty.

Grading Rubric – Downloadable version: Grading Rubric 

A rubric is not a fail-safe measure, but it is a useful way to organize comments and responses for both students and teachers.  It also gives the class a simple and consistent vocabulary to discuss writing.  A rubric should be clear and helpful as a way for students to evaluate their own work.  Here is the rubric we will use this semester.  Obviously, it does not include everything that can be discussed about writing, but it gives us a starting point.

	Below standard	Adequate	Above standard
Focus	The guiding idea of the paper may be vaguely stated or not easy to identify. The writer might indicate a focus, but the essay doesn’t clearly support this focus. The focus of the essay might be overly simplistic or obvious so that it is hard for the reader to feel engaged.	The essay is focused around a clearly stated guiding idea. In one place the essay might wander away from this focus, but the overall message is clearly there. A few places in the essay may need more development in order to enhance the focus.	The essay is clearly focused around an interesting guiding idea. The body paragraphs develop this focus in a vivid, interesting manner. Everything in the essay contributes to the focus. The writer develops the guiding principle with a range of argument and support.
Support	Details that would support the point the writer is making are vague or missing. In key places, the writer has not effectively shown the writer what he/she means. Almost all points remain abstract or general. Supporting details or examples might be unnecessary or distracting.	There are supporting details for many of the points, though one place in the essay may be overly general and vague. In one place, support might be unnecessary or distracting (doesn’t clearly support the thesis). In one or two places, the use of support could be strengthened with more specific detail and/or further explanation.	There is a variety of support (anecdotes, quotes, description, examples, conversation from personal experience, observation, reading, film). The support is vivid, concrete, and develops the message of the essay in a complex, convincing and engaging manner. The writer “shows” and doesn’t just “tell” the reader what she/he means.
Organization	Introduction and/or conclusion might be missing or appear to simply repeat what is in the body of the paper. There might be a clear middle, beginning and end content-wise, but paragraph breaks don’t make sense or are missing. Overall organization of points might be confusing and/or jumpy.	There is a clear introduction, body and conclusion, but they need some work or do not add very much to the paper. Several places in the paper need more work with paragraph breaks. One or two paragraphs may need to be rearranged. Individual paragraph organization may be confusing in one or two places: Either a paragraph needs a clearer controlling idea or support.	There is a well-organized introduction, body and conclusion. Individual paragraphs are well organized and well developed. In one place, the paper may need work with paragraph breaks or more effective transitions. The introduction and/or conclusion clearly advances the project of the paper.
Style and Grammar	Complex sentence structures might be attempted, but there are several grammar patterns that hinder understanding (i.e. Confusing run-ons, Word forms, awkward syntax, fused sentences, missing words, frequent spelling errors, verb tense confusion, preposition use.) Exact word choice might be off in five or more places. Sentence structure might be choppy, simplistic and repetitive.	The essay is generally clear, but sentence structure may be simplistic and/or slightly repetitive in certain places. There are several grammar error patterns but nothing that seriously interferes with meaning—some fragments, comma splices, missing or misused articles, or perhaps subject-verb agreement errors. Word choice might be confusing in three or four places.	The essay is clear with attempts at complex sentence structures. There may be a minor grammar problem such as a couple missing or mis-used punctuation marks in certain places, but the rest demonstrates a mastery of conventional grammar. Word choice (vocabulary or part of speech choice) might be off in one or two places.

     

Further definitions:

Guiding idea: If it helps you, you can think of this in more familiar terms as a thesis or a claim, but I rename it deliberately.  A guiding idea might be difficult to state in a single sentence, and it might be something other than taking a side on an issue.  The guiding idea should be something that you find interesting and that you expect your reader to find interesting.  But still, you need to state the idea or principle clearly enough throughout your paper so that your reader knows why you are including what you are including, how you are connecting your ideas, and why they should find the paper interesting. The position is a specific approach to the guiding idea.

Focus: This is a visual metaphor, of course.  A focused paper will be clear and it will be obvious how everything fits together in service of the guiding principle.  Think about an unfocused pair of binoculars or a blurry film: individual details are vague and unconnected and you can’t discern the relationship of the parts that you are seeing.  A focused paper pulls all the parts together. 

Support:  Support means that you include enough details and evidence to fully explore the idea(s) you advance in your paper.  It means that you understand that, since not everyone will agree with your approach or thinking, you make the basis of it as clear as possible for your readers.  Support is work you do for your readers, in order that they a) believe that you know what you are writing about and b) might become introduced to another point of view on the topic. 

Organization:  Organization should work in service of your ideas, which means that you should not have a “template” or “formula” (such as the “five-paragraph essay”).  Instead, the organization of your paper will depend on what you are arguing.  There should be an introduction and a conclusion, but they should be part of your paper, not simply sections saying what you will say or have said. (A good test is: if you can get rid of the introduction or conclusion and your paper still has all the ideas and still makes sense without it, then get rid of them.)  

Style and Grammar:  This covers a lot of ground, but I encourage you to develop, as a writer, a broader stylistic range than you currently have.  Style covers sentence level writing and includes word choice, the structure of your sentences, and the ways in which you make connections from sentence to sentence. I also include in this usage and mechanical errors: if you have too many of these for a college level paper, I will simply return your paper to you, ungraded and unmarked, and ask you to figure out a way to correct them and turn the paper back into me.  If this is a challenge for you, then you need, now, to develop strategies as a writer to deal with that.