ENGL 110C fall 2020
Instructor: KM Bradley, M.Ed. Class Time: Mon/Wed1500 to 1615; BAL 3072
E-mail: kbrad010@odu.edu Office Hours: By arrangement
English 110 is neither Dangerous Minds or Freedom Writers where a candy bar, composition book, or line game will instantly morph you into amazing writers; your diligence and willingness to learn and understand the craft of writing to change, however will foster your ability to be successful writers and successful students. Welcome!
Course Description
ENGL 110C. English Composition. 3 Credits. The principal objective of the course is to prepare students to be effective writers of the kinds of compositions they will be called on to produce during their college careers. By the end of the course, students should be more mature in their understanding and use of language, should develop efficient writing processes, and should know and demonstrate the qualities of effective composition in a given rhetorical situation and should be able to demonstrate those qualities in their own writing. Prerequisites: A passing grade on the Writing Sample Placement Test.
Required Text
● Everyone’s an Author, with Readings, 2nd Ed, Lunsford et al, Norton, 2016
Additional Materials
- ODU MIDAS account and reliable daily internet access;
- A means of writing whether it be paper and pen or an electronic device;
- A Google Folder linked to your ODU email and shared with your instructor
- Access to a black and white printer well-supplied with ink for the duration of the semester.
Learning Outcomes
Develop rhetorical knowledge and critical thinking, reading and information literacy skills by:
- Analyzing and composing multiple forms of writing to understand how genre conventions shape readers’ and writers’ practices and purposes,
- Practicing purposeful shifts in structure, content, diction, tone, formality, design, and/or medium in accordance with the rhetorical situation.
Develop critical thinking, reading, and information literacy skills by:
- Composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating,
- Using outside materials in their own writing through techniques such as interpretation, synthesis, response, critique, and design/redesign,
- Incorporating outside materials through quotations, paraphrase, and summary.
Develop effective strategies for drafting texts by:
- Working through multiple drafts of a project and recognizing the role of reflecting, revising, and editing in the process,
- Engaging in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes, such as learning to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress, both by and with peers and in one-on-one instructor conferences,
- Critically reflecting on how they may further develop and apply writing skills in the future.
Develop knowledge of conventions by:
- Demonstrating competency in grammar, punctuation, and spelling,
- Practicing genre conventions for structure, paragraphing, tone and mechanics,
- Understanding the concepts of intellectual property that motivate documentation conventions through application of recognized citation styles
Assignment & Units
Academic writing is oft associated as “writing with just words on a page,” but over the course of the semester we increase understanding of what it means to write through composition of multimodal and digital projects including an ePortfolio and other multimodal tasks. Additionally, there will be assigned readings connected to the craft of writing itself.
Enrollment in ENGL 110 requires written composition of a minimum of 5000 words (approximately 20 typed pages) total over the course of the semester with up to 1500 of this 5000-word requirement coming from low-stakes writings, namely journal entries, in-class writings work, and end-of-unit reflection. Students will complete one in-class paper of at least 500 words (by mid-term) and at least three formal papers–writing that results from invention, drafting, response, revision, and editing through completion of the following papers and projects:
HIGH STAKES WRITINGS
Unit 1: Our Writing Voice
This unit entails composition of two papers: a one-page in-class essay about your experiences and perceptions of writing and a second, more developed, two-three page literacy narrative that investigates, analyzes, and reflects on who you are as a writer, reader, learner, and student
Unit 2: Rhetorical Influencers
This unit centers on composition of a three to four-page rhetorical analysis, where students will examine rhetorical choices made in a select text to better understand how and why texts are produced, how effectiveness is achieved within context for a particular audience, and how persuasion or lack thereof is achieved for intended audience.
Unit 3: Persuasively Arguing a Point
Students will choose an important local issue that warrants change-making impact, research what has been said and done about this issue, then compose two texts addressing this issue in two, different genres–one in three to four page alphabetic (written) medium and one visual, audio, or performative medium—intended for a specific purpose and audience.
Unit 4: Writers Reflect; Writers Present (Three components)
- a showcase ePortfolio website,
- a two to three-page reflective letter that chronicles your development as a writer and the influence completing ENGL 110 has had on this trajectory, and
- a short 3-5minute presentation during the final exam about one lesson learned this semester.
ePortfolio: Students must electronically save their formal writing assignments. Instructors will direct students to collect and submit clean copies (no grades or comments) of representative writing that demonstrates all written communication learning outcomes for ENGL 110C. These artifacts will be submitted along with a reflective essay, which altogether constitute the student’s writing portfolio. The reflective essay may be written as the final exam for 110. Faculty may choose one of the following methods for submitting copies of student work: Google Drive folder or showcase ePortfolio website. Instructors will share access to these materials with the WPA (Jenn Sloggie-Pierce: jsloggie@odu.edu) at the end of the semester.
Final Exam: A final examination is required for this course. During the designated final exam period, students will share a short, focused 3-5-minute presentation about one lesson learned this semester. Please note that the ePortfolio and Reflection Essay are due at the time of the final exam.
LOW-STAKES WRITING
Journal: You will be asked to maintain your journal which need not be edited or polished your journal entries, as the journal’s primary intention is to be insightful tool to share your ideas interested in your ideas. Journal entries will not be graded every week but will be periodically checked to assess to what extent you are engaging with the texts. Most entries will be informal and assigned for homework and will not exceed 30 minutes or two pages.
Students must submit all of the major papers, as well as the final ePortfolio in order to be eligible to pass this course.
Readings: You will be assigned reading both from your textbook and in other forms like short articles and scholarly journal articles. Selections may be posted to Blackboard as PDFs or as links to websites; others may be distributed via email. Please bring your textbook to class on days that readings have been assigned, making sure to carefully read the assigned selections; be prepared to contribute to classroom discussions and small group activities that address the readings. Though I will do my best to upload the readings to our class Google Drive, the readings are your responsibility. This means that if a link isn’t working or a page is cut off, it will be your obligation to secure the reading in another way.
Required Conferences: At least twice this semester, you will be required to meet with your instructor for an individual conference meeting. If you fail to come to a scheduled conference meeting, you will be marked absent. Though you can reschedule the meeting, you will not be able to redeem credit.
Manuscript Preparation and Submission: Most assignments will be turned in via your Google Drive folder; others may need to be printed and brought to class. While there will be some exceptions, it is in your best interest that, when in doubt, bring a paper copy with you to class. Unless specified otherwise, ALL written assignments are to be formatted as follows:
- MLA formatted typed using 12-point font, black ink;
- have 1-inch margins on every side of the paper;
- double space the entire paper, ensuring there aren’t extra spaces between paragraphs;
- contain on the first page in the upper left corner, your name, the instructor’s last name, the course number and assignment, and the date;
- include a unique title that is centered and the same size text as the rest of the paper;
- include your last name and the page number in the upper right corner of every page
Entries written outside of class should be typed in Google Docs and saved in your individual class Google Drive folder. You will need to have your journal with you and accessible every class, whether paper or electronic form because we will frequently use them as springboards for class discussion and activities. If you write out a journal entry in class, you need not type it, but you should include a placeholder in your typed journal (ex. “Journal Entry 7 has been included in this folder as a photo and is titled: Literacy Narrative Brainstorming”) and then upload a photo into your individual Google Drive class folder.
Setting up your Class Google Folder: In your personal or ODU Gmail account, you will need to enter Google Drive and create a folder designated for this course. Once you are in Google Drive, go to “New” in the upper left corner of the screen and choose “Folder.” This will take you to an empty folder. Name the Folder with your first and last name and ENGL 110.
At the top of the screen you will see “My Drive > Folder” and it will have an arrow pointing down. Click this arrow and choose “Share+.” Share your folder with me (kbrad010@gmail.com) and make sure you choose the option for me to have editing access (represented by the pencil icon). The first document you should create is your Journal. Title your journal with your first and last name. For each new entry, add the date, entry number, and title. Please insert a “Page Break” between each entry; do not create a new document for each entry.
Course Evaluation
Participation: Your class participation grade hinges on a variety of factors:
- contributions to class discussion
- engagement in workshops
- participation in small group work and conferences
- focus and efforts during in-class writing and drafting;
- in-class professionalism—bringing hard copies of drafts, appropriate phone, being respectful during class conversations, staying on task, et al.
AKA: There are many ways to participate in class!
If any of the above listed participation paths is not well-suited, please discuss this with me to develop participation individually suited to your needs. If you do not meet with me to create a plan of participation, your participation will be assessed using the participation criterion listed. The he participation rubric will be reviewed during the first week of class; this is also accessible to you at any time through our class Google Drive Folder and Blackboard.
Grading Scale: The grade breakdown may be tweaked per individual instructor, although the formal papers should constitute a greater percentage than the low-stakes assignments, and the final may count between 10 and 25% of the total grade, but no more.
Anticipated percentages and points for grading are as follows:
- Unit 1: Our Writing Voice (125 points): zero draft, peer review, polished draft, reflection
- Unit 2: Rhetorical Influencers (125 points): zero draft, peer review, polished draft, reflection
- Unit 3: Persuasively Arguing a Point (250 points) proposal, zero draft, peer reviews, polished drafts, presentation, reflection
- Unit 4, Reflection/ Final Exam (175 points): reflective essay, ePortfolio, presentation
- Participation (125): See above for a description for what constitutes participation.
Grading Scale
A= 800-716, B= 715-636, C= 635-556, D= 555-476, below 475 F.
Policies and Procedures
Mandatory Attendance Policy: Missing class meetings and conferences will negatively affect the quality of the work students produce. A great deal of 110 and 211/221/231 is given to activities requiring student interaction (discussion, peer review, conferences). Therefore, English 110 and 211/221/231 have a mandatory attendance policy: students should miss no more than one week of class time (3 contact hours) without penalty. Students who are absent for more two weeks of class time (6 classes for MWF sections, 4 classes for T/R sections, and 2 classes for sections meeting once a week), may receive an F for the course. In accordance with University Policy reasonable provisions should be made by the instructor for documented representation at University sponsored athletic or academic functions, mandatory military training and documented illness. The granting of provisions for other documented absences is left to the discretion of the faculty member. Missed conferences may be counted as absences.
Regular attendance to class on time every session is
of great value to you, me, and your peers! However, in accordance with ODU Policy,
reasonable provisions will be made by the instructor for documented
representation at university-sponsored athletic or academic functions,
mandatory military training, and documented illness. If
you know you will be absent, turn in work in advance or make arrangements with
me. If you have a university-sanctioned event or experience a crisis that
prevents you from attending class, ask an appropriate campus official to
document your situation. Instructors may not accept doctors’ or parents’ notes
to excuse absences; only an appropriate campus official can document
extenuating health or family circumstances. Recognizing that unexpected things
do happen, your final grade will not be lowered for up to two absences (though
you may miss points that cannot be made up, like quizzes); no questions asked.
Your final grade will be lowered 5 points for every additional absence after
two (i.e., you will lose five points beginning with the third absence).
Students automatically fail the course after they miss a fifth class. Every
third instance of tardiness, early departure, or lack of preparation will add
up to an absence.
Late Work
Unless you have appropriate documentation from an appropriate campus official, I will not accept small-stakes late work for credit (20 points or fewer). If you will be absent but do have documentation from an appropriate campus official, you and I will set a reasonable deadline for your work (typically the following class period). High stakes assignments (21 points+) will be accepted with a five-point reduction for every class period it is late. To receive full credit for work due on the day of an absence, submit the assignment prior to the start of class through your Google Drive and notify me through email (link to the work is appreciated).
Civility Expectations
Healthy, robust discussion is part of the journey to being a successful writer! As such, constructive dialogue is encouraged throughout the semester and requires that all students demonstrate mutual respect, willingness to listen, and tolerance of opposing viewpoints meaning respect for individual differences and alternative viewpoints will be maintained at all times. One’s words and use of language are expected to be tempered and within acceptable bounds of civility and decency. Part of your success in this course hinges on structured and unstructured discussions as this is a feasible way to explore challenging issues to increase our understandings of different perspectives. Though these conversations are not always easy and sometimes mistakes are made in our speaking and our listening, it is imperative that all students exercise patience, courage, imagination, et al to engage in discussions about texts and our own ideas and experiences; respect for all students in class is paramount, particularly during difficult, though necessary, conversations that arise on the path to deepening understandings of multiple perspectives–whatever our backgrounds, experiences, or positions. (adapted from Alisse Portnoy, University of Michigan).
Technology Policy
Computer Access: You will need to secure consistent access to technology, including a working computer and printer, for this course. Whether you use a public or private computer and printer, you are responsible for saving and backing up all of your written work. Failing to do so. May result in missing course deadlines, which can lead to a lowered grade or failing grade.
Cell Phones: This course employs a polite technology policy, meaning that you are allowed to use your devices for in-class note taking, free-writing, and other appropriate activities as long as you are on task and do not distract neither fellow students nor the instructor. Please note, however, that there are times during class when it is simply not appropriate to be on your cell phone or other handheld device. Not sure? ask permission before using your devices and be prepared to put them away when the instructor requests. Texting, talking on the phone, searching the web, obsessively checking the time, et al will result in loss of 10 participation points of overall participation grade each time or may result in be asked to leave the classroom altogether.
Email Policy
Writing an email is a rhetorical act which can have negative repercussions if rhetorical context is not followed. As such, when emailing me, as well as other professors, please:
- begin with a salutation;
- provide specific information needed to answer your question, comment, and/or concern;
- write in a polite and professional voice even if you are upset (ask questions, don’t demand);
- end with a salutation.
I respond to ALL emails in a timely manner but please anticipate a 24-48 hour turn-around time. Please do not send a follow-up email unless at least 48 hours has passed.
FERPA
A student’s academic progress up to and including the final grade will not be shared with any individual other than the student or an appropriate campus official without proper documentation indicating otherwise; in other words, I cannot discuss your academic performance with your parents, guardians, significant other, or friends without a signed waiver from the Registrar’s Office. However, please be encouraged to discuss with me any questions, comments, or concerns you have about your academic progress or lack thereof.
Plagiarism
Writers who use the words or ideas of others are obligated to give credit through proper acknowledgment and documentation. Failure to give credit is plagiarism, a violation of the ODU Honor Code that almost certainly will lead to failing the course and could lead to expulsion from ODU. The ODU Catalog defines plagiarism as follows:
A student will have committed plagiarism if he or she reproduces someone else’s work without acknowledging its source; or if a source is cited which the student has not cited or used. Examples of plagiarism include: submitting a research paper obtained from a commercial research service, the Internet, or from another student as if it were original work; making simple changes to borrowed materials while leaving the organization, content, or phraseology intact; or copying material from a source, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks. Plagiarism also occurs in a group project if one or more of the members of the group does none of the group’s work and participates in none of the group’s activities but attempts to take credit for the work of the group.
If the quality of your in-class and out-of class writing varies dramatically or arises suspicion, the instructor has the right to ask questions about your work and writing process, request to see early drafts, and/or ask you to write under supervision. If you have questions about how and when to acknowledge sources, please refer to your textbooks and see the instructor for advice.
Statement on Educational Accessibility for Students with Disabilities
Old Dominion University is committed to ensuring equal access to all qualified students with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) is the campus office that works with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations. If you experience a disability which will impact your ability to access any aspect of my class, please present me with an accommodation letter from OEA so that we can work together to ensure that appropriate accommodations are available to you. If you feel that you will experience barriers to your ability to learn and/or testing in my class but do not have an accommodation letter, please consider scheduling an appointment with OEA to determine if academic accommodations are necessary. The Office of Educational Accessibility is located at 1021 Student Success Center and their phone number is (757)683-4655. Additional information is available at the OEA website: http://www.odu.edu/educationalaccessibility/”
Writing Sample Placement Test (WSPT)
ALL students are required to successfully complete the WSPT before being admitted to English 110C. Instructors should explain to students that if they have not taken and passed the WSPT, they will be administratively dropped from English 110C and will not receive credit for the course. Students may contact the Student Success Center at: 757-683-3699 to register.
The Writing Center
The Old Dominion University Writing Center (WC) offers free appointments and walk-in writing consultations to all currently enrolled students on campus. Students may seek help with their writing projects for a variety of courses and meet with a consultant to discuss anything from brainstorming to learning how to proofread their own work. Appointments are approximately 45-minutes (shorter for walk-ins after 20 minutes past the top of the hour). WC graduate student consultants work with individual students or groups. Most tutoring sessions are by appointment; walk-in appointments are provided when tutors are not in a scheduled session. For distance students, we use WCOnline. The WC is located in the library, room 1208, and is open Monday through Friday. To make an appointment call 757.683.4013 during open hours or book an appointment online at odu.mywconline.com.
Library Instruction
Subject specialist librarians are available to meet with classes for instruction in the effective use of information resources. Instructors wishing to arrange instruction for their writing and research courses should complete the request form at: http://www.odu.edu/library/help, giving a minimum of 2 weeks’ notice. Call Megan Smith at 757-683-4182 for further information. Reference librarians welcome the opportunity to work with faculty on integrating information literacy into their courses.
Tentative Calendar
Week 1 – ENGL 110 Intro
Mon, Aug 31: Syllabus, Getting to Know You Icebreaker
Wed, Sept 2: Who am I as a Writer?
Week 2 – Unit One Intro
Mon, Sept 7: Labor Day, NO CLASS
Wed, Sept 9: Unit One Introduction & Expressivist Writing Basics
Week 3 – Writing Get Ready’s
Mon, Sept 14: Arrangement, Style, Audience, Context
Wed, Sept 16: Zero Draft
Week 4 – Writing Process
Mon, Sept 21: Peer Review
Wed, Sept 23: Polished Draft and Reflection
Week 5 – Unit 2 Intro
Mon, Sept 28: Analysis Up Close and Personal
Wed, Sept 30: Invention and Application
Week 6 – Writing Process
Mon, Oct 5: Zero Draft Due
Wed, Oct 7: Arrangement, Style, and MLA
Week 7 – fall break and One-on-One Conferences
Mon, Oct 12: Fall Break, NO CLASS
Wed, Oct 14: Individual conference mid-point check in
Week 8 – Writing Process
Mon, Oct 19: Drafting and Peer Review
Wed, Oct 21: Polished Draft and Reflection
Week 9 – Unit Three Intro
Mon, Oct 26: Introduce Unit 3
Wed, Oct 28: Invention
Week 10 – Abstract and Research
Mon, Nov 2: Op-Ed Abstract Due
Wed, Nov 4: Research Tutorial
Week 11 – Writing Process and One-on One Conferences
Mon, Nov 9: Research, Style, Arrangement
Wed, Nov 11: Individual Conference end-point check-in
Week 12 – Writing Process
Mon, Nov 16: Drafting & Peer Review
Wed, Nov 18: Behind-the-Scenes Presentations and Unit 3 Papers Due
Week 13 – ePortfolio Tutorial
Mon, Nov 23: Behind-the-Scenes Presentations and Unit 3 Papers Due
Wed, Nov 25: Unit 4. Portfolio and Assessment Website Demos.
Week 14 – Reflection
Mon, Dec 1: Presentations, if needed. Introduce Reflective Essay conferences (to be scheduled)
Wed, Dec 3: Invention/ Drafting for Reflective Essay
Week 15 – Final
Mon, Dec 7: Final Exam: Reflective Essay and Final Portfolio Due to Google Folder.
Wed, Dec 9: Final Exam: Reflective Essay and Final Portfolio Due to Google Folder. Course Evaluations