Course Syllabus: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
English 110:
Introduction to College Writing
Supplement and
Attachments: Distributed by E-mail
Freshman Year
Experience Course: Fall Semester 2003
David M. Jones,
Instructor
414 HHH/836-4949;
Office hours 10-10:45 MWF or by appointment
e-mail address:
jonesm@uwec.edu
Course web site: www.uwec.edu/academic/curric/jonesm
Course Overview:
Welcome to English 110!
This course is designed to help students improve their writing ability through training in the writing process and related skills, such as critical reading, library research, and media literacy. The course is designed to accommodate all first-year students, whose levels of confidence and experience as writers may vary greatly. By completing the course successfully, students will improve their abilities to think and write critically in academic work, in professional careers, and in personal life.
Course design of English 110 is based on the following assumptions:
1) No one can teach you how to write. You must teach yourself how to write.
2) Writing is an intervention in the public world – an attempt to exert one’s personal influence in a larger arena.
3) Good writing requires related skills such as listening and observing, critical thinking, and critical reading.
4) Mass media (TV, newspapers, film, World Wide Web, radio, etc.) challenges traditional assumptions about writing, meaning that media literacy should be a goal for all of us.
5) Confidence while speaking aloud to one’s peers, to the instructor, and to the entire class is a necessary part of academic literacy.
6) Student writers in a university setting should improve their intellectual confidence by developing their vocabularies and by improving their ability to summarize and evaluate the work of others.
7) This course will emphasize the importance of both the writing process and the final product.
8) Research and revision are essential components of good writing.
Required Texts:
Fulwiler, Toby. The Working Writer (available for rental).
Biays and Wershoven, Triumphs in Society.
Liberal Arts Goals, Graduation Porfolios, and
Competency Exam:
This course is designed to meet several of the criteria that the university describes as core components of a liberal arts education. Specifically, this course will help students develop:
an ability to write, read, speak, listen;
an ability to inquire, think, analyze;
an appreciation of the arts.
Students are encouraged to use papers written for the course for their graduation portfolios. Probably the best papers for inclusion in the portfolio will be the review, the cultural criticism paper, the research paper, and/or the persuasive paper.
In addition to earning five credits for this course, all students must pass a competency exam in composition as a graduation requirement. In English 110, a practice exam will be administered at midterm. At the end of the course, all students will take the competency exam. Failure to pass the exam will not affect final course grades, but a student cannot graduate until s/he passes the competency exam.
Course Assignments:
Class Notes (10 points): Twice during the term, students will submit class notes, which will be a detailed and useful reference to the material covered in class. Class notes are also meant to help students to prepare for the final portfolio, and should be included in the portfolio. Notes will be evaluated based on the following considerations:
· Class notes should provide
a detailed summary of ideas discussed
during the
class sessions, as well as research notes and warm-ups.
· Key points and concepts
raised in class should be transcribed virtually verbatim
in
cases where blackboards or the computer provides graphic assistance
to
emphasize the importance of certain material.
· Notes should be presented
in a form that assists students’ critical thinking and
writing in preparation
for other assignments.
· The final submitted form
of class notes must be easily legible and well organized.
Class Exercises (6 points): On three occasions during the term, students will write informal 2-page response papers on a topic that relates to larger paper assignments and other instructional goals. Some class exercises will function specifically as a part of a pre-writing step in preparation to write longer essays. Each class exercise submitted when due will be given a maximum of 2 points if all the expressed goals of the assignment are fully met.
· Class
exercises must be typed, and are due at the beginning of class.
·
Class exercises must meet the length requirement of 2 pages for full credit.
Papers short of
the minimum receive no more than half credit.
Informal presentations (24 points): Twice during the term, each student will be designated as a discussion leader, along with other group members. The student and group should be especially prepared to assist the instructor by preparing a set of 5 questions suitable for leading discussion. Students will work collaboratively on the preparation for the assignment and during class discussion. 9 points are possible for the first session, 15 for the second. Grades will be awarded based on the following:
· Discussion questions
should be specific, but should also lead to critical thinking
and multiple
responses by other class members.
· The
discussion will be based in part on the web sites assigned by the instructor.
Students
will use their skills in media and information literacy to develop
their approach
to the material.
· The
students’ preparation and earnestness in response to student and instructor
comments should
be evident during class discussion.
Response Papers (30 points): On three occasions during the term, students will submit response papers (3 pages of text, not including works cited pages) on a topic that is collaboratively designed by the student and the instructor. These response papers provide opportunities for students to express their views on assigned readings, information learned through research and field trips, life experiences, new concepts, and other matters, using a brief and manageable format. Students will write rough drafts for peer editing sessions about two days before the final paper is due. Each paper will be worth a maximum of 10 points, based on the following:
· Students
who do not reach the minimum page length and number of sources will
receive no more
than half credit for the paper.
· Students will hand in typed texts that are
double spaced, with 1” margins
(top,
left, and right) and reasonably sized fonts.
· Students will staple peer
editing responses to the back of their papers (1 point).
·
Within these formats, students can design topics using materials gathered in
or
out of class, as long as the students complete the process steps as specified
by
the instructor.
Research Paper (10 points): One major paper due for the course requires students to synthesize information on a research topic they have chosen. Required length is 6 pages. Students will complete this paper as a process beginning with a pre-writing stage and ending with a final double-spaced, typed copy with 1” margins and reasonably sized fonts. Portions of the paper grade will depend on satisfactory completion of process steps as described by the instructor.
· Students who do not
reach the minimum page length and number of
sources will
receive no more than half credit for the paper.
· Students should hand in typed texts that are
double spaced, with 1” margins
(top,
left, and right) and reasonably sized fonts.
·
Students will receive 1 point for satisfactory completion of peer editing.
· Students will staple peer
editing responses to the back of their papers.
Course Portfolio (10 points): On the last day of class, students will hand in a portfolio, which will include response papers, the research paper, class notes, and other work as selected by the student. The portfolio will also include an opening statement (1 page minimum) describing their progress in writing and related skills during the semester. Students may also revise papers for inclusion in the portfolio, so long as the earlier graded version is included and the 1-page statement describes the changes made for the final revision (10 points and 4 extra credit points possible). Portfolios will be evaluated based on the following:
· Portfolio
materials should provide evidence of the student’s attention to the
writing process
and improvements made in the final writing products.
·
Portfolio materials should be arranged in a reader-friendly way, so that any
reader
can scan the materials and understand their general purpose. To
accomplish
this, student should use section dividers, introductions, and/or
attachments, in addition to the required general
introduction.
Attendance/Participation (10 points): Students are expected to attend class sessions regularly and to participate fully in course activities. The instructor will evaluate attendance and participation at the end of the term and award a grade accordingly. The following rationale will determine attendance and participation grades:
Attendance:
3 points 3 or fewer absences from class
1-2 points 4-6 absences from class
0 points 7 or more absences
Possible loss of course credit
Participation: (5 points in-class, 2 points out of
class)
5 points Consistent engagement in course activities
Extensive verbal contributions to discussion
1-4 points Satisfactory engagement in course activities
Occasional contributions to discussion
0 points Inattention during course activities
Talking in class
Doing homework for other courses
during class time
Other class disruptions
2 points: Twice this semester, students
will attend an on-campus event related to
their interests, and submit a brief 1-page description of their
reaction to the
instructor. The instructor will
suggest some events, but students make final choices.
Students who disrupt the class repeatedly with talking
and inattention will be warned formally by the instructor during class or by
email. A conference with the instructor
and a possible loss of all participation points will follow, with additional
corrective action taken when necessary.
Please read the “Bill of Student Rights and Responsibilities” in the
student handbook for an overview of guidelines related to student conduct and
instructor responsibilities.
Class
Notes 2
x 5 (10%)
Class Exercises: 3 x 2 (6%)
Informal presentation: 1 x 9 (9%);
1 x 15 (15%)
Response Papers: 3 x 10 (30%)
Research Paper: 1 x 10 (10%)
Portfolio: 1 x
10 (10%)
Attendance/Participation: 1 x 10 (10%) = 100 points
possible
Students who expect to earn an “A” or “B” grade for the course must demonstrate their interest in high achievement with strong attendance records, consistent preparation, and on-time submission of all course assignments during the semester. Failure to achieve in any of these areas constitutes grounds for a “C” grade or below.
Class Policies:
The instructor values active learning as a method for
classroom work. Students are expected to
write seriously on an individual basis and to collaborate effectively and
respectfully with other students and the instructor. Students are encouraged to
contact the instructor with any concerns about special needs that they feel may
affect their class performance. Students
with disabilities are especially encouraged to contact the instructor about any
concerns related to the course.
To insure fairness to all students and validity of
grading, assigned work must be submitted during class on the due date
for full credit. If there are any
extenuating circumstances that would prevent submission of work at this time, students
must inform the instructor before the due date. Generally, late work will receive half
credit, but the instructor may not award any credit for severely late (more
than one class period) or unsatisfactory work. In case of medical and family emergencies
that prevent on-time submission of any assignment, students must provide
documentation on the day that they return to class to be assigned make-up work.
The final course portfolio will be the
only opportunity for extra credit work during this course.
The instructor encourages students to establish strong
attendance records as a way of meeting course objectives. More than six unexcused absences constitutes
grounds for a loss of course credit. Students who are participating in
extracurricular activities must establish an authorized absence through the
Dean of Students’ Office and inform the instructor before the activity takes
place. The instructor also encourages
students that are having difficulty with any assignment to speak with the
instructor two or more days before the assignment is due, so that assistance
can be provided.
The instructor will
follow the university policy on academic dishonesty and will not tolerate any
instance of plagiarism or other forms of cheating. Plagiarism is particularly harmful because
English 110 is a writing course, and to meet the instructional goals students
must submit their original work. Please
see the student handbook for the full text of this policy.
Please retain electronic copies of all assigned work
after submitting assignments to the
instructor. Also,
please save returned papers until the end of the semester, in
case of grading discrepancies or disputes.
Grading Scale: The scale is approximate and is subject to some adjustment based on the
achievements of this particular class and the validity of the assignments and
grading as judged by the instructor at the end of the course.
92-100 A
90-91 A-
88-89 B+
82-87 B
80-81 B-
78-79 C+
72-77 C
70-71 C-
68-69 D+
62-67 D
60-61 D-
Below
60 F
Course Schedule (subject to
occasional change):
Section
1: Goals, the writing process, and the joys of literacy
Week 1: (September 2-5)
T:
Course introduction: purposes for writing/policies for the course
W:
Writing process and freewriting exercise (notes from WTM 1-29)
FYE activity: The Sunshine State (film)
At
(I’ll be at the
F: Response panel for
Assistant
Professor, Theory and Film Studies, UWEC.
Discussion of methods for writing review essays
Video:
Postville: When Cultures Collide
Week 2: (September 8-12)
M: Responses
to Postville video; information on goal setting and
active listening. Group
1 Presentation.
T:
Writing summaries (
W:
Writing a reaction paper (
News from the
Director, Composition Program at UWEC
F: Group
work on Class Ex 1: record feedback (WW
57-63)
Video: Dreamworlds
Follow-up discussion on methods of review
Class Exercise #1 on goals due
Section
2: Introduction to Research Techniques and Media Literacy
Week
3: (September 15-19)
M: Responses to Everyday Heroes (
Presentation.
T: Responses to Family (
W: No class: P.J. O’Rourke Forum Series Event
Wednesday night FYE
activity: P.J. O’Rourke presentation
Sept. 17: Zorn Arena,
F: Feature
film: Bonnie and
Week 4: (September 22-26)
M: Finish
Bonnie and
presentation.
T: Responses
to Bonnie and Clyde; history and
photographic truth.
Group 5
presentation.
Background
on women’s forum for Wednesday
W: No
class: Forum on women’s perspective on Iraq/Middle East
FYE event: Wednesday, September 24,
Panel discussion of women’s
perspectives on
Dr. Rania Masri, founder and
coordinator of the Iraq Action Coalition and director of the Southern Peace
Research and Education Center of the Institute for Southern Studies in Durham,
NC.
Dr. Mary Layoun, an Arab-American peace
and justice activist, Professor of Comparative Literature at UW-Madison.
Professor Jennifer Loewenstein is
Senior Lecturer in Business Communications at UW-Madison and a long-time human
rights activist.
F: Responses to women’s forum. Group 6 presentation.
Library visit 1 on electronic research. After the in-class
presentation, we move to L-2110 in the library at
Section 3: Research and
Persuasion in Arts and Culture:
Cultural Criticism
Week 5: (September
29-October 3)
M: Technical
writing: revision (reference: 255-273 in WW)
Peer editing for paper 1: Response Paper #1 draft
due
T:
Introduction to hometown essay; example “Of Corn and
Smells” (skim WW 115-123)
W: Home:
images in poetry (in-class handout).
Response Paper #1 due
F:
Library visit 2: resources for studying home town culture.
Class meets in the library: L-2110, at
Week 6: (October 6-10)
M: Responses
to Triumphs in Education (
145). Group 7
Presentation.
T: Peer
educators workshop: “Look within”
W:
Peer educators workshop: “An Alien Among Us”
F:
Documentary film: Wisconsin: an American
Portrait
Week 7: (October 13-17)
M:
Video: bell hooks on cultural criticism
T: Cultural
criticism: responding to hooks and
definitions
W:
Peer editing. Response Paper #2 Rough
Draft Due.
Technical Writing: Transitions (transparency)
F: Visit to
Response Paper #2 due
Week 8: (October 20-24)
M:
Responses to exhibits at the Chippewa
Valley Museum.
Group
1 Presentation.
T:
Amateur art exercise; verbal description of visual art:
Tierney and Tanner essays.
W:
Madonna essay: culture and gender.
Pocahontes essay:
cultural criticism.
F:
Visit to campus gallery.
Class Notes #1 Due
Week
9: (October 27-31)
M: Documentary
film: Advertising and the End of the
World
Class
Exercise #2 on Visual Art due
T: Responses
to Advertising and the End of the World.
Group
2 Presentation
W: Examples
of cultural criticism in print and sound.
F: Library
visit 3: resources for the study of media and culture
Class meets in the library at
Section
4: Writing from Research
Week 10: (November 3-7)
M:
Peer editing. Response Paper #3 Rough
Draft Due.
Technical writing: Openings and
Closings. (WW 287-295)
T: General
and specific sources: academic journals and
popular periodicals (skim WW
209-227).
Response
paper #3 due
W: Conferences
F: No
class.
Week 11: (November 10-14)
M:
Conferences
T:
Conferences
W:
Library visit 4: methods for writing research papers.
Class meets in the library: L-2110 at
F:
Practice composition exam.
Week 12: (November 17-21)
M:
Peer Editing. (Sample papers from WW
229-242)
Research Paper Rough Draft due.
T:
Rogerian Persuasion: claims/evidence/sources
W:
Case studies in persuasion: exemplification (handout).
F: Video:
El Norte
Research
Paper Due
Week 13: (November 24-28)
M: Responses
to El Norte. Group
3 presentation.
T: Writing policy papers: examples of
problem/cause/solution
Think
Tank exercise 1. Group 4 presentation.
W:
Class
Notes #2 due Tuesday or Wednesday.
F: No class.
Section
4: Persuasion and Public Policy
Week 14: (December 1-5)
M: Case
studies in persuasion: political ideology
Think Tank exercise 2. Group
5 presentation.
T: Evaluating
electronic sources: Think Tank exercise 3.
Group
6 presentation.
W:
Peer editing for Paper #4
Paper
#4 rough draft due
F:
Feature film: Parenthood
Response paper #4 due
Week 15: (December 8-12)
M: Responses
to Parenthood. Group
7 presentation.
T:
Literature of the season: poetry.
W
Intro to creative writing: NOTA magazine.
F: Class
conclusions and evaluations.
Final
portfolio due, including Class Exercise #3
at
Writing groups for English
110:
Group 1:
Christopher Baga
Kenneth Dungar
Jordan Hagedorn
Group 2:
Kate Conlon
Rachel Gordon
Blia Her
Group 3:
Erik Culver
Brittany Gragg
Kenneth Ingalls
Group 4:
Jason Johnson
Stephanie Lopez
Charles Stran
Group 5:
Mario Lopez
Susan Smithee
Rachel Tham
Group 6:
Jennifer Vuchetich
Jung Won
Janie Yang
Group 7:
Houa Vue
Shen Xiong
Jennifer Zbikowski
Prompt for Class Exercise
1:
What would you like to accomplish during this
course? How might you accomplish these
goals? What previous experiences have
you had in English and writing courses?
Use specific examples of past instructors and past papers to describe
your writing experiences previous to this course.
Take a look at the syllabus and the assigned text to
see if there are any specific goals in writing you’d like to consider, or to
decide if there are subject areas you’d like to learn more about.
===================================================
Response Paper #1:
Reviews of Film and Music
All of us have been film,
television, and music reviewers in our informal conversations with people that
we know. We may know of others who can
convince us to see an art exhibit, TV show, or film because of the captivating
way that they describe their experience of seeing it themselves. This assignment asks the writer to do a
similar evaluation in a more formal context:
what is your view of the merit of a given example of visual or sonic
art?
Writing about these
subjects will include some verbal description of a visual or sound object, or
summary and quotation used to represent the essence of a written work. A useful first step might be to see a film
you have been waiting to see, or to visit an art museum, or to listen to a CD
you have heard of but have never read.
Secondly, this assignment will require you not only to provide your
opinion,
but to think carefully
about the intents of the musician, artist, or director. In other words, what did the director of Terminator
3 or Signs attempt to accomplish through the film? How can one determine what the director’s intents
were by simply seeing the film?
Can you compare one film
to other films that seem to have similar intents, or to others of the same
genre? Ask similar questions about a
sound recording. The instructor does not
assume that you are familiar with the language that professional critics use to
describe visual art, music, and/or film and television. However, you can certainly strengthen your
paper if you make a brief investigation into the concepts that this critics
use, or if you look at some samples of professional criticism. The
final paper should be 3 pages long, with 5 secondary sources.
Response Paper #2: Where are
you from?
For the first second
assignment, writers will use description, memory, research, and/or narrative to
construct for readers how it feels to be rooted in a particular hometown,
household, extended family, ethnicity or culture. Because there are so many potential ways to
develop this topic, students should consider several angles before narrowing
their material carefully. Using words,
can you recreate the feel of a certain place in your hometown during a
particular season? What are some subtle
attributes of your hometown that an outsider might not notice?
Can you describe the
social climate as well the physical environment? What attributes distinguish your area of the
state from other areas? What kinds of
work do people do? How does the work
shape people’s everyday lives? Growing
up in this area, did you feel connected with the people around you are did you
feel disconnected? Is it possible to
explain to readers what was responsible for these feelings of connection or
disconnection?
Does it seem to you that
how people lived their lives in your area was typical of how people live their
lives all over your home state, the
Your paper may take shape
around a very specific experience or location, or it may discuss several
attributes about your home town.
Narrative (telling a story that has a level of interest for the reader)
or more informative (expository) styles are both possibilities. Chapter 14 in The
Working Writer (pp. 159-168) has a number of methods and suggestions worth
considering.
I suggest using free
writing as a method of gathering material about some of these questions: schedule 10-minute periods to write about
these elements and then stop to think about what’s there and what’s missing. It is always helpful to write more than you
think you will need, so that you will have plenty of material to pick from as
you develop the final version. Six
secondary sources are required for this essay assignment.
English
110: Class Exercise #2
Responding to Visual Art
For
this practice exercise, choose an object to respond to in a long
paragraph. Also, complete a similar
exercise when we visit the campus gallery as a class.
Take
a close look at the object. Think about:
the materials used to form the object
how conventional or unconventional the
object is
the feelings that it conveys to you
the artist’s possible intentions for
creating the piece
how effective the piece is at leading
you towards a response
In
your paragraph, take a persuasive stance as you evaluate the object. Express clearly what your conclusions were
about the piece – whether or not it is crafted well. Does this piece make it clear why visual art
is an important part of human culture, or does this piece fail to engage your
interest as a viewer? Here’s a few
principles to keep in mind as you respond to other visual art and the galleries:
Imagery: Use words to represent
sensory impressions. A variety of senses
can be represented through words: sight,
sound (for multimedia pieces), touch,
taste,
and smell. Keep in mind that sensory
experiences often combine
several
of the primary senses – including texture, temperature, height,
and
proportion. Usually, visitors are not allowed to touch the pieces
themselves, but try to
imagine the way the piece feels.
Genre: Are you looking at a
painting, a sculpture, a mixed-media piece, a textile, or another kind of
art? Can you think of familiar places
where you might see this genre of art displayed? Are there familiar meanings attached to this
genre of art? Does the piece seem to
work within or against the ordinary ways that the subject might appear in the
everyday world?
Tone/Mood/Emotion: Why did you choose this
piece? What kind of reaction did it
cause initially? Is your reaction any
different after you look at it for a long time?
Does the piece produce a strong emotion, or not so strong? What kind of emotion does it produce? What element of the form and subject is
responsible for producing the emotion?
Response Paper #3: Cultural
Criticism
In cultural
criticism, writers consider how culture – beliefs, values,
traditions, practices, and products – relates to everyday experience.
You might begin this assignment by thinking about a cultural practice or
product that intrigues your or mystifies you.
Describe the practice or product, thinking carefully about who engages
in the practice or who produces and consumes the product. What purposes does the practice or product
serve? What is your view of this
practice or product? Can you identify reasons
for your reaction – in what ways do your beliefs, values, and traditions affect
your view of this practice or product?
Well-written
cultural criticism should strike a balance by:
1) commenting on the cultural practice or the product itself; 2) describing
how the practice or product is connected to larger trends in culture; 3) by
interrogating the writer’s personal reaction to the practice or product. Six secondary sources are required for
this assignment, including two printed sources.
Your
final essay should display your observations and analysis as a thoughtful
reader or viewer. Good luck!
=========================================================
Library Visit:
Find samples of cultural criticism. Here are some publications that include cultural
criticism:
Rolling Stone
Vibe
Village Voice
Atlantic Monthly
Utne Reader
Harpers’
Use both print and nonprint
sources: web sites, microfiche, etc.
At the end of your visit, list MLA
citations for five samples of
cultural criticism. Include a summary of at least two pieces of
cultural criticism. You may choose articles that are closely
related
to
your topic for the final essay.
Research
Paper
English 110
For this assignment, students will develop a topic that is
suitable for a 6-page essay, a format that allows a greater degree of depth and
specificity than the less formal response papers.
The tone of this paper will be more informative and less persuasive, in comparison to the earlier response papers. In fact, your responsibilities will resemble those held by a reporter in a major newspaper that must provide public information about an issue, or a scholar who is writing an encyclopedia entry, or a market researcher who is compiling information about the business climate in a city or region.
Definitions of key terms and concepts are necessary in a research paper. The paper’s tone should be aimed at general readers that may not have any familiarity with the topic being discussed.
Ten secondary sources are required for this formal essay, including four printed sources. During the stages of the writing process, students are encouraged to consult with the instructor, to use the library time effectively, to visit the writing center, and to exchange papers with others in the class, so that plenty of feedback is provided before the final draft is submitted.
Research papers should provide an overview not only of the general information about the subject, but also of controversial or disputed information about the subject.
Illustrations are also
required for this research paper. Choose illustrations that help make
difficult concepts understandable, or that provide a graphic display of data
you have referred to in your paper.
As in the hometown and
cultural criticism papers, you may develop a topic related to public issues
faced by ourselves, the university, the state of
Response Paper #4: Writing Argumentative Essays
For this paper assignment, students will use their
writing skills to persuade readers to adopt their point of view on an issue of
their choosing. The main challenge in
this assignment will be: 1) to develop a
clear point of view on the issue you choose to discuss, and 2) to support your
point of view effectively using evidence.
The topic can be developed from your research paper topic, so long as
you use additional research to gain an understanding of more partisan
viewpoints on the same issue that you have learned about
in some detail.
It could be said that persuasion is the essence of
writing, since all writing seeks to influence readers in one way or
another. Even personal and narrative
writing, such as the “where are you from” essay, include elements of
persuasion. In persuasive essays,
however, the writer’s attempt to influence the reader is usually not
disguised. I find, in fact, that the
writer’s willingness to make a clear claim for a certain point of view can be
useful and convincing in the context of persuasion.
Our objective is to use a Rogerian model of
persuasion. In other words, your
persuasive essay should be convincing not only to readers who share your
beliefs, values, and ideas, but to readers who might initially disagree with
your beliefs. Your essay must incorporate
one or two opposing arguments – and while you are expected to refute these
opposing arguments, you are also expected to treat opposing views with
respect. The Rogerian model as a whole
is grounded in the idea that persons who disagree with our views are
nonetheless reasonable persons, and will respond to a carefully reasoned,
specific discussion of the issue at hand. Six secondary sources are required for this
assignment, including three printed sources.
Here
is a list of banned topics:
abortion
capital punishment
human cloning
drinking ages.
Prompt for Class Exercise #3
For this class exercise, free your mind and write a
piece of creative writing. There are no
requirements for length, form, or subject, although these will be published
pieces in the sense that we will share and discuss some of them in class. You may turn in a long poem, a short poem, a
play, a limerick, even haiku or a novel – the only requirement for this
assignment is that you give your mind free play to develop a topic of personal
interest. It is always great to see
fully developed pieces, but for this assignment you are the authority on what
represents a fully developed piece.
I am hoping that we can work in pairs or groups for
our follow-up discussion of this assignment, so that we can share some of our
creative work with the larger group of writers in the course. Good luck on your pieces, and have fun!
Final Portfolio
The final portfolio is intended to illustrate the progress
that you have made in writing, research skills, and critical thinking during
this course. For this assignment worth
10% of the final course grade, you will assemble writing assignments for the
course, and present them in an order that demonstrates your progress in writing
and your achievement of course objectives.
Minimally, the final portfolio must include final drafts of all four
response papers, the research paper, and class notes. Additionally, you may include notes from your
work on particular essays, rough drafts, and other material that demonstrates
your progress. The arrangement and
appearance of your portfolio as well as the content will influence the final
grade.
Another required element of the final portfolio is a 1-page statement that you will compose and include in the front of the portfolio. This 1-page statement will provide several things:
your view of how you did in the class, in terms of writing, critical
thinking, and other matters. You may even suggest a grade and provide a rationale for me to consider.
a list of essays that you have revised and a brief description of what
you did to improve the papers. If you include earlier graded drafts, final revised drafts, and a description of what changes were made, you may receive up to four points extra credit points to be added to your semester total.
any other information that pertains to your work in the class
that would be useful in my final deliberations.
The final portfolio is due during class on Friday, December 12.
English 110
Peer Editing Exercise: Hometown Paper
Peer editing is meant both to provide feedback for other writers in the course and to improve skills in critical reading. The sequence of questions below should help to produce quality responses to the rough drafts by applying methods of critical reading.
General:
What are the strengths of the paper?
What
does this writer do well that could even be improved in another draft?
Does
the writer discuss the most important and interesting ideas in sufficient
detail?
Considering
the paper as a whole, does the writer keep you interested as a
reader?
Relevance
to the assigned topic:
Does the writer describe the physical setting of their “home town”
so that you can imagine what it looks like?
Does the writer discuss subjects such as festivals, parks, businesses,
climate, social divisions, and neighborhoods? Does the writer
discuss other subjects not named here effectively as well?
Language,
Structure, and Style:
Take a look at the title and introduction.
Do
they create a mindset that the rest of the paper reinforces?
Are
there particular places – words, sentences, paragraphs – that could use
revision for coherence?
As a
whole, does the essay lead the reader through the material in a well-
paced and orderly fashion?
For two members of your writing group, write at least two sentences for each of these sets of questions. Then, sign your comments, and eventually return them to the author of the essay.
If there are any sentences that we can examine further to discuss issues of grammar and usage, please mark those sentences so that we can work on them as a class.
English 110
Peer Editing
Exercise: Review and Cultural Criticism
General:
What are the strengths of the paper?
What does this writer do well that could even be improved in another draft?
Does the writer discuss the most important and interesting ideas in sufficient detail? Considering
the paper as a whole, does the writer keep you interested as a reader?
Relevance to the assigned topic:
Review Essay:
Does the writer give a clear opinion about the object being reviewed?
Does the writer use written description to give a strong impression of the object being reviewed?
Does the writer make clear what kind of criteria are used to evaluate the object?
Does the writer find a balance between external criteria (general standards) and internal criteria
(personal taste) in their commentary?
or
Cultural Criticism:
Does the writer discuss clearly his or her chosen subject, the writer’s relationship to the subject,
and the relationship of the subject to local and national culture (that is, context?)? Does
the writer mix these elements in a way that is appropriate for the subject at hand?
Does the writer examine the subject critically, providing insights that may not be obvious at the
surface?
Language, Structure, and Style:
Take a look at the title and introduction.
Do they create a mindset that the rest of the paper reinforces?
Are there particular places – words, sentences, paragraphs – that could use revision for
coherence?
As a whole, does the essay lead the reader through the material in a well-paced and orderly
fashion?
For two members of your writing group, please write at least two sentences for each of these sets of questions. Then, sign your comments, and eventually return them to the author of the essay.
If there are any sentences that we can examine further to discuss issues of grammar and usage, please mark those sentences so that we can work on them as a class.
English 110
Peer Editing
Exercise: Research Paper
General:
What are the strengths of the paper?
What does this writer do well that could even be improved in another draft?
Does the writer discuss the most important and interesting ideas in sufficient detail? Considering the paper as a whole, does the writer keep you interested as a reader?
Relevance to the assigned topic:
Does the writer include ten sources, including at least four specialized sources from books, journals, and single subject reference works?
Does the writer make you familiar with the topic as a result of reading the paper?
Does the writer have a balanced view of the subject?
Is the paper organized well and narrated smoothly?
Does the writer use definitions and general background when necessary to help
readers understand the topic?
Language, Structure, and Style:
Take a look at the title and introduction.
Do they create a mindset that the rest of the paper reinforces?
Are there particular places – words, sentences, paragraphs – that could use revision for
coherence?
As a whole, does the essay lead the reader through the material in a well-paced and orderly
fashion?
For two members of your writing group, please write at least two sentences for each of these sets of questions. Then, sign your comments, and eventually return them to the author of the essay.
If there are any sentences that we can examine further to discuss issues of grammar and usage, please mark those sentences so that we can work on them as a class.
English 110
Peer Editing
Exercise: Persuasive Paper
General:
What are the strengths of the paper?
What does this writer do well that could be improved in another draft?
Does the writer discuss the most important and interesting ideas in sufficient detail? Considering the paper as a whole, does the writer keep you interested as a reader?
Relevance to the assigned topic:
Was it easy to identify and understand the thesis?
Was the thesis clearly expressed and well supported?
Did the writer respond to the opposing view fairly? Would a skeptical audience respond well to
this paper?
Did the writer use evidence to support their view, for background, and to explain the opposing
view?
Language, Structure, and Style:
Take a look at the title and introduction.
Do they create a mindset that the rest of the paper reinforces?
Are there particular places – words, sentences, paragraphs – that could use revision for
coherence?
As a whole, does the essay lead the reader through the material in a well-paced and orderly
fashion?
For two members of your writing group, please write at least two sentences for each of these sets of questions. Then, sign your comments, and eventually return them to the author of the essay.
If there are any sentences that we can examine further to discuss issues of grammar and usage, please mark those sentences so that we can work on them as a class.