English 101.063 — Composition: User`s Manual Overview
Contents
1. with you into future writing situations Fall 2011 Class Schedule English 101 063 Prof Reid Reading assignments are from Writer s Help Help the 101 User s Manual on the wiki User and some assigned readings linked from the Wiki s Readings page Wiki Some essays E Res are online via the library s Electronic Reserve option http oscr gmu edu password Composition Eventually readings will also be assigned some your choice some mine from the book your team is working on Book You will be expected to have an annotated copy of the day s reading assignment s with you in class in hardcopy or virtually Please read the Assignments Page on the wiki carefully for details on the Prepwork SWP and Essay assignments Date In class topics Reading due for class Writing due for class Classwork amp Presentations A30 Intros Thinking like a writer SWP and the Upside Down class Sl Writing Project 1 Asgt Decoding a writing task early reading amp writing problems Seeing below the surface User s Manual Section 1 Wiki 5 videos Time Calc Help Invention E Reserve Lamott SFD Prepwork 0 3x6 Log They Claim I Respond So What Self Assessment S6 Reading as a writer Adding to a conversation S8 Rants amp Judgments Gray Area Exploration Peer Review Review Conference sign up User Section 2 E Res Any two Freeman Neuwirth Pollan Skloot Turkle Wiki All Pol2. and reasoning The core problem Use information or arguments from the reading selection s you ve chosen in order to help your peers see something unexpected about your world and thus reconsider their own worlds At some point s in the essay you ll likely use the following strategies though not necessarily in this order e describe a person place object event assumption situation behavior and or experience in your life from before you read this text and describe what it means or meant to you or people around you make us see what you mean e explain how the event thing assumption you re describing is or isn t an example of a principle or argument discussed in your reading selection and explain some of the not so obvious effects that come from rethinking your world in this manner and make a claim about what the implications or long term effects might be for everyone for some group of people for you from re seeing re thinking re presenting your world this way This claim is your argument or thesis You might not discover your thesis until you ve written your SFD Synthesizing an argument Rather than doing all the description at once and then all the explanation you should try to combine description and explanation throughout the essay There are benefits to revising your draft so that your reader can see what your point is early and often during your essay even if you don t start off knowing exa
3. as well as on what you learned from your peers comments Decoder Presentation In a 3 5 minute presentation you will use our seven part decoder strategy plus an assessment of challenges and resources to show how a writer might start to solve a writing problem You may discuss a writing assignment from another current or previous class or a writing task from your workplace community or personal sphere Try to choose an assignment that s at least a little different from what others have presented on You should have some kind of basic on screen information to help your audience process this information Sentence Solver Presentation In a 2 3 minute presentation you will guide us through some key features of two sentences one from your own writing this semester and one from a professional academic text You should have some kind of basic on screen information to help your audience process this information Presentations may be informal but they should be clear concise and engaging convince us this is fascinating stuff Final Quiz amp Comprehensive PA A 20 minute quiz during the final exam period will let you demonstrate that you can apply writing problem solving strategies to unfamiliar situations that is that you can solve writing problems beyond this class As the take home part of the final quiz you ll summarize the problem solving strategies you ve improved on this semester and explain how you can take them
4. author speaker said try to explain how this idea resonates in or conflicts with your world and people you know Repeat do six of these total including one from each of the five assigned videos Writing Prep Complete an initial self analysis In a rich paragraph with good specific examples explain a couple of things you re pretty good at regarding writing in school or out of it a couple of writing problems that are harder for you and a couple of writing strategies you d like to improve on this semester Prepwork A Thinking Prep For each of the two selections you read create a 3x3 log see instructions above Also for each selection write a three sentence summary What is the author s overall argument not just his her topic but his her point of view about a problem and what key evidence does he she discuss Writing Prep First write a rich paragraph talking back to the author of the chapter you were most interested in You may frame this as a letter if you d like if you had the chance to share your side of things with the author what would you say what questions suggestions or contradictions would you raise Include specific details examples Second write a rich paragraph talking out to your peers inviting those who haven t yet read this chapter to consider reading it what can you say that would persuade them to take an interest in this topic this text or this author Paste a second copy of this talk out paragra
5. final draft may lose points Project Two Complicate the Situation 100 points Specifications 1200 1800 words 4 6 pages Argue for the not so obvious complexity of an issue Draw on the ideas from three texts one from your Book and two that you find The core problem Use what you know from reading three different sources to argue that a concept action claim situation or solution described in one of them an idea that may seem to reasonable people to be perfectly clear and straightforward is in fact complicated difficult and or extensively intertwined with other choices or actions Your purpose here is neither just to list what everyone else says all about Brazil s favelas nor to make a black and white pro con argument all Brazil s favelas should be torn down Instead you Il need to provide a synthesis of views in order to convince someone who thinks the situation can be easily described and or solved that instead additional analysis about the causes effects and implications of the situation would be beneficial and interesting At some point s in the essay you ll likely need to do the following things e describe what different people or categories of people are saying about this topic and how they may have come to hold those convictions e explain how additional data or analysis complicate in more ways than one some basic assumptions e and provide a claim about the causes and or effects of th
6. or distinctive phrases even very short 2 or 3 word phrases that writers copy directly from any outside source a book a textbook an article a website a newspaper a song a baseball card an interview an encyclopedia a CD a movie etc e completely rewrite not just switch out a few words any information they find in a separate source and wish to summarize or paraphrase for their readers and also give an in text citation for that paraphrased information e give an in text citation for any facts statistics or opinions which the writers learned from outside sources or which they just happen to know and which are not considered common knowledge in the target audience this may require new research to locate a credible outside source to cite e give a new in text citation for each element of information that is do not rely on a single citation at the end of a paragraph because that is not usually sufficient to inform a reader clearly of how much of the paragraph comes from an outside source Writers must also include a Works Cited or References list at the end of their essay providing full bibliographic information for every source cited in their essay While different disciplines may have slightly different citation styles and different instructors may emphasize different levels of citation for different assignments writers should always begin with these conservative practices unless they are expressly told otherwise W
7. prep section which you use to warm up your brain by asking questions and making connections related to the assigned reading and a writing prep section in which you ll do some step of working out the writing task you re engaging in All assignments should be typed and copied pasted to your private Prepwork page by the start of class on the due date Prepwork is graded H S U 0 lowest score dropped for 80 points classwork counts for 20 points Prepwork 0 This assignment will be graded but as long as it s complete a low score won t count against you Thinking Prep Create a 3x6 log by clicking Insert Table 3 columns or downloading the sample document In the left column They Claim provide a direct quotation from a video you watched It can be something you agree with disagree with were surprised by or have questions about e In the middle column I Respond write a sentence or two explaining your response what exact connections questions concerns memories or emotions does the quotation evoke for you and why What memories or experiences that only you have had in exactly the way you had them does this quotation idea connect to Try to write sentences that only you could write about your house or your uncle or your birthday or your school e In the right column So What write a sentence or two to explain why someone who isn t you might still care about this idea or might not Try not to repeat what the
8. should include and fully integrate three non text elements You may choose to gather substantial data outside of books via interviews surveys or other route good data will count double Instead or in addition you may include pictures graphs or diagrams audio or video clips or specific design features that aid readers something beyond changing your font An original created by you non text element counts double Any non text elements that you borrow from somewhere else need to be properly cited in text and in your works cited list We ll talk about all of this at more length in class Public Prep As you write this essay you ll need to keep in mind that you ll be translating some of it as part of Project Four so it can Go Public in a form that real people might actually read and be persuaded by Project Four Go Public 25 points Specifications 300 600 words or equivalent Choose a target audience that most needs to know something you now know based on your work this semester Choose a genre that will reach that audience letter memo brochure poster petition video public service announcement editorial presentation activity song podcast webpage etc The core problem Make a real public audience with limited time and limited resources take interest in care about and take action regarding the issue s you discussed in Project 3 So you ll need to e identify a specific audience exact enough
9. your writing strategies often requires a mix of the following imagination mind reading confidence uncertainty flexibility humor knowledge inquiry support from good friends feedback from nitpicky grumps revision an awareness of genres and rules time a willingness to go outside the box and to create your own boxes patience thought intensive reading more thought more patience more time giving up trying again honesty strategizing more revision planning innovation inspiration resistance anticipation stomping around having a clear purpose exploration and or chocolate Part of your grade for your projects in this class will depend on the improvements you make as a writer and problem solver P S Most people are only willing to write well when they re writing about something that s important enough to them that they will undertake all of the above work If you want to write well in college it will help to figure out how to find something important that you want to write about or find what s important to you in what you must write about We ll take time this semester to work on that kind of strategizing as well 2 Instruction and Classwork Overview Most of our class sessions will be highly interactive and involve a significant amount of focused student discussion and writing You will be encouraged to find ways to link class assignments with your other interests and activities You will also carry some responsibil
10. English 101 063 Composition User s Manual Overview Fall 2011 TR 9 00 10 15 IN 320 Professor E Shelley Reid Contact Points Office Robinson A 420 703 993 2772 Office Hours T Th 10 30 11 30 W 4 30 5 30 and by appointment E mail me ereid1 gmu edu Text me 571 306 2772 text only no voice mail Mailbox Robinson A 487 Course Wiki https engh101063f11 pbworks com Course Materials Text Writer s Help an online handbook from Bedford St Martin s 2 or 4 year access Reading By September 29 purchase one of the following Fishman s The Big Thirst Neuwirth s Shadow Cities Pollan s Omnivore s Dilemma Skloot s Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or Turkle s Alone Together Do not buy a book until you ve joined a team Other Have a USB flash drive or cloud account e g Dropbox com to transport files Activate your GMU email account Note Plan to back up your computer files regularly don t risk losing the work you spent so much time on The Official Description This is a course in improving your abilities to read reconsider analyze plan draft evaluate and revise writing in a range of common American academic essay genres This course also aims to help you find ways to value the writing you do as a tool for learning or expression to expand your research skills and persuasive abilities to adapt your writing to new audiences and contexts to handle the various technologies a
11. Research Evaluating Sources S29 Team Talk Book Reid s Choice 2 Prepwork G DECODERS 3 amp 4 Critical reading strategies Audience appeals Wiki Choose one Briefing Help TOC Research Reading Sources Critically Reading Analysis 2 team contribution Bring post first source Date In class topics Reading due for class Writing due for class Classwork amp Presentations 04 Writing a conversation User Section 5 Prepwork H DECODERS 5 amp 6 quotations paraphrases Book Your Choice 2 Reading Analysis 3 summary citation Help TOC MLA Papers Proposal Overview of MLA Bring post second source O6 Team Talk Help Synthesizing Sources DECODERS 7 amp 8 Arguing amp synthesizing MLA Citation formats Oll Fall Break Tuesday classes canceled O13 WORKSHOP ONLINE OPTION User Section 6 Complete Early Draft 2 Peer Review Reader s Guide SWP Workshop Report amp Plan O18 Six degrees Decoding Project 3 User Section 7 Prepwork I Sentence Log DECODERS 9 amp 10 Power sentences 1 Help TOC Style Sentence team contribution Emphasis E Res J Williams 020 Digging deeper Wiki Savini Trouble Prepwork J Pre search log DECODERS I1 amp 12 Gathering Research 2 Early Problem Analysis O21 Friday Project Due Date Due 11 59 pm Project 2 Late Problem Analysis 025 Topics subtopics angles User Section 8 Prepwork K Subtopic log DECODERS 13 amp 14 Making knowledge Wiki Haller Wa
12. arked H will be marked S if it is turned in by the start of the class meeting after it was due Leeway To accommodate the complications of adult lives your lowest short assignment mark in each category except Complete Early Drafts will be dropped before the final grade is calculated Complete Early Draft Scores are advisory they do not predict the grade of the final project H Drafts receiving this mark have a very clear focus they have sufficient specific evidence to support their claims they have intelligently analyzed the issue at hand wrestling with complex issues they flow smoothly and have coherent organization They have few or no major errors and do not make the reader do additional work to guess at their meaning or progression They will nearly always still benefit from revision revisions will focus on further developing ideas polishing organization or style and or fine tuning the voice or evidence S Many early drafts will earn this mark They generally meet all the assignment requirements they demonstrate significant attention to focus evidence analysis and organization They make the author s general intentions clear but often they will need significant revisions in one or more fundamental areas of the essay assignment the author may not yet have settled on a single focus may have misinterpreted the assigned reading or provided description rather than analysis may have relied on too little or too
13. ctly what your point is Complete Early Draft Your CED is the draft that comes after the SFD It should already be an essay taking shape meeting the main specifications pushing the envelope Post your CED to the class Wiki as a page for review and as a document in time for the draft workshop on September 13 Revised Final Draft Upload your final draft document to the class wiki along with your Late Problem Analysis To earn full credit your final draft must demonstrate significant revisions compared to the CED NOTE 1 For this class one page equals approximately 300 words A length range is specified to give you an indication of how much detail and development is probably necessary for each essay to succeed it is not a rigid requirement NOTE 2 All drafts and essays should be spellchecked amp proofread For final copies double space and use standard 12 or 14 point basic fonts and standard 1 margins Please do not include a separate cover page full justify your text or insert blank lines between paragraphs Do include a title NOTE 3 Late or incomplete Early Drafts will not earn full credit If you miss a workshop entirely or you arrive with an incomplete CED you may lose Draft and Peer Review points for the essay It s your responsibility to discuss this with me NOTE 4 You are expected to revise major problems and correct most mechanical grammatical errors that are marked on the early draft or your
14. d audience It has a focus or argument presents some support moves from point to point in an orderly fashion and contributes to the classroom conversations on the topic A B level grade 80 89 highlights a strong example of college writing and thinking In addition to meeting the C level requirements such an essay demonstrates some insight into the gray areas of the topic provides original or very thorough support that is tightly woven into the overall argument reads smoothly at both the sentence and paragraph levels and or exhibits a personal voice or style It has few if any errors An A level grade 90 100 marks an essay that in addition to being focused organized and well developed provocatively engages the reader in conversation Even more than in a B essay its author anticipates and responds to possible reader questions uses a wide range of supporting evidence provides unexpected insights and or uses language with care and facility D and F level essays do not meet the basic expectations of the assignment You should plan to revise them after consulting with me Optional Revision Policy Projects 1 2 and 3 may be re revised for a possible new grade Late work penalties cannot be changed through revision 1 Before completing an Optional Revision you must schedule a Revision Conversation with me in person or via email You should begin this conversation having car
15. ee how long it can be and thus what you can include You may focus on a single angle of your overall research or address the whole issue Your project should be free of credibility crushing errors You ll share it with your peers at the exam date they ll vote for Best in Show Bonus Opportunity Up to three points for actually going public in a demonstrable way Present a copy with a stamped addressed envelope or emailing instructions present evidence of public display of text present evidence affidavits showing 10 real people connected to your target audience outside our class read your text Due by 12 16 Daily Prepwork amp Classwork 100 points The point of homework is that you do it at home alone sometimes just going through the motions The point of prepwork is that you do it to prepare for an upcoming class session where you ll be working with your peers on your writing so you arrive ready to move forward in your thinking and writing process The emphasis here is equally on work as on prep you need to think as hard as you can on your own and work out your own responses critiques and questions rather than skimming and hoping that someone will go over it in class for you There are usually no right answers but there are answers that wrestle and delve building your thinking and writing muscles as opposed to answers that get the gist and run Most Prepwork assignments will have two sections a thinking
16. efully read all feedback on your essay and thus prepared to explain and ask questions about your revision plan 2 Optional Revisions must demonstrate substantial change to the focus support approach or organization of the essay in addition to comprehensive error correction or they will be returned with no grade change Substantial change may be thought of as change to at least 15 20 of the essay s text you must address widespread problems as well as providing small fixes Revised essays must however retain the original text s topic and approach revision does not mean write a new essay 3 Optional Revisions must be completed within two weeks of the essay s return to you This is true even if you were not available when most essays were returned 4 Optional Revisions should be resubmitted along with a paragraph describing the key changes made and how they better solve the writing problems of the overall essay 7 English 101 Be Here Now Participation and Late Work BE Writing isn t really about formulas grammar word counts or fonts It s about one human figuring out how to communicate with other humans To write you have to be you have to be yourself and think and speak for yourself to be active and involved to be listening to other people to be different from other writers and to be connected to the people and world around you BE HERE Classwork Grade Participating in the basic events of each class me
17. eting will earn you a Satisfactory grade 80 for classwork to earn a higher grade you need to find a way to contribute more actively ask answer questions provide feedback keep your team on track help others be themselves and be here Sleeping reading the paper texting Facebooking or working on assignments for other classes etc are ways Of NOT BEING HERE and will cost you classwork credit Any serious breach of good conduct may cause the loss of all participation credit Coming late Please plan to be here on time If you are frequently late you may lose classwork credit However in an emergency would rather have you come late than not at all if you have a bad day but you can get here 20 minutes late please try to come Now Lateness is allowed for but as in most places in our society it will not be without consequences The quickest way to get frustrated by a writing class is to fall behind in it Prepwork assignments will lose 1 score level from H to S e g each CLASS day that they are late Please also note that Prepworks don t earn full credit unless you show up to the class SWP Assignments and Complete Drafts will also lose 1 score level each CLAss day that they are late These assignments are time sensitive completing them helps you write your essay Late Essays will lose 5 of their points each CALENDAR day that they are late Lateness due to Rare Uncontrollable Natural Disasters will n
18. general evidence throughout and or may not chosen a clear organizational path Essay drafts with persistent grammatical errors may also earn this score U When an author s intentions are not yet clear or his her arguments are currently too thin or disorganized to support the essay s purpose a draft will earn a lower mark Such drafts are difficult to read lacking focus or relying entirely on vague generalizations that require the reader to guess at meanings they may have serious distracting grammatical errors The author may have misunderstood the assignment misread of one or more of the assigned texts invested less time than necessary in the drafting process and or have misunderstood the expectations of a university level academic audience A conference with the professor before revising is strongly recommended substantial changes may be necessary for the final essay to earn a passing score 6 Final Essay Scores will have letter grade equivalents you can divide points earned by points possible and use standard 90 80 70 breakdowns to see how you stand Generally A C level grade 70 79 of possible points denotes average college level writing and achievement The essay is a competent response to the assigned writing task it meets to some degree all the assignment requirements and demonstrates that the author has put significant time and effort into solving writing problems and communicating his her ideas to his her targete
19. icy Statements Help Drafting Paragraphs Wiki One more book chapter Help Dropped Quotation In text citation MLA Prepwork A Talkback amp Talk out 3x3 x2 logs 3 Sentence Summaries Early Problem Analysis Prepwork B Believe Doubt Rant amp Review Propose 3x3 amp 3 Date In class topics Reading due for class Writing due for class Classwork amp Presentations CONFERENCES S13 WORKSHOP User Section 3 Complete Early Draft 1 SWP Peer Review Wiki 10 Metaphors Reader s Guide posted to wiki S15 Solving quotation problems Help Revising global Prepwork C Conference Intro SWP Workshop Report amp Plan Solving revision problems Revising with comments 3x3 log due at conference Punctuation skim at least 3 sections S16 Friday Project Due Date Due 11 59 pm Project 1 Late Problem Analysis S20 Team Choice User Section 3 Prepwork D Recruitment Early Problem Analysis Decoding Project 2 Wiki Gone Fish Memo PDF 3x3 amp 3 Annotating vs assuming Help Annotating Text Summarizing S22 Team Talk Book Reid s Choice 1 Prepwork E Annotation Six Gathering Research 1 Entering Wiki Bunn RLW sentence summary team the parlor Wiki GMU research tutorials contribution S27 Hunting Research 1 A better User Section 4 Prepwork F DECODERS I amp 2 BONUS source Wiki Steadman Sources Reading Analysis 1 Criteria and evaluation Book Your Choice 1 team contribution Help TOC
20. is hidden complexity what needs to be discussed more thoroughly what questions are most important to consider and what can your audience do to better appreciate the full conversation Choosing texts Try to choose texts that address similar themes or issues but that differ in their standpoints their approaches their audiences or purposes and or their conclusions Three texts saying essentially the same thing isn t a complicated conversation it s a chorus You must turn in copies of your outside sources with your essay submit a photocopy of each or post a full document electronic copy of each on the wiki Starting up You may not have a complete thesis for this essay before you begin to write and that s ok Begin with the general goal of identifying and explicating the complication s you see and keep an eye out for the angles or elements that are most overlooked or undervalued It s possible you ll need to narrow your focus as you go to just one or two pieces of the situation Synthesizing information To effectively represent complications in a field of information you need to organize your essay point by point involving two or more sources in conversation about each point rather than going source by source Crowd control You shouldn t be just an emcee calling people on and off the stage It s your party stay in control of the material you choose use and respond to Your job is to call your readers attentio
21. ity for working on particular aspects of your writing that you wish to improve and for helping your classroom peers improve their own writing Good writing is more frequently a result of time and patience than of inborn talent Students who attend regularly keep up with the small assignments and block off extra time each week for careful reading thoughtful drafting and focused revising usually succeed in this class Note A common assumption in college is that you ll spend about 5 6 hours per week on homework for each class A writing class sometimes requires more than that E contact If you re stuck on something please ask for assistance would rather solve a small problem with you early than try to work through a big sticky mess later If you have a question please check the Wiki and the User s Manual first since they have a lot of information but then please do contact me to let me know what you still have questions about In addition to coming physically to my office hours or setting up a conference you may e Email me with questions about class at ereid1 gmu edu Please put Engh 101 in the subject line include a salutation and signature and describe what you already know or have tried to find out related to your question Allow 48 hours for time sensitive requests do email catch up with less urgent messages on Saturdays e Text me with a quick question but only if you ve already tried to find the answer on your ow
22. lk Talk team contribution 027 Immodest proposals Prepwork L Research Log DECODERS 15 amp 16 Audience amp Evidence Date In class topics Reading due for class Writing due for class Classwork amp Presentations NI Argue well Analysis response tone counter argument N3 Argue well Structures Hunting Research 2 Power sentences 2 N8 Writing in the 21 century Beyond text Sentence Solvers N10 Choosing the key moments Integrating evidence Power sentences 3 SIGN UP FOR CONFERENCES Monday Draft Due Date N15 PARTNER MACRO WORKSHOP In class N17 ONLINE CLASS MACRO WORKSHOP 2 CONFERENCES N22 MICRO WORKSHOP Sentence Solvers Decoding Project 4 N24 No CLASS THANKSGIVING User Section 9 E Res Graff amp Birkenstein Help TOC Style choose any three User Section 10 E Res R Williams Help TOC Punctuation choose any three skim Glossary User Section 11 Peers drafts User Section 12 Prepwork M Proposal and DECODERS 17 18 19 initial annotated bibliography Bonus Help Three Exercises SWP Summary Style or Word Choice Prepwork N Argument Analysis team contribution Bonus Help Three Exercises SWP Summary Punctuation Complete Early Draft 3 by noon Reader s Guide Prepwork O Initial Draft Partner Peer Review Commentary Individual Peer Review Response amp Revision Plan Advanced Draft 3 SENTENCE SOLVERS 1 5 Bring one print c
23. n I won t respond to messages that ask what s due for class tomorrow or can turn in my assignment late Please remember to sign your name to your message since won t necessarily have that information The University Writing Center Since you will be writing several assignments in this course you may want to visit the University Writing Center http writingcenter gmu edu located in Robinson A114 for assistance The Writing Center is one of the best resources you will find on campus They have an outstanding website that offers a wealth of online resources for student writers You can schedule a no cost 45 minute appointment with a trained tutor to help with any phase of the writing process You can even obtain assistance with papers by visiting the online writing center at http writingcenter gmu edu owl index html but please plan ahead and allow yourself at least 2 3 days to receive a response Make an appointment via their website University Policies Midterm Grades In English 101 you will receive a midterm letter grade based on the work of the first seven weeks of the course to help you find out how well you re doing in order to make any adjustments necessary for success in the course as a whole The work in the second half of the semester may be weighted more heavily and so the midterm grade is not meant to predict the final course grade You ll be able to view your grade online Final Grades Students in E
24. n to very specific aspects of the complicated situation and argue that they deserve our closer analysis someone else writing on the same topic may choose different aspects he or she considers important Overall the rule for saving money applies just as well to saving space for your own voice Pay Yourself First When possible make your voice and your judgment the one we hear first and last in any section of your essay Project Three Make Your Case 150 points Specifications 1500 2400 words 5 8 pages Arguments about value cause effect and or action Support from a range of reliable outside sources including academic sources Non Text elements integrated substantial new data and or three visuals charts diagrams The core problem Building on skills you developed through writing Project 1 and Project 2 plan draft and revise an essay that draws from outside sources to focus on an issue you re interested in that has one foot in your Book You should imagine and target a specific audience and in this essay you will present your own considered judgment or recommendation for action that will help move that audience That is you ll need to e describe the problematic situation and its complications choose a part of the issue that will allow you to dig deeply into something that s important to you or people in your community e make a claim about what your readers should learn understand do about this particular aspect of
25. nd writing processes common to 21 century writers and to become your own best writing instructor so that you can continue to improve your writing skills and strategies as you move into other courses and situations The Basic Grading Outline 10 50 points Project 1 Re present Your World Due 9 16 15 _ 75 points Project 2 Complicate the Conversation Due 10 21 30 150 points Project 3 Make Your Case Due 12 2 5 25 points Project 4 Go Public Due 12 15 20 100 points Solving Writing Problems Problem Analyses Peer Reviews Decoder Sentence Solver Final Quiz 20 100 points Participation Daily Prepwork and Classwork A grade of C or better 365 500 points is required to earn credit in this class Other Grading Policies Completion Policy You must complete all four major drafts and projects to pass the class Academic Integrity Although you will frequently consult with others during the writing process you must turn in formal writing that primarily results from your own thought and effort Your work in this class may reflect your broad enduring interests but you must present new pieces of writing specifically for this class not repeats from other situations The Inside Scoop Part 1 Solving Writing Problems Writers have to be able to solve communication problems like engineers solve engineering problems actors solve performing problems and historians solve history
26. nglish 101 must earn a grade of C or higher to complete the 101 requirement students whose grades are lower than a C will earn an NC A grade of NC reflects the philosophy that learning to write in an academic setting is a developmental process and that some students may require more time in this development Since this grade does not affect students Grade Point Averages students are not penalized for requiring additional time to meet the course requirements in ENGH101 Because of this policy grades of Incomplete are not given in ENGH101 General Education This course is part of the GMU General Education Program which is designed to help students prepare for advanced work in their major field and for a lifetime of learning For more information on the mission of the General Education Program consult the University Catalog or visit http provost gmu edu gened Students with Disabilities Students with documented disabilities are legally entitled to certain accommodations in the classroom If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services ODS at 703 993 2474 All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS will be happy to work with students and the ODS to arrange fair access and support GMU Nondiscrimination Policy George Mason University is committed to providing equal opportunity and an educational and work environment free from any di
27. o new situations It doesn t help you learn how to learn to write better in the future The point of explaining how to solve a writing problem is to make visible the invisible assumptions that all writers make so that you can approach writing tasks with more clarity control and flexibility Learning how to approach a range of writing problems is a crucial goal for this class All SWP assignments usually about 1 2 rich paragraphs should be typed and copied pasted to your private SWP page by the start of class on the due date SWP reports and analyses are graded H S U O lowest score dropped for 70 points Decoder Sentence Solver and Final Quiz Comprehensive Problem Analysis count for 25 points Early Problem Analysis x4 For each of the core projects you ll analyze the writing problems what are the rhetorical goals what are the situational constraints or challenges and what are the resources including personal skills present and or needed to complete the task Late Problem Analysis x3 For each of the essay projects you ll analyze how you responded to the problems you identified and how you might apply what you learned to future writing situations Peer Review and Review Report x4 and 4 Often writers are better at solving one another s problems than their own so the feedback you give your peers on their drafts is part of the SWP grade You ll also report on what you learned from your own reading and commenting
28. opy Peer Review Date In class topics Reading due for class Writing due for class Classwork amp Presentations N29 Moving Out Part 1 User Section 13 Prepwork P Go Public SENTENCE SOLVERS 6 12 Writing in public E Res Devitt Proposal Sample Sentence Solvers Early Problem Analysis Bring paper copy of Advanced Draft D1 Moving Out Part 2 Bring another writing SENTENCE SOLVERS 13 19 Writing at work assignment description Sentence Solvers Bring paper copy of Advanced Draft D2 Friday Project Due Date By 11 59 pm Project 3 Late Problem Analysis D6 Moving Out Part 3 User Section 14 Go Public Draft Peer Review Writing in school Reader s Guide D8 Moving Out Part 4 Prepwork Q Life genre Writing for your life problem analysis D15 Exam Period 8 00 10 15 am Go Public Best in show Project4dueinclass SWP Final Quiz Comprehensive Problem Analysis D16 Optional Revision Due Date Optional Revisions Project 3 by 11 59 pm
29. or your chapter Writing Prep Locate and post one or more relevant sources for your team that total 18 Quality Points Prepwork H Thinking Prep Complete the designated Reading Analysis assignment for your chapter Writing Prep Draft a one paragraph proposal for Project 2 Prepwork I J K amp L Thinking amp Writing Prep Complete the designated Log Assignment If required post relevant sources Prepwork M Thinking amp Writing Prep Draft a three part proposal for Project 3 including a five source bibliography Prepwork N Thinking Prep Complete an Argument Analysis for one of your secondary sources Writing Prep Locate and post one or more relevant sources for your team Prepwork O Thinking amp Writing Prep Prepare initial responses to two of your peers draft essays Prepwork P Thinking amp Writing Prep Draft a three part proposal for Project 4 and append a genre sample model Prepwork Q Thinking amp Writing Prep Analyze the writing problems and tools for a future writing genre you may use Solving Writing Problems 100 points The point of writing an essay is that you can practice and demonstrate particular writing skills within a predetermined context A writing task is about today not about tomorrow success on one task doesn t guarantee that you can will know how to and will choose to apply those skills to a writing task in another context It doesn t help you learn new strategies you may need to adapt t
30. ot usually incur penalties it is your responsibility to provide explanation documentation of such occurrences The flu is not rare an extremely busy work week is not entirely beyond your control and a lack of parking spots is not a natural disaster For other events please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your situation Computer Crises are neither Rare nor Natural and most of them can be avoided or controlled with good advance preparation Assignments which are late due to electronic disasters will earn sympathy but will also earn the grade penalty Back up your files and don t wait until the last minute Three Day Pass Policy for Late Work For any one Essay Draft Prep or SWP assignment you may be up to three calendar days late without penalty Here and only here a weekend counts as one day To qualify you must state in writing at the top of the first page of any late assignment that you are using your Three Day Pass it cannot be taken back to be used for another assignment won t automatically give late work a pass If you use the three day pass for a workshop draft or peer review you will need to arrange for peer review on your own in order to earn full credit 8 Assignments English 101 063 Fall 2011 Project One Re present Your World 50 points Specifications 900 1500 words 3 5 pages Explain and analyze an event or situation Provide support from specific personal experience textual evidence
31. ph to the Book Discussion page on the wiki sign your name to it Prepwork B Thinking Prep For the chapter you read create a 3x3 log and a three sentence summary see instructions above Writing Prep First write a believing paragraph include the most idealistic believing optimistic arguments you can imagine someone making in support of the author s ideas Second write a doubting paragraph include the most skeptical doubting grumpy questions or counterarguments you can imagine someone raising about the author s claims Third write a paragraph proposing how you could write Project 1 using this issue as your touchstone what specific example s from your life connect to it and how might you see them differently Additional information on the following assignments is available on the wiki Prepwork C Thinking Prep For Ten Metaphors create a 3x3 log Writing Prep Write a paragraph or so introducing me to your current writing resources and problems Prepwork D Thinking Prep For Gone Fish create a 3x3 log with a three sentence summary Writing Prep Write a memo recruiting other students to join a team for the Book you prefer Prepwork E Thinking Prep Annotate 8 pages of the assigned chapter Add a six sentence summary Writing Prep Locate and post one or more relevant sources for your team that total 18 Quality Points Prepwork F amp G Thinking Prep Complete the designated Reading Analysis assignment f
32. problems In this class we ll focus a lot on improving how you solve writing problems so that you don t just do well on English 101 assignments but you learn how to be a more powerful efficient engaged writer in the rest of your life Part of your grade for this class will be for your explanations about what you plan to write and why and how you ll solve writing problems See more in the User s Manual The Inside Scoop Part 2 The Upside Down Class In some classes you sit in your chair and listen to the teacher tell you things you need to know and then you go home and solve problems or write essays on your own We ll turn that model upside down you ll gather information about what you should know while you re doing homework and class preparation and try out first versions of your solutions and in class we ll work on the hard problems together give one another feedback and try out new skills Part of your grade for this class will be for learning as much as you can on your own at home coming to class with questions and plans and participating in our writing and analysis work in class See more in the User s Manual The Inside Scoop Part 3 Going From You 2 0 to You 3 0 Everybody here is already a good writer even those of you who don t like writing much but the writing problems you re about to be faced with in college and outside of it are about to get harder So you need an upgrade and only you can install it Upgrading
33. riters who follow these steps carefully will almost certainly avoid plagiarism If writers ever have questions about a citation practice they should ask their instructor Instructors in the Composition Program support the George Mason Honor Code which requires them to report any suspected instances of plagiarism to the Honor Council All judgments about plagiarism are made after careful review by the Honor Council which may issue penalties ranging from grade deductions to course failure to expulsion from GMU Grading for Short Assignments Solving Writing Problems 20 Prepwork amp Complete Early Drafts 20 Short writing assignments will marked as Honors 100 Satisfactory 80 Unsatisfactory 60 or 0 For Prepwork and SWP analyses a score of S marks an assignment in which the work is mostly complete on time and correct showing that the writer has given some thought to the assignment H work will demonstrate more critical thinking question asking suggestion making gray area spotting complexity wrestling or other kinds of mental stretching If you earn a mix of H s and S s you ll likely be on track with A level work for this part of your grade Zeros will have a significant lowering effect on your grade Each one will be worth up to 2 of your final overall grade in this class Late short assignments will go down one mark 20 each CLASS MEETING they are late An assignment that would have been m
34. scrimination on the basis of race color religion national origin sex disability veteran status sexual orientation or age GMU shall adhere to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity affirmative action statutes and regulations GMU Email Students must activate their Mason email account and check it regularly For privacy reasons all class related emails will be sent only to students official GMU email addresses Important Dates e Last Day to Add a Course September 6 e Last Day to Drop a Course September 30 with tuition penalty Selective Withdrawal Period October 3 28 Composition Program Statement on Plagiarism Plagiarism means using the exact words opinions or factual information from another source without giving that source credit Writers give credit through the use of accepted documentation styles such as parenthetical citation footnotes or end notes a simple listing of books articles and websites is not sufficient This class will include direct instruction in strategies for handling sources as part of our curriculum However students in composition classes must also take responsibility for understanding and practicing the basic principles listed below To avoid plagiarism meet the expectations of a US Academic Audience give their readers a chance to investigate the issue further and make credible arguments writers must e put quotation marks around and give an in text citation for any sentences
35. this issue based on your careful reading of the situation the conversation and the specific ideas presented by your outside sources e explain in an organized fashion using specific quotations and evidence how each author s ideas examples or arguments combine support or clarify your particular understanding of the issue and or your ideas about solving a problem e address complications counterarguments alternatives resistance points questions and or concerns likely to be posed by your readers Choosing your topic If you wish to write about an issue that is significantly different from the one s you discussed in Essay 1 or 2 that s fine but you ll need to get advance approval from me to do so Finding your sources You need to include sources beyond those you accumulated for Essay 2 I m not specifying the exact number or type of sources you need but you know that an essay with insufficient support won t be persuasive to a skeptical audience nor will an essay that only repeats what dozens of other people say You must turn in copies of your sources with your essay for any source that is a print or text intensive source you may submit a photocopy of it or post a full document electronic copy of it on the wiki For non print sources that are unduplicatable you will need to include careful notes descriptions or a summary in your folder Non text Elements We don t write in a text only world any more Thus your essay
36. to have a mailing address or a gathering space smaller than Patriot Center and choose what action you want them to take e choose a genre medium that will most effectively reach that audience hold their attention and let you communicate the crucial aspects of your issue decide how to reference outside sources and attend to any design elements e select from and perhaps add to the claims and information you assembled for Project 3 to create a brief targeted persuasive text e address complications counterarguments alternatives resistance points questions and or concerns likely to be posed by your readers Free range writing problems People write important documents outside of college but they rarely compose long researched essays full of quotations and citations line after line of text discussing the abstract elements of an issue It s crucial for you to be able to represent the final conclusions and best elements of that long thinking and reasoning process in a format that is immediately accessible to an audience with the ability to respond directly to your proposals As with any free range writing problem each choice you make will affect other decisions your issue may suggest a particular audience knowing that audience s needs may help you choose a genre knowing that genre may help you choose what elements to foreground Or you may start knowing you want to write an editorial search for a good target publication and s
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