Syllabus

WRT 101 / English Composition I / Credits: 3.00

CRN 22245 / Spring 2018

Instructor Information

Instructor Name: Janel Spencer
Instructor Email: jspencerlevy@pima.edu
Instructor Website: d2l.pima.edu; https://wrt101spring2018spencer.wordpress.com/
Office Location/Hours: T/Th 10-11am by appointment
Department Chair or Dean Phone: Simone Gers 520-206-7453 sgers@pima.edu

Course Information

Course Description: Principles and practices of college-level writing. Includes using rhetorical principles in analyzing and creating texts, employing critical thinking skills, practicing multiple writing processes, using conventions in creating and revising texts, composing using appropriate technology, and writing college-level essays with an emphasis on argumentation.

Prerequisite(s): Requires both Reading and Writing prerequisites. Reading: With a C or better REA 091 or concurrent enrollment, or placement into REA 112. Writing: With a C or better WRT 090 or 090P or 090S or 096 or ESL 088WG, or placement into WRT 101. OR WRT 090R with a C or better (meets both Reading and Writing prerequisites).

Expectation of coursework hours: For this 3-credit course that meets 16x per semester, expect 90 hours of out of class work or as much as 5.6 hours of homework per week.

Course Meeting Days/Time: T/Th 8:40-9:55am

Course Delivery/Modality: East Campus E4 409

No Textbook: In this course we will be using Open Educational Resources (OERs); all materials will be freely available via our class WordPress site and/or online. We will also be utilizing Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/) as our style guide for MLA (Modern Languages Association) formatting as well as a resource for grammar and other useful writing information.

Other Required Materials: Access to a computer, printer, and paper. Work will be posted to individual blogs and/or printed. To prepare, you may want to set up your Wepa account at a Wepa Print Station on campus. Bring pen and paper to take notes in class.

Student Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

Apply rhetorical principles to analyze and create texts.
Employ critical thinking skills through writing, reading, and research.
Practice multiple writing processes in composing texts.
Use appropriate conventions in creating and revising texts.
Compose texts using appropriate technology.
Write college-level essays.
Use specific strategies for success.
Practice techniques to improve writing.

Grade and Instructor Policies

Grade Determination and Grading Policies:

Assignment	Percentage	Due Date
Essay 1: Narrative Argument	20	Feb 20
Essay 2: Rhetorical Analysis	20	April 10
Essay 3: Researched Argument & Presentation	30	May 10
Other Assignments	15
Attendance/Participation	15
Total	100

Your final grade will be determined using the following scale:

A = 100-90%

B = 89-80%

C = 79-70%

D = 69-60%

F = 59-0%

Essays & Final Presentation

Essays will be turned in over Turnitin.com using D2L. Type your essays in 12 pt., Times New Roman font, double-space your essays and follow MLA format. Essay 3 will include a final presentation of your research and argument to the class.

Other Assignments (In-class Writing, Homework, Drafts, Peer Responses, Reflections) & Your Blog Site

Come to class prepared to write and give feedback. Most days we will begin class with a freewrite or prompted writing response. This is to get us in the mindset and the practice of writing. Peer review activities will allow us to become better editors so that we may better edit our own work. Finally, to get you in the habit of analyzing your writing process, I will ask for reflections of your writing process after each essay.

You will receive credit for posting your writing (in-class, homework, drafts, peer responses, reflections) to your Blog site (this can be WordPress, Blogger, etc). This gives you a creative medium and a wider audience (your classmates) to further encourage the creation of a writing community: one in which you support each other’s work, gain inspiration and courage from one another, and put your best work out there. This is also a way of using technology in the writing classroom. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask and don’t be afraid to your classmates for help, as well (and to help your classmates out if you are great with technology).

Late Work

I do not accept late work except in extreme or emergency circumstances worked out with me beforehand or in an appropriate and timely manner.

Policies Concerning Withdraw and Incompletes

Under extreme circumstances, students may request a “W,” which designates a Withdraw, in lieu of their earned letter grade. The request must be made in writing before the last class meeting sent from their Pima email account and must include their full name, PCC ID, the course name, CRN, and the semester.

Under extreme circumstances, if the student has completed 80% of the course and is passing two weeks prior to the end of the semester, they may request an “I,” which designates an incomplete. According to Pima policy, “I” grades are kept on record for one year, after which the “I” grade will automatically change to “F” if the work is not completed.

Attendance Requirements/Active Participation

A failure to participate as required may result in loss of financial aid and failure in the class. For every credit hour of your classes you should plan to spend approximately two to three hours outside of class studying each week. Attendance requirements (https://www.pima.edu/programs-courses/credit-programs-degrees/attendance.html)

Building a Writing Community: Come to class having read the required reading and prepared for discussion. Our writing class is a community of learners. Your class attendance and active participation contributes to your own and each of your fellow classmate’s learning. To further each other’s success, when you step into this classroom, treat one another with the kindness, respect, and generous responses to each other’s thinking and writing (that you yourself would appreciate) so that we may aid each other in becoming better writers, readers, and editors of our own and others’ work.

Computers and Printers in the Classroom: We’re very lucky to have computers in our classroom for word processing and research related to the course. However, with the privilege comes responsibility. Misusing the computers during classtime (for anything besides classwork) is disruptive and if I see this behavior I will mark you absent for the day. Printers should only be used to print out what we write in class. They shouldn’t be used to print out your homework, essays, or materials for other classes/personal use. Come to class prepared and ready to focus on the assigned work.

Other Technology: Work against a hyper-connected life of continuous partial attention and give your full attention to the tasks and people around you. No phones or other tech devices out in class. If I see you on your phone, I will mark you absent for the day.

Absences: Missed class will not be made up except in cases of emergency and/or involving extended periods of absence. Check the class WordPress site for what you missed and what your homework is for the next class.

Tardiness: Being late is disruptive. If you are late three times, this counts as an absence.

Key Dates

For class add, drop, and withdrawal dates, go to the “My Schedule” section of MyPima, found on the Students > Academics MyPima page. Additional semester Key Dates and Deadlines (https://www.pima.edu/calendars/key-dates-and-deadlines/index.html) are on the Calendar link at the top of PCC webpages. These dates are also listed in the course schedule.

Student Resources and Policies

Student resources: tutoring, libraries, computer commons, advising, code of conduct, complaint process. Student resources (https://www.pima.edu/current-students/index.html)

Student policies: plagiarism, use of copyright materials, financial aid benefits, ADA information, FERPA, and mandatory reporting laws at www.pima.edu/syllabusresources.

Student Code of Conduct: The complete Code of Conduct can be found at: https://www.pima.edu/current-students/code-of-conduct/. This includes a zero tolerance toward student acts of plagiarism. If you copy material without giving the writer proper credit, you are plagiarizing and will receive an “F.”

ADA Compliance: Pima Community College is committed to providing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in a timely and effective manner. To request a reasonable accommodation, students must be registered with the campus Disabled Student Resources (DSR) office. Accommodations will be made based on eligibility DSR. Services can be requested at any time during the semester. Requesting services well in advance will help to ensure that resources are available when needed. Contact information: https://www.pima.edu/current-students/disabled-student-resources/contact-us.html.

Tips for Success in WRT101

Make sure you can log on to MyPima on our class computers and have access to D2L for access to course documents/assignments. Check your email and the class WordPress site frequently.
Make sure you have a way to transport your writing-in progress to work on in class—a flash/jump drive or Google Drive will work!
Create a back up plan—save your work and in multiple places, just to be safe! Keep copies of all your essay drafts.
It’s a good idea to store graded copies of your work in a folder for the class for easy reference until the end of the semester.
Make sure you have access to and know how to use Microsoft Word/Pages. All draft of essays must be typed in MLA format; handwritten work is not accepted.
Be ready to print on campus at a wepa Print Station and/or at home—make sure you have plenty of ink and paper as we start turning in drafts and final drafts of essays so you don’t run out at a crucial moment!
Come to class on time and ready to work. Attendance is important to your success in this course.
Read all the readings so you can participate in class and maximize your potential for developing your writing skills.
Contact me if you have any questions. Please don’t contact me, however, the night before a paper is due. Get started early and give yourself time to ask questions!
Utilize tutoring as another way to get feedback on your writing and grow as a writer for your success in this class, in future writing classes, and for any class or future situation that requires skillful writing. Tutoring is available online through D2L’s NetTutor and at Pima’s Learning Center.
Make sure you know when the assignments are due and turn your work in on time! Late work is not accepted.

*Habits of Mind (for Student Success):

Curiosity – The desire to know more about the world.
Openness – The willingness to consider new ways of being and thinking in the world.
Engagement – A sense of investment and involvement in learning.
Creativity – The ability to try novel approaches for generating, investigating, and representing ideas.
Persistence – The ability to sustain interest in and attention to projects.
Responsibility – The ability to take ownership of one’s actions and understand the consequences of those actions for oneself and others.
Flexibility – The ability to adapt to situations, expectations, or demands.
Metacognition – The ability to reflect on one’s own thinking and use what one learns from reflection on one project to improve subsequent projects. In this class we’ll discuss what writers need to think about when they write. Reflecting on what you think about and pay attention to when you write can help you to improve writing on subsequent projects.

*Developed by the Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Writing Project

Course Schedule

*Please note that the following schedule is approximate, as dates and topics may shift as the semester continues. Please refer to the class WordPress site for current information regarding your assignment due dates.

Tue., Jan. 16 – Introductions, Writing Goals, Syllabus/D2L/Wordpress

Thurs., Jan. 18 – “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action” by Audre Lorde

Tue., Jan. 23 – Narration, Narrative Argument, Introduction to Essay 1

Thurs., Jan. 25 – Techniques for making a narrative come to life, Choosing a story for Essay 1

Tue., Jan. 30 – Structure of a persuasive essay, Prewriting strategies, Essay organization, Developing a central idea/thesis statement for a Narrative Argument, Developing an Outline and First Draft, Introduction and Thesis, MLA

Thurs., Feb. 1 – Essay 1 Draft 1 due printed (Thesis and Introductory paragraphs, 1-2 pages)

Tues., Feb. 6 – Developing Body Paragraphs

Thurs., Feb. 8 – Conclusion

Tue., Feb. 13 – Essay 1 Draft 2 due printed (3 copies, 3-4 pages), Peer Review

Thurs., Feb. 15 – Revision Process, Grammar

Tues., Feb. 20 – Essay 1 due to Turnitin, in-class reflections, Introduction to Rhetoric, Essay 2 Assignment

Thurs., Feb. 22 – No class (college closed for Rodeo Days)

Tue., Feb. 27 – Rhetorical Appeals, Resume/Cover Letter Activity

Thurs., March 1 – Analyzing Visual Arguments

Tues., March 6 – Rhetorical Analysis and Lens

Thurs., March 8 – Thesis for Essay 2

Tue., March 13 – Thurs., March 15 – No class (Spring Break)

Tue., March 20 – Outline for Essay 2, Introductory paragraphs

Thurs., March 22 – Essay 2 Draft 1 due

Tue., March 27 – Revision Process

Thurs., March 29 – Revision Process

Tue., April 3 – Peer responses

Thurs., April 5 – Revision Process

Tue., April 10 – Essay 2 due to Turnitin, in-class reflections, Introduce Extra Credit, Research Practice

Thurs., April 12 – Annotated Bibliography

Tue., April 17 – Library Guide

Thurs., April 19 – Organizing and Drafting Essay 3

Tue., April 24 – Quoting/Citing, Annotated Bibliography and Research Proposal due

Thurs., April 26 – Essay 3 Draft 1 due

Tue., May 1 – Work in groups

Thurs., May 3 – Debate

Tue., May 8 – Peer Review

Thurs., May 10 – Essay 3 due to Turnitin, Presentations

Tue., May 15 – Presentations, Final Reflection due