Writing Instruction

Syllabus for ENGL 101-20  Writing Workshop 
UMW   Fall 2007     TR 12:30 - 1:45    Combs  002     Instructor:  C. F. Smith 

texts:    Madden, David, ed.  A Pocketful of Essays, Vol II, Thematically Arranged.

Australia:  Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.

On-line tutorial:  TALON, available on Blackboard. 

Goals and Objectives: In keeping with the Aims and Tasks Statement for ENGL 101, the main purposes of this course are: 

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  • to make you more aware of writing both to your audience and to achieve your purpose; good writing is flexible, expressive, memorable writing
  • to augment your skills of research documentation, using more than one format
  • to help you incorporate the work of others smoothly into your own prose, with proper citation and credit
  • to address, as necessary, issues of standard English grammar and usage
  • to form a collaborative community of writers in the class.  

 
Tues.  8/28 Introduction and Overview.  Explanation of Self Portraits and other

writing assignments, including your Writing Sample, the Research

Project, and the Science Paper.  Choosing a topic for the Writing Sample,

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  written in class next period. For homework, read in Madden:   Marie Winn “Television Addiction” (127) and one other reading of your choice.  Also begin work on your first writing assignment:  your self-reflective essay. 

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  Thurs.  8/30 Self Portrait demonstration. Write in class.  Discuss readings.  For homework, read Gloria Naylor “The Meanings of a Word” (73) and Lars Eighner “My Daily Dives in the Dumpster” (121).  Also for homework, finish a draft of your writing sample on computer.   

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  Tues.  9/4 Self Portraits (2).  Turn in your revised Writing Sample.  Please submit two copies, one with your real name and one with a fictitious identity of your choice.  For homework, begin your self-reflective essay. Also for homework, read Maya Angelou “Finishing School” (217) and James Thurber “University Days” (49). 

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  Thurs.  9/6 Self Portraits (2).  Discuss readings.  Bring in a rough draft of your self-reflective essay for workshop in class next period. 

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  Tues.  9/11 Self Portraits (2).  Workshop of papers in class.  Introduce the TALON tutorial. 

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  Thurs.  9/13 Self reflective essay DUE. Final editing and proofreading in class.   Assignment of the next part of the project:  the narrative essay on the influence of an adult on your decision.  For homework, read Scott Russell Sanders “The Inheritance of Tools” (29) and Amy Tan “Mother Tongue” (77); also complete your draft for workshop next period. 

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  Tues.  9/18 Self Portraits (2). Discuss readings. Bring rough drafts to class for in-class workshop. 

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  Thurs. 9/20 Self Portraits (2).  Adult influence paper DUE.  Final editing and proofreading in class.   Assignment of the next part of the Project:  narrative interviews with fellow students.  For homework, work on your interview pieces, especially the first one, and read Barbara Ehrenreich “What I’ve Learned from Men” (177). 

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  Tues.  9/25 Self Portraits (2).  Workshop first interview paper.  Get feedback from your classmates for writing up the next  two interviews.  

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  Thurs. 9/27 Self Portraits (2).  One interview DUE. Final editing and proofreading in class. Also the TALON exercise is DUE by this date.  Write in class.  For homework, complete the remaining two interviews and begin the write-ups. 

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  Tues.  10/2 Self Portraits (2). Discuss interview papers.  Bring in your draft of your second interview paper for in-class workshop. 

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  Thurs.  10/4 Self Portraits (2).  Second interview papers DUE.  Workshop drafts in class for your third interview paper.  For homework, complete the third interview paper. 

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  Tues.  10/9 Self Portraits (2).  Third interview DUE. Assignment of the next part of the Project:  using official university material.  For homework, find three good sources you plan to explore and write up a one-page write-up of each. 

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  Thurs. 10/11 Write-ups of three official university sources DUE.  Library session with Jack Bales. Meet in the Simpson Library classroom, room #225.  Be prepared to take good notes!   

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  Tues.  10/16 Fall Break – No Class Meeting

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  Thurs. 10/18 Plagiarism exercise and quiz.  Assignment of the detraction/opposition paper.  For homework, write a draft of this assignment.  

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  Tues.   10/23 Bring to class the draft of your detraction/opposition paper for in-class workshop.  For homework, begin putting your final Project Paper all together.     

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  Thurs.  10/25 Workshop your draft of the final Project Paper. For homework, read Jonathan Kozol “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” (Madden 63). 

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  Tues.  10/30 Final Project Paper DUE.  Final proofreading and editing in class.  Assignment of the review paper in the natural sciences.  For homework, choose a topic for this paper. 

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  Thurs.  11/1 List topics for the science paper.  Sample good writing for the sciences (provided). For homework, find a good source for your summary, written in class next period. 

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  Tues.  11/6 Write the summary paper in class (in the Networked Classroom – Combs 349).  For homework, read Stephen Jay Gould “Sex, Drugs, Disasters and

the Extinction of Dinosaurs” (Madden 197). 

Thurs.  11/8 Summary paper DUE.  Final proofreading and editing in class. Quiz on

Gould’s essay.  Read and write in class.    

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  Tues.  11/13 Exercise in audience writing for your science paper. Work with a partner to choose writings to share. 

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  Thurs.  11/15 Share writings from last period.  Read and write in class.  For homework, finish writing your paper in the natural sciences. 

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  Tues.  11/20 Workshop drafts of the science paper in class.     

Thurs.  11/22 Thanksgiving Break – No Class Meeting 

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  Tues.  11/27 Science paper DUE.  Discussion of criteria.  All students read all papers and vote for the three best papers in the class.

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  Thurs.  11/29 Continue reading the natural science papers and voting.  Turn in anonymous votes by the end of the class period. 

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  Tues.  12/4 In-class writing.   

Thurs.  12/6 Begin journal sharing. 

Tues.  12/11 Continue journal sharing. 

Thurs. 12/13 Last day of class.  Write in-class an evaluation of the course.

As you can see, all writing we do in this class is creative in the sense that it is your own creation.  Even when you make use of the work of others, the final product is your own, original work.  Much of the writing you do for this section will be source writing, with an emphasis on teaching you how to use the Library, the Internet, the Writing Center, and your classmates’ skills most effectively to produce excellent college papers. Good writing can not be done effectively at the last minute.  Allow yourself time to write thoughtfully and carefully and revise as needed. 

All grading in this class will be on the following scale: 

A                                           100 – 93

A-    92-90

B+    89-88

B    87-83

B-    82-80

C+    79-78

C    77-73

C-    72-70

D+    69-68

D    67-63

F    62 and below 

On the mid-semester report, a D or below will indicate “unsatisfactory.”  Be sure to bring your performance up to an acceptable level and seek help if you need it. 

Your final course grade will be calculated numerically.   The percentages of your grade are as follows: 

Self-reflective essay     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .   5%

Paper of Adult Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     5%

Student interview paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5% 

Paper using official university sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10%

Paper of Contradictory Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10%

PROJECT PAPER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . .   20%

Science Summary paper . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%

Natural Science Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10%

Class participation (including attendance and contribution) . . 15%

Final Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15% 

All papers (except, obviously, those written by hand in class) must be word-processed, double spaced, in 12 point font.    

As you can see, this course will require not only a great deal of reading and writing; it will also require oral presentation of your writing and discussion in class.  Your full participation and attendance are therefore expected, not only for your own benefit but for your classmates’ as well.  Excessive absence or chronic tardiness will affect your grade.  If you MUST miss class, please let me know.  My contact information is printed below. 

Every time the syllabus lists a “self portrait,” that refers to your use of the first five minutes (or slightly more but never less) of the class meeting.  You will be responsible for a presentation at that time of a self portrait in writing that introduces you to your classmates.  We will pass around a sign-up sheet so you can choose a date on which to present.  Make a note of that date and be sure you come prepared to take up the full five minutes at the beginning of the class period.  After your self portrait, we will each write a five minute response in a journal.  This should be separate from your class notes.  It should be a spiral notebook or pad, or, if you choose to word process your entries after class, a folder for that purpose.  These writings may be summaries of the presentations or reflections on your own experiences, sparked by the presentation.  They may even be poems or other creative writings inspired by your classmates’ portraits.  In other words, at least the first ten minutes of most class meetings will be devoted to presentations and journal writing until each member of the class has had an opportunity to present.  You must be present for a self portrait in order to write about it in your journal.  You are free to modify your entries later or to add to them, but you cannot create an entry about a presentation you did not actually hear.  At times, you will be called upon to read your entries out loud, and on journal sharing day at the end of the class, you may be reading all of your entries.  Keep that in mind as you write them.  You want to extend the same kindness and good humor to your classmates that you hope to receive and inspire.  

The major paper of this class will be the Project Paper answering one question which we will be discussing in class.  The assignment is broken down into several individual smaller papers which will be combined into the one Project Paper, DUE on Tuesday, October 30.  Pay careful attention to the due dates of the smaller papers.  These will be:  a self-reflective essay (2-3 pages), narrative interviews with at least three fellow students (1 – 2 pages each), an essay about the most influential adult involved in the process (2 – 3 pages), a paper using at least three (3) official university sources (publications, webpages, interviews with personnel) of 3 to 5 pages, and a paper detailing a contradictory argument (at least 2 pages).  The final Project Paper will be 6 to 8 pages long and will consist of the best and most coherent amalgamation of all these smaller papers. We may post all the papers on the Web (or just the best – yet to be decided) or put them in a binder to submit to the Admissions Office. 

The provisions of the Honor Code do apply in this class, especially with regard to plagiarism and cheating.  (Yes, I do check sources from time to time.)  However, you may seek help from your peers in this Writing Workshop; this aid is considered “authorized” in this section. I also strongly recommend the Writing Center in Trinkle Hall.  Do call extension 1036 and make an appointment.  You can get help with a rough draft at any stage in the writing process, and you can take up to three (3) drafts of the same paper to the Center if necessary.  (ESOL students can take a single paper as many times as they wish.) 

If you have a letter from the Office of Disability Services requesting accommodations, please make an appointment early to talk with me, and bring a copy of your letter to our meeting.  We will make arrangements for your special needs (notetaking, extra time on exams, or whatever the accommodation), and we will keep our discussions in strictest confidence unless you wish otherwise. 

 If you need to talk to me at any time, my office is in Combs 314, Department of English, Linguistics and Speech (ELS), and I will be there for office hours MWF 3 to 4 p.m.  TR 2 to 3 p.m. and by appointment.  My phone numbers are: 654-1545 (office) and 898 - 2837 (home.)  I have Voice Mail at both numbers, so you can always leave a message.  If you do call, please be sure to say your name clearly and leave your number so I can get back to you.  I also have email at csmith@umw.edu, another way to get in touch.  Be aware, however, that I do not have a computer at home.  If you send a message at night or on the weekend, I will not get it until the next time I am in my office, checking my email.  We will also be using Blackboard in this class to communicate with each other. 

Good Luck!  Be prepared to write a lot, to read and research a lot, to work hard — and to enjoy this class.